It's Memorial Day Weekend...I Am Outta Here!

It seems to be a tradition for me to get out of town on Memorial Day Weekend. Two years ago, I headed North and went to Toronto for the weekend. Last year, I headed East (way East) and was in Ireland over Memorial Day Weekend. This year, I am going West and spending Memorial Day weekend in San Francisco. If you need me, you may want to use this handy San Francisco microbrewery map to track me down:

Why I Work Out So Much

I work out a lot. I try to go to the gym at least five times a week and bike when I get the chance. I am not the kind of person who works out to lose weight and stay in shape. I work out so that I can live my life the way I want to and not have to worry about gaining weight. If this is your first time to my blog: I like wings and beer. On top of that I also like to indulge in the Sunday Brunch at The Tap House in Tremont because they serve the most unbelievable breakfast burrito.It is loaded with chorizo sausage, cheese, hollandaise sauce, sour cream and more chorizo sausage. They also have a fabulous beer list including a breakfast stout pictured above (Not all three are mine).

This past weekend I doubled up on my work-outs for two reasons: I knew I was going to The Tap House for brunch on Sunday AND I knew I was going to The Beer Engine in Lakewood to celebrate Oktoberfest. Did I mention I like beer?

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

If Labor Day weekend is officially the last weekend of summer, then my summer went out with a bang. I started the weekend out by researching my German ancestors at the Cuyahoga County Oktoberfest. When I say research, I really mean sampling a lot of beer and eating a lot of schnitzel and potatoe pancakes. The next day we headed to Buffalo to research the National Buffalo Wing Festival. In this case, when I say research, I really mean sampling wings from all over the country, drinking beer in a baseball stadium infield, finding cool bars all over the city and staying out until 4 am enjoying the suprisingly exciting Buffalo nightlife. We made it home the next day thirty minutes late for a party that WE were throwing. Luckily there was only one person there waiting for the hosts to arrive.

On top of all of this...IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON! I have waited patiently (not really) for the past seven months for football season to start again. With two fantasy teams ready to go, I am looking forward for the regular season to kick off tonight. I initially wanted to change my one team name to "The Sarah Palins," but I thought that might be too extreme. I don't want my team to come off as too conservative or inexperienced.

Along with all of these great experiences and two weeks of political convention drinking games that we have invented (Someone says "Change" and everyone has to drink), there is one more big event I am looking forward to, which will officially bring in the Fall. On September 13, the biggest gala in Cleveland, Pandemonium 08, will be taking place at Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT). This fundraising extravaganza includes live entertainment all night outside and inside the theatre along with free food, beer and wine stations set up all over the CPT campus. Last night I found my dream outfit for this event at a thrift store. The only problem is the shirt is a little snug. I am now about to begin my Nine-Day Pandemonium Diet of Champions. Ironically my diet doesn't include schnitzel, potato pancakes, wings or beer. I wonder if those things have anything to do with my shirt being snug.

**For those of you paying attention, my diet includes not drinking beer for the first weekend of football. That's how much I like this shirt I bought.

Beer Muscles

You know when you are drinking and you think you can do anything? If you don't, let me tell you a little secret about myself: there have been times when beer has impaired my judgment and I thought I could do whatever I wanted. I know this is hard to believe, but follow me on this one. There is a term called "Beer Goggles" which means that after drinking enough beer, someone actually looks more attractive to you. I want to take this time to introduce you to my new term: "Beer Muscles". From here on out the definition of Beer Muscles is going to be: After having several drinks, you think you can lift anyting in front of you. Let me give you an example:

Two nights ago our new tenants (who will be blogged about very soon) began moving into our rental property, which is in the back half of our house. We knew there was a moving truck coming and we knew they owned a lot of heavy stuff, yet we still decided to have happy hour after work. When they arrived at about 8 p.m. that night, I will admit to not being completely sober. I will also admit that at this time I thought I could lift whatever I wanted out of this truck with very little help. The contents of the truck included full dressers, bed frames, bins of books, mattresses and exercise equipment, and I moved as much of it as I could. I couldn't believe how much weight I was able to lift. All the sudden that gym membership was paying off, or maybe it was the beer. I kept lifting and attributed my strength to the gym membership and not the beer. I was wrong.

Flash forward 48 hours later. My arm muscles are sore. Very sore. My arms are barely able to type out this blog. I had trouble putting my shirt on this morning. Even worse...I will have trouble lifting my beer tonight.

