This is before the crawl, getting Taylor to bed. I was just feeling silly. Shannon always complains about taking pictures of me because I can't do it without making a funny face.
This is Shannon on the crawl, doesn't she look lovely. Yes, she does. I'm not trying to kiss up for a new kilt, but I would really like one. Shannon said maybe for my birthday, I feel just like a little kid.
Here is Steve at Dino's. We started the evening off at Ryan's house. We got there a bit late so the pizza was lukewarm. We talked, tried to figure out who was driving where, and who was leaving a car by the Valley Inn. I was a little tired, so I drank a bottle of 'BAWLS' energy drink.
people were a little slow to show up at our first stop (Dino's), but at one point there is a line trying to get in the bar. We head over to Krayons, and I order a Guiness (go figure). They have to change kegs so I have to wait (it seems like forever), but then settle into our usual booth ( the same one every year). Steve hands me his phone and I talk to our friend Jeremy (he lives in Florida, poor bastard) he told me to have a drink for him (I can't remember if I did). The picture of the crowd is at The Brass Boar, also known as the bowling alley. Lots of people skip this bar and head straight to Don Jose's. The first year people didn't want to stop at Don's, but now it's a favorite stop (free chips and salsa).
Then we have a long walk to Spanky's, every year I say we should open a bar somewhere in between, but that's just the beer talking. Spanky's is packed, and people just keep coming. Ryan takes the ceremonial picture with the stripper pole. We try to get Becky or Angie to dance on the pole, but they said not without a disinfectant wipe.
Next we walked over to Doucets, and tried to get the bartenders to notice us. This is where the crawl starts to fall apart. Angie and Becky get tired of waiting for the bartenders and just go and sit down. Dave and Stacey pick $5.00 worth of music on the juke box. I see Steve standing by the door (his brother Phil is on the crawl in a wheelchair this year, he just had surgery), and I think Steve left after this bar because I didn't see him at the last 2 bars.
Here is where I tell you why this blog is titled 'Livin' on a prayer'...Dave and Stacey picked some good music (Duran Duran, Fleetwood Mac, Hansen), but when Bon Jovi came on the place went nuts. These girls started dancing on chairs, everyone was singing at the top of there lungs, and I was never a big Bon Jovi fan but with everyone screaming...Well it's just infectious.
this is Dave enjoying some of the music he's picked out. I thought about titling this blog 'Young love on the crawl', because at about this bar we start noticing all these couples kissing. I tried to get some pictures, but none of them came out.
Here's a crowd shot in doucet's. This is before all the singing, I don't think everyone is here yet. After we left Doucet's we stopped at Starbucks for a shot of espresso, and then onto The Waiting Room. We found Ryan outside, not feeling so good. It seems that he never really makes it past this bar. Either he 's to drunk or his date (whoever it is this week) passes out, curled up in the fetal position on the oil stained parking lot. We then head to The Valley Inn, or as the cool kids call it The V.I. mostly we show up here just to say we made it, but I was gonna get a beer. Shannon said that Dave and Stacey were leaving, and that we should give them a ride. So we take off,and after dropping them off head back to the V.I. to find Angie and Becky. Shannon's hungry (when she's hungry you have to feed her or she might hurt you) and we had discussed food earlier with Angie and Becky. Shannon drops me off to find them and waits in the car. I go in (once again Bon Jovi comes on the juke box and the same thing happens) and find them waiting in the corner. One of their friends was buying them some beer and I had to help them finish it, in fact I don't think Becky finished a drink all night. She just kept handing them to me when it was time to go to the next bar.
We finished our evening at La Pinata, nothing goes with to much alcohol like some delicious refried beans with rice and cheese. The grease just soaks up the alcohol. I can't wait until next year.
I made a birthday cake for Stacey, she's a huge Jack Skellington fan.
It's a red velvet cake with chocolate chip ice cream, delicious.
Daisy and Izzy just can't leave Shannon alone. They get jealous of each other.
Steve is kicking my butt at chess (Taylor calls it chest).
Morgan and Kane are walking around looking "cool".
They really do have delicious scones here.
We've also been trying to walk to Peet's Coffee once a week. It's just over 2 miles there and back, but any good we're doing for ourselves is canceled out by the Mocha Freddo's we get for the walk back.
These 2 pictures are of our high school track and football field. They were ripped out at the end of summer because they were old and in bad shape. They will be replaced with a "state of the art" sports facility....someday.
