Had originally planned to take the bike down to the shore today, but 100F+ temps and the idea of NJ traffic PLUS those temps changed my mind rather quickly. Instead I decided to grab some lunch at the Grist Mill in Andover, NJ. They’ve apparently changed owners at some point, the food and drinks are still good – but the place has a decidedly more clinical feel… Gone are the stacks of books and fresh copies of Weird NJ…. instead there are sparsely decorated walls, dull music, and a general feeling of ‘well this isn’t unique anymore, feels like every other coffee shop.’
From there I ran back up to NY to grab a new copy of my birth certificate, as well as a new social security card (both are somewhere, no idea where though). I go to the local SSA, they tell me that they can’t help me – I need to go to Monticello or Newburgh. I then go to the town hall who tells me that my birth cert is at the village hall. I get to the village hall, and the registrar is out to lunch until 2pm. At this point, I”m absolutely roasting alive and am starting to feel faint, so I take a break and chug one of those $.99 Arizonas… Back to the village hall and voila, I’m reborn. Apparently I would have needed a new one anyhow, the originals are no longer accepted for things like passports, marriage licenses, etc…
Next trip, Verizon. My phone plan is up and I’ve got an itch for a smart phone… I get to the Middletown store, and after waiting 20 minutes I’m told by a completely disinterested sales girl that my plan doesn’t expire until TOMORROW, so I can either get the phone now and pay $20 more than the list price, or I can come in tomorrow and get $50 taken off of it. I ask her if she can do anything, and through the pot-smoke filled haze of her response I’m told ‘no.’ If I go tomorrow, it’ll cost me $100. If I do it online, it’ll cost me $100. If I order through Dell, $20. Hmmmmm…
So back into the heat I go, up to Monticello. I have NO idea where the SSA is, so I stop at the local library – they say its in the Government center. I go to the GC, they say it’s down the street. I *FINALLY* get there, and am about the 14th person in line. So I fill out the form, talk to a rep with the personality of a potted plant, and am on my way with a receipt and a promise that I’ll have the new card in 2 weeks.
So now I’m in Sullivan county, starving, a little tired, but my day isn’t over yet. I get back on the bike and make my way to Wawayanda park in Jersey to get my feet wet and take a break from the bike. In the process of getting my gear sorted out, I managed to melt the sleeve of my jacket on the exhaust… GREAT. Still wasn’t too bad, water had to be like 75-80F, was kinda nice, not as refreshing as I had hoped though.
I leave the park, ready to meet up with some friends at Smokey’s in Vernon (on Vernon Crossing, where Someplace Special used to be)… That’s not until 8 though, so I figure I’ll stop at the Nordic Haus coffee shop for a bit… they’re closed. Thankfully one or two of my buddies are already on their way there.
Now Smokeys has been open for a few weeks, they’re still sorting everything out… The food was outstanding, prices were alright. Initially, the service left MUCH to be desired. I don’t blame the wait staff – but our food took an extraordinarily long time to arrive. They accidentally messed up one order, and immediately made a new pizza, leaving the old one for us – gratis. They then brought the wrong pizza as a replacement, but that was quickly sorted out and the correct pizza arrived… however they then returned with the second wrong pizza and gave it to us anyhow. The desert wasn’t anything spectacular, and our coffee was luke warm, but the star of the show was the pizza… by far the best thin-crust pizza I’ve ever had… was like crack… on a plate. If they can improve the amount of time it takes to get an order to the table, I can easily see this place burying a few competitors… I’d say the VI needs to keep an eye on this place, that tiki bar won’t save them when the weather cools down.
I finally managed to get home around 11, discovered that my wonderful fiancee had completely redone our bedroom and made it look like one of those staged rooms you might find at a furniture store… definitely a welcome change… this girl just never stops impressing me 🙂
And now… I shall pass the F out. 🙂
