New Pizza Place

I wanted pizza this week.  I was going to get pizza with or without the other guys.  Luckily the other guys were with me because Woody's was a little too far away for me to walk there and it would have been a shame if I didn't get to try it.

I assume Woody's name comes from the fact that it serves wood fired pizza.  (Babbit was hoping it referred to something else entirely.  He was disappointed.  But not for long.)  One of the reasons it was on the short list of choices was that the pictures on Yelp looked yummy.  And the pizza looked even better when it got here.

We got one with feta, spinach and sliced tomato (this was basically the guys letting me do whatever I wanted) and one with pepperoni and roasted red peppers (which was me basically letting the guys have some say in something).

Both were very good.  The crust was cooked nicely with a little char around the edges.  Babbit said it was less crispy and more flaky than he liked.  I would not have called it flaky.  But it didn't crunch when you bit into it.  I liked it.  And I think Bee Hee and Alan did too.  (It was a small crowd this time since everyone is taking time off to end the year.)  I think the only bad thing I had to say was that I would have liked a little more feta cheese.  But it was a three topping pizza so you couldn't load it up with everything.  I think they put the right amount of the other toppings on.  Enough to taste them but not so much that you couldn't pick up a slice.

We have several pizza places that we frequent but most of us agreed that we would definitely go back to try Woody's again.

Elephun Wednesday

I think the picture this week speaks for itself.  All of us Shipping Monkeys wish all of you a Happy New Year.  Have fun.  But not don't have as much 'cheer' as Fishy Fishy.  You won't be able to handle it.

Kudos

I am going to do something that has never been done on this blog before.  I am going to give out a kudos that is completely serious and not at all facetious.  No, really.  That wasn't me being facetious.  We have been shorthanded a lot lately while everyone is trying to use up the last of their time before the year is over.  And everyone is stepping up and doing more than their part to make up the difference.  But I want to give a special shout out to Henry who often finds himself alone at the bins.  I know from experience how hard it is to keep up with the table when you are the only one sorting at the bins.  So I want to acknowledge the great job Henry has done in not letting us fall too far behind.  He has never once had to get the spare cart.  And all while he keeps up with the elephant book commentary and his wonderful dances.  Kudos to you, Henry.

Elephun Wednesday

We are doubling up on the Elephun Wednesday again.  It is completely my fault.  The boys are sending me the picture just like they are supposed to but I'm selfish enough not to consider it enough of a priority to post it during my vacation.

It looks like this time the boys decided to draw their own picture for Elephun Wednesday.  Although sadly that isn't true.  So there are apparently other people out there that find a picture of an elephant taking a bath amusing.  I don't know if I should find it encouraging that we are not alone in this or disturbing because there are more weirdos out there like us.  (Well, not like us exactly I'm sure.  We are pretty uniquely disturbed I think.)  Anyhow... Enjoy your clean elephant picture.

Santaphant is here to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  I hope he brings you everything you are wishing for this year.  Just remember that Santaphant has trouble fitting down chimneys so you might want to leave the front door unlocked.  But not if you are allergic to peanuts since Santaphant usually just leaves everyone on his list a big sack of nuts.

Elephun Wednesday

This little guy hasn't heard that there will be no more elephants at the circus.  He is practicing so hard.  I don't want to be the one to tell him.  His heart will be broken.

Tis The Season

Snowballie

It is officially Snowballie season!  Now that we have gotten through Thanksgiving and have a few weeks before we have to worry about Christmas we can celebrate the best time of year.  Snowballie Season!!!  Don't forget to pull his happy handle!

Elephun Wednesday

It is Elephun Wednesday again.  They seem to roll around faster and faster.  But the Shipping Monkeys don't mind.  They wish it was always Elephun Wednesday.  This week for your viewing pleasure we have a picture of Ganesha.  Here he is clearly doing the dance that our very own Henry made famous.  And I didn't even know that Henry knew Ganesha.  But Henry is unfathomable so I'm sure there are many things I don't know about him.  Perhaps that's best.

