Mall walking

Good Morning and I'm not going to complain about the rain!

Much like a lot of people (apparently since the roads were packed), we were getting a bit stir crazy Saturday.
It was raining, but the last thing any of us wanted to do was sit around the house. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. If I told the boys we were just going to sit around the house, they'd be more than happy to fill the time playing video games.
So, in part because we hadn't been there for awhile and in part because it's big, we headed out to the King of Prussia mall.
We parked at the far end and started walking. We walked the whole thing, stopped in a few stores and listened to complaints.
The goal was to get in some exercise without it actually feeling like exercise. We walked at a decent pace and a couple of hours later were heading back into the van with sore legs.
It wasn't until I got home and checked the stats when I was surprised.
According to the walking thing, we had gone five miles. That's right, five miles.
Well, I won't be making fun of those mall walking clubs anymore.

What a drag it is getting old

Good Morning and here we are again!

I find it kind of ironic the Rolling Stones released a single called 'Mother's Little Helper' on July 2, 1966.
First of all, the line 'What a drag it is getting old' doesn't exactly ring true. It's not really a drag. Not for me and especially not for the Stones. I saw them when they played Philly last June. There was no dragging on the stage.
What I'm talking about is my knees. My right knee is not a big fan of this training I've been doing for the Broad Street Run. Over the weekend, I felt like it was laughing at me. Well, OK, not laughing, but at least making sure I wouldn't laugh.
I remember back in high school playing a pickup baseball game (Does anybody play pickup baseball anymore?). After getting a hit, I rounded first and was going to try for second, but the ball was thrown in from the outfield. I stopped quickly and tried to get back, but my right knee went the other way.
I lay in pain for a few minutes, then rubbed some dirt on it and kept playing.
Now, I might be paying for that decision.

Hoops vs. movies: The battle for the remote

Good Morning and I think I heard something about tomorrow...

Since we get to sleep in a little later on the weekends, we usually stay up later on Friday and Saturday nights watching some type of movie.
Most times, it's some kind of dumb comedy or action flick. With Netflix and the on-demand stuff, there are plenty of options. The good thing is if the movie is really terrible (there are plenty of those), it's not as bad as if paying at the theater.
The same schedule holds out for most of the year. The movies come on and everybody settles into their spots in the living room.
There is only one exception: The NCAA basketball tournament.
It's just something I like watching. It doesn't matter the game, if one is a blowout, there are three others going on at the same time.
So, we settled in Friday with basketball on the tube.
The first complaint came five minutes later: "Do we really have to watch this all night? Can't we watch a movie? This is BORING!!!"
Quick answers: Yes. Go in the other room. No it's not.
Now, I have to give my housemates credit. They aren't really basketball fans, so they put up with my indulgence before just going to bed a little earlier than a usual Friday.
Now, when I tried to pull the same thing Saturday? That's when the real battle began.

Ah, yes!

Good Morning and that's all we really have to say today.

It's spring. We have made it. That other word can leave our lips until next December. The season of misery is over. Time to smell the flowers.
My daughter bounced off the bus after school yesterday and said: "Dad, do you know what tomorrow is?"
Having been bogged down with work and home stuff, I answered: "I don't know. Thursday?"
"No," she said. "It's the first day of spring. Spring. Spring. Spring."
She wasn't excited about some free water ice (although you know we'll be stopping at Rita's maybe a couple of times today). It's like some weather blanket was lifted off of us.
It's spring, let's dance.

Couch potato?

Good Morning and I refuse to look out the window today!

I always thought I was doing pretty good during the day. I try not to sit at this desk for too long, even if it's just to walk to the front of the office. I try not to park in the spot closest to the door. I walk down to Wawa lunch, even if it's just to get out in the air.
Then somebody in the office talked me into getting this FitBit thing. It's like a watch that doesn't tell time, but, to me, it's become even more important.
See, the device measures how much activity you do during the day. Those days I do my training it ends up pretty good. The others? Not so much.
While I'm the only one looking at the stats on the web site, I now recognize how much sitting I do all day and it's embarrassingly high.
Time to get moving.

(Shaking head)

Good Morning and welcome back to the safest place on earth!

Do you ever wonder about people? Do you ever just believe you are wandering around in some bizarro world?
You know, you wonder why somebody has to leave their shopping cart in the middle of aisle, then walk halfway back to pick up a can of soup. Maybe you have to rub your temples when the person in front of you stops at the first pump instead of pulling through to the second.
How about that person who wants to make a left out of a shopping center onto a busy road and just pulls into traffic, figuring somebody will stop.
Then there's the one who needs to get a money order or something from the counter during the lunch rush.
Annoying. Annoying. Annoying.
Hey, where's my coffee?

Where do all the hippies meet?

Good Morning and I feel like throwing a party when that last snowflake melts!

Sitting inside Saturday was not going to be an option. It was too nice outside.
The problem was, with all the snow melting, there was a lot of mud. The last thing anybody wants is mud tracking through the living room.
So, after prying everybody off the computer, phone and video games, it seemed like a perfect day to take a stroll down South Street.
Of course, the idea struck thousands of others, but that's OK. Sometimes, it's nice to be out in the crowds.
When the children were small, we used to take that walk once in a while. Maybe stop for an ice cream or check out the book stores. That was years ago (I'd guess about 8), so it was really all new to them.
We found parking around 12th Street and started walking toward Penn's Landing. We stopped in stores (no, not THOSE stores) and took in the air (maybe not fresh, but that's OK).
When we got done I heard from the back, "Dad? Thanks for taking us."

Pizza, pizza, uh, pizza?

Good Morning and are you getting fired up for the Phillies yet?

I've always kind of wondered if there were more bars or pizza places in Delaware County. Can you really go anywhere around here without running into one or both or, sometimes, both at the same place.
A pizza place went out of business near my house and was replaced, yep, by another pizza place.
Now, for the most part, I think they are all pretty good. Sure, there are subtle differences in the sauce (or gravy, if you prefer). When feeding teens and pre-teens, well, those little things don't really matter.
I have a couple of favorites, but it's mostly out of convenience rather than anything else.
Earlier this week, Pica's Pizza in Upper Darby made a spot appearance on the Tonight Show.
It got a lot of reaction.
It fostered a lot of debate.
So, a thought popped into my head (yeah, it happens every once in a while): Where is the best pizza in Delaware County?
Well, we've taken the nominees and will be breaking them down over the next couple of days. Monday will be the start of Delco Pizza Madness. So, get your taste-buds (and voting fingers) ready.
For now, there's this:

Let's all drive to Miami

Good Morning and who's helping me shovel?

OK, so it might be the last one, but I want warmth. I am sick of being cold. I am sick of bundling up. I'm sick of looking at my PECO bill.
It's time to go South. Who's with me? We'll pile in my car and drive to Miami. After all, it is like this, right?