Since starting my blog, Peter told me that I should “monetize” it so that I could make monayyyy. I signed up for Google Ads to be put on my blog on Monday and have thus far made one penny. I’m rich! …
All posts by Sara Romenesko
The Vanderstapp-Inn
I am the second oldest of 7 children. Since we did not grow up in a castle, we all had to share rooms. Even Marty. POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR Martyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy the onlyy boyyyyyyy. Please. Stop. He’s spoiled. But I WILL say that he knows how to dress really well and how to treat girls nicely. And he knows how to spend all of 13 seconds in the shower because the bathroom was constantly occupied.
Hobbies
It is, in fact, my least favorite interview question. “What do you like to do in your spare time?” These are the things that I actually like to do in my spare time:
- Watch TV. Watch TV until my eyes melt out of their sockets.
- Read.
- Surf the internet aka go on perezhilton.com, cnn.com, time.com, people.com, facebook.com, and youtube.com. I don’t actually know how to surf the internet.
- Think about how I would decorate my apartment if I was rich.
- Think about being rich.
- Knit – seriously.
- Go through the car wash.
- Pretend I’m not lactose intolerant and eat all of the ice cream that I can find.
- Talk to my dad on the phone.
- Talk to my mom on the phone.
- Talk to ANYONE on the phone. Except bad phone talkers.
- Watch movies for the millionth time.
- Talk in a singing voice (Peter LOVES this one… HA)
- Text.
- Play Lego Indiana Jones on Playstation.
- Eat candy.
- Playing with little puppies at the pound, because they don’t have families to love them, so I am loving them with every fiber of my being.
- Donating all of the extra pennies that I can muster to the starving children in Africa. And Asia, and the Middle East, and South America AND North America. And Europe too.
- Keeping up on all of the political disasters that engulf our world today.
- Playing the violin and other string instruments.
- Reading the Wall Street Journal on Sunday mornings.
- Watching the 10:00 news every night.
- Brushing up on my Chinese.
- Drinking tea and eating crumpets.
- Brainstorming how to single-handedly save the world.
- Figuring out computer stuff
- Proof-reading
- Telling stories
- Being efficient
- Indian accents
1 Picture, 781 words.
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. It just so happens, that THIS picture is worth seven hundred and eighty one. So ALMOST a thousand.
Let me explain.
1. Guilt gift #1. This is the ONE thing that Peter told me he actually WANTED for his birthday… and I didn’t get it for him until I felt really guilty about ruining his birthday by telling him about the jersey (see previous post…). By the way, he’s wearing the jersey behind the blanket. Speaking of the blanket…
Birthday Surprises
Today, we are celebrating the day of birth of one Peter Wells Romenesko aka one of the most impossible people to buy a gift for, only because he has a tendency to buy himself the things that he wants.
Wednesday, January 19
Finally. I FINALLY thought of something to get Peter for his birthday. A Jordy Nelson Packer jersey. Peter’s favorite Packer. THE PERFECT GIFT. So I tell my sister Jenna (screw respecting people’s privacy) about it. She agrees. What a great gift.
ONE HOUR after I tell Jenna about this gift, I get an email from Peter. Please read the following correspondence (and I went back into my archives… This is all real conversation, kids):
promenesko: I need to go get a Packer jersey. We can wear jeans tomorrow and Friday if we are wearing jerseys.
svanderstappen: You’re going to go buy a Packer jersey tonight just so you can wear jeans for the next two days?
promenesko: It was inevitable.
svanderstappen: Whose jersey are you going to get? Jordy?
promenesko: I doubt they sell his, but if so it’s mine.
svanderstappen: I can’t believe you’re going to get it today.
promenesko: I’m going to be the only person in the office without a jersey. Even the Patriots fan has a Packer jersey!
svanderstappen: YOU’RE RUINING YOUR BIRTHDAY.
promenesko: Well. I can’t find any that I’ll be able to get for tomorrow. So now you ruined my birthday.
svanderstappen: THEY HAVE THEM AT THE PACKER PRO SHOP.
promenesko: They have 2XL at the Pro Shop. That’s huge!
svanderstappen: I’M UPSET BECAUSE NOW I’VE GONE AND RUINED YOUR BIRTHDAY BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE RUINING YOUR BIRTHDAY.
Not one of my finer moments.
So now, I am upset because I’ve ruined Peter’s birthday and I am back right where I started not knowing what to get him.
February 10, 2011
I broke down, went to the Packer Pro Shop and bought Peter the Jordy Nelson jersey. Even though he bought himself a Clay Matthews jersey. They didn’t have any jerseys left, so I got a custom-made one (it looks the exact same as a regular jersey, but it costs more. Awesome.). FYI: You can’t return custom-made jerseys.