Elephun Wednesday

The Elephun Wednesday picture this week was chosen in honor of Black Friday.  And remember, to get the best deals you have to be unafraid to use your elbows on little old ladies.  Good luck to you all.  I hope you save lots of money and come through the day with only minor injuries.  Me, I'll be home drinking hot cocoa and shopping online.

Kudos

We haven't had a kudos in a while.  Which is probably because usually we all suck.  But with the arrival of Coolio we had a lot of work to do in shipping.  So kudos to Babbit and Danny...Boy who helped clean out Coolio's new home and probably got black lung doing it.  A special shout out goes to Bee Hee who went and found a mop and bucket to clean the filthy floor before Coolio had to sit on it it.  But top billing has to go to Henry who repeatedly told him how to use said mop until he got it right.  Thanks boys, the place looks great.

Coolio Has Arrived

We have finally set up our new refrigerator.  Why Babbit didn't do it weeks ago I will never know. But he is up and running now.  And the Shipping Monkeys haven't had this much excitement in a very long time.  Which is kind of sad if you think about it.  So don't think about it.

He's a cute little bugger and has been dubbed Coolio.  He will keep all of our lunches cold and hopefully won't freeze everything.  The freezer is nice and big and was cold for about three seconds before someone went out and bought ice cream to put in it.

Elephun Wednesday

Happy Elephun Wednesday!  This week I think the picture speaks for itself.  If you can't figure this one out by yourself there is nothing I can do to help you.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Elephun Wednesday

Today is another double Elephun Wednesday day.  I was off last week and although Babbit did send me the Elephun Wednesday picture I simply was not dedicated enough to post it from home.  I'm not going to apologize for that because I'm not sorry.  Deal with it.

Our first Elephun Wednesday picture is elephant soup.  For when you are really, really hungry.  I like to try new foods but I think this might be a restaurant I'll take a pass on. It is a wonderful presentation but it looks like it would be difficult to eat.




The second one is in honor of Veteran's Day.  Our little army elephant is ready to do his part. Unfortunately, from the look of him, I don't think the battle field is the best place for this little guy.  He already looks a little shell shocked. Or maybe he just can't figure out how he's supposed to pull the trigger on the gun.  Maybe he can be a medic or a cook.

Elephun Wednesday

Elephants are supposed to be lucky so whoever brought this guy to the casino must be having a great day.  But by the look on her face it was not the woman sitting next to him.  She just wants to gamble and drink her gin and tonics in peace.

Cause for Celebration

See this piece of paper?  It may not look special to you.  But to the Shipping Monkeys it is very special.  See how all the boxes are checked off?  You have no idea how hard that was to accomplish.  This innocent looking piece of paper is the culmination of a project that took six months.  A simple guessing game turned into a headache that lasted half a year.  But it is all over.  We can finally wash our hands of the thing.  And then we will send up a little prayer that they never decide to do it ever again.

Elephun Wednesday

Well, this is what happens when you leave someone who likes octopi alone to pick out the Elephun Wednesday picture.  Danny...Boy was supposed to do it before he left.  But he didn't.  It is a lot of pressure for one person to handle all by themselves.  I am going to call this creature a octophant.  Because for some reason elepus just doesn't sound right.

Elephun Wednesday

This is another double Elephun Wednesday post.  Last week there were a lot of people off so Babbit was left to pick the picture with just a little help from Alan.  And this is what we got.  I think he was trying to say something about the mental state of the people he works with.  That's a little like the pot calling the kettle black if you ask me.






There really is no explanation for this one.  I just thought it was cool.  And since Bee Hee never likes the Elephun Wednesday picture I thought it was time to put up something that wouldn't upset him.  I don't know who this elephant warrior is, but I want his action figure.

