Pounding the pavement

There are certainly aspects of this job that I don't like, don't look forward to; but it's a game and you have to approach it that way. All in all things are going well. When I put my game face on and approach each customer with the right attitude, I generally come away with a positive attitude.

I spent much of the last two weeks working out of a hotel room in Portland, just coming home on Wednesday nights to bowl. I also worked a "booth" in Bangor on that middle Sunday. So until this past weekend I haven't been home much to speak of.

It's been an interesting process to go through classroom training in an old TWC area while doing job shadowing with reps in old Adelphia territory, since that's where I live and will be my area. So it's been like working for two companies at the same time. Starting this week I'll be working up here in the Augusta area while still trying to reel in some folks I've had contact with in Portland for the last two weeks. The philosophies, the products, the systems and environment are very different between the two areas still, even though it's all TWC now and has been since August. At least I'm not in the category of folks who've been doing things successfully for several years one way and are now having to change.

I'll try to update more often that I have of late, and I intend on writing a little piece anyway about my early Christmas present.

Long time, no write

Sorry it's been so long but the new job has taken up most of my time and especially my brain. I've been commuting to Portland for most of the last several weeks for training, and will be down there for the next 2 weeks on the street. Things are going well and I'm confident this will be a great opportunity. I'll try to let you know how it goes.

On the Nascar front I'd like to congratulate Jimmy Johnson and the 48 team on winning the championship. They were the best team and deserved to win, and they did so in spite of a Chase format that will some day make a champion out of a team that was 10th best for most of the season.
I did finally win the fantasy season game on our message board, something I've been trying to do for at least 10 years...miracles do occur.
I'm optimistic about the progress of Petty Enterprises and think next year could see them improve even more, to the point where a win would be a distinct possibility. It was also great to have a Nascar season where one of my favorites won several races. That hasn't happened since Richard Petty in the '70's. So congrats on a great year for Kasey Kahne. I think they're a definite Cup contender for next year. That would certainly warm the heart of this Mopar fan.

Finally, I'd like to do a quick blog intro and let you know that several of us from the Under da Porch message board have started a Nascar blog, which you can find here. I'll mention more about it after we've had a chance to build it up some, but please stop by and wish us well and give us any input you'd like.

Have a great Thanksgiving. And last but certainly not least, today is Munchkin's 16th birthday. Happy Birthday, sweetie! (Wow, I can't believe the youngest is now 16 or that I've been through this 6 times!)

128 & 321

Maybe I'm starting to get things consistent bowling-wise. I bowled a 128 on my second string Wednesday night!! (though I am disappointed that I didn't get to 130 because the guys had me laughing so hard I gutter-balled a 0 on one of the spares. LOL) Started with a 91, then the 128 and finished with a 102 for 321. The 102 should have been better since I opened with two spares. But still, I've been better every week.

New job's going fine. Still job shadowing. Early this week it was with folks who support the DSR's (direct sales reps), like dispatch, field techs, etc. Then the last 2 days has been classroom instruction in Portland, as will all of next week and at least part of the week after. Cuz, I'm a half-mile from where you work...we should hook up for lunch one day.

Squirt's play starts tonight and runs next week. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm going tomorrow night. She'll be great as always. I'll get Shel to update her blog about it since she goes to every performance. She updated recently about the family, etc, if you haven't seen it.

Hope to have a political blog up this weekend; I know it's been awhile.

Splitting wood

Munchkin and I spent the day at Gram's splitting up the wood for winter...over did it a bit but it's all done. I knew I'd have today, watching the race and football, to recoup a little...though Monday's training in the office. So no bigs there.

The first week at the new job went well...mostly job shadowing a couple of salesmen. This coming week will be job shadowing in the office, a day with service techs and the end of the week will be learning the billing program.

I should've played the lottery today. Why, you ask? Well, when's the last time all 3 of my favorite drivers finished in the top 10 in a Nascar race? I'm thinking it's never happened. The 43 used pit strategy plus getting the car better all race long to finish 3rd. Way to go, Bobby. Kinda the same with Kasey, though he ran better than the 43 most of the day, who finished 6th. The most consistent of the 3 was Kyle Petty, though he finished 10th; but he ran in the top 15 the whole race. That's a sight for sore eyes, for sure.
I'm somehow leading my fantasy league by about 60 points before the race started, but all I had left to pick from was pretty much mid to back packers. I had planned on using Bobby Labonte at Martinsville, but he didn't run that great in the spring there and has been good on the Charlotte/Atlanta type tracks. So in the end I decided to save him for Atlanta or TX, same with Ken Schrader (who ran in the top 10 all day today until a wreck finished him off...phew) So I settled on Jeff Green for M'ville, and he qualified 8th and ran between 8 and 12th all day, finishing 8th. Maybe I'll finally win that league.

Limestone

I spent the day Friday in Limestone visiting with Em and touring the Maine School of Science & Math. Let me start by saying what an interesting area it is. The town of Limestone couldn't be much smaller, a main street with a handful of businesses; but sitting on the hill on the way into town are these two very large school buildings...a reminder of what things were like in Limestone when Loring AFB still existed. You'd scratch your head if you didn't know why there's a large high school in this tiny town with a large auditorium and swimming pool, etc. The former middle school sits next door and has been converted to dorms for the MSSM students. Between MSSM students and LHS students there's about 200 kids, less than half the students the place was built for.
A quick aside: Last time I was in Limestone was 1979, losing a high school baseball playoff game 1-0. In the trophy case there sits the 1979 Class B State Championship trophy.
It is a great school for kids like Em, over-achievers, kids who aren't challenged in most traditional schools. The curriculum is very tough and many kids can't handle being there in an environment where they have to be self-motivated. As expected, Em is thriving in such an environment. She loves the school, its teachers, the town (my wonderful tree hugging, vegan, nerd!!) and being in a place surrounded by students like her.
Aside from being able to tour the school and meet with the teachers, the students put on a variety show that evening, as well as some of them (including Em) sang a capella during supper. Emily sang a song with the chorus, and she and another student performed 3 songs from the play "Wicked." I don't get to hear her sing very often, so that was a highlight. Another highlight was her performing a song from Phantom of the Opera as a piano solo!! Dad's very proud of you!

Finally, Shelly updated her blog recently with news about our family. I know many of you have asked about what's going on with my step "children," especially Tim in Korea. So you can read about them there.

Chase Race #5

Before I get to my thoughts on the race, I want to say GET WELL SOON to my friend Buff, who just had hip replacement surgery. I know he's loopy on drugs but happy to have it over with and looking forward to walking normal again. The timing must've been tough though, because it meant him missing last night's race in person. Get well, Buff, and start that blog you've been talking about.
And congrats to Dave's Tigers for sweeping the A's for the American League Pennant...10th trip to the World Series for the Tigers, first since '84. How about a round of Two Boats, Dave?

I have to say I don't like the smaller fuel cells. It takes a lot of the strategy out of the racing and doesn't give the cars enough time to shake out and see who has good set-ups over long runs. The numerous caution flags contributed to that problem as well. Here's to hoping that new surface cures soon. I know it's always been a fast and tricky track but this is crazy. I can't complain though because Kasey won his 6th race of the season and a sweep of the Charlotte races. Love the Mopar logo on it this weekend but not sure about the color. That team seems to be getting things together and should be one of the favorites to win next year, though things will be leveled with everyone learning the "car of tomorrow." Bobby Labonte had perhaps the quietest 5th place finish I've seen in a long time. Yes, the announcers mentioned them a couple of times but it seems he got there in stealth mode. I'll never get tired of seeing the 43 run well, of course.

Mark Martin's career bad luck streak continues. A late accident that was pure bad luck probably eliminated him from a championship because he hasn't had a dominant car to gain a lot of points...they've just been consistent enough to hang in there.

I'm rushing this together because I'm getting ready for orientation tomorrow. So sorry this isn't an in-depth article. I'm still planning on writing a piece about why I don't like the Chase format, as well as telling everyone what a great day I had with my daughter on Friday. I'll get to that soon.

Mark Martin Mopar Petty Tigers Charlotte Kahne Labonte Nascar Chase

Candlepin

On the bowling front: Getting better every week, especially now that I've straightened out my mechanics...still need to get them more consistent but discovered last night that part of the inconsistency is the house shows (sure, Zeb, blame the shoes). Now that I have the mechanics consistent I'm able to tell that my front foot slides inconsistently. I had a string last night with 3 6's and a 5 but still managed an 89 (those numbers make no sense to the fake bowlers of the Ten Pin world). So a new pair of shoes are now a high priority. It's frustrating when you know you're throwing well (first string 104 last night) but something you can't control messes it up. My team finally had 5 bowlers last night, so for the first time this year we took some points...not sure how many yet because our 5th is new and his handicap was yet to be calculated and added in.

