Sunday Morning News from the dining room table

[Vince]

Good morning it is Sunday 5 April 2009, a Sunfilled Cool morning here in da Burgh , looking for a high in the mid 60's today , but it will b70+ in the Qtr.deck later today, I went out to the mail box for the morning paper in my robe & slippers, Not bad out , in fact it felt so good out I thought I might just leave it out all day hahahaha
the Second eye was done this past Thursday, & I cant believe how well I see with out glasses , I have been behind the glasses almost 60 years , now its STRANGE, I feel like some thing is wrong, I feel the wind on the eye, Not crazy about that , cooking greese splattering is scarrrrry , Now I know why there is a big push about safty glasses, I never worried about them before as I had Coke bottle bottoms in front of both eyes, BUT now, Dammmmm so this is HDTV hahahaha
went to the shop a little friday night , got to hang out with the guys , instead of working , it was nice having some one cut & light MY cigar instead of me cutting & lighting EVERYONE 's cigar , it was relaxing, to say the lest, I even drove my self to the shop & home after dark, I was so happy that the on comming headlights didnt have an adverse reaction to the new eyes, no squinting , no halos it was a great time , & getting better every day, BUT I still need readers, so to solve the no glasses I plan on getting full size lenses with plain window glass at the top & the bifocal at the bottom, I dont think I will need the trifocals any more as the computer screen & keyboard are just fine looking over the top of the readers, even looked at the Sunday paper with out the glasses for a short time this morning , Cool beans, I can see the headlines & read some of the captions under the photos sans glasses.... , had this happened just 50 years ago I would be blind as a bat in a few years, But now I am seeing better NOW than I did anytime in my life before, I cant explain how liberating it makes me feel to wake up & see the clock with out Fumbling for the glasses to see what time it is ! .....................................
Looks like the boss is back in chargeof the menu for today, YEP pot roast , I thought I had her switched but she has fallen back on her favorite so , for the umpteenth time , after a 2 week break, dammmmmm I wish I could get her to EXPAND her tastebuds , But this Aug it will be 39 years of wedded bliss ( hahahaha ) & she still wants my pot roast, , I sure wish it was MY>>>>>>>>>>>>>, but thats for a different website hahahaha
Coffeethis morning is Not the Sunday kona , I dont know what happened but I ended up making a pot of African Monkey blend, a few beans of this & that ,all of African origins , just a little on the acidic side , but that pot of kona will be NEXT , along with the Sunday Morning Smoke , a Don Carlos #3 , my taste buds are jumping in antisapation , last nights cigar ride started off witha contraband, partagas serie P #2 , with a nice mug of Home roasted Columbian DECAFE, yep us old farts need the decafe at night so we can sleep, at my age any stimulation is an invation to sleep on the toilet , beats getting up every hour to go pee hahahahahaha
My wife has been verry tolerent of the extra work she has been doing to take care of me , I know she never reads this BS , so If I say a kind word about her I know she will never see it & my reputation for being PIG will still be intact ! She has been realy good thorugh out this past month , SALUTE to you Barb, yea I make fun of her sometimes & get pissed at her at times but 39 years together & we havent killed each other is a feat all in it self ! hahahahaha
the boys are with thier dad this weekend & I didnt get to go to the piano lesson this week as I was at the hospital getting the second eye done at the time of the lesson , so I have nothing to report about the rugrats this week, i did talk to them both on the phone but its hard to get into any trouble on the phone with my wife on this end of the conversation & my daughter on the boys end of the line, so no trouble from me or the rugrats this week, dammmm that means next week we need to Turn it up a NOTCH hahahaha

The Cigar crawl is getting closser to being a sell out AGAIN, check out
Western Pennsylvania Cigar Crawl this is going to be #11 , & it just gets better every year what more can I say , we have F U N !

looks like the grass will need to be cut soon, dammmm I hate that , not the cutting part, I dont worry about it all that much, just all the bitching I will get when she is done cutting the dammm grass , pave it over paint it Green ! BUT No that no good, OK lets plant the entire yard in wild flowers , wall to wall , road to the house , NO grass just flowers, NO WAY to many weeds to control, looks like an appartment is the only answer , BUT she isnt ready, for a Sr. high rise , nor an I , most of those places are 1 bedroom, well I like having my Own room , & this place is paid for so it just costs us the property taxes each year to stay here ( and utillitys) But there is all the yard maintance , grass cutting tree trimming, snow removal, painting , staining the deck & all that other BS I want to hire some one to do BUT NO they dont do a job that will be approved by the BOSS , & as long as I can do it my self, why pay smoeone to do it , thats all I ever here from her, well I wish that was all , hey thats what we have grandsons for, let them cut the grass, the kid is 13 for Gods sake, when I was 10 I was shortorder cooking in my grandmothers place , No let the kids be kids, dammmmm one second to want them to grow up start to drive so you dont have to haul them to this & that, But then you figure out they are grown & the little kid is NO MORE & you look in the mirror & instead of that little kid who could barely see the top of his head in the bathroom mirror you see an old man & wonder How you became your father ..............................

[Vince]

Good morning , it is EASTER SUNDAY , April 12, 2009
, & Not only is it Easter, it is Barbs 60th Birthday, dammmm she is getting OLD hahahaha, catching up to me fast hahaha, well no Beef today, No ham or lamb, she wanted a turkey so I got a 12 pounder going in the oven soon, got to pick up her mother at the Nursing home later today , hse has no idea what day it is , so it will be a fun day ! , , so with the bird, & all the stuff you need to go with it , there will be the same questions, asked again & again, , Barbs sister will be out later for cake if she lives through her easter dinner at her inlaws , , , , , they drink just a bit more than I do , & a lot steadier, so the booze will be the fuel that starts that fire , never misses , glad I doint have that problem , YET ! hahaha ,
We had a good week at the shop, got a lot of new faceings on the shelf, & a few nrew customers, yea baby NEW blood, & new wallets to empty hahahaha, one guy came in got a new humidor a box of cigars , & a bundle of yard gars , lighter cutter & a leather pocket carrier, , dammmm he made my day, , dammmm day & a half hahahaha
I go back to the eye doc on tuesday, the eyes are getting better, lots of drops But no glasses , need readers some times but some times I can do with out them, strange ! , but I still reach for them every morning when I get up, dammmm where did the glasses go ? well I can see the clock with out them !
Not much else going here here in da Burgh, I plan on a nice Quiet day , spending time with the wife & her mother, yea just what I want to do with a humidor's full of cigars , a pot full of coffee & a snifter full of single malt , yea I just want to sit back & talk to the hens ............. Now dont get me wrong I love them Both but dammmmm with the altzhimers my mother in law is a real blast to get tanked with , she will ask the same questions over & over again, just like reading the same old BS here in the Sunday Morning smoke BS ! hahahaha , I just went out for the paper & pulled Barbs present from the trunk of my car, , she is a big fan of Dennis Leary & his show rescue me , she hates his stand up as he drops the F bomb every other word, I dont mind it but she tells me her ears are not garbage cans, & that prompts an utterence from me that will be the start of yet an other fight between us , 39 years this August 15th , & still fighting , if that isnt true love I dont know what it could be hahahaha
OH yea I got a complaint ......... Saturday Night live ...... great cast, great show, been watching it since it started, it has its moments of funny , but lately it has been LAME , maybe its time for the cast & crew to hang it up or Go back to the orginal writers or some thing, the Orginal not ready for prime time players were some of the best BS artists I have ever seen & they do have there moments , but the Gilly skit , OK the first time it was OK , but its getting old fast, , I miss the cone heads, & the 2 wild & crazy guys as well as Chico Esqualla , Base ball ben berry berry good to me .......... & others that just rock, SNL is just not as good as it was , time for it to go the way of Guiding light , after 72 years on the radio & TV it is comming to a close, what will become of the Bower family now ????
seams like I am just rambling on here so I better get it up & posted , time for a nice breakfast , bacon & eggs on a grilled english muffin , hot pepper cheese, lettuce, tomato , onion, & a little mayo, , yea that would be nice but It looke like I will be having what ever she wants me to make ............. Enjoy , Vince

