The Cavs Draft Party

6/26/2014

As you can see by the image above... Free Tickets! So of course Gina and I went to see who the Cavs would pick #1 in the NBA draft. We walked over to the Q a bit early to get good seats because we had no idea how many people would be there. Plus we were hungry and it was $1 hot dog and soda night. When we walked in there were lots of people waiting in line for food and signing up for the fan fest which got them on the court for games, food, and a shoot around.

Our first stop was the team store to check out the goods. We each picked up a jersey of a player that's no longer on the roster for $10 a piece. You can't beat that price! Good looking couple of Cavs fans here.

Next stop was for food and then to our seats. We tried to get close to the court but there were a lot of people there. There were actually way more than I thought. Probably around the attendance at an average game, if you count the people on the court. We ate our hot dogs and watched the festivities for awhile.

After eating I spotted a few club seats on the other side of the court in the front row. They were way better than the seats we were in so we went on the move. After finding the seats we settled in for the big pick.

In the end, after all of the speculation and discussion, the Cavs picked Andrew Wiggins 1st overall. The crowd cheered and seemed happy with the pick. Wiggins is a great player and well deserving of the #1 pick. I got to see him a few times on TV against Texas and in the tournament. Our #1 picks in the recent past, other than last year's, have been great players so our hope for another gave us a great feeling for next year's team. It was great to see everyone there celebrating and excited for Cavs basketball. Lets hope Wiggins and the new coach make a difference and help get us to the playoffs... with or without Lebron.

---

Leave me comments on 
what you think about the draft

in the Comments Section below.

Get my blog posts sent right to you 

by putting your e-mail address under 

FOLLOW BY EMAIL 

on the right menu and then clicking Submit.

Like, Share, Star, and +1 the blog on Social Media by 

clicking either the Buttons below after Posted by or

the Icons below the comments at the bottom of the screen.

---

Indians vs Angles - Swisher Sweet

6/19/2014 - Cleveland Indians vs LA Angels

My work (which in no way shares in or promotes my opinions on this blog) gave employees a $25 ticket (which included a $5 voucher) to an Indians game last week. The tickets were in the left field bleachers but it's early in the baseball season still which means that there are lots of good seats and standing areas to move to to watch the game... you know, if you do that sorta stuff... I for sure do not!... probably. My co-worker Eli met me at my place and we hiked the 15 mins through the flats to Jacob... Progressive field to watch the game. It was a great day for baseball! The temp was in the 80's and early rain had cleared out most of the humidity. Hot in the sun and cool in the shade. The perfect weather for getting paid to be at the ballpark!

The game for the most part was pretty par for the course. We paid attention as long as we could and then went to eat and roam around. I decided to not eat lunch beforehand so that I could partake in some ballpark hot dogs. With my $5 food voucher it seemed like a great idea to get 3! After eating we camped out on the Home Run porch in left to watch a few innings. I do love watching the Indians live. I grew up going to some great games in this ballpark and feel some sort of connection to it and comfort with it. I haven't been to too many games over the past few years because it's just so damn expensive. Thank goodness work gives us discounted tickets to sporting events sometimes because it has allowed me become a fan again. It's definitely one of the perks to working for a hometown employer that advertises!

Snuck down while the security guy was taking a dump. Great view!

I'll cut to the chase on this one since I'm writing about a baseball game... The Indians were down by a run in the bottom of the 10th. The bases were loaded and there were 2 outs. Nick Swisher was up and was 0-4 for the day. Now I'll digress a bit but only to add my own little bit of sports magic to the story... Before we left, Gina asked me to pick her up a jersey since "your sister lost a bunch of weight and can fit into the one she gave me again so I had to give it back." Indian giver of an Indian's jersey... yup. So while wandering around about mid game, I stopped into the women's pink ribbon tight-fitting bedazzled gift shop. After coming to the conclusion that whatever I get Gina she wouldn't like but would pretend to, I got her a Nick Swisher jersey/shirt thingy. I think women think he's hot and she usually likes guys that all women think are hot so I went with it... now fast forward back to us sitting in way better seats than what we started out with and Swisher at bat. Now watch the video to see what I made happen with my purchase:

If for some reason you can't see the video, go here: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/19/cool-walkoff-bro-nick-swisher-hits-a-grand-slam-to-win-it-in-the-10th/

I've never seen a walk off grand slam in person before this but I have to tell you... it was awesome! I haven't really cheered that hard and loud in that stadium in some time. It was a good feeling. It was great high 5'ing strangers and Whhhoooooing as loud as I could. It was great to see him getting mobbed at home plate. It's nice to feel anything positive about Cleveland sports these days. I have to say that one of the great perks to living in Cleveland has been being able to easily get to these things. Oh and not having to leave early to beat traffic... I'd have missed this little gem if I did.

My next great sports adventure will be on Thursday (6/26) when Gina and I go to the Cavs draft party at the Q! You can't beat free tickets... that should be my catch phrase. I say it enough. Oh and if you wanted proof of my sports magic...

You get'em girl!

---

Leave me comments on 
what you think about Lebron being a free agent

in the Comments Section below.

Get my blog posts sent right to you 

by putting your e-mail address under 

FOLLOW BY EMAIL 

on the right menu and then clicking Submit.

Like, Share, Star, and +1 the blog on Social Media by 

clicking either the Buttons below after Posted by or

the Icons below the comments at the bottom of the screen.

---

Catching up

So the last few weeks have been filled with trying to dig out of the combining of 2 houses into one downstairs duplex. It's actually coming along way better than I expected. A few shelves and bars to hang clothes and this house is becoming a home.

Some things I missed...

I went to another Gladiators game and saw another win! I love going to these games and my seats this time were way closer. So pictures with KISS this time though.

We hit the casino afterwards and they wouldn't let Gina in without a drivers license which she left at home. She got the chance to walk around and get familiar with Tower City though which she liked. I broke even on the slots so it ended up being a great night.

I went to a gentleman's baby shower for my friend Steve up in Sandusky at his in-laws summer house. We rode around in a boat, went swimming, and had loads of fun. It's always great to see old friends and have some fun before kids come along and make that all a bit more difficult.

Father's day started off with a neighborhood yard sale. We sold a bunch of extra things and made some much needed room in the apartment. The money we made is going to go to a train trip to Chicago later this year.

Afterwards I went to my parent's house for Father's day. It's always good to go home to see them minus the drive. We ate dinner and just chilled. So relaxing! I got my dad tickets to an Indian's game next month. My mom and Gina will be there too. He seemed happy with it. He deserves much much more since he's done so much for me. Little by little I hope to pay him back and make it all worth it.

---

Leave me comments on 
what you did for father's day

in the Comments Section below.

Get my blog posts sent right to you 

by putting your e-mail address under 

FOLLOW BY EMAIL 

on the right menu and then clicking Submit.

Like, Share, Star, and +1 the blog on Social Media by 

clicking either the Buttons below after Posted by or

the Icons below the comments at the bottom of the screen.

---

Ceramics Class - Insert Ghost Reference Here

I haven't been able to wrap my mind around the classes that Gina signs us up for. Terrarium building, raw food making, and the one we went to this week, Ceramics class. Now don't get me wrong. They have all been great new experiences and lots of fun... I just can never put my finger on who Gina is and where these things come from in her personality. Is she a new aged hipster looking to eat right and make her own plates and mugs? Maybe but she's drunk on moonshine, eating hot dogs, and camping at country fest right now so who knows? What we do know is she's broad scoped and open minded... and that's one of the things I love about her. She's everyone in Green Acres all rolled into one... except the pig.

So that brings us to our ceramics class with Gina DeSantis. We ventured over to the Screw Factory is in the Lake Erie building in Lakewood (13000 Athens Ave, Lakewood. Studio C323 on floor 3 of the factory) for the class and WE WERE EARLY! That was worth the experience right there since we are late to everything. The Screw Factory is a huge old industrial building in Lakewood's Bird Town neighborhood. It was once the home of the Templar Car Company and now houses businesses and artist studios. Gina D teaches classes and does her work out of her studio there.