I'm heading off to Limestone tomorrow to spend part of the day with my eldest daughter at the Maine School of Science & Math (4 hours away). She'll be participating in various concerts and a variety show. I'll report back this weekend on all of that. I haven't seen her since the beginning of the school year. So I can't wait.

I have orientation at Time Warner on Monday and then start training Tuesday. I'm excited about the opportunity and eager to get started.

Oh, anyone else getting into the new show "Heroes?"

I was going to do a Todd update but I can't get the picture uploader to work. So I'll do that another time.

Apple Festival and such

Spent a very nice couple of days with my youngest daughter Friday and Saturday. We spent some time Friday morning setting up her blog. Then we headed out to run some errands. I took care of my Time Warner pee test, and then we headed off for lunch at Red Robin, which opened here a few months ago. I lived w/in a mile of one in California years ago and went quite often; but this is the first one I've seen since then, almost 20 years later. She had a bacon cheeseburger and I tried something called burger parmaseana...a nice big burger covered with a deep fried mozzarella patty, sautered onions and peppers and red sauce. Quite, quite messy and quite good.
Her 16th birthday is coming up in November and I didn't want to delay any longer getting her sweet 16 charm bracelet ready. So off we went to Kay Jewelers, where I know the manager and where they had done my other daughter's last year. We figured out what heirloom pieces could be turned into charms and picked out a new one from the catalog to order...should be ready in a week or so.
My wife volunteered to organize and run a booth at the Winthrop Apple Festival to raise money for Squirt's HS theater group to go to NYC again. Unfortunately this was Homecoming Weekend, so not as many helpers as there would be otherwise. So Munchkin and I went and spent the afternoon helping out there. They raised lots of money for the trip and I got to listen to some very good local bluegrass bands all afternoon.

I know I haven't blogged about Nascar in a while. Think I might do a separate one later. Congrats to Brian Vickers on his first win, but that is also the prime example where Nascar throws the caution flag too early and where they should still allow racing back to the line. No, not because Kasey would have won either.

Goodbye Yankees, goodbye!!!! I put up a little blog about them losing on BoSox Tavern.

Another good thing about the Time Warner job is that I won't be working a job on second shift and should be able to continue to bowl Wednesday nights. I've bowled 3 weeks and am getting the rust off and mechanics straightened out. I hope to update each week and maybe can get Lil Cuz to chime in.
Not being out at night all the time also means I can better keep up with my politics and blog, as well as be able to watch the Bruins and Celtics and Patriots (it was possible I would've had to work Sundays at W-M), and blog about them here on occasion as well. Though not overpowering, still a nice win for the Pats yesterday, which I think pretty much locks up the division already. LOL The Bruins looked awful in their opener but came back to win the second game of the season. I don't expect much but at least they won't lose every game.

Todd is doing well. I hope to have the Mrs. update her blog soon. Guess that covers things for now.

Vickers candlepin bowling Boston Bruins Patriots Nascar Nextel Cup Kahne

The search ends

I've accepted an offer from Time Warner to do sales. Good thing I went to that job fair two weeks ago, since everything else I thought would result in an offer in the end didn't. I'd be near suicidal right now because I've had multiple interviews with companies who were hiring multiple people, only in the end to be completely shocked I didn't get an offer.
My new boss was at the job fair booth and I'd made it a point to talk to every company, even though many I figured would have nothing for me. We hit it off immediately. He was impressed with me and my resume, and practically offered me a job at that point. When I didn't hear from him for several days and was expecting an offer from Wal-Mart, I pressed the issue because I wanted to have all my options in front of me. Good thing.
After 3 very good interviews with Wal-Mart to work in the distribution facility, I got a no-thank-you card in the mail yesterday, after I'd already accepted the offer from Time Warner. A couple of weeks ago I interviewed initially with T-Mobile, then spent 3 hours taking tests, which I was told during the next interview that I'd aced, only to get another dis a couple days later.
Word to the wise: If you're smart and educated and experienced, "good luck," because no one will want you.

This opportunity with Time Warner fortunately seems to be more than having to take a job. So things worked out well in the end. It pays well, fits my background and work preferences, and has growth opportunities.

I'll update again after I get started. I'll also put a post up probably tomorrow about other life stuff.

Work Search and Such

Just a quick update on things. Late last week I applied, got tested ("inspected, detected, neglected...") and consequently interviewed at T-Mobile. I expect to be offered a job this week. The pay's not great, but enough on the short term to consider taking it as I fully expect I'd be promoted rather quickly. I have a 2nd interview with Wal-Mart to work at the distribution center tomorrow. The pay's better than T-Mobile but not sure the job would be as much in the right direction as T-Mobile would be. Both jobs I'd start out working night shifts and parts of weekends. Put in a resume to a company a mile from my house for a marketing assistant position. Now that job I'd take almost no matter the pay because it would definitely be in the right direction. Spent a few hours this morning at a job fair that was reasonably fruitfull. I'll need to hear from some of them real soon because I won't be able to make these other companies wait too long.

On the personal side I help my son-law-law work on his house Friday, tearing off old siding as well as taking down a small entry-way. It's nice to have the time to help out. Then Saturday I cut up a bunch of wood at Mom's. Need to get up there again soon to finish the cutting and then rent a splitter.

Boy, did the Patriots look overmatched Sunday night. Think they could use a wide receiver that would cause the other team's defense to play honest? (duh, that was rhetorical)

Hope to have a new post on Inside Zebster in the next day or 2. I've had time to write and some time to catch up on news but don't yet have the beginnings of one in my head.

Free Agency

Yours truly is a free agent once again. By Friday of last week I was on pace for a 90 hour week in a very physical job with no relief in the near future. Couple that with my disappointment that nothing had changed within the company as far as the support system for the salesman who are the key to the company's success, I quit...first time I've quit really anything in my life. I have more time to blog but won't be doing much until things are settled. I have to find a good job real quick or two mediocre ones almost as fast. Wish me luck.
At least I have the flexibility for a while to do some things that are important to me. I'll be helping my son-in-law work on his house later this week, and I'll be at my mother's Saturday cutting and splitting firewood for the winter. And even though it's 2 weeks into the season, I'll be able to bowl as well. I hope to put up weekly updates about how I'm faring in that regard, as well as maybe an explanation for those of you who are not familiar or maybe haven't even heard of candlepin bowling.

Bar Harbor route

I rode the route with its previous salesman Tuesday and Wednesday morning. This route has "two parts," a group of stops on one day and different stops the other with 2 stops done every day. Wednesday afternoon I did the route by myself for the first time, most of the stops I'd never been to before, and got home around 9pm...thankfully Thurs was a day off. Friday I went in earlier, 3:30, but everything that could go wrong did for most of the day, most significantly the mess left behind by my predecessor and a lack of information and confusing information he left behind, which caused me to need to spend 3 hours at the "barn" at the end of the day trying to start to straighten things out for next week. Anyway, I got home around 10:15 and to bed about quarter of 11pm. Three hours of sleep and back at it again yesterday.
Things started out quite badly when I immediately realized that the product he'd ordered and that had come was for the stops I had just done the day before, not the stops I was going to do yesterday; and having only seen those places once, it was difficult for me to remember what products I'd need that I didn't have. So after some pondering, I said screw it and loaded the truck and decided to just go and wing it. To make a long story short, it went quite well and only one customer was really left without what they need. I had an extra stop that cost me a half hour but in the end I got back to the barn at 6 (with no power due to the storm) and got home at 7:30. So essentially I was as fast by myself as Wednesday when I had help half the day. So while "proud" and less pessimistic, this route has 6 to 7 hours of driving time in it, so long days are guaranteed, probably 14 hour days will be good.

So I got home in time to catch the Nascar race from Richmond, though I probably should've gone straight to bed. The Mrs. made all the fixings for awesome nachos. So I grabbed a Dundee Amber Lager, made a huge plate of nachos and settled in to see if Kasey could gain the 30 points or more he needed to make the Chase. About halfway, just when he had driven to the front, I decided to go downstairs and watch it on the couch in the den. Well, I ended up in bed to listen instead, where I immediately fell asleep around 10. So I missed the second half, but awoke to find he had finished third and made the Chase for the championship, leaving Tony Stewart, last year's champion, out in the cold. Go get 'em Kasey.

Weekend with friends

First I need to post a work blurb because it's long overdue; and once you see the blurb, you'll know why I say this may be the last in a while. My worst fears came true as I have been unofficially assigned the route I most feared I'd end up with and least wanted. I start on that route tomorrow, at least one day with its former salesman, maybe 2. But I believe I'm safe in saying that at least early on 16 hour days will be the norm.

