I was one of the 2 million+ folks at the Phillies World Series Championship Parade on Friday. Well, I should say that I was part of the crowd as I didn't actually see the parade. We arrived at the train station about 2-1/2 hours before the parade was set to start. Train after train after train blew by the station, full of people from further up the route. The newspaper and radio told everyone to take regional rail, and this time everyone listened. From what I heard the roads were empty. Anyway, we finally boarded a train at about 11:20 only to arrive in Center City Philly about 20 minutes after the parade had past. So we just walked around to be part of the crowd. Here are some photos of the day. The trip home was mostly standing in line for a train for 2 hours, then being packed like sardines in the train.

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

From After the Phillies Parade

Phillies Win the World Series!!!!

Homebrewing Update: Last Friday I took the day off to homebrew what will become a Bourbon Barrel Porter (with some vanilla). This is the first time I've tried this recipe and also buying the ingredients from Northern Brewer. The ingredients were top-notch, and I recommend you try them if you're going to homebrew. Basically, I make the porter with the kit ingredients. The "bourbon barrel" comes from the Maker's Mark bourbon I bought and the 2 oz. of smoked oak cubes that came with the kit. While the beer in the primary fermenter (a 7 gallon plastic pail with a lid and airlock), the oak cubes are soaking in 8 oz. of bourbon. Next week I'll transfer the beer from one pail to another (the secondary fermenter) and add the oak cubes & the bourbon in which they're soaking, and one cut-up vanilla bean. I might add 8 oz. more of bourbon. That will sit for at least a week, maybe two, then I'll bottle it. I'm expecting it to be ready for drinking around the New Year, and it will get better as it ages. (The chocolate stout I brewed last year is really getting better with age - I just don't have much left!)

Running: I've been running about 4.5 miles two to three times a week, and did some speed work at the track earlier in the month. I ran a 5K last Sunday and improved my time by about 45 seconds. I'm happy with my results as its showing that I am getting back to where I left off before the stress fracture. The race on Sunday was the same race from last year when I realized that something was really wrong with my leg.

Wednesday Weirdness #27

1.) As an adult, do you do anything for Halloween or is it jut another day? We do decorate the house a bit and put on scary music/sound effects while passing out candy.

2.) Do you ever dress up for Halloween? What will be your costume this year? We really haven't gone to a Halloween party in a few years.

3.) Have you started Christmas shopping yet? When do you usually begin? Sort of. I started thinking about what I'm going to give but I haven't bought anything yet.

4.) Do you look people in the eye when talking? Does it bother you when people don't make eye contact during conversation? That depends. One thing that bothers me is when the other person has a lazy eye. I mean, which eye do I look at? Are they offended that I'm looking back and forth between the good and the lazy eye? I also have trouble looking at women that I have a thing for in the eye. There's this girl at work that I've crushed over since I met her. We talk occasionally about work and stuff, and I just have a tough time looking into her eyes - I just start to melt. Same with the girl that I see at races at all the time.

5.) What excuse do you usually use when you want to take a day off work for no real reason? I don't think I've ever had to come up with a reason. I just tell my manager that I'm taking the day off.

6.) How often, on average, do you find yourself thinking about sex per day? The question should be "How often do I find myself not thinking about sex?" And the answer would be "Not much!"

7.) What company makes your favorite brand of shoes? What makes them your favorite? I have Doc Marten's and Sperry Topsiders that I wear all the time. The Doc's are comfortable, and the Topsiders (not the plain old deck shoes) are the preppy thing to wear. (Yep, I read the The Official Preppy Handbook as a teen). For running, I wear the Brooks Beast. I'm not a heavy runner, I just need the support that it offers since the fracture. Before that it was Asics all the way! As far as women's shoes go, I do love Nine Wests!

8.) Do you ever save alcohol bottles once they are empty? I do have a small collection of beer bottles that have either a strange shape or patterns in the glass.

9.) Do you enjoy musicals? "Maria. I just met a girl named Maria." Some I do, some I don't. Don't get me started on "Xanadu".

Back to Beer Basics

On the way home from work yesterday I was listening to this story about beer short-servings on NPR, which was based on this blog article. Apparently, some establishments are using glasses that aren't holding 16 ounces and still calling them "pints". The Wall Street Journal also did a column about this earlier this year. "What's up with that?!" to be colloquial. If the menu says "pint", serve me 16 ounces of beer. Or at least add a disclaimer like they do at McDonalds. I used to think draught beer was more economical. If I order by bottle, at least, I know how much is in it.

