Eppson Center Oktoberfest

On October 25th Michael Harrington’s clogged nostrils were overwhelmed by the smell of saurkraut as he and his lovely bride entered the Eppson Center for Senionrs to enjoy an Oktoberfest lunch and craft fair.

Upon entering, the Harrington’s were amazed at the amounts of crafts that were filling the center. Everything from wooden children’s toys and knitted accessories, to photographs and jewelry were present in the crafts section the festival. For lunch the Harrington’s had a brat with sauerkraut, some scalloped potatoes, and a small gelatinous apple crisp desert. While eating, they were entertained by a, 4 person Oompah-pah band. That’s right…OOMPAH-PAH band. Perhaps the only thing missing from this Oktoberfest was a large quantity of german beer...and possibly some lederhosen.

Throughout the entertainment, Mr. Harrington caught himself reflecting upon the people all around him. He was amazed at the simple abundance of history, stories, wisdom, and other experiences that all the elder people around him had stored up. Hopefully, in the future, when more time is freed up, the Harrington’s will be able to find a way to feed off this abundance. They also look forward to creating thier own wealth of experiences and wisdom to share with others when they enter their golden years.

One thing’s for sure, they will definitely be participating in more Eppson Center activities in the future, for the shear entertainment of it all, if nothing else.

23 Years, 4 Months, and 20 Days

On the night of August 26th, 2008, Michael Harrington was working a typical shift at Papa John's. On what would have probably been his last delivery of the night, at around 8 o'clock, it happened. While traveling North on 3rd sttreet back to Papa John's, a young lady traveling South on 3rd street decided she wanted to begin traveling East on Grand Avenue. That is when the the fates of Michael Harrington and the young lady collided, along with their vehicles.

Fortunately, both owners had insurance coverage, so it was up to the policeman and the individual insurance companies to decide who was at fault. Of course, there was confilicting versions as to what actually happened that night. The young lady claimed that she had a yellow left hand turn signal, while Mr. Harrington claimed he had a full-blown green light. This resulted in a search for witnesses. After talking to a few eye witnesses, including one young man at the Grand Avenue Pizza pizza shop locatated at the corner of the intersection, things started to lean in Mr. Harrington's favor. The policeman later issued the young lady a left turn violation, and went on his way.

When Mr. Harrington was questioned about the witnesses, he replied,

"At first I was a little concerned about the policeman questioning an employee of the competition. I felt that somehow, someway, this wasn't going to end up working in my favor, but I'm very happy that it did. You can have your suspitions of the accident report. Call it whatever you want, Pizza-Bias, the understanding of the situation of someone else in the pizza business, or just dumb luck. Whatever the case, the young man at Grand Avenue does nothing but exemplify the pure character of those in the business. That being said...keep supporting your local pizza shop, if it's not Papa John's, then it better be Grand Avenue Pizza."

Mr. Harrington has now been through 5 cars in his 7 years of driving. The chance that he will break his 23+ year accident-free record is likely, especially if the record is reduced to the amount of time he alone has been driving. The chance that he will be through another 5 cars in the next 7 years, however, is much less likely.

When asked if this accident has caused him to reconsider working at Papa John's, Mr. Harrington replied,

"Not really, I'll be here for a long time yet."

Pizza produces passion.

Lessons from the Couch: September '08

September brings with it the routine and predictability of school, schedules and work. With this change, Mr. and Mrs. Harrington have found their couch to be less occupied. Nonetheless, they have enjoyed welcoming in a few strangers and a precious little pup.

Excerpts from the Guest Book -

Wednesday September 3, 2008: Craig, Kristen and Nigel en route to California

"Thank you so much for letting Craig, Nigel and me stay with you tonight. The enchiladas verdes were incredible! The blueberry tea was delicious, too; it really hit the spot before bed. Nigel loved your cute little yard and also enjoyed sniffing every square inch of your apartment. We enjoyed chatting with the 2 of you & Mark, particularly about the body farm...

Our first couch surfing experience has been great."

Wednesday September 3, 2008: Mike and Melissa

What we learned:

• Little dogs can be easily overwhelmed by a "large" yard and forget how fun that little racket ball is to play with
• Trust your instincts: just because you haven't prepared a dish before doesn't mean you shouldn't try it out on guests
• Always take your camera to big or strange events plus the packaging of some random food product
• Eat Tofurkey and see Craig
• Invite Mark over and you're sure to learn something new and slightly disturbing (i.e. The body farm).

Saturday September 20, 2008: Bryan en Route to Kansas/Eastern Europe

"Thank you very much for your hospitality and for the meal, games and the experience of dumpster diving. May God bless you guys. If you are anywhere near Europe I will probably be there so let me know and maybe we can meet over there."

Saturday September 19, 2008: Mike and Melissa

What we learned:

• It's never too late to lay off the sugar a little (and, Mike is not the only one who can sit and consume an entire quart of ice cream).
• Emu makes a fine replacement for hamburger meat.
• Settler's of Catan unites many.
• Live in Europe. Volunteer. Teach.