My blog n'at

I wasn’t going to write one of these until a few people asked where my yearly recap was so what the heck. Its 8 a.m. on 1/1/13 so better late than never right?

2012 was an interesting for me in terms of realizing what was really important for a happy life and that researching the past generations can put today into perspective.

This is probably the shortest one I’ve ever written since 2012 was not the year of blogging for me. Family and work were in overdrive this year so all of my online writings took a hit. Let’s get to it.

January – I decided it was time to start streamlining everything I do online and phase out those negative people in my life that thrive on bringing you down. This was a success and life has been much better after cutting those ties. My youngest started teething and we saw an incredible heatwave I’d love to kick back in again.

February – Groundhog obsession. Cleaned out my closet of over 25 tshirts and still had way too many clothes left. Teaspoon saw his first hockey game (RMU Women) and first basketball game (RMU Men). Birthdays of myself (36) and Teaspoon (3).

March – Bachelor week with delicious craft beers and steaks. Celebrated ST Patrick’s day with a Beer-Braised Corned Beef I made with Troegenator. Finally ate at an iHop. Lushie burned her hand really bad and Roberto Clemente made me drink cheap whiskey.

April – Pirates opened what would be another losing season. Pens scored 10 goals in 1 game against the Flyers which I called the Pearl Jam Goal. The 1st annual Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week happened.

May – Took a much needed break and spent time in Baltimore for my cousin’s wedding where we had blue crab for the first time. QR codes are not difficult to use and, while some think are hideous, can be very beneficial.

June - Arby’s 5-Strip Ultimate BLT was an insult to bacon and sandwiches. 9 years and 150,838 miles later I finally bought a new car. Teaspoon gave Father’s day a new meeting when we visited my dad’s grave site.  One of my beer articles was featured on Examiner.

July – Church festival season and a 1.5 yr old’s addiction to Jeopardy

August – My streak of 573 days for not drinking a macro beer ended and realized how much I had a dislike for craft beer snobbery. Hot water tank blew in my basement and made one heck of a mess. My beautiful face graced the pages of Zymurgy magazine for homebrewing.

September – President announced he was home brewing and a lot of us were anxious to try the recipe. Finding a decent pizza joint we can all agree on finally happened as we fell in love with Antonio’s in Brookline. My kid loves his GameBoy  more than anything. Needing a mancation and dealing with a sick kid.

October – Ate taco soup which broke a tooth and finally got the crown. Brewing a pumpkin porter and pumpkin carving.

November – I shaved off my goatee for the first time in 8 years and grew a mustache for charity. Had our 7th anniversary dinner at P.F. Changs. Trying to understand the Voter I.D. debacle. Twitter name calling reaches new low and Teaspoon thinks he’s Picasso.

December – We started using DVD players for trips. Remembering dad. Google+ releases “communities” and I LOVE it. That 12-12-12 thing happened. No, we don’t have polio. My alma mater, Erie Cathedral Prep, won the PIAA AAA football title. End of the world comes and goes. Remembering Roberto.

There you have it, 2012 year in review. Many cool things happened that I didn’t blog about so I need to be more diligent about that in 2013. The family just got back from the in-laws so I’ll have a Christmas recap coming.

Thanks to all for a fun 2012 and cheers to everyone! Hope you have a safe & happy new year!

Friday night the Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers won their 2nd state championship (24-14 win over Archbisop Wood) and became the first ever 2x champ from District 10. During the broadcast the announcers said Prep was averaging over 42 points a game. AVERAGING! This game would be the closest they’d see.

When I went to Prep the only sport, other than intermurals, that I played was Cross Country. Yes, I was once a distance runner if you didn’t know that. We won Metro, Sections and District 10 while I was there but I can’t image the joy these guys felt winning the team gold.

In my junior year the basketball team won the state title over Hazleton so I was able to experience the gold as a member of the student body. When you graduate from Prep you’re in it for life. It’s a brotherhood and something we first saw during that basketball game when the buses of fans traveled. This year, thanks in part to social media, alumni around the east coast were planning trips to go to the game. Didn’t matter if you played football or not, you were going to support your alma mater.

