Random Snippets

• Friday night, we checked out the local Chinese place for some take out. As we're standing outside, waiting for our order, we hear what sounds like gunshots "pop,pop,pop,pop". I look at Alex and ask if he thinks those were shots? Mind you, this is, maybe 7pm on Friday night, it's still light out, there are tons of people milling about, hanging out everywhere. Everyone reacted, coming out of their houses, wondering what went on, etc. Pretty soon (as in, perhaps, 2 minutes) there were cops and fire trucks everywhere, heading toward the sounds of the shots. We got our food, and headed back home, only to find the shots were fired approximately a block from our house. We subsequently set the alarm and proceeded to rationalize our choice of neighborhood. Turns out, truck ran over a Philly bike cop and dragged him for a ways. In order to get the driver to stop, the cop shot at his vehicle (or maybe in the air? I'm not sure). They caught the driver (who was theoretically trying to hit & run) and the cop should be OK, with some leg injuries. I have to say that scenario seems better than the scenarios running through our heads at the time of the shooting....
• We headed to NJ for Alex's triathlon on Sat morning. We swung by the old place and picked up some things that were left there and dropped some stuff off at the Salvation Army. Then we headed to NJ, hitting up Walmart and our favorite chain restaurants. I can honestly say were were overwhelmed by the size of restaurants and stores in NJ. Walmart looked like an airplane hanger you could park a 747 in. We even hit the mall. Ohhh, we're such suburbanites!
• I think, to a certain extent, NJ deserves most of the stereotypes that are out there. NJ seems to take on the personality of the cities it's closest to. South Jersey tends to gravitate towards Philly, while North Jersey is basically a suburb of NYC. NJ is perhaps the worst driving I have ever seen (and I'm from CA, supposedly Californians are terrible drivers, according to everyone here!). They follow you so closely, no matter what speed you're going, they slam on the brakes a mere few feet from the stop light, and they peel out at nearly every light. Also, for some reason, they have traffic circles every few miles (ever seen one of those? Yeah, they suck and are super confusing and stupid and terrifying on MAJOR ROADS). And there are basically NO LEFT TURNS. I am not kidding. If you want to go left, you have to make a right, then make a left and then go straight. How this is better that having a left hand turn signal? I have no idea. So basically, it sucks to drive in Jersey. Avoid it at all costs.
• Triathlons are insane. Alex did really well and I am super proud of him, but these people are crazy. A 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a half marathon (13.1 miles) all in one day? Are you kidding me? I sat at the state park for over 8 hours, watching people compete. Let me tell you, the cheer-ers deserve a lot of credit for being out there all day long. I could literally nap all day today :)
• After the race, Alex and I were both starving, so we headed over the The Cracker Barrel at 5pm on a Sunday. Apparently we are 75 years old. We both ordered Chicken and Dumplings (their specialty). The food was OK, but reminded me a little too much of canned food that old folks might like. The entrance to the restaurant is a store, with odds and ends like old fashioned candy, garden accouterments, and lots of things about Jesus. It also had a dancing chicken dancing and singing to "Who let the hens out? cluck, cluck, cluck". It felt oddly like Disneyland, although the crowd was a little too old.
• We spent the majority of last evening in bed, watching cable TV (which we don't have at home). We watched "Mythbusters", which is always entertaining, and stumbled upon "Hoarders", which honestly confused me and stressed me out. A LOT. I just don't understand why people won't throw their shit away? So weird.
• Traffic in NJ/PA is not even close to how bad traffic is in LA. Driving back this AM was a PIECE of CAKE!