Let's Go Bucs!

So last night I went to the Pirate game with my hubby.  Although I’m not a huge baseball fan, I was really looking forward to going all day.  My husband absolutely LOVES the sport and watches every game on TV (not just the Pirates but literally every baseball game that might be on TV), has one of those “business man special” season ticket packages and a fantasy team that he watches and nurtures all hours of the day.  At times I find it to be terribly annoying and other times, I find it endearing.

So how did I end up going to the game?

My husband’s best friend and fellow season ticket holder, wasn’t able to go last night so I was asked and said yes.  I haven’t been to a game yet this season and lately my hubby and I have been having a blast together and I wanted to keep the momentum rolling.  Besides…the ballpark has cotton candy, hot dogs, peanuts, dip n dots and beer which, was especially delicious on last night’s muggy night in the ‘burgh.

We got to the seats and they were awesome.  They were close to the field on the third base line and it was one of those rows of seats that just had four seats.  We settled in to watch the game.  However, things didn’t go quite the way I thought they would.  Have you been to a game lately?  I feel like because the Pirates have been terrible for so long and people more-or-less stopped going to the games, that they forgot their baseball game manners.  Seriously!  Not a single person waited till the action stopped before getting up and moving around.  They just would stand up as the pitch was being thrown and we would miss what happened.  This one guy, he really didn’t get it…to the point where I got snappy at him.  After a few innings of dealing with it, we decided to leave our seats.  We headed over to the new Budweiser bar (at least that’s what I think it’s called) in the outfield along the first base line.  It was really nice and what a way to watch the game!  You have a beautiful view of the city and river, you can see the field, they have flat screens everywhere in case watching the game live is boring, they have a lovely liquor selection and the beer selection was MUCH better.  So we settled in here to watch game.

I ended up getting a little tipsy and I think the hubby did too.  We laughed our asses off.  In fact, at one point, we were discussing whether or not the Pirate Parrot considered himself a “furry.”  Of course we were at the game just off the heels of the furry convention ending so naturally our conversation went this way.  Overall, going to the game last night was super fun and they WON!  My point is, if you haven’t given the Bucs a chance yet this season, you should.  It was a great night out.

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Ladies: Need I Remind You that Valentine's Day is Less than a Week Away

Even though my husband does not believe in Valentine's Day, I still end up buying him something little just to say that I love you and always thinking of you. Sometimes it's hard to find something small that doesn't cost a fortune, something that he will actually like or even use.

I would like to provide my fellow ladies with some easy gift ideas that every man will like. These gifts will work for boyfriends (new or old), fiances, husbands (again, new or old) or even your dad or best guy friend.

• Brownie Heart: Go to the dollar store and buy a giant heart cookie cutter. If you can find 3 that are different sizes, go for that one. If not, one is fine. Pick up some red, white or pink icing and some sprinkles. Don't forget the brownie mix and ingredients! Now you can make a huge brownie heart and decorate it for your loved one. Guys ALWAYS like brownies...even the picky ones who don't like chocolate.
• Fun Dip: Yup...I said it. Fun Dip. It isn't something that you can't always find, but I found it in a 24 pack that was actually meant for kids Valentine cards. He'll love it!
• Cigars: Not my favorite gift, but he likes them. It is like a hall pass to doing something that I really don't like.
• Special beer: This gift is now off the books for me, but for those of you who don't own a bar or distributor, get him a special case of beer that he may not choose himself. He will appreciate you buying him alcohol...I promise.
• Finally, you can just go simple and buy a card. And yes a 99 cent card, or even the 2 for $1 cards from the Dollar Store are perfectly fine because all that matters is that you show you care. If he cares, he may even keep it forever!

Good luck on your Valentine's shopping! And don't wait until the last minute - just like Christmas, everything will be gone!

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Has It Been Five Year's Already?

This past Friday, my hubby and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary and it was one of the best days that we’ve had together in a long time.  I really wanted to make the day special for him.  Not only because it was our five year wedding anniversary (which I feel like these days, that’s a real accomplishment) but because things have been a little crazy for us over the last month.  So this seemed like the perfect time to celebrate and I just wanted to celebrate us.
Here’s what we did…

