Erie, PA

It was a good couple of days back in the hometown. The visits always seem way to short. Even though very few of my friends from high school are left in Erie I always run out of time to see the people I want to see. The last two statements seem incongruous but are none the less true. In the years since my graduation and move from the North Shore I see my family in Erie more and more. In the absence of my friends I visit the family of my friends, specifically their parents. I do not want to make it seem that the visits to either of the groups, family and family of friends are somewhat less enjoyable, in fact more enjoyable.

I guess over the years Erie has been the place I go to charge my batteries to remember who I am and were I came from both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The visits with the people in Erie gave me such a mix of emotion. I feel lament, delight, appreciation, love and many other emotions too numerous to mention and too specific to write. My thoughts of regret and what ifs are quickly obfuscated by memories of my wistful youth. I realize that this is odd rant given the usual tones of my writing. But in the end every trip to my home town and its memories of family, friends, adventures, sports, girls, education, crushes, and coming of age make realize that my youth and the place it occurred enjoy a rarified air in the American story.

A Few Photos

Big Mike with a power tool, a very rare sight.

AJ, the newest member of the family.

JJ, the oldest greatgrandchild

The club gathers at club Goat

Pete and the Finnish!

(Paivi, Pete, Temu, and Timo)

After a night out enjoying a few beers with the Stephany twins I spent the bulk of the day floating around my aunt and uncle’s pool hanging with family. Later on in the evening I joined my Parents, aunt and uncle, and the Fins for a trip to the Oakwood Tavern to meet the Rys parents and Mr. Speros, (parents of my high school friends). It was a great meal and great company.

Erie, PA

We got into Erie today in the late afternoon. Overall it was a pleasant drive except for the torrential downpour for about 15 minutes. Visibility was nil. I thought we were going to have to start rounding up animals in twos. When we did get we headed for the Bestwicks’ house. I have written about them before but in short they are some of my parents’ dearest and longtime friends. Our families have shared many an adventure. One that just come to mind is the time that when both families were on vacation in Cape Cod. I will spare the specific details but I ended up in woods after being “over served” and was the butt of jokes for the rest of the vacation.

We hung out with them for a while then headed to my aunt and uncles house. My uncle Ron and Aunt Kitty have a beautiful home and with their three boys scattered across the country they have plenty of room and are hospitable enough to let our crew stay there. In fact they are so gracious that they are also hosting my family’s exchange student from Finland and her husband and youngest son.

Paivi stayed with our family nearly thirty years ago and has essentially become another daughter to my parents and an older sister to me. She married a great guy, Timo and they have three kids, Nora, Niko, and Temu. Well we have visited them and they have visited us over twenty times since Paivi lived with us. Paivi’s brother Tommi even stayed with us for a summer and I visited them in Helsinki when I was studying and teaching in Poland. They have visited my parents in every place they have lived since Erie, which is no small task considering that includes six homes, three states, and three countries.

When the arrived we ate some pizza and watched the last game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Unfortunately the Pittsburgh Penguins did not win but a good time was had by all.

Here are two views of the bay off of Lake Erie near my aunt and uncles house.

Lima, OH

The Lima visit was great but it was marred by a trip to hospital by my Grandma Kerr (my mom’s side of the family). My Grandma had stayed home form the K of C because she was not feeling well and when we returned she felt it was best to go to emergency room. After a long night the doctors thought it might be her appendix. So she had it removed. Well then it turns out that was not the problem. So there was another procedure done. So in the end it turns out that the doctors feel that it was severe acid reflux. So in the end it was a three day hospital stay that gave us all a scare. I will take that over a completely justified hospital stay any day. I wish it had not had happened but I was glad we were there to help out.

Other than the obvious troubles for my Grandma it was still a fun visit. I got to see a lot of family that I do not get see as often as I would like. We went to my cousin Mitchell’s graduation party and had a blast visiting and catching up with the family. It was short and I wish could have visited more but such is life.

One thing that I love to eat when visiting Lima is to have their famous Kewpee Burgers. It is hamburger chain that is unique to Lima. The chain used to be larger and had some branches in Michigan. In fact it was the Kewpee chain that was the inspiration for Dave Thomas and Wendy’s. The Kewpee burgers are superior, in my chubby and humble view, to the Wendy’s burger. Enough talk of food.

