Random Picture Monday (12-14-09)

We just can't drop the Christmas spirit.

(Another beauty by dc)



~
Don't forget to email us to enter to win the $30
pet grooming giveaway, provided by LolliPUPs.

You get an extra entry, if you include a photo of
your pet, which we will show on the site once the
contest ends.

Full details HERE.



~
One other thing...

The New Kensington Salvation Army is having
trouble finding bell ringers.

We would really like to help them out.

Email us, if you share our giving spirit.



~
One more thing...

Liam Neeson, in the movie "Taken," is a bad mo-fo.

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."



That is all for today.

Don't Let It Pass You By

As I'm sitting here, thinking about what to

write about today.

I realized there is less than 2 weeks before
Christmas Day.

2 weeks.

I got scared, that I was not enjoying this time
of year as much as I should be.

See, I'm a huge Christmas fan.

I love the lights.
I love the smiles.
I love the sales.
I love the time spent with my family.
I love giving.
I love receiving.
(Get your mind out of the gutter.)
I love holiday car commercials.
I love turning the tree lights on.
I love wrapping presents.
I love pistachios.
I love Christmas ales at the 6 and Save.

There are many more things I love, but I sense
you are getting bored.

I feel the need to get out amongst the people.

Shake some hands, and kiss some babies.

Fact is, I won't do either of those things.

See, I'm a germaphobe, so the handshaking is out.

And babies would not appreciate the scratchy, yet
rugged/sexy feel of my winter beard.
(Same goes for my wife.)

So here's my plan.

I will take a few evenings over the coming week, and
drive around filming some local light displays.

I will then edit the video down to a proper length, and
set it to some good music.

When I'm finished, I will share it with you all.

Isn't that awesome of me?

I know, I'm a total dreamboat.


~
It's time for theNEWK weekend weather report...

"It's gonna suck, but it could be worse."

Rain, Sleet, Wind...Oh My

Damn, yesterday was a windy and wild one.

We actually saw a cat get blown over.

That's a lie.

Anyways, we thought the post title was a nice
segue into a solid email we got.

Going Postal...

I don’t envy Postal workers. I realized this while standing in line the other day. Specifically, I feel bad for this one particular reason: I’ve noticed that as soon as some customers get in line at the post office, they feel they have the right and appointed duty to start complaining loudly to everyone within earshot how slowly the line is moving and how poor the service is. We all know this guy (and it’s usually a guy.) We listen to him, avoid his eye contact, maybe mumble our agreement halfheartedly, or simply suffer this fool in silence. If you’ve never had the pleasure of enduring this jerk, then I have news for you. You are That Jerk.

If this is you, stop it. Now. You’re not cool. You’re not impressing anybody with your self-importance. You might as well be wearing a shirt that says, “I’m an a-hole” on the front and “I’m comically disappointing in bed” on the back. You’re only making everyone miserable. When everyone’s miserable, the mood turns foul, which makes people dislike the post office. It’s actually not a bad place. Most of the employees are actually trying hard to work quickly to make sure everyone’s properly served.

(For full disclosure, I don’t work for the post office, nor am I married into it or affiliated with it in any way. I’m just opinionated.)

To avoid this hassle, I always try to head to the Arnold branch. You know the one at 1740 Fifth Avenue, the one with the free parking lot? I always go there because it’s fast, quiet, easy, and courteous. In and out, piece of cake. Their hours are somewhat limited, which is why I was in line at the other place the other day listening to That Jerk.

As it turns out, the Arnold branch is a very well-kept secret, which is why I like it so much. Here’s the problem: maybe it’s too secret. I just found out that it might be on the chopping block due to inevitable cutbacks across the board. This, in my opinion, sucks. I like my great service, and don’t really feel like being shuffled back in line at the main branch, listening to That Jerk over and over again.

Don’t get me wrong; I really like the staff at the main post office here in New Kensington. They’re great people. I just don’t like to wait twenty minutes for every transaction.

