A nice time watching the U.S. Open final competition

Watching the final game of the US Open in Brooklyn, with Lower Manhattan in the background.

We THOROUGHLY enjoyed the #AmexTennis #USOpen event at Brooklyn Bridge Park early this week. It was a nice VENUE with the Manhattan SKYLINE providing a dramatic BACKDROP. I even SCORED a nice, free picnic blanket which I'm sure we'll use again. I wish I had also gotten the free picnic basket with the sandwiches that came in it; they looked really yummy, and my mouth WATERED just watching people around us eating. :-| Unfortunately, the line was too long, and we would've missed a big part of the game. Now I KNOW THE DRILL; next time, I'll be first in line. :-)

• VENUE - place for an event
• SKYLINE - outline of the buildings of a city; view of a city
• BACKDROP - view in the background
• SCORED - unexpectedly, luckily get something #slang
• MOUTH WATERED - salivated; wanted to eat
• KNOW THE DRILL - know what to do #idiom

A nice, albeit short, honeymoon

New Milford, a quaint Connecticut town we came across and enjoyed visiting on our short honeymoon getaway.

Well, after being together for 7 years, the fiancee and I finally TIED THE KNOT in a small ceremony at the NYC City Clerk's Office. Then the day after we GOT HITCHED, we headed up to Connecticut for a long weekend GETAWAY, where we relaxed a bit and did some exploring.

We had a wonderful time, and we came across a few things that made the trip special. We saw a couple of QUAINT towns with old train stations and abandoned railroad tracks. We CHECKED OUT a couple of small, family-owned wineries, and drove up and down long and winding, scenic country roads. A deer on the roadside GAVE ME QUITE A STIR and got my heart pumping a little. Thankfully, it went the other direction and into the forest. The wife was THRILLED to see some chickens pecking around in an open field around a CHICKEN COOP.

Are you a CLEAN FREAK?

I admit I'm a bit of a CLEAN FREAK. I'm often PARANOID about picking up COOTIES from JUST ABOUT everywhere--on the train, in restrooms, from public computers, et al.--so I wash my hands often, probably more so than most people. I probably should LIGHTEN UP a bit; I guess I just think it's BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.

What do you think? Would you call yourself a CLEAN FREAK? Do you know anyone who is? 

#ESL vocabulary

• CLEAN FREAK (overly clean)
• FREAK (a weirdo; a strange person #slang)
• PARANOID (overly worried)
• COOTIES (germs; body louse; disease #slang)
• JUST ABOUT (nearly; almost #informal)
• LIGHTEN UP (take it easy; don't be so serious #phrasal verb)
• BETTER (TO BE) SAFE THAN SORRY (better to be safe than regret it later #idiom)