Picking Up Dumbbells From Dick’s Sporting Goods in Willow Grove PA

Dicks Sporting Goods Willow Grove PABeing able to find workout equipment for the house has been an impossible task. My significant other gave me a $250 gift card for Dick’s Sporting Goods for Father’s Day and it’s months later when I’ve finally found what I was looking for myself: a set of adjustable dumbbells.

I finally found a Dick’s Sporting Goods within 100 miles of my house in Willow Grove PA that had a set of Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells. These adjustable dumbbells are the type that you just turn 2 dials while it’s racked on its stand and they offer a total of 15 different weight settings ranging from 5 to 52.5 lbs per dumbbell.

To be blunt, I’m in love with this Bowflex product. It’s enhanced my at-home workouts so much since I only had tiny dumbbells used for yoga (2, 4, 6 & 8 lbs) and a 15-lb set I was able to find in a Dick’s near me that did the trick until I got these dumbbells.

I don’t think I’ll ever go back to Willow Grove, Pennsylvania again so I wanted to get a few business cards. And destiny called my name since the Dick’s Sporting Goods was right next to the Willow Grove Park Mall.

My First Mall Trip Since the Pandemic

Willow Grove MallNot that I’m a huge mall person outside of walking around exploring and getting business cards, but I was excited and curious to see what was in store at the Willow Grove Park Mall. That’s because I wanted to see how the mall experience was different due to the coronavirus.

It was quite different to say the very least, although there were still a lot of people in the mall itself. There were only a couple of people not wearing their masks at all or improperly (nose not covered), but many stuck to the proper mask etiquette and social distancing (when possible).

Some of the busier stores had a roped-off queue line going outside of it, while others would have someone standing outside to ensure a limited number of people go in. A few even weren’t open past their entrance, while others weren’t open at all.

The Willow Grove Park Mall has 3 floors with:

  • The usual department stores (though Sears was pretty empty with stock & people)
  • Some of the usual chain stores (Hot Topic, Victoria’s Secret, etc.)
  • The food court with the usual chain restaurants
  • The small business-like kiosks
  • Restaurants like TGI Fridays & The Cheesecake Factory

The Willow Grove Park Mall & my road trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods was quite the adventure.

Business Card Count: 41,650

My First Workouts at Retro Fitness Since COVID Started

Retro Fitness Clark NJGyms have been shut down in New Jersey since the middle of March due to the coronavirus. But Governor Murphy finally opened them up on September 1st with the following precautions: wipe down the equipment, wear a mask & stay 6 feet apart.

I was ready to flip a lid since we could have done that months ago. I mean, supermarkets and the Targets/WalMarts are jam packed with people not social distancing. A gym is easier to do that with, though I’ve been enjoying my at-home workouts with the Peloton app.

But I digress on the logic since I want to talk about the workout experience at Retro Fitness now that we’re 6 months into COVID. It’s honestly not all that much different except for a few changes:

  • Masks are required (obviously)
  • The lockers, water fountains and showers are closed
  • Select machines are closed to maintain social distancing
  • You have to get your temperature taken & submit a COVID questionnaire each time you come in

The gym was also less crowded than it was pre-coronavirus, which is nice since I’m not that big into having a lot of people potentially take up machines. And that’s especially true who want to “work in” on the one you’re using, which won’t exist anymore thanks to social distancing.

Since I’ve dropped 20-25 pounds working out at home, I’ll definitely be assessing my time at the gym to see if I prefer using the gym again or continuing with my at-home workouts. Only time will tell.

Business Card Count: 41,642

I Thought I Texted Myself, But It Was Chris Williams From Terminix

The pandemic has made the whole world crazy with all of the changes going about and a text message made me feel like I was going crazy. I saw that I texted myself and knew there was something off.

Chris Williams TerminixTurns out, it was a text from a guy named Chris Williams who is the Terminix inspector who would be doing our quarterly pest control service. Obviously, he was taking the place of our usual guy Ibrahim Temur.

It shouldn’t have come as such a shock since Joe Krzeszewski once took over Ibrahim’s customers while he was away. But the fact that Terminix employed someone with my first and middle name is quite the coincidence.

My middle name William actually comes from my grandfather (my mother’s father) who passed away when I was 7 years old and he was my first significant family member to pass away. I enjoy seeing old photos of us together since I don’t recall much of him.

