This past week was that weird time in between Christmas and the New Year. It is when corporate America usually takes a snooze, and things are a little slow around the office. Upon a glance, one may say that this week was an unproductive week for me, but this is quite the contrary. I had some notable things happen this week. I got a new iPad, Becca came back, I fell ill, and watched some fantastic television.
A New Toy
Usually, I am against the iPad. I have tried getting the iPad in the past (3 times to be exact), and every time I tried to justify purchasing it. I bought this one on impulse because Amazon was having a sale ($100 off) on the low-end education iPad. It was the lowest that I ever saw it so pounded that “Buy it now” button and it was on my doorstep in two days. Being the Apple-extremist that I am, I had to buy the Apple Pencil and a keyboard case to complete the package. I must say that the accuracy of the Apple Pencil is unrivaled and I was quite amazed with the detail Apple had put into it. Let’s just see how long my justification that I will use this as a note-taking device as well as a light-weight blogging machine will last.
Becca is back!
My girlfriend Becca had been away for the week. She was visiting her family in Abilene, and I was watching her little dog, Penny. I met her in Newark around midnight Christmas night to bring her back to her apartment in Flushing. I worked from there for a couple of days before heading back to CT. One of the nights we went to see the new Will Ferrell/John C’ Reilly movie “Holmes” It was pretty MEH, but we had a good time on our date nonetheless.
Side note on Holmes: I really think that these types of comedies do NOT work in 2018. Comedies must be a lot more subtle and be included in action type movies IE: Deadpool 2. This of course is my humble opinion. Let me know what you think in the comments!
My office buddie – Penny 
Reunited!
Down with the Sickness
Unfortunately, I was not able to fully enjoy this lull in the work schedule because I came down with a slight cold. It wasn’t debilitatingd, but it was very annoying. Luckily Becca was home to help me out by keeping me pumped full of drugs (DayQuil/NyQuil and Afrin are the winning combo) and chicken soup, and I was able to make a full recovery in a couple of days. I might note that I typically get “sick” once or twice a year so when I do it could be quite a dramatic affair. Becca can attest to this.
Netflix is killin’ it this season
Being sick was not all bad. It did present me with the opportunity to watch some good tv. I have gravitated towards Hulu (mostly Seinfeld) recently but Netflix has started to make a comeback.
One of my favorite series, Black Mirror, has released a movie on Friday called Bandersnatch with a new interactive twist! You can choose your own adventure! If you do not know the concept, you are not a nerd like me I will fill you in. The movie presents you with options every few minutes to make a decision for the main character and this determines what will happen next. This is an incredible concept and I am surprised something like this hasn’t been presented sooner considering how many different devices support interactivity in this day and age. Believe it or not, this movie is not available on some of the latest devices (Apple TV seriously?!). I watched it through but I still have not been able to see all of the endings. Apparently you can extend the movie from an hour and a half all the way to three hours. I would’ve happily gone on to watch all of the endings but Becca would not let me unfortunately… Stay tuned!
Another one of the cooler movies to be released recently was the thriller, Birdbox (I’m sure you have seen the memes). I was hesitant to check this one out because normally I do not like to believe the hype. However, I am really glad that I decided to give it a chance. It is definitely worth checking it out. It isn’t for everyone but it is a refreshing look at mental illness or more specifically,
Shoutout to Mom
I would also like to mention that it was my mom’s 53rd birthday this Sunday. It is never easy buying mom a birthday gift (especially when her birthday falls right after Christmas). However, Becca and I had the great idea to get her a lap desk so she could work comfortably while sitting on the couch. Everyone gathered at my parent’s house that day to have a big dinner and cake. It is always a good time getting the family together. It is rare to have all of the Marchetti boys in one place so my mom seized the opportunity to take some photos. Happy Birthday Mom!
In conclusion, I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe New Years! Hopefully we will cross paths in 2019. I will try to keep this blog train going. Feel free to reach out to me with any criticisms or recommendations for topics. Richie out!!