Confessions Of A Lazy Cleveland Blogger

I will be the first to admit I have not been a good blogger this summer. For the one or two of you who have not given up on my blog, I am sorry, but there is justification for this. First I was distracted by that whole Ireland thing, then I started applying for other jobs and finally I realized it was summer in Cleveland. If you don't understand that last part, then you obviously live outside of northeast Ohio. Those of us in Cleveland realize we must try and fit twelve months worth of activities into four months of sunlight. It's not easy, but I have been trying to do this, which is why the blog has been suffering.

In the past ten days alone, I have traveled through most of Ohio going to bonfire parties in Wooster, pool parties in Rocky River and then spending three days last week at my alma mater, Ohio University for Ohio Brew Week. I finished last week off by attending the National Hamburger Festival in Akron Ohio. This weekend, I am looking forward to attending the Cool Cleveland Ingenuity Party, which is taking place downtown Cleveland during The Ingenuity Festival. Also coming up for those of you who like free outdoor theatre is a show called "Becomes You" which will be performed in Rockefeller Park this weekend and Edgewater Park next weekend.

If you live in Cleveland, you have to make up for the dreary winters and springs by spending as much time as possible outside during the summer. Otherwise I would be boring you with blogs everyday while sitting in the Winking Lizard finishing off my beer tour and eating wings all the time. Not that there is anything wrong with that: It's good to have hobbies.

I Left My Heart (and my sunglasses and my camera case) In Ireland

It's been two weeks since I have been back from Ireland. My life has finally gone back to normal. I no longer feel worldly, I just feel grounded. I no longer feel like every turn is going to be a new encounter, I just feel routine. I now remember how much I hate feeling these ways. The trip to Ireland was a once in a lifetime experience that I am going to try and duplicate as often as possible. One problem with life-changing trips. They are also checking-account changing trips, and this means it will probably be awhile until we head out of the country. So now what? My favorite question as my blog title attests. Now I am going to the Ohio Brew Fest in Athens Ohio next month. It's not Ireland and I don't need a passport to get there, but it is Athens, one of my favorite places in all the world, and it does involve a lot of beer, one of my favorite things in all the world. The good news for you is that there will be a lot fewer pictures to look at upon my return, though probably the same amount involving beer.

The Las Vegas Blog Post

Introducing the first-ever Sportygrrl Las Vegas awards. A ceremony that chronicles our wonderful stay in the real city that never sleeps.

Best place in Las Vegas to get anything you could ever want on your burger from lobster meat to black truffles to fried egg: The Burger Bar (earlier during the awards ceremony, The Burger Bar also won for best selection of imported beers). This restaurant was located in Mandalay Place, not Mandalay Bay which is a little confusing at first, but it is worth the search.

Best place in Las Vegas to see a re-creation of King Tut's Tomb: The King Tut Museum located inside the Luxor Casino. This award could also be re-named: Best place to visit once you have realized you are lost inside the Luxor and can't find your way out of the casino area.

Best place in Las Vegas to watch Beer Pong after midnight: O'Sheas Casino. They actually advertise the authentic beer pong tables they have in the back of the casino. This place resembles a bar from 1982 more than a casino, which is part of it's charm.

Best place in Las Vegas to use a public bathroom: The Venetian. On our long trek down the strip at 3 a.m., it was nice to know you could stop inside a public bathroom with gold trim and private rooms to take a pee break.

Best place in Las Vegas to sit in front of a firepit and eat chicken wings: The Peppermill Fireside Lounge (earlier in the awards ceremony, The Peppermill also won for best $18 drink, which was named The Scorpion). This whole experience was amazing. It was definitely our favorite spot on the strip as we spent a couple hours at the bar and then moved down to the firepit to eat dinner. This is vintage old school Vegas! The wings here were also really good. I gave them a 4.0 out of 5.0 on my wing rating scale.

Best place in Las Vegas to play slots at 5 a.m.: Slots A Fun. Sure...it's dingy and a little scary, but you won't get the real feel of this place during daylight hours. We were quickly sold on the yard-long daiquiri and tacky slot machine themes.

Best place in Las Vegas to eat lunch when you are hungover: The Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood. They have everything here combining every nationality you can think of including a middle eastern selection. The food was extremely good for a lunch buffet and perfect for a "morning after meal".

Best place in Las Vegas to experience an atomic bomb being detonated: The Atomic Testing Museum. This hands-on museum is located right off the strip and was a great late afternoon activitiy. The museum includes movies, war propaganda galore and many pictures of Miss Atomic Bomb 1957. The best part about this museum is that it shows a very accurate reflection of how crazy people were during the Cold War.

