Tag: aj

Norm and Vicky’s wedding ceremony

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The bus dropped us off at the Disney Wedding Pavilion and we went in and took our seats in the third row on the right side of the pavilion sitting with Mandy Andy was in the wedding part, as was Scott. Walking in, there is a huge window at the far end of the building which perfectly frames the giant castle at the center of the Magic Kingdom. That was pretty cool. There was some light music playing as the guests arrived and the ceremony started right on time, at 2:30 on the dot.

What we found out afterward was that AJ’s fears of catching the bus to the ceremony were not unfounded. For reasons we never discovered, the bus skipped AJ’s resort and 16 or 17 people didn’t get to the ceremony until we were about 15 minutes into it. But they did make it in time to see the bride and groom say their vows, place their rings and, of course, kiss.

Vicky looked radiant in her wedding dress, and Norm even managed to look pretty good in his getup. Norm was really hamming it up as he walked into the building, looking around in all directions, nodding and smiling at various people. Up on the stage, both Norm and Vicky occasionally nodded or winked at someone in the audience.

Several people got up to do readings during the ceremony, and Lisa was one of those people. She gave a very nice reading.

Throughout the ceremony, I wondered if Norm and Vicky would really attempt to pull off the little stunt that they had planned. I hoped that they would do it because it was so them. The reverend pronounced them husband and wife and said that Norm could kiss his bride. Norm and Vicky kissed.

Then they took a step back from one another, smiled, gave each other an excited high five, then turned to face the audience and did a posed thumbs-up. It was absolutely brilliant and I’m glad they did it!

They went off to get pictures taken. Meanwhile, the rest of us filed out and lined up along the sidewalk that led toward Norm and Vicky’s escape limo. When they finally emerged from their photo shoot, they walked through the line as we all tossed flower petals at them. Then they were whisked away and the rest of us made for the buses which took us to where the celebration festivities would occur.

Let’s play dress-up

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Norm, Andy, and Scott were going to use our hotel room to get ready for the wedding. A photographer and videographer would be on-hand to capture the fiasco. Norm was the first to arrive, and seemed in high spirits. He was followed closely by the videographer. Norm was on and off the phone working out logistics and since Andy and Scott hadn’t arrived yet, the videographer headed downstairs to take exterior shots of the hotel.

Andy arrived shortly thereafter with Scott quick on his heels. I was hungry and so was everyone else, so we ordered up room service to the tune of 2 burgers, and 2 chicken sandwiches, plus sodas. The 30-minute order took only 45 minutes to be delivered. We didn’t want to start getting dressed until we had eaten. Andy, who had planted himself on Lisa’s bed, had the TV volume blasting and was watching Heat.

I should mention here that I practical joke that Lisa and I tried to pull seemed to go unnoticed by everyone. Lisa spent the entire morning at the pool and was absent from our dressing-room antics. However, prior to going down to the pool, we agreed on a plot, whereby Lisa made up her bed to look as though it hadn’t been slept in. I left my bed a mess. No one noticed. At one point, Andy even made a joke that went something like, “Yeah, only if we came in here and found that Jamie’s bed was made up and Lisa’s wasn’t” or something like that, and he still didn’t notice what we had done. I thought at one point, Norm might have noticed, but he didn’t say anything so our fun was spoiled!

One of the amusing things that took place at this time was when AJ called. AJ called me to see what we were up to and were he was supposed to catch his bus. He was concerned that the 2:05 pickup time was cutting it close to a wedding ceremony that started at 2:30. AJ can talk on the phone, so as a joke, I told him I wasn’t sure of the answers to his questions and I gave the phone to Norm. Norm had a difficult time getting AJ off the phone and handed the phone back to me. At this point, Andy, who was still laying on Lisa’s bed, looked at me shaking his head and waving his finger by his neck. I said to AJ, “I think Andy knows where you need to go,” and handed the phone to Andy. Andy eventually handed the phone to Scott and Scott actually spent a good deal of time on the phone with AJ before he hung up. And that is the story of how AJ was passed around between three guys the early afternoon before Norm’s wedding.

