Lunch Break Notes

   This year has been one of the best years for Halloween, speaking for myself here. Sure the day was great when I was a kid. I couldn't wait till I got home from school and got into whatever it was that I was being for the night and meet up with friends to go around to the so called "rich neighborhoods" to gather a bag full of treats that I would never eat. It was all fun and games but never has it felt so great. I find that to be true to the fact that our 2 year old is obsessed. I wrote about this obsession before and am still amazed by it. I live in a town where Trick o' Treating happens a day early and so as I write this, I am able to share that my daughter was more entertained by the pumpkins, ghosts, zombies and bats that covered trees and houses than the actual treats that were being given. It was incredible to see her so happy.  One other thing that helped along the buildup for the big day, last night, is always the TV shows, movies and specials that are ...

   It has been quite a while since I last wrote anything. Life has been crazy and time has been.. well, there's just not enough of it. Since my last note a lot has happened. For starters, I now live in Toms River, a place I never fathomed living. I've been a Monmouth county resident my whole life and anything else seemed... not right. But oh how right it is! Living in Toms River is really something else. We have been greeted by almost every neighbor within 2 weeks of living here. Our next door neighbor gave us a pie on our anniversary, Mealz actually has a nickname for her, RoRo. People approach us to just talk. It is an incredible change of pace from where we were.  Now one thing I never imagined about Toms River is their love and devotion for my favorite holiday. Not Christmas, we lived in that town and it was a bit creepy, yeah I'm looking at you Ocean Grove. This town loves Halloween so much that they actually celebrate the Trick or Treat part of it a day early s...

So this is the first mothers day holiday to come since the passing of my mother. I will admit that in the past there has not been a whole lot of honorary celebrating done when it came to my mother. Our relationship usually did not allow it but this being the first year without her really hit me. Even though most of my time was taken by honoring my wonderful wife and all that she does as a mother it was still hard hard to clear my head. As odd as it may seem, I wish that I could at least call to say Happy Mothers Day to her despite whatever mindset or condition she was in at the given moment. Just to hear her say thank you once again for calling would be enough. This thought followed me into my sleep and gave me quite a dream. I'll consider it a nightmare on account of how it made me feel when I woke up. It was a strange dream, taking place at my high school graduation party, which never happened in real life. My mother was there causing a mess, yelling at me the ...

The holiday season is filled with so much joy, so much happiness and memories. Not all those memories involve families sitting around a fire telling stories, drinking hot cocoa. Not everyone enjoys the mild mannered happiness that we see everywhere. We don't all have those families that smile and sing during the holidays. I know i don't...or didn't. Things have changed a bit since we started our own family holiday traditions. I recently posted a note about the classic film Gremlins. In my opinion, it is a holiday classic. This movie really does make me feel the warmth of the holidays. It may not be the typical cheery film for the seasons but a smile and that warm feeling rush to me when it comes on. There are other films that get me in the holiday spirit just like Gremlins. Don't judge me, we all have our holiday triggers and these are mine. Edward Scissorhands- Yes , a Tim Burton film is on the list. How could you not get the good feelings when you watch this. Th...

Just the other day, Thanksgiving to be exact, I was feeling nostalgic and was wanting to recreate the joy that I found during the holiday season. When I was a kid I would hide away and watch my favorite movies and enjoyed every second of it. One movie in particular was Gremlins. Some do not believe that this is a Christmas classic but it is indeed. A father gets his son the gift of all gifts and with gifts of this sort, there are rules. The rules are broken and hell is unleashed in the cutest way. Gremlins start wreaking havoc on a quiet little town during Christmas. The Mogwai tune still sits in my head as a holiday prompt. After watching it this Thanksgiving, I noticed that Kathleen Kennedy, current queen of Star Wars, was one of the producers. Also, there are tons of little things that I never noticed quite before. I do have one negative thing to say about the film… New Yorks China Town looks NOTHING like it does in the film. I wish it did. via Daily Prompt...

I am super excited this year for Halloween. Not only is the day of the dead my favorite holiday, Christmas second, but it will also be our daughters first Halloween.  I do wish we could have done more as far as festivity-wise but between work, baby and money it just was not on the board this year. I love how for one day, two if you live in Monmouth/ Ocean county New Jersey, you are able to dress up and just be who you want to be. I love all things nerdy so of course I would have loved to have been able to afford a stormtrooper or a realistic Indiana Jones costumes but again, the money thing.  Our daughter was originally meant to be born on Halloween but as stubborn as she is, she waited til November 1st to grace us with her presence. This year is going to be that much better with the premiere of season 2 of Stranger Things. The Netflix show that locked me and my wife down for a total of 8 hours straight when it came on last year, or whenever that was. It ...

Halloween is the greatest day of the year but comes only once a year. The one time of the year wherebats and ghosts are the main decor. Soldiers walk in line with mummies and dogs.  I have been in many homes where the cobwebs on the walls are real and the walls really are alive and crawling.  During this enchanting day of ghosts, ghouls and princesses, we need to remember that although most  are partaking with their kids in the festivities, some are not.  Here are some ways to make sure that you stay safe this Halloween . PLEASE NOTE: Each scenario is equal to it`s appropriate response. LIGHTS OFF= MOVE ALONG I never knew of this until I was much older and began to understand that different faiths frown upon the best holiday ever. Although this is the reason for some people there are also others that just don’t want to be bothered by kids knocking on their doors every five minutes looking for candy. Whatever the reason may be. If the lights...