My blog n'at

Podcamp legend and Podcasting superstar, Norm Huelsman, posted this video on You Tube yesterday of Blogfest 13 singing Happy Birthday to me which was followed up by a birthday chop from DJ Lunchbox of the Wrestling Mayhem Show.

Did it hurt? Oh HELL yeah but being the seasoned vet from Podcamp Pittsburgh 2, I was able to recover quickly. For the next couple of days my chest tingled but it was worth it. I can’t wait for Lunchbox’s Birthday as I have a chair that need to meet his back

Thanks guys!

When I started this I really didn’t have high expectations. I was doing this as a fun Friday activity and to twist all of those stuffy food reviews in the paper. Today though, I ate a slice of fish heaven and unfortunately, unless you’re close to the state of Pennsylvania, you’re not getting one of these.

Sheetz is a very large and very popular convenience store chain in PA. Most alcohol drinking adults in their 20-40′s know the wonders of the 2am Sheetz Death Dog ($.99 chili nacho hotdog). Their subs kick Subway to the curb and are less expensive. So I figured I’d give the fish a shot.

The world has come to a halt. This is hand down the BEST sandwich ever made by man. Why? Because YOU make it! Via touchscreen you pick the bun and toppings on top of a perfectly crisp and golden piece of fish. I’m not kidding you, this is THAT good. Just look at the pictures! All toppings are fresh and you see the employees make each one in front of you and take their time unlike the other joints. I didn’t have breakfast and not knowing how big the sandwich was I ordered 2 with different buns and toppings. I’ll stop typing and get to my toppings. Oh yeah, best – fastfoodfishsandwhich – ever!

Grade: A+

Sheetz Website - http://sheetz.com/

My 2 sandwiches:
(on the left) On a corn dusted bun – tartar sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, red hot sauce and provolone cheese

(on the right) On a pretzel roll – ranch dressing, lettuce, tomatoes, pickle chips and hot pepper cheese.

God I wish I had more. There’s a reason why you haven’t seen much these last few weeks besides the beer and fish. I lost a friend a few weeks ago. Actually it was on my birthday which is why I’ve been ho-hum about posting.

Lindsay Graygo and I met while working at the Tinseltown movie theater in Erie. In fact we helped build it and opened it. She was in the ticket booth and I was one of those geeky ushers with florescent bow ties and suspenders. For some reason we just clicked right away. We were always hangin out and giving each other a hard time. Brother and sister kinda thing. She went to McDowell and then to Penn State, I went to Prep and then Pitt so it was only natural that we’d forever bust each other’s balls. When I moved to Pittsburgh we kept in touch via email and were rarely in Erie at the same time. Last time we hung out was at Calamari’s in 03 when a bunch of her friends got together. I told her I’d be the driver because I just wanted to hang out and forget about Pittsburgh for a night. When the night was over I dropped her off and headed back to my parents house. Even that long ago I had no idea it would be the last time I’d ever see her. I found her a few weeks ago on Facebook and was going to send a friends request when I had time on my day off (the 21st) along with replying to others on there when I saw the news on erieblogs.com

My friend Lindsay was murdered in her Ypsilanti, MI apartment 2 weeks ago. Police are unsure why it happened but just that she was strangled and assaulted. No forced entry and nothing missing. After she didn’t report to work, friends called the police who arrived to find her on the bathroom floor. Not much has been published since her funeral last Saturday. There was a viewing last Friday and as fate would have it, no one was getting in or out of Pittsburgh as a nasty snow storm shut down major roads. I felt awful but knew that Lindz would have called me a dumb ass for going out in it. Friends of hers have setup a group on Facebook called Pray for Lindsay Graygo and there is work started for a scholarship. I’ve never been big about memorial funds but this one really hits home and it’s the least I could do.

Honestly, I’m still just in shock but I had to post. She always had a vibrant positive energy about her and quite frankly I don’t think I ever saw her without wearing a smile. There is definitely a void in my life knowing that she’s gone but I will always have the memories. God bless girly!

from dogfish.com
“An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels. The caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood from which these tanks were crafted. Palo Santo means “holy tree” and it’s wood has been used in South American wine-making communities.

This beer is a 12% abv, highly roasty, and malty brown ale aged on the Palo Santo wood. It was a huge hit at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub when first released in November of 2006, so it’s coming back… into full production.

At 10,000 gallons each, these are the largest wooden brewing vessels built in America since before Prohibition. It’s all very exciting. We have wood. Now you do too.”

We’ll see about that…

When a new DFH is available in my area, I try it. It’s like a new style of Pepsi, gotta try at least once. I got word from the weekly 3 Sons mailing list that the Palo Santo Marron was in. The what? I’ve never heard of this one? I have been lax on my DFH 2008 Release calendar so eh, my bad.

The pour was exciting. As soon as I finished emptying the last drop into my pint glass, the head on this beer went from a stagnant tan line and exploded into a nice 2 finger head. Didn’t last very long but it was cool to watch. Props for effects.

The aroma caught me off guard. Vanilla? *sniff* Banana? *sniff* fruity? wtf is going on here? According to the bottle and website this is an American Brown style beer. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a brown ale and I must say that I have NEVER had one like this. I like that, a style that surprises me.

First off this is 12% ABV. I’m not kidding, 12%! The max you would normally see is 8% so really it shouldn’t shock me that DFH kicked it up. I’d wager to say that most browns I’ve tasted have been pretty much the same. A little nutty, malty and slightly hoppy. The Palo Santo(Holy Tree) Marron was de-friggin-licious. Here’s why…

First off, I can’t taste the alcohol. When you see 12% ABV you face the risk of a strong alcohol taste. Must be the holy wood that fools you. Vanilla! Vanilla! Vanilla! Oh sweet Jesus it’s not overpowering but you know it’s there. *taste* mmm That would be a little fruit and nuts. Anyone who’s a freak about lacing though won’t like that it’s non-existent. Should you care? I really don’t. It doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a fine beverage.

Price I paid was $5 for a 120z bottle and $17-$18 for a 4 pack. That may seem pricey but for the Bud/Coors/Miler drinkers that would be equivalent to 12 of your beers… in 4 bottles. Crack one open and say hello to Wonderland, bitches!