UFO Sighting.

This news is a little old, as it happened back on November 7, 2008. But I was watching a show on UFOs just now, and I remembered our experience that fateful night. I wanted to post it to see if anyone else has had a similar experience.

It was the day we left Florida. I got off work at about 5:30pm, the movers had come and gone with our stuff, and Jen and Kitty were sitting around waiting for me to show up. Once I did, they jumped in the car and we literally took off immediately, eager to hit the open road.

We plowed through the West Palm Beach traffic, passed Jupiter and were in the clear out of Palm Beach county, heading north on I-95. It was about 7:30 by now and dusk was strongly enveloping the east coast.

As we neared the Dayton Beach exit, it was close to 9:00pm. All traces of daylight were gone, and it was a clear night of about 72 degrees. I happened to glance to my right, in the direction of the ocean, when I noticed what appeared at first to be a shooting star. I was going to say something to Jen, but figured by the time I said anything it would be gone.

The seconds ticked by as I watched in amazement. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 seconds.... by now I yelled to Jen "Look at that star!" She said she saw it and we both watched, me with both eyes, Jen with one on the road and one on the sky. I never took my eyes off the strange burning light as it seared it's way southwards, directly over the ocean. Then the most amazing thing happened -- it slowed down and eventually stopped, hovering directly over the ocean right between Daytona and Cape Canaveral.

Jen saw this phenomena as well, and we both yelled "WHOA!" at the same time. By now we thought maybe it was a comet, but then something even MORE amazing happened: the fireball started to head down towards the earth! Jen was starting to swerve a little, and looked away to correct the car in the right lane. We watched as the ball of light then SPLIT into 5 or 6 separate pieces! Each piece started to go in it's own direction, all headed more or less towards Earth. Next, all the separate fireballs paused and hung suspended in mid-air, maybe as low as 5,000 feet above the Earth. I judge their height based on the fact that there was a commercial airliner flying high overhead at the time, and if it was at 30,000 feet or so, I placed it about 6 times higher than the fireballs.

We almost pulled off the highway to investigate, but had gotten such a late start on the road trip we decided to press on, noting the time and location so I could look it up online later. I watched the floating 5 balls until we were totally out of sight. To my knowledge they never moved.

It's now been nearly three months since the sighting, and I've yet to uncover anything in my searching online. If anyone has any information or theories on the flaming balls of light, please let us know. It was our first sighting of anything like this, and we're now hooked for life watching the skies for another event of this magnitude.

If only I'd gotten some pics or video! But alas, I wasn't really into blogging then, and didn't yet form the habit of having a camera handy at all times. Maybe we'll see it again sometime...

(sing X-files theme to fade out: do DO do Do DO dooooooo.....)

*If we come across any pictures of the event online, we'll add it to this post.

Trust Me.

So there's a new show on TNT, Mondays at 10PM EST. It's called "Trust Me". Starring Eric MacCormick (Will & Grace) and Tom Cavanagh (Ed), I would call it sort of a dramatic-comedy-satire-adult humor with quick dialogue and witty retorts.

The show is about a large ad agency in Chicago and all the drama that unfolds in the world of advertising, copywriting and design. You might not think that there's anything interesting going on in that world, but this show really captures what it's like to be in the profession.

As an advertising Art Director for the past 7 years, I can definitely say with some authority that this shows leans heavily towards the realism side. Some of the dialogue hits very close to home and I found myself laughing out loud more often than not. I don't know if I thought it was funny because I can relate, or if it's general enough to cross boundaries to people who aren't in advertising. Maybe some of you can watch it yourselves and let me know what you think?

I hope it's on the air for a long time though. It's about time someone took this fun and exciting world and created a very well-done series on it. Thanks TNT!

Trust Me airs every Monday on TNT at 10PM EST.

Eric MacCormick as Mason Crosby (Art Director) and Tom Cavanagh as Conner (copywriter).
Very funny show that gives you a funny yet disturbingly realistic inner view of life in an ad agency.

Connecting with the Left.

We've been mentioned on one of our top local blogs: LeftinLowell.com (a member of the community of progressive Massachusetts blogs). Since they were kind enough to add a link to our blog, we've added one to theirs as well, located in the sidebar to your right.