More importantly, which presidential candidate will address this issue?! Is this an "elitist" issue, or one for "Joe the Plumber"? Is this a "hidden tax" that can be eliminated (or propped up?) by a socialist regime? Are they just going to put lipstick on it and then find some way-better looking & acting comedienne to bring it to our nations attention (Tina Fey really does have a better stage presence)? (Don't ask me where I'm going with this, I'm just rambling.) Is this the Red Tide of Communism's way making its way back into our country? Is this what makes some parts of our country "un-American"? I say its time to stand up for our rights as tax-paying, of-legal-drinking-age, non-drunk-driving, drinking-responsible citizens and fight back to get what we paid for.

Its been a weird Wednesday so far - the very windy weather we've had since yesterday is playing all sorts of games with the power lines. I'm running around like a headless chicken trying to keep things running.

WW #26: Wednesday Weirdness- Happy Birthday Edition

1. Is there a particular birthday that you are dreading (ex: 40th) why? No. Actually my birthday is on Friday and I've already past 20, 30, and 40. No worries here on this one.

2. What is your favorite birthday memory? The one that stands out the most was when I turned 22. I was in college and we just had a big Physical Chemistry exam in the evening. Most of the class went out to get pizza a beer. It was getting late and my roommate and I decided to leave. On the way out, he "casually" mentions to the group that it was my birthday. D'oh! They pulled me back in, lined up the shots of various liquors, and I proceeded to get pretty damn drunk.

3. What was the best birthday present you ever received? The worst? I'll pass on this one as nothing in particular sticks out in my memory. However, since it is my birthday on Friday, you could send me a picture or two, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, grin, grin - and I'll do my best to make the most of them!! And I'm taking the day off to brew beer.

4. Frosting roses: Love them or hate them? Depends on what they're made of: butter cream - yes; Crisco and sugar - no!

5. Do you like when people make a big deal out of your birthday, or do you prefer a quiet or no celebration? I prefer smaller celebrations to big ones.

6. Surprise parties; Good or Evil? Good! I like a good surprise every now and again.

7. Bonus Question: Over at Casa ASM, it is traditional for the birthday boy or girl to get carte blanche in the bedroom that night. Who and/or what would you choose for birthday bedroom carte blanche? See yesterday's post.

Pervy Thoughts

I recently found my way to the Public Disgrace site (definitely NSFW). The idea behind the site is "women bound, stripped and punished in public". The preview clips show scenes of women being tied up in various positions and having a lot of different things done to her by men and women while in very public locations or staged scenes with many people. I don't really care for the scenes that were shot in public locations. The look on the faces of the people that weren't part of the cast go from complete disgust to complete enjoyment. Which to me is a distraction from the action going on between the cast members.

I do like the scenes where everyone is part of the cast. One of the videos is at a house where a dinner party is going on. The girl that is the object of the party is brought out in lingerie while everyone is dressed. She has to accept anything that the guests care to do to her. In one scene she's bound, put on the table where everyone is eating, and the various guests stimulate, slap, and abuse her as they wish. Everyone is obviously having a good time.

This is where my pervy thoughts come in. I'd love to change places with her! The story would start like other fantasies that I've posted - I'm out shopping for women's clothes and I'm caught by one or more women. They proceed to verbally humiliate me in the store and then lead me away to some house where there's other people gathered for the dinner party. They bring me in to the house secretly and take me up to the bathroom. They disrobe me, make sure I'm shaved completely from the neck down, then dress me up in the clothes I've just bought. They lead me down to the party on a leash with a ball-gag in my mouth, and have me serve the guests. At first they laugh at me and verbally humiliate me. I'm forced to kiss and lick the womens' feet. Later they become more physical - groping and fondling, and exposing me. As in the videos, this eventually leads to me being tied up or suspended in various positions while the women fuck me with hand-held and strap-on dildos and vibrators. I'm blindfolded and forced to suck cocks. Eventually after everyone has had their way with me, I'm tied up in some odd position, a strong vibrator is put in my ass, the women put their feet on my face and body, and then I'm forced to cum while everyone watches.

Yep, pervy thoughts for Monday. Any of the women readers want to share a picture or two of your feet, in heels or not, with me?

TMI Tuesday #156 - Foresight

1. What do you do that sends a clear signal to your partner that you're interested in an intimate evening? If we're on the couch watching TV or reading, I'll grab her legs, put her feet on my lap and give her a foot & leg massage. If we're in bed, copious amounts of me fondling her gets her attention.

2. How important is foreplay to an exciting evening? Very. I like the long and drawn out kind of foreplay. The kind that starts with some nuzzling and kissing as we're getting ready to go out for dinner to build excitement.

3. What is the first thing you do during foreplay or what is the first thing you like done to you? As mentioned in #1, I like massaging her feet and legs. That usually leads her to using her feet on my dick. And that always feels good!

4. Are you a one and done kind of partner (20 minutes or so) or do you like intimacy sessions longer than 60 minutes? The longer the better!!