The end.
Steve's b-day is on Monday and we weren't sure what to do. He's been saying for a while that he wanted to do a big crab boil, so we said let's do it for your birthday.
We each bought some live seafood (3 dungeness crabs, 4 rock crabs, 1 lobster, 4 pounds of crayfish, 2 pounds of shrimp, and not enough clams) and threw it in my big kettle.
When all was done we drained the water, and dumped the whole thing on the table. There were potatoes cooking with the crabs and corn on the side.
Then we sat our asses down and dug in. Very messy but really good.
(Note that Peter is playing with his crab.) I had to rip the heads off of Shannons and Taylors food, we all ate to our fill.
Here is the carnage of our meal. Just a few shrimp and a bunch of crayfish (it's hard to get much meat out of those little F-ers).
I'll post some other fun pictures of live food later.
Shannon's Mom and Stepdad brought the kids home today, and they brought some horse manure for my compost. One might say I'm now full of shit. Others would say I always have been.
This is my new pouring spoon (another gadget). I've seen them in bars for years and didn't know where to get one. Recently, I was online at www.guinness.com
You start with a Guinness and another "beer" (actually you can use cider or champagne as well but I'll get to that later).
Pour the "lighter" beer between 2 glasses, and place the spoon (note the bend in said spoon) on the edge of a glass.
Pour the Guinness over the back of the spoon, so the Guinness "fans" out over the other beer and causes the Guinness to stay separate.
That is called a Black and Tan. These aren't the best I've made but I just got this spoon and it's a little different.
Guinness and Harp = Half and Half
Guinness and champagne = Black Velvet
Guinness and cider = Snakebite
This last part is for Apl, the Margarita's ingredients are Tequila, Corona, limeade concentrate, and Triple Sec (and ice) use a Coronita (small Corona) and equal parts limeade and Tequila and just a shot of Triple Sec.
This is an Ebelskiver pan...
Now I remember this pan hanging around my parents kitchen, but I don't think my parents ever used it. So I told my mom I was taking it. Cleaned it up, and reseasoned it (it's cast iron), And I tried it out on the 4th of July (breakfast).
So I had to go online for a recipe, and directions.
It's kind of a messy process.
They tasted real good with Powdered Sugar and Jelly.
I think these are Danish, so they made a perfect 4th of July treat. Remember, we are a nation of immigrants (cue the Led Zep music).
That's all until the next dink-out.
First, I'm the only coffee drinker in the house. So on a regular day I'll use the Automatic Drip. We bought this coffee maker because I can brew directly into 1 or 2 travel mugs, or if we have company I can make a carafe.
Sometimes I'll use the French Press which makes the best tasting coffee. Lots of people don't like press coffee because it's a little grainy, But the taste is excellent. I just bought the Stovetop Espresso maker yesterday. I've wanted one for a long time and I have to say it works very well. A nice inexpensive gadget.
This Cappucino maker doesn't see nearly enough use. I really like it , and at one time I could make the best Mocha (incidentally if you're in or around Oakland, the best Mocha is at Gaylord's on Piedmont...They make it with melted chocolate ice cream). There is just to much clean up time after I make a couple Cappucino's.
Now I think I used this twice, and I think it used to be Shannons Grandmothers. Percolators don't make the best coffee, but I just think it's kind of cool.
On the weekends I brew coffee directly into the Batman (I put the Mickey mug there for a size reference) mug. I like it with a shot of Bailey's, it's a nice way to start a Saturday.
There's a couple of other coffee makers I'd like, but they are like $600 and $800 so I don't think I'll be getting them any time soon.
Last year (sometime in April I think) Morgan came to me and said, "I know what kind of cake I want for my birthday". I think I said "you're kind of early, but what kind do you want?" his response was "I don't care what kind of cake it is, but I want it to look like an eyeball, and have stuff come out when you cut into it." I said okay, but then I had to figure out how to do it.
I see you.
My eyes are burning, does anyone have any Visine?
My friend Steve told me that there's no blood inside an eyeball, but when he saw the cherries he liked it because he said it looked like more eyeballs inside.
After Midnight we let Morgan open presents. That pink one on the table is actually a gift card wrapped in layers of wrapping paper, duct tape, and paper bags. It took forever for him to open it.
When the boys finally fell asleep, I stamped their foreheads with a date stamp, you should have heard them the next morning blaming each other.
