It’s a Girl!!! McLean Cigars, Paul Garmirian Artisan’s Selection
I need some cigars for a baby gender reveal party, so I went to McLean Cigars to grab some P.G.’s. Since there would be a broad range of tastes/experience with cigars, I went with the Artisan’s Selection line. Paul, the man himself, talked me into getting a range of different vitolas, so guests could pick the one right for them. Once I had the sticks selected, we picked a box that would fix them all, and then Paul even signed it for me. I was there at about 3pm, and Paul and Kevork were busy with administrative issues, but they both took a generous amount of time to make sure I had what I needed.
After I got home, I put an, It’s a girl, band on each cigar for the party. I couldn’t wait, and lit one up. Lets call it quality control. I got lots of spicy white pepper and buttered toast. As long as you smoke one slowly, you’ll avoid any bitterness at the end. I also included a picture of my receipt. Most of my friends love P.G., but a I’ve heard a few say that P.G. cigars are too expensive. I bought twenty for under $140 (tax inclusive). They do sell some pricey cigars at P.G., but they also have some excellent value-focused sticks. I think the cigars I bought for the party will have some wow factor, and appeal just to about everybody. Its not the first time I’ve used P.G cigars for an event, and it won’t be the last.
Thanks again to Emile, Paul, and Kevork at McLean Cigars!
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Save Cigar City, J.C. Newman Cigar Company
More info here:
Here is a review I did of a J.C. Newman product:
If you like what you see, click on the cigar category on the left to see my other cigar posts!
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4th of July, Frat Party, Bdays
‘Merican beers, shit on a shingle. Thats how you start the 4th off right.
Crack beer, add pool, repeat.
Good food, good friends.
Maxin and relaxin.
Then we went to Bolt’s 30th Bday/a time machine to 10 years ago:
Bolt and his spirit fish.
HB was shock, Ashley was proud.
They didn’t win, but they survived. The birthday boy had a great time.
1000 yard stare. You weren’t there man.
Afterwards, we hit Plaza on the way back. Very pleasant time in corridge after very corridge party.
The next morning we had another amazing breakfast.
Then HB and Pam were fixin to do some fishin.
After a delicious lunch, we enjoyed a pleasant drive home through the country. Then after trying to shock our systems with some healthy food, it was time for my Mom’s bday party.
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Enjoy the 4th
I’ll be at the pool, drinking a ‘Merican beer.
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Stop Making Sense, This Must Be The Place
On rare occasion, when my dad was been over-served, we’ll head down to the home theater and watch Stop Making Sense. Its hard to describe the concert video, except perhaps as a combination of pop music and performance art. Having been born at about the time the Talking Heads’ popularity was at its peak, I didn’t really get the music until much later in life. Since I grew up hearing them, I was a fan, but it wasn’t until I read American Psycho that I really started listening to them a lot. Patrick Bateman, the main character in American Psycho, is in his late twenties during the 1980s, and he has quite a predilection for pop music. His favorite band (in the book, not the movie) is the Talking Heads. The New Yorker describes the content of the Talking Heads’ work to consist of themes of longing, regret, and dread. More from the same article on This Must be the Place:
And, indeed, “This Must Be The Place” can be taken as an ode to the palliative effects of companionship. “Home is where I want to be / Pick me up and turn me ’round,” Byrne begins. “I feel numb, born with a weak heart / Guess I must be having fun.” All of a moment, this narrator, who has been worrying over the boredoms of affection for a decade, is welcoming it. He may not want to examine it (“The less we say about it the better”), but he’s ready to dive in (“Make it up as we go along”). All of a moment, he is infatuated. “Hiii yo, I got plenty of time,” Byrne croons.
“This must be the place”—it’s not a statement of certainty, is it? It’s not “This is the place.” It’s more “This is what someone said the place was.” It’s even a little desperate. “I don’t know what I’ll do if this isn’t the place.” The music, too, starts in a kind of question mark. Very unconventionally for a pop song, the lyrics don’t come in for a full minute, during which time the floating bass line doesn’t play on the roots of the guitar chords but on the fifths, lending the melody what the keyboardist Jerry Harrison calls “an uneasiness.” The whole time, we’re wondering if that propulsive sound that carried the record up to this point will return.