Finally we started to get dressed. This seemingly simple procedure gets more complicated when (a) no girls are around, (b) four guys are trying to dress in a tiny hotel room, (c) two additional camera people (for now the photographer had arrived) were moving about the room trying to capture the event for posterity. Also, we had to rush because we were behind schedule and Norm, Andy and Scott needed to be in the limo at 1 PM.

I helped Andy with his vest and Norm with his tie and I think several pictures were taken. Andy, for reasons known only to Satan, decided to change his clothes halfway in the closet. Good friend that I am, I called this to the attention of the photographer, who made sure to get pictures of a half-naked Andy standing in the closet trying to get dressed.

Norm handed out the various envelopes containing tips to Andy. He gave the rings to Scott. Andy, who had left the card that he and Mandy got for Norm and Vicky at home, decided to just hand Norm a check. When Norm would not accept just a bare check, I came to the rescue once more, suggesting that Andy put the check inside a hotel stationary envelop and drop it in the gift box that would be at the reception. Problem solved.

Eventually, we all finished dressing (even me). Andy did his hair, and then we were on our way. We got some good pictures standing by the elevators. I walked the boys to the limo, and then, in my full wedding costume, walked to the pool to collect Lisa, who had decided she’d rather stay at the pool than get dressed for the wedding.

But get dressed she did, and contrary to the popular belief that it takes a long time for women to get ready for anything, Lisa was ready to go on time and we were downstairs to meet the bus with time to spare. Once everyone was loaded on board, the bus made off for the Disney World wedding pavilion where Norm and Vicky were having their ceremony…

Spoodles and Jellyrolls

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Some rest. We watched a couple of episodes of Friends, including, ironically, the Chandler/Monica wedding episode. It was nice to be able to relax for a while and stay off your feet. Eventually we had to get up and ready for the evening.

Lisa made dinner reservations at Spoodles, which servces a Mediterranean cuisine. It’s an open kitchen which is kind of cool. Lisa and I shared a lamb kabob for an appetizer. I had a beef kabob for dinner and Lisa had a pasta dish which looked much better than what I got. We also shared creme brule for dessert.

After dinner we headed back down the boardwalk to Jellyrolls where we were meeting up with everyone else. Jellyrolls is a dueling piano bar where the crowd send requests to the piano players and then sings along. It was a smokey, but a lot of fun. We got there at about 10 PM. I got a text from Norm saying they’d be there at 10:30. Then another saying they’d be late. Norm and Vicky showed up sometime well after 11 PM. But AJ, Andy and a bunch of other people got there right around 11 PM. It was the first time I saw AJ since arriving, because he arrived earlier in the afternoon.

I sang quite a bit, and was worried that my voice would be gone the next day. But it really was fun. Lisa made a request for Norm and Vicky and announced they were getting married. The piano guys brought them up on stage and had them do some dancing and other stuff. It was funny.

I think we finally got out of there sometime after 1 AM, but I’m not sure exactly the time. Lisa and I walked back to the hotel (which was not far). I went to bed with the good feeling of knowing that I could actually sleep in the following morning because we didn’t have to be up early to do anything.

Sunday in New York

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I was up at about 8:30 AM and feeling pretty good. I slept well in the hotel room and the skies were bright and clear. I pulled open the shades and Jen and Jason were awake shortly thereafter. We met AJ and Denisse at the hotel restaurant, Olives, for breakfast and the breakfast was quite good. The only mishap–and the only mishap of the entire weekend–was that Denisse lost her cellphone at breakfast. More than likely she left it under a napkin that was cleared away.

We headed up to Jen and Jason’s place and then to the park via 2nd Avenue. We stopped at Coldstone for shakes, but I was the only one who managed to get a shake because they ran out of milk. Several blocks later, however, we came to a Maggie Moos and everyone else got shakes there. We cut over to the park on 72nd and ended up by the Boathouse and then Bethesda statue. We were there for a while, and then wandered past the elms, heading for the south end of the park and then back toward the subway, where we finally split up, AJ and Denisse to head back to the hotel and then to the bus for the ride home, and Jen, Jason and I back to their place.