This is a Kewpie Doll

Their advertising slogan is: Hamburg pickle on top, makes your heart go flippity-flop!

We took off on Wednesday to make the trek to Erie, PA. It was a drive that had been made too numerous times to count.

Lima, OH – Middle America

After a leisurely breakfast the family, minus my sis, hopped in the family roadster and headed of to the heartland of America. Our stay in Chicago was short but fun filled. Taking a page from George Costanza, we left on top. The Burning has George obsessed with leaving people wanting more of him. Predictably, it backfires immensely leading to the standard hilarity often involved with arguably the greatest character in TV’s history.

You could make an argument that Chicago is one of the best places in to be in the summer. People are out all day long and there is always something going on. I may have to look into Chicago being a future destination for a summer of Pete. I know sis was glad to see us there and also glad to see us go. When you have Pete’s entire clan staying in a one bedroom, one bath condo, you have a good time but also have crowded conditions. Anyway thanks to Chicago in general and my sister specifically for helping start the summer of Pete in a spectacular manner.

After a very good breakfast sandwich at a neighborhood joint called, Over Easy, we packed up and headed east. We left Chicago and headed across Indiana to Lima, OH the hometown of my mom and the birthplace of my sister. The drive was a pleasant one. I was able to listen to CNN’s coverage of the DNC rules committee conference to decide the fate of the Florida and Michigan delegates. My mom has Sirius satellite radio so we were able to pick up pretty good reception of the meeting for most of the drive. There were lots of haggling, grandstanding, and precious little common sense. The extended nomination process has been a mixed blessing. On one hand the length of the Democratic Party’s nomination season has served as a great Civics 101 lesson for America. I think that the United States now understands in a much better way how fantastic and odd our process is. I also think the nastiness of that same race has given the Republicans a great game plan to beat the Dems. When this thing is all over I think Hillary Clinton is going to kick herself for a long time over the idea she got some very bad advice and hired some folks who did very poor planning. Here are my reasons Hillary will lose (LOST) the nomination.

1. She voted to go to war. Hillary votes against the war back in 2002 and Obama does not have the moral high ground on the very unpopular war and Hillary beats the snot out of Obama and rest the Democratic field.
2. I think she was way overconfident about her position and totally underestimated the grassroots operation of the Obama team, this was totally apparent in states that there were Caucuses. There was no reason a person as politically connected as Hillary and her strategy team should have looked sooo inexperienced running a caucus. Texas was the prime example.
3. Hillary’s team planned to win the first half and thought everyone would go home afterward. To take the sports analogy to far. For the Obama campaign to win the nomination they had to have and execute the perfect game plan, and they did just that. We are talking the movie Hoosiers, NC State beats Houston, or Villanova beating the mighty Georgetown Hoyas.

* On a side note, I think the pundits have totally underestimated the new voters that the Obama campaign has registered and mobilized. I think the general election results will surprise some people.

I, as usual, digress. Once we arrived in Lima we headed to the K of C (Knights of Columbus) with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandpas for some pork tenderloin sandwiches. The K of C is built right next to Lima Central Catholic were my Mom graduated from and my Dad later taught. It is a brand new one and is local hangout for the catholic folk of Lima. A round of drinks for eight people was around $16. It was a good time catching up with the family.

Chicago, IL – A perfect day?

Any use of the word the perfect or best is usually hyperbole but yesterday came quite close. What made the day special was the fact that it was the first day of summer vacation. Here are some details that allow me to banter about the phrase “perfect day”.

Slept in, for me that is about 8am, then leisurely coffee drinking for about an hour. There was no official plan for the day, just some loose plans to bum around. I convinced my Dad to go to the Indiana Jones movie at the 10:30 showing. It was about to rain so there was little else to do. I loved the movie but admittedly I am Indiana Jones fanatic. I would rank the movie right above The Temple of Doom, but squarely behind The Last Crusade; with Raiders of the Lost Ark, clearly occupying the top spot. The ending was on the cheesy side but hey what do you expect. It poured rain while the movie was going on but by the time it was over it started to clear up.