Congrats to these fine Men of Prep. You’ve made us all proud!

One thing that I’m bad at is remembering the year. I kept thinking it was 2010 for some reason and have no idea why 2012 doesn’t seem far fetched. Maybe I have a thing against years with odd numbers? This past year was eventful personally but when it came to blogging it was kinda meh. Either way here’s a quick recap so my kids don’t have to sift through archives.

January 2011
Year started off great with the Winter Classic (even though Pens lost) and spending the first 2 weeks home with my new baby. I also decided that I would attempt to go a full year without drinking a Bud/Miller/Coors product. Not to be some elite prick but to see for myself how tough it would be. With the amount of picnics we attended and moments of weakness for going cheap I’m proud to say I’ve made it a full year and some days.

February 2011
Kept the busy pace with a quick trip to Baltimore to pick up the first of what would be many awards for a website I made. Even thought it was winter I was falling in love with the city. I will be going back soon. I also hit my mid 30′s while only suffering a minor “oh shit, I’m getting old” moment and Teaspoon got his first haircut while hitting the terrible 2.

March 2011
2 things happened, we got sick and I ate a lot of fish.

April 2011
My mom wanted to know why I didn’t invent Facebook, the internet or cure cancer. I had some views on the sale of Iron City which turned out to piss off a bunch of yinzers and Pittsburgh purists. Eh, it happens.

May 2011
Should I Drink That turned 5 years old on the 5th and we had a whirlwind bash in Boardman, Ohio as we took over the Big Tap In after party. We cracked open a 101 oz bottle of Double Arrogant Bastard that we have been sitting on for 4-5 years. It came with a padlock. Nuff said. I figured out how you can take a trip with Megabus to Erie (or Pittsburgh from there) and have a very low cost time. I celebrated national Craft Beer Week and if you haven’t heard me talk about it yet, am on the planning group for Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week coming in 2012. This month also was record breaking numbers as we raised money for March of Dimes which helps preemies such as my boys.

June 2011
After many years of hard work I graduated cum laude from college. It was incredibly stressful when I threw work and the family into the mix but the support was fantastic! I’ll probably have my student loan bills paid off when Teaspoon is starting school.

Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of my dad passing so I decided to take a drive up to Erie and toast the old man. What better way to salute the man who taught me hard work, discipline and dedication will take you places, not handouts and whining.

Usually at this time in Erie there would have already been a couple feet of snow but thanks to our friend Global Warming it was in the 40′s and raining. Mom and I drove up to the cemetery and as we got to dad’s grave I sat down a bag and pulled out a bottle with 2 glasses. Mom, looking really confused, asked me what I was doing. I smiled, opened, poured and said “celebrating dad of course!”

It was with him that I shared my first bottle of my first homebrew.

I don’t know where this hobby may take me but I couldn’t think of any better way to christen it than with the man who’s inspired me most.

Cheers pops!

I’ve wondered how I was going to handle today. On this day back in 2006 my father had a massive heart attack while snowblowing for 3.5 hours. Why so long? Well it was Erie and he wanted to make sure the elderly people and mailman would be able to get through.

My brother and I drove up the night of the 5th and honestly expected to see him bitching to get out of the bed because he had work to do at home. It was a running joke that we couldn’t visit Erie without someone making a trip to St Vincent ER. However on this night, we wouldn’t be leaving. We walked up to the 3rd floor and walked in stunned as we saw him hooked up to machines which doctors said were keeping him alive. The strongest man I have ever known was now gone and we knew it, we just didn’t want to accept it. The doctors kept him on support until the morning when my mother, brother and I told them to turn the machines off. I was the last one to hold his hand and within seconds he had flat lined.

I’ll never forget that moment when my life changed and I can still feel his hand in mine.