First, my hubby woke up surrounded by five heart-shaped balloons and each balloon had one reason why I loved him attached to it.  He just laughed and smiled because he knows that I love balloons just  because I feel like you can’t help but laugh and smile when you see a balloon…right?  Next we exchanged gifts.  The gift he gave me was a really big deal.  He gave me my engagement ring back which has been at the jewelers for the last seven months trying to be fixed…don’t ask.  The important thing was that it was finished and back on my finger.  My gift to him was a two-parter.  I always like to give one “traditional” gift and for five years, the traditional gift is wood.  So I went out and found a log and cleaned it up.  I carved our initials in it with a heart around it just like you would in a tree.  I then dug out a hole in the top to place a votive candle in it that was used at our wedding.  It’s totally cheesy and corny but cheesy and corny is just who I am sometimes.  The second part of my gift was a little adventure.  We went to a new place that just opened called Copper Kettle Brewing Company.  It’s located in Greenfield on Greenfield Avenue and we actually got to brew our own beer.  It was such a neat experience and we had a blast.  It really taught us so much about the beer making process and for two people that love beer as much as we do…this couldn’t have been a more perfect thing for us to do.  We then get to go back in 14 days to bottle and label our beer so now we’re trying to come up with a clever name for our anniversary beer.  Following the brewery, we went out for a nice dinner and then to a local bar to hang out and have a few drinks.  We laughed and had great conversations.  I felt so lucky and for the first time in a long time…I just felt like a normal couple, doing normal couple things.  A lot of the time I just feel like our bar runs our life and that’s all we do and all we talk about.

So that was our anniversary day together.  It was fun, relaxing and perfect and if you are looking for a really fun thing to do, definitely check out Copper Kettle Brewing Company.  They don’t have a website yet but you can find them on Facebook or through their bar website which is Hough’s.  And if you have any ideas on what we could name our brew, leave it in the comments section!  Thanks for letting me share.

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Since the Dawn of Time...

I grew up as an only child and being an “only” definitely had its advantages and disadvantages but one thing it didn’t do…was make me your typical spoiled brat.  My parents never had a ton of money and they both worked extremely hard so that they could provide for me but, they also taught me how important it is for me to work and be responsible.  I started working when I was 11 years old for my dad who owned his own handyman business.  When I was 18, I got my first “big girl” job as an admin for an advertising agency which helped pay for my college education.  I worked full-time and went to school part-time.  I’m now 33 and still working my ass off.  I still have a “big girl” job (part-time) and my husband and I own our own bar/restaurant.  I’m not complaining, I actually like working hard…it gives me something to do and keeps me out of trouble but, what really bugs me, especially in an economy such as this, is when people just take having a job for granted.  And I feel like a lot of people coming up in the workforce now just don’t get it.  To me they come across as feeling entitled and they are somewhat lazy and inconsiderate.  Does anyone else feel that way?  Or, is it just because now I’m in my 30’s and the reality of it is, I was the same way in my 20’s?  I don’t know…all I do know is that yesterday I got screwed and I’m pissed!

Thursday’s are my longest day of the week.  I typically work for my “big girl” job about 3 to 3.5 hours.  Then I jump in the shower, grab a bite to eat and I’m off to the bar.  I open the bar on Thursdays so I have to stock beer, do roll-ups, portions, clean and get the place open for business by 3 p.m.  Then I bar tend till about 9:30 p.m.  My relief comes in at 9 p.m. but has to restock beer etc. before she comes on.  Last night turned out quite differently though, as my relief decided to call off work ten minutes before she was supposed to walk through the door.  At that point, it was too late to try and find someone to fill in for so I just said fine, I’ll work it!  I ended up working the shift.  Thankfully, the girl that comes in it 7 p.m. to wait tables, till about 9 p.m., decided to stay on with me and we just toughed it out together.  I mean who calls off ten minutes before your supposed to show up for work.  You can’t really do that in the service industry because the hours are weird and most people in this industry have other jobs.  Not to mention the fact that she called off because of her period!  WHAT?!  I just couldn’t believe it. 

In the end, myself and my faithful side-kicked, pushed through the night will smiles on our faces, made some great money and had some giggles.  But, I’m still really upset and I can’t figure out if I’m upset with her because I’m her boss and I feel like what she did was inconsiderate and disrespectful or, if I’m upset because she’s my friend and it was inconsiderate and disrespectful.  Either way, I have to say something to her and I’m just not looking forward to it.  I mean, I can appreciate the girl calling off because she didn’t think she could work her entire shift, but I didn’t appreciate her doing it ten minutes before she arrived.  I don’t know…I just feel like all of these younger kids pull this crap all the time and it’s frustrating to me because they make more money working 20 hours per week then most people twice their age, not to mention the fact that so many people are without work right now and really struggling.  Calling off because you have your period doesn’t seem to me like you appreciate your job….the one that I gave you and can take away from you anytime.  I’m baffled… I just can’t imagine calling off work (any work) because I have my period.  Women have been working with their periods since the dawn of time.

UGH!

I apologize for the rambling and complaining etc. but I’m frustrated.  Sometimes, this is when I wish that we never opened our own business! 

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EXHAUSTED...That's How I Feel!

This time of year is hard for everyone.  Not only do you have work and family obligations but the holidays are rapidly approaching which means, cooking, gift buying, decorating and just going here, there and everywhere.  It’s difficult and I honestly don’t know how we all do it!