Next time you’re waiting in line and the woman in front of you is trying to mail an artificial Christmas tree without a box (I’m not making that up,) head over to Arnold. You’ll be glad you did. Spread the love around a bit. They’ll appreciate it. If you’re so inclined, ask for a questionnaire to save the branch. They’ll appreciate that too.

Mostly, though, don’t be That Jerk. Seriously. Keep your damn misery to yourself. Not just because it’s Christmastime, but in general. You’ll find your restaurant food will suddenly taste less like waitress spit, and maybe people will start being nicer to you. You get what you give.

We told you it was solid.


Unfortunately, we have nothing else to say.

I'm a bit under the weather.

No, it's not the swine flu.

My wife says I have the "whine flu."
Cause that's all I do when I'm sickly.


~
Still working on the video.

Enter our contest HERE.


Gonna die now.

It May Be Raining, But It's Snowing In Our Hearts

As I sat there yesterday, eating an Italian hoagie
from Rosa's (love on a bun), I poured through
the amazing pictures that David Cooper snapped
of the New Ken Christmas parade this past Saturday.

We were in awe.

From both the yummy sub, and the pictures.

We are working on one of our famous videos, but until
it's finished, we are going to give you what you want.

What you need.

What you desire.


So, without further ado...

Anticipation.

Here we come.

Special thanks to Charapp Dodge in Natrona Heights, for
providing us with a truck big enough to fit our elf friend.

We told you our surprise was "big."

Girl Scout troop 20134 with a sweet float.

Our very good friend, Debo the Clown.

It wouldn't be a parade, without Fireman Frankie.

Waiting on the big guy.

There he is.

It's Santa!

*Don't forget, you can click on the pictures for the
full sized version.


Honestly, it was such a fun day.

We are so happy that New Kensington allowed us to be
a part of this great tradition.

It snowed, but wasn't too cold.

The people that gathered along the parade route, seemed
to be having such a great time.
(Especially those on Fifth Ave., they were really into it.)

Thanks again to all the people that cheered and waved
to us. Thanks also, to the young boys that made fun of
our homemade Santa style beard.
(It must have been karma, that made sure we ran out of delicious
candy right before we got to where you stood.)


Video will be finished soon.

We promise.


~
Also, if you missed yesterday's entry.
We are conducting a sweet giveaway contest.

Read about it HERE.

Super Tuesday!

We here at theNEWK are happy to announce our
first giveaway contest.

And it's a great one!

It's the time of year for many different things...

- Decorating the tree.
- Baking cookies.
- Shopping.
- Watching college bowl games.
- Cleaning up the house.
- Shopping.
- Drinking Christmas ale.
- Reading about liquor licenses in the paper.
- Shopping.

With all of those things to do, who has time
to groom the family pet?

And even if you had the time, you'd probably
make your pet look like this...

Well, one lucky winner isn't going to have to
worry about it this year.

Why?

Because LolliPUPs Pet Grooming is giving
one lucky winner a $30 gift certificate!

How awesome is that?

So here's the skinny:

To enter the contest, all you have to do is send
an email to us here, at
thenewkblog@gmail.com

*Be sure to put "Lollipups Contest" in the subject line.
(You don't have to put it in italics, as we're not even sure
if that's possible.)

Now, you don't have to own a pet to win.
(We don't discriminate.)

But if you do own a pet, be sure to include a
photo of it, and you will receive 1 extra entry.

The contest will go on for about a week.
We will then randomly select a winner.

At that point, you will receive your prize from:
LolliPUPs Pet Grooming
1709 7th Street Road
New Kensington, Pa. 15068
724.339.PUPS (7877)

Just in time for a holiday trim!

Note:
We will not use/sell your email address.
We promise.

We will also try to put together a tribute, to all
the dogs and cats that we get pictures of.

Alright people...

Let's get this started!

thenewkblog@gmail.com

Random Picture Monday (12-07-09)

Christmas Parade Mania, running wild.



Just a little teaser, from dc.

Let's Do This

Tomorrow is the big day.

The Christmas parade in New Kensington will
kick off at 11am sharp.