A lot has happened in the 5 years since he’s passed and I’d give anything for him to have been around just a bit longer to see one of them. I’ve had 2 beautiful sons, bought a house, lost a job and gained a new career plus I know he’d be damn proud of what I’ve done with SIDT (dad was a closet audio junkie). I get angry at times because he’s not here to enjoy being a grandfather to my boys as he was to my brother’s kids (you KNOW he’d be best friends with Teaspoon) but if he did pull through that heart attack he wouldn’t have been the same person.

There is so much I still had to learn from him and now I don’t have that chance. What we’ve gone through with the preemie births of both sons and the layoff were intense and I didn’t have him to lean back on. Stupid little things too like house repairs or car problems go unanswered. Its the void of not having a father around that has made this part of my life difficult.

Dad and I had a project we started and I’m determined to finish – his family tree. He knew stories about relatives but nothing solid and growing up I knew very little about his family. We never got to finish this while he was alive but recently I’ve made a vow to finish it as very rare documentation has surfaced. How this incredibly cool story goes though is for another post but if you’re into genealogy and can offer tips let me know!

As I type this I look in on my sons watching morning cartoons while the smell of bacon is in the mmmmmm bacon… just a sec. *ahhhh* in the air, the way him and I would start our Sunday mornings.

He was a great man who was always looking out for others first and this veteran spent 20 years working for the state making sure the people of Erie could find work. At the funeral home there was almost a 2 hour wait just to pay their respects. He was the head usher at his church my entire life and there wasn’t a parish festival where you couldn’t hear his voice bellowing up and down Buffalo Rd. When he passed things got a lot quieter.

Dad was an American flag addict. In his military photos he always had a flag with him and every holiday mini flags would adorn his yard. As a sign of final respect for him my wife and I got up early the morning of his funeral and in 2ft of snow put 50 of his flags in the yard. The funeral procession passed in front of and stopped at the house. As if staged the wind kicked up and all flags started blowing in sync as if it was their final salute.

I miss you dad and I think you’d be proud of how things have turned out.

Here is a video tribute that the funeral home made. Enjoy the pics of me as a kid. What were they thinking dressing me like that?

Anytime my hometown makes me do a *facepalm* I need to talk about it. Not saying we don’t do enough stupid things down here but you know… its home.

It’s no secret that WalMart loves the Erie area and I guess the people of Erie love it back. That would be the only reason why WalMart is now constructing a new $40 million Super WalMart less than 1/2 mile down the road from a current one. Shocked? Don’t be. A few years ago they did the same thing on Upper Peach in Erie.

According to GoErie.com the location will be 1/2 between Millfair and the Wegman’s driveway. Well that leaves a lot of land so thankfully the folks at YourErie.com have a more precise location. One that is right by the lovely The Cab bar. Wouldn’t shock me to see WalMart buy it and level it so they can keep their clean wholesome image *cough cough*.

I just don’t get it. Just about every WalMart in Erie is a Super WalMart except this one. The current building is next to a Wegman’s (which if you haven’t been to one is a fantastic grocery store) and since the zoning wouldn’t allow expansion to give them competition, because god forbid there is upscale shopping anywhere, Walmart is going to abandon yet another huge storefront and build a new one.

Before WalMart does this they should be required to find a tenant for the previous location that isn’t a Spirit Halloween or some fly by night Christmas store.

The year was 1993. It rained and was cold but I had one thing on my mind… finishing The Great Race. I was starting my senior year of high school, ran Cross Country and had a considerable amount of speed. I was 160 lbs and at 6ft would get blown away by a strong enough breeze. I was also rockin some serious 90′s hair. Little did I know this would be the last time I would run it. I don’t remember much about this day besides keeping pace with some Marines and seeing 6 guys running as a 6-pack of Penn Pilsner. In a month I would run my last CC race and then that would be it. My knee would give out as I crossed the finish line in a race for sectionals and I never jogged a mile again.

I went into rehab for my knee and was still offered a partial scholarship to a local college to run but I really had my heart set on Pitt and well, we know how that story ends.

