Sunday Morning Smoke

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Good Morning, it is Sunday 13 June 2010 a warm wet humid day here in da Burgh , we had a lot rain & a lot of wind damage in the area, last night but I slept right through it , my wife told me all about it this morning , again & again ....... dammm so it rained ,,, but let me tell you about it again.....
we got up & went to subway for breakfast, a steak egg & cheese omlet in a flat bread, dammm what a breakfast, I wasnt able to finish it all, , better than Mcdonalds breakfast by far ...... , I lucked out 7 didnt have to cook this morning , BUT I have a few thick cut porkchops dry rubbed over night & now in a wet marinade , they will go on the smoker soon, should be ready late this afternoon , Brown rice with chicken stock , a bit of veggies chopped fine in the mix, & who knows what I will find in the fridge or pantry, OHH YEA Peaches on the grill, , slice them in half, pop out the stone, add a dab of butter, a sprinkle of sugar, a grind of fresh nutmeg & cinnamon, wrap them in foil, plop the package on the top rack away from the direct heat & in about 20/25 minutes you have a slice of hot peach pie with out the crust !
This mornings cigar was a change up, I passed on the traditional Don Carlos #3 & went for the CAO La Travatia corona , & the coffee this mnorning is not the Sunday morning kona but I went with the Pappa New Ginney, the cigar is a slam dunk with the coffee, , my taste buds didnt miss the Don Carlos or the kona, , so breakfast was a hit & I didnt have to lift a finger, just pull out the money clip, , dammm I like this , so much easyer, than doing it yourself, , well there are some things you enjoy doing yourself, but dammmm , its nice having it done for you hahahaha ( & TOO YOU HAHAHA)
the shop had a fair week, , a little slow at times but with all the graduation partys, & celebration cigars going out the door the higher priced stuff went out in abundance this past week, & everyone had ID , & I was a happy camper selling the $30.00 sticks to the first time cigar smokers , hey why not start off with the best cigar ( well most expencive ) in the house , speaking of graduations, grandson #2 "graduated" from 6th grade & will be going to JR High next year,, dammm a graduation program for 6th graders........ you got me on that one, !, anything to have a party , hey I 'm in !!! pool party next saturday at my daughter place , your all invited ! , thats about all I have right now, I have a Maduro Principe Padron 64 anniv, calling to me from the Qtr.Deck, the A/C is cranked up & ready to go ,it is down to 75F in the Qtr.Deck, it was 82F when I turned it on about 25 minutes ago ... Time to fire up a cigar sip a little more coffee, & maybe a weeee dram might just set it all up for a nice relaxing afternoon in the Qtr.deck a little jazz in the background , maybe a nap in is store for me later hahahaha Enjoy, Vince
 
I've barely been able to read, much less post. My internet time has been sporadic. On April 25th, as I may have mentioned in my last post, I got a call from family about my father being very sick, and having had a stroke down in Puerto Rico. Beginning on April 28th, I made two trips to Puerto Rico, which resulted in me spending 37 out of 43 days down there. My father died the day I arrived for my second trip on May 21st. Another WWII vet is gone. The flag folding, presentation to me, and soft rendition of taps at his funeral were somewhat emotional for me. The details of it all are on a post in The Family Room on that other web site I hang out at. Only limited time down there, and having to use someone else' computer, or rent time from a store with computer rental services.

Arrived back in NYC early last Friday, here until July 1st or perhaps July 6th. Although my father was by no means a rich man, he was like the tortoise in The Tortoise and The Hare, although my father also had no hair since his 20's. HEEEEE, HAWWWWW!!! He laid the foundation for the vision I had in 1998 when I visited him shortly before Hurricane Georges struck. After letting me peek in the door at his then age of 73, to seeing the light in the tunnel of the day I'd be in control of it all, he sort of closed the door on my foot. He began to keep a lot of people at bay around 2004-5, and discouraged me from moving down there in 2003, when I told him I'd be happy to sell the house in Fishkill, give up my life up here with an ever dwindling work situation, come down to help him and live there full time. He insisted at that point I needed to keep the house, because crime and over development had stressed him to the point where he had to sell and get out. He never did, and left me a mess, but I know basic and some not so basic issues of law, finance and real estate and have excellent contacts for advice and referral.

Anyway, there are complicated legal, financial and real estate issues which I'm on top of, and that may involve a conflict and family soap opera. This goes back 24 years to when my grandmother died, and left my father not enough land for what he meant to the old farm and had done physically and financially. He was the only child of hers who really did, but in trying to be "fair" to all her then living children, she also in general left him a mess with the family soap opera attached to it. He never properly settled all the situations and left me a mess. I have just become The Executor of my father's estate . . .

in SPANISH!!! The papers are being translated at a federal office in San Juan (BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ONE IN THE ENTIRE CITY OF PONCE INCLUDING THE MAIN COURTHOUSE, WHO COULD DO THAT!!!), certified, HOPEFULLY, and being sent up here (AGAIN, HOPEFULLY!!!) for that part of my father's estate which has to be handled by me up here. YEAH, NYC has only what, 80 working languages? Nevertheless, a bank officer told me The Executor declaration papers have to be in English.

Then I'll make two more trips down there this summer, wind up being in Puerto Rico around three months for this year, and hopefully begin to manage these affairs with the little bit of money he left, properly. Some of us would like to see it become a working farm again, which it really hasn't been in about half a century, although a good amount of fruits and vegetables still grow there as a result of my father's efforts through the years. But the land has lay mostly fallow, except for the grazing of anywhere from one to three dozen cattle at times, but only in certain areas. Lots of CEO type work for me, a position I'm well trained for, but hate being in. Still, I like seeing the process of law and procedure develop and projects, like puzzles, come together for completion throughout their various phases. Puerto Rico is an interesting mix of 21st Century America and Third World Dysfunctionality, so for the interested, check out that other web site.

Hope to have a laptop of my own when I make my next trip down there, and be in more contact from that point on.
 
before I get to my post I want to pass on my codolence & sympathy to Bluffy on the passing of his father , with today being Fathers day it is a rough day for all of us who have lost there fathers over the years, I still at times pick up the phone to BS with the "OLDMAN" before I remember he is gone, , & its been almost 20 years & I still think about him & see him in the mirroe more & more each day... , Sorry for you loss old friend, Enjoy the great times & forget the rough times ....... Vince





