Maiden Voyage!

Memorial Day weekend….it’s like the introduction to summer for all of us here in the mitten after a long winter of forgetting what it’s like to sit outside, BBQ, and drink beer. Its unfortunate the warm weather had to take a turn for the worse this weekend! Luckily I was still able to get out and get some things done!

                Friday evening was spent wrenching on my car. I’ve been having a lot of trouble with it lately, and dumping a lot of money into it lately for what seems like no results….it’s almost like having a bad girlfriend! So to turn my frustration I decided to wrap that up and head to Bass Proshop and do a little shopping. I recently purchased a fishing Kayak so I could get back out on the lakes and fish, so I needed a few things for my maiden voyage. After spending way more than I originally planned (don’t we all?) I walked out of there an hour later I had everything I needed and more for my trip out on the lake.

                Saturday was golfing with the guys. I’ve recently grown very fond of the par 3 9 hole courses around my area. For 10 bucks you can go chase a handful of golf balls and not have to worry about the typical golf course particulars….it’s actually quite laid back! So we hit 9 there, and had a few drinks afterward….it was a really good time!

                After I had to make it home a little early because I had some fabrication I had to do with the kayak for the next day on the lake. I managed to retrofit a basket with some additional rod holders because I had to accommodate for some extra gear as I was taking my girlfriends little brother, but all in all it went well and it looked great!

                Sunday was the big day! I couldn’t sleep past 7 AM because I was so excited to get going. I had already loaded up my truck and had everything prepared to go. We took off at 9:30 and had to stop by Gander Mountain quickly before we launched. When we got to our first spot it took a few minutes, but I was the first to strike! I pulled in a little 3.5 pound largemouth, and took a picture to keep record of my first kayak fishing catch! After about 6 hours on the water it was time to head back in and relax. The remainder of the night was spent enjoying a bonfire at my parent’s house and getting some much needed sleep.

                Monday was a very chill day with all of the guys, we bbq’q some beer brats, ate chips and dip, enjoyed a few beers and watched the redwings play. All in all it was a very hectic, but fun weekend! I dont have any footage from my trip on the water, but enjoy one of my favorite videos!

               

A lesson learned about too much sun!

Saturday started out just like any other day. I woke up, made some breakfast, got out early and got some fishing time in. This Saturday was a little different, though. This past Saturday was my buddy Scott’s birthday. Now I know what you’re all thinking…”Who the hell is Scott and why do I give a shit?” and I get it, you don’t know him and I guess you don’t have to care if you want to, but there’s a story behind this infamy.

                For me and my 2 buddies I grew up with we had always had a certain way of celebrating each other birthdays. We would play a game every time past 19 where we would go to the bar and the two of us would buy the lucky birthday boy shots at random and they would have to guess what it was they were drinking, kind of like lottery shots. It has always been a shit show, to say the least.

                So this Saturday was different, kind of. I picked up my brother and my buddies around 2 and the plan was to go play 9 holes of golf and get some food. This sounds pretty tame if the 9 holes weren’t preceded by a fifth of 18 year old Jameson.

                We got to the course and life was good, it was a beautiful day and we could walk right on. We had the Red Wings game on my buddies Iheartradio app and we were all feeling pretty good. We made it through the first 4-5 holes without any issues and then I started to feel a migraine come on. This wasn’t too much of a worry, I was still feeling pretty good and I figured we would be done soon…..man was I wrong.

                After a snap decision to play the remaining back 9 of the course I was dreading the 2.5 hours ahead of me. I struggled through the last 9 holes getting the usual dogging from my buddies and brother; “come on, Nancy” I would hear as I dawdled behind the remaining 3 of the foursome. By the time we left the course I had shot a 77 and I was feeling like death.  The food that followed didn’t go so well either.

                I can put away food with the best of them but at this point after 6 hours in the sun and only having a bagel and Jameson in my stomach all day the only putting away of my food was done in the form of a carryout box with the entirety of my order in it. I couldn’t wait for my buddies to finish so I could head home and just crash.

                Getting home was not much better because since the party decided to meet us there. We’re all older now and definitely not as professional of partiers like we were in our younger days, but I guess tonight was the exception. I couldn’t move because I would get sick, I couldn’t sleep because everyone was celebrating. I couldn’t walk without letting my head dangle from my shoulders. Finally I mustered up the strength to get up, and go somewhere else.

                Leaving was probably the best thing I had done all day, but it wasn’t without its issues….I won’t get into specifics but I was feeling so great on the drive to my final destination for the night that I had to make half a dozen stops, I’m sure you can guess.

                I figured I wasn’t dehydrated at all because I had a ton of Gatorade with me on the course and I hadn’t drank THAT much Jameson before we went out. After talking to a few friends and family members I was unofficially diagnosed with sun poisoning. Great….

                Sunday was spent doing nothing other than recovering. The very thought of the warm touch of sun on my skin made my stomach turn.  After the symptoms subsided the only reminder of this 2 day episode was the farmer’s burn it left me with. I’m still being reminded today…… Moral of the story: Always bring more Jameson!

Picture thanks to: 123rf.com

Play Ball!

Tiger’s baseball…..what more can I say that a fellow mitten resident wouldn’t understand? I think I can speak for millions when I say that I am glad tiger’s baseball is back this year! To be completely honest, after seeing the hitting, running, and fielding this year, I think this is the year for us. Now for all you pessimists you can knock on wood or do whatever you’re superstition ion tells you to, but I’m calling it now!

                Baseball isn’t just the game; it’s the atmosphere; the vendors, the fans, the venue, and the food. I enjoyed a beer and a brat the other night at Comerica Park myself; while I watched our Tigers walk all over the Astros. While I was sitting there watching the strikes and hits roll in I sat back and took some time to take it all in.  I was enough to witness first-hand the famous opera singing hot dog vendor that was quite a treat. All the people watching and all the activities like the 7^th inning stretch. That’s what makes baseball awesome!