Just Like Christmas

For like, two whole hours, then we were over it.  Just like kids with their new toys at Christmas.  We had been waiting and waiting and waiting for our new two-wheelers to come in.  We were all excited when they finally did.  Danny...Boy was practically drooling over them.  Then we used them. And the honeymoon was over.  We hate the round handle.  They are not that sturdy and rattle when you have them loaded with stuff.  Fishy Fishy didn't even want to take one even though one was for him.  I think our ears popped with the speed at which we went from a high to a low on these.  We will have to get used to them however since, like a comet, new two-wheelers are seen only once in a lifetime.

Elephun Wednesday

Elephun Wednesday is always a special occasion.  But this week is even more specialer.  Because our very own Babbit has won a prestigious award.  So in honor of this momentous occasion we have chosen an elephant who has also won a prestigious award.  And who, like Babbit, thinks this makes him some sort of big shot.

Lunch on Alan

box top

pulled pork and scallions

For some reason Alan keeps saying he's going to pay for lunch.  I don't know why he does that.  He should know that we will always hold him to it if he says it.  So when we were thinking of pizza for lunch and we remembered that Alan said he would pay if we ever went to Otto's we didn't have to debate where we would get our pizza.  We were a little worried since last time he suggested a pizza place it was terrible.  But it was free, and we are cheap, so Otto's it was.  And this time it worked out. Otto's has some combinations that you will not see on other menus.  Some of them sound really good.  Others I would need some convincing to try.  I don't know how I feel about mango on a pizza.  Alan says it's good.  But, as we all know, Alan can not be trusted.  We ended up getting the four cheese, the salami and ricotta, and the spicy pulled pork and scallions.  Only the salami one had tomato sauce.  Otto's offers a lot of white pizzas so don't assume there will be sauce on your pizza.  The top pick was the pulled pork.  It did have quite a kick so don't get it if you don't like heat.  The others were good too but we think the salami was cut too thick and the four cheese would have been better if it came with sauce.  But over all we were all pleased with the pizza and have added Otto's to our possible pizza places.

four cheese

Elephun Wednesday Double

So it is Elephun Wednesday again.  And this week it is going to be a double.  Because last week I was away and didn't get to post for Elephun Wednesday I'm going to post two pictures today.  The first one was last week's picture.  It's a fun picture and we all understand this elephant's desire to celebrate his Mexican heritage but we have to let our readers know that we do not condone this activity.  If you are going to ride a scooter please wear a helmet and not a sombrero.  We want you to have fun but we also want you to stay safe.





The second is this week's picture.  Here we see Lord Elephant in his castle.  It was taken back when all was good with this noble family.  As undisputed stars of the circus they were the envy of everyone.  However, when elephant acts were banned they fell on hard times.  This photo is a reminder of their once glorious past.

Lunch Challenge

This Friday we went to Sam LaGrassa's for lunch.  And the challenge was

finishing the whole sandwich.  They don't look that big but then you pick them up... They are so packed full of all sorts of goodness that you could use them for weight lifting exercises.  All of the ingredients are top quality and you get a lot of them.  We have been to Sam's before, so we should have known.  We thought it was that we had gotten french fries last time (which were ok but nothing special.)  But it turns out the result was the same without the fries.  We were all stuffed.  Babbit couldn't even finish his.  And we were all happy.  We tried the potato salad this time and that was really good as well.  And we have had the cole slaw in sandwiches and we all like that too.  But with the size of the sandwich I don't know how anyone would have room for any of the sides.  They have a bunch of sandwiches to choose from or you can make your own from the impressive list of different breads, cheeses, meats and toppings.  With all the condiments and cole slaw and everything they can get a bit messy, so have napkins on hand.  It is a little pricey at $13 a sandwich but it is worth it.  Maybe not an all the time kind of place but a nice place to splurge and not feel like you didn't get what you paid for.

potato salad

Pickle with every sandwich

Kudos

Kudos this week go to Tobeato's doctor.  The man is obviously some sort of miracle worker.  Last week Tobeato could only lift five pounds and was never going to get any better without surgery.  But practically overnight he has made a full recovery.  He is back lifting fifty pound bags and running around like nothing was ever wrong.  I don't know what his doctor did but it produced amazing results.  Babbit should get his number.

