I hate it when..

I Hate it when:
~ the person in front of you in the 12 item express line has 22 items and all you want is milk
~ people in Church look at me when I don't shake anyone's hand at the sign of peace.. hands are filthy. I think I saw some old dude picking ear wax during the homily..yea I'll shake his hand.
~ Rheal Cormier comes in to pitch for the Phillies..because that mean we gave up and the game is over
~ I have 10 black socks in my drawer and none of them match
~ people go past the Stop here on red sign at an intersection
~ I pay 35.00 for a tank of gas when I know that could buy 2.5 cases of Miller High Life

To me. fall is synonymous with sweater weather. I don't like winter very much, but fall is a great season. The first cool night usually hits us in September sometime. You can see your breath outside. It reminds me of going back to school, Halloween, and playoff baseball. Now I sure hope that I am sitting in Citizen's Bank Park bundled up in late October, on the edge of my seat, waiting for the last pitch from Wagner's hand...and then sheer elation. I will be honest with you, I know I will be overcome with so much emotion that there is no doubt I will cry. I mean look at it this way. I have followed the Phillies for over 25 years. The good, the bad, and the atrocious. Lord knows the atrocities I have committed in 1993 over the last Phillies loss in the World Series still live in Juniata lore. Granted, there is nothing like summer, but Autumn has its beauty of the leaves, crisp air, and last bit of being outdoors before the snow and nasty cold of winter takes hold. I think I may have to go light a Pumpkin Spice candle now. I hate it when I have to rake those fallen leaves though. Start learning a foreign language today..Herbst is German for Fall and Oktoberfest is my idea of a viable reason to have intoxicants.

I don't want to be THAT guy..

Alright now we all now a THAT guy. The dad, uncle, family friend who looks like a horse's ass at all family functions. You know what I mean... The pants that are catholic school blue polyester. Just a smidge too short and way too tight. The short sleeve button up shirt that cannot have the top button done. The fat, short, tie that is striped red and and navy blue. To top off the ensemble, the old scuffed loafers that have set foot on the ground in 5 different decades. So what precipitated this? I have a bunch of weddings/christenings to attend in the near future where a nice new suit would be appropriate. Now I have a very nice suit, but only one... So I was worried about seeing all these pictures of these events 20 years down the line and realizing that I was wearing the same suit in each one, even though it is not a THAT guy suit.

In other news..if you live anywhere near Ambler, go to the Shanachie Pub. The website is shanachiepub.com. I went there for lunch today and it was awesome. Great food, great decor, and very clean. Granted I like Irish fare...and drink...but this is a very nice place. Live Irish music all weekend also. The Shanachie Pub is indeed a slice of Ireland in Ambler.

Charlie Brown

Now for a bit of imagery folks. Remember that Peanuts cartoon where Lucy pulls away the football that Charlie Brown is trying to kick..over and over. Well we as Phillies fans are Charlie Brown. The Phillies themselves are Lucy. We continue to get drawn into the Phillies web, only to have the ball pulled away from us in August or September. Doesn't Charlie eventually get to kick the ball (and the Phillies make the playoffs) ? I do not think this is asking too much. Small victories people. Now I don't just want to make it. Why not us? Why not now? This road trip will either sink us or keep us in the hunt.

On the quotable front...
~'Thick chicken scares me.'
~'Should I put the coffee in the refrigerator, or just on the desk?'
~'Want a beer?.....How 'bout some Ether?'