Good morning , it is Sunday 20 June 2010 a made up holiday by the greating card companys , , Fathers day, dammm I thought fathers day was any day 9 months before mothers day ! hahahah, well I was rewarded with a 12 pack of white cloud bathroom tissue from my duaghter , as I always complaine about the brand she has at home, leaving my tender bottom all rough & red hahahaha yea like I looked hahaha , well over the years I have always joked with her that when she lived at home she got to use the good stuff, but now that she is paying for it her self, she gets the cheep sandpaper like stuff , I have even got the grandsons to complain to her , , so now I have this 12 pack of PRIME SOFT ABSORBANT bathroom tissue that I will leave at her place & I am the only one to use it , till they run out of the bargain stuff anyhow hahahaha , But she did get me a nice lighter , picnic knife & a bag of polished rocks to add to the drinks, with out diluting the great whisky, give it a chill with out watering it down, so now scotch on the rocks will be just that , I put them in the freezer & will be "testing" them tonight ............report to fallow next week if I remember hahaha ............ Since it is a "Holiday" I have elected to pass on cooking today, leaving to keys to the kitchen to the wife, she also passed on cooking & made reservations some place , so it looks like I will be paying for my Fathers day supper along with hers hahahaha , as always , you know I think it might have been cheeper not to get married at all , just get a hooker every few days , they never have a headache !!!!!! but then I would have never had any grandsons , dammm come to think of it they are expencive also ..... hahaha well i guess its all worth it , what would I do with out them ?????
Since I have been posting this Sunday morning BS , going back almost to the begining of having an internet conectionI have been smoking a Don Carlos #3 with coffee after breakfast , & have been searching for a comperable morning smoke that will not break the bank , I just might have found it , the CAO LaTravitia corona ........ I will give it a few more days & then go back to the #3 for a comparison, but at half the price I think I have a winner here !!!!
This morning my wife made a pot of Indian malibar coffee, smooth, & tasty but not the Kona I was looking for this morning, so the next pot will be kona & the La travitia, this will be the first kona trial with it , so far its worked with the Columbian & the Papa Malau, & is just fine with the decalf expresso at midinght ,last night, I got 4 shots from starbucks just before they closed , a cigar changed hands & the coffee was free, dammm I love free coffee, hahahaha , but the cigar cost 12 bucks retail & ...... well I guess I did pay for the coffee one way or the other, , BUT I have a new customer at the shop, ...... Tell a friend advertising, it is the best form of advertising, not any easy one to track, you never know if its working unless they tell you, but it helps the bottom line & promotes the shop.
I am taking the 12 Y.O. grandson to the movies to see Marmaduke, he ia great dane & my grandson has a mastiff but both are HUGE dogs so I think he will enjoy it , I cant imagine a theater full of kids but it might be OK ... I hope , this time I will set in the center of the row, & I will be the one getting up 5 times to go to the bathroom...... seams like when I sit on the end I never need to go hahahahaha ............ not much else to tell you about this week, enjoy the 90F temp outside, i will be in the A/C Qtr.Deck when we get back from eating later day, looks like its a contraband R&J dbl.corona after we eat, right now the pot of kona is almost ready & the la travitia needs V cut .... Enjoy, Vince
 
Thank you for the sentiments, Vince. Pretty funny, because about ten days after my father died, one night when I was staying at my 80 year old aunt, the retired DA's house in Ponce, I almost went up to my room to call my dad and see how he was and things were at the farm. Still a chore to realize that someone isn't there any more, conversations can't be had about certain things, old jokes can no longer be shared with them, and you can no longer really just pick up the phone and say hi.

Since I've only skimmed over Vince's last few posts, I also promise to go back and read them thoroughly. Well, it was finally time to put on the AC here. If I didn't have a top floor apartment, I might have made it for another day or so, but the heat and humidity of summer is certainly moving in big time. And having spent 37 out of 43 days in Puerto Rico recently, I've had enough of summer. HAAAAAA!!! Yeah folks, Puerto Rico, another world. And there's now only two of the old folks left, the aforementioned DA and my 92 year old aunt in the town below the farm. It's time to see if the family legacy and the pull the old farm has on us can be continued, or if it will just drift away, and be another spot on the landscape with no more name, history, or legacy attached to it.

So, very soon, after I take care of some of the business of my dad's estate up here, I have to get back down to Puerto Rico to take care of a lot more. But since it will be summer in New York City, I really won't be missing the weather. And I won't be pulling double summer duty either. The air conditioner in my apartment will be off during the next two trips, so I won't spend a ton on electricity this summer. I'm also switching over to the new age bulbs. Their rising popularity reminded me of a program that Con Edison had at least 20 years ago. Those bulbs actually worked, and lasted WAYYYYY longer than regular bulbs. They gave out a certain number of free bulbs of varying wattages to each household, to try and show the way to the future. What turned me off was after a couple finally did burn out, and when I left that apartment, they were no longer free.

But something was proven to me with them, and when I finally started focusing 20 years back on what that lesson had been, it was well, why not? Con Edison is raising their rates another 12% this summer, and I simply had to do something about it. Now that I'm going to try to keep the old family farm and legacy going, I need to pinch pennies, and manage the little bit of dough my father left VERY carefully. So, I broke down and bought a bunch, and it was nice that with my Stop & Shop card they cost less than they usually would. But one thing about those new age bulbs. Where it says how much they replace, do your own formula. I learned it all those years ago with those Con Edison bulbs, and it still applies. It's just about gauging your lighting needs. If the package says it replaces a 100 watt bulb, it really only replaces about 7/8 of that, or 85-90 watts, roughly speaking. The 75 watt replacement bulbs only look like about 63-68 watts to me. But at 23 and 19 watts respectively, and the insufferable heat that regular light bulbs create, I like the difference.

So, to use a Noo Yawk analogy for the formula of figuring the wattage on the CFL bulbs, you called for a pizza, and instead of the usual eight slices on a large pie, they shorted you a slice, HAWWWWWWW!!!

Actually smoked a couple cigars this past week, as I only returned eight days ago, and hadn't smoked a cigar since last summer. One really sucked. It was a 5 3/4" x 64 cigar that was very scary and had been laying around for years. I WISH the aging I gave it had made it flavorless, as overaging usually does. Instead, the taste of this thing was scary, like it almost tasted like cigar ash all the way down. Ever lick an ash tray? Wow. NOT the cigar to smoke if you haven't had one since last summer. My next one a couple days later was actually a very nice cigar from a certain island not too far from Puerto Rico, and tasted a LOT better. Good!!! For a while I thought maybe my palate had gone haywire.

Hope Vince and everyone is well here. Vince is certainly in top form. And yes, I used to call my father every year on his birthday, we don't need Hallmark pushing us in to all these new days. And the folks on the so called "news channels" with their cute little morning shows, and "______ Day" related segments aren't helpful either. Take Your Llama To Work Day. Third Cousin Of Your Fourth Ex-Wife's Day. C'monnnnnnn, it's gotta stop somewhere.

Getting ready for Bob Grant on the radio from noon to 2 p.m. Puerto Rico has a vibrant talk radio community, but without my own laptop or even a radio, I couldn't even listen to them, and I SURE did miss listening to Rush Limbaugh and Bob Grant.

One thing I DIDN'T miss was good food. The 92 year old and 80 year old aunts are the only ones left in the family with direct ties to our grandfather and grandmother, the only ones who actually grew up on the farm. They sure can cook. A nice change from my very satisfying, but still boring old man's diet up here. I'm learning a lot and doing more in the kitchen every year, but I've got a long way to go to catch Vince in the kitchen, like a thousand lifetimes!!! HA!!! But my aunts, the old ladies can really cook, and they love to putter around the kitchen. These ladies will go down cooking. And if the 92 year old serves you coffee, don't even try to get up from the table and take your own cup and saucer to the sink. Nope, she'll get it, just leave everything, her kitchen, her job, she'll take care of it all. God bless them.

God bless all of you, too. It's great to be alive. As much as this world sucks, and as much as I hate the weather in Puerto Rico, and as much as I just plain hate New York, there's beauty and richness to be found in each day, and I thank Almighty God for that. Have a great day, and support the EOTAC store and forums. Been looking at that store a lot lately. Verrrryyyyyyy interestinnnnggggg. Might need some of that gear for my 2-3 months a year on the old farm.
 