Thanks to the Monday holiday, poetically for me Labor Day, I have the rare 2 days off in a row; and thus the chance to get away and do something. AA and I have talked about me getting down there to visit for music, "fine" food and beverage, as well as getting to a minor league baseball game together. Well, 3 1/2 out of 4 ain't bad. I'll get to the missing half shortly. I want to make sure I again gratefully thank my gracious hosts, AA and Mrs. AA, for a very comfortable, entertaining and relaxing weekend. Hopefully the offer and opportunity to do it again exists, and feel free to take us up on a reciprocal offer...we have the room.(Yes Bro, it was good to see you and "the Mrs" too...and Larry)

I made it down to the South Shore in a tad under 3 hours in my rented PT Cruiser Touring. I liked it very much, though not the Caliber (no pun intended) I was hoping to rent, except it was the mandatory rental automatic. I arrived to find Bro and Mandy and Larry already there, and AA's famous cheese dip bubbling and a cold Sammie immediately placed in my hand. We soon had other excellent fair to eat, spicy ribs and pepperoni sticks, and then a trip to a huge liquor store to pick up some special brews.

AA and I then spent several hours in the "panic room," his excellent (though hot), perfectly small and acoustic music room, where we spent much time showing each other some of our favorite stuff, mostly played on his impressive turntable...ahhhh, hours spent listening to vinyl heard better than ever while imbiding some excellent adult refreshment. Thanks for the introduction to Smithwicks by the way. Too bad I'd had too little sleep as usual and by 3 a.m. had hit my 24 hour mark. That was time thoroughly enjoyed and needs to be revisited soon. It was a lot of fun hearing some of my old vinyl sound like new and also to be introduced to excellent "new" material.

Now on to Sunday and the game that wasn't. We'd been keeping an eye on the weather to see whether venturing to Norwich, CT for a minor league game was going to be possible. The weather maps and radar showed the rain by 11 a.m. passed that area, even though there was still a very heavy mist in the South Shore. So AA and I headed out, tanked up at Taco Bell and head to Norwich, about an hour and a half west. It continued to mist all the way to the MA/CT border, in fact rained heavy at times with nothing but clouds ahead in the direction of Norwich; but lo and behold within about 15 miles of the ballpark you could see the highway was dry from tire tracks, which gave us much optimism this wouldn't be a wasted trip. We arrived at a nice new ballpark, though strangely in a rural industrial park, with no rain and the clouds lifting.

For 10 bucks each we got seats in the second row behind the 3rd base dugout, grabbed a couple of frothy Sammies and settled in for the ballgame. It was supposed to start at 2:05 but not much was happening or said until at 2:15 or so the PA announcer advised us that the game was postponed due to field conditions, right when the clouds had completely lifted and the sun was shining bright. There were large puddles in the dirt areas around the backstop, and it was obviously too wet to play...something they should've known before selling us tickets at 10 minutes before game time. Oh well. We grabbed a couple of Nathan's dogs and took a $10 tour of the ballpark.

We drove back and spent the rest of the afternoon watching and napping through another disappointing Red Sox game and then managed to keep AA entertained enough with Nascar to see a solid half of the race from Cali or more, which I thoroughly enjoyed on his Hi Def TV, the first time I've been able to experience what a wonderful difference there is. Woooo hoooo, Kasey won!

Again Aaron and Meg, thanks for a great weekend. I was quite comfortable (too much so at times, LOL) and thoroughly enjoyed myself. And folks, there is life after AA's cheese dip...it just takes a while to pass.

An Act Of Love

SHADOW aka The Goob, May 1989 to August 23, 2006.

The last few days he was really, really slowing down and was having more moments where he seemed to not be all there. So while it was difficult and heartbreaking today, those things, as well as knowing about the tumors, made it easier to have the right mind set and do the right thing...an act of love. He will be missed more than anyone can know.

I will always have the memories, including those I wrote about last week but also, looking at that picture of him sleeping on my stepdaughter's feet with his legs hanging down...he had one extra toe on one foot and two extra on the other.

Beer Fridge!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me...well, Friday was. Last night my wife and I and daughter and stepdaughter went to eat at Longhorn's, where I made a pig of myself, topped off with a 16 ounce t-bone smothered in a butter and red wine sauce, topped with french fried onions (excellent) and washed down with a Bass Ale. The Mrs then said we need to go to the big orange box store, where I got to pick out my birthday present...my very own beer fridge!
While we're on the topic of beer, I believe I've found a new favorite lager, replace Samuel Adams Boston Lager...that lager would be JW Dundee's Amber Lager, which among other places comes in a 12 pack that also includes a pale ale, a pale bock and a honey brown lager.
The Amber Lager is in my opionion extraordinary. It has all the favor of the Boston Lager but a tad smoother, and the flavor is to me a less harsh. It's hard to describe something that you find perhaps more flavorful yet smoother, but that's how I would describe this beer compared to the Sammie. The Pale Ale is the best I've tried...again, more flavorful, yet as smooth as the most popular pale ales.
To contrast those two, I find the pale bock and honey brown to be a little disappointing. Around these parts the Honey Brown has an excellent reputation, but I just realized it's a lager and not an ale. So what is a honey brown lager or what makes a lager honey brown (aside from honey obviously)? I was looking forward to a robust brown ale with a hint of honey; what I got was a smooth lager. It's certainly more tasteful than traditional American lagers; but given how good the amber lager and pale ale were, I expected more.
The Pale Bock? I realize it's a pale bock rather than a standard bock, but dare I say I expected it to be bock-ier than it was. I know a bock is a lager but it tastes to me like a standard lager instead of a bock. I was bracing my taste buds for an attack of flavor that didn't come.
Anyway, if you like a robust lager and or pale ale, I couldn't more highly recommend these two offerings from JW Dundee by High Falls Brewing in Rochester, NY.
beer JW Dundee pale ale brewing bock lager barley hops beer fridge

Shadow

Forgive me but this is very hard to write, even for someone who's lost human loved ones and made the most difficult decision one can make three times. I almost didn't bring him back from the vet today.
I'll back up and tell you that everyone who's ever met this cat and spent any time with him all say the same thing...that he's the smartest and best behaved cat they've seen...more personality than any 3 put together. When he was young, I could get him to chase me around the house just playing. I used to throw a tennis ball to the landing of the top of the stairs and he'd go up and knock it down to me, then wait until I threw it again. I taught him not to lick around me (I know but it's a peeve of mine, no pet intended). He still starts to and then sees me near him, and I'll give him that look and he'll go somewhere else and lick. I used to play rough with him, and he'd give it back in spades. He'd rear up on his hind legs and howl at you the more you cuffed him around; and if you weren't quick and careful, he'd take a piece out of you...the sharpest teeth I've ever seen. If in playing with you things weren't fair and he wasn't getting his licks in and you walked away, he'd run up behind you and bite you in the ankles. He'll give you kisses if you ask him, even though most of his young life he was very independent and didn't care about attention. You knew when you talked to him that he was listening, and always meowed when you asked if he was a good boy.
Shadow turned 17 in May. He's been my best friend for those 17 years, through a lot of very difficult times. The vet said today that what I thought to be a cateract in his eye is actually a tumor but that it may not be a problem. While she's saying that she's examining his abdomen, where she found a large tumor in his bladder...nothing to be done there. She immediately recommended he be put down. Even though I sensed it coming when I arrived, the big old Zebster blubbered like a boy. She asked how his appetite was and whether he was drinking. I said that he was. So we decided that next Wednesday would not be too long to wait, to give everyone a chance to say goodbye, plus that's my next day off that they can do it.
I should tell you why I took him in. He's just been sick lately...throwing up on a regular basis, sometimes not for a few days but sometimes more than once a day. He weighed in at 9 pounds this morning, down about 3 from recent years and 6 when he was younger. You can't tell from the pic but he's long and big cat. His hips have been arthritic for the last couple of years; there's what I thought was a cateract, and within the last few days he's been having problems peeing. He'd go once and pee just a little, then walk around kind of crying and then try again. I knew he was old and wasn't going to be with us forever, and I wasn't going to be that kind of pet owner that spends tons of money trying to save an old animal; but since he's been sick, I just wanted to assure myself that he didn't have something that could be easily rectified.
Well, this has been cathartic actually, remembering the many good years we've had. Expect a blubber post next Wednesday.
Check out Shel's Place soon for a surprise.