A few things I do remember are:

  • Him picking me up as a little kid and pretending I was Superman (which I used to do with my son)
  • Him always saying goodbye with a funny voice as he shut the sliding door leading to our basement (which I do with my son now for the shower)
  • Sharing an unusual enjoyment of water towers & the Waffle House restaurant including eating at one in Fort Lauderdale

Thinking about him makes me realize that I don’t have a lot of blood family left since all of my grandparents and my father are all no longer with us. I do have some regret about not fully getting to know them in the time I could have, but I can always hear stories about them.

Business Card Count: 41,634

Cali Royal Construction Put Up Our New Shed & I Tore Down the Old One

Cali Royal ConstructionIt’s been years since our shed has needed to be replaced. After all, it’s a rusted metal structure that a tree fell on.

Not to mention the fact that it’s become an apartment for mice who don’t pay rent. I was saddened when a family lived in my lawnmower and I accidentally killed them without knowing they were in there. Ruined my day.

That’s when we decided to get a new shed at guess where? If you guessed Home Depot, that’s right! And we called Cali Royal Construction to get the shed & the foundation put up.

Home Depot ShedThe shed we chose was made of resin since it would last longer. We chose the US Leisure 10×8 model because it was the closest to the size of our shed now.

But we needed Cali Royal Construction’s help in making sure it was put together properly. They recommended doing a wood foundation to save on money.

It took a few hours, but the new shed went up with no issue on the foundation for an affordable price. The one criticism I have is that the doors won’t perfectly close since the latch is just a little bit off and doesn’t hook on. I guess you get what you pay for.

Cali Royal Construction left and we had 2 sheds up. That means I got the pleasure of tearing down the old shed with a combination of a couple of screwdrivers and my axe.

It took about 4 hours to tear it all down since the screws on the roof were rusted on, so I had to hack at & rip up the panels one by one. Eventually, it came down and it’s now a rusted trash heap.

I did get a couple of cuts and a splinter along the way. No tetanus yet.

Business Card Count: 41,622

The DIY Home Projects We Did With the Help of Home Depot

Home DepotOver this summer, my significant other and I have been doing a lot with our home because we’ve been spending a lot more time here. That’s what a pandemic that closes most everything down will do to you.

As a result, we’ve been doing a lot at the house. And we’ve made a lot of trips and spent a lot of money at the Home Depot doing new work & fixing up other things such as my significant other putting another coat of stain on the basement floor to get the color back.

Another major thing was the grout replacement I did since the job the team at Metropolitan Home Remodeling didn’t hold up very well. That was hell on Earth since it took 4 hours to lay down the grout and almost all day to clean up the haze off of the kitchen floor.

But it was done at the end of the day. I then sealed the grout and cleaned up the excess haze off of our hardwood floor in the living room. I felt quite accomplished by this and the work we did in the yard.

Some of the work we did in the yard that caused lots of Home Depot trips included:

  • Trimming excess bushes and tree branches
  • Putting down a nice wooden border in front of the house
  • Spray painting certain yard decorations
  • Putting down new mulch & netting in our garden areas
  • Buying a new 100-foot hose & hooking it up to a self-reeling storage box

But there’s a bigger challenge I went through than any other in that yard.

Putting Up Our New Pool

Woodbridge Pools

That’s right, we were able to purchase an inflatable 15-foot round Intex pool just in time for my son’s birthday party. We initially went to Woodbridge Pools to consider a more permanent solution, but the pandemic caused the pool supplies to be on back order until the end of the summer.

They’re also a lot more expensive, 10 times the price in fact, than the Intex pool and I wouldn’t need a permit for it. But putting up the pool was quite the task with the following steps:

  • Mowing the lawn underneath it to the lowest setting
  • Putting down some foamed paver tiles for a flat surface
  • Laying out the tarp underneath to absorb water
  • Laying out the pool & inflating the top
  • Filling the water up an inch or 2 & taking the wrinkles out of the bottom
  • Filling up the water overnight & monitoring it

I also hooked up the filter, assembled the ladder and put in the proper chemicals (which I bought at Woodbridge Pools) until the pH level was just right. It was an arduous process and I even called in sick the next day, but it was worth it.

This summer won’t be our last spending spree at Home Depot, not by a long shot.

Business Card Count: 41,615

Green Electrical Enterprises Fixed Something Illegal & Broken

Green Electrical EnterprisesAnother service that our home required was an electrician. And through the power of Home Depot Pro Services, we were turned on to Green Electrical Enterprises.