We were 2 of the 3 students in this class so it was very personalized. First, we watched her go through the steps in making the plates. She used a plastic plate to mold the clay into shape and then after getting it smoothed and formed, she used pre-made decorative sheets to transfer color onto the clay. She gave us some time saving tips and tricks since we only had two hours to create our masterpieces and then let us loose.

Gina and I got in touch with our creative sides and got after it. The clay was already thrown and de-bubbled so we just cut and molded. The pre-made decorations added an easy and colorful artsy look. There were also letter stencils there if we wanted to add some words. All we really had to do was be artistic with our tools.

The class was fun and easy. Even though I hadn't played with clay since high school and Gina R had never worked with clay before, we were able to quickly jump into it and produce great looking plates. Gina D was a great teacher and was there for us to tap into the whole way, if we had questions or trouble. When we were done, we gave our clay plates to Gina D. After they dry she will fire them, glaze them, and then fire them again. It'll take about 3 weeks for them to be completely finished and ready to eat off of. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Gina R's are on the left and Mine are on the right.

Thanks to Gina DeSantis for teaching the class and being so nice to us. If you're in the area and want to have a artistic outlet, I recommend signing up for her class. We're definitely going to sign up for others.

Check out her class list here: http://ginadesantisceramics.com/?page_id=1342

If you're looking for some beautiful already made ceramic pieces, check her out at the Cleveland Flea! Ya, the Cleveland Flea. The same place you can find Brewnuts, Jessica Kinsinger, and loads of other talented artists that we love! How many times do I have to promote this thing before you go! GO!

---

Leave me comments on 
art classes that you recommend

in the Comments Section below.

Get my blog posts sent right to you 

by putting your e-mail address under 

FOLLOW BY EMAIL 

on the right menu and then clicking Submit.

Like, Share, Star, and +1 the blog on Social Media by 

clicking either the Buttons below after Posted by or

the Icons below the comments at the bottom of the screen.

---

I'm nuts for BREWNUTS!

There's so much going on this week but I have to focus on my favorite meal of the weekend. Gina's Aunt Julie texted her out of the blue early Sunday morning and told her that we should pop into Brewnuts for breakfast and tell her how it was. Of course I was saving Brewnuts for when Gina finally moved in so she could experience it with me but it's moving week and this was as good a time as any... plus it's doughnuts made of beer for goodness sake! We threw on some clothes for the day and headed over. We were planning on getting a couple of goodies 1st and then stopping in at Press for some brunch. You know, like French do it! Dessert before the meal... or maybe it's the Chinese... or maybe it was in Star Trek but either/or, it's a great idea! Well after that fun word play sentence, we never made it to Press. Hell we almost didn't make it back home. Wanna know why?...

Meet owners of Brewnuts, Shelley Fasulko and John Pippin. No, seriously. Go in to Brewnuts and chat them up. Ask them about their business or the city in general. They are the nicest, most down to earth people we've met here so far and if I failed to take one delicious bite of their product that day, I'd go back just for the conversation. I'm just so fascinated with the way they started their business, how it's working out so far, and where they are going with it. They're small business owners who took a great idea and are running with it. This is the story Clevelanders want to follow. We want to cheer for them and find out where the snags are so we can try to help eliminate them. We want to know if the city/state is inviting to new small business or if they set up miles of red tape. We want them and good people like them to succeed so we can believe that Cleveland is continuing to get better.

First Impressions - I loved the whole look of the place! Right when you walk in you'll notice how the colorful furniture and decor pop from the grey walls. If you know me, that's right up my alley. Gina noticed the old hand picked furniture right away as she has a nose for it. Most pieces in the store have a Pintristy re-use look to them which adds that Tremont art dimension to your experience. It's a cozy space which does lend back to the bakeries of our youth but they also have some window seating for you. It comes in handy for when you're too far away from home to carry these delicious little things for fear that you'll eat through the box to get to them. Instant gratification opportunity!

