Bring on the Polka

Now I'm not a big polka fan. However I do like one. It all probably goes back to my grandfather. He loved the big band era. And because of that I know that it has shaped me. Occasionally I do spin a bit of vinyl on the old turn table. Now back to the polka. The polka I'm talking about is the Beer Barrel Polka. For most of us Steeler fans I know that you've heard this song. Actually there probably not many of you who haven't heard it. According to http://www.orfea.cz/festivalova-kancelar/docs/skoda-lasky_en.pdf this polka was written in 1927 by Jaromír Vejvoda. In it's 82 years it has been in 136 movies and TV shows and has been sung in 16 different languages. During WW2 it was played all over the world. It was also proclaimed by President Eisenhower to be his favorite song. I must say that every time I crack open a cold High Life and I see the Girl on the Moon perched on the neck I think of this song. So without further adieu I bring to you the Beer Barrel Polka sung by the Andrews Sisters. My favorite. I hope you enjoy a little beer entertainment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrDSMBJ7AAc

Enjoy.

Whatevered Clueless

Whatever is a damn annoying word. And apparently I’m not the only person to think so. For once I’m on the majority side. This is a first. In recent times this word has taken over the teenage language. This is thanks in part to the movie Valley Girl (1983) and Clueless (1995). But it is not as if this word is limited to just the youngster. You remember Caroline Kennedy from New York right? She was the one who was considered for filling Hillary Clinton’s senate seat. She’s going to be 52 here in November. Well according to www.Politico.com in here New York Times interview she used whatever 142 times. This use of whatever led the media to criticize her mercifully. They have good right to. According to the research of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, “nearly half of all American surveyed find whatever to be the most annoying word.” So let’s nock whatever out of our vocabularies or we might just be getting whatever.

Getting Spooked

October is my favorite month. Not only is it a time filled with Oktoberfests and great beer, but it is a time for haunted houses. Today I will not write much about the golden ale for which I write. But today I wish to ask for some help. I am a haunted house junkie and October is the only season for these attractions. In the past three years I have visited almost all of the haunted attractions within a 2 hour radius. After visiting Hundred Acres Manor (http://hundredacresmanor.com/) and Scare House (http://www.scarehouse.com/) I'm left wanting more. Scare House was rated by the Travel Channel as the nations 5th best haunted house but it wasn't to my standards. I need something more. I crave more. And this Friday I look to visit another haunted house. But I am undecided on where to go. So what better way to find a good place then to ask my peers, "Does anyone know of a good haunted house to go to?" Traveling a distance is no problem however I don't want to travel more than 4 hours one way. I just need something that is scary. Something that will really say, " That was fucking fantastic." And please don't tell me to go to the Penitentiary at Moundsville (http://www.wvpentours.com/). I was already there. So please I ask for your help. Where should I go?

Oktoberfest

Today was a good day. The Steelers defeated the Vikings 27 to 17. What a good game. Not only was the game good but another beautiful fall day was given to western Pennsylvania. That meant a motorcycle ride was in order. A ride that would land me up at Seven Springs for their Oktoberfest. (http://www.7springs.com/) There were some great activities going on. Bands were playing, beer was flowing, and the Steeler game was on the TVs. This is where I caught the game. Not only was some good beer being drank but great food was consumed. The smell of German cuisine was just intoxicating. I had a bratwurst sandwich with homemade fries along with a Penn Oktoberfest. And I must say that it was a very appetizing beer. I might even have to purchase a case to inhabit my High Life filled fridge. Sometimes we need a little spice in life.

After leaving Seven Springs I still hadn't had enough. A High Life and another sandwich was in order. Since I was on the bike I figured that it would be best if I just waited till I got home. I did decided to head to Giant Eagle to get my sandwich fixings. I had to purchase some fresh buns and some brats. When I got to the meat department I couldn't believe what I had found. Hillshire Farms sells Miller High Life Beer Brats. (http://www.gomeat.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=beer%20brat) I couldn't help myself I just had to buy them. I couldn't wait to get home to cook them up. As I grilled the brats I sauteed some onions in olive oil on the stove for my sandwiches. The brats made excellent sandwiches. I do however wish that I would've found the recipe that was posted on the Hillshire Farms website before I cooked them. Next time I will give that a try. But the regular brat and onion sandwich was very good. Washing it all down with a High Life was a great accompaniment. These will definitely become part of my tail gates from here on out and I encourage you all to give them a try.

Enjoy.