[Vince]

Good Morning , it is Sunday April 19 2009 , today would have been my fathers 90th birthday , so Happy Birthday Dad , I know he is still hanging arround at times , it him or my mother, popping in & out of my life , dropping things, moving things , Hiding my keys at times hahahaha , I dont know if I believe in Ghosts but I do believe in Angels , been saved by a few over the years talked with a few from time to time , Ghosts I dont know who is to say that a troubled soul just didnt get to where they were going yet , I guess the only time we will know for sure is after we have left this world for a better one ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.......
I started off the morning with a Casa Fuente Churchill , a wonderful cigar but not what i should have had this wonderful Sunday morning here in Da Burgh , right now it is 65 F with partly cloudy skys & a nice SW brease , the wind chimes are singing & speaking of singing Last night we all went to the Lincoln School for Preforming arts , the local "Fame " Highschool, the production was Chorus Line , DAMMMMMM I cant believe they are highschool students , , I have seen the movie & the stage play with various actors in the road company & they couldnt have been any better had they been paid professionals , a wonderful show & inexpencive for the school to do, NO PROPS, stage sets or costumes other than the final number , the rights did cost a few bucks , but then the rights to a lot of plays , Shows cost a lots for the rights plus the sets, the costumes & the band, here everything was all ready there, a whits line down the stage , a wall of Mirrors & a CD with the music ............... GREAT STUFF .................. looks like we are back to the pot roast AGAIN today, I got up to make breakfast & there is the dreadded pot roast defrostong ............ Dammmm I wish she would EXPAND her taste buds , but this morning we did have sheared eggs , I think thats how its spelled, 3 sausage links in a small oven proof dish, ( fully Cooked ) , then you crack an egg in the dish & bake it to set the whites a slice of toast to dip the yoke & the sausage is encased with the egg white , just a different way to serve sausage & eggs ...............
The Sunday morning kona went by the wayside with the casa fuente , right now I have a pot of moca java that I am working on & soon it will be replaced with a Bold , dark roast Columbian , & who knows what I might get into after that, looks like it will be a Great coffee day , as I have a 1964 Padron Anniv. Churchill for this afternoon, , But my taste buds are still looking for that Don Carlos, maybe I will drop in a #4 , it is a little smaller that the #3 but it will solve my craving , , I have a Camacho Liberty for later today & who knows what I might find if I start to did in one of the long term aging humidors ,,,, dammm I want to hit that POWER BALL so I can build a new house with a Proper walk in Humidor, about 12X12 , yea that ought to just about do it , then a trip to a few different Islands , all south of Miami , some a little to the east , some a little to the west, & maybe a stop or 2 in central Americia , & south Americia , for some Home grown coffee & more cigars , Hey do they grow tobacco in Hawaii? , How abot a kona coast cigar Hummmmm, maybe its time to think about that one a little more !!!
The grandsons are doing Fine, we did find out that the 11 Year old is lactose intollerent , dammm 11 years it took to find out the kid is allergic to milk , well he hates the taste of Soy milk , & rice milk is just as bad according to 11 year old taste buds , I like soy milk , I am a BIG advocate of Tofu , But he has the taste buds from his Grandmother, not mine, I wonder How my life would have been had a set of normal taste buds & not the ones I do have .......... Oh what a different world it would have been ! ................... the eyes are getting a little more settled in , but I still reach for the glasses as I get up every morning, strange to be able to see the clock with out the glasses & the Colors are so ALIVE , after all the years looking through the cateracts , NOW I understand what the big deal with HD TV is ........... I did order a set of frames with a line in the bifocal, I hate the wind & smoke getting in my eyes , I have been wearing glasses almost 60 years now & just cant get used to the feeling with out them , I have a set of readers, but they have been dropped , scratched & chipped so may time all ready they are in worse shape than the trifocals that I have that are 2 years old ! , ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Filled up the tank last night , 21.7 MPG on a 2000 Sable with 177K on the clock, dammmm I hate to think about getting rid of this one, its a keeper, the body is starting some sigh of rust over the back wheels & the hood is chipping from the last time it was recked & the paint job was sub standard , But you get what you pay for & I didnt pay much ! Not Much else happening here in da Burgh , OH YEA the Pittsburgh PIRATES ( not to be confused with the Somlillia pirates ) are off to a great start, after 16 or 17 loosing seasons in a row, maybe just maybe a little of the Steelers Victory will rub off on the bucko's , a few year back we had the World series trophy, the Stanley cup & the Vince Lombardy trophy all in the same year , the steel mills were all working at peak production every one was working overtime & making Big Bucks & Now well we still have 6 yes SIX Vince Lombardy Trophys , the Pens are back in the playoffs for Lord Stanlys Cup & who knows the pirate just might ( MIGHT ) finish a game or 2 over 500 this tear ! hahahaha yea & I will go cigarless for a day, maybe a day and a half hahahahaha .....................
Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good Morning , it is Sunday 26th of April 2009 a fantastic , warm day here in da burgh, looking for a high of 85 , way to warm for this time of the year but I will take whawe get , after a somewhat crappie winter the warm air is a welcome releaf....... Yesterday I had the privlage of attenting a Birthday party for a 1 year old girl the daughter of on of my nephews, her name is Anna & she is a tiny little peanut, cute as a button & the first baby Girl in the family since my daughter 37 years ago , so now besides having 2 grandsons I have 5 grandneeses & nephews , & countless young men & ladys who are friends of the nephews that all call me Uncle Vince , some times it makes me wonder when people come in the shop & say Hi Uncle Vince , & I have NO idea who they are , we are Marks friends or Mikes friends , Good I say I thought my brother was hiding some thing from me , like a few more kids hahahaha
I have the day off today , I will be NOT COOKING ANYTHING today , well no cooking after breakfast, , it was a light breakfast, toasted english muffins , melted pepper jack cheese on them a little home made sweet red pepper relish on a bacon & egg scramble ........... tasty little bite , but thats it for me in the kitchen today, barb & her sister along with our daugher & her step daughter will be hitting the shops in Volant Pa today , a small town north of here filled with small gift shops & specialty stores , dammmm it would be a great place to put in a cigar shop so all the men had a place to hang out when the ladys were "Shopping" , but it is just not for me , I have enough problems with one shop, sure dont want to worry about 2 of them , dammmm I dont want to get OLD before my time hahahahaha , I have a date this afternoon with a rag & a can of paint remover , got to get that yellow highway line paint off Barbs car that has been pissing her off since November , I took off a little bit last week, but it was a little chilly on the hands , so with the temps getting into the mid 80's here today I might just find the time to finish the job hahahahaha maybe , well since she will be gone all day I might just take a nap hahaha , No today will be a good day to get the car done & then she will need to find some thing else to complain about , & for her , she has a TON of stuff to work with , & it all has to do with me, some times I wonder why she is still here with me , if things are as bad as she tells me , well I would have been long gone by now hahahahaha
This morings coffee is a blend I like to call Pacific Paradise, a mix of all the left overs from the pacific rim countrys , that I didnt have enough to make a pot from , so it all went into a glass jar , & when I had enough to make a pot , I ground it & thats todays coffee, a bit Mild for my taste there is a lot of light roast kona in the blend, & I never did like to blend anything with kona as i enjoy the taste of the kona alone , taste buds are hard to fool eather you like it or you dont , , & this gives me that light kona hit on the front but lacks the AHHHHHHH at the end , I think I like the AHHHHHH at the end better , oh well nothing to complain about when this pot is gome & that will be SOON , maybe an American pot next, a single country a dark roast Columbian or maybe a Santos from Brazil or a peaberry from Panama , maybe some thing all together different , I might use a sppon of this & that & drop in a few cigar ashes & a a shot of single malt, & make it in the press pot , sit out on the back deck & fire up a BIG OLD Monte "A" & say the H3ll with the paint on the car ,,,,,,,,,,, But then I would have to listen to her when she got home WHY didnt you do the car ????? so I guess i will just say to h3ll with it & do it asap , that way I can sit on my formerly well padded behind , sip some coffee & a weeee dram as well as find a nice stick in the humi to "entertaine " my self with ................
