Today at lunch, each of us were trying to come up with the movie that we were most embarrassed to have paid to see. Movies thrown out were such cinematic fare as "Crossroads" with Britney Spears, "Jackass," "Dude, Where's My Car?," and "On the Line" which has some N'Sync boys in it. I couldn't really think of one. I have never seen any of the four mentioned here - even as a rental. The closest thing I could come up with is "A Walk in the Clouds" which I dragged my mom to see because no one else would go with me. Though I am embarrassed that I actually sat through all of "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" which was one of the worst movies ever made - luckily, I saw that through Netflix and at that time we were watching movies daily so I only paid like $0.59 for it.

There are many things one can learn when a 4-day trip to Philadelphia for a wedding turns into a 7-day saga thanks to the appearance of a "historic" snow storm. Here are just a few:

On Thursday, I learned that just because a hotel has the word "Omni" in their title doesn't mean it's any match for the Omni San Francisco.

On Friday, I learned that no matter what city you're in all across the United States, if you're with even one Chinese person you will eat at least one meal in their version of Chinatown. I also learned that a rehearsal dinner before the rehearsal never allows you to have more than two drinks - and really, what's with that?

On Saturday, I learned that there exist weddings where people change their outfits between the ceremony and the reception. I also learned that you don't have to be a bridesmaid to sit at the head table and that Mr. Liang is one hell of a dancer (and no, I'm not talking about Adrian). I learned that you can practice and practice a speech and that still doesn't mean you're going to get it right when you finally get up in front of those 200 people. I also learned that you really shouldn't sing at your wedding unless you were a finalist for American Idol. Why do that to yourself?

On Sunday, I learned that snow is beautiful and so powerful it can make states go into states of emergency. I learned that you shoud call your Chinese in-laws Mom and Dad after you marry their son. I also learned that the one restaurant that dares to stay open on a blizzard night can make tons of money.

On Monday, I learned that staying in bed all day is a truly wonderful thing especially if you have ESPN and HBO (oh, the crappy movies we watched). I learned that you can get anyone to watch bad reality television if you just convince them that they'll enjoy it.

On Tuesday, I learned that sitting all day in an airport is not as fun as staying in bed. I also learned that just because you make numbers 3 and 4 on the standby list doesn't guarantee you a shot at a seat on the plane when the snobby "premier" members can swoop in and take your seats right out from under you. I learned that trying to be adventurous and taking a train instead of a taxi doesn't always work out - not when the snow has messed up the train schedule so bad that an hour and fifteen minutes later you decide to forego the eleven dollars you spent on the train tickets and catch that taxi after all.

On Wednesday, I learned that everyone can get to a point where all they want to do is go home. I learned that you can be booted to an earlier flight so that you have to run in your socks to the gate to catch your plane. I learned that your own bed is heaven on earth.

To Tahoe I go to do all the things I would do if I was here - sleeping in, reading, watching TV, eating out...

Sometimes people retell stories you've already heard, but add in character voices, sound effects, and body movement to make you think it's a brand new story. It isn't - but it sure is a whole lot funnier. Ask Adrian to tell you about his dynamic feats as a 7-year-old while playing P.E. some time - just make sure that you get the "special edition" version.