Elephun Wednesday

We look at a lot of elephant pictures to find just the right one for Elephun Wednesday.  It isn't always easy.  But when we see one that instantly makes Danny...Boy laugh like a giddy little school girl we know we have a winner.  And I just want to emphasize that this is simply a picture of an elephant doing a pole vault.  There is nothing else going on here.  Nothing at all.  And shame on you for even thinking anything else was being implied.

Monkey and Elephant review

Monkey and Elephant by Carole Lexa Schaefer,  illustrated by Galia Bernstein

Monkey and Elephant set out to find shade on a very hot day in the jungle.  Along the way they disagree about many things but find a way to remain friends.


As the good friends, Monkey and Elephant set out they start to annoy each other and then the complaints start.  One goes too slow, the other too fast, one is too cranky the other too bossy.  As the journey continues the friends find a way to work through their differences.  It is a nice example of how even people who are completely different from each other can still be friends.  (They remind me of Bee Hee and Henry, whose friendship is very special even though they could not be more different.)  And how those differences can even make the friendship better when they use those differences to help each other out.  Even when circumstances (like the heat, and just ask any of the Monkeys about how the heat can stress a friendship when I am the one who is hot) makes them annoyed with each other and they cannot agree about things they are still friends.  The illustrations are bold and bright.  It is great how expressive Elephant's eyes are.  The text is good for beginning readers and will probably introduces them to new words and help expand their vocabulary.  And words like spunky, riffraff, and galump make it fun to read about these two friends.

The Girl

For two whole days I wore this instead of my work ID.  No one noticed.  Maybe people are unobservant.  Or maybe after a couple of years of being referred to as The Girl people actually think it's my name.

Elephun Wednesday

It's Elephun Wednesday again.  This week we managed to find a photo of the rare water elephant, or manaphant.  We all know that the poor manatee is always getting himself chopped up by boat propellers.  So this guy has adapted a natural snorkle to keep him out of reach of the horrible spinning death that awaits him on the surface.

Elephun Wednesday

I once again have to apologize for a late Elephun Wednesday.  In fact I haven't posted much of anything on the blog in a while.  I blame Babbit.  And so should you.  He got everyone sick and so we are all off our game right now.  But even that couldn't stop Elephun Wednesday.  Every week we are surprised at the breath and width and depth of the collection of elephant pictures you can find on the internet.  This week we found one everyone can agree on.  Although I have to say that I'm a little creeped out by his claws for some reason.  But I guess it's hard to hold a light-saber with an elephant foot.  May the force be with you, young pachyderm.

Elephun Wednesday

Add caption

This week for Elephun Wednesday we celebrate the Olympics.  There was a surprising entry this year. And he came stampeding onto the track and field scene.  You see here that he won by a trunk.  The other racers complained that it was an unfair advantage.  But that just sounds like sour grapes to me.

Elephun Wednesday

Yes, I know.  It isn't Wednesday at all.  But I was off yesterday and didn't get around to posting.  Anyway, this week we have the jellybean hoarding elephant.  Like a dragon on his hoard of gold this elephant sits on his jellybeans protecting them from all comers.  And in his down time he apparently paints his toenails.  I don't know if it is a tiny little elephant or they are really big jellybeans.  Both actually sound like they would be fun.  I would love a tiny elephant as a pet.  And I would eat giant jellybeans too.  Except for the black ones.  Those are terrible.

More Food News

So on Friday we got a personal request from The Kid, which never happens, and since it was The Kid of course we did what he wanted.  So we went back to Amelia's Taqueria.  Besides everyone except Henry liked the place and Henry wasn't in.  So it all worked out anyway.  We have gone there before and you can read my notes on it here.  The food was all good again.  This time we got some chips and salsa which we all enjoyed too.  And last time I complained about the lack of heat.  It turns out the salsa is hot.  I just couldn't taste it through all the other stuff I got in my quesadilla.  If you like heat I would suggest you get some extra salsa on the side and add some more.  It was very tasty.