BONUS: If you are interested in sex with a same-sex partner, what would be the first thing you'd like to touch on that other person, and why? (For those already in same sex relationships...what was the first thing you touched, or if you were interested in a relationship with the opposite sex, what would be the first thing you touched?) I'm not in a same-sex relationship, nor have I ever been. If I were, then it would have to be our dicks. I mean, I don't find the same body parts attractive on a man as a woman.

All is well, the Blogrolling.com site is back up and running (sometime Saturday I think). Move along, do not panic.

I read that someone has hacked into the Blogrolling.com website. Can I scream now?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of my links were there. Hopefully they will come back.

In the mean time, please leave a comment here so I can get back to your blog. Also, anyone know of a good Blogrolling substitute?

Wednesday Weirdness #24

1.) Do you think you're approachable? No. I'm a quiet sort of person that doesn't talk too much, and I think people that don't know me take this for arrogance. Conversely, if I'm out running I almost always get stopped by somebody asking for directions. Sometimes that can be a bad thing - during one run I was so wrapped up in the run that I gave out the wrong directions.

2.) Out of the two, would you rather be able to predict things before they happened or be able to read minds whenever you wanted to? Why? I'd rather be able to predict things. I mean, some thoughts are just not meant to be read.

3.) Have you ever kissed, fooled around or slept with an ex significant other AFTER you were already broken up? No.

4.) Do you believe dreams are your imagination running wild as you sleep, your subconscious showing you what's really on your mind or something else entirely? A bit of both and other things. I dream in color, and my dreams almost always have people from one time/place in my life mixed with people/places from other times/places. Things are familiar, but not exactly the way they should be. Like last night. I dreamed I was at college and at my current age. As I walked through campus, I noticed that they were building huge new dorms. The strange thing was that I was at one end of campus and the new buildings were way at the other end, although they appeared to be just behind the buildings in front of me.

5.) How often do you use cuss words? Does your use of cuss words vary on your moods or situations? Very little, and usually only when I get hurt, e.g., stub a toe or hit my finger with a hammer.

6.) Do you ever purposely lead people on so you can get what you want? No, I'm pretty open about what I want.

7.) When was the last time you did something you told yourself you wouldn't do? What was it? Remember that post from last week? I'm trying to forget it.

8.) If you could meet one musician who is no longer alive, who would it be? Mozart. I'm not sure the movie did him justice. I love his works - I can tell he was very full of life while composing them.

Haven't had a lot of time lately for blogging, so here's what's been going on lately:

Running: I ran three 5K's in the last two months. My times are averaging around 25 minutes. I can wish they were better as my best 5K time from before the tibia stress fracture was about 22 minutes. I know that consistent training will eventually improve my times, and my training has been anything but consistent lately. The first 5K in September was on a hilly course, so I was pleased with a time of 25:10. The next one was 9/27 on a very flat course, and my time was 25:17. I felt like crap that day for some reason. The third race was the next day on another hilly course, and my time was around 25:06. Lots of work to do...

MBA: Over the summer I studied for the GMAT as I'm planning to apply to a part-time MBA program this fall. Studying took a lot longer than I expected, and it really opened my eyes to how rusty my math skills have become since college 18 years ago. I took the GMAT last month, and my score was about what I expected, just above average. The toughest questions were in the data sufficiency category. A mathematical expression is given, then two more that might help solve it. You have to figure out if the first is sufficient, but not the second; if the second is sufficient, but not the first; if either is sufficient; if neither is sufficient; or if both together are needed. That's where I had problems in the practice book, and I'm sure that's where I faltered at the real test.

Anyway, now its on to the application process. There are three schools in the Philly area to which I'm applying, LaSalle, St. Joseph's, and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. My GMAT score is above all of the schools' average GMAT, it just my undergrad GPA that I'm worried about as it was slightly below a 3.0. One of the programs I'm confident that I'll be admitted to. The other two are stretches, as near as I can figure, as they require an essay and letters of recommendation. I've started on the essay and need to ask a few folks for the recommendations. And hopefully my employer will still pay my tuition when the time comes.

Homebrewing: I'm getting that itch to homebrew again as I'm down to about 12 bottles of the last batch I brewed over the last Christmas vacation. I'm thinking of a bourbon barrel porter. I found the recipe on one of the many brewing websites. Instead of fermenting in an actual bourbon barrel, oak chips that were soaked in bourbon and some bourbon are added to the wort during the second fermentation. I read that a few folks also added a couple vanilla beans in there as well to add another complementary flavor. Mmm, that sounds good!

WW #23

Okay, so I'm a day late for Wednesday Weirdness. Here I go:

1.) Have you ever purchased an item of clothing and intentionally worn it with tags on it so that you could return it the next day? Nope, never.