dammmm I cant wait to get my glasses from the eye doc, I hate this BS with out glasses, I am getting smoke in my eyes at an alarming rate , & the Wind, How do you guys who dont have glasses deal with the wind ????? , Give me back my big old avaitor frames & keep the smoke & wind out of the eyes !!!!, I dont care for the look with out the glasses , but this morning I didnt reach for the glasses when I was getting up , the best thing about having the cateracts removed is the Colors , man they POP, I havent noticed the megenta in the flame when you light a cigar , maybe i did notice it years ago but I was not as observent then , Now that i am getting older I try to remember the little things in life that make an ordinary day some thing special , no matter how trivial it might seam at the time it is some thing to hold on & remember , I dont know who said it , but its Not the Number of breaths you take , its the number of breaths you take away Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good morning it is Sunday May , THIRD ,2009 dammmmmm its already May, the time flys when you get old, the days drag on & On & the months & years fly right by, , seams just like yesterday I was standing in my side yard & thinking about going back to school the next day , after a summer of baseball & swimming , it was 1957 & I was going back for that one final year before I would be joining the navy to get away from the small town steelmills & make a name for myself in the kitchens of the world ,,,,,, so close yet so long ago , now I am hampered with arthritis , Poor eye sight , hard of hearing, & an iritable colon PLUS the iratable one I have been married to for 39 years , dammmmm its not easy getting old , just to dammm bad I abused this bmuch when I was a younger man , had I known it was going to be this hard I might have saved a little more for my old age , , , , , , hahahah NOW WAY , I would have enjoyed myself even more had i known I was going to be this happy in my old age hahahaha , lets face it , a pain here & there isnt as bad as missing out on the kids , & grandkids , & the extended familys that have developed over the years friends are a gift all on there own, , as the old saying went , you can pick your friends but not your relatives , well in a big way thats true, but you can mke the relatives your friends if you woirk hard enough at it , I never thought I would be still visiting my Mother in law at the nursing home, she has no idea who the hell I am or even what my name is but she is always glad to see me , she has no idea who here granddaughter is but she knows the nice lady who brings her grandsons to see her , I just hope I go out with my some what little mind I have left & not sitting in my own little world not knowing anyone ..............
I got the new glasses this week & can see a bit better now than I could with the drug store readers, , they were just a pain in the nose , never was able to look over them for distance & when I put them down on the nose to do that they ended up on the floor , big chips & scratches all over them, so now I have the full size frames with a bifocal , & I am a happy camper again. ........... it has been a wet week here in da burgh , & nexxt week looks like the same old stuff, , great sleeping weather but the grass is high enough to hide in hahahaha , the birds are flocking to the feeder & DEPOSITING the leftovers on the back deck , they are great to watch & listen to , yea like I can see & hear all that well, but I do get to bitch about cleaning all the crap from the bench & Rockers on the deck, why should she be the only one to have a Gripe ! hahahaha , this morings cigar was Not my usual Don Carlos #3 but I felt like some thing a lot lighter so I went with a R&J reserve real torp. , dont know why I did that , just when I pulled out the humidor , it was sitting there on my 3 finger case & I said to me self, hummmmmmm why not, the coffee was a fine new batch of kona that was light roasted this past tuesday & ground course this morning , steeped in the press pot 4.5 minutes , ahhhhhh a great pot of coffee, i have a little montescristo coffee to try this after noon , I have no idea who grows this stuff or where it was roasted or how long ago , but it was free .............. never say NO to a free pound of coffee , till you try it one time anyhow, , the grounds can still go in the compost pile hahahaha
since today is sunday I will cooking a little bit, I picked up a few rib steaks & have had them marinading for a few hours now, a little olive oil, peppers onions & garlic they will hit the grill some time after 4 Pm today , roasted corn on the cob for a side & I might just fry up some onions & peppers to add as a garnish for the steak ......
the boss & I went to see the Soloist yeaterday , dammmmmmmm moving & a great story the local newspaper critic gave it 1.5 stars out of 5 , I wonder if we saw the same movis, maybe she has become a bit jadded in her movie watching as she suffers through them all at the maulti plex, dammm what a tuff job watching movies & telling people what you thiunk about them,,,,, almost as tuff as my job sitting on my formerly large rear end, smoking a fine or not so fine cigar , sipping coffee & single malt scotch & telling people what I thougt about that cigar , dammmm getting paid to do what i love to do, hummmmmm I just wonder if I could ever make any "real" money doing it hahahaha .................
I hit a turkey crossing the road on my way to work one morning this week, 22 pounds of Hen Turkey , smashed the grill ,hood & windshield, , but it was soup that night hahahahaha , the glass is allready replaced & the aprasior is going to look at the car monday morning , looks like I might get a new paint job on the hood !,,,,,,,,,,,, 177K 9 years old, it almost seams like a government bail out for something way to old to spend any money on . BUT I have been paing my premiums all the years so I guess I get a little back , & a free range Wild Turkey on top of it all ! , well that about all I have time & space for today , if anything pops up during the week , check back for updates, I will be going on a cigar crawl May 16th, check it out at Western Pennsylvania Cigar Crawl this will be the 11th. one & I have made 10 in a row , yea baby its party time !! Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good Morning , it is Sunday May 10th, Mothers day , 2009, so a happy Mothers day to all you MOTHERS , so when is Mothers day ? 9 months AFTER fathers day ! hahahaha
it been a slow week here in da burgh, the Hockey team is keeping pace but the baseball team , well lets just say I might as well be a Cubs fan ! I feel your pain !!! , we had a good week at the shop , a few new faces & a few out of towners we able to stop in a have a cigar or 2 & there was a batchlor party there last night, I stopped in for a few minutes to "Check " on the party, , , , it was the LAMEST batchlor party I was ever at, some DUMB@$$ brought his Girlfriend to the party , like taking a sandwich to a banquet , Dumb@$$ for sure !!!
well I have been putting in a lot of hours at the shop , havent had much time to do anything but work sleep & eat, , , , didnt get to spend any time with the grandsons this week as they were BUSY doing what ever 11 & 13 Year Olds do , No time for the OLD folks hahahaha , & speaking of OLD folks my mother in law is still kicking , she might not remember your name but she is still going strong, , 3 laps arround the hall way of the home is one mile, she must make 20 trips a day , No walker, no idea where she is going but she is bound & determined to get where ever she has in her mind that she is going, yep its just arround the next bend ! ..............
since its mothers day , barb wants the standard HUNK OF BEEF , so i will be getting it on soon, dammmmmmm I wish I could talk her into a hunk of veal ,chicken,lamb,or pork some times , BEEF its whats for Dinner !
I got a nice little checkm from the car insurance , that road kill turkey not only had a nice taste but put 135 bucks in my pocket , got a grill from the junk yard for 20 bucks , Bingo , all is fixed ... Not much else going on , the H1N1 bug has not hit me or anyone in my family , YET ................ But younever know, being in the shop, handling the money all day , YEA I wish it was "all day " & being in a smoke filled enviorment all day , sucking down a "few dozen "Cigars a week might not be the best thing for the lungs, BUT you got to die of something , sooner or later, it might as well be something you enjoy hahahaha
The grass is looking a little shabby, but with all the rain its way to wet to cut, yea like I would be out there even if it was dry hahahaha , I enjoy living here in the farm country, BUT I think I might be signing up for a lawn service soon, Not that I would cut the grass my self, But she is getting up in years now & with BOTH knees all ready replaced, a hip thats going to be replaced , I think its time to sell the mower & weed wacker & just pay some Professional or a kid to do it ! , the grandsons should get first choice to bid on the job, but then I would have to keep the mower & pick them up feed them & take them home, Hummmmmm, maybe I should just get a lawn service hahahahaha ............
The mutant Mastiff has learned a new trick, he lays on his side in the grass & just lifts his leg, & lets it fly, he isnt Motavated enough to even get up to PEE, dammmm how lazy can you get ??????
not much else going on here in da burgh, catch you all next Sunday , as it will be the day AFTER the cigar crawl so I might not get it posted all that early, so check back later in the day next sunday for the cigar crawl update , Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