Good morning , it is Sunday 27 june 2010 a hot humid morning here in da Burgh , as I went out to the end of the drive way to get the morning paper i was hit with the wave of heat & humidity, looks like today will be in the Qtr.deck with the A/C running all day .... the kona is brewing , & my old frirnd Don Carlos III will be going with me to the Qtr.Deck soon , I have "flurted " with replacing the DC3 with the CAO La Travitia , but after a long discussion with my taste buds ,,,, I have remained with the DC3 .... just cant shake the taste for them, & kona on a Sunday morning , just gets better every time I have that taste combo..... & speaking of Combos last night we went to a 50th birthday for Romana , the wife of a cigar buddy, the place was full of people & the party was a big hit , Romana is a power lifter & built like the perverable "BrickHouse" ......... my wife even had a good time hahahaha ........ the boys were spending the weekend with there father & I didnt get muchtime to hang out with them this past week, , I dont know if they like it or not , but I have a good time with them, I guess they just put up with it hahahaha, I enjoyed hanging out with my grandfather when I was a kid, we went fishing or to the club, most of the time BOTH, fish a little, then to the club for a weee bit of refreshments , nothing like a cold beer to quench your thurst after a few hours in the hot sun drowning worms , dammm we never caught much of anything hahahahaha , but the boys dont like fishing so I dont take them .... I let there father take them for the time he gets to spend with them..... they put up with it but go along because its dad, but I ask & they say they would rather do some thing else as they fish with there dad & dont care for it all that much, so I find some theing else for us to do ..... like smoke cigars & sip single malt ,,,, I am very good at doing that for sure ! ......... I have a bit of left over ham in the fridge, looks like it will end up on the supper table tonight , its to hot to light the oven for the traditional Sunday hunk of beef or slab of Pork , so i think it will get sliced in long thin strips & tossed with a salad for the Sunday supper today , its just way to hot & humid to cook on the grill outside or inside today ..... great day for a salad & watermellon....... breakfast is almost ready I hear the wife up & moving arround so I better get her eggs in the pan as i dont want her to be held up from reading the paper , I will be heading out to the Qtr.Deck with a pot of coffee & a snifter of single malt & a few cigars & see how long I can go with out having to come in & get rid of the coffee ! hahahaha
Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning it is Sunday 4 th of JULY 2010, , the birthday of the USA,& the founding Fathers would be turning over in the grave if they could see the mess we are in from the BLOATED federal mess in Washington DC,wall street ,& the Gulf oil spill,and the mess we have our selves in the Afganastan ,Iraq,North Korea , & in the streets of DETRIOT,, , , well Happy Birthday America ......
, I slept in a bit this morning, had a nice breakfast of Ham, Vadalia onion & mellon , kind of refreshing, nothing was hot right out of the fridge, well the oinon was in the microwave for 30 seconds , but by the time I got to taste it the slices had achieved room temp & went very nice with the garlic mayo , after a pot of Tanzanian Peaberry I am going to make a little kona in the press pot & have my Sunday Morning Don Carlos III ...... the CAO , Latravitia is NOT replacing the #3, it is a wonderfull smoke for sure but I just cant shake the #3 there is just smoething about that cigar that hits my taste buds JUST RIGHT . ...................
Last night the Ambridge Fire dept. had the Fireworks display launched from the city park , this was the first year for the site as the football field now has astroturf artifical grass , so we lost our ring side seats as our daughters home was just a few blocks from the field, & the park is at the other end of town..... so we parked in a lot just off the highway & watched a great colorfull salute to the USA , the local radio station had the music to go along with the sky blasting fireworks but I was happy just to watch & puff on my Contraband series D #4 ..... what a way to celebrate, burning the crops of your enemy , ONE stick at a time ..... BUT I think the Embargo should have been lifted years ago,,,, but when it gets lifted the demand will skyrocket, the cost will skyrocket & the product will be counterfitted & even by the factory, as they will BUY tobacco from other places just to fill the orders & then we all suffer with inferior product.......
We are heading to the Ellwood City Arts fest in the park today, , lots of live shows & vendors with arts & crafts & food for sale, , lots of shade in the park & lots to see & Do..... the grandsons have been doing what ever theu do when there is no school, hanging out in the backyard pool, & avoiding any kind of work like cleaning up after the dog, , I wonder why dogs cant be taught to use the littler box like a cat ???? , well the kona is ready & so am I , time for the Don carlos III ... Enjoy, Vince
 
You'd better believe they'd be turning over in their graves, Vince. They'd be horrified watching the country run by a president and administration who hate the ideas The Founding Fathers laid down for this country's existence. But we all know that, so let's turn to more pleasant subjects.

I called my father's mutual funds company on Friday evening to get a list of EVERYTHING I NEED to apply to access the money in his account. Just when I thought that I had it all in hand, and was going to be applying this week, WAIT JUST A MINUTE, ONE MORE THING!!! Yeah, I need something called an Inheritance Tax Waiver, and have sent word down to Puerto Rico to a cousin and an aunt of mine, a retired DA, to look in to this for me. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Oh wait, I said let's talk about more pleasant things, HAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! All things considered, since heading down to Puerto Rico on April 28th to oversee my father's last days, and later on, his funeral and matters of estate, a LOT has been accomplished. And if my landlord wasn't all over me about the late rent, I wouldn't be so nervous. I'll be paying him the arrears and a whole lot more when I get hold of my father's money, but in the meantime, it's nervous time.

We're at the beginning of a monstrous heat wave here, records or near records all over the area yesterday, already in the 90's this morning, although it will soon be afternoon, yeah, by the time I finally finishing proofing this and post it, HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! The heat didn't stop Joey "Jaws" Chestnut from winning the annual Coney Island hot dog contest, for which the winner nowadays gets $20,000, and a beautiful championship belt they call The Mustard Belt. Joey was 14 dogs off his all-time record of 68 though, as six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi was not on stage to push him. Kobayashi's personal best is not that far off Joey's, but some sort of contractual dispute kept him from competing this year. He did manage to stage a publicity stunt after Joey had been awarded The Mustard Belt and get himself arrested. Don't you believe for one minute that wasn't staged. It was obvious the cops were in on it, and looks like a good time was had by all. I'm sure Kobayashi's charges will all be dropped. He was even wearing a t-shirt that said "Free Kobi." If you thought extreme eating was just some sort of impromptu thing that some friends dream up on the spot, dream on. Six-Time Champion Barred From Competition. It's come a long way from the days when guys like Curtis Sliwa used to compete. Curtis can eat but 68 dogs, even 54??!?!?!!

Fugheddaboudit!!!

Well, after giving the air conditioner a one hour rest, one of two that it gets every day during the hottest summer periods, it's back on. I get to really looking at my watch constantly during the last twenty minutes of that hour, ha, haaaaaaaaa!!! Yeah, Bloof can't take the heat, but as I've mentioned before, it's the dew point. That's your real measure of discomfort. There is a difference between dry heat and the kind we get in New York or Puerto Rico, but when the temperature gets to be in the 80's, I'm just plain hot, don't really care for it. But the dew point, when that's up it's a killer. And although most people don't start feeling it until it hits 60, my tolerance level is 51 or 52, then I start to get uncomfortable. Here in New York City, even on the worst summer days, dew points of 70 are not all that frequent, and although I've seen 75 and above, it's rare. But Puerto Rico?!?!?!?!!! Whoaaaa mannnn, in the 70's every day, whether I'm in Ponce or where our farm is in Cabo Rojo. And Cabo Rojo has dew points of upper 70's to the 80's, even the mid-80's, all the time, so imagine how a guy like me feels when I'm down there. Bad enough I have to deal with the New York summers!!!

They had a big track meet in Ponce on May 8th, international stars, big money, and a guy named David Oliver, one of the great 110 meter hurdlers of all-time, came down there. He's from Florida, lives and trains in Orlando, I believe. He couldn't wait to get back, BWAHHHHHAHAHAAAAAA!!! Or did I tell you that one already? Yeah, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, places like that, when those dew points are regularly in the 70's and 80's, you can't get much more uncomfortable than that.

Cigars, smoked a few recently, hadn't had any since last summer. Good to be back, but I've got to really smoke them slowly, because over the last few years, I just haven't been able to take the kick of even the weakest, well aged cigars. Vince, when it comes to your Sunday morning favorite, just stick with a winner. You have the rest of the week to try all those others, but it's hard to kick a DC3 out of it's cherished spot.