I saw from their card that Green Electrical Enterprises is based out of Lavallette NJ, which I never heard of. When Googling it, it’s apparently right by Seaside Heights on the island bits of the Jersey Shore.

So Ramiro Cubas arrived at the house to fix the outlet that’s outside since it fell off of where it was installed, got rained on & did not work anymore. Turns out, the contractor we used a while back struck again since the way he installed the outlet was illegal.

Not shocking considering that the thing came off so easily. It was a simple enough fix with the outlets installed into the siding of the house, though I don’t like how the outlets are horizontal and not vertical. Cubas also put in an outlet in the light switch leading to our basement.

I called out Green Electrical Enterprises a second time to install a new ceiling fan for the kitchen since the pull switch on the old one broke off. This job was easy enough, though he did notice that the flooring in the kitchen was off.

Ramiro Cubas knew that Metropolitan Home Remodeling did the flooring the last time he was there since they crossed paths. I explained what had occurred with the twice grouting and he felt that the flooring might need to be replaced entirely because the grout wasn’t taking.

He’s an electrician and one I’ll use again, but I’m hoping he’s wrong about the flooring. We shall see over time.

Business Card Count: 41,606

How Metropolitan Home Remodeling Did in Beautifying Our House

For a while now, we wanted to make some changes to our house. My significant other pushed for this more than me, I’ll admit.

I was definitely anxious about the cost of all of the things for our home that my significant other wanted to do, but it took some time to realize that her happiness outweighed the financial costs of making our home a more beautiful place.

Metropolitan Home RemodelingAs a result, she put in several contractor requests with Home Depot and the first one we dealt with was Metropolitan Home Remodeling. We had Ali Ismail come over and provide an estimate for the 3 days of work he was going to put into the job.

We felt that it was fair for the work that was going to be done, which is comprised of:

  • Repainting the outside of our house
  • Grouting the kitchen floor
  • Reattaching the lazy Susan door in our kitchen
  • Installing my grandmother’s antique telephone into the wall

The job began on a Friday with powerwashing the outside of our house, which was quite overdue for a cleaning and then they painted over the next few days. The house was transformed from a ghoulish yellow color that’s not even retro into a charcoal gray that looks sleek.

The trim & gutters got painted a bolder white than they were with age, while the shutters remained black from us spray painting them previously. The outside of the house looks so nice and we have Metropolitan Home Remodeling to thank for it.

Moving inside, things didn’t go as smoothly. Let’s start with the lazy Susan door that needed to get reinstalled twice since it fell off the first time. The door doesn’t fully shut and they said it was because of how the oven is lined up to the lazy Susan door. Strange considering it used to close right.

Regarding the antique telephone on the wall, it almost went up on a slant because of stud placement. I had to talk them into having it be flush with the wall, otherwise it would leave a hole exposed from where the old landline phone was. They had to get some bottom anchors to make it look right and it’s a success.

Last but not least is the grouting. They attempted to grout the floors twice to no avail since the grout would just come out in certain places and we had asked for a gray, but it turned out to be white instead. I wound up having to fix it, granted I took a lot more time with it than they did.

If you need a painting project done or are looking for an affordable price on the work around your home, Metropolitan Home Remodeling is the way to go because of their flexibility & good attitude. But a 2/4 success rate with some convincing isn’t the best.

Business Card Count: 41,583

A During-COVID Family Outing at Seasons 52 in Edison NJ

Seasons 52 Edison NJMy significant other’s mother came into town for a couple of weeks. I enjoyed spending time with her & getting to know her, as well as opening up more about myself.

She wanted to treat us to dinner and we chose to go to the Seasons 52 located right by the Menlo Park Mall (which I believe is still closed due to COVID) in Edison NJ. I was always curious about this restaurant since I was always intrigued by their business cards, which offer multiple unique color schemes based on foods.

What I didn’t realize that they redesigned their business cards with the new look above and the old look being below. Both designs are nice, though I like the new one a bit better since it gives each card a more distinct appearance whereas the old one just replaced the food in each of the photos.

What We Got Off the Seasons 52 COVID Menu

Seasons 52 COVID Menu

But I want to also review the food that we ate at Seasons 52, which came off of a limited menu to COVID. All of the restaurants we’ve eaten at have had a more compact menu because of these challenging times, but still good choices.