Breadman update

Well, that first full day out I got home at 8 pm. So a 16 1/2 hour day. Friday was more like 14 and Saturday, since I had to run a different errand, got me home around 2. So a lucky 10 hour day!!!

This week won't be so bad because I'm running a much more local route and I'm helping a guy who's just coming back but on light duty. So I'm doing most of the lifting but we're still faster than me alone. I got to work this morning at 2 and got home at 2:45. Woo hoo, only 12 hours!!! He has a follow-up doc appt tomorrow. So I'll be doing about a 1/3 of it myself.

Got to watch the Nascar race at Watkins Glen...one of the better races there in a while, I thought. Kevin Harvick's showing his strength on all kinds of tracks. Unfortunately for me Kasey and Kyle lost top 15 runs in the last handful of laps due to other people's issues and they lost lots of positions. But I had Robbie Gordon in the fantasy league. So I'm still in first!

I'm taking Shadow to the vet on Wednesday, and I'll post an update about that after the visit.

First Day

Got a call from my boss last night at 7:30 saying I could start today, and only at 6a.m. at that. It's the usual day off for the guys but no one volunteered for the overtime to do what they call recalls, which is restocking our product on grocery store shelves from product that's already delievered. So I went out with the boss today and did that, and helped put out some other fires.
Tomorrow won't be so kind...I'll be helping out on my old route, which starts 2 hours from the "barn." So I'll start at 3:30 in the morning and probably won't get home until 7 pm, if I'm lucky.
So I'm sitting here having a cold Geary's and thanking everyone for the well-wishes they've left on my blogs.

Even though Jeff Gordon finished 16th at the Brickyard, I'm still holding on to a very slight lead in the fantasy league.

Geary's Pale Ale

The first reaction I had and have when drinking this ale is "My, that's nice and aley!" It has a full mouth of flavor with really no aftertaste. I find this pale ale to be better than any other pale ale that I've tried thus far. As I say, it's robust but not overbearing in my opinion, especially if you prefer ales as I do. It's a pleasure to find a strong ale that you want to drink time and again.
I'm sure I could do a better job of searching but I was unable to find a website for D.L. Geary Brewing but I did find this website MaineBeers.com. Also, as I usually do with beer reviews, this is what information there is on the label: "Geary's Pale Ale is hand crafted in Maine with traditional British brewing methods, using only custom-malted British barley, American hops and pure Maine water." So what's not to like? It's brewed in Portland, Maine with Maine water; it's a very, very good ale and has a lobster on the label. Enjoy!

Job search update: Just this afternoon I got the call from hell, as it were. IBC/Nissen wants me back and I've agreed to go back. At this point it'll be as a spare/jumper, which I would prefer over some of the far-flung routes like the one I had before, working upwards of 70 hours a week with no two days in a row off. So the blogging will take a serious hit as a result; but the job pays very well, especially for this part of the country. At this point it looks like I'll start Thursday morning. I'll update when I know more.
beer Geary's pale ale brewering work Maine barley hops

A blown motor and a hard wreck

The Brickyard 400, while one of my favorite races to watch and the second most important race of the season, was a disappointing one for my favorite drivers. When Kyle Petty, 26th, finishes well ahead of my other two favorites, you know it was a tough day. I was optimistic that with Bobby Labonte's prowess at this track and the steady gains of the 43 team we'd see a good result, but in large part the 43 struggled the whole race and then blew a motor late and finished 40th.
Then there's Kasey Kahne, who has struggled of late and needed a good run; and this seemed to be the track to get it at. His prior two races there resulted in a 4th and a 2nd. Well, maybe next year. They were chasing the set-up on the 9 all day but were running in the top 10 on the last lap, when either he spun out or got tapped from behind and almost knocked down the outside wall. He hit it nearly head on and the rear of the car came right up off the track. I think the tire falling on his show car in that commercial was less violent that this wreck. Thankfully, he walked away from it. Therefore, this week's kudo goes to the safety of those cars.
My fantasy pick for this race didn't fare much better. Four-time Brickyard winner Jeff Gordon had a bolt come loose on the front suspension early in the race that cost him 4 laps, which he did manage to make up; but because this race was relatively caution free, he wasn't able to get all those laps back early enough to be a factor, though he did finish 16th. But in a fantasy league where you only get to pick each driver once throughout the season, getting a 16th from Jeff Gordon is gonna hurt.
Oh, the winner? Jimmy Johnson, who dominated late and won easily. This team is amazing in how they bounce back from adversity and seemingly always finish well. This weekend it was a tire going down early, which relegated them to the back. So while Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards were the cars to beat early on, it was the 48 that was the best at the end. Will this be the year they win the Championship? We'll see. They'd be the prohibitive favorite in years past, but with the Chase format anyone can get screwed and anyone who limps into the Chase can be the Champion. You're thinking I sound like I don't like the Chase format? Well, you'd be very much right, but that's a blog for another day. I will say this much right now: Watch out for Jeff Gordon if he makes the Chase. He's managing to stay in the top 10 while using up his bad luck.
Jimmy Johnson Jeff Gordon Petty Brickyard Indianapolis Kahne Labonte Nascar Chase

Sports & Concert Bragathon

These are pictures of my ticket stub scrapbook. Some of these tickets go back to the 70's when I went to Fenway with my grandparents, which was a very big deal for a poor kid from Maine. What I thought I'd do is point out some of my most treasured ticket stubs, meaning the most "important" or personal events I attended, and invite all the other sports and music fanatics out there to list the ones they're most proud of.
Some of my favorites are events that my brother and I attended as parts of roadtrips. So in large part they'd fall into the personal category...seeing the Rolling Stones together in Montreal in 1989. We went on a roadtrip in 1998 to see a ballgame at Tiger Stadium during its last year and at Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto for the same reason. Along the way we stopped at the Rock N Roll HOF in Cleveland, we ate at the HardRock inside SkyDome (no games that weekend there unfortunately), went up in the CN Tower and stopped at Niagra Falls on the way back. Another trip along the same vein was to Montreal to see one of the very last games at the Montreal Forum. Another roadtrip was in February of 2001 to the Daytona 500. As it turned out that 500 was historic in that it's the one that Dale Earnhardt was killed in. On that trip we also saw a Magic game in Orlando and went to the Kennedy Space Center. Spending a weekend in Charlotte at the infield of the 600 with a bunch of my message board friends was definitely a highlight and worthy of a blog itself one day.
Taking my daughters to their first concert, Big N Rich, in NH; their first Celtic and Red Sox games as well as their first local stockcar race in Unity and first Nascar race at NHIS are very high on the list.
I'm also proud of the many venues I've seen sporting events at that no longer exist; such as, Memorial Stadium in Baltimore where I saw the Colts and Orioles several times, Riverside Speedway in CA, where I saw several Nascar races, including the last one there in '88; the places mentioned above, as well as the Salt Palace in SLC for a Jazz game in '87.
From a historic standpoint I would include attending the Patriots vs. LA Raiders playoff game at the LA Coliseum in 1986, which the Pats won on their way to the Super Bowl...the first team to win 3 road games to get there. A game at Anaheim Stadium on July 27, 1986 in which two 300 game winners faced each other for the first time in decades, Tom Seaver and Don Sutton. Curt Schilling's 200th win earlier this year at Fenway to name a few.
And a few personal favorites such as Bruce Springsteen at the Cap Center in August of 1984, Bob Seger at Merriweather Post Pavilion in 1983, John Mellencamp at the SD Sports Arena in 1988 as well as The Ballpark in OOB, Maine in 1994; Bob Dylan at Sammis Pavilion in '88. Hey Robbie, Harry Anderson at La Paloma in Encinitas in May of '86. Obviously there's many more to bore you with but I won't. Please return the favor.

sports concerts ticket stubs scrapbook roadtrip

Sports Open Thread

Is it too early to talk a NFL football? The Patriots open camp on Friday. Your perspective on this year's team? I think they're definitely a contender; but that secondary worries me, especially now that they didn't sign Ty Law, and they need to get Branch locked up and soon or Brady will only have a rookie WR and TE's to throw to.
You can talk about any team here today that you want. I'd even try to talk college football with you, but it's far from my strong point.
Want to talk about what's shaping up to be the most boring trade deadline year ever in MLB? Want to throw in a prediction on playoff spots now that we're just beyond half way?
Now that the Bruins have their staff straightened out and signed a couple of premier free agents for the first time in forever, is there reason to optimistic at least about the future if not this year?
Nascar's off this weekend but will be back the following weekend for the Brickyard 400, a race that's quickly become the second biggest race of the year. Early predictions or favorites?
So anything sports at all that you'd like to talk about, we can do today.
What's on your mind?
football Patriots New England hockey Nascar Bruins Brickyard NFL trade deadline training camp