this weeks posting will be a little late, I just got up & need a few QUARTS of coffee to recover from the cigar crawl weekend, check it out at
www.cigarlcrawl.com , look for the up date as soon as later today or maybe by thursday , who knows , check back often , this is known as a tease or a come back to the BS ! hahaha Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Hello Sports fans & welcome to the Sunday morning smoke , just a weee bit late, its monday Night & I have sort of recovered from the weekend ! it was a Glorious weekend the 11th anniual western Pa cigar crawl & weekend scotch fest , so lets get started with the regulare BS , spelling not included, .... the week was a blur getting ready for the week end so lets just pass on the food, coffee, & family BS & I will poick it up with my Buddy big bob comming in for the weekend this thursday........... havent seen him since last cigar crawl, he is in mississippi , dammm I think I might have spelled it right well I did forget the capital , , , , , , well , we had a few drinks & a few cigars & he went back home to his parents place & we took his car up & dropped it off at the pittsburgh chop house, ( the reason will be clear later) , well we went back to the cigar shop in Monaca & picked up a few more guys for our trip North to sharon Pa , the starting place of the crawl... checked in the hotel, found the bar took our stuff to the room & returned to the bar, , OK off we go to the Penn Ohio Cigar shop , & Quaker Steak & Lub , a BBQ wing joint & BAR ........ the evening festivitys are in full swing we have reservations for 40 people, we show up, there are strangers in our seats, we had reservations for 8 Pm & the place had been wall to wall since 5 Pm, the interlopers were still there, , the manager thought they would be done by the time we got there, hahahaha, beer & wings in & out in 2.5 Hours, Never going to happen ! , so we were stuck for a place to get together as a group, they did open a small area up for us but it was a non smoking area, that lasted all of 13.2 seconds , pull out the 3 finger case, with a brandy snifter in hand, clip & light a monte #2 contraband cigar with out spilling a drop of the 16 YO Laugavulin ............. & this is after 4 laugavulins all ready, ahhh it pays to Practice ! , so there we are , & the waitstaff is over welmed, the kitchen is under staffed & the food is taking for ever, & we are getting louder all the time, soon the food shows up & it is a real CLUSTERF**K , , no one had any idea we were going to be there, execpt the catering manager, he told the approiate people we were going to be there but No one staffed the place like it should have been,m the Bar tender who was working was the same bar tender we hire for the bus on Saturday & she knew when she saw the schedual that it was going to be a BAD night , I have been at this place many times & the food is top notch, well a few trainees could have done a better job, it was BAD just to be nice, & my Buddies were so discusted with the service they all walked out & stuk me with the check, , I paid for the Bar tap & told the bouncer to KMA if he wanted any of the money for the food witch was still on my plate, , he looed at what we were served & agreed he wouldnt pay for it himself.... problem solved, now to get even with my "BUDDIES" for sticking me with a C Note plus bar tab ! hahahaha
well the night was winging along & we all went back to the hotel & thes hospitality room, More cigars & more Booze, , I went back to the room about midnight & fell asleep asap , the alarm is set for 6 AM .............. Bingo its morning & time for a shower & a weee dram, the resturaunt , ( a differnt one ) is in the hotel, now this is the place that forgot we were comming last year & didnt have a breakfast cook shedualled & I made breakfast for the crew & got charged for my own food ! , dammmthat wasa BS move on the part of the management ( who didnt show up either ) , so we get pancakes that have been sitting under a heat lamp & are the consistancy of Hockey pucks shaped like a Frisby ............. I should have cooked again ! , NEXT year I will ! if we go back there next year !
so the Bus shows up, the driver is one of my regular customers , so it looks like it just might be a good day, well , , , , , for the most part it was, BUT I digress, we all get on the bus & go to our first stop, Penn Ohio Cigar shop , & George is READY for us the coffee is made the dounuts are out the girls working have the Hooters Up front & accounted for & we have a great time, back on the bus to stop #2 , Klafters wharehouse in New castle Pa , lots of specials, 4 cigar reps are there with all the new stuff, , just like a kid in a candy shop ! , back on the bus to head for lunch, RESERVATIONS for 55 ...... , places are set, But no one behind the bar, No wait staff, NO food out, we are 20 miutes standing in the parking lot, the kitchen is ready , but no one but the souse chef 7 one line cook are there, No servers , no buss people , no bar tenders, every one is running late , , Now this is the third place we were eating in this weekend, with one more to go & it is again a CLUSTERF**K, well are 12:55 the bar tender shows up, & dammm it was worth the wait, Great hooters, short skirt & CAMANDO ............., the food came out on time & it was great, & I ate to much so what else is new ! hahaha, it started to rain & we headed to KING BEAVER CIGARS , just 5 minutes away, , for a change EVERYTHING WAS READY, I guess I traind my staff well , or maybe it was just time taht things went well for us ! , ( put your money on LUCK not Training hahaha ) , we made fun of the all the first time crawlers ( Nubies) , one had to keep a powdered sugar donut in a plactic bag hung arround his neck all day , others were pack mules for the vets & others were door stops & beer carriers , they all got stomped on hard when they fell asleep, WEDDGIE, Dammmmm thats had to hurt ! hahahaha , dont fall asleep leaning forward with thy tops of you jockys abouve the waist band of the dockers , DAMMMM that had to open up the sinus passages hahahaha , Ok so now were back on the bus heading for our next stop, ( check out Western Pennsylvania Cigar Crawl ) for the exact itenerary
of course caddie shack was on the VCR , Hurry fast forward to the Tits ....
Ok we are heading back to the city & we get stuck in a traffic jam, 45 minutes & then the driver misses his turn & we have to go about 5 miles out of our way to get the bus turned arrond, , so we get there a little late , well it was a quick stop, I was able to pop in a bath & body shop, picked up some fancy soap & lotions for the wife ( I need all the brownie points I can get ) & we are off, Lat sop, , great pplace, lots of coffee scotch & cigars, a little bigger than king Beaver, But the humidor is a lot smaller , , great selection for the shop , & I got a candle for the wife, again More Brownie points & we were off to the Chop House for a HUNK of PRIME RIB , & it was worth the trip , dammm you could still see the wip marks on the meat where the jocky had been hitting it 20 minutes before , & it was SOOOO GOOOOD , well the dinner was Fantastic & the bar was well stocked & the cigars were being smoked by all, the cake was wonderful & service was great, Now we have been on the bus since 8 AM, it is now almost 12:30 AM the rain has stopped & we are abot 75 /90 Minuts from the starting poing hotel, & Thats WHY we left a Car there on Friday, just 20 Minuts from the cigar shop & Home base, for me, .... a lot of Tired drunks had an hour ride north , & then stay the night OR drive back home, well we saved the trip North, & went home , all in all it was a GRAND time, looking Forward ro WPCC # 12 next year !
Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good morning it is Sunday 24th of May, a warm & humid Memorial day weekend , & to celebrate Memorial day I will be broadcasting on 1460 WMBA, Ambridge Pa & 1320 WBVP , Beaver falls Pa from 6 AM to 10 AM on Monday, we do not have internet broadcasting yet, both stations are owned by the same guy & studios are across the hall from each other so broadcasing on both is as simple as turning a switch , Bingo your on both stations at the same time , Garry west the stations Program manager wanted to take the day off so I said Sure I will be glad to fill in anytime, well this is anytime so I will be up at 5 am & on the air at 6 ................ I have a lot of Patrotic music , & poetry , all rolled in the smoke of a fine cigar , OHHHH DAMMM cant smoke in the studio , oh well I guess I can hold off a few hours hahahaha , if your up give me a call on air at 724 774-1888 , Please NO profanity , I dont want to hang up on anyone ............. BUT I will.
Breakfast this morning was buttermilk pancakes with bananas & black berrys , a pot of kona & a Don Carlos #3 , I have switched to a pot of moca Java , & a Bahia maduro Churchill, , & I have a masterpiece all set aside for the smoke After the London Broil I have sitting in a marinade in the fridge & it will be going on the grill when I get home from Star trek movie this afternoon, Beam me Up Scotty !
the shop has been a little busy this week, a good thing as i was getting a little worried about the down turn in daily sales , but now theweather has warmed up & the golfers are out the sales have gone up a little but near what we did last year, , (Note to self, write to congress & complain AGAIN about the cigar tax, the whisky tax & anything else I can find to bitch about ! )Oh yea & ask for bail out money hahahaha
the grandsons are getting on my nerves, the big one is ragging on the little one the little one get pissed & punches the big one he crys , He hit me, well let the kid alone & dont pick on him & he will not hit you , yes he will, no I will not , & it goes on & on , so one sits up front with me & one in the back with Barb, , then they argus who will sit up front, so one sitsd up front going & the other up front comming back, dammmmmm it is getting to me a bit , the nerves are shot !