Hit the Bar

Wednesday Night after my Business Econ class seems to be guaranteed night at the bar for me. Usually it is not a total night to spend there, more of a 2 hour break to relax with a few friends. Last night we hit Primant's. I hate to admit that it was not a High Life that washed my sandwich down but it wasn't. However it was still Miller Time. Miller Lite specials are on Wednesday and even though I really don't care for Miller Lite I drank it because the price special was just to good to pass up. Every week my group seems to grow a little. Normally it is Dan and I. We spent many days up there carrying on together. Two weeks ago Jason joined the gathering and this week Munch joined us. Obviously we all weren't at the bar for the beer. Well that is a perk. But what brings us to the bar is the camaraderie. It's not only contained to our little group but it is just the bar camaraderie. Every bar has this and that this probably has been going on since the very first time alcohol was consumed in a place outside of the home. Stories and jokes are told. It doesn't matter who you are but for those moments sitting at the bar you become equals. It's weird in that respect. Normally if you ran into someone on the street they wouldn't even give you a second look not to mention listen to a story. But at the bar you are equals. In my opinion that's why most people frequent bars. Not for the alcohol or the food but for the camaraderie. So if all your doing is out hitting keggers you've got to get out there and experience on of the joys in life. There's more to life then pong and passing out. So get out there and hit the bar and if you need a familiar there's always room in our Wednesday gang. Anyone for Pumpkin Bombs and Headkeepers?



Just a little entertainment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmjA2lp7r4Y



Enjoy.

Going Reed

Well, I know that it has been quite a few days since my last post. I am very sorry for this and hope to redeem myself in these next couple weeks. As we all know time is flying by like something out of a weird time travel movie. Here we are mid October and my favorite holiday is drawing near. I wish that I had great news to tell you in the way of Steeler football. Yes so far we are doing alright. Unfortunately Sunday was once again a victorious Steeler Sunday. I was not tailgating nor do I have a great beer recipe that I reviewed. I will redeem myself though. Today I want to talk about Steeler Kicker Jeff Reed and Tight End Matt Spaeth. This is quite a big incident. Both players displaying forms of public drunkenness and were cited for their actions. Spaeth was actually caught urinating while Reed had to be handcuffed and then was released into the custody of his father. Now I'm not one to judge. I know that mistakes are made. Hell I've made my fair share of them but for Reed this is his second violation for public drunkenness in a year. What makes things worse is that these guys are role models. Maybe I should say that these are "High Profile" people. Now don't connect "High Profile" people with the "High Life" lifestyle I wish to represent in this blog. When you are a "High Profile" person you have to watch what you do, what you say, everything. Yes there are many "High Profile" people that make these mistakes but what makes me single out Jeff Reed and Matt Spaeth is because this happened right here in my town. So live the "High Life" and make the right choices.

Enjoy.

In Heaven There is No Beer?

In my quest to bring beer entertainment for all of you I remembered a song from a movie. It took me many hours to remember what movie it was in. Still to this day I don't know which movie I saw it in or really where I heard. I did however remember some of the lyrics. With the computer age and the likes of yahoo I was able to find the song. It is actually a pretty funny song. And why shouldn't it be? Especially since the infamous Dr. Demento played it on his local radio show. (http://www.drdemento.com/) This song has been around for quite awhile. The Iowa State University Hawkeyes use this song when they have a team victory. I found that quite interesting. Actually, it's not there victory song it's there fight song. Now that is just great. It appears as if the song has been a common polka since the 1930's. Many groups have sung it, but I haven't been able to come up with a group that has taken credit for writing it an performing it for the first time. Anyways I'm going to put the youtube link for it here and I hope you all enjoy it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntkC-o52weI

Enjoy the High Life.

Endless Summer

Well I know that usually on Monday I write a great beer food review. Unfortunately I missed the day. I am also ashamed to say that I missed a big portion of the Steeler game on Sunday. Sunday was spent 130 miles away up in Edinboro Pa. My family has had a summer cottage there since the early 70's. It's hard to find a radio station that plays the game. I did, but still missed the majority of it. I'm sure you're probably asking why I was in Edinboro. Well every year at about this time the weather starts to change in Edinboro and the cottage has to be closed for the winter months, November-April. The closing of the cottage is always the final nail in the coffin of summer. Good times are spent there. It's not any great vacation spot. But to me, it's the only place. No cable, no phone except the cell, no distractions, no time to keep, just pure simple relaxation. Many days were spent just sitting on the back porch with a magazine and a cold high life. Just sitting there enjoying the day. Occasionally hitting the lake on the jet skis. The weather didn't cooperate much but still I hit the lake. Same goes for the bike. But it's not about the weather. It's about just getting away for some undisturbed relaxation. Even though closing the cottage means summer is over, the worst part about it all is that every year something in Edinboro is different. This past year it was the loss of a good friend, Bob. Bob was a character, a good man. And he is missed. When I drank the last High Life from the fridge I drank it in his remembrance.