                My only regret is that I could go back and watch the legends play….I would love to see Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson, or Micky Mantle run the bases. It would be awesome to experience a ball game with all the perks for under $5. There's no dount in my mind that the game has changed, however, im still confident that the game is keeping in touch with it's roots.

Hey, Hey, HockeyTown!

Growing up in Metro Detroit I learned only 2 things are important to my fellow Detroiters…..Cars and Hockey. Now everywhere I go outside of Michigan I have people ask about hockey town. It really is true; Detroit has the leagues greatest fans! The Redwings have created a name for themselves over the years with the Russian 5, the grind line, and oh yea…..making the playoffs every year for the last 2 decades and more!

Now there’s something in the air, something different….it’s playoff season in Detroit. The smell of octopus is in the air and there are playoff beards as far as the eye can see. Other cities do have fans and they are quite festive, but there’s a reason why we’re called hockey town. Detroiters are Bat-shit-crazy for hockey.

We all know this year was  a lot closer than any of us wanted it to be, but we’re in a rebuilding phase, we had no training camp this year, and we’ve been chronically plagued with injuries... I’m not making excuses; I’m just stating some facts to support our slight lack of performance this year.  I admit to having my doubts, but something in me knew they would find a way to make the playoffs this year, just like the last 20-something before this.

Playoffs is a special time of year. It brings people together at their local watering holes, man caves, and venues alike, it gives us all something to look forward to after a long day of work and something to cheer about, and most of all it brings us all together as fans of the greatest game on earth, hockey. This is what makes us hockey town!

'Merica

I never really thought about what it means to serve your country until my girlfriends brother joined the army a few months back….hell, I’m sure I still can’t fully understand the sacrifice someone makes to serve their country. I just found this fitting because I’m flying out to Oklahoma this week for his graduation from basic training.

I can sit here and toot my horn day in and day out about manly things but don’t know the first thing about what it takes to dedicate myself to protecting this great country of ours. I’m not going to go off and rant about the army, and America, and how we could all give just a little more…. However, I would like to take some time and remind everyone that the single manliest thing you can ever do is serve our country.

I think I really started understanding what it really means to serve our country when I was downtown back in 08’ for the wings parade after they won the cup. I started hearing this wave of cheers and clapping rolling towards me from the north on Woodward. When it had finally reached me I saw it wasn’t Nick Lidstrom or Pavel Datsyuk….it was four marines. They walked and waved at all the people cheering for them, it was the most humble I had ever seen another.

To me it’s important to; at the very least thank these soldiers for what they’re doing. I fear that if these great men don’t feel the appreciation they should for doing this it will discourage future generations from doing what keeps America what it is; proud and free….

So next time you meet a soldier, thank him/her for serving our country, they deserve it.

Here fishy fishy fishy....

In my eyes, every guy liked to fish….whether they know it or not. To me it’s like a rite of passage to becoming a MAN! When you’re younger you think “man, this is extremely boring, it’s nothing like it looks in the cartoons!”  I remember my first experience with fishing. I was watching Sesame Street and Burt and Ernie were in a row boat. Burt was having a hell of a time getting anything…. And all Ernie would have to do is yell “HEEEERRRRRRRRREEEEE FISHY, FISHY, FISHY!!” Sure as hell one fish would jump into the boat.
                Of course I didn’t think that fishing was like that in real life, but I thought it would be a lot easier than it actually was…. Man, was I wrong! Some like to call it the sport of 100 casts, or if you fish for musky you can upgrade to 1000 casts. Fishing to a newcomer at my age would have to be the most aggravating thing in the world.
                You constantly have to assess conditions and change technique and of course it’s always a guess. Now I’m not necessarily a fishing purist, but I do get upset if I have a noisy gaggle of toddlers 100 feet from me throwing rocks in the water. This is my fun, go play on the monkey bars! You don’t see my throwing footballs at you while you’re swinging just because that’s where I chose to do it.
                Don’t get me wrong, im not complaining…..well not too much atleast…. I just like to think of this as just another thing that I enjoy, like a good beer, or a cigar, or a fast car.  This is just another thing that I think makes a man. When im out there I can disconnect from the real world and get back to mans roots of being self sufficient. The hunter and gatherer feeling is my high and I think every man should experience that.
                Sunday I caught my first fish of the season. It was an extremely momentous occasion for me because it marked the beginning of many long fights of strength and wit. Don’t be fooled about this fish story though, it may sound like a whale of a tale, but it definitely doesn’t reflect Sundays catch!!!

The red, white, and BREW!

Man cave, a sanctuary, somewhere where everything is man without worry of insensitivity. What makes a man cave? Does it have to be in a basement or a garage?

                To me it doesn’t…I don’t personally have a basement fit for a man cave, so I tend to use my local establishments and social gatherings as my own personal man cave.

                Think of it! You don’t have to have a bar in your basement to enjoy man cave-like activities, you can head out to your local brewery, I personally prefer Khunhenn.

                Why have game rooms, when you can go shoot pool or at snookers or shoot craps and play blackjack at MGM?

                To me, everywhere is my man cave… resource where I can stretch my manly wings (masculine wings, like on a hawk or eagle…..not that swan crap) and feel like I am in my own man cave without the wife interrupting to do the laundry or the kids wanting to watch sponge-bob on the “big TV.”.

                We’ll smoke cigars, talk about cars, Kate Upton, what the Tigers are doing, what the Lions aren’t doing, drink some good beer and just have a bitchin’ time.

                So grab a stool at the bar and get a pint….this is gonna be fun.