Redemption

12/29
I TOLD YOU I'D DO IT! I think I got more exercise today than I've gotten in about a month. I started out by getting outside to play pickleball with Eli. He played valiantly, but unfortunately his skills were no match. (By the way, this is pickleball. It's like table tennis, but not on a table.)

Mama, resident social studies teacher, has decided to learn all the countries and capitals of the world once and for all by doing Sporcle quizzes. (They have more than just geography, so stay awhile even if that's not your cup of tea.) I'm a bit of a geography nerd myself, so I have set a challenge– first to learn all the countries and capitals wins.

We took a family trip to the Y and I had a decent run. Afterward, we made an impromptu Wawa run, where I tried the new Jalapeño Beef Flatbread. Delicious indeed.

Afterward Eli and I chilled with our mutual friend, Lauren. (For distinction, I'll henceforth refer to her as Laurhen because she sometimes likes to spell it that way.) We went for a drive and for the longest time couldn't decide what to do. Then it hit us: Oreland Pizza.

We've dreamed about this for almost a year now. Riding the train into the city, we hear "Next stop, ORELAND!" every time, and we decided this was a place to check out. No, this was a place to fulfill our wildest dreams. Our lifelong goal was to someday make the pilgrimage to Oreland, the home of true rageosity, which until today was a mystical mirage. And at the heart of it all, Oreland Pizza. It is rumored to be a pizza joint of respectable excellence. It has become to us what White Castle is to Harold and Kumar.

Sadly, we didn't get there until 1040, so it was closed. Next time though. Today was a bright day in the history of Dash Amatash.

12/30
I think our family is a bit late for the redemption of Christmas gift cards, but then again, we're late for everything. Better late than lacking of gift cards? Anyhow, you know you're an adult when the majority of your presents were clothes, and that's exactly what you asked for. On the other hand, you know you're still in college or younger when you shop at Pacsun.

At night Eli, some friends, and I hit up the local skating rink. Well, the closest. I guess 20 minutes away on 45+ roads isn't exactly local. It's far enough that I don't skate very often. Luckily for me, I still remember how, and I think I've actually gotten better since last time! That is, when I'm not paying attention to Evan and his sister, Emily O, who have been playing hockey for years.

It was in the lounge of the skating rink that I got utterly owned. Eli, Evan, and Emily V and I were just taking a quick break. We got a couple of sodas and an order of chicken poppers and were minding our own business. So this young punk ~12 year old girl walks up to me and asks, "Is this your glove?" As the word "no" is leaving my lips, she chucks the glove in my face and walks away. I sit in complete dumbfoundification for about 5 seconds trying to comprehend what happened, while the others are roaring with laughter. Interesting night...

12/31
More pickleball today. I like this life.

I met up with Kevin in the afternoon, and we went to this place called "The Movie Tavern", where you sit in a theater and watch a film, but you have a traytable type thing and they bring you food like you're in a restaurant! It's a really cool concept, although we experienced a few order mishaps. By the way, we saw Tintin, which recieves my utmost praise.

Went to Madi's later for New Year's Eve shenanigans, which included pool, table tennis, darts, and Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. Happy New Year, reader, and my 2012 be joyful.

1/1
I don't remember what time it was, but I do vaguely remember telling myself to just sleep for about 5 minutes on the couch before going up to bed, which explains why that didn't end up happening.

Today, I can proudly say, is the first time I have successfully remembered every country in Sporcle's quiz. I am ahead of Mama, too, which is good. Now it's on to capitals...

EVEN MORE PICKLEBALL! Sixth-grade across-the-street neighbor Connor M is proving to be quite the pickleballer lately, particularly with his returns. He and I managed to beat Eli in a shutout, which, trust me, is impressive.

The fam went to see The Descendants later at our local indie theater. Good flick.

I am trying to teach myself how to work with redstone in Minecraft. It's sort of like wasting time, but at the same time, I'm using this to learn logic concepts which will help me in computer science. Maybe. Hopefully. Maybe I'm still just wasting time. No! It's cerebral! I am developing my critical thinking skills! Right?