Friday Five on a Sunday
1 Will you be doing anything special for St. Patrick’s Day or is it just another day for you?
This was a whole ass adventure LOL.
Well, although I don't eat meat much, I was craving corned beef and cabbage like nobody's business (yes, I know, not technically Irish but it is Irish-American). Since I didn't intend to eat more than one serving, I decided I needed to buy a meal rather than make any at home. The only place around that had it available at lunchtime was Houlihan's - this old lady doesn't like to go out in the evenings unless I gotta. I placed an online order around noon and drove out to get it.
Houlihan's is located in a parking lot with On the Border and they face Route 1 (yes, that U.S. Highway 1 that goes from Maine to Florida). Rt 1 isn't too bad to drive on in NJ in general since it isn't a "freeway" and has stop lights every few miles but this particular location is at the junction of another highway and merge point that I absolutely loathe to drive on this bit unless it's slow. Noon on a Thursday is decidedly not a slow time. This is relevant. This parking lot used to belong to the massive Sears store (R.I.P Sears) and I hadn't been by there in years. I thought even though Sears was closed that I could do the usual thing of cutting through the huge parking lot around the closed building to get to the restaurant so that I could avoid 1. Unfortunately I didn't know that not only did they demolish the entire building with a massive crater left behind, that they also put a huuuuuge fenced perimeter and there was no way to cut through the back way. Dammit.
I was so flustered and should have looked to see whether the Rutgers parking lot that I didn't think had a cut through was next to the Houlihans or the OTB. Instead I circled back around to Rt 18 and got off onto the undesirable Rt 1 junction and thankfully no one was too close behind me so I could do the quick right into the lot. I got my food and I really, really should have looked up whether it was close enough to the Rutgers lot to walk over because I realized I'd have to get back on U.S. 1. It was a real nail biter because tons of cars were just TEARING along like it was the Indy 500 and to get out, you have to really punch it because it's a very short merge lane. I have a little 2010 Nissan Versa so I gritted my teeth, waited for the best moment and prayed that my car would have decent enough pickup. Since I'm posting this, yes, I survived. However, you can bet we won't be going to either of THOSE places for some time.
Twas my punishment for wanting corned beef and cabbage.
2 What is your ancestry and do you do anything special to celebrate it?
The current Ancestry.com breakdown:
Teeny tiny bit o' Irish - comes from Dad who his test indicates 10% Irish. Also, my mtDNA from another test shows a line that indicates possible Jewish heritage on Mom's side. Upon the recent discovery of possible Jewish ancestry, I'll be doing Passover. While I would like to get mostly veggie, since soy, most grains and legumes aren't allowed, yeah, I'd rather not bash my head against a wall.
3. If you found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, how much of it would you spend on play and how much would you tuck away for another rainy day?
I'd bring the parents here, retire early, get a modest home and live off savings.
4. Have you ever traveled to the home of your ancestors, providing you don’t already live there?
I didn't know it until I started doing my family tree but moving from Ohio to NJ was coming back to the "home of my ancestors" since I have a SLEW of family buried here. My tenth great grandfather, Edward Fitz-Randolph is considered a founder of NJ and is buried just a couple of miles from me. I had no idea.
5. Have there been any surprises in your family tree?
Confirmed a few things like being related to Anne Boleyn and some other notorious folks from that time and place. Also, I did confirm the relatives that were aerialists (see icon) in the early 1900s.
Oh and found out that my mom's sister is only her half sister. Grandma was a CHEATER. Hahaha
This was a whole ass adventure LOL.
Well, although I don't eat meat much, I was craving corned beef and cabbage like nobody's business (yes, I know, not technically Irish but it is Irish-American). Since I didn't intend to eat more than one serving, I decided I needed to buy a meal rather than make any at home. The only place around that had it available at lunchtime was Houlihan's - this old lady doesn't like to go out in the evenings unless I gotta. I placed an online order around noon and drove out to get it.
Houlihan's is located in a parking lot with On the Border and they face Route 1 (yes, that U.S. Highway 1 that goes from Maine to Florida). Rt 1 isn't too bad to drive on in NJ in general since it isn't a "freeway" and has stop lights every few miles but this particular location is at the junction of another highway and merge point that I absolutely loathe to drive on this bit unless it's slow. Noon on a Thursday is decidedly not a slow time. This is relevant. This parking lot used to belong to the massive Sears store (R.I.P Sears) and I hadn't been by there in years. I thought even though Sears was closed that I could do the usual thing of cutting through the huge parking lot around the closed building to get to the restaurant so that I could avoid 1. Unfortunately I didn't know that not only did they demolish the entire building with a massive crater left behind, that they also put a huuuuuge fenced perimeter and there was no way to cut through the back way. Dammit.
I was so flustered and should have looked to see whether the Rutgers parking lot that I didn't think had a cut through was next to the Houlihans or the OTB. Instead I circled back around to Rt 18 and got off onto the undesirable Rt 1 junction and thankfully no one was too close behind me so I could do the quick right into the lot. I got my food and I really, really should have looked up whether it was close enough to the Rutgers lot to walk over because I realized I'd have to get back on U.S. 1. It was a real nail biter because tons of cars were just TEARING along like it was the Indy 500 and to get out, you have to really punch it because it's a very short merge lane. I have a little 2010 Nissan Versa so I gritted my teeth, waited for the best moment and prayed that my car would have decent enough pickup. Since I'm posting this, yes, I survived. However, you can bet we won't be going to either of THOSE places for some time.
Twas my punishment for wanting corned beef and cabbage.
2 What is your ancestry and do you do anything special to celebrate it?
The current Ancestry.com breakdown:
Teeny tiny bit o' Irish - comes from Dad who his test indicates 10% Irish. Also, my mtDNA from another test shows a line that indicates possible Jewish heritage on Mom's side. Upon the recent discovery of possible Jewish ancestry, I'll be doing Passover. While I would like to get mostly veggie, since soy, most grains and legumes aren't allowed, yeah, I'd rather not bash my head against a wall.
3. If you found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, how much of it would you spend on play and how much would you tuck away for another rainy day?
I'd bring the parents here, retire early, get a modest home and live off savings.
4. Have you ever traveled to the home of your ancestors, providing you don’t already live there?
I didn't know it until I started doing my family tree but moving from Ohio to NJ was coming back to the "home of my ancestors" since I have a SLEW of family buried here. My tenth great grandfather, Edward Fitz-Randolph is considered a founder of NJ and is buried just a couple of miles from me. I had no idea.
5. Have there been any surprises in your family tree?
Confirmed a few things like being related to Anne Boleyn and some other notorious folks from that time and place. Also, I did confirm the relatives that were aerialists (see icon) in the early 1900s.
Oh and found out that my mom's sister is only her half sister. Grandma was a CHEATER. Hahaha