Their blog is mostly of the political sort, and they have links to several other well-written political blogs as well. Please visit their page and read some of the thoughts floating around; you can find out anything on the local political scene, as well as commentary on the national scene as well.

They also frequently mention cool events that are happening in Lowell or the surrounding areas, so bookmark their page and visit often!

A night out in Lowell: La Boniche review.

Main foyer area of La Boniche, a cute french-inspired bistro/bar/cafe downtown Lowell.


Jen wanted to go out to dinner and drinks tonight, so we headed downtown to La Boniche, which is a cute little French bistro downtown. Our realtor, Steve (who is also the bartender) told us about it when he was showing us places last November.

The food was delicious. I had mashed sweet potatoes, cooked spinach and roasted pears. One of the best meals I've ever had. Jen had a salad, which unfortunately had goat cheese. Neither of us like it, but my portion combined with the delicious butternut squash appetizer was plenty for both of us.

Steve was generous with the alcohol, so we were in good spirits (no pun intended) throughout and went to his bar for coffee afterwards. It's so rare that we get real espresso that was hand-tamped, we couldn't pass it up. Afterwards, we walked around town for awhile -- it's a balmy 35 degrees which, for night time in winter in New England is pretty warm -- and looked at all the different pubs and restaurants. Most were fairly empty, but I'm hoping things will pick up as the economy slowly starts chugging again. We're doing our part -- so if you're thinking about going out for a meal or a coffee or a drink, DO IT! Let's get this economy back on track by living normally. And have fun while you're at it ;)





the wait station in the main dining room. this building used to be a 5-story department store back in the day -- like a Woolworth's or Hibbard's.


That's some thick ice! Maybe they should fix the gutters? But these huge ice pillars are everywhere on every building, and they go all the way to the roof on most of them.

Nice view from the main entrance of La Boniche, right as we were walking out the front door. This is the corner of Merrimack street and some other street -- maybe Central?


The main bar at La Boniche. They have a great selection of wine and spirits, and even a few beers on tap. Plus, as I said realˆespresso!

There's Steve hard at work on our cappucinos, gently pouring the milk with the right amount of foam. He knows how to make em.


This was actually our first night going out in Lowell. We've been out for lunch many times, and to Boston a few, but we've never actually gone out at night here since we moved in. Granted, it is the middle of winter. But it was so nice tonight we enjoyed the 7 minute stroll into downtown. We'll keep you posted on all the new places we explore throughout the season!

Bon appetit!






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Now playing: Ohm Guru - Shaping Lights
via FoxyTunes

A special thanks to the Florida family.

To the Techmans, Donelsons and Bourgets: thanks for the fun times while we were in Florida last week! You guys are loads of fun and we look forward to seeing everyone again soon.

Great picture compliments of Hannah Bourget.

And, congrats to Sarah and Ben (on the far right) on their recent engagement! Welcome to the family, Ben!

Olympos Bakery.

As much as we go to Olympos, I'm surprised we haven't posted an entry about it yet. It's definitely our fave place to walk to from our building -- only about 5 minutes walking.



So we decided to get some fresh air today and walk there for lunch. The sidewalks are only cleared for single-file travel, and the snow around them is about chest high, so you can just see a bunch of torsos floating along next to the road.



That's an ordinary dime in the picture for a size comparison. This is half of the $6.50 deli sandwich on a "Fat Boy" homemade roll, with ham, genoa, lettuce, tomato, peppers, oil, relish, onions, mozzarella and cheddar. Mmm, mmm, good. Jen had the other half.


What Olympos is really know for is their baking. Here's a shot of one of the two display cases full of tasty treats that were fresh baked today.


And here is a picture of what we ordered: the Strawberry Shortcake Boston Creme Pie-Cake. Holy cow is all I can say. We didn't have room for even one bite of this after that sandwich, so it's waiting for us in the fridge for dessert later tonight.

For anyone that lives in the area, Olympos is located at 214 Broadway Street in Lowell, Mass. They are open until like 8:00, so it's great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I recommend the Grilled Ham + Cheese Panini too, if this sandwich is too big for ya! :)

I'll let you know how the Strawberry Shortcake-pie is....