Farewell Hunter

My favorite writer, Hunter S. Thompson, was bid adieu today. He wished for his ashes to be shot out of a canon over his home in Colorado. His wish was complied with by his wife and a few select guests..Johnny Depp being one of them. The night I heard he died I was dumbfounded. I went out to the liquor store and bought a bottle of Hunter's favorite beverage, Wild Turkey. I put on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with Hunter's commentary, poured a drink for me and one for Hunter, and just enjoyed the movie and remembered Hunter. I do the same thing on Saint Patrick's Day. I pour a shot of Jameson for my grandfather, Tug McGraw, and myself.
As far as holidays go, Saint Patrick's Day is my second favorite. What I consider ideal is me drinking a beer immediately upon waking up. The smell of corned beed and cabbage emanating the house. I also like to listen to authentic Irish music on this night. Many of the local bars and clubs insist on having a fake Irish party. Green beer, stupid hats, bead necklaces, and no Irish music. This type of bar aggravates me and I have had some trouble locating a place that I can go to every year that will stick to Irish tradition.
I don't think you need to drink Irish beers or Irish food on Saint Patrick's Day. I think you just need to do what you enjoy. If Miller High Life is your thing, then have that. What makes it special for me is that you are part of something that helps you celebrate the people before you. The people who struggled for us today. The Irish forefathers that enabled us. It is a time for me to say thanks. I also have to admit it is a time for me to imbibe libations in mass quantities. I do it for the Celts!

Quotable...

I want to add a new facet to the blog...Quotations I feel that are worthy of publishing. Some may need a bit of background, some will explain themselves...or just be inexplicable.

~ ' Cherries are annoying.' This was due to the fact of them being such a pain to eat because of the pit inside.

~ ' It's still sunnish out, but it is raining.'

~'The pitcher had to come out of the game because his hat was too sweaty.'

I was re-reading my post about Drakkar and cologne in general. It made me think of how much scents can spark memories. A certain smell can bring you back to a certain place in time, a person, or time in your life. So I wanted to talk about a few that came to mind.

- Patchouli reminds me of Junior year of High School. Every time I smell it, I think back to the people I hung around with and have a lot of great memories hanging out with Eric, Steve, and Lipski. Nothing real specific, but just great memories.

- Tribe reminds me of my first date with Dana. I can still remember that day very vividly. I even bought the perfume online a while back . All I have to do to take me back to March 1,1992 is crack the bottle and take a whiff.

- Anyone who has ever played baseball I am sure can relate to this one. The smell of your glove. Now this one evokes alot of memories. I think the first thing that comes to mind is spring. That first nice day of the year when you can practice outside. Fresh cut grass. Dirt.

- A weird one, but anyone who has ever been to the Franklin Institute will remember the distinctive smell of the Human Heart room. I can sit here right now and recall that smell, school trips, and the careless days of youth.

- The smell os church incense of course reminds me of my time as an altar boy, and my lesson in how to extinguish a charcoal.

I am sure there are more. Do you have any instances where a scent or smell reminds you of someone, or some moment in your life? Apparently Will Smith did..cause he told me so in his song 'Summertime'..
" And as i think back it makes me wonder how
the smell froma grill could spark up nostalgia"
He also told me Girls are Nothin but Trouble and Parents Just Don't Understand...and I found girls to be delightful and my parent's understood just fine.

The four color pen

You were not cool in grade school unless you had a Bic 4 color pen. I just saw one tonight for the first time in about 15 years. My marble compositon book would have a page in blue, a page in green, red underlines... They were the coolest thing since the erasable pen. Ah yes the grade school days..it may be story time again kids. It was 1987. Seventh grade. I was an altar boy for two years by this point and always wanted to serve weddings and funerals. You got tipped for these affairs. So the normal procedure would be to go into Church and prepare the altar area for the funeral and also to light the charcoal brickette that was used in the incense urn. You had to light it about 30 minutes prior to mass so it was good and hot when the incense was poured on it by the priest when he blessed the coffin. So Jim and I were getting our act together and got to the charcoal lighting part. We tried to get one started and it just seemed to be damp and wouldn't catch for us. So we tried another. Same thing. It finally worked on the third one. We disposed the other two in the trash. We then went over to the other side of the to get our altar boy gear on. When we came back....the trash was smoldering. Panic was about to set in, because there was no sink in the sacristy. Wine was the only liquid...and at that age we thought the alcohol would inflame the smoldering can more. The Church sat on top of the school, so it was on the second floor. The bottom of the steps was the principal's office. So that was not a viable escpae route with a smoldering can. So we remembered we were guys...and that we had built in fire extinguishers. So yes folks..me and Jim urinated in the can to put out the fire in Church. Luckily it was not that big and we had enough 'liquid' to stop the smoldering. I guess when I ask 'Why me God?', God may not have gotten over our urination in the Church sacristy. We were pretty proud of ourselves, so had a celebratory chug of the altar wine.