Home Stuff

As many of you know, most of my television diet consists of news, history and sports with an occasional sitcom mixed in. I just thought I'd mention a couple of shows that I've been watching with my wife. First, The 4400 on USA. If you like science fiction, as I do, and thus a structure where anything is possible, you'd like this show. We're in season 3. Essentially the show evolves around 4400 people who had been abducted by "aliens" (though it's turning out it was our future who abducted them) throughout the last 60 years. They all return together at the same time, not having aged a day or knowing they were gone until they came back. As time goes on, every one of them develops a super-human power...the ability to heal with hands, mind read, see the future, etc. It is well done, especially in regard to the fact that you don't know from episode to episode what twist will come next; and unlike a show like 24, thus far they haven't overdone the unexpected in my opinion.
The other show is Treasure Hunters on NBC. It's fashioned after some of the reality shows but it isn't a reality show in that it doesn't get bogged down and revolve around the personal lives of the contestants. It's a show about teams of people traveling the world looking for clues to solve the ultimate puzzle and win the game. I like it for the competition and the fact that it's based around the Revolutionary history of the United States.
Stupid homeowner tricks: My family knows that this stupid house was built halfway down a slope and was never really landscaped. So the water tends to run by the house on it's way down the hill, and not very well most of the time. A sump pump and generator are often all that keeps this place from flooding. Saturday night we had a heavy downpour for a few hours. Luckily we're sitting downstairs in the family room watching a taped episode of the 4400 when we hear this water splashing sound. This is a split-level ranch and it was built so that water was funneled along the house and then passed it. Unfortunately sometimes it doesn't run fast enough and backs up into the drainage pipes of the house plumbing. The water was so heavy it came squirting out of 2 small holes in the drain pipes and onto the basement/laundry room floor at a rate of probably a gallon every 10 minutes. It was a chore to keep up with it, especially now around a very wet and slippery floor.
I soon determined that part of the problem was that water was pooling along the back of the house much faster than it was draining by, which was overflowing the underground drainage that's linked to the sump. So I run up to the garage and get a spade, and in the dark and torential rain I start trenching the pooling water while Shel holds a flashlight. We get absolutely soaked but the pooled water immediately starts to recede. Then I look up at the gutters that I'd recently cleaned and they're clogged again, which is causing rain water to not drain to the low end of the house but to overpour into this pooling water. Here comes the stupid human trick part of the story. Even though I do this all the time, I've never done it in the dark and pouring rain. I grab the 6-foot stepladder, put it on the back deck. Shel holds it secure as she can while I stand on top of it (with flashlight in hand because I can't really see onto the roof without it) and pull myself up onto this slippery roof to clean out the gutters. It's a good thing I'm fearless doing stuff like that or I'd end up breaking my neck, I'm sure.

Nothing particularly positive on the job front either. I'm really close to having to go get two.

4400 television Treasure Hunters home

Weekend Recap

Let me get a couple of things out of the way first. Tiger Woods won the British Open this weekend, two of those in a row and 3 overall. As he's done in the past, if he's near the top early, you can forget about it. Nice showing by Chris DiMarco, who finished 2nd. He seems to show well in majors but comes up a little short to players with more ability. That makes 11 majors overall for Tiger.
Ricky Craven's ride was a short one at Martinsville in the Busch race Saturday. He started near the back, got spun out and went a lap down; and then he was out of the race and I didn't hear why, if they said why. He finished like 39th in a race won by Kevin Harvick. Oh well.
The Red Sox lost a couple of tough ones to Seattle over the weekend, though a lot of that had to do with the young pitchers they're having to use. These kids have a lot of ability and in the long run it means great things for the future of the Red Sox.
Now to the Nextel Cup race at Pocono. Before I go to far, my friend Robbie at Greetings From America's Finest City has some great race caps on his site. Denny Hamlin won the race and thus swept both races at Ponoco. It's been 5 times at that track. What I'd like to know is whether a rookie has ever swept both races at a track before. He also won both races from the pole in dominating fashion.
What follows are just some observations of things that transpired during the race. Early on Michael Waltrip smacked the wall and didn't bring out a caution. It's gotten so that Nascar waves a yellow flag for almost no reason. So it's quite noticeable when they don't. Kyle Petty was running decent, decent for him, but blew a right front tire and smacked the wall hard, finishing 42nd. Kasey Kahne was good early. He qualified 3rd and was a top 10 car but for the latter 3/4 of the race his car was extremely tight and faded badly. What I don't understand is this (warning, announcer gripe): This is a 2 1/2 mile track, and so it takes quite a number of laps to lap even the backmarkers. At the last restart Kasey's on the lead lap but gets lapped within 10 laps. This is a car that's in the top 10 in points; it was obvious something happened to the car, and yet no mention of it by the announcers! Bobby Labonte in the 43 started around 30th and quickly moved up to be a top 15 car for most of the race. He received a penalty late for speeding on pit road but raced hard and finished 8th. So my weekly kudo goes to my 43 car.
My fantasy race pick was a good one, Brian Vickers, who was solid all day and finished 4th.
Now on to my whipping boy of late, Tony Stewart...he has to be the most self-absorbed driver in recent memory, which makes him a humongous hypocrite. This time? Well, let's do this sort of backwards and refer to his post race interview first. It seems like he says the same thing every time, and the press corps bows at his feet like he's some wise professor. He essentially said regarding his run-in with Clint Bowyer, "If they'd just use some give and take" and some crap about being careful racing around faster cars. Heeeeeey Tony, in both instances in the last two races, the other car involved was the faster car. When Tony talks about give and take, he means the other drivers should give so that he can take and not to expect his heiness to reciprocate.
Clint Bowyer gets a little loose coming off the turn under Tony while he's trying to pass him (something Tony never does apparently); Tony reacts and brushes the wall. He then makes a gesture at Bowyer, turns into Bowyer, which spins Bowyer out and takes Carl Edwards with him. Later in the race Edwards spins Tony on pit road. What I didn't know until after the race was that Edwards said he earlier drove up beside Tony to kind of gesture "what was that all about?" and that Tony flipped him off. Edwards said it was as much the bird as it was being collected in Tony's anger that made Edwards decide to spin Tony. LOL Tony was strong all day. So even though he was penalized a lap for rough driving, he got the lap back and finished 7th. Not so lucky was Edwards...the accident cost him a lap and then he was penalized a lap for rough driving as well and finished 39th. Bowyer also finished a few laps down.
And I forgot an "old man" update. As some of you know, Shadow turned 17 this spring and is showing his age now. He's arthritic in his back hips and a couple of weeks ago his right eye stopped focusing. Within the last few days that eye has gotten cloudy. So he definitely has a cataract in that eye.

Pocono British Open Royal Liverpool Hoylake Nascar Woods Tiger Petty Tony Stewart Nextel Cup Carl Edwards Bowyer DiMarco Labonte Kahne Hamlin

Craven rides again, etc.

Maine's own Ricky Craven will make his return to Nascar, this time in the Busch Series, at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, if he qualifies in the FitzBradshaw #14 Dodge sponsored by Family Dollar Stores. So I have one of my favorite drivers back for one race and in a Dodge at that. Woo hoo, go Ricky. The last Nascar race that Ricky entered was here at Martinsville in the Craftsman truck series, a race which he won. He also won his first Cup Series race there in 2001.


Petty Enterprises announced that they are extending their relationship with Sue Bee Honey for 3 years. The reason I mention this, other than the fact I'm a Petty fan, is because of one of the potential fan prizes related to this relationship, a street-legal replica of the car Richard won his 200th race in.

I now I recently bashed Tony Stewart but fair is fair. Tony inticed Patty Petty, Kyle's wife and Adam's mother, to come to the track that took Adam's life. While there Tony donated another million dollars to the charity named in Adam's honor, Victory Junction Gang. You can read the rest here on Nascar.com.

I'll be back on tomorrow with updates from the British Open, which is lead at the end of the first day by Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell. Tiger Wood's finished up his day with an eagle on 18. He leads a pack that's just one behind McDowell. A funny quip by announcer Peter Alliss, who is one of the reason I really enjoy watching the British Open...the accent, the slow tempo of his voice and the stories. I wish I wasn't in the middle of reading an email when he started the story because I'd remember it better. Make sure you say it with the accent. He's talking about a local brew favorite that you can get at a local pub, called "Idiot Broth"; that's strong enough that after 3 pints you'll be taking a nap on a local hillock.