Today was the latest edition of the Great Race and I’m starting to wonder if I should give it another shot. Yeah its easy to say “why not, just get out there” but with the chaos that is our family schedule free time is not something that comes easy. I used to like running. It was just me and the road… or track… or muddy woods. In the winter (in Erie) I would run outside in shorts and a stocking hat with 2-3 ft of snow around me. I also only ever dated runners.

The time since the Great Race didn’t hit me until I looked that pictured above and realized that my little niece on my brother’s shoulder’s turned 21 this past summer.

I’d like to give it a shot. Of course I can find more reasons why I shouldn’t than I should but I think it would be fun. I need to find the right shoes, someone to train with, the right clothes, the right energy bar, the right gps to mp3 to twitter to facebook update stat thinger.

The right… christ this is more work than actually running.

I don’t usually write posts as soon as I hear news but this time I have to. Today MegaBus will begin service in Erie and while yinzers may go “Erie? really?” let me point out a few things for you. If you’re familiar with MegaBus you already know that prices start at $1. I’m not joking, ONE DOLLAR! You can’t even get a city block on that much gas in your car. Honestly if you want a great overview of it check out this story from KDKA’s Jim Lokay.

Here’s where it gets good. The total trip is 2 hours long and the drop off point is Presque Isle Downs. It’s a C-A-S-I-N-O with HORSERACING! If you get tired of the casino or you’re like me and don’t gamble, there is Erie’s mass transit which also picks you up at the casino and takes you downtown and to the Bayfront. I encourage anyone who takes the trip to consider making a weekend out of it and in fact the tourism groups for both cities should plan a trip deal around it. “If you’re coming in from “x” via megabus to our city here is what you can do in 1 day..” I think I missed my calling somewhere as a trip planner.

If you’re traveling Pittsburgh to Erie your day can look like this on July 9th for a 1 day trip.

1. Leave from Pittsburgh at 7:15am, arrive in Erie at Presque Isle Downs around 9:35am
2. Stretch, play some slots and hit up the buffet.
3. 3pm is post time for the horse races
4. Catch the 5:40pm EMTA into town
5. 6pm get off at 13th and State Street and walk 2 blocks to BrewErie for dinner and craft beers brewed on site or ride the bus down to the lake and have dinner on the bay while watching the sunset
6. 8pm catch the EMTA back to the casino and you’ll have 1 hour left to gamble before your 9:35pm bus takes you back to Pittsburgh by midnight. If you’re not exhausted yet you still have time to hit up a couple bars in Pittsburgh.

If you don’t want to hit up the casino the EMTA will take you into downtown Erie where you can either walk around or catch a taxi to Presque Isle and spend the day at the beach.  Honestly with this plan there should be some kinda shuttle to Presque Isle from downtown. If anyone in Erie knows of one, leave it in the comments.

total travel price for 1 person – $6.50 (plus bus fare which is $1.10 one way)

If you’re traveling Erie to Pittsburgh your day can look like this on July 9th for a 1 day trip.

1. Leave Erie at 2pm and arrive at 4:10pm in Pittsburgh at 10th St and Penn Ave (Convention Center)
2. Walk around the Strip District or through downtown checking out the city and grabbing a bite to eat
3. 7:05 Pirates vs Cubs
4. Game should end around 9:30-10pm. Post game you can head back into the city for a beverage or a walk around the cultural district. Maybe catch the T for a trip to Station Square and ride an incline to see the city
5. Return to the convention center for your pick up at 11:30pm to return to Erie at 1:45am Sunday

total travel price for 1 person – $6.50

The trip from Erie to Pittsburgh is more ideal if you want to spend a weekend or come down for an event at night and head back. Pirates and Penguins fans will be able to take advantage of this since both PNC Park and Consol Energy Center are walking distance (CEC is a tad of a hike). If there is a show in town that you want to see, the arrival at 4 is perfect to find a place to eat and relax before the curtain raises. If you want good craft beer check out Sharp Edge Bistro on Penn. Its pricey but you’ll have Belgian beers available you’ll never find in Erie.

By no means should you take my suggested schedule as gospel. Everyone has different tastes but this just shows you what is now available at a VERY LOW price if you want to get away for a day or 2.