For my cocktail, I got the Cucumber Basil Smash (Prairie Organic cucumber vodka, white cranberry, cucumber, basil & lime) & it was probably tied with a mojito for the most refreshing drink I’ve ever had. The ladies both got the same drink, the Pomegranate Margarita (Chavo Malo Tequila, Patrón Citrónge & pomegranate) I believe that was also very well prepared.

For my entree, I got salmon for the first time since COVID started. The cedar plank-roasted salmon to be specific and that appealed to me because it actually came out on the cedar plank. The presentation and flavor of the fish was lovely, as were the green beans & Yukon mashed potatoes along with a dill-mustard sauce that brought it all together.

And I’m not normally a mustard person, so I’m glad I tried it since I usually judge a book by its name especially mayo and cream cheese. But I’ll digress back to the meal the ladies got, which were wood-grilled shrimp and grits with chorizo, bacon & tomatoes. Those were tasty as well, though my significant other replaced the grits with risotto.

Whether it’s their COVID menu or back to normal business, I’ll definitely swing by the Seasons 52 in Edison NJ again.

Business Card Count: 41,578

How Semper Fi Plumbing & Heating’s Honesty is the Best Policy

Semper Fi Plumbing and HeatingI previously blogged about my not-so-ideal experience with Chapman Brothers and vowed not to use them again when I ran into a plumbing issue.

But, a plumbing issue came up sooner than I thought and my significant other has been coordinating other work for our home through the Home Depot professional service team. As a result, Jesus from Semper Fi Plumbing and Heating came over to the house to take a look.

The issue? There’s water dripping out of the fan & light fixture in my downstairs bathroom. So when Semper Fi Plumbing and Heating came over, he took a look at the fan as well as the bathroom upstairs.

After about 15-20 minutes, he let me honestly know that there was nothing he could do for me since it was likely either a HVAC issue or there may be a small crack behind our shower wall that would cost more to get to than it’s worth to fix.

I knew I’d use Semper Fi Plumbing and Heating for the guy’s honesty and I needed a new hose nozzle installed outside of my house. He took a look, let me know what was required, came back & got the job done.

No issues, no mess and everything works as it should. Five stars.

Business Card Count: 41,569

Our First Post-Coronavirus Date at the Bonefish Grill

Bonefish Grill Iselin NJIt looks like going out to eat is something we’re comfortable with based on our birthday lunch at the Bahama Breeze last week. Which is why I offered to take my significant other out on our first date since COVID-19 hit.

We decided to go to the Bonefish Grill location in Iselin NJ right down the road from Bahama Breeze. We’ve gone there a few times before and have enjoyed it.

And this time was no different, except we were sitting outside in the hot weather at a small table under a canopy. I was already feeling the heat when we got our waters, along with the slew of cocktails we ordered including:

  • The Mule with Reyka vodka, fresh lime, house-made ginger syrup, ginger beer, crushed ice, fresh mint & candied ginger that wasn’t anything special compared to any other Moscow Mule
  • Bonefish pomegranate martini that’s house infused with Fris vodka, pomegranate & fresh mango that tasted quite appetizing though it was a bit sweet
  • Crushed pineapple martini with Malibu rum, St. Germain Elderflower liqueur, fresh pineapple & vanilla bean simple syrup that made the cocktail the best one on the menu

All of the alcoholic beverages were very refreshing while eating in the hot summer weather with very little semblance of a breeze.

Eating Off the Bonefish Grill Coronavirus Menu

Bonefish Grill Coronavirus MenuIn terms of the food, the menu was limited as it is with any other restaurant nowadays. But of course they still start you off with some bread with an olive oil mixture for dipping and it was not too doughy, which is always a good thing.

We also got the restaurant’s famous Bang Bang Shrimp that is my significant other’s favorite appetizer from there, which she usually gets along with an apple pie martini when the season is right. It tasted good as always, but it came out with our meals since the server forgot about it.

For my entree, I ordered Rhea’s Ahi Tuna that was cooked very little (almost raw) with sauteed spinach, jumbo lump crabmeat & a lime tomato garlic sauce. When I first saw the plate, I thought it wasn’t enough… but I’ll tell you, it along with the double side of broccoli I got was quite filling and tasty.

My significant other ordered a 6-oz filet mignon with broccoli and garlic whipped mashed potatoes. The meat was good, as filet mignon is my favorite type of steak, but the potatoes were not very garlicky. And I’m a big garlic fan.

The meal was quite enjoyable, but I may wait until it’s cooler outside to eat out again.

Business Card Count: 41,549