Hope to have my own laptop when I return to Puerto Rico. I will be heading back down in two or three weeks, depending on when I can get this other form I need, and finally send in all the paperwork to the mutual funds company. It also requires going to the bank first and getting something called a Medallion Guarantee Stamp. Man, what a mountain of law and procedure!!! When I think of everything that's happened in my life, and all the bureaucracy I've been through in the past two months, I continually shake my head. But folks, ya know what? Thank God we live in a nation of law and procedure. And with everything I've seen others go through, and how long it takes, a lot has actually happened in a short period of time. If I wasn't so far behind on my rent and getting my chops busted left and right, I wouldn't be so nervous.

All in good time, right? So then, I soon have to head down to Puerto Rico for repairs and upgrades to the main house at the farm, and the surrounding compound, as well as land clearing. There are some folks from the good branches of our vast family tree who are forming a team around me in order to see if we can bring the old family farm back to what it once was half a century ago and back from there. We'll actually have a few people living full time there soon, and I will begin to make inquiries about where measurements and deeds are. My dad was very well organized, but no one knows where deeds and surveys are. More law and procedure, HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I hate being a boss, but I have a feeling this time things will be different. Was never really in this capacity in my life before. Headed up my own section at the bank 30 years ago, at one time having five people under me, but wasn't well suited for it. Glad to be out of that, and never in such a position again, at least in the workaday world.

Finishing up a pot of Oren's La Minita from Costa Rica. Costa Rica, a beautiful nation, with some of the world's greatest produce, including coffee. Hope all you EOTAC folks and your families are safe and enjoying a peaceful and comfortable holiday. Remember this country's true roots and values, and let's send out a prayer to those folks in Iowa who got hurt, including one death, when those horses in that parade bolted and caused mayhem yesterday. God bless those folks. On such a blessed day, what a thing to happen, during a commemorative parade.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! See you all soon.
 
GOOD MORNING , it is Sunday,11 July 2010, a hazy hot & humid morning here in Da Burgh we have had a week of 90+F all week , the a/c has been working overtime but the cigars are loving it , yesterday i fired up an 8.5 x 52 Fuente Cannone & it lasted over 3 hours , I usually get about 2.5 hours out of one of them but that last 30 plus minutes was HEAVEN, I sat on my back deck till after 11PM finishing it, IF I would have had a pipe handy I might have gotten an other 20 minutes out of it, but I was to lazy & tired to get up & get one , I figured if I had the ability to get up & walk with out falling , it would be in my best intrust to STAY in & go to bed , hey I made it this far why chance it hahahaha ....
with the week being as hot as it was I hoped that the shop would be busy , but it wasnt as busy as it should have been, just to hot to sit out and have a cigar , but the shop was cool & no one took advantage of it , Friday night we had one H3ll of a rain storm, the bathroom cieling was like a shower, the roof has a leak & all the water found the bathroom fan vent & headed tward the basement, alas the bathroom was in the way, & no matter where you stood you got wet ! ......... the grandsons are off to North Carolina for a few days with thier cousins & other grandparents ..... we get a break & they have fun at the shore a win for all ........ I have been FORCED to watch some of the scoccer this past week , some of the few customers are into this so called football game , personally I would rather watch curling or cartoons both are funny on TV , dammm I could watch paint dry or grass grow for that matter , exciting stuff hahahahaha ....... I have a HUNK 'O Beef going on the grill shortly , I will prep it on the stove & finish it on the grill outside since I dont want to fire up the oven , as it will be HOT out again today , so fire up the outside grill, & cook away from the house ......... breakfast was a nice slice of crispy bacon a few slices of grilled Vadallia Onion , a slice of dark bread with a lot of the whole wheat seeds still in the flour tosted & buttered, & a verrrry large egg with 2 yokes , the coffee was & is still Kona but I have a pot of tanzanian peaberry sitting in the press pot made with cold water last night , I will be pressing it out soon , havent decieded weather to heat it or drink it on ice , one thig for sure the next cigar this day will be a contraband Partagas series D #4 "given" to me by a Canadian FRIEND , ( anyone who gives me any cigar is a friend ) ..... there is a BIG ladys golf tournament here in da Burgh this week ..... lots of hot babes & biker lesbians hanging out , dammmm HOT had I a choice I would be a lesbian , but I might look the same as I do now , beard and all hahahahahaha ......... Last night when I got home from work my wife was sitting on the back deck & from the look on her face I could see she was TICKED off about some thing, & for 2 hours she had been trying to restart the lawn mower, half the yard was cut 7 she had to shut it down to empty the grass catcher, & she wasnt able to get it started again , checked the gas , its full, pull the safty bar it clicked yank the recoil starter, nothing, , so when i got home I pulled the spark plug , & it sparked, OK for fire, got fuel, hummm must be the air, pulled off the air cleaner, beat it on a rock , pulled it & BINGO , fired right up the grass had clogged it & it couldnt get any air , well after her PULLING the starter for 2 hours & kicking the DAMMMM STUPID lawn mower , she was finished in 20 minutes after I got it started , BUT she was PISSED off the rest of the evening, untill we went to $tarbuck$for coffee, she got some frozen frapichino with a shot of expresso & some flavoringof some sort, I had a tripple expresso with a shot of Irish whisky that I brought with me , dont remember if it was Bushmills or Jamison, , what ever was in the flask sitting in front of the Coneramera Bottle , for all I know it could have been the last of the johnny walker blue , an over priced Blended whisky IMHO , , but in a trip expresso it could have been cutty sark , But I have bought that brand in 35 years or more & dont plan on it any time soon, funny how your wallet will dictate to your taste buds , BUT if I had never moved up to the single malts I would have been happy with the cutty, Johnny red, & an occasional Chevais & drambouie on the rocks with a twist of lemon , but now I enjoy sitting back with a fine 18YO single malt , in a snifter, a cup of coffee & a great cigar , How ever any fine 18YO with or with out the scotch, coffee & cigar would be great if my wife didnt find out hahahahah well its time to get back to the kitchen & get her Hunk 'O Beef started ,pour some coffee & fire Up the Sunday morning Don Carlos #3 ..... Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning, it is Sunday 18 July 2010, the sun is up the skys are cloudy & it is HOT & Humid all ready at 10:30 am here in da Burgh.... Yesterday was the Slippery Rock Cigar BBQ ,a great turn out well over 100 people from as far away as Wisconson & Washington DC , we smoked a lot of cigars had a weeee dram or 2 or 3 or maybe 4 , I forget , , it was hot & humid & the clevage was presenting it self all over the place , an like the Gentelman I am I had a towel to dry them off .......... Untill it rained & man did it rain , the parking lot was like a pool the water was over the tops of my shoes , lightning & thunder were the music of the later day , But the food was GRAND, there was a hole hog grilled to a mahagony finish, crispy skin, moist flesh, just GRAND is all I need to say about it , there was corn on the cob, roasted potatos ,baked beans ,pasta salid ,brownies , chips of all sorts & the best roasted nuts , all prime stuff , NO peanuts , just almonds ,cashues philberts & pecans , a touch of sea salt ..... it went well with the Balvinie Dbl.Wood , & not bad with the 12YO Macallen , we ate well drank & smoked had fun talking to old friends & new friends , & the worst part of the day Joe Durso the owner of Slippery Rock Cigars was not there, he was in the hospital with an infection in his leg, seams like he was moving a trash dumpster & it fell on his leg, & after getting 8 stiches in the cut some how it got infected & he was flat on his back getting
I.V. antibiodics letting his wife run the show, did we miss him , well a little , no one to pick on hahahaha ....

The boys are back from the Carolinia's they went with there other grandparents & cousins , parasailing, fishing,swimming & building sand castles , they had a great time, both are sacked out recovering from all the FUN .......