Reuben

Also in food news we went to Whiskey's.  A couple of us came in on Saturday to work for a couple of hours to try and make Monday suck less.  (It worked by the way.  Monday was less sucky than it would have been.  By, like, a lot.)  And we decided to go out to lunch after.  Bee Hee got the cheesesteak eggrolls, Babbit got a hamburger, and Bucky got the Reuben sandwich.  All of the food was very good.  The bread on the Reuben was buttery and had just the right amount of crunch.  Babbit didn't say anything bad about the burger.  Which with Babbit is the same thing as singing its praises.  And Bee Hee said his eggrolls were good.  The fries were okay, nothing special, but the onion rings were good.  They were thick ones but the batter on them was very good.  Babbit was noncommittal about the whole thing but Bee Hee was all for going back some time with the whole crowd.

Kudos

Ok.  So this week kudos goes to the UPS man.  Why?  Well, because every day this week he has had about six packages to deliver to us.  That never happens.  And we loved it.  Keep it up.

Visiting Royalty

Okay, so maybe he isn't royalty.  But he's the closest thing The Shipping Monkeys have to royalty.  Our old (I mean former) boss came back for a visit.  He is the undisputed best boss that ever was.  Better than anyone else the Shipping Monkeys have ever gotten to work with.  And when he comes back to visit he comes bearing gifts.  He not only brought us a big bag of chocolate, he also bought us Umberto's pizza.  What could be better than that?  Nothing.  That's what.

Elephun Wednesday

Hurray!  It's Elephun Wednesday! And apparently Elephun Wednesday has plans of its own.  We go looking for pictures with something in mind and then something completely different shows up that is so perfect we can't pass it up.  This seems to be a picture of one of the Four Elephants of the Apocalypse. If you see him there is no use running.  The end is near.

New Phone

Our phone kicked the bucket the other day.  It was nice for a while because we didn't have to answer it but it did become a problem so we finally had to tell someone.  So we got a new phone.  Well, it is not a new phone.  But it is new to us.  And our new (to us) phone is now the only thing within a 30 yard radius that is not covered in an eighth of an inch of dust.  We are taking bets on how long that lasts.  I'm thinking we won't be able to read the numbers by the end of the week.

More Awesome Subs

steak and cheese with everything

On Friday we went to Rondo's.  Most of us got steak and cheese subs.  Alan got a steak and egg.  And of course Babbit got chicken.  A chicken bomb to be precise.  He ended up splitting with Bee Hee who had gotten a steak bomb even though that was not what he ordered.  The steak and cheese subs are awesome.  (We have been there before and had the pastrami.  That is also very good.)  And Alan liked his egg thing.  The chicken was met with mixed feelings.  Bee Hee said it was very cheesy like that was a bad thing so I don't really understand.  But he also said the chicken was dry.  Babbit said the sandwich was good but he preferred the steak.  Well, duh.  Of course he did.  Who wouldn't?  All of the subs are packed full and they are big.  So don't get a large unless you want to have the same thing for lunch the next day as well.  (Not that I would mind that.)  The fries did not travel well.  I think they probably would have been good if we had them fresh but they had already started to go all chewy by the time we got them.  We like Rondo's.  The prices and the food are good and we don't all have to agree on one thing for lunch.  And they drew a goofy face on our take out bag.  They are a cash only place so if you are going make sure to stop by the ATM first.

Health Tips

It's August already.  I hope everyone has made their annual appointments to get their stomachs checked for diamonds.  It is still a mystery how the diamonds get in your stomach, but one thing is for sure, if you have diamonds in your stomach, you die soon.  So get checked today.

Elephun Wednesday (on Thursday)

I have to apologize.  I know you all look forward to Elephun Wednesday and wait with bated breath for the post to come up every Wednesday.  But yesterday you waited in vain.  I have no excuses.  I just hope you can forgive me.

This week, while looking for something completely different, we stumbled upon a picture that we all thought was perfect for The Shipping Monkeys.  Very appropriate, don't you think?