The Indiana Jones films played a major role in my love of History.

We debated what to do next and we finally came to the conclusion that we should head towards Wrigley Field for some lunch. I was still up in the air whether to head to the Cubs game that was starting later in the afternoon. We had a few beers and a sandwich. While we were eating the Cubs went down 4 to 0 in the top of the first inning but the sun was starting to come out so I scalped a ticket from one of the bartender’s buddies for 10 bucks. The ticket was cheap to come by because who else wants to by a ticket to a game that the home team is down four runs and there is threat that severe weather?

Here is a video clip of the infamous 7th inning stretch at Wrigley!

By the time I walked across the street to Wrigley that sun was shining and I realized that I had a ridiculously good seat. The Rockies tacked on three more runs in the second inning. By the sixth the Cubbies were down 9 to 1. The way I figured it was crappy game but the day was beautiful, so who cares right? Wrong, the Cubs staged a momentous comeback finally scoring six runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead for good. Wrigley was rocking!(Video)

Cubs win 10 to 9!

The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field in Chicago

After the game I took the L back to Keri’s neighborhood and met the family up on the Huettenbar a great local tavern in Keri’s neighborhood. My Dad, who declined to attend the game, had already befriended a small group of people who were at the bar. After sharing a few beers and stories the whole crew went to Mayfest. Keri’s neighborhood, Lincoln Square, has a big German festival in May with German music, food, and of course beer. A grand time was had by all. I met up with some friends from Erie who now live in Chicago and friends Cullen’s, who rudely decided to go to France while I was in Chicago. The Festival shut down around 10pm and we all slid over to a great Irish tavern called the Grafton.

The Huettenbar in Lincoln Square

The set up for Mayfest, sehr Deutsche!

The crowd outside the tent, the whole neighborhood was packed.

So in the end my day entailed Indiana Jones, a couple of beers for lunch, a nine run rally by the Cubbies, and a German festival with old and new friends. Not bad for the first day of summer vacation.

More photos of the day

Chicago, IL - School is out, the summer begins

School officially ended yesterday at noon. The kids were done last Friday, but we had to return for three days of out-service. I can not tell how much I love meetings, especially the end of the year variety. So much gets done. Anyway, the “H” had a nice luncheon for us to end the school year. I should not complain because I was recognized for five years of service and for going “over and above”. I can not believe that I have been at the “H” for five years. Until this year my length of service at each of my previous schools has resembled a communist economic plan, 5 years. Next year when I return to the “H” I will be in my sixth year. That means I will have taught at the “H” longer then SBA and Youth Villages, which is hard to believe.

And since school is out I naturally am writing this entry on the road. So the summer of Pete has begun. The summer is shaping up to be a fun and busy one. Here is a rough itinerary for the summer.

Chicago - May 30th to June 1st
Lima, OH – June 1st to June 3/4th
Erie, PA – June 3/4th to June 7th
Atlanta – June 7th to June 10th
Memphis – June 10th to June 19th
Washington, DC – June 19th to June 29th
Memphis – June 29th to July 3rd
China – July 4th to August 3rd

Again, a very busy summer but lots to do and many people to visit. I love teaching but I love the summer!!!

Memphis, TN - Summary of May activities

May is always a busy month, for both Pete individually and the city of Memphis, collectively. This past May was no different. Here is laundry list of Pete’s May activities.

1. Wedding in Franklin, TN
2. Jasper leaves Memphis to return to his native country, Canadia.
3. BBQ Fest
4. State Track Championship
   

Wedding in Franklin, TN

I went to the wedding in Franklin with my girlfriend, Brittany. (Boam, I apparently can quit you.) Sorry for the inside joke folks! One of Brittany’s friends from college, University of Tennessee, was getting married. We were shown some excellent hospitality by Brittany’s friends, Bracey and Allison. It will come as no shock for many that although I was guest of a guest on the bride’s side; I knew most of the groom’s side. The groom used to live in the dorm at CBU that I was in charge of while I was getting my Masters degree. In fact one of his groomsman was still quite upset with me because I used to “steal his beer” when he also lived in dorm. I say that I was merely enforcing the rules of the University and the state of Tennessee. Logically I had to dispose of the confiscated materials and what better place than my belly!! I bought him a few drinks after the reception as show of good faith but I do not think he got over it. The groom is from Memphis and went to CBHS. I taught about four people who were at the wedding on the groom’s side. It was a good time.