Goodbye Gene

I was just talking about the 1964 Phillies and as I signed on tonight I saw that the Phillies manager in 1964, Gene Mauch had passed away. Makes me want to know about him and the team more. I am real sure that this will jinx it, but every Phillies game that I went to this year and brought the grill, the Phillies have won.The grill is 6-0. As the game last Saturday ended, we started chanting in unison 'GRILL, GRILL, GRILL!!!' I am unbelievably superstitious. Borderline OCD. My routines have routines. It starts from when I wake up. Bathroom. Brush teeth. Left sock first. Pants. Shirt. Back to bathroom. Deodorant. Brush hair. Kiss wife. Cologne. It goes on and on. I think routines are good to have, so you don't forget anything. I also know exactly how long it takes me from getting up to walking out of the house. But sometimes it is almost frustrating because I feel like I have to do things in a certain order. Remember when Drakkar was THEE cologne to wear? I never did, but almost all my friends did from like 1988-1992. I think I was too busy saving up for a pair of Z. Cavaricci's. Chicks dig pants with the tag on the zipper.

Fabulous Firsts

Now I want to spend a little time and work on firsts. Like the first CD I ever bought with my own money was Green Day's Dookie. I am pretty sure the first album I ever bought with my own money was Thriller by MJ. The first 45 I ever remember buying was Billy Haley and The Comets Rock Around the Clock. I was a big Happy Days re-run fan I guess. I am not sure the first phillies game I ever went to and I am not even sure if my dad would remember. I guess I will just say it was game 6 in the 1980 World Series at the Vet. So many people say they were at that game, so I suppose on that particular day the Vet held close to 100,000 people. So leave your firsts as a comment, or don't leave them.. Remember when guys used to play on ice with sticks in a game called hockey? Well I hope that 2006 will be the year I am on Broad Street with a million other people who deserve a championship. The Flyers return and make 2005-2006 a memorable one for sports fans in Philly when we retake the Cup. I am going to exorcise the Phillies demons of 1964 by delving into a book called September Swoon. It is written about the 1964 season and the social climate of our city in that year. I know some about the foul year of our Lord 1964, but I want to know more. Its poetic to lose and be a Red Sox fan. Its cool to lose and be a Cubs fan. It flat out stinks to lose and be a Phillies fan. Why is this? What if we won it all in 64? Could that have been a turning point in the franchise? The team was just terrible after that until the mid to late 70s. Bunning and Short...Bunning and Short...

Moonlight Graham

I did not think of things this way until I went through the exit. The movie Field of Dreams flashed into my head. I stepped out of the door and into the cornfield. Knowing that once I left that I would never come back in the same way again. I only hope that something I did, said, or showed stays with each and every person in some way. I can only assume 4 years will bring alot of 'Remember whens....'. So I guess that is that. On the Remember When front.....Remember when you could get all types of cool candy at the local candy store or family pharmacy? I'm talking ten cent boxes of Lemonheads, Cherry Clan, Alexander the Grape, Fruit Imperials, Boston Baked Beans, and my favorite Mr. Melons.What were your favorite kid candies? Where did you get them? They were the kid equivalent of crack to me. Well Mr. Melons and baseball. I could go to the corner candy store and pick up Mr. Melons, a Whiffle Ball, and a pack of Topps stickers for my baseball sticker book. Man that store was the coolest. I could even trade in my doubles for extra's that Pat had. Pat was the owner of the store and she was also the crossing guard at the end of my street. There are no places like Pat's anymore. Norman Rockwell paints pictures of an Americana candy store like Pat's. Kids do not know what they are missing man.