the Western Pa. Cigar crawl is in the record book, , the debochery has been recorded & all arrests , & fines, jail time is all over with, Cant WAIT till next year ! , check it out at Western Pennsylvania Cigar Crawl maybe YOU can join us next year ! , a week later & I am still in Detox ! BUT it was FUN !!!!
, The boss got a new vacume sweeper last night so i will be putting it together for her soon, , the instruction book said I needed a screwdriver to put it together, , Dammmm I hope I can find one hahahahaha
Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good morning , it is Sunday , MAY 31 ,2009 , the last day of Mayhere in 2009 , a cool & rainfilled week here in da burgh , BUT Hocky istill alive , Pens lost last night in the Motor city 3-1 , in the fisrt game of the stanly cop Finals , Hockey in JUNE??? , baseball , football ,hockey basketball, rugby, Skeet, & Trap, Boxing,soccor,auto racing, golf & bowling , Hunting & fishing, all Competive sports of such, now there is a Pro circut for Competive eating, dammmm where was I before the Gastric by pass???? I have put away my share of Nathans hotdogs when we were in NYC on Vacation a few years back, BUT I have no thoughts of eating upwards of 50 dogs in the short time allowed for the compitition, , dammmmm I could have been a contender hahahaha
well we started out the day a little later than planed , the PORK roast is defrosting , YES PORK , I talked her into a hunk of Pulled pork today not her standard POTROAST , so it will get the "treatment " soon, & be in the oven , "Pulling the pork"will happen some time this afternoon, If I can get her away from the sunday paper hahahaha , if not I have a Masterpiece in the humi with my name on it , looks like I will be smoking it rather than "pulling the pork " with the wife hahahaha , her comment was , your to old
well it was just a thought anyhow !
I pulled out the sunday paper & there is a story about the school district merger in Monaca ( the shop is on Penna. Ave in Down town Monaca ) & Center Twp, the residential /Farm area arround the town , well Center Twp has a 1% mercantile tax , Monaca has NONE , well the people of center want to add all the business's in Monaca to the tax , & the mercantile tax has been rulled illeagle by the state coart , BUT Center twp was grandfathered in to let it stand, well now thay want to include us in the tax after the state court said no more mercantile tax in the state but we will let stand what is in place right now, , & since the school board in Center is the BIG money behind the merger into the new district they want to control the shots, taxes 7 run the new board, well a few who are from the orginal Monaca school board are up in arms about it & there is a LOVE /hate , relationship between them, this merger should have happened years ago but the people in power didnt want to give it up, , its still the same , , the boards just cant get along , , kind of like the congress ! BUT I am getting away from the story on the paper & the tax, , , , it seams as the local news paper sent a potographer into town for some photos, Low & behold , there we are on the front page , , taken from a distance mind you, but the Stars & Strips , POW & USN Flags are standing proud in front of the shop as I am sitting in a lawn chir talking to a few customers outside , puffing a Don Gonzalezes Maduro Churchill, sipping coffee & passing away the time with TONS of B.S. hahahaha just like any other day .......
Last night we went to listen to a bunch of Student mucic performances , the Number 2 grandson has been playing the electric 6 string "GEETAR"
so last night he had his " debute" in a bar with his teacher & a few other students, now the kid is only 11 & has been 'playing for a few months , but he was a dancer before this 7 his older brother has been playing Piano for about 7 years now & he has been paying close attention to the music & picking up bits & pieces over the time & , last night Page & Plant would have been Proud of the "Lead" this Kid pumped out , the songs were popular about the time his Mother was born hahahaha , so now we have a Piano & Guitar , anyone play base or drums? hahaha , Glad I got rid of the banjo or they might have forced me to learn to play that thing, Hummmm maybe I should take up the bagpipes, No chance of that getting into a rock band hahahahaha ...................... One of my Favorite "cheep "single malts a 10 YO called Spayburn is being discontinued by the Pa. state run , monopoly no nothing , not caring over priced under educated, "STATE " employees , well for years it has bennin the 25 dollar range & the price jumped a little while back , but it was still a bargain at the new price , IMHO anyhow, well the sales declined & now all stock is being sold out at 15 BUCKS a bottle, , I gave my brother in law 45 bucks & had him pick me up 3 from the shop he works near, & I went on a tour of the county & bought up all I could afford , Now I have a small storage space problem , BUT I will be sipping single malt for a long time to come hahaha ..............
Coffee this morning was a fine pot of fresh ground Kona made in the press pot, with a little distraction it brewed a few minutes longer than the normal 3/3.5 minutes , more like 20/25 today, BUT it was still GOOD, a little cooler than I like it , BUT I did get the newspaper way from the wife for a few minutes hahahahaha ............. I was back on the radio last Monday , did ther Memorial day fill in spot from 6 am till 10 am , had a lot of Fun, talked to a few nice old friends & a few new friends & of couse the OLD CRABS that will always be there !!
The Cigar crawl is a blur in my mind, check out the photos at Western Pennsylvania Cigar Crawl , maybe you can join in next time ! ..... if you dare, remember its a weekend of smoking drinking & eating , if you cant run with the big dogs , you better stay on the porch ............ Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good Morning it is Sunday 7 June 2009 ,a GRAND day here in da Burgh, , the weather is PERRRRFICT , I dont want any mental pictures forming to gross anyone out But I am sitting her at the computer with a cup of kona & in my BVD'S & a big smile , ahhhh its comfy ......., I dont have much planed for today other than getting out the hammoc & Enjoying a few cigars & sipping a lot of coffee & single malt whisky , & speaking of whisky , I have been all over the place visiting a lot of the state run , poor service no nothingstock boys who are STATE retirement employees, & could care less about the customers BUT want to be coddled by the state retirement board, yea Vince tell us what you think about the Pa. wine & spirits shops , well these BOZO's have decided to stop stocking my go to LOW PRICE single malt , No more Spayburn, 10 Y.O. , a nice highland malt with a touch of heather in it , Not the Flavor profile of the Laugavulin I love , but at the DIFFERENCE of 50 Bucks a Bottle ( 25 VS 75 ) , I will take 3 Spayburns to work for the Moochers & leave the Good stuff at home for the moochers who just happen to stop buy with a cigar or 2 for me ! so Now i need to start to check out all the scotches all over again to find a cost effective alternative to the Spayburn, Dammmm this research is tuff on the liver & the wallet hahahaha
Locally the little town of Rochester Pa , ( just accross the river from Monaca ) & between Freedom & Bridgewater , if you have the energy to look it up on a map, well the center of town has a Strange intersection with a BUNCH of different roads comming in at different angles & none hitting the intersection at the same crossing points so it is a mess with traffic lights & some times it will take 2 entire minutes to get a green light on the main street , well the county transit athority has a great idea to put in a traffic circle , allowing only right turns , you just drive into the loop & get off when your at the street you want , with out ever stopping, $1.8 MILLION , for the project, ( now this is before Cost over runs & all the graft & payoffs are made to the land owners, politicl bosses & unions , so who knows what the final cost will be just because some one's wife was late for her hair appointment ( geee its great to be married to some one with pull that can spend the taxpayers hard earned money to save 2 DAMMMMM minutes at a red light , feeding at the public trough is getting costly to us who fill it ............. , I had a letter to the editor published in this morning's Beaver County Times I dont know what is worse, the payoffs to the polititions or the money we spend on wellfair ...... Get a Frigging Job you lazy Bums ( this is directed at the political establishment ) as for the wellfair people , dammm its tuff out there the polititions have screwd up almost everything , but you second & third generation of living on wellfair & public assistance,with bling arround you neck, driving a benz & & having a cell phone along with your food stamps, well people the time has come for your LAZY @$$ to get a JOB also , dammm I was in a great mood when I got up this morning, must have been that dammmm Patragas Series D #4 I had first thing this morning instead of my regular Don Carols #3 ....... hahahahahaha
Breakfast this morning was wonderfull, , , , grilled english muffin , covered in melted swiss chees topped with tomato, bacon & a fryed egg, & all that covered with a Red bell pepper relish , Heaven on a plate , next time Just a touch more hot peppers in the mix ........ the woodchucks AKA ( groundhogs ), chipmunks, rabbits, squerrels ( rats with furry tails ) are all over the back yard this morning, the bird feeder is drawing a ton of visitors & DAMMMM the wild bird seed is killing the cash flow, looks like the birds & wild life are going to get off the public assistance & have to Find JOBS to get there OWN food ..................
I switched to a pot of moca java , the kona was grand but over powered by the partagas, as wll as the Moca jave being over powered by the same cigar , but I have a white lable monte ready for after lunch & the moca java will be fine with it , I just wonder if I will be able to taste it after the Partagas ....................
we had a great week at the shop, got in a few new sticks , the Rocky Patel spring line with Pa. Tobacco in the blend is selling well, I did ENJOY ye ole Winter blend, that DARK wrapper with the bright band, it was a real smoke ! , the nice green band on the spring line is Ok, but not as Stunning on the Eye as the winer blend.