I had a great time getting to know Brittany’s friends. I know many of you want details and they will come. I have included a picture below; she is the one with the slightly darker complexion.

BBQ Fest

What can you say about BBQ Fest in Memphis? It was an absolute blast. I argue that BBQ Fest is the premier social event of the year in Memphis. It has music, BBQ, friends, and good times. The team had a great time. There were some overcrowding issues (my fault). For a great summary of BBQ Fest activities at the tent of Magically Piglicious check out my friend Jack's blog. (The Weekly Poop) But in the end I think, all in attendance had a good time. I am including an editorial by Chris Peck from the Commercial Appeal that sums up what BBQ Fest means to Memphis.

State Track Meet

One of my duties at the “H” is assistant Varsity and Middle School Track coach. I coach the field events, shot put, discuss, high and long jump in the middle school and varsity just shot and disc. The team finished 10th in the state out of about 25 teams. Pretty good.

The track team at the "H".

Memphis, TN

The other day the Music Man and I, along with Penny met up on a Sunday to head over to the Flying Fish for some 25 cent oysters, it’s a special that they have every Sunday, all day. Along the walk down Main Street from my condo we encountered a truly odd Memphis thing. Apparently one of the trolley’s that head up and down Main street in downtown Memphis got into a wreck, all by itself. How does a trolley on a track get into wreck you ask? Well no other vehicle ran into it. After a brief conversation with the MATA crew we were able to surmise that the driver jumped the rails and then, while off the tracks, drove on the cobble stones for three blocks until it ran into a light post.

Sometimes these drivers can be a bit surly so I hope it one of those drivers because whoever was driving will be without a job very soon. Then again this is Memphis so they might end up running MATA. Here are some pictures of the wreck and then a few of us at the Rajun’ Cajun crawfish festival behind AutoZone corporate headquarters. There were a few more festival people then usual this year.

The trolley hits a lamp post.

Off the tracks

Notice the white line where the trolley damaged the concrete of the rails.

The music man and penny

Memphis, TN

Beautiful weather here in the Memphis, around 68 and sunny. I am currently sitting in the courtyard of the "H" typing a few words. On the advice of a few, I have decided to update more frequently so I do not feel the need to write longer passages with such detail.

This weekend was a very good time. The "H"'s varsity track team had an invitational track meet at one of the other all-boys schools in town. They finished a very respectable 4th out 12 teams. I coach the throwers, shot and discus, for the varsity. We were shut out in the disc and finished 2nd and 7th (out of 30 some) in the shot with all three throwers score PB(personal bests) for the season.

After the meet I stopped by Dave and Christina's place for a couple of porch beers. They house in the last stages of completion so they had some folks over to celebrate. A bunch of their new neighbors stopped by and it was great time. Great emerging neighborhood! Check the link on the the right of this page if you want to see the progress from the beginning. They are doing some real cool things with house so you ought to check out the link.

Saturday my Fulbright meeting was cancelled so I gained a whole Saturday. I grabbed some lunch, played some catch with Baruch, ran errands, than took a nap. A very solid Saturday. In the evening Brittany and I went to dinner at Bruno's for some Italian. Great meal, reasonably priced, and you can bring your own wine, NO CHARGE!

Afterwards we joined Jakara and Tim at a birthday bash for my friend Mario. Mario and I worked together for years at Bridges with Bridgebuilders. On top of the B-Day bash Mario proposed to his girlfriend. Way fun! Afterwards we headed to Silky's for a few beers with the crew.

Good Weekend!

Slowly the big fat bear is emerging from his winter slumber. It is a sunny and 68, sipping on some coffee and trying to survive the chaos that is the final month of school. I have not posted at all since February so here are some very brief highlights in no particular order.