I have a few pork chops in a light Spanish marinad & 2 chicken breasts in a Italian marinade , they will hit the grill later today, aling with some corn on the cob, & a few baked peaches & a few baked apples , it might rivel yesterdays BBQ , but today its just the 2 of us..... the chicken will get cut up into a chicken salad , with a mayo dressing, celery , onion ,egg & maybe a little RED & YELLOW bell pepper , the chops well I have no idea right now, just cook them & slap them on the plate, .... simple & direct, no reason to mess up great tasting PORK , ok so I dont keep a Kosher home , I'm Lutheran anyhow hahahahaha .... I have tryed to eat better , but dammm some of the stuff that you cant have in a Kosher kitchen, I guess I would have gotten used to it had it been different growing up, I got to eat meat on Fridays when all the Catholic's were eating grilled cheese or tuna , Nothing Wrong with grilledcheese or tuna , BUT Ham , swiss ,a dab of BROWN mustard on thick sliced dark rye bread , a pickel on the side a COOL mug of dark beer , or a frosted MUG of Rootbeer or Cream soda .......

Breakfast this moring was a toasted muffin with hot peppers ,Cheese , bacon, tomato,egg& grilled onion, just be glad your not down wind of me later today hahahaha ..... I have been working on a pot of Columbian this morning , but the kona is being brewed as I finish up this posting, I will pass on the Don Carlos #3 this moring & smoke a Don Carlos #4 , that small tapered end grabbed my attention this morning for some strange reason , I have the A/C on in the Qtr.Deck & will be heading there soon, next on the adgenda for today is call Joe at the hospital & ask him how to turn off the clock radio in his bedroom hahahaha , hey what are friends for if you can abuse them hahahaha

Time for me to get this BS posted , & jump in the shower, the kona should be ready to drink when I get out of the shower & get dressed ........ for a long time I was drinking kona every day , & it got boring, now with it just on Sunday its a treat , BUT the Don Carlos is an every day start of the day , I thought the CAO La Travita might edge it out , but the taste buds voted the Don Carlos #3 back to the top position after a few days ..... there is just some thing my taste buds enjoy with the DC#3......
Enjoy, Vince
 
Vince, always great reading you. Caught up on the last two earlier today. Besides all the complicated legal, financial and real estate related maneuvers occupying much of my time and brain space these day, there was recent bad news from North Carolina. My mother and her husband were hit head on by a drunk driver on July 5th. Her husband was not hurt too badly, some chest bruising and an eye injury, both mostly from air bag impact. As for my mother, fractured pelvis, multiple leg fractures, small neck fractures, cracked ribs, breathing difficulties, and spent over a week and a half in ICU. Over the past couple days there has been a wonderful turnaround, and she may actually leave the hospital for a rehab facility tomorrow. Their lives are changed forever though, and each one of their kids from various marriages, myself included, will have to step up at some point to help with their life at home. For now, the family is relieved at the turnaround, and I now have even more to think of on a daily basis, than just whether or not I'll get enough hours of work at enough jobs to keep making some kind of living.

As for Vince, nobody can make me hungry faster than reading one of his posts, and when I have to read two, it's a chore to keep from going out and eating the whole town, haaaaaaa!!! We have indeed been having a very hot summer here in the Northeast, and the number of 90 degree days is already at a pretty high level, considering we're only in mid-July. Thank God for air conditioning, that's what I say.

Very sorry to hear of that big steel mill explosion in Da Burgh last week. There was a tornado in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico yesterday, about a twenty minute drive from our family farm, and from what I hear, there were a couple more earthquakes in the world yesterday. Things are breaking everywhere, the whole world's gone mad, so remember how precious every moment of life is. All the best to everyone here at EOTAC, looking forward to the next edition of The Sundae Morning Smohke. God Bless America!!!
 
dammm your up on the local news , more than I am , I didnt know anything about the steel mill explosion!!!, I guess I should read the local paper & listen to the news more often, Sorry to hear about your Mother , we all wish her a speedy & full recovery...
the corn was cooked on the grill & the chops were a little tuff , but the chicken was made into a chicken salid for tuesday night , the boys were planning to stop here on Monday & I was TOLD to make hotdogs with chili sauce & baked beans , so if thats what they want, thats what they get, , I will be taking the older one to his paino lesson later on Monday & the younger one will hag out with the boss, while i smoke a cigar with the piano teaches husband, he is a regular at the shop ! , works out good for both of us.... I supply the cigars & he supplys the coffee, unfortunitaly no scotch as I will be driving the grandson & dammm I dont need that in my life, getting a DUI or in an accident with him in the car, , I fear my daughter more than the police hahahaha!! ,

I will say a prayer for your mother each night till she is better , keep us informed as to her progress..... Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning , it is Sunday 25 July 2010, a Hazy HOT & HUMID morning here in da Burgh ...... last night I was listening to a local talk show & found out PITTSBURGH & TUCSON Az , have some thing in common, they are both mispelled by people sending mail to both citys , they leave the H off the end of PITTSBURGH , & forget the C in Tucson, so with all the left ocer h's & c's I need a few I's to make the sound of way to much to drink (HIC) , dammmm its been years since I had a good night of hic - ups , I guess over the years the booze has over ridden the urge to perge , or maybe I am just not drinking enough ,,,,,, hahahahaha yea like that will ever happen ... , the week has been hazy hot & humid , way H O T , with the temp in the 90's & the humidity in the 70's & 80's , its like taking a breath under water , the A/C has been working overtime & needless to say the sales were way down, no one wants to come out of the house , so I sit there at the shop, the music is on the coffee is on , the cigars are ready to smoke , the coke & pepsi coolers are full & no one is stopping in for a cigar , still getting the kids looking for blunts & rolling papers, & I dont stock anything like that , there is a head shop a few miles from me selling bongs ,Brass & glass pipes , let him sell the blunts & papers , I dont want them in my shop... Doobie smokers just need to GRADUATE to Fine hand rolled Cigars & forget the paper tube & stop inhaling ! , NOTHING better in the morning than a great cup of coffee & a fine hand rolled cigar & I will be doing just that asap , KONA & DON CARLOS #3 , the Sunday morning treat.......

Breakfast this morning was a bacon , Vadallia Onion & hot pepper cheese omlet with a sprinkel of toasted garlic & fresh chive from the herb garden, I cant wait for the carmenative effect of the onions & garlic, just hope your not down wind of me later today hahahaha ................

I have been having a few problems with my 2000 Sable, its been overheating & loosing a lot of cooant, , its been so hot & rainging all week I havent been able to look to see where the leak is, I hope its a hose , & not the waterpump or radiator, the car has almost 200,000 miles on it & I dont want to get rid of it YET , I would love to get a new one , but I realy like this car, I dont need to look to turn on the heat or the a/c , I can tune the radio with out looking , I know right where the ashtray is & never need to take my eyes off the road & I hit it 99.9% of the time , I am COMFORTABLE in this car, would I like a new convertable sure , but this sedan is the right size, the right options, the right time for me to keep driving it till I cant fix it anylonger , I have had cars longer than this one, but none i liked any better..............
the grandsons are back from the Carolinia's , they had a great time , parasailing, swiming & hanging out at the beach with thier other grandparents & cousins , now this weekend they are with thier dad & I am spening the day slaving over a hot grill, filled with a pork roast & yams , the pork has been in a marinade in the fridge since Friday , it came out this morning & is drying in front of a fan for a few hours before hitting the smoke for about six hours ( its a small hunk of pork ) but it will have
B I G flavor, the marinade is is a simple EVOO, sea salt, fresh cracked pepper,hot peppers diced fine, bell pepper, onion,garlic ,
apple juice ,prune's & a little prune juice , a sliced fresh peach& a little acid in the form of apple cider vinegar, & white wine .... the pork will get a wrap of bacon before it hits the heat & smoke , the yams will get a wash a slice & a drizzel of evoo, a sprinkel of hawaian red salt & go on the cooler end of the grill for a few hours , when they come off the grill they get hit with a butter flavored with fresh grated nutmeg, freah greated cinnimon & a touch of brown sugar that has been infused with vanallia bean & orange zest, ....there will be a small pot of brown rice with some fresh garden peas & portabello mushrooms on the side , I was going to bake some bread but I got lazy & didnt make the dough last night , just to hot to light the oven anyway ........... & there is not enough room on the grill for the bread & everything else , so we will pass on the bread & anyhow we dont need all the carbs ...... hahaha like I worry about it anymore

