BenSpark Family Adventures

It looks like the trivia game is really taking off. There were 11 people participating yesterday. And did you know that the more people who participate the more points you can score. Neil got a whopping 11 points yesterday. Still looking for other topics, let me know what you are interested in having as a trivia challenge. There are some new faces that have popped up recently, welcome! I can't figure out who our new participants are but I appreciate that more people are playing.

This weekend Allison and I went Kayaking in Megansett Harbor with Kim and a tour from Cape Cod Kayak. This weekend marks the first time out on the water for Allison and the second time for me. How very sad, the entire summer almost over and we get out on the water at this late in the game. Shameful. Anyway, the tour was a fun one with a play in the waves, and some live Celtic music. Inside the inner harbor of Megansett are some pretty nice well-to-do homes and at one home there was a wedding going on with a Live Celtic band. It was awesome to be out on the water while live music was playing. I thought it was a sound system on a boat at first and then realized while that would be a complete waste of money. Salt air and electronics - not a good match. I also saw as I got closer a large group of people at one of the homes on the shore. Some of the group went a little closer and were terrorized by three little boys who were throwing rocks at them. Actually they were not throwing rocks at t...

Tonight Allison and I are off to see Kenny Chesney at Great Woods (Yeah I know it is Tweeter Center now but it will always be Great Woods in my heart.) We are meeting up with Beth and Jenn to tailgate in the parking lot. I’ll let you know how it was on Monday, or if I get ambitious sometime this weekend.

And me without a paddle to smack some folks upside the head. I have the uncanny ability to go anywhere at anytime and be next to the most whacked out folks ever. It happens at movie theaters, at the lunch line, and basically anywhere that I have no way out. And the Kenny Chesney Concert was no exception. I was standing at the rail at the front of the lawn. Standing next to we was a woman who hadn't seen a concert since 1976, and that is no exaggeration because she told me in a lengthy conversation she had with me. Then her friend came back and proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs for each sound and she would slam her ham hock of a forearm onto the fence with the sound and power of the Hammer of Thor. She kept bumping me and smoking and the smoke would hit me right in the face. As we know, when a non-smoker is in the vicinity of a smoker they will experience the full effect of a lungful of smoke. So, I moved back to avoid the noxious cloud and she saw me and apologized. And t...

Tonight Allison and I are off to see Kenny Chesney at Great Woods (Yeah I know it is Tweeter Center now but it will always be Great Woods in my heart.) We are meeting up with Beth and Jenn to tailgate in the parking lot. I'll let you know how it was on Monday, or if I get ambitious sometime this weekend.

I've been updating my list of books that I have read and those I would like to read. I spent a lot of time on Stop your Killing Me.com to get all the series and their proper order. I have completed, The Time Machine and now I'm looking to start a series. I am either going to start the Tony Hillerman Series about Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, Navajo tribal police officers in the southwest USA, or the Nevada Barr Series about park ranger Anna Pigeon. I'd also like to complete the Clive Cussler (Dirk Pitt) series and read that from the beginning. Does anyone have any books by these authors? E-mail me if you do.

I finished Lamb : The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal last evening. What a funny book. Christopher Moore writes some weird messed up stuff but it will have you laughing. Check out Lamb : The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. My supervisor just talked to me about my trip last week. Apparently the site thinks I just took off on Friday. Which is what I really wanted to do of course but is not what actually happened. However they are up in arms about the visit altogether. I am fortunate that the folks at work know what kind of specialist I am and how this is not reflective of me in any way. Sorry about today's trivia. I can't imagine who would actually know some of those questions. They are so nit picky. Tomorrow will be something better.

Last night Neil, Derek, Mike and I went to the Funway Cafe for Boys night. Beer, Boneless Buffalo Wings and video games. The Funway Cafe is a pretty big place, with a full bar, and a restaurant and video games and pool and mini golf and go carts. There is a lot to do there. They also added couches and tables on the dance floor during the week so folks can relax and watch sports on the myriad of flat screen and big screen TV's. It was great to hang out with the guys.