February 11, 2011
Peter and I are heading to Lake Geneva for the weekend. After work, I went right to his apartment so that we could leave ASAP. There is a box from UPS at his apartment. I ask him what’s inside…
Sara: So, what did you get in the mail?
Peter: *Holds up a t-shirt*

–FYI: 87 is Jordy Nelson. AWESOME.
Sara: … Who’s that for?
Peter: … Doug …
Sara: You got that for Doug? Not for yourself?
Peter: … Well… I DID get two…
Sara: I am SO mad at you. You can’t buy things for yourself when your birthday is less than a week away!!
Peter: Oh my God, did you get me this shirt?
Sara: NO. I am not telling you what I got you, but I am SO mad because you are RUINING your BIRTHDAY.
Peter: What? Well if you didn’t get me this shirt, how am I ruining it? What did you get me?
Sara: I’M NOT TELLING YOU BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO RUIN YOUR BIRTHDAY.
Peter: Fine. Don’t tell me.
2 seconds later
Sara: I GOT YOU A JORDY NELSON JERSEY FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY.
Peter: … You did?
Sara: YES. AND YOU CANNOT RETURN IT BECAUSE IT IS CUSTOM-MADE.
Peter: You got me a custom-made Jordy Nelson jersey for my birthday? That’s awesome! Sar. A shirt is different than a jersey.
Sara: I KNOW BUT YOU DIDN’T HAVE ANY JORDY NELSON STUFF BEFORE.
Peter: I’ll still wear the jersey.
Sara: WELL NOW I’M MAD BECAUSE I REALLY RUINED YOUR BIRTHDAY.
Please take note that we are about to get into a car for 3 hours.
*About 2 minutes into the car ride*
Sara: … Please don’t tell anyone that I ruined your birthday.
Peter: I won’t.
Dear Peter,
Thanks for putting up with me. For the record I DID get you another present yesterday because I felt guilty about ruining the good gift. But I won’t tell you what it is – I’ll let you open it and be surprised!
Love, Sara
The power of the t-shirt
I did it. I single-handedly got the Packers to the Superbowl. All because I bought a Packer t-shirt.
Maybe Mike McCarthy helped a LITTLE bit. And probably Aaron Rodgers. But whatever, I bought a t-shirt and COINCIDENTALLY the first day I wore it, the Packers felt my Packer-o-Meter rise from ZERO to MINIMAL and won the BIG game. I’m trying. Kind of…
On Sunday, Peter (More than EVER I want to keep referring to him as Skywalker, but I won’t.) and I made our way to Wrightstown to meet up with some amigos of ours (I will admit that they started out as his friends, but I’m so AWESOME that they like me better than him now, and when they invite him places, they say, “You can’t come unless you bring Sara.” And they’re SERIOUS. I just KNOW it.) to watch the BIGGEST game of all time: the Packers vs. the Bears (in case you didn’t know…).
We got to the bar an hour and a half before the game. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Yes. Because they had the most amazing drink special EVER – you pay one price, depending on how early you get there, and can drink all you want, of almost whatever you want. So for $6.50, I had more drinks than I needed (Brandy Old-Fashioned super sweet, anyone? Oh YUM), and so did most other people there. Every touchdown was a jello shot. The win was two. THOSE were yummy too.
There was screaming. There was table-pounding. And then, there was beard rubbing. Peter, in all of his wisdom, thought it would be fun to grow a “playoff beard”. It didn’t start until a week ago (“Because being the wildcard isn’t REALLY the playoffs, but now they’re like, fighting for the Championship, so it’s a playoff beard.”), and he didn’t call it the playoff beard until Sunday. And let me tell you what. The men in the group we were in LOVED it.
First, they were impressed that Peter is such a man and can grow a beard that fast. I grew up with the manliest of men: an almost 22 year old brother who shaves every other week, but you can’t even tell; a 26 year old brother-in-law who tries to pull off a goatee, but doesn’t REALLY succeed; and a 52 year old father whom no one has ever seen with facial hair. So when I see Peter at 8 o’clock at night and say, “Oh, you didn’t shave today?” and he responds, “Yeah, I shaved this morning.”, I am shocked EVERY time. A 5 o’clock shadow really DOES exist – I apparently never hung out with the right people.
Every time there was an AWESOME play by the Packers, most of which I missed but DID catch on the re-play (not that I knew what was going on anyways…), everyone reached for Peter’s face. My eye-rolling didn’t start until people told ME to rub the beard. No. I will not. I do NOT support the playoff beard, and Peter knows this.
When the Packers won the game, it was because of the beard (I didn’t tell anyone about my t-shirt – the REAL reason for the win). Not only were people smashing mine and Peter’s faces together so that I could REALLY feel the beard, people WITHOUT beards were smashing THEIR faces against mine saying, “Feel the beard!!!” WHAT beard?