1. New Years in New Orleans - What happens in NOLA, stays in NOLA.
2. Riding the rails on a trip to Chicago to visit the sis and friends.
3. Trip to NYC with the 8th grade at the "H".
4. Winning some middle school Basketball games, losing a few more, and still having fun.
5. A weekend with the Louisiana boys in Little Rock.
6. The Conference USA tournament in Memphis with the "Big Kat".
7. An Indigo Girls concert with Devan and Jenny so I can channel my inner lesbian.
8. The 40th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination in Memphis.
9. The wonderfully gut wrenching run of the Memphis Tigers basketball team to the NCAA finals. It still feels like I was kicked in the family jewels.
10. Grandma Stephany, and Aunt Sue and Uncle Dave's visit to Memphis over Easter.
11. BBQ fest preparations.
12. Crawfish boils.
13. Middle School Track.
14. Planning the summer of 2008.
15. A steady girlfriend.

Gotta run. If anyone wants details let me know and I will give more details where appropriate.

Just got some great news!!!!

Pete is going to China this summer!!!!

I have been accepted to a Fulbright Program in China this summer from July 5 to August 9!

Program description

Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad
Summer Seminar in China

In the summer of 2008, the University of Memphis will be offering a unique opportunity for in-service teachers to study abroad in China.

Teachers selected to participate in this project will learn about the culture of China firsthand by actually studying in China for five full weeks. Participants will travel to exciting and historical places throughout China during this session, learning about Chinese culture so that they can return to their schools and offer an informed perspective on this exciting country to their pupils.

Teachers will be selected from applications received on or before November 15, 2007. Applicants must be currently teaching in a public or private school in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, or Kansas. Prospective candidates must be able to show evidence that the information learned on the trip can be taken back to the classroom to benefit pupils. In other words, the applicants must teach social studies or foreign language in some capacity at the K-12 level. Spouses, friends or other interested parties may not accompany participants on the session unless they are selected as qualified participants.

Requirements:
Participants will be expected to attend five pre-trip sessions (at times and dates to be announced) prior to departure to China. These sessions are designed to familiarize the participants with the culture, history and geography of China. There will also be a session on how to write a unit plan on China. Other topics presented at the required sessions will be: what to expect when you arrive in China, what to bring on the trip, what types of health concerns one might have, and how to apply for proper travel documents.

Participants will be required to enroll in either a History Seminar in China or ESCI (Geography) 7541 Field Studies in China at the University of Memphis. Participants also will be required to respond to the DOE Fulbright GPA on-line survey after the trip and develop a unit plan appropriate for the grade they teach before receiving credit for the seminar. Although the seminar will be enjoyable, all participants must realize that this is a working project and production of a quality product is expected. The purpose of this seminar is not to vacation in China.

When and Where:

The dates spend in China will be July 5 to August 9, 2008. Participants will visit Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing, Xian, and Beijing. There will also be extensive opportunity to visit and explore the Chinese countryside. Participant will also visit a Chinese school appropriate to their grade level.

Link to program

Erie, PA

A snow vista of the Aunt Kitty and Uncle Ron's house.

They were nice (Insane!) enough to house the

Memphis Stephanys over the holidays.

The rest of the holiday was spent with the usual Stephany family traditions. Christmas Eve is spent at Stephany’s Catering. I really can not imagine another way to spend Christmas Eve in Erie. The Catering Place holds so many fold childhood memories. Practically every family gathering, and there were many, was spent there. Significant events like first communions, weddings, wedding anniversaries, and graduation parties. My first job, cutting grass and generally doing whatever my Grandpa said. I remember my first real kiss at a mixer, a dance that my cousins used to host. A mixer is a dance for middle school kids, with a DJ, and lots of music from the 80’s. Octoberfests that my parents used to have where I had my younger cousins, who were about 10 or 11 at the time, grab pitchers of beers for me and my friends. All they had to say if they were confronted with a pitcher was, “We are getting it for Uncle Mike”, and they were in the clear.

AJ and CJ were the most popular Stephanys over the holidays

Jillian working the ice machine behind the bar at the Stephany's Catering

The funerals of Uncle Jack and Grandpa Stephany were also held at the catering place. Ironically enough all of our events have the following constants; eating, drinking, laughing, crying, and family. I knew how to tap a keg well before I even wanted to drink beer (A veeerrry long time ago) My Aunt Sue jokes that when a keg runs out at a family function our clan looks like a NASCAR pit crew when we acquire and hook up another keg.