Back and Jen and Jason’s I was feeling pretty sick and so I took some medicine and rested for about an hour and a half before heading off to the airport. I checked in and was at the gate about an hour before the flight, and boarded quickly once called. The flight departed a little late, but got into Dulles just after 9 PM. I was feeling terrible at this point. I retrieved my luggage, bought some Advil to take, and headed home. Once home, I sent a message to work saying that I was taking a sick day. Then I took some NyQuil and headed off to bed.

It was a fun weekend and I’m glad I made it through most of it feeling pretty well.

Rainbow Room Dinner 2007

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Rainbow Room 2007
Originally uploaded by jamietr.

The eight of us (AJ, Denisse, Jen, Jason, Kevin, Vicky, Norm, and myself) all met the W at Union Square around 6:30 PM and after checking into our rooms, decided to head straight to the restaurant because the bar at the hotel was packed. So we packed into two taxis and off we went. We arrived outside Rockefeller Center at about the same time, took some photos and then headed to the elevator and up 65 floors to the restaurant itself. We had reservations for 8 PM, but since we wanted a window table, we agreed to wait a little longer. We headed for the bar and had drinks. I can’t remember what everyone had, but I had the Planter’s Punch, which I first discovered when I was at the Rainbow Room a year ago, and which I had not had since then. It was excellent!

We were seated about 40 minutes later and we did have a spectacular view of the city. We also had about the best service I have ever had at any restaurant I’ve ever visited. Our table captain was outstanding (and I was sure to give him a very good tip). Norm ordered a few bottles of wine for the table. Meanwhile, we sat around chatting and enjoying the view. The restaurant was crowded but it seemed like we were getting the full attention of our waiters and table captain. We ordered appetizers and then main courses. I had the grilled sirloin, which must have been in the neighborhood of 16 ounces and was excellent! When the meal was over, our table captain brought me a slice of chocolate cake and ice cream with a candle, and everyone else ordered dessert. All told, it was a terrific dinner, the more so because so many of my good friends were able to be there.

We must have left the restaurant at around 11:30 PM. The Rainbow Room proper was hosting a Bar Mitzvah and for those people attending, they were giving away half-dozen boxes of Crispy Creme donuts. It was either Jason or Norm (I can’t remember) who walked up to the donut station and took a box of the donuts, as if they had attended the event. That was pretty funny too.

When we got outside, it was raining pretty hard out, and of course, we couldn’t find a taxi. We tried for a while, but no luck. Finally, we found one and put the girls (and Norm) into it and they headed back to the hotel. The rest of us (me, Kevin, AJ, and Jason) made for the nearest subway and took the subway back to the hotel. We shared a drink at the hotel before calling it a night. It was a terrific evening, and it went by far too fast. I look forward to doing it again next year.

(I took a few pictures, which you can access on Flickr by clicking the image above.)

AJ and Denisse, Part Duex

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AJ and Denisse called me early yesterday afternoon to ask about a hotel in NYC that they are thinking of staying at. Since none of us were doing much, I decided to head back over to their place. Another friend of theirs was going to be there as well. It turned out to be fun. We hung out for a while, and then headed over to Nathan’s Steakhouse in Georgetown for a steak dinner. It snowed pretty hard, but not for very long. After dinner we headed back to AJ and Denisse’s and watched Office Space. I left by 10 PM and was home just after 11 PM.

I was up at 8 AM this morning and since I have the day off, I headed up to IHOP for breakfast. I have to head to the gym a little later. I missed the gym this weekend and I feel pretty guilty about it, but I will get in my cardio workout today. It’s sunny but cool out today. The snow is still pretty frozen so my car is still in the street. However, it is supposed to warm up into the 50s tomorrow and stay there through the weekend, which will be a nice change compared to the cold weather we have been having.

An evening in Peru

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Last night, I headed over to AJ and Denisse’s for dinner. Denisse was whipping up an authentic Peruvian dish and it turned out to be excellent. I forgot to ask her what it was called, but it was layered chicken and potato and hard-boiled eggs and peppers and it was really quite delicious. She also made some homemade guacamole, which I am a sucker for. There was cheesecake and ice cream for dessert. It was all terrific.