By the way craft beer loving yinzers, Beer on the Bay is coming up in Erie. MegaBus may give a whole new meaning to beer run and I think SIDT may have a plan for you.

cheers!

I really should start “Shit my mom says” as a category.

Last week I’m talking to my mom on the phone and in 1 conversation I was told that the pedophiles are around because of the internet and asked, in complete sincerity, “Douglas, why didn’t you invent Facebook?”

I did everything I could to not crash my car on the Parkway while trying to process that one.

Mom learned about The Social Network on Oprah and ever since tells me how its amazing that such a young man is a billionaire. Anytime she hears of someone in their 20/30′s making it rich I usually get the “why didn’t you do that?” speech. I had to roll back the history and once again tell the tales of my history to her.

While in my freshman year at Pitt (94/95) I had my first taste of working on computers. Enough so that I wanted to change my major from Psychology to Comp Sci. That’s when they dropped the bomb, direct quote from her and my dad was  ”you will NEVER make money in computers.”

I could go into greater detail about the lack of support because they didn’t understand and blah blah blah but really, wait for my biography or buy me a pint and we’ll chat. Honestly I think its an Erie thing and why so much talent flourishes once it leaves.

I still get phone calls asking to fix computers and you know what, they were right, I could never make a living because everyone wants their computer fixed, a website made or a social media strategy for free.

OK this post is taking a turn I wasn’t expecting when I started writing it. nice.

With world changing on an almost daily basis don’t discard someone because they’re not doing something you understand. We don’t know what the next big thing will be. I was told by a family member to quit podcasting when I started because it was a “waste of time” and in the 5 years since I started I think its treated me rather well.

I still hear “whats wrong with that person” because you dont follow the 1950′s idea of a professional. That is until someone makes money and your mom asks why you didn’t do it.

Don’t even get me started on the craft beer thing…

I’ve been kinda spaced the last few days. I found out Sunday that one of my classmates from Prep had passed away at 35. Thirty-freaking-five! All I know is from the obit is that it was unexpected and this would now make the 2nd friend of mine, at the age of 35, that has passed away since 2011 started (Mark was the first).

Jesus Christ, 35.

John and I weren’t best friends in high school, in fact we’d bicker most of the time but we’d also have our good times joking around. In a class of 135 you won’t get along with everyone but all of us were brothers (Prep is an all-male private school). We can fight within but you mess with one of us and everyone else comes to your side. I think that’s why his passing is hitting me in a different way. Its not just the shock that its someone my age, that happens; this was one of us and its really freaking me out.

My class doesn’t do reunions. Why? Not really sure. Last time most of us were together was our 5yr in 1999 and since then your best chance to see someone you lost touch with is on Facebook. It was through my involvement with craft beer and Beer on the Bay that John and I reconnected a couple summers ago. A guy that I once got into arguments with on a regular basis was now someone I would look forward to having a beer with when I came to town for an event. Unfortunately I won’t have that chance to buy the next round.

I look at my life and think how fortunate I am. I can’t imagine losing that especially with so much more to look forward to and here is a friend where its over already.

I read the obit online and the stories people have left. John was a class act and these stories prove it. He touched a lot of lives and will live on forever through his friends.

Kos, its been a fun ride. Wish it could have been longer buddy.

I was having fun with Photoshop over lunch and made this. I’ve seen the pics from Germany that others have done like this and I was always curious how my hometown of Erie has changed. Maybe I’ll make this a summer project and see how it goes.  That’s an image from Google I found and current Google Maps imagery when I do a street view. If I go further I’d absolutely spend more time on the photoshop and take my own pics.

I’m a sucker for history, especially places that I have and currently live in. Whenever I’m in the local bookstores I pick up the small publications on each of the Pittsburgh neighborhoods to see what life was like before I moved here.

Last night I found a box of old books about Erie (Lost Erie, Baseball in Erie and a few others) while working on my basement and since I’m on a genealogy kick I figured eh, why not.