2.) Would you rather be late to the party, or the first person to arrive? Why? I'm usually the first person to arrive. When the invite says "7PM", I'm there at 7PM and everyone else shows up at 7:45PM. I'm just a very prompt person. I guess the impression my Mom made upon me when I was a child stuck - she was never early or on time for anything, even church on Sunday.

3.) When do you usually begin your Christmas shopping? The beginning of November. Any earlier and I'd get those gifts confused with birthday gifts.

4.) What three cancelled tv shows do you wish they’d bring back? "Geeks & Freaks", "The Adventures of Pete and Pete", and "Johnny Sokko".

5.) What do you have in your vehicle's glove compartment? Insurance & registration papers, owner's manual, a few pens, and duct tape. I try to keep my car uncluttered.

6.) Have you ever donated blood? No. I'm a bit scared of needles and blood. I'm sure they'd have to pick me up off of the floor if I ever did.

7.) Have you ever kissed or dated someone else's significant other? What happened? I did kiss a married woman once. It was one of those things that seemed to be a good idea before it happened and turned out not to be. It was a few days before I moved from Indiana to Pennsylvania and she was taking me home from a bar where the folks from work took me out to have a "going away" party. I should have taken a ride with one of the guys that lived in my apartment complex. I had enough to drink that just did what I wanted to do without thinking about it. We're still e-mail friends, but its not the same as before.

8.) Have you ever mistaken one product for another while in the bathroom and didn't notice until after you used it? (EXAMPLE: Washing your hair with liquid body soap, slathering hand soap on your legs instead of lotion after a shower, et cetera) I'm sure I have at some time or another.

9.) Would you/Have you ever dated someone who had a criminal record? I haven't, and in the future it would depend on the crime. Murder - no; shoplifting - ok; tax evasion - no; drunk driving - maybe.

Hi everyone! It's been hella busy lately. I find myself here in a hotel room for one night on a business trip. Of course, if I'm in a hotel then I find myself really getting into some women's clothes, looking at porn, and having some fun! This trip is no exception. I just wish it were longer!!

My trip started off with me driving to northern New Jersey. Traffic - ugh! It was made more enjoyable by stopping at one of the many malls in the area for some shopping. The meeting wasn't until 2, so I had time for a diversion or two. Macy's always has sales going on, and it was fun sorting through all the different panties and bras. I bought two new panties and a matching bra (at least they do to me), and two packages of stockings (black and white). No reaction from either of the sales ladys there. I then went to Express for girl's jeans. The 20-ish girls were a bit giggly when I asked to try a few different pairs on. Didn't find anything that really fit well, but since I had their attention, I decided to have some fun. After trying on some of the less-than-obviously feminine jeans, I went for some very-feminine jeans and really chatted them up while in the dressing room. I left after a while and then went to NY&Co. The saleswomen were nicer, the jeans fit a bit better too, and I did buy a pair (and I think the older lady behind me was blushing as she had seen me go into the dressing room). Vicky's was next. Nothing today that caught my eye. I then went to the drug store to get some bubble bath, some neutral lipstick, and some scented body lotion.

The meeting for today went well, and off I headed to the hotel as there's another meeting tomorrow morning. Let the fun begin! First, it was a long, hot bubble bath. I then showered to shave some hair off of the parts that don't need hair. I put on some body lotion and dressed in the new bra, panty, stockings, and jeans, then put on a plain women's oxford and a pair of loafers with 1-1/2" heels. Off I went to get some dinner. The weather's been nice so I took a walk around a strip mall that had some shops and restaurants, stopping in at the shoe store, Banana Republic, The Gap, J. Jill, and the kitchen store. None of the stores were busy, and I do know at least three women noticed my outfit - the girl at the shoe store, a girl at BR with another girl, and a woman walking towards me on the sidewalk.

The shoe store girl was really nice. She noticed my shoes right away and asked me how I liked them (good sales tactic). I said I liked them as they fit well. She then started to show me some others like them, but I asked her about the pumps and sling-backs. Beautiful shoes, but none of them in my size. The girls at BR were funny. I could see them behind me in a mirror's reflection. The one girl was whispering to the other and pointing at me. I gave them a bit of a show by lifting my stockinged foot out of one shoe and bending my leg up to show it. They giggled some more and followed me around the shop for a short time. As I left that store another women walking towards me heard the click of my heels and looked up at me, then the heels, then at me again. A smile came across her face and I just said "Good evening" as we passed each other. I finally decided that I just wanted some coffee at Starbucks and stayed there awhile.

Now its hours later and I've been in my room looking at some porn for some time. I may need to get off soon (pun intended!)

This describes me perfectly!

Another phone photo from the Jenkintown Brewfest. We were looking at the girl in the skirt most of the afternoon as it was kind of windy and we were hoping her skirt would fly up. No such luck. I have no idea who the big guy on the right is.