With all this face-smashing, I started looking around at the “normal” people in the bar, and then I got scared. Someone was STANDING on a HIGH chair at the table behind us. I almost went DEAF from all of the screaming that was going on. Hugs became suffocating embraces, and high-fives became hand-numbing slaps.
In all honesty, it’s a lot easier to get into the game when you’re in a mob of hyped up people than when you’re sitting next to your boyfriend who keeps interrupting your reading.
I would say I’m more scared for my safety on Superbowl Sunday than anything, but I WILL be wearing my Packer t-shirt, so at least I won’t get shot. AND since I didn’t SAY anything (except to Peter) about the power of my t-shirt, PETER with his MAGICAL playoff beard will be blamed if GOD FORBID the Packers lose. Which they won’t. Right? See what a fan I’m being? …
Alias Skywalker: FAIL
Well. THAT wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.
FLASHBACK: Dinner on Tuesday night.
CHARACTERS: Sara (obviously) and Skywalker
SCENE: Sitting at the dinner table in Sara’s apartment. It’s leftover night. A plethora of choices including: tuna macaroni, spaghetti, steamed vegetables, and hot dogs.
*******DISCLAIMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!********
Ok, so this conversation is how I remember it. Ask SKYWALKER if you want HIS side of the story. HOWEVER. My re-enactment is very, VERY close to what actually happened. I KNOW it.
*Earlier in the day, Sara emailed Skywalker that she was excited for him to read her blog post because she wrote about him. Then she emailed him again and said that she didn’t write anything mean. What Sara was REALLY excited about was the ALIAS that she had chosen for her boyfriend. YAY surprises!!
Sara: So. Did you read the blog?
Skywalker: You named me SKYWALKER?!?
Sara: DON’T YOU LOVE IT?!?!
Skywalker: No.
Sara: What? Are you kidding?
Skywalker: I don’t know why you don’t just use my real name – everyone knows who I am.
Sara: I’m respecting your privacy!!! I thought it was CLEVER.
Skywalker: But SKYWALKER? EVERYONE KNOWS IT’S ME!
Sara: … Well at least I didn’t name you Chewbacca. I really WAS going to do that you know. I put a lot of thought into this! You like Star Wars! It’s like calling you a Superhero! Look at me! I’m DATING a SUPERHERO!!!!!!!!
Skywalker: Just call me by my real name.
Sara: I like Skywalker.
Peter: You’re mocking me.
Sara: I REALLY thought you would like it! I THOUGHT I WAS BEING CLEVER! I was GOING to call you CHEWBACCA.
Skywalker: Sar. People aren’t going to take me seriously. People that read your blog are going to come up to me and say, “Oh hey SKYWALKER, what do YOU do? Fight JEDIS?!?!”
Sara: Really? NO ONE TAKES ME SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!
Skywalker: Just… Call me by my real name.
Sara: Fine. I’ll CHANGE it.
… Moments of silence …
Sara: You know, everyone DOES know who are are. I mean, gosh, I put a picture of you on there.
Skywalker: I know.
Sara: Huh. I didn’t even THINK of that.
Skywalker: … I know…
Sara: Ok. So, hypothetically speaking, what WOULD you be called if you could be called something? I mean, I WISH I could re-name myself. But I just can’t. My real name is in the TITLE.
Skywalker: I’m not doing this with you.
Sara: Fine.
… Moments of Silence …
Sara: OH. SO. The Fincutters emailed me about dinner. What’s the plan?
Skywalker: Well we can go to the place inside Lambeau or more of a Supper Club.
Sara: What’s a Supper Club?
Skywalker: You don’t know what that is?
Sara: I know what the Breakfast Club is.
Skywalker: Are you kidding me? Duck Inn? Crandall’s?
Sara: …
Skywalker: How have you gone your whole life not knowing what a Supper Club is? Where’s my phone, I need to text your mom.
*As Skywalker is texing my mom, I text her too. “Skywalker is being mean to me.”*
^bleep bleep^
Skywalker: BAHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Sara: She didn’t text ME back… What are you saying to her?! What’s so FUNNY???? Why is she texting YOU and not ME?! I’M HER DAUGHTER.
Skywalker: Well, I said, “I just spent the last 10 minutes trying to explain to Sara what a Supper Club is.” and she said “Welcome to my life.”
^ding a ling^
Sara: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Skywalker: What?
Sara: Tay just texted me. “What’s a Supper Club?”
Skywalker: Give me your phone.
Sara: What are you saying?
Skywalker: “You’re dumb too.”
**Scene fades out**
So, folks, now I shall reveal to you the man that you have known as Skywalker for all of three days. Gone shall be his privacy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NAME: PETER W. ROMENESKO
OCCUPATION: MARKETING COORDINATOR
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: Just kidding, Pete.