The Open Championship British Open Royal Liverpool Hoylake Graeme McDowell Woods Tiger Petty Tony Stewart Ricky Craven Sue Bee Martinsville Peter Alliss Victory Junction Gang

Nearby the River Mersey

British Open First Round Update. Sorry this is a little late but I was delayed by Barbara Merrill's visit to Inside Zebster, which I encourage you to read.
I turned on the telly shortly after the broadcast started this morning at 7 to see Phil tied with several others at -4; but as almost always seems the case, he plays poorly when I'm watching. He proceeded to bogey 2 of the next 3 holes, birdied a par 5 and finished at -3. He didn't take full advantage of a good driving day but should be satisfied with a solid start near the top of the leaderboard.
Tiger's on the course now, early in his first round. He lipped out a long birdie putt on number 1 and then missed his 3-footer for par. He currently stands at +1 through 4.
Right now 2 Englishmen (don't get carried away yet, lads) have the clubhouse lead at -5, Greg Owen and Anthony Wall. Ever-steady Jim Furyk is among those in the clubhouse at -4, along with noteables Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and lefty Mike Weir.
This Open is being played at Royal Liverpool, Liverpool being a place Americans are familiar with because of the Beatles. It is the first time The Open Championship has been played here in 39 years.
Trivia question: What is Strawberry Fields?
The Open Championship British Open Royal Liverpool Hoylake Mickelson Woods Tiger Vijay Singh Claret Jug Furyk River+Mersey Beatles Strawberry Fields

Who will win the British Open?

I'm not sure that I'll be doing a live play-by-play of the British Open here but I do plan on doing some updates about it daily. So check in and I'll let you know what you need to know.
Let's see how many folks I can get to put up a prediction of the winner before things get started tomorrow morning.
Myself, I have to go with Phil Mickelson. I know, nobody's better at snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory, but I'm a Phil fan and that's where my loyalties lie. So despite the fact that I think he's only done well once in The Open, I'm looking for a determined, focused and less foolish Phil to take it.
This year's British Open is being played at Royal Liverpool, Hoylake.
So who you got...the defending champion and best player in the world, Tiger Woods; maybe Vijay Singh; perhaps a relative unknown? So get your prognostication on the record as to who will win the Claret Jug before tomorrow morning. Maybe we can come up with some clever way to reward anyone who picks the winner.
The Open Championship British Open Royal Liverpool Hoylake Mickelson Woods Tiger Vijay Singh Claret Jug

Patriot Brew Pack, Part 2

Before I go on with the rest, I'd like to point you to Robbie's Reviews on San Diego IPA's and also Speakeasy Prohibition Ale, as well as point out that it's American Beer Month with a good link Beer Town.
If you've been on the Sam Adams brewery tour, make sure you're using your free glass. If you haven't read the first installment of this review, it is two posts below this one.
So let's dig into the George Washington Porter. Mmmmmmmm, toasty! It has a nice roasted flavor that's not too much but with a nice full flavor that covers the whole mouth. In this one the licorice doesn't bother me. It blends in well with the malt. It's not the heaviest nor "harshest" porter I've had, which is great. Unless you absolutely love a strong, strong porter, you tend to have had enough before you're finished. So for me this is just right.
From the back label "George Washington's favorite brew was porter. In fact, he felt so strongly that there should be an American porter he adopted and encouraged a policy of buying only American-brewed beer rather than imported British beer. This policy was part of the Non-Importation Agreement of 1774 drafted by Samuel Adams (there's that name again). Washington signed the agreement at a meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia." One of my favorite things about Samuel Adams brews is the info on the neck, which is helpful to the newbie aficionado as to what's in it and what to taste for. "This dark unfiltered brew is medium-bodied with a deep roasted malt aroma. The molasses and licorice in this brew are authentic to American porters of the Colonial era, as is the more assertive hop finish." Careful pouring it, it's really frothy; and I can smell the molasses as much as anything.

Finally, we get to the fourth and final variety, James Madison Dark Wheat Ale. This is the "lighter" of the four but still very complex and flavorful. You can't come close to seeing through it and has a nice cloudiness when poured. If I have any complaint, it would be that it could be a tad stronger; but it's plenty strong enough for most. So while there's a hint of rye, I'd like a hint more. I saved this one for last thinking I'd like it most, when actually it's the Ginger Honey Ale I like the most and would love to see mass produced. But this dark wheat ale is second. Again, it's nice and flavorful and goes down smooth, no aftertaste that isn't welcomed.
From the back label we get "Many of our Founding Fathers were brewers. But it was James Madison who brewed at a large scale on his Virginia estate -- mostly for daily consumption using local grains such as wheat, barley and rye that were malted and then roasted over wood that was indigenous to the area. How important was beer to daily American life at this time? As president, Madison seriously considered a proposal for a National Brewery. The idea never came to pass. For, as Madison realized, local breweries were already springing up everywhere." And from the bottle neck, "The slight tartness of malted rye balances sweeter roasted malted barley notes of cocoa and toffee in this deep mahogany brew. Hand-smoked malted barley adds a subtle smokey finish common in colonial brewing." Hmmmmm? It's good but it doesn't taste as complicated as the ingredients would suggest because if there's toffee in there, I'd like to taste it. Maybe my smoker's tastebuds aren't differentiating well because it does have a full and complex flavor.

Overall I would highly recommend these, especially if you like trying different types of beer, as in ales and porters, and variations thereof. If you're of the Budweiser crowd, don't bother...we wouldn't want to wake up your tastebuds.

beer Samuel Adams porter brewer George Washington Brewer Patriot Collection Ginger Honey Ale James Madison wheat ale ale rye malt hops

Why does it always seem to involve Tony Stewart?

Because no one in the history of Nascar has been a better driver, a more courteous and knowledgeable driver than he...just ask him, he'll tell you. I've been sick of his act for some time, and now I'm getting sick of the Nascar reporter pool kneeling at his throne with reverence asking how drivers should drive.
His run-in with Ryan Newman at NHIS Sunday was no different. Don't get me wrong, Ryan comes from that same school as Tony and Kevin Harvick...they've never been wrong. In this instance, however, like so many others involving Tony Stewart, I see Stewart as the culprit. His arrogance gets him into more trouble than any other driver. If he drove with the respect he says he learned from the likes of Mark Martin, he'd have at least half as many DNF's in his career and probably one more championship. His arrogance makes him do things that are not smart.
In this instance Ryan Newman has fresh tires and is much faster than Stewart. Newman is completely along side Stewart going into the turn, and Tony decides to battle him by pinching him down into the turn. Not a smart move at move tracks, definitely not smart at a flat track like NHIS. Around goes Newman taking Stewart with him. If you'd have used your head, Tony, you wouldn't have ended up with like the 4th 30th or worse finish in the last 6 or 7 races.
Since I gave up my September NHIS tickets a couple of years ago and sold my July ones this year, this will be the first year in a long time that I haven't attended a race at NHIS, though I'm thinking I might go to the truck race in September. I love being there in person, of course, but I don't like the traffic. It was a nice change of pace to take this one in on the tube.
By the way, the race was won by Kyle Busch, known as the Shrub. Zebster's favorites didn't fair well, although Kasey Kahne hung in there for 8th. Bobby Labonte came home 23rd and Kyle, always in black at NHIS since the death of Adam there, came home 28th. Unfortunately in my fantasy league Under da Porch, I won't be in first place any longer as my pick for this race was the aforementioned Ryan Newman, who finished 39th! Kudo of the race goes to Dave Blaney in the 22 car, who finished 13th. It seems that's the best finish that car has had this year.
NHIS New Hampshire Stewart Newman Busch Blaney Nascar Kahne Labonte Petty

Samuel Adams Brewer Patriot Collection

Sitting here today on a sweltering and muggy Maine summer day watching the news and trying to understand what's going on in the Middle East, I thought this would be the perfect time to crack open the four-pack of Samuel Adams Brewer Patriot Collection. First let me say that this was difficult to find and on sale it cost 10 bucks for four bottles of beer; but as much as I like good craft beer, especially Samuel Adams, I figured I could treat myself and give it a try.
The four varieties in this pack are a Traditional Ginger Honey Ale, which I'm sampling first right now (very much worth the $2.50), based on a recipe used by Thomas Jefferson; a George Washington Porter; James Madison Dark Wheat Ale and 1790 Root Beer Brew.
The Ginger Honey Ale is fantastic. I hope this is just the tip of the iceberg and that the other three varieties are just as good. It goes down very smooth like any good ale should, no aftertaste at all. The hint of lemon peel fits perfectly. This is something you'll have to try for yourself because it is impossible for me to convince you given the ingredients just how good this is, because the ingredients would make you very skeptical that it could taste good. It tastes much better than good. Too bad it's hard to find and $2.50 a bottle. This is what it says about this brew on the bottle: "Ginger beer in the colonies can be traced back to the 1700's. Ginger beer ferments quickly, making it ideal for brewing in the colonists' kitchens. Thomas Jefferson and his wife brewed 15 gallons of beer every two weeks at their Monticello estate. Brewed with fresh lemons and sweetened with honey, ginger beer was perfect for dailing drinking." I concur. Again, nice and smooth...quaffable, as my brother would say. And as is the tradition with Sam Adams, the description around the neck of the bottle reads, "True to its colonial heritage, this effervescent golden brew remains unfiltered. The bright flavors of fresh ginger and lemon zest are balanced by a subtle maltiness and the floral sweetness of wildflower honey." I'm almost to the bottom of the bottle as I write this and wish I had another. This tastes like no other beer or ale I've ever had, yet it's so good it makes me think why didn't this last through the years; why isn't this something we're very familiar with. Perfect for a hot day. Later today, I'll do another.