Best view in Las Vegas: The Foundation Room at the top of Mandalay Bay. The Foundation Room is a private club affiliated with the House of Blues and located on the top floor of Mandalay Bay. We were able to get in because my cousin was kind enough to pull a few strings and get our name on the guest list. This place really did make us feel like royalty with the velvet ropes, elevator greeters and an unbelievable view of the strip. They do open this place up to the public on Monday evenings and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Las Vegas.

Best view of Las Vegas from the middle of the strip: The Eiffel Tower at the Paris Resort and Casino (earlier in the awards ceremony this also won as the most french thing you can do in Las Vegas). Sure, it's a little cheesy to go up a fake Eiffel Tower, but we had a coupon from our Players Club Book, which makes it so much more legitimate. What really made this vertical venture worthwhile was viewing the watershow at The Bellagio from above.

Best place to spend two hours in the desert viewing three acres of old Las Vegas signs: The Neon Boneyard. Like Las Vegas? Like history? Like neon? Like getting sunburnt as you walk around looking at old Las Vegas signs? Then this is the place for you! It all came together for me when the tour guide said: "In 1929 neon was patented, and in 1931 gambling was legalized in Nevada." These two events led us through decades of tacky neon signs that eventually ended up at this somewhat secretive Las Vegas escape. If you are going to take this tour, you have to book it in advance.

Best Place in Vegas to get a 99 cent margarita: Our Hotel, Bill's Gambling Hall and Casino. This was way too convenient. The margarita bar was located right by the door, so you ALWAYS passed by it.

Best place to get a cheap microbrew: Ellis Island Casino and Brewery. This place was a pleasant surprise, and a favorite spot for locals. It's an older casino, located two blocks behind the strip with a microbrewery right inside the casino. The best part was that all their brews were only $1 no matter which one you ordered.

Best place to drink a beer under the World's Largest Pint Glass: Hennessey's Tavern. Before entering the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas we stopped inside this little Irish pub to grab some dinner. Luckily for us, Tuesday was Burger night, so we got a free meal. Located above Hennessey's is the largest pint glass in the world, which also happens to be a club called Brass The Lounge. Its a good pit stop as you walk around Downtown.

Best place in Las Vegas to drink out of a plastic football while watching a crazy light show: The Fremont Street Experience. If you haven't seen this light show or been involved with this experience, it is hard to describe. Every hour, the biggest light show in the world goes off for five minutes and completely captivates everyone who watches it. We debated going downtown, but I am so glad we did it.

Best place to gain five pounds and lose a lot of money: Las Vegas!

A Nice Leather Vase

Last week my co-worker asked me why my blog was titled: "So Now What". For those of you who never read my first post, I will tell you what I told her: These are the words I said after the Super Bowl ended in 2005. The day after the Super Bowl is a hard one for me. It means I will have to wait seven more months until I see another snap again. Hello my name is Michele and I am addicted to football. However today is also the three year anniversary of my blog. This anniversary is more like Thanksgiving than the Fourth of July. It doesn't always fall on the same date, but it is always the Monday after the Super Bowl. I was looking on-line to see what gift to give my blog for this three year anniversary. The traditional gift for three years is leather and the modern gift is crystal, so I am torn.

In other news, the Super Bowl last night was incredible, and I made the most of the event, which happens to be one of my favorite days of the year. We had my brother Mark over and the three of us all agreed the party was the perfect size. I found out last night that Mark and I have the same theories on Super Bowl party size, and creating the perfect environment in which to watch the game. Hello my name is Michele and I am addicted to football. If you saw the food we put out, you probably would have thought there were ten people there, not to mention the amount of beer that was consumed. We put out homemade spinach dip, a jalapeno cheese ball, shrimp cocktail, salsa and chips and this recipe for chicken legs, which turned out to be the perfect Super Bowl snack. The only problem with cooking these chicken legs is that they make the house really smokey, which obviously takes away from the perfect Super Bowl environment.

I Will Be On Tour This Year

Last Saturday I signed up for the World Beer Tour at the Winking Lizard, and after one day, I can tell this is going to be a life-changing event. When you sign up for this tour, the restaurant gives you one year to drink 100 unique imported beers. For more information on the tour check out the link above. From what I have experienced during my first day on the tour is that it makes you feel like you are always on vacation because you are constantly ordering things you wouldnt normally drink. That part alone makes whoever created this tour a marketing genius. My favorite part, however, is that you have a swipe card to track what beers you have already consumed and which ones still need to be consumed. I have never felt like such a classy beer drinker.