Last week Barb was having trouble with the lawn mowernot starting, , now let me tell you when she wants to do something , she wants it done right & right NOW , well after working on the b@$t@rD I had to stop & get cleaned up to open the shop, never did get it running, so she got the next door neighbors mower & did the yard, so I will be getting a new mower this week , I have no idea whats wrong with the old one, there is gas in the tank the spark plug is fireing, & the carb is getting air, the safty switch is disengaging when you pull the leaver & I pulled till my guts hurt, on the starter line , it is 15 years old & needs replaced , so the new one will be self propelled & have an electric start , I just cant see her cutting grass to many more years , hey isnt that why we have grandsons, to cut the grass? hahahahaha

its almost time to flip over the pork & get the a/c turned on in the Qtr.Deck , its just way to hot & humid to enjoy a cigar on the back deck this morning , and way to wet to sit out in the yard, the rain is comming down steady & radar shows more to come later today, so its off to the Qtr.Deck & a relaxing day till its time to cook ! , Enjoy, Vince
 
After a decade, I never cease to be amazed at how much in the way of culinary advice and recipes Ye Olde Navy Cooke can fit in to one ramble. My hat is off to you sir, because you can teach more about cooking more dishes in one post than I'd ever have the will to even try one of. Thank you for your wisdom and storytelling capabilities as well. I'm here on an absolutely beautiful Noo Yawk night after a wonderful, cloudless day which saw the air conditioner go off for the first time in a while. Actually, it was a bit more than a full day ago that I turned it off, and the bold sunlight streaming in all day along with the gentle breezes was great. I'm having a Flor de Filipinas corona that DocBarry just sent me a five box of, along with a few very nice expensive boutique smokes. So far, it's tasting nice and has a beautiful aroma, the kind that if you're not a cigar smoker makes you curious about becoming one. That's sort of how I got started, a lifelong curiosity. It hasn't killed this cat yet, and in the midst of what's going on with my mother's condition in North Carolina, my own life which needs a lot of work right here, and a farm and a family waiting for me back in Puerto Rico to make a lot of things happen, it's just nice to sit back on a slow night, and have some true meditative relaxation.
 
Good morning , it is Sunday August first 2010, A FANTASTIC day here in da Burgh, the sky is blue with a few wispy clouds the temp is in the high 70's low 80's for the day & the humidity is LOW there is a nice 5 to 10 MPH breeze out of the south west & the wind chimes are singing this morning, , I got a little lazy this morning so I took the boss out for breakfast, Bacon & Bagel, not a kosher place but the food is fine & the service is good, , it was nice not having to clean up after breakfast, YEA like I clean up hahahahaha but I didnt have to listen to her complain about the mess i make hahahaha , well i set a slab of ribs in the cooler last night with a dry rub of pink Hawaiian salt , powdered mustard,celery seed,brown sugar , & what ever else fell out of the spice rack, , this moring , I fired up the grill & place the ribs on the cooler end & will forget about them till about 4 PM , the bones should just pull out by then,,, I will make up a little sauce & baste them the last hour or so , havent thougt about what it will be but I do know it will have an apple juice base, cant make up my mind to make it HOT or Sweet , maybe a little of both, but I will make WHATEVER the boss wants, me I will be happy with what ever she wants & if I decide before & make it with out asking , you KNOW dammm well what ever I pick will be the wrong style hahahahaha , I will be making green beans & bacon to go with the ribs, & a roasted yam for us to split , I have noticed that the sweet potato / and or /YAM has been getting a lot of use in my galley, used to be just in the fall & winter that they got to the table , but now I am deep frying them, roasting , & baking them all year long a great flavor & a lot of bata caritine , so i am told, what ever it is its supposed to be good for you, watch in a few years some one will come up with a study saying its poison or dangerous to the atmosphere ,,,, dammm nanny staters, let us LIVE our lives in peace, or is it PIECE ? hahahaha , I saw a study done in Canada, where a doc placed a silver dime in a rats stomach, stiched it in place & the rat developed cancer of the stomach , his conclusion was pocket change caused cancer ........... BRILLIANT , so now I make sure I put all my change in the piggy bank & not my pocket hahahaha

We have had a lot of local work related deaths in the area , 2 killed at the lead smelter after an explosion in the furnace, & one guy fell 30 feet at the sewage treatment plant & was killed from the fall but 3 guys who went to his resque were over come by the fumes , all servived the fumes but all were treated at the local hospital for it ., & I got stuck with a nail in a cigar box after opening the box, dammmm it looked like I had just tested my sugar, & for got to wipe off the blood, a dot about the size of a pin head , damm it hurt hahahahahaha
I will be roasting coffee a little later today or i might just hold off till monday afternoon, ...... yea thats more like it , Monday afternoon, being off on Sunday & Monday is getting to me , I like saturday & sundays off, with a monday tossed in ever few weeks, after taking a friday off the week before , LOVE the 4 day weekends , I figure I have a few more years to put in before retiring for the 4th & FINAL TIME , just as soon as I think I am out they pull me back in again , hahahahaha , about all I want to do any more is hang out with the grandsons, , , , smoke a few stogies, sip a little coffee, slosh a weeeee dram or 2 or 3 of a fine old scotch arround in my mouth before swallowing it , sleeping in my hammoc under the maple tree in the back yard ......... yep I am READY to retire but the shop needs me & aside from the hammoc , its almost the same hahahaha, yea I can sip coffee , listen to the music, down a weee dram at work, the only thing that messes up my day is the dammm customers wanting me to help them in the humidor, ,,,,,,, I want a MILD cigar , do you have any Cuban Cohibas? . thats when I want to tell the posers to hit the bricks , BUT I swallow hard & ask them how long its been since they were smoking a MILD CUBAN COHIBA, OH just last week , do you remember how much it cost? just 5 bucks you say well I want to buy 50,000 cigars from who ever you got them from ............ errrr well I dont know a whole lot about cigars but thats what the guy in Mexico told me , yea sure buddy it was a real Cuban for 5 bucks, did I show you my Pacasso I got at a yard sale for 25 bucks & had it appraised for $100,000....
Well its time for the BBQ sauce to get started, so I better ask the boss how she wants it & get it on the fire to reduce & thicken, the ribes will get a turn some time later & I have green beans to clean & cook, NOT TO mention a few cigars to smoke .... ahhh yes by buddy Don Carlos III has poured the kona & the 15 Y.O. Balvinie single barrel.... I guess the BBQ sauce will need to WAIT a bit hahahaha Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning , it is Sunday Aug.8,2010, a wonderful morning here in da Burgh , had the windows open all night got down to 57F last night , a wonderfulllll nights sleep, woke up this morning about 9:30 ! could have slept more but nature called & had to empty the bladder, so up I got , made some poached eggs for my self & fryed the Bosses eggs , I spiced up the poaching liquid with some tabasco sauce, a little aged balslamic vineger,soy sauce & a splash of red wine , the eggs went on a slice of dark German whole wheat/rye combo & a slice of bacon with fresh garden tomatos & caso fresco sliced thick & grilled till crispy on the outside & like custard in the center, YUMMY !!!
This morning's coffee is a blend of Indian Malibar& Ethopian yourgarchef, or how ever you spell it & I am to lazy to go look at the bag the beans came in , I have a pot of kona waiting for me & my Good friend Don Carlos III , we will be hitting the back deck asap !
Its been a quiet week at the shop, a few regulars & a few first timers were in , they trickel in one at a time keep me from my coffee & cigar talking over the smooth jazz in the background & disturbing my relaxation ! hahaha Dammmm Customers hahahahaha the RTDA convention is comming up this week but I am staying here & manning the shop, not that I wouldnt love to go to New Orleans but $$$$$$ is the problem, if I close the shop , No income, if I get some one to cover the shop for me , what they take in, get paid & smoke up will be a wash if I had closed anyhow,
so I will keep the shop open & enjoy the weather here in Da Burgh, , & I can make red beans & rice ,listen to Pete Fountain, Al Hurt & the Zidico bands & turn off the A/C, sit in the 70% humidity of the humidor & pretend I am in New Orleans , OK now some of you nice ladys flash me !!!!!
hahahaha
school starts in about 2 weeks , it was a fast summer vacation, havent seen much of the boys other than taking the big one to his piano lessons on Mondays , the little one comes some times but he would rather stay home with the mutt , the dammm dog is up to 185 pounds , strong , but STUPID, pisses on his own foot ......... need I say anymore just plain Stupid
I have a nice set of NY strip steaks sitting in the marinade ready to get grilled later today , also I have 6 chicken breasts that will get a turn on the grill later to be made into chicken salid , there will be some grilled veggies & sweet potatos to go along with the beef& some hard boiled eggs with the chicken, we are looking for a high of 87F today & 90+ this week comming up so I am going to get the weeks cooking all done today & just reheat stuff in the microwave oven the rest of the week.......