This weekend Allison and I went to the Cape. The first time in about a month. So it was nice to get back down there. I was able to go out kayaking this weekend. It is sad that this was my first time all summer getting the boat out. Oh well, it was a really nice day and my Dad and I took the boats over to Long Pond and paddled almost to the end. The water was a little choppy and it was a little windy but it was really nice to get out on the water. We had a BBQ today with Mom and Dad, Shelby, Tara, Erik, Renee, Grandma and Grandpa B., Grandpa Rick and Uncles Wayne and Roger and Aunt Cathy, and Sister Bernadette and Fr. Felix, and Jerry. It was nice to see everyone. I spent most of the day on the beach reading "Lamb:The gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." Yeah I was laughing out loud almost all day. I'm nearly finished. I need to finish quickly since Allison is anxious to read the book too.

And I went to see them at Route One Cinema Pub. That place is the best place in the world to see a movie and have a beer. Don't get me wrong the IMAX is great but Route One Cinema Pub has beer by the pitcher. I wasn't expecting much from Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. The previews looked funny, but with most previews I figured that all the jokes were in the preview. I was wrong, this movie had so many jokes and punchlines I was laughing throughout the whole movie. Allison was right to not want to go with me because of my boisterous and embarrassing laugh. It was full force tonight baby. The cameos in the movie were hilarious. Christopher Meloni from Law and Order SVU has one of the most funny and disturbing cameos in the whole movie. And of course Neil Patrick Harris as himself was pretty funny too. I was planning to go see Tom Papa at Mohegan Sun tonight but I finished in NY early so I just came home. Now I'm back at the house and Comedy Central Presents has Tom Papa...

Tonight I had dinner at a Ruth's Chris Steak House for the first time. What an excellent meal. I tried to go there last night and it wasn't open yet so I found somewhere else to go. I'm glad I waited, because last night I certainly was not dressed for the place. Today I went to the restaurant right after working at the hospital. The place is an a la carte menu where everything outside of the entree is an add-on. It is expensive and I broke my company budget for the day but the meal was worth it. I ordered a petite filet and jumbo shrimp. The meal came on a sizzling plate of butter salt and pepper. The atmosphere was very nice, fine music and soft lighting. And then other people showed up... As Derek says, "This place would be great, except for the people." I was there all by myself and then a late aged couple came in and since I have the world's most fantastic luck they were seated right next to me. The couple, I'll call them Horace and Lenore and proceede...

During Season 2 of Last Comic Standing there was a comic named Sharon Houston. She did not make it into the house. There is now a video up on Ain't it Cool News, sort of a mockumentary about her experience on the show. Anyway she is not happy. So I'm in White Plains for the week teaching reports to another specialist's hospital. There are quite a few other specialists down here working at various other hospitals that are part of the same group. But since my trip was last minute I'm off at a hotel by myself while everyone else is staying in the city. Not that it is a big deal but I'm bored out here. And for some reason this area is packed with dozens of highways and no matter which one you get off of you can't get back on to go the opposite direction. I spent most of yesterday afternoon "try-roading". And finally ended up finding a nice little pizza shop for dinner. I'm almost finished reading "Chi Running" and have begun reading "The...

I came across this information at Ain't It Cool News for my fellow Harry Potter Fans. There is a transcript from a public appearance by JK Rowling. It has some interesting stuff about the upcoming book without giving anything away. Enjoy. I found a website for similes and emoticons. This one makes me think of Pac Man driving KITT. Gotta love the 80's.The site is called Clicksmilies.com.

I finally saw Garden State today. It was a good movie. A good first time out of the gate for Zach Braff. (Dr. J.D. on Scrubs. The movie reminds me a of a modern day The Graduate. It has many of the elements of loss and loss of direction, finding yourself and the journey to get there. Hopefully the movie will expand further and many more people can see it. If you live near where it is playing check it out.

