Cocktail Confessions

Our damage. Now imagine my colon.

Had the chance to go to a local Buffalo Wild Wings yesterday afternoon and meet a friend.

If you know me, you know I love Buffalo wings, and despite what the old doctor says about watching my cholesterol, it’s hard for me to turn down wings….especially when they are FREE.  Well, okay, myabe not exactly free, but a $2 super-coupon I lucked across got me $25 gift certificate.  So basically, that $23 of free wings, and I did some damage.

I ordered the following: Desert Heat (dry rub), plus three sauced vartieties – Traditional Hot, BBQ Hot, and Wild.  Overall my buddy and I polished off some 40+ wings between the both of us and they were delicious.  As a mettr of fact, I think I may buy me some wings to take up to the cabin later this week.  Nothin better that eating sauced chicken wings, downinga  cold beer, and breathing in nature.

The only downside?  The dreaded ring of fire.  This morning, I’ve already visited the facilities twice due to a little ‘heat’ discomfort on the toilet.  My tummy is doing a slow rumble, and I’ve already had to chew a few Tums to settle it all down.  I think I’ll be okay soon enough.

Making Jeff Foxworthy proud.

Okay,  that title isn’t really fair, but it’s not that far off either.

Jeremiah Weed currently makes a small selection of spirits and malt berverages.  Here, I am refering only to the malt beverage, Roadhouse Tea.

My wife bought me a six pack of this stuff after I expressed some interest in it after Adam Corolla has been pimping it on his podcast for the last few months ad-nauseum.  I originally tried the vodka laced Sweet Tea of theirs thinking it may be a nice substitute for the Seagram’s brand of Sweet Tea Vodka.  Well, I’ll tell you right now, I think the Seagrams version is a bit better.  I found the Jeremiah Weed a bit too sweet for my liking.  I mean, I wouldn’t pour it out, but given the choice of Sweet Tea vodka’s in the future, it wouldn’t be my first choice.

Anyway, back to the canned malt beverage variety (pictured, can on far right).  It is 5.8% and comes in these 1 pint, 7.5 oz cans they label “premium”.  I think the only thing “premium’ about this is the artwork that goes into the cans…you have to admit, they are a bit interesting looking and I’d wager standout a bit more while staring back at you from their refrigerated cases at Wal-Mart.

Now I personally think it’s a gimmick, and I’ll admit they got me to try it based on some marketing level, but it’s not what I was expectinga nd am really surprised (or am I?) how popular these are becoming in certain markets.  Maybe the Spiked Cola or Lightning Lemonade does in fact taste better, but knowing it’s based on a ‘malt beverage’ , don’t expect it. 

Actually I found this to taste: 1) Thicker (if that’s even a taste) than I expected, 2) “syrup-ey”, 3) and has a tin can after-taste.  No joke on that last one.  I had a few of them, and with each swig, I thought I could taste metal in the end.  The first thing I’d like to suggest to them is to line the can, ala Keystone beer did as a gimmick in the early 90′s and maybe that would help eliminate that metallic bite.

Cokctail in a Can. 80's hoopla for piss.

Overall it really reminded me of those God awful Club Mixers in a can that used to be the rage in the 80′s.  We all watched too much Miami Vice and wanted to pretend we were all as swanky as Crocket. 

As a matter of fact, a good friend of mine (whose ironically in law enforcement these days) used to buy these for me occassionally when we were under age and in High School (sorry mom).  There was a small liquor store in the area, and I have no idea what those guys behind the counter were thinking (they probably didn”t or could care less), but they’d sell my friend wine collers, beer, and booze with his shitty fake I.D. when we were all but 17 and 18 years of age.  Back then I tried the Club “Long Island Ice Tea”….and it tasted like crap out of a can…but hell, we were 18 years old and I wasn’t about to toss that down the drain no matter how disgusting they were.

So when I drink the Jeremiah Weed canned Sweet Tea, it reminds me of sneaking crap back in 1988.  Those tasted like tin as well.

I live this drink to the lower demographics….yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

So it’s already coming up on the close of July 2011.  I can’t believe how quickly this year is flying by for me.  It seems like only a few weeks ago I was writing about my mantra for this year: “Taking it all back”.  Okay, it may seem silly to you in retrospect, but for me I need to set some goals in my life, create a list of things I want to do or accomplish so I can look back and realize the year wasn’t a complete waste. 

Believe me, I’ve had that feeling quite a few times where I look back in time and wonder how much time was wasted (although it didn’t seem like it at the time) and how much life has passed me by and I have nothing to show for it.

