During a time when unemployment has exceeded 10% in our country, companies are tightening their budgets by cutting jobs, President Obama's approval rating has dipped below 50%, and the nation is facing a multi-trillion dollar deficit, it is essential for one to prioritize responsibilities and to take the necessary steps to make life better for one's self. There is some positive news regarding the economy. According to economists as well as President Obama, job losses are expected to bottom out and companies will once again begin to hire workers in the first quarter of the new year. If I've learned anything from today's economy, taking into account the debt that we are collectively in as a country, I've learned not to spend money that I do not have. Income that I do receive goes towards bills and credit card debt. Left over funds in these trying times are devoted to savings as well as leisure. These days the leisurely activities are not nearly as frequent, but I do manage to have a great time when such opportunities arise.
This past weekend I was down in Princeton, at the Milek brothers' condo, to celebrate Mike's girlfriend Angie's 25th birthday. I arrived at the condo on Saturday at 3PM, where I was greeted by Chris and Greg. Mike arrive shortly thereafter with Angie's birthday cake (an ice cream cake from Maggie Moos that consisted of their delicious red velvet flavored ice cream). Eventually Angie, Beanie, and her boyfriend also arrived. We went to dinner at P.F. Chang's in Princeton, which is literally a short walk from the Mileks' condo. Not only P.F. Chang's but also a United Artists movie theater, a small mall, and a Barnes and Noble. The Milek brothers could not have selected a better location to buy a condo. Ray and Mel met us at the restaurant.
As a former P.F. Chang's employee who used to work at the Atlantic City location in the Tropicana, I am quite familiar with the ambience as well as the typical dining experience that their franchise has to offer. P.F. Chang's is family style dining, which means each person orders an entree and everybody at the table shares each of the entrees. I ordered the Dan Dan Noodles, which has always been my favorite P.F. Chang's dish.
Along with my dinner, I ordered Kirin Ichiban, which is a Japanese rice lager that ended being really tasty. So good, in fact, that I ordered not one, but two of them. Sometimes you have to add a little culture to life's experiences and that was my way of doing so. LOL. We all enjoyed our dining experience; the server was extremely knowledgable of the dishes, sauces, and drinks.
Upon returning to the condo, it was time for Angie to open her birthday presents. I bought her the movie Star Trek on DVD, which was one of the biggest theatrical hits of the summer. Angie loved that movie, so I got that for her birthday. She loved it so much, as well as the fact that I got it for her, that we all watched it that night. Beanie and boyfriend, cleverly designated by the gang as CD squared, decided to hit the road being that it was getting late, so they departed shortly before we started the movie. We watched the movie. We drank. We congregated. We lived it up, in a recession proof celebration of Angie's 25 birthday.
Over all, I had a enjoyable time in Princeton over the weekend.
