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| | So why is Alton so fucking cool? In episode 3 of FoA 2 we get cut-to-comercial quotes from my favorite author, Douglas Adams, my favorite (non-Elizabethan) playwright, Tom Stoppard, and my fourth favorite stand-up comedian, Steven Wright. How does he do that? It s like he s making this show just for me!
So who s up for a Feasting on Asphalt roadtrip? We can probably skip the motorcycles, but at the very least we need to make it to Loman, Mississippi where we can find what is probably the best fried chicken on planet Earth. Not experiencing that before I die would be criminal.
Well anyway. Speaking of food. Meghan and I concurred that I may have produced my masterpeice dish this past week. I made kabobs. Sounds simple enough. But I had chicken, steak and vegetables (red onion, green and red bell peppers, green and yellow squash) each marinated in their own similar but seperate marinades. The marinades were made from a vinaigrette that I concocted myself and augmented by spices and herbs (including the King of Herbs, cilantro, and parsely and thyme that I grew myself). Everything grilled up beautifully. It was a simple yet perfect meal.
Speaking of food. I ve been making my Farmers Market rounds. Broad St last weekend. West Shore this weekend. So far the cheapest local vegetables I ve found was at Broad St. But today I picked up a cartoon of local nectarines at West Shore that was the sweetest, softest, juiciest fruit I have ever tasted. If it was open I would go back tomorrow for more. So, looks like I ll keep a rotation in place. Variety is the spice of life ya know.
Speaking of food. I have finally acquired a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. And I did so by maybe the least likely method possible. Bastius alerted me of an public auction in Linglestown where Geo s Restaurant had gone out of business. So we went and enjoyed the auction ambience. It was nice to see that auctioneers still use the incomprehensible tongue tangling gibberish that I fondly recalled from auctions and livestock markets from my childhood. Anyway, as I eyed possible assets for the coffee shop I spotted a Kitchen Aid mixer and managed to nab it for a song. Best of all... it actually works. So I ll be putting it to good use soon.
Perhaps the best part of the event was the dirt motel next to the restaurant. It was also being auctioned. Both were scheduled for demolition, so I mean everything was being auctioned... the spouting, the windows, the doors, the wiring. Everything. The nasty smoke stained contents of each room were being auctioned off a whole room at a time. Rooms were going for $5 a pop and I almost convinced John to split a room with me so that we could come back the next day with an ax and a baseball bat and just go to town! But alas we chickened out.
Well... finally getting off the food thing... Meghan is done with her job. And the coffee shop is looming large. The excitement continues to grow...
Enough for now.
-bampf
| | | This weekend was very much a painting weekend. And strangely enough I don t mean miniatures. Nope, the porch and steps got a healthy dose of paint. It s not done, but much progress was made.
This whole being an adult and getting up early and being responsible is taxing. Not sure how I got signed up for this shite. Ah, well. It helped me reclaim some of my manhood that Jamie stripped from me Thursday for having Meghan s mom out on her knees doing yardwork in a driving rain while I sat comfortably inside.
Saturday also marked the second trip to Jamie s place, where any remaining doubt about the existance of his wife was pretty much laid to rest. I gave Craps 101 seminar in preparation for their trip to Vegas and everyone seemed to have fun. But, and I cannot reiterate this enough... the Field is a sucker s bet!
-bampf | | | As part of the celebration of their 75th season as a professional football team, the Pittsburg Steelers have unveiled their new mascot...
Steely McBeam
Yeah. A giant yellow skinned horror in hardhat and overalls. Proving even a symbol of blue collared manliness can be the height of fucking gay!
A sad day to be a Stillers fan. At least we still have no cheerleaders.
-bampf | | | As of last night, Major League Baseball is dead forever. I am pledging to never watch another MLB game on TV or in person for the rest of my days. So there. Not like I watch baseball now, but I m making this pledge just in case (I did see a game in person last season). I will make a single caveat on this pledge: if and when I were to have kids I will re-evaluate this stance (I still carry a battered ticket stub buried deep in my wallet from a Phils-Braves game that my dad took me to in the 80s).
So there. No more needs be said about this activity that no longer exists.
As previously stated, the coffee shop is a done deal. I have signed the papers to purchase the Hard Bean Coffee Shop on Market St in Camp Hill. We will take over Sept 1. So plan on coming and visiting that Saturday. All of you. We re extremely excited and Meghan and I have been bouncing ideas off one another pretty much non-stop for the last few days.
To brush up on my elitist coffee enthusiast snobbery I made myself a nice big cup of joe today with my French press (and then befouled it with flavored cream and plenty of sugar... yeah, a true coffee snob would gag, but screw those jerks, I m a work in progress).
Probie is in and living the high life... I assume. At the very least the menu has been very good since he got here... steaks on the grill; grilled chicken with rice and African peanut soup; Alton s pan fried chicken and mashed potatoes; leftover beef stew... C mon, how do you beat that? I assume that all of his belongings have a nice thick layer of Aziz hair on them by now, so he should be more or less fully acclimated.
That s all for now.
-bampf | | | Before I reveal the earth-shaking Bampf news, just a random and completely unrelated observation: You know what group of people I hate more than anyone else on the planet? Not serial killers, not rapists, no not fascist despots or even damn dirty hippies... guys who use the restroom stalls to urinate in when there are perfectly usable urinals available. Is there a lower form of life on the planet? Seriously. What a bunch of self-important pieces of shit. Wankers.
OK, enough of that. The two big news items... first Operation Move Probie In seems to be coming to fruition. I d say over 90% of his belongings are downstairs now, including his bed... so I d say that is the clincher. He s stuck here now! Welcome to our nightmare, Probie!! Heh.
The other big news. I am on the verge of being a business owner. No I m not talking about the Guild or a game store. Meghan and I are buying a coffee shop in Camp Hill. It s an established, profittable business... and I love coffee. Also, the price is rock bottom cheap. Based on existing numbers we should recoup the initial investment within a year. Hard to beat that. It s kinda a big step, but I just think it would be cool. Will allow Meghan to quit her job and work there full time. More details to follow.
We re pretty excited about it. Personally my plan is to drink enough flavored lattes and frappucinos to make the investment worthwhile alone. I ll give you all more details soon. I expect everyone to come by and have a cup o joe once we take over.
-bampf |
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