I was at the Jenkintown Brewfest yesterday. Lots of brews to sample, some were very good, and some were good. All of them went down very easy as it was in the upper 80's and very high humidity.

Hey kids! Its been a busy week, so please excuse the lack of new & interesting posts. Here's a few notes of what's been going on:


The remnants of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hanna that past through the Philly region on Saturday was a much needed relief from the mini-drought that we've had. I didn't mind the rain at all - it gave me a chance to spend some time on the sofa watching football for a change.


I've been running more and more. My leg still has some soreness, but none of the tell-tale swelling or tenderness that would indicate a return of the stress fracture. I ran a 5K race last Sunday, the first in almost a year. I ran it in 25:04 and struggled to maintain a consistent pace during the last mile. On the bright side, I did win 3rd place in my age group, 40-44 males. Lots of work needed to get back to pre-injury state.

My 10-year anniversary at work will be in a couple of months. They sent me an e-mail to pick out a gift. I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say, but the selection is pretty lame. I still have the watch from my 5-year anniversary, and I don't really want/need a mantle clock, luggage, and golf clubs. The telescope caught my eye, and after reading poor reviews on the Internet about it, its off the list. Same for the bike (not made anymore) and the GPS (poor reviews). The list boils down to a Sony Playstation 2 or a Canon PowerShot A580. I'd really go for a Wii or a Nikon D40 if offered.

TMI Tuesday #151

1. Describe the perfect date for YOURSELF... what you would enjoy most. Dinner at a nice restaurant then going to a brewpub or a tavern with a good selection of draught beer.

• Restaurants: Alma de Cuba, the Continental Midtown, Amada, El Vez, Fogo De Chao. Maybe even Cereality or the Silk City Diner.
• Beer: The Standard Tap, Jose Pistola's, the Memphis Taproom, Nodding Head Brewery, and Dock Street Beer.
• Desert: The Naked Chocolate Cafe, Capogrio Gelato, or the Franklin Fountain.

2. Do you lean more toward being submissive or dominant? Submissive.

3. What do you usually wear to bed? Boxers and a t-shirt, winter or summer.

4. Have you ever seen a counselor? Yes. It was when I was coming to grips with crossdressing. I was having a lot of mixed feelings about it, and then when I told her about it I decided to get some help.

5. Lights on or off?: I like them off when we're in the throws of passion - I'm much more tactile than visual.

Bonus: Have you or a partner ever faked an orgasm? I don't think so. Its pretty obvious if a guy doesn't have one, and I can't say that I've never finished a race I've started, so to speak. I can tell when she has them - very hot hands and contractions.

Wednesday Weirdness #18

1. How often do you talk to your siblings? About once a week we chat away on a teleconference as none of us lives near another.

2. How well do you deal when given an ultimatum? Um, er, well, I'm not really sure I can answer that if I don't have to...

3. Have you ever dated someone or had a lover who had an emotional or mental disorder? Not that I knew of.

4. How do you feel about crossdressing? I'm a card-carrying member of the club!! I love doing so. Why should only women be allowed to wear the nice clothes? Panties - check; pantyhose/stockings - check; heels - check; bra - check; nicer looking pants & jeans and shirts - check. I haven't written much about crossdressing lately; I need to do so.

5. Have you ever lied about the number of sexual partners you have had to someone? Why? No. Nobody's really ever asked, and, you know, "don't ask, don't tell."

6. Does your significant other have the same political and religious views that you do? How often do you discuss politics and religion with them? We have the same religious views, and similar political views, but not exactly the same. We don't talk about either much. I'm not much of a politico. Just give me an issue to vote on and I'll do so. Debating politics is futile.

7. What sport, if any, do you find to be most boring? Watching - golf. I just can't get into it. Playing - tennis. I'm not very good so its usually a hopeless endeavor.

8. Have you ever honestly peed in the pool? Nope, never. The ocean - many times.

As seen over at Bunny's:

Your result for The Calvin Or Hobbes Test...

Almost All Hobbes
You are 10% Calvin and 90% Hobbes

You're a clever tiger with a dash of little boy. A bit pessimistic about human nature, you think most people would be better as meals than as friends, and maybe you're right. At least, I've known several guys who fit that description. But your cannabalistic streak notwithstanding, you're a sensitive, (mostly) patient, and supportive friend. You have a few wild ideas here and there, but over all, you're quite sensible. Finally, my guess is you're the kind of person who gets along well with others, but who really needs space to be alone, like me.

Take The Calvin Or Hobbes Test at HelloQuizzy

Hold the Press!

Last week I reviewed a sample of Tcho's "Fruity" chocolate. Since then I received a sample of their "Nutty" flavor and need to add our review to give you a better picture of the three types. Contrary to its name, Nutty, the chocolate does not contain any nuts. In fact, the only difference between the varieties, as far as I can discern, is the source of the cacao bean. The other ingredients listed on all three packages are the same. I'm sure the relative amounts of the other ingredients are different between the types as they have different textures and hardness.