The Food - Brewnuts are doughnuts made with local beer that have icing on them made from local beer. I'll wait for the college students to regain consciousness... OK. They start the morning with quite a variety but don't get there to late because you'll be out of luck. These things sell out and they only make as many as they can fit onto the flat surfaces in their condo. Yes people, homemade! Gina and I are adventurous but we are trying to slim down so as much as we wanted to buy all of them, we settled for 2 a piece and a cup of coffee.  I had a chocolate with caramel and salt icing and a blueberry with poppy seeds. I can't quite remember what Gina had but one thing is for sure... we loved the doughnuts. The addition of beer made the flavors uniquely stand out but didn't give it that bitter beer taste or dominate the flavor like liquor in cupcakes. Replacing some of the milk with the beer didn't change the consistency either. These were honest to goodness doughnuts... and they were great!

I can't say much either way about the coffee since I'm not much of a coffee connoisseur but it was a fitting and traditional pairing. It could have been any brand at any price and I'd have no idea. That one you'll just have to check out for yourself.

Overall - I love this idea! It surfs the tsunami that is the craft brewery revolution in Cleveland but also fills a very basic need in this city... Normal everyday businesses that you'd think would be abundant in an urban area but aren't for some reason. It's a small locally owned business which is what neighborhoods like Tremont are in the business of kick starting and supporting. It puts a new-age twist on an all time favorite which gets you in the door and allows you to stand out and get noticed. It has all of these things going for it and that's why you want it to succeed. Plus Brewnuts taste delicious! Every once in awhile, especially by us, you just want some coffee and a great doughnut and not a full out brunch. This is my new go to place for that.

You can visit them at 2406 Professor Ave in Tremont, the Cleveland Flea, or grab some at Rising Star Coffee Roasters in Hingetown. I personally recommend stopping into their store in Tremont for their great personal service.

Look for Gina & my's polaroid on the map in the bathroom under Spokan and the fish :) 

---

Leave me comments on 
your favorite Cleveland breakfast spots

in the Comments Section below.

Get my blog posts sent right to you 

by putting your e-mail address under 

FOLLOW BY EMAIL 

on the right menu and then clicking Submit.

Like, Share, Star, and +1 the blog on Social Media by 

clicking either the Buttons below after Posted by or

the Icons below the comments at the bottom of the screen.

---

Nom Nom Nom

So in my livings here in Tremont I have had the chance to eat at some great places so far. The thing Gina and I are trying not to do is eat out every night so we can A) fit through the door in 6 months and B) continue to be able to pay rent. It's true that the great restaurants here in the neighborhood have wonderful food but they can be kinda pricey. Your best bet is to treat yourself every once in awhile and make sure to hit up happy hours and specials whenever you can... oh and start working out! This is all contingent on if you're like me - barely making it by financially and have 0 metabolism to speak of. If you have neither of those traits, go nuts!... And send me money... but like old money that's just siting around not doing anything. Not like brand new crisp money.

Dervish Grill

Dervish Grill is way at the other end of Professor. OK, I do say "way" like it's not a 5 min walk from my house but it is significant because it's not in the heart of everything around the Lolita/Press/Dante/Banyon Tree area. That may not make a difference to Tremonters who are use to the size of the neighborhood and where everything is but location is everything to use newbies and to other outsiders. Now with that being said... wait for it... if you like Mediterranean or want to try Turkish food, find this place! Gina and I went and the food is not only great but the atmosphere is great too. These places all have the feel as if they were retrofitted into buildings that weren't originally designed for business and I really like that kind of look and feel. It gives you a unique setting that isn't really out there in the mainstream too much. I ordered the a gyro which was served with a combination of season lamb and beef. If you get there around lunch, I was told that you get the freshest cuts of both in this meal. They were fresh and delicious. I actually ate them so fast that I made quite a mess of my area. Next time we're going to ave to bring the bag attachment to catch my shavings. Gina got a white bean salad that was great and refreshing. I may get it on a 99 degree 132% humidity day as a pick me up. The baklava dessert was a fitting ending to a wonderful meal and probably the best I've ever had. We sat in a cute little curved corner booth and enjoyed every minute of it.