I finished Dan Brown's Deception Point yesterday morning. That is one heck of a book. The twists and turns, the false leads, this guys knows how to write a suspenseful novel. Keeps you guess throughout the whole book. Pick it up at Amazon.com or at your local library.

This weekend was a busy one. Allison and I went to her grandparents for dinner on Friday night. Saturday we volunteered for the PawaPolooza at the Elks in North Attleboro. Today we went to the company picnic. It was rainy but still a very nice day. Lots of food, a little volunteering and I got to meet Frank's family, that was really nice. Allison and I had a good time at the picnic. After the picnic we went to Jordan's Furniture to see Spiderman 2 in IMAX. Man, that was an awesome follow up to the original Spiderman that came out a couple of years ago. Spiderman is one of my favorite franchises. Seeing it in IMAX was the best way to see it, I'm glad I waited. If you haven't seen Spiderman 2 yet, go to Jordan's and see it. IMAX is the best way to experience this movie.

Yesterday Allison and I volunteered for the PawaPollooza BBQ in North Attleboro. PawaPolooza was the first annual golf tournament and BBQ to benefit the North Attleboro Animal Shelter. Allison and I spent the morning setting up the tables and shucking corn and helping out however we could. I think the North Attleboro Animal Shelter is going to make a pretty good sum or money for their new cat room. Erik won the closest to the pin competition and Erik, C.J, Paul and my Dad tied for second place overall for the day.

Well, I can no longer say that I have never had French Onion Soup. French Onion Soup never appealed to me, I have friends who judge a restaurant by their French Onion Soup, many friends who have this standard of critique. I've even seen Alton Brown's episode all about French Onion Soup, but never had the urge to try it. Last night Allison and I had dinner with Neil and Andrea at their place. Andrea made a fantastic spinach salad, fresh baked bread and French Onion Soup. It was excellent. I may even order French Onion Soup when I go out to a restaurant. Not that it will become my standard of measure but I will be more apt to give it the try it deserves. Thank you again guys for a great night. (Each French Onion Soup Link is a different recipe.) Neil lent me a book called Lamb : The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. It is said to be a very funny book. I'll be posting a message about it once I finish reading it. John Heffron won the Last Comic Standing 2, l...

How are people enjoying the trivia challenge? I am trying to change it up daily. There are so many categories to choose from. I would like to know what trivia challenges you are interested in for the future. And I already know what I love donuts wants the trivia challenge to be about. Please leave your top three trivia categories in the comments section. Thanks.

This was originally posted by Allison As many of you may know, I have been involved with ChemoAngels since November of last year. ChemoAngels is a program that matches Chemotherapy patients up with people who send notes, letters and gifts in an effort to cheer them up and make their treatment and illness as comfortable and positive as possible. My Buddy is a woman with Breast Cancer who lives in York, PA. While we were in Harrisburg for Elise's wedding, we met with my buddy, Lisa, for breakfast. It was so wonderful to finally meet the person I have been writing to for the last nine months and hear that she is well, her most recent surgery returned positive results and she may be graduating from the ChemoAngels program soon! She brought me a beautiful crystal cube with an Angel etched inside and thanked me for helping her through her treatment. It was so very sweet of her. If you'd like to make a difference to Cancer Patients or Housebound/Nursing Home-Bound Elderly folks, pleas...

I finally finished Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. That book took so long to read. I completed three other books in the time I was reading this one. I would read each day at lunch and thereby practically guaranteeing an eventual forehead slamming into the table scenario. The book put me to sleep on more than one occasion, but it was full of very interesting information that put general science into language that anyone could understand. I'd recommend reading it but make sure you are fully rested before you begin. I've just started Dan Brown's Deception Point, that should balance things out nicely.