Not only am I doing the beer tour at the Winking Lizard, I also feel like I am actually going on a world tour this year. Last week we finalized plans to go to Ireland and Northern Ireland to travel the countryside from May 24th to June 5th. More plans will follow regarding this trip, but I have never been more excited to plan anything in my whole life. Speaking of planning, I wonder if the Winking Lizard has any plans to expand to Dublin, so I can still continue the beer tour while I am there. Ironically Guinness is one of the beers you have to drink on the beer tour at the Winking Lizard. I should get used to it now because I am sure to have my fill of it during my trip to the mother land.

Pub Crawl Slideshow

I was told some people were unable to see the pics I tried to post last week from my pub crawl. I decided to go ahead and add the slide show so that you could see all the revelry up close. Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving weekend.

X-Mas Aled Up (Pub Crawl Blog)

Yesterday my sister came up with a saying to describe my whole weekend. To be "X-Mas Aled Up" is a term she coined after seeing the effects on a person after having one of these beers. Every fall Great Lakes Brewing Company makes their infamous Christmas Ale and releases it for only four months a year. I can only assume this is for safety reasons. This beer does crazy things to people. It's not a normal beer. It's like a super beer.

People run out to get this beer like it's a drug and usually regret it the next day. I have been able to hold myself to only two a night in most situations and usually this is too many. On my pub crawl this past weekend, I waited until my fifth bar out of nine to have my one and only Christmas Ale, and even this was not a good idea. As I look back, it was at this bar where things started going a little awry or shall I say blurry. The next day I tempted fate and drank another one, which led to me hitting my head on my couch (see picture).

As for the pub crawl: I don't think I have ever had so much fun with friends and family. As you can see from the pictures at this link, it was a good time for everybody-even people who didn't know me. By the end we just handed the extra t-shirts out and people all around Ohio City knew my name. I am now looking forward to my "Getting Acquainted with Old Brooklyn" Pub Crawl, but I think I will wait til the Spring so I am not tempted by the Christmas Ale!

TGIF-Free Jukebox Style

I should have gotten a picture! I don't know why I didn't get a picture of the view from Major Hooples during the snowstorm Friday night. The view itself is gorgeous (see picture).However the snow made it even more spectacular. It would have been the perfect way to reveal what a great evening it was to live in Cleveland. Friday night started out in a local dive bar with what turned out to be a private game of darts, as my opponent and I were the only inhabitants in the place. Lucky for us that meant we also ruled over the free jukebox and the attention of the bartender. From there we got a fake distress call to go to Major Hooples, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places . (Apparently my friends don't think I will show up quick enough unless they send fake messages of help.)

From our private game of darts on one side of Cleveland, we headed to Major Hooples located on the west bank of Cleveland to catch up with some old friends. While there we played bar bowling and got free drinks from the owner who also let us play free music on the jukebox. At this point in the evening we also got a message that the Detroit Cobras were playing at the Beachland Ballroom. As much as I would have loved to have seen the Detroit Cobras play, there was something about Major Hooples that made it hard to leave. It may have been my singing and dancing friends, or the free drinks, or the opening day crowd that had stumbled over from Jacobs Field, or the free music we got to put into the jukebox, but I think the main reason was the view of the snow falling on my favorite city. For those of you that were curious, the free drinks were a close second. Kidding...the free drinks were tied with my friends.

A Potpourri Of Clubbing Clothes, Peacepipes, Lunch Diets And Binge Drinking

I had so many things I wanted to write about today. Let me just touch upon a few of the highlights before I move on to the truly blog-worthy idea I found online.

First off, I had an interesting weekend working events for the women's basketball tournament. On Saturday, I found myself blocking the view of Geno Auriemma at the high school All-Star game as I was sitting in press row, and he of course was sitting wherever the hell he wanted to be sitting. I also scored tickets to the WNBA/WBCA after-party, but decided I may stick out too much to go. The person who gave me the tickets told me to try and blend in by wearing the clothes I would wear to go clubbing. I skipped that event. My clubbing clothes were at the cleaners.

Another blog idea was that I should mention I have started the Subway Challenge. Goodbye mayonnaise and cheese and hello honey mustard. I have decided to follow in Jared's footsteps and see if this six grams of fat marketing campaign actually works for lunch. That's right, I am only going to do it for lunch. It will take off the guilt from the wings and beer I will be consuming at dinner.