Bac Asian American Bistro and Bar

1st and foremost when it comes to Bac Asian American Bistro and Bar, bring your appetite. The servings are huge. We stopped by Bac and sat on their great front outdoor patio to get some dinner. They have lots of variety on their menu and each meal looked delicious and packed full of ingredients. We started out our meal with Summer rolls and if you haven't seen a roll wrapped in soft rice paper then you may be in for a weird surprise. It looks like white skin and the texture is like sticky rice. These aren't strip mall Chinese egg rolls like you may be used to. If you can get past the look and feel, it's worth it for the refreshing taste. I got the Pad Thai and Gina got the Avocado Green Curry. The Pad Thai has a peanut sauce on rice noodles, chicken, shrimp, and veggies... and the portion is huge! It looked like a family style portion. It was delicious too and I had to struggle to eat it all. I keep stressing the refreshing flavors of the meals and the refreshiness of the ingredients was a perfect compliment to the fullness I felt after eating it. The Avocado Green Curry was spicy and good. It comes with lots of curry so if you like that I definitely recommend it. The price of the special drinks are kinda high so bring your wallet if you plan on fancy drinking. The patio is a major perk so head there on a beautiful day and enjoy!

Edison's Pizza Kitchen

Last night I had a hankering for some pizza so I stopped out to Edison's Pizza Kitchen. I tried to pre-order but their link to foodtoyou.com didn't seem to take me anywhere. It was OK though because during my 30 min wait, I grabbed a beer at Edison's Pub. The pizza is greasy deliciousness and if you like your pizza like that, it may be the best in the city. The sausage comes in huge chunks and is spicy Italian (like me). The crust is painted with a garlicy butter sauce and sprinkled with shaker cheese. Once you get to the crust, you can dip it in the honey that they provide you for a nice little treat. The whole pizza experience was awesome and the pie is so big that I will be eating it for days to come. Edison's also has sandwiches and other pizza shop type food like calzones. If you're in a hurry, you can get a cheap slice too. Edison's pub has tables for you to eat the pizza at while you grab a drink or 5 if you're out for that too. I'm so happy that this is so close to my place and it will be my pizza of choice while I'm here.

---

Leave me comments on 
your favorite Cleveland Restaurants

in the Comments Section below.

Get my blog posts sent right to you 

by putting your e-mail address under 

FOLLOW BY EMAIL 

on the right menu and then clicking Submit.

Like, Share, Star, and +1 the blog on Social Media by 

clicking either the Buttons below after Posted by or

the Icons below the comments at the bottom of the screen.

---

Nelsonville Music Festival

3 years ago my friend Andy and I started a tradition of going to 1 summer music festival a year. This was basically because we were the last of our friends to be married with kids and wanted to celebrate that freedom and great music. We've been to Firefly in Delaware, the Newport Folk festival in Rhode Island, and this year, since Andy and his wife Kari are going to Ireland, we decided to keep it local and head to the Nelsonville Music Festival in Nelsonville, Ohio. New this year was good old country music loving Gina. I'm so hoping that if I continue to include her, our lives will be a little less "Catfish dinner" and a little more "Baby I'm calling for you"... one can only hope this "My Fair Lady" science project of mine works.