In this day and age with families so spread out across the country there are not many people lucky enough to grow up in this manner. My first friends were my family. In many ways, my experiences growing up were a bit like a fairy tale.

Grandma Stephany, Jeff, Aunt Patty and Buff share the holiday cheer.

I digress, Christmas Eve was spent talking, eating, drinking, and just basically hanging out. We played a fun gift exchange game that we have done the last few years. Grandpa Stephany gave us all gifts that made us all weepy. Her and the Goat, (Aunt Mary) went through old photo books, closets, and gave us keep sakes. There were old pictures and memorabilia. We all had a great time.

*See note below

*So we all play this "Dirty Santa"or "White Elephant". It usually entails "discussing" the rules until we are confused and then we play. This year Grandma thought the gifts were supposed to be gag gifts so she gave a twin pack of enemas. The funny thing is that is was the only gag gift and cousin Jeff opened it last. Hilarious, only in the Stephany Family does Grandma give the gag gift if enemas!

Erie, PA

We started off the day with the christening of Christopher Boam and AJ Theiss. They are the sons of my cousins Julie and Jeff (sister and brother). They were both adopted last year. The whole story is just great. The neat part of the christening was that in priest’s whole sermonwas about the two boys and their families(Link to sermon) . He made the analogy between the Jesus and Mary, and the stories of the adoptions. It was quite touching. The way I figure it a person usually has only one sermon about them in their lifetime and you’re not alive for it. It was held at the Lutheran Church that Julia and Jeff’s family belong to. It was really nice. I have a link to a photo gallery of the whole trip to Erie right here. (Photo album)

After the church we went with Uncle Ron, Aunt Kitty, Uncle Dave, Big Mike, the Stephany girls to the Greengarden Tavern to watch the Browns/Bengals game. The beer was cold, the food was fried, and the bill was cheap. The Browns ended up in the loss column despite a vallient comeback effort. The loss does not bode well for their playoff aspirations. The rest of the day we all relaxed and I caught up on some much needed sleep.

One of the many taverns in Erie, PA.

Erie, PA

The rest of the week I was free of the responsibilities of teaching and coaching at the “H”. I love my job but the break was much needed and well timed. Not much too specifically report. In general a few of the favorite watering holes were visited with the usual crew including some old favorites who were back in town for the holidays.

On Friday, Buff, Lex, and I hit the road to Erie, we left later in the day in order to avoid traffic, other drivers, and beat an impending snow attack that was heading to Erie. It was a marathon effort. We left around 4pm Central and arrived in Erie around 6 in am on Saturday. A good effort by all in the driving category. This maneuver allowed us to enjoy the Saturday in Erie after a power nap.

We visited with the family most of the day between naps and eating. A successful visit my hometown entails how many of the old eating and drinking establishments are visited while in town. One of the first visits is an Italian sub at Theresa’s Deli. I eat it toasted and with plenty of Italian dressing. The sub is huge and cheap. I have trouble eating the whole thing. Do not be confused here; don’t let “trouble” be associated with “can’t”. Let’s be honest, I knock the whole thing down, but a nap is usually right around the corner.

Theresa's Deli

After some visiting with the “wiser”, read older, members of the family the “cousin crew” went out to some local watering holes. One of my favorites is the Plymouth Tavern. It is a staple of the Erie community and over the holidays it acts a meeting place for running into old friends who either still live in town or are back to visit. We ran into a number of people including one of my old neighbors, classmates from grade school, and teaching colleague of my uncle Ron, Kathy. She was with her husband and we shared some drinks and stories and generally hung out. Seeing old friends and hanging with the Stephany girls (Running five deep) made a fun night. As a small note, an evening of eating and drinking at an Erie bar with over six people, six Stephanys, ran a tab of around $70 bucks. Ridiculously cheap. That is a tab I did not mind covering at all!

The Plymouth Tavern in downtown Erie!

The Cousin Crew running five Stephany girls deep.

After a long night of drinking one usually “requires” a late night snack or “snicket” to tide you over till the morning. We discussed a few spots but when your aunt, “The Goat”, runs a catering place you have an obvious place to go. Besides we would be able to visit and hang out with the family. I laid waste to the cookies my cousin Chrissie made. I ate like a piggy!!!