We sat around listening to songs on our iPods and eventually settled down to watch L.A. Story which I brought along with me at AJ’s request. I hadn’t seen it in a long time but I couldn’t make it through the whole thing. I didn’t want to get home at 3 AM, so by 11:30, I called it a night and caught the train home. I was back home by 1 AM.

I was up this morning at 8:30 and headed to IHOP for breakfast. When I got back home, I decided to finish up reading what I had left in Volume 1, Issue 5 of SCIENCE FICTION AGE. After that, I decided to be lazy and get another hour or so of sleep.

I’m not sure about my plans for the rest of the day yet. I’m playing it by ear.

Home

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I’m just home from dinner with AJ and Denisse. We went to Chevy’s and we had a nice dinner. It don’t get to see them that much and it was good to be able to spend time with them.

When I got back to the metro station tonight, my car was there, as if it had been parked there since this morning. There was no indication that anyone was annoyed with my having left it there over night. In fact, it turned out that I saved myself a little money. If I had left the metro last night, I would have paid $3.50 for parking. But because I left the metro today–a weekend–there was no charge for parking. It’s a little loophole in the system that I am sure they are aware of, and once in which I will not be taking advantage of again (I hope).

Anyway, I head back into the office tomorrow to finish up with the bug fixes. No workout tomorrow, however, since Sunday is my free day. I’m off to bed…

Bug closure progress

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Well, I closed about 11 bugs on the application today (some took longer than others, some were enhancements, not bugs) and I’m actually pretty pleased with my overall progress. More tomorrow.

AJ called a little while ago to tell me they’d be here by about 7:20 PM, which is only 50 minutes later than they originally said. I’m craving Mexican so maybe I can convince them to go over to Chevy’s for dinner.

Had a call from Dad who was checking to see if my car is still at the Metro station. I suppose it is. I didn’t check when I went back this morning, but I guess I’ll find out when I get there tonight. I also had a call from jen_ashlock and we ended up talking on the phone for about 30 minutes.

My iPod battery is dead. First time I’ve let it drain all the way since I got it. I couldn’t even use it for my workout earlier.

I’m quitting for the night. I brought along volume 1, issue 2 of SCIENCE FICTION AGE and I started reading it on the train this morning. I’ll read a little more now while I wait for AJ and Denisse.

Working on the weekend

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For the second time in the last several months, I came into the office today to do some work. Mostly, I’m trying to close out the remaining open bug issues in our bug tracking system for an application that I’ve been working on that is rolling out this week. I’ll be here for a while. If I feel up to it (I must admit that I was feeling a little queasy when I woke up this morning) then I’m going to go to the gym at 4 PM (a little over 4 hours from now) to do my lower-body workout.

I spoke to AJ on the phone today and found out that Denisse is also in town. They are going to meet me for dinner down here around 6:30, which means I can get in a full workout and perhaps 5-1/2 hours worth of work today. We’ll see how things go.

Late night

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It went like this: I had TiVo’d the movie Prime on HBO several days ago and sat down to watch it this evening. That ended just in time for me to watch Heroes. A few minutes into the show, however, Norm called to talk about plans for this weekend. Fortunately, the show is on a “Season Pass” and was recording anyway. Nevertheless, I paused it. After talking to Norm, I had to call AJ, and once that was done, I had to call Norm back again. So when I finally got back to Heroes, 40 minutes had passed. I caught up as best as I could by skipping commercials. I then went on to watch Studio 60 which had its best episode so far. But even racing through the commercials, it was well after 11 and now its about midnight!

I am debating whether to vote in the morning or the evening tomorrow. If I vote in the evening, it will have to be after the gym, but the polls don’t close until 8 PM and I’ll have plenty of time. If I vote in the morning, I’ll be a little late into work and I’m on good work groove right now so I don’t know if I want to go in later.

I guess I’ll see in the morning.

To Nanuet!

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On Friday I was wondering what to do with my long Veteran’s Day weekend. It looks as though I will be heading up to Nanuet to visit Norm and Vicky for the weekend. Our agents have met and various contract issues have been hammered out, and that cleared the way for a weekend visit. It also looks as though AJ will be heading up to Nanuet along with me. The plan right now is to head up mid-afternoon on Friday, November 10 and then head back sometime the afternoon of Sunday, November 12.