What we learned:

1. We will never sleep in a Super8 hotel ever again if we can help it. The beds were awful and the independent owners were so far up you a$$ about every little thing that it just came off as desperate. Luckily for us we were only there from 1 am until 11 am.
2. Nelsonville is a quaint little area with an old timey feel and beautiful scenery. Hocking college, where the festival took place, is a tiny little campus nestled in between forests and foothills. There were lots of plants, trees, and summer allergies. We didn't venture to far from the campus except to stop and get money, beer, and a box of band aids to keep Gina's dry cracked foot together. The poor thing looked like a broken vase and I was afraid a chunk would fall off. Either/or the campus was beautiful and the town of Nelsonville were great hosts for this event.
3. The first night, Thursday, was by far the best night in my opinion. The headline fun started out with my musical man crush, Frank Turner. This is the 3rd time I've seen him live and I can't get enough of his fun and crowd active live shows. You sing along, dance, chant, pantomime, and clap. You feel like a part of the show and if you don't participate, it takes away from the whole experience a little. It's good old rock and roll with a British accent like the old days and I knew almost every word.
   Jason Isbell was next and he came highly recommended by... well Frank Turner at last years Newport Folk festival. He was more straight forward of an act and was a change of tempo from Frank Turner. His voice was great and his music was powerful! Like soundtrack to a "getting shit done" montage powerful. I'm glad I finally got to see him live. He didn't disappoint.
   Well that was the end of the headline acts on the main stage for the night but there was one act left on the second stage in a nice little opening surrounded by olden day cabins and hippie merch booths. We made the best decision ever to go check it out before we went back to the hotel for some much needed sleep on our slabs of concrete. What we saw was so good, it deserves it's own number...
4. Say hello to St. Paul & The Broken Bones... the most fun and entertaining band of the whole festival...
   
This includes (and I can't believe I'm writing this) Frank Turner and the Avett Brothers who I would normally rank up there as far as fun and entertaining live shows go that I've seen. Gina and I sampled some of their music and it had a great soul sound to it mixed with a bit of gospel. We both liked the music right away... but that didn't prepare us for the explosion that lead singer, Paul Janeway, ignited the second he stepped on stage. First, the band came out and started playing a cool little ditty with some accompanying brass. I wondered how the lead guitarist was going to sound singing live because he looked nothing like someone who could make the vocal sound I remember coming from my laptop just a few days prior. Yes, it was a prejudging of vocal talent based on look but I was just starting to form initial opinions on very little background. Then out from behind the stage stepped a blondish haired man in glasses wearing a suit. As soon as I saw him dressed differently from the rest of the band I knew he was the guy... except he looked even less like a southern soul man. My goodness was I wrong. He was an entertainer with a massive set of tools to work with. He had the voice. He had the moves. He had the mannerisms. He had charm. He lit that stage up and sent the crowd into a frenzy. He knew when to smile and when to be bashful. He made it so you couldn't take your eyes off him because you wanted to see exactly what he did next. The music was soulful and his booming voice was selling you on every emotion that the lyrics painted in your imagination. As a crowd, when a new song revved up, we were so happy to know that the previous song wasn't the last... and when it was the last song, we demanded an encore and were relieved when one came! It was all we could talk about on the way to the cars once it was over. I told Gina, I felt the same way when I first saw Mayer Hawthorne... this isn't something you'd come across unless you demanded it so much that you went out looking for it. God bless music festivals like this that show us that radio has failed us all by not featuring acts like this.
5. Suntan lotion. Suntan lotion. Suntan lotion. I am as red as red can be in some places but it was worth it because we got great weather all weekend! I keep saying it but thank goodness summer is finally here.
6. The Avett Brothers are awesome live. No shock here.

So all in all the weekend and the festival was a success. Were they all great bands? Mostly and that's always a pleasant surprise when you know about 10% by name and are still excited about hearing new music and experiencing new things. Here are a few pics from the weekend:

And I'm gonna put a happy little tree right here. It'll be our secret.	Colorful up-lighting and the moon.	Fairy girl and rubber duck man are friends.
Frank Turner is awesome. Find his music and listen. You'll thank me later.	A sleepy Friday listening to tunes.	The main stage.

---

Leave me comments on 
your favorite music festivals

in the Comments Section below.

Get my blog posts sent right to you 

by putting your e-mail address under 

FOLLOW BY EMAIL 

on the right menu and then clicking Submit.

Like, Share, Star, and +1 the blog on Social Media by 

clicking either the Buttons below after Posted by or

the Icons below the comments at the bottom of the screen.

---