Late night snacks at Club Goat!

Memphis, TN

I finished out the week of midterms at school. The history mid term was second to last. This makes grading a pain in the arse but it allows me to go first for finals which in turn allows more fun droning BBQ Fest. I wonder how may of my high school teachers brokered deals to allow themselves to party more?

Duke signee, Elliot Williams

I went with R. Barcuch and Big Kat to the St. George’s vs. Harding Academy basketball game. The game had at least three D I players on the floor. From St. George’s; Elliot Williams, signed with Duke (highlights), Bowers signed with Missouri(highlights), and Marlon Brown of Harding, only a junior. It was a fun game to watch. It is enjoyable to watch a game that I had no stake in. Not my friends team, not my current or former players, not my school. I need to do that more often. St. George’s had too much for Harding to handle. They will face each other again, a game I must see. On a side note, the Williams kid is just as good of a student(Over 30 ACT) as he is a basketball player, unfortunately very rare to see. Here is a nice article about his recruitment before he committed to Duke.

The triva talisman of Evil Petting Zoo

On Tuesday the members of Evil Petting Zoo, my trivia team in semi retirement, dusted off the pens and paper and threw itself in the mix at the P & H for some trivia. Unfortunately we could not shake off the rust and finished out of the top three and therefore out of the money. That being said we enjoyed the socializing, eats, and libations. For one of the rounds, ridiculously impossible, the lights needed had to be turned on in the P&H, rarely done, so I snapped some photos of the artwork of local Memphis characters circa @1980. Enjoy!

The "art" of the P&H

Pete and Kath ponders the trivial things of life.

Evil Petting Zoo, out answers, and out of beer!

Nashville, TN

It has been a long time since I last posted. The end of a semester is chaos at best and the holidays although quite fun, were ridiculously busy. Here are a few highlights from the latter parts of December.

The Sommet Center (It will always be the GEC to me)

I got a road trip in to catch the Memphis Tigers play in Nashville. The Sun Belt conference had two game showcase at the Sommet Center (Formerly the Gaylord Entertainment Center) in Nashville. Memphis played MTSU in the first game and Western Kentucky played the Volunteers of Tennessee in the nightcap. There were tons of Tigers fans from Memphis in town which gave the crowd a sort of NCAA tournament feel to it. The games were pretty good. Coach Calapari, in his pure marketing mode, seemed to enjoy the atmosphere also. The Tigers looked rusty after taking about 8 days off during finals. The Vols looked great, particularly J.P. Prince, a Memphis high school phenom, who played his first game in over a year after transferring Arizona after nearly dying. Check this article for more about that.

The crowd fills the stands

"Big Red" performs at a TV time out

I went up with Tusky, Big Kat, Steph, Marvin, and Christy. We went straight to the game after driving from Memphis. We hit a few of the music row establishments after the game for some food and some adult libations. We spent most of the time at Robert’s Western World. While in the bar we ran into Whitney E., a friend of mine from college who lives and teaches in Nashville.

O

Robert's Western World

A rainy view of Music Row in downtown Nashville

Once we got home form Nashville, I went over to Mr. Coach Eric Wells’ house to watch the Browns game which was played in blizzard conditions off the shores of Lake Erie. It was awesome to watch.

Memphis, TN

This week teachers and students alike were hunkering down for mid-terms. Both teams played on Monday and swept the games. The 8th grade almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. They played well but got sloppy breaking the press towards the end of the game. The 7th grade played well from tap to buzzer to pick up their first win of the year. After Monday’s game we shut down basketball until after mid-terms are over.

I met up with Buff and Matt for dinner at Fino’s. They were both finishing up finals. I know both had difficult semesters so I treated them to some Italian comfort food. All three of us are looking forward to getting back to Erie and the family for the holidays. Later on I met up with Baruch for a couple of beers at the Bayou in midtown.

Thursday Mom, Dad, and I celebrated Big Mike’s birthday at Pearl’s Oyster House down on South Main. The gumbo served there is some of the best I have ever had. It was nice to celebrate with the folks. Big Mike is still really enjoying his return to education as a career, so there was much to celebrate this year!