I have a pair of rib steaks in a light minarade that will be hitting the grill some time this after noon, , No pot roast this sunday * (DAMMM thats 2 weeks in a row) , but we are back to beef, I will also roast a few ears of corn on the grill & have a little of the red pepper relish mixed in the butter for the corn, YUMMMMMMMY
School out for the summer, the grandson s are happy & sad, all at the same time, dammmm how could that be , happy that school is out I understand, but sad , Dammmmm i guess its a communication thing, they cant talk face to face , dammm they dont do it now , with twittering & Texting , My grandsons are in the same room & dont speak directly to each other, unless its on the cell phone text. , well our parents didnt understand us, so why do we think we would be any different !

Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good Morning , it is Sunday 14 June 2009, a Fantastic morning here in da Burgh, the temp is cool the wind is light the sky is blue & the grass is green, , what more could you ask for ? , Breakfast is over, we had a 3 cheese omlet with a side of bacon, a pot of kona which has been replaced with a pot of Moca java, I have found that the moica java tastes better when you have the kona first, sort of opens up the taste buds & wakes you up, ...... the first cigar as per usual was the don carlos #3 , soon to be Fallowed by (just to compair) a GOD OF FIRE , , I have a great day of cigars planned for today, after the GOF I have a 92 vintage Rocky Patel "A" size that a buddy sent me a box of for Christmas , it is the LAST one in the box , hey I made it 6 months , with out smoking them ALL , I am using the box as a lap dask to do my caligraphy practice on, , got to get the hand & eye along with the brain to start working together, , hahahah yea like the brain ever did work hahahah after that I have no idea what is in store for the taste buds , what ever it is I am grilling a few rib steaks today , ***3 weeks in a row, NO POT ROAST ***** but now I think she might be hooked on a Sunday rib steak, well what ever makes her happy, 39 years this August, no reason to through in the towl now hahahahaha
I spend last evening working at the radio station in Beaver Falls , Pa 15010, 1230 WBVP & 1460 WMBA out of Ambridge Pa , same programing on both stations at the same time , there was a car cruise & over 1800 cars trucks, quads, choppers ,dirt bikes & one motorized bar stoll were prowling the streets of the city, it was a GREAT time
Last friday night we had a Bagpiper playing at the shop, , in full kilt & all, dammm I know why they walk when they play, its hard to hit a moving target ! , so we "ENJOYED" if thats what you want to call it the music ( if thats what you want to call it ) hahaha , But we did enjoy a bottle of Scotlands finest LOW PRICE 10 Y.O . Single malt , Spayburn, & about a QTR. bottle of 16 Y.O. Laugavulin ( I drank it myself, didnt share it , cheep bastard that I am ) , I think there was a hocky game that night some thing about the Stanley Cup & the team from Pittsburgh beating the redwings on there home ice , just like they did here in da burgh last hockey season, But I am not much of a sports fan when I can have a fine cigar a pot of coffee & a snifter of goooooooood Whisky & a little music I am one happy camper ..... I have a few errands to take care of, I hit the lottery for 3 Bucks , so I need to go cash in my winning ticket & spend my additional 12 bucks on this weeks loosers ( 15 bucks a week is what I play,) & its different numers each day, I should play the same numbers every day , but there are so many numers to play hahahaha thats why its called gambling, If I hit , well GREAT , if not, no big deal ....... the grandsons are out of school for the summer, all ready getting on there mothers last nerve , ahhhh yes payback time for her, as she did the same thing to me that I did to my parents it all comes full circle !
well I have a lot of cigars to smoke, coffee to drink, scotch to swill & music to listen to & I cant do any of it when i am on this Dammmmmm computer ! Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good morning , it is Sunday 21 June,2009 , Fathers day & the First day of summer for 2009 , Fathers day you say when is fathers day , well its 9 months BEFORE mothers day hahahaha & I was suprised this morning with a 15 cigar sampler pack from my wife , No word or call from our daughter as yet, BUT I did spend the day with the #2 Grandsonyesterday, since they are 11 & 13 they need one on one time , cant do with the fighting & bickering between them on my own, so we drew cards & the little one won this week & now they will alternate , Much easyer on my nerves & wallet to take them out one at a time, No Competition one on one time with the grandsons. Breakfast this morning was a grilled in butter sweet roll, with cheese, bacon & egg with a sliced tomato , a little peanut butter filled chocolate cake to be washed down with the Sunday morning kona ,,,,,,,,,, cant get much better than this, BUT one of my @$$HOLE neibhors is cutting his grass this morning , I havent ventured out to see what dim wit it is but dammmmm its fathers day , let the grass grow an entire day on its own, get the kids to cut it , hire a lawn service , get the wife to cut it , BUT DONT cut it yourself on Fathers day , Dammmmmm !
I have Stuffed Poerk chops on the menu for today, No I am not cooking , I called the local Catering company to see what the guys were making for anything going on today , there are 2 graduation partys & a few wedding showers that they are setting up for , on the menu for one of the jobs was stuffed Pork chops , So I got them to set 2 aside for me & I will pick them up at 4 PM ,,, Professional Curticy, dammmm it dont get much better than this, , we trade a few cigars & Bingo EVERYONE is happy, his orginal customer pays for my chops & the manufacture pays for his cigars , a win win for both of US , hahaha ,
The weather is wonderful today , I am sitting here in my shorts with the fan running , no a/c today it is a bit breasy but the sky is Blue & there are a few puffy clouds , looks like it is going to be a great day for sitting on the back deck , watching the birds & other WILD Life while smoking cigars , sipping scotch & drinking coffee, & speaking of Scotch the state of Pa. who is the wholesaler & RETAILER of distilled spirits & wine in the state has Discontuned a few of MY Favorite single malts Dammm B@$T@RD$, well they did bring in a new one a 12 YO highland, lightly peated called Tomatin, well I picked up a bottle last night & it had a slight green cast to the whisky , well I pulled the cork & got a fair aroma of the highlands , poured a weeee dram in my nosing glass, 7 proceeded to look , smell 7 tate this new brand to me , , nice light aroma, you can ALLMOST smell the heather but it just isnt there , the whisky itself has a sharp sweet taste with a good deal of BURN not at all what I had hped for , so if you see any Speyburn 10 YO Single malt , grab your self a bottle , under 30 bucks its a STEAL ,how ever the Tomatin, , its going to go to work for the Moochers to finish ...... the sop was a mix of good days & bad, we Finally got our order of San Cristobals , dammm I enjoy that one a lot, , now I need to get a few things I have run out of , not paying attention to the understock, & I am out of some thing , dammm gotta pay attention to the small stuff like that, BUT its been so nice out & I have been sitting in the lawn chair OUTSIDE the shop right on the sidewalk , enjoying a cigar & a cup of coffee corrected with a little scotch of course & B.S.ing to the people walking up & down the street, , blowing smoke at the cars as they drive by inviting everyone one in for coffee & selling them a cigar to go with the "free" coffee hahahahaha , so if I have to loosen up the purse string with a little coffee with a few shots of scotch in it , by the time they leave, they feel good & I made a little income, charge the whisky off to the advertising budget & consume the rest my self, dammmm what a country ,,,,, but for how long I have no idea, I just found out the BIG reason the big banks & insurance companys got the BIG bail outs, it was told to me that IGA was the manager of the fed retirement account, see if some thing happens to There money they FIX it right away, lets get them into OUR retirment program, & FIX it before its to late, No retirement for ELECTED jobs , you choose to do it , you spend money to get elected, you get your tired old