My original blog idea got bumped, so I thought I would just shorten it by giving a quick summary. Did anybody see that the Cleveland Indians played the St. Louis Cardinals in the Inaugural Civil Rights Game commemorating the civil rights movement in baseball? To stay true to the game, the Cleveland Indians removed Chief Wahoo off of their uniforms...for JUST this exhibition game. Doesn't it seem like more of a slap in the face to do that for just this game, and then put it back on for the regular season--ya know...the games that actually count. I think someone in marketing was smoking the peacepipe on this idea.

And finally the idea that trumps all others occurred just a little while ago as I was surfing the internet trying to find out the fat and calories in alcohol, to keep an accurate measurement of my Subway Challenge. I found someone else was doing a similar search, and had posted their questions for all the world to answer. I love this open letter almost as much as I want to find the person who wrote it so that I can hang out with them sometime. Enjoy...

"My favourite tipple is a double vodka with diet coke (the coke filled to the top) in a average glass served by pubs in the UK.
1. Can anyone tell me the average kcal calories content of a glass? 2. If I drank an average of 8-10 glasses of these on a weekend nightout, how many calories would I be consuming? 3. Would adding ice help reduce calorie content or increase sobriety? Or no different? 4. What is the lowest calories double spirits and mixer? (But withequal strength of alcohol)? 5. Does an increase in alcohol strength mean an increase in calories? 6. Is eating food (e.g. kebab, chips) after a drinking binge harmfulor not? e.g. helps reduce hangovers, or increases nausea in morningetc. What is recommended? Should I drink water before eating food, orafter eating food? Or both or does it make no different? Tips will be given for thorough answers."

I think I may have found my British counterpart!

St. Patricks Day 2007...

...Or as I like to call it: Amateur Drinking Day at my favorite bar. This year we started out at The Old Angle, and as we found out later, we should have just stayed there. While at The Old Angle we got to watch the Ohio State game, even though they had to keep switching televisions for us, as the bar started to fill up, and we could no longer see above everyone. However the highlight of our stay there was a conversation I was privy to down in the bathroom:
Girl 1: I am so drunk on beer!
Girl 2: Oh My God, I am so drunk on beer too! This is so crazy.
Girl 3 (who stumbled in a couple minutes later): Oh My God, I am so drunk on beer! This is so crazy!
Girl 2: I can't believe how drunk I am on beer!
Girl 1: Me neither. I am so glad I ate first.
Girl 3 (from inside one of the stalls): How did you know to eat first???
Girl 1: I don't know. I guess I thought ahead.
Girl 2 and 3: Oh My God! You are so smart.

That is a conversation I never thought I would hear inside the confines of my bar. Other than that, let me recap the good and bad ideas of the day:
Starting at The Old Angle: Good Idea
Going to McCarthy's in The Flats: Bad Idea
However while we were in line for the bathroom at this bar, this stupid frat boy in a cableknit sweater yelled at the women's bathroom line to make out or tickle each other. At this point, my friend Allison said: "Does that guy know he is wearing a cableknit sweater, and that men in cableknit sweaters should never yell those things out loud because we will know he is gay?"
Going to The Harbor Inn in The Flats: Bad Idea
Going to West 6th Street on the advice that it wouldn't be so annoying because it was St. Patrick's Day: Bad Idea
Going to Cinergy on West 6ht Street: Bad Idea
Going to Panini's on West 6th Street: Bad Idea
Going to The Old Stand in Lakewood: Bad Idea
Calling someone to come pick me up in Lakewood so I could head home: Good Idea
Going to Bed at 8:00 p.m.: Good Idea
Waking up early to go to the film festival: Good Idea

All in all, it was a great four days off filled with a lot of basketball and a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone I spent it with, but next year I am staying put at The Old Angle for the duration of St. Patrick's Day.

Making Spirits Bright

I went Christmas shopping last night and I hated it just as much as I remember. Everything about it irritates me: the crowds, the lines, all the annoying Christmas music and the vapid look on my face as I try to figure out what to buy. At one point I may have even started crying. It was rough, especially for someone who abhores shopping in the first place. So how do I make it better? Good beer. Usually I drink domestic beer at home, but last night I stopped and bought a six-pack of Warsteiner beer to make it all better, and the next time I go shopping, I will probably do the same. I think this may be why Christmastime is so expensive.