The last week was completely exhausting for me.  It started off with a quick three-day trip to Philadelphia which did wrap up my travel season for my “big girl” job.  Thank goodness…I really don’t think I could get on one more airplane this year.  I got back to the ‘burgh and worked my Wednesday night and Thursday day shift at our bar.  Friday I managed to almost finish my Christmas shopping and then it was back to work at the bar for the weekend and let me tell you, this weekend was tough!  It was the first weekend, in almost five years of ownership, where I had a mental break from dealing with the type of people you have deal with in a bar.  I now know, and completely understand, why people in the service industry are slightly "off" from the rest of the population.

Friday night I had the most ridiculous customers...EVER!  We had DJs and the music was great but I was dealing with complete asses and/or amateurs.  One woman, who I absolutely cannot stand (I’m desperately trying to figure out a way to get her ban for life) actually tipped me with a plastic, 2006 Steelers football!  Really?!  I had another guy that was buying shot after shot and wouldn’t leave a tip at all and then, to top it all off, I had these amateurs that would come up to me and say “can you make me a shot that doesn’t taste like it has alcohol in it?”  Or the classic, “do you have any beer?”  Seriously…it was enough to make me pluck my eye lashes out one by one and with all the kids coming home from college this week for the Turkey Day holiday, I’m sure I have a week full of fun to look forward too!

Saturday was slightly better.  I of course was up at the crack of dawn but I did manage to get all of the gifts I bought the day before wrapped.  As for down at the bar on Saturday night, it too was slightly better.  The customers were far better than the previous night but we were insanely busy.  I spent most of the night running up and down two flights of stairs (I worked our second floor bar) to get more beer, juice, lemons and limes.  The only real perk was I got an amazing ass workout! J

Don’t get me wrong, I was happy we were busy and making money but I’m EXHAUSTED!  I’m tired of smiling and being nice.  I’m tired of drunk people acting like idiots.  I’m tired of working seven days a week.  I’m tired of cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping.  I’m tired of not getting enough sleep and I’m tired of feeling like a little, old lady when I'm only 33.  I just want to go home, put my jammies on, watch really bad reality TV (perhaps a little Housewives) while drinking hot chocolate spiked with a little something, something until I pass out!  Is that too much to ask for?  I know I probably sound like a whinning, complaining bitch, and I swear I'm not.  I also totally get the motto...Work hard now, play hard later.  Today, I just wish it was later!

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A Working Wife and Her Passion for Beer!

So I’m one of the working wives of this crazy blog group and what I really LOVE to talk and write about is beer.  I’m extremely passionate about it and some people might think that my passion is unhealthy but, it’s not… trust me! 

Almost five years ago, my husband and I embarked on a scary adventure together.  We purchased a bar and restaurant here in Pittsburgh and three weeks later we got married.  The timing really didn’t work in our favor but it was what it was and it was a wild year.  The bar was turn-key which meant that we got married and just started working and because I had no experience in the service industry, I was the decorator trying to get the place to look how he wanted.  I also had a full-time job (what I like to refer to as my “ big girl job”) as a marketing coordinator which required me to travel a lot and I was taking care of everything at home.  Once the decorating gig was done…I was kind of done.  I wasn’t a bartender or waitress nor could I just sit down there every night till the wee hours of the morning because I had to get up and work.  This was his dream and I started to resent him because he was never home.  He started resenting me because I wasn’t interested in the bar.  After two years of non-stop fighting, I really thought that my marriage was over.  I was sad and hurt because I loved this man.  Then it hit us…we had to help each other.  I needed to be more involved in the business and he needed to help out more at home.  Most importantly, we had to make time for each other.

So what does this all have to do with me loving beer?  Well, one of the first things my husband and I started to do together was review the beers that were coming in and out of the bar.  We have 16 taps and about 170 bottles.  We started to work together to determine what beers should stay and go and what seasonal beers we should get.  He started to teach me a lot about beer and what the difference is between a craft beer and a microbrew.  Then I learned how to be a server and realized that my knowledge of beer wasn’t enough and I needed to learn more and quickly.  Why?  Customers would ask me questions like “What’s similar to a Blue Moon?” or “What’s your favorite beer?”  I couldn’t answer those questions and I thought it was sad that I didn’t even know what my favorite beer was.  So I started trying them and in that process, I started a beer blog for our bar.  I’m not only learning how to answer customer questions, but I’m learning about malts, hops and if I think the beer is balanced or not.  I can detect hints of citrus or nutmeg and it’s all very exciting.  I find myself talking to customers all the time about beer and after just a short year of doing this, I’ve kind of become the beer expert at the bar. 

I’m now involved in all facets of our business.  I’m part-time at my “big girl job” and my marriage is better than ever.   So, when it’s my turn to blog, don’t be surprised if I’m rambling on and on about beer.  I just love it and I dare you to go out and try what I’m talking about!  And for all those married couples out there…communicate, communicate, communicate!

PS:  My favorite beer of all time…Tröegs Mad Elf Ale.  My favorite beer right now…Southern Tier Pumpking (especially delicious when warm).

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