We first sampled Nutty then compared it to Fruity and Chocolatey. We both had similar impressions. Nutty has a very intense bittersweet chocolate aroma and flavor, much more than the others. We didn't notice any nutty flavor or aroma like one would eating a chocolate bar with almonds. This is in contrast to the hint of raisin in Fruity and the fudgey taste of Chocolatey. Nutty's texture was much more firm and brittle compared to the others. All three were at room temperature, so that was not a factor. The smaller squares of Nutty didn't break off along the indentations of the larger piece as one would expect; it pretty much broke where my fingers were grabbing it. Fruity was the least firm, breaking off cleanly at the indentations.

Of the three, our taste preference is Nutty - we just love the stronger, more intense flavor, then Chocolatey, and Fruity last. Texture preference goes to Chocolatey, then Nutty, and Fruity last.

This kind of taste testing, sampling similar varieties of the same food, is very enjoyable. I do the same with beer occasionally. Its interesting to see how similar or dissimilar a single variety of food is when made by either one manufacturer or several. Sometimes when I go to a new brewpub I'll order the sampler of all the different beer that they brew to see if they all taste the same or if they really worked on perfecting the various styles. Similarly, sampling the same type of beer, wheat beers for example, from a variety of breweries really brings out how they each interpreted that style.

Which reminds me, I should have paired the Nutty chocolate with a good porter. Back to the table...

Tcho Chocolate "Fruity"

I recently enjoyed another sample of chocolate from chocolatier Tcho, this time a sample of the "Fruity" kind. (See here for my post on "Chocolatey") As before, the "Fruity" chocolate came in the small brown wrapper and contained two large squares of chocolate with small sections to make dividing easier. The nose knows, so once I opened the package, I deeply inhaled the aroma. Wow! I'm glad I was sitting down - pure heaven! If only someone would make a perfume that smelled like chocolate you'd have to beat me away from it... Anyway, the aroma reminded me somewhat of a deep red wine mixed with bittersweet chocolate. Very good IMO. I took a piece out, and here's where I wished I had not left the package in a warm part of the kitchen. It wasn't melty, but just didn't have that kind of crisp snap that I like. Leaving it in the fridge would have helped, but the cold would have also dampened the aroma and taste. I put the piece in my mouth and just let it sit there to melt. That's how I like to savor good chocolate - just let it melt without any chewing (the cheap stuff I chew right down). Mmmm, bittersweet chocolate with a hint of raisins. It melted well on my tongue and sent waves of the same aroma through my nose.

How does "Fruity" compare with "Chocolatey"? I definitely liked "Chocolatey" better. "Fruity" is excellent chocolate, mind you, its just that I'm a chocoholic. I'd pick "Fruity" over just about any other solid chocolate bar, except for "Chocolatey". I like raisins just as raisins, not mixed in cookies or bread. Not that the taste of raisins is overpowering in "Fruity", it isn't, but given the choice "Chocolatey" it is.

Not sure when Tcho is going from the beta phase of manufacturing to full production. Not too long I hope. I do hope they make a powdered chocolate - I'm itching to improve my chocolate stout recipe!

WW #17

1.) You just bought a snazzy new leather jacket for an awesome price at the local outlet shop. When you got it home you found $2000 (cash) in the jacket's inner pocket. What are you going to do? I'd call the store and tell them that I found "something" in the jacket but not what it is. That way if someone does call the store to say they lost something, they would need to identify it first. Otherwise, the store clerk could falsely claim that a "customer" did call it in and claim the money for themselves.

2.) If you could change or eliminate one wedding tradition, what would it be? What is your favorite wedding tradition? I would eliminate having to invite every relative that your parents say you have to invite. I mean, if I haven't seen these people since I was a baby, inviting them to my wedding would do nothing for me. If my parents want to invite them just because they sent me a blanket when I was a newborn, let them have their own party. My favorite tradition: Food! Be it a buffet or a sit-down dinner, I love the food! Oh, and seeing the hot women dressed to the 9's is another perk.

3.)If you were on Gilligan’s Island, who would you want to share your hut with? Who would you consider it torture to have to share a hut with? I'd love to share my hut with Ginger! I love the name, and she knew how to dress to catch my eye. It'd be torture to share it with Lovey - just not my cup of tea.

4.) Have you ever called your current significant other by another name at any point? What happened? Nope, not that I can remember.

5.) If you were going to be famous under a stage name, what would you pick your stage name to be? Why? Sheen Estevez. Er, wait, that's where I got my blog persona - from the character in Jimmy Neutron. What do you want to be famous doing? I'd like to be a famous race car driver, runner, brewer, or, if I could really pull it off well, a famous crossdresser. Any suggestions for name?!