I was driving into work this morning and think back over the last seven months, and I feel ‘okay’ about stuff.  I could do a bit more, but overall pretty satisfied on what I’ve done thus far.  I have five more months to check a few things off my bucket list for 2011, and I need to revisit some of my goals…such as losing weight.

Speaking of losing weight….I started out the year with a bang.  On January 4th I bought a scale and weighed in at 237 pounds.  Over the course of the next few months, eating a lot of Jello and heading back to the gym, I managed to get down to an average of 215 (I had one freak day where I was 211, but that was an anomoly)….and I got a lot of compliments and noticeable results from my friends and coworkers.  But then back in late April, I started making excuses to ‘cheat’ a little bit more.  My diet, while never 100% returned to the way I was eating before, became a bit more lax and then I brewed my keg’s worth of beer (Hebrew Amber Ale) , and then there were a few holidays mixed in…and before I knew it I think I’m back up to around 220-225.   I’m not exactly sure of my current weight, ’cause I’ve been afraid to step on a scale and actually find out, lest I become discouraged and crestfallen, but I know I put a few back on. 

It didn’t help that last night I ate a huge butter soaked rib eye steak chased by a few good premium beers.  I also haven’t been to the gym in almost 2 weeks, due to a spider bite that made me a ill last week.  I actually planned on going back to the gym yesterday, but instead got side-lined by the steak…..so I’m going to try my hardest and go tonight (although the heat is going to drain me and make me miserable, I’m sure.).

Speaking of my spider bite, I can’t recall the last time I got bit by something that made me sick like that.  It’s been at least 15+ years, and I just thank God it wasn’t a Black Widow or Brown Recluse…but it was strong enough to give me a ugly looking (and perfectly circular) welt on my leg (which turned various colors) that has lasted for just over a week now.  The first few days had me suffer syptoms of food poisoning (headache, body aches, intestinal distress, suppression of appetite).  Anyway, it’s almost gone now, and just in time for……..

CAMPING.  Well, okay, maybe not techincally ‘camping’ in the ‘Boy Scout’ type of way.  There will be no hiking for hours on end with 50 lbs. strapped to my back, or pitching a tent on uneven ground.  No, my idea of ‘camping’ these days must include a functional toilet and preferably an actual shower these days.  9 of us will be traveling to Big Bear next week where we rented a ‘cabin’ on the outskirts of town.  I’m looking forward to BBQ’ing on the deck, drinking some beers (and other cocktails I’m sure), doing some mild hiking and sightseeing and a whole lot of B.S.ing….. all with my closest friends that I grew up with (as far back as 2nd and 3rd grade, if you can believe that).  Okay, it might not be the most stellar vacation in the world, but the fact is my wife and I (and I know one of my other friends Steve) haven’t been on a get-away for longer than 3 days in years.  It’ll be as much fun as we make it to be, so I am determined to be in a good mood, relax, get psyched/pumped-up, etc.  And who knows….if we all have a good time, maybe we can turn this into an annual or bi-annual event?  Speaking of which I need to read the manual on my camera and charge up my small video camera and borrow the neighbors hot plate for breakfast….You can tell, I’m now counting down the days (7 to go).

Last weekend I put in a screen door in our kitchen entry to the garage.  I’m pretty proud of myself as I more or less did it by myself, and I did it correctly.  I still have to drill and mount for the handle, but I took my time and did it right.  I have two neighbors who installed the same exact screen door….and it looks like shit…no offense…but it does indeed look like shit.  I’m sure there was a few beers involved in their installation, and the fact that they probably didn’t read the instructions….Well, I’m pretty sure they didn’t read the instructions as I noted that they had the hinges on backwards and failed to cut the expander bracket…so thiers actually fits ‘oustide’ the door jamb and not flush within it.  They also rushed it.  Between the two of them, they put the door up in a matter of 2 hours.  Not that this is rocket science, but it looks like they put it up in two hours as well.  I took my time, measured, re-measured, test-fit, drilled pilot holes, etc.  Yeah, it took me quite a bit of time…..but it was done correctly…. and looks like it.

So far we’ve been lucky as far as the weather goes for summer.  We’ve managed to dodge a massive heat wave thus far, but it’s finally starting to creep up on us now, and thank goodness I put that door in.  As a matter of fact, last night at 10pm, even with our windows open, it was 85 degrees in our bedroom.  We finally broke down and turned our A/C last night, but I have a feeling I may be sleeping on the couch in the coming weeks, where it is much cooler downstairs to avoid turning on the A/C.  It’s tough to justify the cost of running it when your wife is on unemployment and we’re down to a single income.

