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.