6.) During sex, do you ever fantasize about someone other than your partner? Not yet. She keeps me pretty busy to be thinking about someone else.

7.) Which is worse, being in a place that is too loud, or too quiet? Too loud. I don't mind silence. Too much noise gives me a headache.

Hey fellow bloggers and bloggettes, here's something important that I want you to be aware of: Pints for Prostates.

"Pints for Prostates is a grassroots effort to reach men with a critical message about prostate cancer screening using the universal language of beer.

Started by prostate cancer survivor and drinks journalist Rick Lyke, the goal of the program is to communicate with men in a friendly and non-threatening way about the need for regular PSA testing.

All funds raised by Pints for Prostates go directly to Us TOO International to assist with that group’s support, education and advocacy efforts."

Men: If you are over 40, the next time you lift a pint, think about getting screened. Here's more information from the FDA on prostate health. And masturbation may help decrease your risk per this article from the BBC and this one from Columbia University.

Women: Here's what you need to know. And help you guy out every now and then, you know, just to keep him healthy!

Vacation Pictures

Here's a few pictures from vacation for your enjoyment:

Lobsters at the local fish market.

Some minor flooding after the rain.

Hooper: "That's a twenty footer."

Quint: "Twenty-five. Three tons of him."

Brody: "You're gonna need a bigger boat."

Ice cream!!

The fog.....

Not me.

Avalon at dusk.

The "White House" of Avalon, also seen here by Jessica.

Going into Atlantic City. "Are you gettin' any?"

The Irish Pub in Atlantic City. A "must" if you're ever there.

Back from vacation!

I’m finally back from vacation. That was one of the longer vacations I’ve taken in more than a few years, 9 days. This may sound strange, but it seemed to be almost too long. I left on Saturday July 26 and returned on Sunday August 3. Jumping from work to vacation then back to work without any buffer is kind of stressful. But I shouldn’t complain.

I was in Avalon, New Jersey for the week. It started out rainy and there was some small hail during one of the thunderstorms. By the middle of the week fog set in as the ocean temperatures have been unusually cold for this time of year. Definitely experienced some shrinkage when swimming in the ocean! Thursday through Sunday were gorgeous – hot and sunny. As usual I was on the he Vacation Diet: Seafood, beer, and ice cream everyday. I did run a few times and walked a lot, so I don’t think I gained any weight. One place had a special on Budweiser bottles for $0.75, so we couldn’t pass that up. I also had some Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager and Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale – both were very delicious!

The cell phone camera pictures that I sent in to the blog came out better than I thought. Not as crisp as the digital camera photos I’ll post one of these days, but good enough. Funny thing about going to the shore once a year – girls look a lot older from a distance. As one sits on the sand a looks at a bikini-clad female from a distance, one thinks “Wow! She’s really fills that bikini well!” Then as she comes closer and closer, one realizes that she’s probably only fifteen or sixteen and a bit too young to be thinking pervy thoughts about. Oh well…

Courtesy of Esquire

What do you think?

You've gotta be here to enjoy this.

Mmm,bakery!

Vacation!

I'm going on vacation starting today! "Down the shore" as they say around these parts - down to the New Jersey shore for a week of sun, sand, beer, and ice cream. And I'll look for some lemon sherbert!

Wednesday Weirdness #13

1.) What material is your favorite for bed sheets? In the winter I like flannel - much warmer in the winter and sooo soft!

2.) How often do you masturbate? Not nearly as much as I used to or should. I do it at least once a week. It used to be an every day or several times a day affair. Occasionally I'll get a few days in a row in. Recent medical findings say that men should masturbate at least 5 times a week to keep the pipes clean and reduce the risk of prostate cancer. And it has to be masturbation for some reason as they found that sex doesn't do the trick as well. I find it not only cleans the pipes, it also clears my thoughts.

3.) What takes you the longest to do while showering? (IE shaving, washing hair, etc) Probably shaving when I do shave in the shower. I never really timed myself. I probably should to see how much water I'm using.

4.) What do you think is the right amount of foreplay? Do you spend enough time readying your partner for sex? I love foreplay! I could spend a lot more time on foreplay. I just love exploring her body. How much is too much? See #7.

5.) Who tends to initiate sex more when you are in a relationship? I do. She's initiated only a handful of times.

6.) What birth control do you use? Condoms. Neither of us wants to get an operation or have her take the pill. Anyway, condoms are interactive - when she's ready she puts it on me. And there are so many different varieties of them. I don't know if one style or another makes any difference to her, but its fun to change.

7.) What is one thing your partner could do in bed that would instantly turn you off? Be passive. I don't like it if she's just laying there not doing anything. It sends the signal "I'm not interested" or "I'm bored" which then turns me off.

