It’s a good thing we walked 2 miles to church this morning. Our effort to save $8 in bus fares was richly rewarded. Here comes another dorky fan moment for the Cool Family!
As the previous post mentioned, we decided to walk to church. East Side to West Side, across Central Park around 10am. As usual, Cool Dad and I argued about which path to take while standing in front of the Great Lawn. We took the path I had originally planned for us (you’re welcome, CD).
A few moments later, CD was pushing the stroller and I was walking by his side. We noticed some men in black suits with radio earpieces. I casually looked up and noticed a very familiar man walking with two women. He was walking RIGHT past us and his face was shining in the sun. The sunglasses and height triggered my memory–BONO!
Here comes the dorky part. I stopped dead in my tracks after he passed, grabbed CD’s arm, and said “That’s Bono!” We both looked back and saw police golf carts following the group. And “casually” we turned the stroller to follow them. Yeah…we were really playing it cool. There’s no way we looked suspicious at all. [-10 cool points]
As we followed, the group seemed to be gaining speed and leaving us behind. We strained our eyes to see the back of his glorious head and noticed three people were trailing behind and then veered to a separate path to the right. The men in black continued around the Great Lawn.
“Surely the security guys wouldn’t leave Bono and his two ladies (we think one was his wife Ali) to fend for themselves,” we thought. This clever security tactic led us away from the man himself, as two of the security guys made an interesting loop ahead of us. They ended up coming right toward us. One guy on each side of us, while they headed back to where we last saw Bono.
“Say hi to Bono for us,” we said politely as we continued on to church. (Okay, we just wished we had said that.)
The moral of the story: Always listen to your wife when it comes to directions. You might end up running into the biggest and coolest rock star in the world.
We’re about to leave to visit Trinity Grace Westside on the Upper West Side. We tried to go a couple of weeks ago, but it’s a 45-minute walk, and we left too late.
Now, we’re giving ourselves 1.5 hours to get there, which means that we’ll maybe arrive on time. The cool thing is that we’ll walk through Central Park most of the way.
I don’t think I’ve ever walked to church (before moving up here). Have you?
Our Saturday routine used to involve waking to sunlight shimmering on the dew of our acre of grass, cooking a batch of whole wheat chocolate chip & blueberry pancakes, and watching the children play hoop and stick down on our country lane. Well, maybe it was our thoughtful neighbors zooming down the street with bass cranked at 8:00 AM.
Now, CM is eating the boy’s cereal for breakfast. CB is sitting bare-bottomed on the kitchen floor after a failed attempt to let him go potty on the toilet. I’m about to apply for more jobs.
But, this isn’t a complaint. Just an update on what life is like up here for us.
The good far outweighs the bad, like:
- going to Central Park whenever we want
- the nice bakery a few doors down that I’m debating getting a scone from
- a good friend nearby who just had a birthday
- a family friend helping us out
- seeing Brooke Fraser play on Tuesday
- not having to wrestle the boy into a car seat
- merciful neighbors who have not banged once during 1:00 AM cry sessions
- next-door laundromat owners who adore the boy
- chicken and tomato pizza at a nearby pizzeria
- going on a blogging “blind date” today
God is providing everything we need. Although the job prospects are non-existent, it’s just like Him to bless us with something out of thin air. I can’t wait to tell you when He does.
When I was a member of the gainfully employed, I LOVED going out for lunch. There’s something about food that someone else cooks (likely in a deep fryer) that’s more exciting than something we cooked the night before.
It’s probably because my family rarely went out to eat when I was a kid. McDonald’s was a serious thrill.
If you know anything about me, you’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute, Cool Dad. You’re a frugal miser of a cheapskate. How can you love dropping $7-10 on lunch every day??”
Aha! The answer is that I didn’t. Anything over $3.50 gave me regret. Here are some of my favorite cheapo lunches. (prices include tax)
MOE’S
The Funkmeister, water
A soft taco with meat, beans, and the regular toppings with chips. They almost always stuffed the taco as much a Moo Moo Mr. Cow (the choice of the normally frugal), which cost $5.29. You can get a hard taco instead, but I bet it can’t be stuffed as much as the soft.
$2.43
WHITE CASTLE
2 jalapeno cheeseburgers, 1 hamburger
I tried this just yesterday while on the go. Not bad. Some of you may be repulsed. Others may have left their chair spinning to race to their local WC (for our European readers: the restaurant, not the restroom ).
$2.46
SONIC
Jr. Burger Wacky Pack Kid’s Meal
A junior burger, fries or tots, and kid’s drink or slush. A little on the light side, but you get a toy, too! What other meal can give you hours of enjoyment after you eat it? (I’ll refrain from making the Taco Bell reference that I’d love to make. Oops, I guess I just did.) This meal works as long as you can handle the server skating out and yelling “Wacky Pack Kid’s Meal?” in front of your car window.
$2.53
BACKYARD BURGER
Jr. Burger, regular fries, water
The jr. burger at Backyard is actually substantial. I daresay it approaches BK Whopper-proportions. And either waffle or seasoned fries, depending on your mood. This lunch is on the extravagant side, but quite satisfying.
$3.37
There a couple of local places, but I want to keep this list to chains that you can try. So the lesson is: I hope you like burgers!
I’m sure I’m missing a lot. What other lunch deals are to be had out there?
This is part of Works For Me Wednesday.
Let’s talk this Monday night at 9:00 PM EST!
10:21 PM UPDATE: Sorry to cut things short, but there’s a lot to work on in the Cool Household before the night is through. Thanks to everyone for chatting!!
