Tuesday picks & pans

okay so it's not exactly Tuesday anymore, but I left home a day later than I planned, so you get your weekly picks and pans a day late too. So, here they are: Tuesday Picks & Pans- special Philly holiday edition :)

PICKS

seeing family-- there's nothing better! and the less I get to go home and the more things change in between trips, the more I miss not only my parents but all the extended family too.

seeing old friends-- a special shout out to Yvonne and Adam, who are part of the few high school friendships that have stood the test of time (all the time in school plus 6 years out!), making them absolutely priceless! Adam is always a blast to talk to and hang out with, and Yvonne has to be the sweetest person on earth and has always been a fantastic friend. Yvonne and I also randomly found out we both bought the same car... great minds think alike! (and love TSX's! hehehe) Hers, though, came with cool keychains and free car washes, and all I got was free manicures on Wednesdays. oh well :)

big cities-- I absolutely LOVE being in big cities! I had SO much fun walking through the Italian market and getting my usual cheesesteak at Pat's (mushroom provy with, baby!) And, although I probably would never want to live IN South Philly, it reminded me how much I love being in and around the city. And Philly especially is just an awesome place to be in general, no matter what you're looking for. There is nothing like getting a cannoli from an Italian bakery that's been open over 100 years and knowing you won't find anything like it anywhere near the country or even the suburbs. I really miss big cities and the uniqueness and all the different worlds of each one I've been able to spend time in.

Bertha the Christmas Tree-- yes, many of you know I name everything... Well, this year's tree was a little short but very round, so I named her Bertha. And if you're wondering where I got it from, I should tell you that when I was home I witnessed my mom talking to a fake feathered rooster, petting it, and calling it "him". yeah... Anyway, Bertha was a great tree; she was fun to decorate and made the holiday season festive in the house. And, she was a great Christmas plaything for the 4 cats in the house...

the great cannoli exchange-- sometimes family really comes through, and sometimes friends know you so well that they stop questioning your craziness :) So, when I was upset that I had gotten the wrong type of cannoli filling and potentially wasted a rare Italian market experience, my brother offered to trade me one of his cheese ones for my vanilla. And when I told Yvonne that we had to be in Oxford Valley at 9:30 that night to trade cannolis, she oddly just laughed and said okay. hehehe. and, just as a note-- the traded cannoli was the best I have ever had in my life!

Philly shopping-- woohoo Macy's!!!! and woohoo no sales tax on clothes in Pennsylvania!!!! the half price calendars (gotta get the daily Dilbert fix) and the H&M access also made it a great after Christmas shopping experience, even though I never quite made it to KoP.

my new iPod-- this was a fantastic Christmas present!!! I am so excited about it, and it's already been a great gym accessory. but, I do not understand what it has against Dashboard Confessional! Everything on my CD's imported fine except for half of my Dashboard album and the ONE Dashboard song on my new Y100 Sonic Sessions CD. WTF?! Anyway, my iPod needs a name since it looks a lot like Pete (the Palm Pilot) but right now is just kinda there and white. Any ideas? hehehehehehe


PANS

AIG-- since I work for the insurance company ranked second nationally in customer satisfaction (reference jdpower.com for the complete list), I have room here to complain. My mom unfortunately got into an accident in her brand new Outback. After not paying attention to the contact info my dad had given them and not even calling for 3 days, AIG finally took a statement. Then they told her it was probably totalled, but they aren't even going to LOOK at it for another week from now to make a decision and settle the claim. WHAT?! there wasn't any injury and the car is a wreck-- this should be the quickest type of claim to handle! and even though they gave my dad a car last time, they told him he has no rental coverage. And even if he did they'd only cover $20 a day for like 5 days, so even if he had it they would stop covering it before they even checked out the loss! isn't that absolutely ridiculous?! THIS is why you should have your insurance with a company that actually CARES about GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!! k moving on...

the Eagles game on Monday-- yes I know they're trying to keep everyone healthy, but playing all second stringers? what a disappointing game to watch. I just hope they regain the intensity for the playoffs...

Roy Williams (the guy who took out T.O.)-- I know it was a legal tackle and all, but did anyone else see it?! how could someone NOT get hurt when they get dragged down like that?! And this isn't the first time Roy Williams has seriously hurt someone with that type of hit. it's not right.

work-- deserves to make every list. work just sucks. even if I like my job sometimes, it's still something I have to do every single freaking day just to afford to live on my own and have a car. booooooo adult responsibility. it's only been 2 and a half years and I'm already over it.

snow and ice-- winter sucks. this is why I moved south, although I think down got hit worse than at home. weird. at least I missed it all down here though...

driving-- six hour trips alone just suck. I used to think road trips were fun, but now I am sooo sick of driving. Plus, driving is expensive! The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel costs $12 each way and gas in Bucks is $.40 more expensive than the same stuff in VA Beach! I am either going to fly everywhere from now on or get a travel buddy...

having to leave-- the more time there is between visiting my parents, the more I realize how old they're getting. And, the more I see them getting older, the more selfish I feel for living 6 hours away and doing my own thing, since no one in my family has ever really lived all that far away. Maybe that's dumb. I don't know. I do know, though, that after an absolutely fantastic week at home, it was very hard to come back, even though I really like Virginia Beach and my life here. Life is weird sometimes.

ok Steph is forcing me to go to the gym tonight and I have a TON of unpacking to do, so I'm off. Or, maybe I'll just play with my new iPod and import music instead of all that... hmmm... :Þ