@$$ in social security , just like the rest of us who have NO Choice , those b@$t@rd$ get to double dip, , Government retirement & theyt have a "JOB" on some outside board of directors that pays them when they out of session & they get the social security, on top, well its time to stop this BS of the Congress telling us what & how to do things, , I think it was Jefferson or maybe Madison who said when the government is afraid of the people they will do a better job , but when they have enough power to make the people afraid of the government we have a BIG problem , I know thats not the exact wods but you have to understand I am getting old & forgetfull & cant spell with a tinkers dammmmm , so if you get the meaning , thats what counts , now that the taxpayers have bailed out detroit & wall street I see larry flint wants a bail out for the **** industry , BALLLLLLLS, BIG BRASS BALLS ....... Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good morning, it is Early Sunday morning 28 JUNE 2009,, I will be at the shop today so I have decided to get this UP & running asap, we are going to get the bar code computer on line & Sunday is the day to do it , so I get a lot of OT this week, hahahaha , since its sunday & I have to keep the boss happy, its beef again, dammm 39 years & still in the RUT ! , I went to the grocery store last night & got a pork loin, cut it into 3 roasts & 10 Chops , BIG PIG !! looks like I might get to grill a little pork this week I hope, , Summer grilling season, LOVE IT, hey i grill all year round but this is the best time , I can sit with a cigar & a drink & watch the times go round & round, when its cold out I stay in the house & watch the timer , Not as much fun as watching the birds & the traffic go by ! , .................

My wife was good to me this fathers day, a few stick to add to the humidor, about 30 total, all nice picks , i will be working my way through them this next month, & maybe a few next !, ............

the boys have been busy since school is out havent seen much of them this past week, Busy with there friends & camping with thier dad , Good for them camping out, dammmmm my idea of ruffing it is a hotel with out room service ................
one of the local little towns Rochester pa , has a BUSY & strange intersection 3 different state routes all cross & 3 local streets all converge at the same point, the intersection is controlled by lights on a timer & a motion sensor, to help move the traffic, well some polititions wife missed her bus as she had to wait 2 minutes at the red light one morning so bingo a 1.8 million dollar traffic circle is planned, 1.8 Million bucks, & that is just the front money, who knows what the cost over runs & graft will come to, , now the governer wants to raise the state income tax & the state sales tax buy 1% , PLUS a CIGAR tax , dammmm fool, he was elected on the campain promise of Eleminating the Property tax, this is his second & LAST term & we still havent got Property tax relief ..... when is a politition lying? when his lips are moving ! , I didnt vote for this guy & will never want to see him in any office again, ed spendel , never saw a tax he didnt like . , with the unrest in the state , washington DC & the rest of the country raising Taxes is just what we need , sure raise taxes take more money from the working stiffs , I guess its time to hang up the shop apron & sit on my formerly fat @$$ ,,,, I have had enough of the BS from harrisburg & DC . .....................
last week my wife told me the 3 way lamp in the living room was only working on one setting so I changed the bulb, didnt change anything in the light , just the bulb, & it still didnt have the 3 different settings of brightness, So I got a new fitting for the lamp & changed it today & Still just one setting, dammmmm , so I got out a new bulb, BINGO it worked, , the new bulb I put in was defective I was going to change the switch back, But WHY, its working now & if it isnt broke why fix it, ! so now she is complaining about the $4.47 I paid for the new switch............... cant please her no matter what I do other than making her a a pot roast on sunday ............... 39 years & counting ! DAMMMMM

went to sears last week for a pair of shoes that was supposed to be on sale , New ballance 408, well I get in the store about 20 minutes after it opened, cant find a shoe clerk, , so i get the lady in the next department to call for help, a few minuts later this girl who I thought was a customer ansers the call, she is BUSY BSing to her friend & is just to busy to get me what i need , well she finnaly get arround to me & asks what size, well I have have 3 different styles of NB shoes & all 3 are different sizes from a 10.5 wide to an 11.5 regular , well she asks me would you like to measure your foot? , well yea, lets see where we are , well she shrugs her sholders & goes in search of the tool to measure my foot, , returns & sets it down beside me & goes back to her conversation with her friend, well I guess this is self service , so i get a shoe off check my foot & go back & tell her I want to try an 11.5 regular width, she tells me that style comes in an 11 or a 12 no 11.5 , OK tellme whare they are in the back & i will get both to try, them , well she informs me I am not allowed to go in the back & just help my self.... welll then help me !!, she gets the shoes & walks away again............... , I try them on, the 12 is to big & the 11 is to tight, so lets try an 11 wide, , , , , None in stock, hey this is the first day of the dammmm sale , why dont you have stock? well we do have a 10.5 wide, I try it , it fits ! , BINGO, I go to pay for them 7 she charges me the full price not the sale price, WHOOOO cowgirl , you gotta get with it , she re rings & I get out of Dodge , should have walked out long time before that, but i needed the shoes & the sale price was great 31.50 for a 65 buck pair of shoes., now I had planned to get 2 pair of shoes & a new belt, , well I got the one pair of shoes went to a different store for the belt, , & when i got home I looked at the cash slip & there is a web site, dammmmm Customer comments are on the list, so I comment, , & 2 days later I get a call from the store manager, he wants to appoligise , But has nothing to offer me to get me to return ........ I am looking for a new TV , & couch , a quick grand each but I will not be shopping for them there i tell him, well all he can do is give me lip service, , No incentaves , So when I am ready look, it looks like I will be going to Pennys or Macys , , , , when some one has a liget complaint at the cigar shop I do my best to make them HAPPY, but poor customer service from a manager, well I can say my shopping days at sears are OVER , if I wanted to go to a self serve shoe shop I could have gone to Kmart walmart & pay less shoes, but I wanted to be treated like a customer , treated the way I treat my customers , BUT I was not happy when i left the store or after the call, so now I will just spend my money some place else ! ..... well i got to get my @$$ in gear & get going , lots to do before I get to the shop ! Enjoy, Vince