I decided to try the 1790 Root Beer Brew next as I'm not big on root beer nor licorice. So I suspected I would like this one least, perhaps not like it at all, and didn't want to leave it til last. Well, it's complex to say the least. The first thing you taste is the sassafras, which is fine, but it's immediately overtaken by the licorice...thankfully not overpowering but I don't like licorice at all, and then vanilla. So this one for me is as odd as it sounds when you read the ingredients. On the back of the label it says, "Our forefathers were an innovative people. They quickly learned to brew from the local ingredients available to them. Root beer, for instance, comes from the root bark of the sassafras tree, which is native to Eastern North America. Originally added to tea, it was soon adapted for beer. Root beer was also brewed with wintergreen, another indigenous ingredient that is one of the main flavors in root beer today (I didn't know that). It's not hard to imagine Samuel Adams brewing with these ingredients himself and enjoying this rich beer after a long day of planning a revolution."
And from the words on the neck you'll see why I said this was complex, because it has a lot of ingredients we would find strange in combination. "The intensity of this unfiltered brew is immediately evident with spicy, herbal notes of sassafras, wintergreen and licorice. These are balanced with the sweetness of caramelized sugar, molasses and vanilla." Make no mistake, this is beer and alcoholic, not modern-day root beer. If you like root beer though, you may like this one. I don't much care for it but mostly because I don't like the ingredients.

beer Samuel Adams ale brewer Thomas Jefferson Brewer Patriot Collection Ginger Honey Ale

Zebster's baked bean recipe

Traditional New England baked beans, none of that crap with the soggy little beans in a tomato or bbq sauce. You can use a crock pot, do it in the oven inside a bean pot; you can even dig a hole in the ground and cook it in there for several days (hardcore and best, but I'm too lazy and impatient). So I use a crock pot. You'll only need about a half hour or so of prep time but you'll need to cook them all day.

Ingredients: One pound Jacobs Cattle beans, onion, 1/2 pound salt pork, 1/2 cup of BROWN sugar, 2/3 cup molasses, 1/4 cup of real maple syrup (honey works good too), 3 teaspoons dry mustard, salt and pepper to taste.

I think using the right beans is one of the keys. I prefer Jacobs Cattle or Yellow Eye or the like. You can use pinto beans, I suppose, but see above and don't tell me if you did...it saddens me deeply. Let me amend that. If you want real baked beans, then find the good dry beans I've mentioned. Don't cheat and use canned beans or whatever. If you want it to taste right, like it's supposed to, then you need to start with the right ingredients. There's no point in doing it, otherwise.

You should check the bag of beans because occasionally there's a pebble or a bad bean. Then put them in a large bowl of water and soak them overnight.

In the morning parboil the beans until you can blow the skin off one, about a half hour, which gives you time to get your ingredients together. You'll need some salt pork (no bacon...this isn't breakfast), which you'll need to cut through the rind side about a half inch in a waffle design so it'll fall apart nicely when everything's cooked. Quarter at least one onion and place it in the bottom of the pot. Then drain and add your parboiled beans. Place the salt pork on top. In one pint of boiling water add your molasses, syrup, dry mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. I like mine peppery. I've been known to use Montreal steak pepper. But at least 3 teaspoons of pepper. Pour this over the beans, adding more boiling water, if necessary, to cover the beans...usually an extra half pint to pint. Then cook on low in the crock pot or 300 degrees in the oven for at least 6 hours.

When at all possible serve with red casing hotdogs and brown bread, also often served in Maine with coleslaw. Since you're going to fart like crazy after eating them, plus the cabbage in the cole slaw, you might as well go all out and wash it down with a hearty ale. You won't have any trouble being left alone after that.

And by the way, if I find out that you put ketchup on my beans, I'll hunt you down and shoot you! Ketchup is for hamburgers, meatloaf and bad french fries.

beans baked beans Maine Jacobs Cattle Yellow Eye Zebster salt pork molasses maple syrup brown sugar fart

All Star Game ramblings

The American League wins again, thanks to a two-run triple by Michael Young in the top of the 9th inning. Young was named the game's MVP and did so without headbutting anyone. Zebster on Zidane I won't get tired of this American League domination of the Mid-Summer Classic because I remember watching us lose year after year after year. Click here and look at the results from the early '60's to mid '80's, and you'll see what I mean. Even after the Junior Circuit's current unbeaten streak of 10, the National League leads the all-time series by seven games.
The one time each year I allow myself to cheer for Yankee players and they take the collar. Here's hoping they continue to stink. At least you can count on Mariano Rivera, who closed the game out in the 9th for the save. (not that my Sox fared any better and Manny didn't even show up)
Is not Vladimir Guerrero the best bad-ball hitter you've ever seen? After Brad Penny overpowered the first 5 hitters he saw, he made the mistake of leaving a pitch within reach of Guerrero, up around his shoulders, which Vlad deposited into the right field seats.
My favorite part of the game though is when we had some rarely-seen small ball play in the All Star game, and great defense. Vernon Wells throws a pea to home plate to throw out the speedy Alfonso Siriano from 2nd on a base hit by Carlos Beltran, with Beltran going to 2nd on the throw to the plate. Beltran subsequently steals 3rd and scores on the very next pitch, a wild pitch by Halliday...a play which gave the Senior Circuit a lead they would hold on to until Young's heroics in the 9th.
This is a series of plays that Roberto Clemente would've loved. Now there was a ballplayer...a five-tool player with humility and class, one who gave of himself on and off the field, a man who paid the ultimate price when in 1972 his plane crashed while on a humanitarian mission to Nicaragua. Not familiar with Clemente? Then take a look at these stats Official Clemente site Major League Baseball honored Clemente during a break in 5th inning of the game.

All Star Pittsburgh Penny Guerrero Siriano Wells Beltran Michael Young Clemente Nicaragua Rivera American League National League Vlad

Weekend wrap-up

World Cup -- watched most while keeping an eye on the Red Sox v. White Sox marathon. It'd be a whole lot better game without the flopping and diving. Should you really decide a world championship on penalty kicks?

Note to Terry Francona: Never bring in Mike Timlin if it isn't at the beginning of an inning. As great as he's been for the Sox through the years, he almost always seems to get in trouble if brought in in the middle of an inning. Gotta give kudos to Tavarez and Seanez. Isn't that the best those guys have pitched all year. Trot, wake up, it's over!!! I know you're tired but did you have to sleep through 9 at bats? Since Youkilis has been so clutch, I won't give him a hard time about striking out with no one out and a runner at 2nd, but I want to. Oh, and Josh Beckett and his love of the gopher ball. It seems to me when he's in trouble or if he has a top hitter at the plate, he stops "pitching" and starts throwing, which makes his fastball have less movement and he gets the ball up in the strike zone. His stats against good teams are very bad indeed.