Nothing exciting happening here just the slow paced life of the burgh, a few births a few deaths some politicol big shot getting caught with his had in some one elses pocket , not much different from Chicago , LA, or NYC, what this country needs is a New THOMAS JEFFERSON , , sure he had his affairs & extra maritial children, but he was a wiz when it came to government, Adams was a light weight & could have never written the declaration that TJ came up with ,IMHO anyway & just like opinions &
@$$holes , every body has one !!
Time for a cigar , Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning , it is Sunday AUG 15,2010 ,,,, 40 years ago today I got marrired for the first & last time hahahaha , yep she hasent killed me yet ! , My brother had a little party last friday night a combo , his birthday, his sons birthday, his other sons graduation/leaving for school, & our anniv. all rolled into one big blow out, the food was great, the weather was super, the booze went down like fine old scotch, & the music was not to loud, a great time , no arrests, so it didnt get out of hand to much, we all ahd a great time , lots of people there I had no idea who they were, & they were thinking the same about me I am sure , , , , we are heading out for a relaxing dinner some place where I will be waited on & not cook , , , its my day as much as it is hers, !!!!! the shop was slow at first of the week, but got better as time went on , Friday ( the night of the party ) was a fine day at the shop, I was happy not to have been there I needed the night off !!!! , should have taken saturday off also , but I survived !!!! , I have a nice sample pack of San Cristobols to work my way through today , well at lest one of them anyway , 7 cigars, 7 different sizes, , hummmmm, one a day for a week, hummmmmmm, might try it , & save the Don Carlos for the weekends , , , , , But I dont think that will happen !
Since we are going out today I didnt even cook breakfast, she had toast & I had a peach, a banana & a rasin cookie .......... got to save room for the cheesecake ..... Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning , it is Sunday 22 Aug,2010, a wet warm morning here in da Burgh , it has been a hot & humid week here but this morning it is "NICE" a little rain last night got rid of the humidity & the breeze is warm but dryer than its been , I got to take some time in the Qtr.Deck last night & enjoyed a fine old Bahia maduro torp, & a weee dram of Spayburn single malt along with a mug of espresso , who ever thought about using those tiny cups for espresso, dammm just as you get you whistle wet its gone, so I double up a few 'shots' & sip to my leasure .......
it was a slow week at the shop but we did get a lot of deliverys, a truck load of humidors showed up along with a truck load of cigars , the newest one we have is the Hammer & Sickle toro , a GLASS block box the damm thing must weigh in over 10 pounds in packaging, the cigar makes a great midmorning smoke or early afternoon , I dont think they have enough power but when the next few blends hit I might have a different opinion about the brand, but right now its kind of mild, not what you would expect with the logo on the band, , right off the Soviet Union flag , but we did get a few different things in , , , nothing out of the ordinary, just basic shelf fillers & money making toys for big boys , lighters & cutters & all the stuff you need to have .....
With the large scale egg recall for tainted eggs , well it has put a crimp in my breakfast menu so we switch to egg beaters a poor excuse for egg substitutes , maybe its just all in my head, but I like cracking my eggs, not pouring them out of a milk jug ..... , the coffee this morning is a new one , it is from the local coffee roaster in New Brighton Pa this blend is called Drews Brew after the son Andrew , who works there a medium roast mixed with a few darker beans, he didnt tell me the orgins of the beans, but he has the recipe to make the blend, just hope the next batch is as good as this one !!!
I have the Kona in the press pot & will be getting to it soon, a cool water extraction over night , buy the time I get this posted & fire up the Sunday Morning Don Carlos #3 it will be ready........
School starts back up in 3 days , the grandsons are mixed in there feelings about going back, the bus stop has been changed & now the walk to the bus is about 20 minutes , last year you could sit on the front porch & wait for the bus to pull up, now there are stops for the bus at intersections with parking lots only & the bus pulls off the road to pick up & discharge students instead of holding up traffic , some political staffer with a "good Idea" ... the Nanny state revisited !!
Today I will be cooking a stuffed rolled round steak , on the grill , I have a loaf of bread getting stale right now, I will crumble it add some butter ,beef stock ,celery,onions & peppers a bit of seasoning & a splash of egg to hold it all together , pound out the slab of beef & spread out the bread mixture & roll it up, , into a hot cast iron pot & brown it in a little oil & then put it on the grill in the cast iron pan as its just way to nice out ,to light up the oven , so I will fire up the grill & cook it outside , roast a few sweet potatos & have a little shoo fly pie for desert, & I can make everyting outside to help keep the house cool with out running the A/C .
looks like I have a lot of coffee to drink & a fine cigar ro smoke before I get back to the kitchen..... Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning , it is the 29th of August 2010, a wonderful warm clear day here in da Burghlast night it was 55F & a nice breezecomming through the open bedroom window made for a great night to cuddle up to the wife, to bad we have seperate bedrooms hahahaha, but we can visit on occasion, not as often as we did 20 years ago!!!! The weather has been spectular here in the burgh this past week, warm clear days & nights LOW humidity & no need for the A/C or the furnace, My kind of climate , right now I dont even have the cieling fan on ..... I got a late start this morning , we went out for breakfast, a local place for steak & eggs , not bad but the steak was sliced so thin it only had one side ! , but you got enough of it , the eggs were scrambled dry & hard, , not the way i like them, but for a fundaiser it wasnt all that bad, when you get enough tabasco & ketchup on the eggs, they slide down easy , the onions were the best part of breakfast, poached in a little beef stock & browned on the flat top all they needed was some bell peppers of chili peppers to add a bit of ZIP to them, But now that we are home I have the press pot filled with the Sunday Morning Kona & will be hitting it asap ....
We got in a ton of new cigars this past week, the shipments from the show are starting to arrive, the UPS delevery guy is now "prsona non gratta "
in the shop, 15 cases of humidors , all at the same time ...... NO NO NO , no more room ! , yea I got a good deal on them but I wanted shipments staggered , over 3 months , 5 cases a month, not all 15 at the same time ! dammmmm sales people , they will tell you anything to make a sale ! with all the new cigars we will have about 600 different facings in the shop...... thats just NUTZ , I dont need every size of every brand, why do I need 6 deferent blends of Monte#2 Torp? the classic,platnum,white,series c& maduro& then carry as many R&J torps as well, , I have to much overlapping stuff, time to cut back on the blrends & sizes, first I eleminated the brands that didnt move well, now it will be a tighter look at blends & size, I have tons of robusto sizes , but not a lot of Double coronas, , lets face it there is more PROFIT on 2 robustos than on one DBL corona , but the guys are starting to ask for the DBL.Corona when we first opened the robusto & toro were most asked for sizes ..... so I will be making adjustments to the inventory.... AGAIN ....
Well since we started out the day with steak & have 2 nice sized NY strips sitting inn the fridge in a littel marinade of crushed garlic, peppers,onions EVOO & a dash of apple jack , it will hit the grill some time about 4PM with some yams & carmelized onions & peppers , this should make the beef lover wife of mine a happy camper today , Me,,,, I'm happy with a slab of tofu when its done right !!!!!
Well I need to get out the tool box, we had a new storm door installed last week or so, but we never checked to see if the lock worked on the door, well it didnt so out came the tool box & the problem was fixed with a few washers behind the latch plate, the latch was just catching it on the close but when you locke the knob the latch moved so slightly but you were able to pull on the door & it would open, now with the washers in place it gets a much better grip on the latch & no POP open , a 2 minute fix that the installer wanted 35 Bucks for a service call, well he can KISS me where the sun dont shine ..... he should have checked it before he left & since it was his fault there should not have been a charge for a service call, , but dealing with large company & getting an operator NOT the business owner, means a lot, no more from now on its the little guy down the street not the national chain , its just like PIZZA, go local not chain store & get better stuff !!!!
The boys are back in school much to the dismay of a few teachers hahahah, both are good students & both are achivers , one is driven to be better &the other is so laid back I wonder what keeps him from forgetting to take a breath.......... My wife just refilled my mug with this morings end of the pot of Kona , so it is off to the back deck for my sunday morning conversation with my buddy Don Carlos III ...... Enjoy, Vince
 