Originally Posted by Allison This weekend, Drew & I traveled to Harrisburg for my friend Elise's wedding. Drew already posted about our trip to Cabela's, which was very educational. Friday night was the rehearsal followed by a very nice dinner at the Commissioned Officer's Club at the Naval Supply Activity in Mechanicsburg. It was a delicious dinner and a very nice evening. After dinner we went to the Elephant & Castle, a pub which was located in our hotel. We got to meet a lot of Elise's family from Maine and have a few Yuengling Drafts! At 9:00 the next morning, the bridesmaids converged on City Looks to get all coiffed. It was a lot of fun to hang out with Leis, her sisters Mara and Amy and her friend Erika. (Charles' sister Deb was a bridesmaid, too, but did her own hair.) We went to Leis' house to finish getting ready and were off to the church to get in our dresses and have some photos taken. The ceremony was beautiful. The bride was beautiful. Th...

Today Allison and I drove down to Pennsylvania, and we stopped for a rest at Cabela's in Hamburg, PA. Cabela's is a giant sportsman store. It's huge, not as huge as Bass Pro Shop's Outdoor World in Springfield, MO, but huge none-the-less. Allison and I got off the highway to stop at a Schaeffer's Harley Davidson Shop to get me a pin, (I didn't realize that the Schaeffer's pin was the same one that I already had) and the folks at the shop told us about Cabela's. They said that the shop had a stuffed elephant. They weren't kidding, the place was a taxidermist's masterpiece. In the center of the store was a three story mountain that had animals from many different climates. The entire mountain was split into many different environments, a forest, the tundra, desert, and the Savannah. The Savannah was in another area. They also had a freshwater stream with rainbow trout and an aquarium with many freshwater fish. It was actually very interesting to se...

Originally Posted by Allison Well, I did it. I completed the Breast Cancer 3-Day! I wear my Walker Shirt with Pride! What an experience! I promise to be as concise as possible.... Day 0 - We arrived at Topsfield Fairgrounds to watch the orientation video and Register. The video taught us our most important lesson of the 3-Day: Our motto, our mantra, our mission, our jingle (sing it to whatever tune you choose) - NO WHINING!! After Registering Mom, Sherrie, T.R. and I went to the Hotel to check-in, relax in the pool and then went to dinner with Beth, Jen & Nate. It was a nice night, we were off to bed early... We had a 3:30 am wake up call so that we could make the 5:00 am bus to Opening Ceremonies! Day 1 - We hit the road early and were all geared up for the Opening Ceremonies to start. They were touching and inspiring and with lots of cheering and enthusiasm, we hit the road. Sherrie, T.R. and I walked together, meeting lots of people. After Lunch some time, we met Laurie and Bonn...

The Q Grill that is. You know that infomercial about that amazing grill that looks like it is from outer space. Well, I bought one yesterday at Wal-Mart and I have to tell you this is the first infomercial item I have purchased that lives up to its own hype. I bought the item yesterday morning. On the way home I picked up two strip steaks and cooked them on the grill. Set-up was, open the box, remove the grill, insert the propane tank (not included) turn on the gas, hit the igniter, done. It was honestly that simple. The hardest thing was getting it out of the box. The one thing I do not like is that the grilling surface is not non-stick on both sides. When it came time to clean the Q Grill, that was easy also. There are some aluminum drip trays that are inserted under the burners, these popped right out and I was able to wash them up for re-use. The grilling surfaces popped out as well and they were easy to clean on the non-stick side, the bottom is not non stick and that was difficul...

Allison and I saw I, Robot the other day. Beat the heat and all that. What an awesome movie. Great Sci-Fi. Will Smith has another great role as Detective Spooner, a man who is totally distrustful of Robots. The special effects get it right, you don't even realize that they are special effects most of the time.

Allison made it to Bunker Hill Community college along with 1700 of her new closest friends. I am so proud of her. Thank you everyone for your well wishes throughout the walk. Allison will post later with photos. Probably tomorrow after she rests.