What do you think Jeff Gordon's reaction would've been had he been in first and Kenseth second and Kenseth spun him out in the same way? I can tell you. He would've said there were 3 laps to go, plenty of time for Kenseth to get around him clean since he was clearly faster. There was a car to the outside. So he wasn't going to be able to pass then anyway. If he had better car control, this wouldn't have happened, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah. But since it was Jeff doing the spinning, it's an unfortunate racing deal and he didn't mean to do it. Bullshit! I'm not saying he intended to spin Kenseth out, but Gordon is considered by most the driver with the best, maybe greatest ever, car control. Yet he somehow managed to run into him from the distance back that he did. His intent was to pull an Earnhardt -- get right up under the guy, get him loose and if you end up tapping him, "oh well, it's not like I meant to." Jeff's always complaining about other drivers' decision making. It's about time he held himself to the same standard. And Nascar needs to start taking a stronger stance on these late-race bump-and-runs for the win. At the very least you should have to try for a lap or 2 before doing it. And in this case the distance back was such that IMO Gordon had time to not hit Kenseth if he wanted to.
Finishes for my favs: Labonte in the 43, 12th; Kahne a very disappointing 23rd, and Kyle another day driving around in the back, 28th. My fantasy race pick, Denny Hamlin, 14th. Kudo of the race, Reed Sorenson, 7th.
Juan Pablo Montoya coming to race in Nascar after winning races in F1? Priceless!
World Cup Italy France penalty kicks diving Red Sox White Sox Francona Boston Nascar Kahne Labonte Montoya Chicago Gordon Kenseth Timlin Beckett

Weekend Sports Preview

Cuz, this pic of my Bruins jersey is the answer to the question I'd asked about who my favorite type of player is. It is posted now because I've been negligent in mentioning that the Bruins signed Don Sweeney to be Director of Player Development. Don Sweeney A great story: Bro and I went to a Bruins game a few years ago at the New Garden. Of course I wore my Sweeney jersey, knowing I'd be the only one. Wrong! Sitting right next to me was a Bruin fan from Ottawa wearing a Don Sweeney road black jersey. He and a friend had driven down to watch the Bruins play the Senators.

What could this weekend's matchup between the last two World Series champs, the Red Sox and White Sox, mean? I think it's a good measuring stick for our Sox since the experts feel, and I tend to agree, that the White Sox are the best team in baseball; and if we have aspirations of getting the trophy back, it'll likely mean going through the Pale Hose. We also need to continue to play well because the Yankees are not far enough back for my comfort. We have the rotation lined up for this series. So I'd like to see us take 2 out of 3 and keep the momentum going.

Will anyone be watching the World Cup final on Sunday? Around the Nascar race and the Red Sox game I will. I'm no soccer fan, as you know; but the passion of the fans, the national pride of country-on-country and the fact that this is the biggest tournament in the world played only every four years is why I watch some.

Nascar heads to Chicago this weekend. My boy Kasey Kahne will be driving the same car he's won 4 times with this year. So I'm optimistic about how he'll do, as I am about the continued improvement of the 43, driven by Bobby Labonte. Who do you like this weekend? My fantasy pick is Denny Hamlin. In our fantasy league we can only use each driver once per year. Look for a post race write-up. I'm also going to do one soon about why I dislike the Chase format. I sold my NHIS July tix this year. So I won't be blogging about having been there.

Patriots picked to make it to the Super Bowl but lose to Carolina by the ESPN expert panel. Nice to know folks like that think we'll have another excellent team; but since experts are always wrong, it's nice they didn't pick NE to win. I would like to see the Pats sign Ty Law and shore up that secondary. I still hate the Cowboys but their QB is still a favorite of mine. So here's hoping Drew Bledsoe throws for big numbers. Let's talk some football.
Patriots Red Sox Sweeney Panthers Boston Bruins Ty Law Bledsoe World Cup Nascar Kahne Labonte White Sox

My Nascar cyber friends

Some background: You might think growing up in Maine is an unlikely place for a 35 year Nascar fan to be from. Well, unlike the rest of New England where the tradition is more open-wheel modifieds, Maine has a stockcar tradition going back at least to my memories of going to Unity Raceway with my dad in the early '70's. I'm not sure how much of a fan he was but he was a tire salesman and had "connections" to race teams. He was at least a casual friend of one of the big names at that time, Pete Silva. I had an uncle who was a Nascar fan, and I remember listening to the races visiting with my cousin, watching the few races that were on TV (Wide World of Sports). Always wanting to be different, everyone around me was a Chevy fan but I kept hearing this guy named Richard Petty in Dodge whipping their butts. Thus the lifelong Mopar and Petty racing loyalties. Then in my teen years my best friend's brother was one of the better local drivers, and we used to go to all the races and help work on the car. His name was Jimmy McGinnis, always drove the A-1; and he was still racing when I took my daughters to Unity a few years ago.
I continued to go to races locally, watch and listen to some others; and went to my first race live at Riverside, CA in 1985. (Why not a few years earlier when I was living in the southeast is still a mystery)

Approximately 10 years ago while surfing the internet, looking for Nascar-related articles I stumbled upon a message board about Nascar at CNN/SI's website. That board no longer exists and I'm not even sure the website still exists. But this was a lively board (you can read lively as positive and negative) that was relatively new when I found it. So I was easily able to get into the beginning of conversations and found these people respected and welcomed my thoughts. These were people like me who had followed the sport for years, were passionate and knowledgeable about it; and we all quickly built up friendships there.
An example, even though this was a monitored board, one of the guys might say something a little too harshly about someone else's driver or something; and somehow the ladies on the board ended up relagating us to "under da porch," a metaphor for going to your room or sitting in the corner.
Eventually CNN/SI stopped hosting message boards. After that we moved from board to board for various reasons, always naming it Under da Porch. Well 10 years later there is still a core of us, approximately 10, that are still very active participants on our message board that were there from the beginning and several other loyalists who've joined along the way. We've lost touch with some dear friends (Graybo, Sprayberry, Big Bill and others) through the years; but we've also become very good friends, the rest of us. Various members meet up at races (usually the 600, which I went to in 2004) or sometimes when someone's just driving through.
We are fans of various drivers. Myself? Anyone who drives the 43, Kyle Petty, still hoping Ricky Craven isn't finished and became one of the earliest members of the Kasey Kahne bandwagon. Gotta love that red Dodge with the Ram on the hood!
We've become somewhat of a secret society in that we like to have control over the types of people we interact with and how we interact; but we've decided that we need some new blood, as it were, to liven up our board. We do talk about other things a little, though we try to steer away from things that people always argue about.
So if you're interested in joining us, you can email me for the map and secret password. We won't let just anyone in. We're only interested in people who love Nascar (newbies and oldtimers), who are respectful of others and their opinions, and who want to join us. Many of them read my blogs and I'm hoping they'll add their comments here to fill in what I've left out. They may say that they'd prefer I add the link in here, with the proviso that new folks read our rules and understand there'll be a probationary period.
Nascar Maine message boards Coke 600 Petty Unity Raceway Under da Porch Nextel Cup Nascar fans

Wow, what a finish. Italy 2, Germany 0

In a game which Germany ouplayed Italy in a scoreless game almost through the end of the second overtime, Fabio Grosso breaks the scoreless tie with an absolutely fabulous shot that bends into the back corner just beyond the fingertips of the outstretched German goalkeeper. Then, as Germany opens it up even more in search of the equalizing goal, Alessandro Del Piero scores a pretty one-on-one breakaway goal just 2 minutes later to seal it.
This is the most enjoyable soccer match (oxy moron) I've seen, especially the wide open overtime periods.
Some background: Germany has never beaten Italy in the World Cup, Italy has never won a World Cup match on penalty kicks.

Italy advances to play the winner of tomorrow's other semi-final match between France and Portugal.
World Cup Italy Germany Grosso Del Piero

Snub or blessing

I've always been conflicted about Major League Baseball's All Star selection system. It's the fans' game and they should vote. Sometimes the fans will surprise you with their insight but at least as often they vote purely based on favorites. Also, the fact that every team needs to be represented has its pros and cons, mostly cons. It's an all star roster and, thus by definition, the roster should be populated with the very best players, which never happens when you have to select someone from say the KC Royals. But someone will always be snubbed (the roster size has increased dramatically in the last few years) and this year is no different.
In this age of haves and have-nots because there is no salary cap, some teams will never be able to compete consistently because they can't afford retain all the great talent they drafted and groomed. The Red Sox and Yankees can afford to retain the players they draft and groom as well as the best of the small market teams' best players. So even though Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett didn't make the All Star roster when they certainly should have, it's not a perfect system and it's about as fair as you can make it. Besides, not having to worry about your two best pitchers getting hurt or overworked in a game that doesn't count is certainly a good thing.

Congratulations to Annika Sorenstam on winning her 3rd US Women's Open, 10th Major title overall. I don't tend to watch much women's golf; but since this is the most important of women's tournaments, the fact that we're witnessing history every time Annika is in contention, the fact that my wife will watch this sport with me, I will pay attention and enjoy it, even though the level of play is still well below that of the men's game. I also think it's great that for the first time in 100 years a professional golf championship was played at Newport Country Club, one of the original USGA member sites and the site of the first US Open. USGA

The Boston Bruins opened up their tight purse strings and signed 3 free agents, most notably in my opinion Zdeno Chara, a big, physical, top flight defenseman. Boston Bruins

Schilling Red Sox Beckett Sorenstam Boston Bruins Annika US Open Newport MLB All Stars Chara