The only other decent news is since my wife has been at home as of late, she’s spent a fair amount of time on small projects around the house that have a collective impact.  She’s cleaned up the garage, ditched some old stuff, and consolidated some boxes giving us much more space in the garage.  In the backyard, she done some weeding, sweeping, power washing, etc. and it looks nice.  Ditto for the front yard.  I’ve also noticed a lot more vacuuming of the house has taken place, so overall…a win.  Plus I’m sure the dog enjoys her company all day.

Yeah, I know it really doesn’t have much to do with cocktails, BBQ’s, or overall general craziness, but I wanted to go ahead and promote my new blog: Willoughby Junction.

What?,  A guy can’t have multiple hobbies?

Yeah, that’s right.  On top of entertaining my friends, being a foodie (and a amateur mixologist), I like to build model trains.  “But wait..”, you say, “Isn’t that an old dude’s hobby?”  Well, it’s not like I lock myself in a basement for the winter, don an engineer’s cap, and watch my trains go in a circle.  As a matter of fact, I don’t even have a basement.

No I enjoy the ‘modeling’ aspect of it quite a bit.  Meaning, I like to build ‘craftsman structure’ kits….realistic looking buildings based on actual structures built over the last 100 years.  It’s a hobby I can do by myself, in my spare time, and require a lot of patience.  I kinda look at it as therapy….somewhere I can tune the rest of the world out for an hour or so at a time and really get involved in my miodeling skills and not have to worry about anything else.

So head on over to Willoughby Junction if you like model trains, structure kits, N-scale, Ho-scale, etc.

Oy, what a week.

As I type this I have a massive headache that so far a 2 aspirin and 2 cups of coffee still haven’t cured.

Actually, this whole week has been borderline miserable, but I felt I hadn’t paid much attention to this blog as of late, but moreso because I just don’t feel all that chipper.

Starting last weekend, I got bit by a spider (I presume) on my leg that was poisonous.  It’s been already 6 days and I still have a huge black and blue welt in a perfect circle on my left leg.  It’s been itching a bit, but not too bad.  How do I know it was poisonous?  Because within hours I started to get really bad cramps and sufefred a few days of intestinal distress.  On Tuesday evening my whole body ached, especially my stomach and back and had similar symptoms of food poisoning.

We’ve also been very short handed at work.  My department is at half capacity with people taking vacations and what not so it’s been a little hectic around the office.  And that’s not good when you just don’t feel 100%.  As a matter of fact I’ve shined off the gym all week and my appetite has been a little off.

Yesterday afternoon I was suffereing from really bad cramping again and when I got home it was Tums and chewable Rolaids to the rescue, only to have me wake up this morning to a mind numbing headache.

I go camping with my friends in two weeks, and here’s hoping I make a recovery over the next few days.

A buddy of mine just sent this to me.  It’s a link for a huge BBQ festival held at the Sports Park in Fountain Valley, CA come August 18th thru the 21st this year.  I haven’t checked it out myself, but I’m surely interested.

You can buy tickets early and there will be 6 award winning BBQ teams present.

From the webpage:

Welcome to the official website of The Orange County BBQ Bonanza to be held August 18-21, 2011, at the Fountain Valley Sports Park in Fountain Valley, California. You won’t want to miss this event!

The West’s Best BBQ All-in-One Outdoor Family Festival!

Thursday, August 18th — 5 PM – 10 PM
Friday, August 19th — 11 AM – 11 PM
Saturday, August 20th — 11 AM – 11 PM
Sunday, August 21st — 11 AM – 9 PM

FREE Souvenir E-Picture!

The Orange County BBQ Bonanza is the largest four day BBQ Extravaganza featuring the WORLD’S BEST BBQ Ribs, Pulled Pork, Tri-tip, Sausages, Chicken and more. The competition is fierce and the flavors rich as National Award Winning Rib Cookers of America and local grillers produce the best that their secret recipes have to offer.

Come Have a Toe-tappin, BBQ-eatin’ Good Time!

We combine local and nationally known bands, the BEST BBQ IN TOWN, giant food court (chinese, mexican, local eateries and american foods — something for everyone), children’s area (including carnival rides, bounces, magicians, and storytellers) and stage, dance floor, arts and crafts, cantinas (serving water, beer, wine, liquor drinks — “The Screaming Cowboy” and Margaritas), to create the largest BBQ Extravaganza, right here in Southern California.