Memphis, TN

On the Lord’s day I woke and went to Otherland’s Coffee Shop to get some grading done while sipping some much needed caffeine. Otherland's is always a place I can get some work done and run into to some friends. It is quite ironic that as my friend base ages I see them less in the bars and more in the coffee shops. My angry friends Tusky and Baruch hate coffee shops! Tusky describes them as place for cowards, who are, “… too afraid to go to bar at noon.” Baruch describes them as a place for pseudo-intellectuals. Here is my opinion. For every “Ron Paul is God” and legalize marijuana conversation I overhear at a coffee shop I hear morons who know nothing about sports at bars. In the end people are people, who cares.

The Canadian Duck Man met me for breakfast at Barksdale’s. We walked from the coffee shop because despite being December 9th it was 70 degrees outside, and humid! Barksdale’s is a great breakfast spot right off of Cooper in Midtown, Memphis. Great cup of coffee, good service, and a great biscuit, the true mark of any breakfast joint in the south.

Brutally good movie

After watching some football games I met McGoogle at the movies to watch, “No Country For Old Men” by the Coen Brothers. Wow! What a movie! The end was a bit abrupt but the stark brutality and the acting was fantastic. The movie is based on the Cormac McCarthy book of the same name. One of the interesting things I read about the movie adaptation is that the dialogue is word for word from the book. The order of events is also exactly the same. I am not a film expert but I’m pretty sure these things are very rare.

Memphis, TN

I did have much free time this week. The teams I coach had three games this week. We struggled mightily. The 8th grade team finally put it together for a big win against their archrival the Turkey’s. Yes, you read that right. The Turkeys hail from one of the other all-girls’ schools in town. Despite the losses the 7th grade team is making progress and continues to get better with each game they play.

On Wednesday the gang from the BBQ I belong to, Magically Piglicious, assembled for our initial organizational Memphis in May meeting at Old Zinnie’s. This meeting actually had more than just two members present, so as a result more beer was consumed and business actually got done. It is a good crew and since it is our fourth year it runs quite well. After the meeting I met up JC and my sis, who was in town for a couple of days to baby-sit for friends. I good time was had by all!

The pre-fab Irish bar in East Jesus, Memphis

Saturday, I met up with Tusky and Baruch, the rock n’ roll accountant for a few drinks at the East Jesus location of Dan McGuiness. The Stephany cousins met us there. It was good to blow off some steam fro the busy preceding week.

West Memphis, AR and Memphis, TN

I went over to the Big Kat’s house to watch some the conference championship games with him and Steph. It is always a good time at their place. Steph spoiled us with what Big Kat calls his proletariat meal a.k.a. “Meal of the People”. That meal consists of mini corn dogs and tater tots. It was his favorite meal while he was at the “H”. I had gone on a beer run to the Walgreens in West Memphis, AR for one of my favorite breweries, New Belgium Brewery out of Fort Collins, Colorado. I picked up a six pack of their winter ale, called “2 Below”. I had about three but had to stop because it really packed a wallop. My favorite brand they brew is another one of their seasonal brews, “Skinny Dip”.

Winter Seasonal beer.

Why West Memphis you ask? Two reasons main reasons. One, New Belgium Brewery does not distribute to east of the Mississippi. They are not the only brewery to follow this policy. Coors has a similar story back in the 80’s. Since West Memphis is across the Mississippi River it is technically a western region so it has these harder to get beer brands. Secondly, the Walgreens, off the Missouri street exit of I-40, is a sort of bonanza for beer, wine, and liquor. The prices are cheep and the stock pretty complete. In the end the Walgreens is great for a specialty buy or buying bulk for parties. I make the run about once a month. While I’m over there I load up on groceries and fill up the car with gas. All of which is cheaper due to Arkansas’ tax set up. Hey some people shop for clothes I shop for beer. If you read this blog at all regularly this should come as no big surprise. As a side bonus the transportation of beer across state line is technically illegal. This law is not really enforced, but the thrill of “breaking the law” makes the endeavor that more fun!

My favorite beer out of the New Belgium stable, Skinny Dip