Good morning, it is Sunday 5th of September 2010, a cool sunny day here in da Burgh , after a few days in the 90's last night it got down to 49 , made a few nipples stand up for sure ! we are in the middle of the Labor day weekend, the unoffical end to summer & the start of the Jerry Lewis muscular distrophy telethon ........ quite a few years ago I saw a short film clip by Jack Pallance , a moving shocking 5 minute clip that end with him telling you that his name is Muscular Distrophya verrrrry moving piece of film, scarry & shocking , BUT it worked ,that year & every year since I have donated to the MDA telethon not only cash but in time, lately I have had to cut back on both my time & cash , but the desire is still there to do more , I luckly have no family that is cursed with MD & pray for anyone who has ..... there are so many great programs out there for so many ailments its hard to keep up with them but I always try to keep a little something for the MDA & Jerrys Kids , & speaking of GERRYS kids we have a few of them at the cigar shop, Gerry is a lawyer & some of his clients stop at the cigar shop to make payments on there accounts , I take the cash, check or money order & give them a recipt, some times his paraleagle will call with a credit card that I run through my machine , so when the client gets his visa statement , no leagle fees show up but a big purchase of cigars do !!!!!! hey he owns the building so let the clients pay the rent hahahaha .. well breakfast was just short of fantastic , even if I had to cook it my self, I took a few slices of whole wheat bread , buttered & grilled till crisp bacon, caso fresco ( a dry cheese that is grilled like bacon ) & a PERFECT scrambled egg , light & creamy , it hit the tastebuds full tilt , some thing as simple as a scrambled egg when done Correctly is a jewel to be savored & enjoyed to the last drop.... the pan should be hot & the clarifed butter /olive oil mixture at room temp, the egg should be beaten with a drop or two of cream till a light foam started to form, , then add the oil to the pan , & drop in the beaten egg, NEVER let the pan sit still shake it when stiring the egg with a silicon spatula, as soon as it sets, get it out of the pan & on to a warm plate , garnish with a sprig of fresh chive & DIG IN , salt & pepper to taste, I like a lot of pepper but this morning it was pure straight up egg flavor no additions , but a side of cheese & bacon , but that egg was one of the best I have tasted in a long time , right now the local Grange fair is underway & the eggs came from there laid Friday , eaten Sunday , , would have had them last night but there was a lot of stuffed peppers left over & needed to get finished before they got tossed out..... dont want to toss out anything ,so we ate them asap !
The shop was busy at the start of the week but slowed to a dead stop on Saturday afternoon, but as I was closing up a flood of customers remembered I am closed Sunday & Monday & they needed weekend smokes , I did more business in the last hour that I did the rest of the day combined, ,,, some times I wonder what people are thinking, they need to understand I have a life outside the shop....... I am not some guy living upstairs from the store & willing to open up for anyone at any time , some @$$HOLE called me here at home about 11:30 PM & wanted me to come down & open the shop so he could get a cigar to celebrate a big win at the track, I told him unless he was willing to pay double for a BOX of cigars I was not getting out of bed to come in & open for ONE CIGAR , he was pissed TO BAD .... what an @$$HOLE but he most likely is saying the same thing about me , SO what ! , hey I need my beauty rest hahahaha , besides I had had a few drams of malt whisky & didnt need a DUI ........
The grandsons are back in school & enjoying ever second of it hahahahaha yea like a fart in church !!!!! my daughter is back at Duquensne working on her masters in Ethics , some sort of Program to make LAWMAKERS closer to being real people , we elect them , they in turn put the shaft up our keaster, well I have no idea what the masters in ethics will do for her , or if the politico's will ever learn anything from it
But she is working hard & Might go for a PH.D , with that she might get a job teaching this BS to other egg heads who will do nothing with it ..... just my opinion & as they say opinions are like @$$HOLES , every one has one !
I was pleased to find out that we are going to my sister in laws place for a picnic today , I dont have to cook!!!!!, (till I get there ) , I have no idea what she will be serving, I am taking a few snacks , chips & dips , salsa & some cheese, if I feel up to it I might cut up some veggies & slice up a sausage or peperoni stick , who knows what I will feel like after my moring cigar , BUT last night I fired up a CAIN F 60 ring master blaster, , a real POWERHOUSE , almost to strong it did overpower the OLD Bushmills Irish whisky I was sipping at the time , should have had a Laphroaig !!!!
I have a few new facings in the shop & will be sampling them all this week, I had a Britania by Executive cigar ( the makers of Kristoff) , Nice smoooooth smoke nice flavor & a knot on the tip instead of a cap, , nice touch, break it off with a twist & fire it up, no cutter needed , I dont know the propper ediquite but who gives a flying leap , I smoke what I want when I want where I want , unless my wife tells me otherwise.... hahahaha ... thats about it from the Burgh have a great weekend whats left of it ! Enjoy, Vince
 
Just finished catching up on the last several Sunday Morning Smokes. It was one of those small, but very pleasant pleasures that I thank The Lord for, being able to come here, and just relax my mind with the doings of Da Burgh. As I continue to live in the tornado of my own financially/employment wrecked life in NYC, my mother's condition in North Carolina, and as the boss of a mess in Puerto Rico, this is a great place to let my mind run free. The humor, life stories, culinary tips and cigar knowledge are all great. I'd like to add that I am in the process of tasting new bourbons/ryes, and revisiting some old favorites at the present time. I will soon have Top 25 news, as well as bang for the buck advice, so anyone reading here, please also be watching the spirits forum. God bless everyone, and never forget this is . . .

911
 
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