I (heart) NY

I just got done working out.  I like to watch Modern Marvels on Netfiix while I am attempting to forget that I don’t like to exercise.  During this last round I watched an episode on the history and building of the Empire State building.

This particular episode brought back memories of when my sister graduated from Swarthmore in 1997.  While my brother and I were in Pennsylvania for the event, we took a day to ‘tour’ New York.

The morning of the big day we bought tickets for the Peter Pan bus line that left Philly at 7 am.  Over the next two hours we traveled in relative silence, passing through the NJ turnpike into New York City.

Over the next six hours my brother and I did/visited the following:

• Went to Grand Central Station
• Took the ‘A’ train
• Observation deck of the Empire State Building
• Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
• Ate pretzels from a vendor
• The Rainbow Room
• Carnegie Hall
• Ate at a diner
• Listened to street musicians
• Said ‘hi’ to some rabbis
• Bought a ’silver’ jewerly box
• Saw a homeless guy make sweet love to himself
• Watched a living statue scare people
• Saw a man with AIDS asking for money. (We gave him some)
• Yelled, ‘Hey, youse guys!’  A number of people turned around.
• Went to central park.  (Damn that place is big!)
• Ate dirty water dogs at the park
• Took a nap under a tree in the park

During those six hours we literally ran from place to place so we see as much as we could.  This trip was really about saying that we did all things listed above.  Some of it was planned, some of it was not, but it was all very memorable.

I have a few good friends who live in New York now (hi kids!).  Our corporate offices are in New York, so I imagine that I will make it out there sometime to say hi to them.  I am sure they can show me a few things I missed…

And I can’t mention New York without mentioning Fester Peabody al Efreamei VI.  He taught me the term ‘dirty water dogs‘ and introduced me to Sabrett’s Onions n’ Sauce.

That’s it for now.

And so it goes.

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Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to Matthew A Rodriquez, one of my best buds and fellow Bookhouse boy.  One of the best things about Matt is his name, his middle name, or lack thereof.  You see, A is his middle ‘name’.  It is not short for any dumb-ass names like Anthony or Azzula.  A, as you all know, is an indefinite article.  You could correctly pronounce his name as Matthew, A Rodriquez.  Matt has many family members and it would not be fair to call him Matthew, The Rodriquez.  He is one of many, hence, A. 

So happy birthday Matt.

Oh, play around with the Bookhouse hyperlink.  It is something called a split link where part of the word takes you to a certain site, and another part to another site.  This is an example of some fancy-smancy HTML coding I developing to sell to some guy in Nigeria.  He said he has a lot of money for me if I do it. 

And so it goes.

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Rossman

So one of my best buddies, Ross, was in town.  It has been about two years since I saw him last.  He, along with two others and myself form a mysterious and secretative group call The Bookhouse Boys.  Let me tell you about it.

In 1992 or so, my friends Matt, Ev and Ross decided to go out drinking.  Nothing new there.  What else are a group of high school seniors and recently graduated kids going to do?  Here in Sacramento, it rains a bit.  This was one of those nights.  Long story short, we got our Mickey’s and headed out to Prarie City.  As I said, it was raining and being wet and drunk is not as fun as being dry and drunk.  We decided to go and knock on the door of this house owned by older couple.  My buddy Ev knew them.  We asked if it would not be too much trouble to into their old woodshed and drink.  They said, much to our surprise, go ahead.  There is some wood down there.  Just don’t burn the place down.  For the next five years we did almost all of our drinking down there.  Other than the four of us, only five or six others ever joined us during those days.  We had all sorts of great rules like, you have to bring at least two beers no one has ever had before.  We downed over 200 different kinds of beer.  Here is the best part.  We never removed a single bottle.  No joke, there must be over 1000 bottles down there. 

Where did the name Bookhouse Boys come from?  That is a blog for another time.

Anywho, Ross is on his way to take a new job in Tacoma.  Yeah!  At least he is on the west coast again. 

For those of you who read Dog Blog, Cassie seems to be doing better.  I don’t think she is going to get any better, but she has stablized.  I’ll keep you all posted.

And, I know you are all wondering, which beers did they have down there.  Here are all the ones I remember off the top of my head:

Airship AleAlleycat Amber Aktien-Brauerei Hell Amberbach American River Oatmeal Stout American River Vienna Amber Lager Anderson Valley Boonville Boont Amber Ale Anderson Valley Boonville Poleeko Gold Anheuser-Busch Black And Tan Ayinger Jahrhundert-Bier Bass & Co. Pale Ale Becks Beesting Honey Ale Belmont Brewing Co. Strawberry Blonde Big Red Ale Big Rock Magpie Ale Black Dog Ale Black Dog Honey Raspberry Ale Blueberry Ale Blue Herron Pale Ale Brasseurs Originale Beer Of Paris Budweiser Butte Creek Rolands Red Buzzard Breath Carmel Wheat Hefeweizen Cerveceria Del Pacifico Chimmy Cingcents Chimmy Premier Coors Original Coors Tail Fin Ale Copperhead Pale Ale Corona Extra Corsendonk Monks Brown Ale Cowboy Lager Damm Fine Beer Devil Mountain Black Honey Ale Die Blauen Squirrel El Dorado Ale Elk Mountain Amber Ale Erdinger Weissbier Estes Park Longs Peek Raspberry Wheat Estes Park Wild Honey Wheat Stinger Ale Eureka Black And Tan Faust Fischer D. Alsace Fram Boise Lambicras Ale Full Sail Ale George Killians Wilde’ Honey Georgia Wild Raspberry Ginneus Extra Stout Goldengate Wheat Ale Goose Island Blond Goose Island Honkers Ale Goose Island Kilgubbin Red Ale Grants India Pale Ale Grolsch Grolsch Amber Hassongs Haystack Black Heckler Brau Heineken Henry Weinhards Henry Weinhards Blackberry Wheat Henry Weinhards Honey Hefeweizen Henry Weinhards Ice Ale Henry Weinhards Red Henry Weinhards Walnut Stout Holzhausener Landbier Holsten Premium Hoopla Fischer Amber Humpback Ale Humpback Premium Honey Wheat Ice House Jamaca Brand Red Ale Jet City Ale Kokanee Labatts Blue Labatts Ice Lagunitas India Pale Ale Lagunitas Tacaloma Amber Ale Lake Tahoe Hefeweizen Lake Tahoe Kristall-Weizen Lake Tahoe Red Ale Lifemanns Frambozenbier Lost Coast White Beer Mac Tarnahans Amber Ale Mallard Bay Red Ale Maudite Ale Michelob Michelob Winter Brew Spice Ale Michelob Honey Lager Mickeys Mickeys Ice Mickeys Red Miller Genuine Draft Miller Original Miller Lite Miller Red Mississppi Mud Molson Export Ale Molson Gold Molson Ice Moosehead Mrs. Pluckers Malt Beverage Muenchener Murphys Irish Amber Naked Aspen Raspberry Wheat Napa Valley Ale Works Red Ale New Amsterdam India Dark Ale Nor Wester Blacksmith Porter Nor Wester Raspberry-Weisen Octoberfest Old Feziwig Ale Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout Oregon Blackberry Brew Oregon Hefeweizen Oregon Honey Beer Oregon India Pale Ale Oregon Wheatberry Beer Pacific Ridge Pale Ale Pacific Ridge Berry Wheat Beer Paulaner Munchen October Marzen Petes Wicked Ale Petes Wicked Maple Porter Petes Wicked Octoberfest Petes Wicked Pub Lager Petes Wicked Strawberry Blonde Petes Wicked Summer Brew Petes Wicked Winter Brew Phatboy Pinkers Munster Ale Pyramid Apricot Ale Pyramid Hefeweisen Rainer (Old) Rainer (New) Rainer Ale Railyard Ale Raincross Cream Ale Raspberry Redrum Ravensbrau Porter Rays Amber Lager Razor Edge Red Bone Red Lager Red Dog Red Hook Double Black Stout Red Nectar Ale Red Stripe Lager Red Tail Ale Red Wolf Rino Chasers American Ale Rino Chasers Lager Riverside Christmas Brew Riverside Pullman Pale Ale Riverside Seventh Street Stout Riverside Victoria Avenue Amber Ale Rods Rebble Rippin Beer Rogue Dead Guy Ale 1995 Rogue Dead Guy Ale 1996 Rogue Dead Guy Ale 1997 Rogue Old Crustatian Rowdys Perfect Amber Ale St. Ides Gold Premium St. Paulie Girl St. Stans Red Sky Ale St. Stans Whistle Stop Ale Salvator Samuel Adams Boston Lager Samuel Adams Creme Stout Samuel Adams Double Bock Samuel Adams Summer Ale Samuel Adams Winter Lager Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout Samuel Smiths Taddy Porter Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale San Andreas Earthquake Porter Saranac Adirondac Amber Saranac Black And Tan Saranac Pale Ale Saxers Lemon Lager Schnider Weisse Bier Scotts Ale 7Th St. Stout Shamnie Sine Sance Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Sierra Nevada Porter Slo Brewing Co. Brickhouse Extra Pale Ale Slo Brewing Co. Cole Porter Slo Brewing Co. Flying Dog Ale Spanish Peaks Honey Raspberry Ale Sparkys Golden Ale Spaten Spaten Optimator Spaten Premiere Spring St. Patrick Old English Spring St. Patrick Stout Star Raspberry Wheat Ale Stinelager Sutter Creek Powder House Ale Thomas Kemper Weizenberry Thomas Kemper White Timberline Blake Street Honey Ale Timberline Colorado Amber Ale Timberline Lemon Wheat Ale Truckee Amber Lager Truckee High Sierra Pilsner Tsintao Beer From China Two Dogs Lemon Brew Wacsteiner Premium Verum Watneys Creme Stout Watneys Red Barrel Weihenstephan Hefeweizen Weihenstephan Korbinian Weltenburger Kloster Asam-Bock Weltenburger Kloster Hefe-Weizen Hell Wheat Berry Beer Widmer Hefeweizen Wild Boar Wild Boar Special Amber

And so it goes.

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