It doesn’t, and Byrne arrives instead, but he hasn’t gotten through the first verse before he’s trying to reassure himself he came to the right address. “It’s okay, I know nothing’s wrong,” he sings. “I love the passing of time.” The third verse begins as hopefully as the first does, with the words “Home is where I want to be,” but then a note of disappointment enters his voice, reminiscent of the newscaster-father switch in “Life During Wartime,” as he decides “But I guess I’m already there.” (Note the same non-aligned rhyme on “where” and “there.”) Already, he is bored with the idea of home. Meanwhile, the imagery—“Eyes that light up / Eyes look through you”, “You’ve got a face with a view”—is as spectral as it is numinous. All this as the E-minor chords turn the wistfulness into nostalgia, and nostalgia into a sense of loss, not for things lost, but, the listener intuits from the counterpoint horn-synth stabs in the chorus, for things never found. By the end, the comfort of love is making him think of death: “And you’ll love me til my heart stops / Love me til I’m dead.”
The dreadful longing and anticipatory regret are still there. Byrne is more at ease with them, he can even appreciate them, but he knows they’ll never go away. “This Must Be The Place has a lot of sentiment,” Lethem says, “but the thing that energizes the song is that it’s difficult to get to that sentiment.”
Like American Psycho, its disconcerting to be able to relate to the song, even a little bit. Also similar to the book, its about as complex and psychological as it gets. So your homework for next week is to analyze Once in a Lifetime. And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here. Same as it ever was.
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More catch up, June ’14, World Cup, BJ’s Brewhouse Tysons, Hiring day laborers in Falls Church City, New (old) grill, Other Breweries, and etc.
After the US v Portugal match, I had a lot of leftovers, both as far as food goes, and in the World Cooler ™. I enjoyed the beer and kebabs for lunch throughout the week. I was also turned on to Girard’s Champagne salad dressing. Definitely give it a try.
I took a few lunch breaks in the hot tub during the world cup. Its only once every four years, and my leisure time is about to be severely compromised, so who can blame me?
It was cool enough one night to enjoy some al fresco dining. Later in the week, we watched US v Germany at a fairly new bar, BJ’s Brewhouse in Tysons. The food was just ok, but the beer was decent, and the TVs were huge.
My grill gave out after 6 years of service, and was not able to be repaired. My dad had a grill he wasn’t using, since he just got a new one. I hired some day laborers to load and unload it from my truck, and get it up on my porch. Here is a mini-guide to hiring day laborers, based on my lessons learned: First and foremost, safety first. I kept pepper spray in my pocket, despite being able-bodied and in my prime. I’d also bring a buddy if possible. Negotiate time and cost up front. I made the mistake of only suggesting an hourly rate. When the laborers found out how brief the work was, they were not happy, as they were pulled away from other potential employers who would have bigger jobs. I think things would have gone more smoothly if I explained exactly what we were doing, and about how long it would take. I over-estimated the time it would take, and they demanded payment for the duration of my estimation. Essentially, I paid them for an hour, despite only utilizing their services for 30 minutes. That was no big deal for me, but could be problematic for you if you’re spending more/on a tight budget. Bring water. I had some water in my truck, and they were very appreciative. Hide your valuables. I went through the truck, and removed anything of value from the seat backs, door containers, center console, etc. All the guys I hired seemed very nice and honest, but better safe than sorry. Have cash. Also have the amount you expect to pay out ready, so you don’t have to fumble around in your wallet for it. Finally, bone up on some spanish. I managed to learn/remember how to say, twenty dollars an hour, inside the truck, the grill, and thank you. Google translate will help you if you forget.
After moving the grill, its gotten lots of good use. We broke her in with some steaks, and later made nachos and fish tacos.
We also went to a baby shower. I loaded up my tables, tent, and chairs, and we hit the road. The ladies stayed at the house and did God knows what, while the dudes went to Adventure Brewing Company in F-rock. Kenny Powers made an appearance. After the shower, we went to my buddy’s house to meet his new lady friend.