Will you be there to witness it?

You should, and we'll tell you why.

We are bringing a huge guest.

Seriously.

Our surprise guest has traveled a long way
to join us in this celebration.

And you need to see him.

That's the only clue you get.


Sure, we'll probably take pictures, and you can
view them at a later date.

But where is the Christmas spirit in that?

It's not even going to be that bad out there.
(Weather report to follow.)

Wake up, stop at Sheetz and buy a mochaccino,
and grab some curb.

And be prepared to see one of the greatest
Christmas spectacles of all time.

You will regret it, if you miss it.

"The only people that fear death, are those with regrets."

Do not fear death...

Come to New Kensington.

(I think we just made a new city slogan.)



~

"It's gonna be perfect weather for a parade."

Just In Time For The Holidays

We have been trying to get this together for a while now.

But you don't have to wait any longer!

We have been paying for all the things we do, out of our
own shallow pockets.

We were just going to ask you to donate.

But that sucks, and is boring.

So we made it worth your while...

When you make a $20.00 donation
($22.00 for the big boys),
you will receive a sweet "I <3 Biff" t-shirt!

Seriously.

You get a shirt for each donation you make.

Not only will you be stylish, and rad.
You will also be helping us continue on with our mission.

If this seems like something you'd be interested in,
just look over to your right, and pick a size (or 2) and order.

We are accepting payments through PayPal.
(The most trusted payment site on the internet.)

So use your PayPal account, major credit card, or debit...
and be confident about a secure transaction.


~
Second reminder:

This Saturday morning at 11am, the New Kensington
Christmas parade is taking place.

We will be in it.

You should come and cheer for us.
Or walk along with us.

Email: thenewkblog@gmail.com

This Fork Got A Workout

We told you last week about the all you can

eat pancakes and sausage, at the EKCC.

We decided to record our plate during the
consumption process.

The original video was 22 minutes long.
(They were some big ass cakes.)

Don't worry, we sped up the video.




Don't you wish you would have joined us?


~

First reminder:

This Saturday morning at 11am, the New Kensington
Christmas parade is taking place.

We will be in it.

You should come and cheer for us.
Or walk along with us.

Email: thenewkblog@gmail.com

~

We will also be announcing a give-away contest
very soon. So check back daily for updates.

12 Days Of Christmas In The Newk

So we read an article today, that laid out all
the costs of the different items named, in the
popular tune "The Twelve Days Of Christmas."

It was rather expensive.

We will now break down the costs of those
items in our area.

Let's jump right in.


• Partridge, $10
Trap a sparrow in a box at Memorial Park, $1


• Pear Tree, $150
Poinsettia at Kmart, $12


• Two Turtle Doves, $56
Sneak up on two Fifth ave. pigeons,
using popcorn, $1.75


• Three French Hens, $45
Three Giant Eagle deli Rotisserie chickens, $17.97


• Four Calling Birds (canaries), $600
Four Tracfones at Walgreens, $60


• Five Golden Rings, $500
Five orders of onion rings at Harmar BK, $8.95


• Six Geese a-Laying, $150
Feed six Ducks at Burrell Lake Park
a loaf of bread, $1.89


• Seven Swans a-Swimming, $5,250
Seven one-day swim passes at the YMCA, $35


• Eight Maids a-Milking, $58
Eight mini jugs of Turner's Iced Tea, $11.12


• Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance), $5,473
Nine classes at Jazzercise, $35


• 10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,414
Ten tickets to see New Ken Civic Theater's production
of The Full Monty, $150


• 11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,285
Eleven old guys, smoking cherry pipe tobacco at
the Sportsman's Club, $15 (per year)


• 12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,475
Valley High Drum Corp @ New Ken Christmas
parade this coming Saturday, Free

So there you have it.

Their cost: $87,403

Our cost: $349.68


That's a savings of: $87,053.32

Not bad, eh?

~

Congrats to Zack and Amanda on their beautiful wedding.

Also, thanks to the EKCC ladies for the yummy pancakes.