[Vince]

Good morning it is Sunday 5 July 2009, the day after our natins Birthday, & I hope you all had a great time yesterday & will be celebrating OUR birthday again today.............
well Breakfast was a nice easy bacon ,egg & cheese with a little tomato on it , I had 12 grain bread & my wife had oatmeal bread, , I like the Hunks of Grain in the 12 whole grain flour, little bits of solids in the sea of bread, with a few sesame seeds & sea salt on top , its a crunchy crust a little olive oil & when you break that Yoke with the crust YUMMMMMMMMMM , I have been scrambling my eggs latley but this morning it was sunny side up, , a BIG Yellow yoke staring back at me , the bacon was just one slice for each of us, it was more like a pork chop than a slice of bacon , THICK & Lean , Just enough fat for flavor & to lub up the skillet for the eggs , How good can it get , the Quintasenional breakfast , Bacon & eggs , a little cheese & some toast, a POT of Kona & baby I am one happy camper, , a little later today i will fire up the grill, for some Corn on the cob & a nice rib steak, , or is it pork ? dammm I didnt read what the butcher wrote on the paper wrapping the meat, better find out BEFORE I make the Marinade , pork will go in a citrus base , the beef will be an Oil /Vinegar, mix , but I guess I should open it to see what was defrosted hahahaha , Dammmmm its chicken , Ok corn on the cob & chicken hahahaha , Dammm I was going to deep fry the bird, looks like its going to go on the grill or we eat out hahahaha , the corn is in the sink still wet from the morning dew, picked just a few hundred yards from my back deck, sure hope my buddy who owns the field dosent mind loosing a few ears hahahaha , most of the local corn crop is just knee high right now , but this stuff has been "Sheltered " by the hills & trees & it gets a lot of Sun & fertilizer , about 100 years ago it was a hemp field ................. need I saw any more? hahahaha

We spent most of the day yesterday at the Ellwood City Arts & food Festival , a lot of crafters & food vendors all trying to make a buck, , I did pick up a nice red ,white & blue Anchor saying welcome to the Qtr.Deck , gave it a spray of clear waterproofing when we got home & hung it on the Qtr.deck last night , looks good ! ............................


the boys are doing fine, havent had a chance to do anything with them this past week, they are "Busy" but they will both be here Wedsnday, But I work till 6 Pm so what ever we get into will NOT make the local 6 PM News hahahaha say tuned at 11 ! .....................


NOW I have a BIG GRIPE about our Government , Not only the local & state , But the feds as well, STOP TAXING MY @ $ $ OUT OF BUSINESS , If 10% is good enough for the church why cant these greedy B@$t@rds live with it at 10 % , Why the h3ll am I working so many hours , to Pay the local taxes, the federal taxes & the state taxes & now Gov. swindel wants to raise my state income tax AGAIN , this BOZO ( the appoligys to the clown ) is getting paid while the state workers are not, the legeslature adjorned for the 4th of july break with out passing a state budget for the 7th year in a row mind you leaving the state workers with out a pay check , BUT the Gov, & the legeslatorers , all get paid from a "special " account set up for them ....Hurray for me but the H3LL with you , Ok thats the state of PA , & the local school board is just crusing along as the merger of the Monaca & Center twp. schools is slamming it self on to the rocks like an old time pirate ship , Center twp has a mercintile tax of 1% , Monaca has no such tax , well now that the schools are merging , Center twp gets a tax break & Monaca gets a Tax Hike , an other 1% for graft & coruption, dammm I like it better when you just paid the mod a little bit each week, didnt need insurance on the building or cops on the payroll, the "boys " handled everything , you need a cash advance, you see the Boys , if a big amout is needed you see da MAN, , you pay , no problem, , you dont pay BIG problem, but they Smooth talking political Sheetheads make you feel like its you duty to pay them to run & RUIN your live , I have had it up to my formerly FAT neck the Stinch of the BS comming out of harrisburg ( the state capital of Pa ) is starting to resemble a 6 day old piece of road kill & it is the taxpayers of Pa who were run over by the governer, , he Promised property tax reductions as the main souce of revenue for the school districts & an ELIMINATION of the tax on you primary residence , well he got the slot machines & the horse racing tracks he wanted & now he wants table games like poker , black jack , Craps , the whole 9 Yards , all it will do is make his buddys rich, who own the gaming parlors, we will still be paying taxes out the Wazoo , & Barack with his Cap & trade is going to put me out of my home, how will I be able to afford a 300% increase in my electricy & natural gas payments, , Yes I have seen estamates ranging from 60% to 300% , dammmm even 60% is a BIG BITE out of my thin wallet, yea they show you 300 % and you say well 60 isnt bad, BS , A BIG , BULL , $hit on that one 40cents for the cigars plus an additional 1% sales tax, an upward move of the state income tax, local taxs , when will it END, ? Pa has a Full time legeslature, with HUNDREDS od state reps & a state senate Payroll for the harrisburg circus is out of site , time to trim the fat eddie spendel ( the governator of Pa ) , on government & yourself, , My profit margine is so thin right now I end up working more hours a week as I cant afford to pay anyone............. so its eather raise My price to the consumer & the sales will fall , or suck it up & work more ....... dammmm I should have just stayed RETIRED ! , OH Yea Healt care, all i want to say about Governmet run health care is , Look at the veterans adminastration , , I wait 6 months to see a doc , wait 3 weeks to get the results of a blood test wait an outer 2 weeks to get back to the doc to have him review the tests with me before treament is offered, Good thing it wasnt a heart attact, I might not be here today, , , , , I dont want Socialized medicine or socialised autos , the Government isnt here to run our lives we are here to RUN it , federal bail outs BULLLLLLL ! , you screw up you company TUFF, JOB security is in your ability to preform, you dont , BINGO your Fired , LIVE with it , oh its not my fault, BS it is your fault, just as much as it isnt Mine , so WHY do I need to pay for you ??? , pull your self up by your own bootstraps, Take Personal responcability for yourself & your family, some people were embarrised to take charity , now 3rd & 4the generations dont know any different , its a way of life, , , , maybe I sould just move to the beach In Hawaii , Fish for food , grow a little coffee , for my own use , give up electricty , & just become a hermit, or tune in drop out & become a Hippie of the new century .............. H3ll no I didnt claw my way to the top of the food chain to become a Vegen ! Dammm Fools we keep electing them ( US being the fools ) the politicans a are just playing us for there own gain ! , well enough of the BS, I got coffee to roast, grind , brew & consume ,a few cigars to smoke a meal to prepair & some single malt whisky to sip ...................... Enjoy, Vince