Wendell made another great breakfast (despite his opinion), I made some great drinks, and the new lady made a great impression. Unfortunately, Winn-Dixie whipped up another batch of fresh unseeded fried jalapenos with siracha dipping sauce… Burn out my tumtum once, shame on you. Burn out my tumtum twice (more like a whole mess of times, pun intended)…
Then for the USA v Belgium game we went to Mad Fox Brewing in FCC. We got there about an hour and a half early, and it was pretty empty. We were able to leisurely order a sampler, and wait for the game to start. The place started to fill up as it got close to kickoff. It was a great place to watch the game, but unfortunately, the match was a heartbreaker. We were so sad about being 2 down that we went home before the end, and caught the Green goal in extra time at our house. We almost wished we hadn’t left until time finally ran out with us still down a goal. I really thought we could win that one, and we were a plenty good enough team. The only thing I have to look forward to now (despite lots of good matches left), is my #2 team, Argentina, taking on Belgium this weekend. Hopefully, we can get some revenge. Soccer does seem to be catching on a little in the mainstream which is pretty cool. My generation is the first to really play soccer on a large scale, or be able to watch soccer regularly on TV. Back when my dad started coaching my soccer team, he had to go to a library to get books on soccer to learn the game (pre interwebs, pre soccer on tv, at least 6 years before DC United was founded). It will be exciting to see soccer advance, and hopefully, it will result in a World Cup win in my lifetime.
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Life and Death
As far as I am aware, the first of my peers just passed away. A fraternity brother of mine just lost his wife, who was pregnant with his second child. The child is in intensive care. I knew both of them from school, but I was not particularly close to either of them. I was impressed by the way their friends and family came together to support my fraternity brother, but it still makes one think. First, I think it gives one perspective. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it will be for my fraternity brother to raise a child and a newborn essentially on his own. Second, it reminds us that our time here is short, and that we need to be diligent to make the most of it. I hope this tragedy reinvigorates your sense of urgency, so that you take advantage of as many opportunities as possible.
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The Hemingway Tom Collins
I just got back from Cuba, and finished reading Islands in the Stream. In the book, Hemingway enjoys a Tom Collins, with his own spin on the drink. For a car trip from his Finca to Havana, he has his house man fix him a Tom Collins a la Hemingway:
2oz London dry gin, 3/4oz lime juice, 2-4oz coconut water, 2-3 dashes angostura bitters. Bonus points if its a roadie, wrapped in a paper towel, held in place with a rubber band.
If you’re unfamiliar with a traditional Tom Collins, Hemingway’s version basically substitutes lime for lemon, and adds coconut water. While reading the book, I was unconvinced that gin and coconut water would pair well. I like both individually, but they don’t sound appealing together. However, after I finished the book, and I was going though, To Have and Have Another, I saw the recipe again, and decided to give it a try. My first impression is that the lime (instead of the traditional lemon) is a substantial improvement. However, its the coconut water that really sets the drink off. Its very subtle. At 2 to 4+ ounces, the coconut water does not overpower the other flavors, and is really in the background. I also find that it makes the drink much more refreshing. If one were to enjoy just one cocktail all day, I don’t think it would matter much what was in the drink, but if going on a marathon drinking binge a la Hemingway, especially if in the tropics out on a boat, a little coconut water goes a long way. For the uninitiated, coconut water is nature’s sports drink. Its has more potassium and electrolytes than gatorade, without the bane of Hemingway’s existence, excess (added) sugar. This summer, if you’re out on the stream on the flying bridge of your fishing vessel, out on an adventure, at the pool, or just chillin at home, try fixing up the Hemingway Tom Collins.
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More catch up, Salmon semi-clinched, More Nats, Grady’s Cold Brew review
I grilled a salmon using coals and a fish flipper only. I like to season salmon with jerk/baking spices, peppers, and butter. Add a brazilian dark lager and you’re in business.
Saw another Nat’s game with the old man. Good times.
And a got hooked on a new way to enjoy chicory coffee. Ice, milk, pour the concentrate, and you’re done. Its the most convenient, best tasting coffee I’ve ever had. The chicory is slightly sweet, so there is no need for sugar. I’ve tried it plain, and with water, but for my money, con leche es el mejor. Perfect for the summer.
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USA v. Portugal, kebabs, hot tub, cigars, white port and tonic, Madeira
I invited some friends over to my parents place for the USA v. Portugal match. I bought the fixins for some drinks, and some kebabs, and tivo’d the matches just to be safe.
We decided to start with a glass of Madiera, light up a cigar, and retire to the hot tub.
It was a beautiful day, and not overly hot. I grabbed a grilling beer from the World Cooler, and got the grill hot.
The food turned out great. Then it was time to watch the game. I fixed up some white port and tonic, cut a few lemons, and we turned on the projector. It was an awesome game, and despite the group’s small size, but perhaps because of the group’s predilection for booze, it was a very enthusiastic viewing. We all went pretty bananas for the US goals.
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