At the Phillies game last weekend (7/12):

The Philly Phanatic!

A panorama of the stadium:

Philly as seen from the stadium:

Driving home. That's William Penn way up there on top of City Hall.

TMI Tuesday #143 - School Days Edition

1. What were you known as in HS (Jock, Princess, Geek) I was the geek, but not the uber geek that studied 3 languages and hung out in the A/V (audio/visual) room all the time. I didn't have much style and had ugly glasses. A knee injury kept me out of sports. I did have lots of friends in all of the other cliques, and I tutored the captain of the football team on physics and math. I did belong to a science fiction book club.

2. What were you really? Farmer Ted "Fresh breath is a priority in my life."

3. If you could go back and tell your 16 year old self one thing, what would it be? Don't take school or yourself so seriously. Sure, good grades are important, but remember to have fun while you're there. Stop and smell the roses.

4. If you could erase one moment from your school days what would it be? Not so much as a moment as an on-going thing - my best friend was dating this girl and over time was spending more time with her than with me. I didn't consciously realize I was jealous and I didn't treat her so well.

5. Who did you not date (or more) that you wish you did? I can think of a few, Carla, Bena, Nancy, Chris. The first three I had known since the 1st Grade. I didn't date any of them because we weren't in the same social circles and I was much too shy to ask any of them out. Even the girl that I took to the prom, I had a tough time asking her even though we were set up as my three friends were taking her three friends. And I was so absolutely terrified at not wanting to do anything wrong that I didn't do anything right. I had to be the worst date.

Bonus (as in optional): If you went to prom, describe your outfit. I wore a black tux, nothing over the top. Unless you include the people I was with. The other three guys wore whites tuxes with tails and top hats. We picked up our dates in an antique Roll Royce. It was a sight to see.

The Good and The Bad of the InBev Anheuser-Bush Deal

By now you may have already heard that InBev will be buying Anheuser-Bush for $52 billion to create the largest brewing company in the world. Whether this is good or bad largely depends on your point of view. As much as I don't like drinking A/B beverages (or SABMiller or Molson-Coors), I am disappointed to see the sale. I think this leaves Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams), Yuengling, and Sierra Nevada as the largest American-owned breweries.

Good:
-For the A/B shareholders: They'll be making a tidy profit by the sale. Hopefully one of the index mutual funds I own will too.
-For microbreweries: Many people that traditionally drank A/B beer because it was an American owned/operated/located company. Hopefully, those people may now say to themselves "Why should I drink a beer that supports a foreign company when I could drink a beer made by a locally owned & operated microbrewery?" (There's some false logic in there, which I'll get to later.)
-For A/B beer: Just maybe they might tinker with the existing formulas for the better, or more broadly market some of the “micro-brewed” beer that they already produce.

Bad:
For Americans in general:
-Another homegrown business sold to a foreign company. The breweries will stay, but the profits go to Europe.
-Jobs will probably be cut to some degree, although A/B had proposed a list of cost-cutting measures before being sold.
-The export market: Lots of folks overseas drink A/B beer as it is an import to them, just as we in the States drink beer from other countries. Some InBev whiz bean counter will say “ Why should we import Bud to Europe when we can just make it here and save on the shipping costs?” The “import” will then just be another domestic and sales might decline.

"Hi! gang at Cheers!" as the line goes. I hope that I haven't lost too many people with the sparce postings. Things have been super busy lately.

Feetman. Has anybody seen or heard from Feetman? He used to have several great blogs about the beauty of the female foot. He left a few comments on my Flickr account over the weekend. And what do you know? As I'm blogging about him, I checked my Yahoo Messenger and we're chatting. No new blogs :(

Tcho Chocolate. Remember waaayyy back in February's Valentine's Day post I mentioned Tcho Chocolate? No? Ok, I'll wait a few minutes for you to re-read it. Back? I recently ordered two of the "Chocolatey" flavor. Mmmm, mmm! Damn! That's good stuff! I'm not much of an artist when it comes to describing how things taste, so excuse this if it doesn't make a lot of sense. Its a dark chocolate, more on the bittersweet side than the milk-chocolatey or sugary. The flavor seems to develop as I keep it in my mouth to melt. At the $5 price point it is not an everyday chocolate bar, more for a special occasion. It would go great with a nice dark, malty porter.

4th of July. We had some rain this weekend, but it didn't spoil the parade. No Eagles cheerleaders in it this year :(

Lots of fire engines!

Can't forget the AOH!
The local gang.
And no parade is complete without Mummers!

Need to Keep Busy (or Waste Time)

Try going to Games With A Purpose, or GWAP. It has a few different games that you play on-line with a partner the computer selects. The games are different types of matching games, and the purpose behind them is to teach the computer. Its kind of neat, something different to try.