It keeps piling up...

The snow never melts around here! See what I mean from these pictures taken at Pheasant Lane Mall in New Hampshire, a couple nights ago. They just have to keep piling it higher and higher, until you can't even see out of the parking lot. Eventually, you won't even be able to see the mall, just a big snowpile from the highway.

When you're in the parking lot, it's like you're inside of a castle driving around; you can't see anything past these giant snow monsters. Driving around the parking lot is an adventure in itself, as you can see from the bottom picture. The Audi continues to impress me though, with it's snowmobile-like capabilities.

Back to Florida.

heading out of boston.

"Yes Jen. That's a fire."

So we had to go down to Florida on a business trip to launch our new brand at work. We had all the clients, staff and families to the office on jan 15 for a HUGE bash to celebrate our new look and our new philosophy. see sparkcs.com for more info on that, and check out our facebook group for pics from the event.

we were only down there for 4 days, and i was working half the time, but we had fun nevertheless. sandy and bob were, as usual, the perfect hosts, and the techman/bourget/donelson gang was in full effect on Saturday night. We played trivial pursuit well into the night! Everyone had a blast eating sandy's gournet cooking, hanging out in their new kitchen, and impressing each other with historical knowledge. which, after many beers, is no small feat!

jen feels like she really bonded with the family on this trip, so for that alone it was worthwhile. We're anxiously looking forward to our next visit, when we can stay longer, and hopefully have time to hit the beach for some snorkeling. we didn't make it this time, because we wanted to devote as much time to the family as possible.
thanks to everyone for your hospitality! and to Sharon for maing Jen look like a movie star! ;)

The return flight to Boston was delayed a bit due to a huge snowstorm. After a smooth flight, we walked out to firgid weather and 6-8 inches of snow on the ground! We caught a shuttle to Anderson Station, in Woburn, then were all set to ride the commuter train back into Lowell. Unfortunately, neither Jen nor I knew how to properly read the train schedule, and we watched as our train came and went, thinking that must have been a different one.

It wasn't.

Since the next train wasn't for 2 hours, we decided to take a cab home, since we left our car parked at home. This cabbie was a trip. Literally. He had all these books about magic plants, mushrooms, the history of LSD, etc., and was trying to show them all to us WHILE he was driving through the blizzard! Plus, no defrost so none of us could really see out the windows anyway. After barely avoiding several plowtrucks, we made it safely home.

Then we had to go get Kitty in New Hampshire.

Yaya and Pouli took excellent care of our little furry daughter, so an extra special thanks to them as well ;) Kitty was thrilled to see us, hugging and meowing as soon as we walked in. We hung out with them for awhile, had some coffeecake, then walked out to a fresh layer of powder. There had been 8 inches on the car before we left Mass, and now the snow started again. After a harrowing ride down Route 3 into Lowell, we were safe. Traveling really seems to take an entire day, no matter how long the actual "flight" is. We are still trying to streamline the process, and I'm sure we'll have lots of chances to practice.

We're planning on traveling a lot this year, so watch out, YOU could end up on our blog sooner than you think! See you soon ;)

jen + tommy

temperature in the 50's - mid january.
hanging out on the back patio.

the youngins with their "high-tech" gizmos.

that's right: there are no lenses in those glasses.
(and yes, that is a fire going. in florida. it's "winter" there.)

sandy and bob are the perfect hosts.

jen prepares for departure.

Catching up on ye olde blogge. (new year's)

Jen entertains the family with a photo album of me as a lad.


The ladies enjoy the snack table.


OK, so it's been almost 3 weeks since our last post. A lot has happened since then, so I'll try to summarize:

New Year's was great. We had the whole Vlatas clan over to ring in the new year, and everyone had a great time together. It was our first party in our new place, so we had a chance to break it in with some yummy snacks prepared by Jen and some potent booze prepared by Tommy.

You can tell in the pictures that the men congregated around the booze bar, while the women congregated around the food table ;)

Good times were had by all, and Jen and I blessed 2009 with prayers and meditations. We're expecting it to be a good year for everyone we know.