Bob O. Gray

1930-2009

Along for the Ride

Well all week I waited for today to come. Waited to get on the hog and go on my club's ride through Seven Springs. Well as usual the weather here in western Pennsylvania didn't cooperate. This is no surprise. The weather this summer really hasn't been very nice. But you can't sit and dwell on it. For as bad as you think things are they really aren't that bad. If all you get in life is a little rain on your parade then I'll say that you're doing pretty good. Like I said today I had been looking forward to getting on the bike and going for that ride. Well even though it rained this morning I got out and rode the bike this evening. It was a little cold, but nothing the leather jacket and some gloves didn't cure. There a lot of things that disturb me about motorcycles. Not so much about motorcycles but about different riders and the general public. First off you all know I like drinking beer. But beer and riding aren't things that should be mixed. Beer and driving shouldn't be mixed. But you see so many bikers out there that bar hop on bikes. Most poker runs even go from bar to bar. Hello, what are you guys thinking? Isn't there a red flag or a cricket on your shoulder saying, "Hey bud, maybe this isn't such a good ides?" I don't know. Personally for me I can't do that. Really I can't. I ride a '59 Harley and the only way to start it is the old fashioned kick-start method. It's difficult enough to start the bike when I'm sober. I don't ever want to have to try to start it when I've been drinking. This brings me to my second rant for the evening. I can't tell you how many times I'm out somewhere and I'm getting ready to start the bike and someone asks me what I'm doing. Like tonight I was out to dinner at Rizzo's in Crabtree. One of the local high schools must have been having their Homecoming tonight because the place was filled with annoying high schoolers. Beings I wasn't drinking and couldn't drown them out I had to put up with that. I would've tolerated them being annoying but there ignorance bothered the hell out of me. I'm out starting the bike as usual when a group of high school couples came out going to their cars. As they walk past me they give me that look and one of the girls asks, "what is he doing?" No one from the group answered. This bothers me. How could so many people be so stupid and so ignorant to history to know that electric start wasn't always there? You know life now a days is easy. We have many modern conveniences that we as a society take for granted. Maybe if we all would think about those days the next time it rains on your parade. Then not only would we not be so ignorant but we would also realize that things aren't so bad.

Enjoy the High Life.

Scoring the Points

Yesterday I ran into Mega Beerman at the mall. I was out killing a few minutes before I had to go to class. I was passing the time and noticed Adam shopping around in the store called Rockstar. I was never in there before. We did a little bs'ing for a few minutes, when out of the corner of my eye it caught my attention. What was it you ask? It was a High Life bikini. Obviously it was not for me. What really caught my attenetion was the price tag. Now the price wasn't outrageous at $25 but here's something interesting for you. Drink High Life and they give you stuff. With each case of beer you drink you get points. On the inside of every case is a code that is redeemable for points. With every case of 24 bottles you get 240 points. These points are then redeemable for hats, t-shirts, signs, etc... What other beer lets you choose your rewards? I know that my buddy Tyler was an avid Keystone Light drinker. Now because of me he's a High Life drinker. I introduced him to the Miller High Life Extra rewards program and I encourage you to do so also. So check out the website http://millerhighlife.promo.eprize.com/extras/?avToken=K0tpBenlglryuTtOAfrEiROpW5FH%2fRP7gqgYpFCJ and drink High Life.

Also here's a little entertainment for you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijnfdLFhn2o .

Enjoy.

Sunken Battleships and Destroyed Chargers

Well yesterday was another Steeler Sunday and a nice Sunday it was. It was good to see the Steelers back on top. What made it even better was the fact that I was in the stands. Not only was I in the stands but I was in the parking lot with the rest of the tailgaters. I wish that I had a good recipe that I tested out this Sunday but I don't. My tailgate tradition in the parking lot is Triangle Bar hoagies. Battleships to be exact. They are a Pittsburgh tradition. Check them out at http://www.trianglebarandgrill.com/ . One steak battleship and a regular battleship all washed down with a good many High Lifes makes for some great tailgating. As much as I do look forward to trying new beer recipes every week this week I needed a change. Many people like to tailgate in the parking lots and cook. I myself don't prefer to. I would rather leave the cooking to be done at home. To me there is just too much work that needs to be prepped and packaged before going to the parking lot and starting to get cooking. Not only do you have to package the grill and all the utensils but you also have to haul all the dirty utensils home to clean them. This is way to much work for me. When I'm at the game I want to have fun. That's why when I'm at the game I'd rather sink a few battleships and drink a few High Lifes and leave the work at home.

Trucking the High Life

Well this week has been quite miserable. The weather is cold and damp. I know that we are now into fall but this weather has just been miserable. What this means for me is that it is definitely not the week to be in the landscape business. And if things weren't even bad enough yesterday was a beautiful day. It was a day that I could a full half day in work wise before I had to go to my classes at UPG. But no, I had to have scheduled my Senior Audit for 9 am. What frustrates me is that it takes an hour to go back and forth to the campus. Just for a ten minute meeting. A ten minute meeting that I was on time for. Hell I was ten minutes early for it. My advisor wasn't. She was actually eight minutes late. Now I'm pretty sure that if I were late for my appointment that my advisor would've made a comment about it. But what could I say? I did get one ounce of enjoyment out of my wasted hour and eighteen minutes. I got to see the Miller High Life truck on my way up to the campus. It was a delivery truck on the way to making its round to a distributor. It was a majestic vehicle. Filled with golden refreshment straight from the Milwaukee brewery. Now the driver of that truck is a very important man or woman. That person is responsible for so many "Miller Times." If it weren't for that person making their delivery to the distributors and bars there would be no High Life refreshment for us to enjoy. In life no matter what profession that person has you treat them with respect and not take them for granted. Because just like the High Life trucker they are important. The little guy is important. So when you sit down tonight and pop the top or twist the cap on a cold one please take a moment to give thanks to the little guy.

Enjoy.