Shortly after moving to Canton in 2004, when the summer months finally rolled around, I took the time outside of work to try and meet some people. Not knowing anyone and being a little unfamiliar with the territory I looked at all avenues. This didn't have much success for the basic fact that I worked 3pm to about midnight and everyone I could meet and hang out with were either at home or sleeping (like most normal people).
I was by no means desperate, but I was hoping for a change in my social life soon and it did. Just not in the way I had envisioned.
One afternoon as I was preparing to head off to work, my phone rings and an unfamiliar number appears. As I answered the female voiced on the other end says, "Charlie?! Where are you? And how do I get to the gym?" At a loss as to who Charlie may be, I told her she must have had a wrong number. She apologized and we hung up. No more than a minute later my phone rings again and its from the same number. On a cell phone in her car the girl says, "I'm sorry I know I just called you, but would it be possible for you to give me some directions?"
This seems a little weird, but I'm game. I have only lived in Stark County for a few months, but I have a Stark County map on my apartment wall in order to help myself out with the new surroundings. Eager to help I consulted my map and gave her the directions she was looking for. Once she received her requested information and located her destination, we continued to chatting. Lauren tells me she's 21, a personal trainer and has just moved here from Hawaii. As our friendly conversation continues I find out she's the step daughter of Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson, someone I talk to on a regular basis through work.
Soon enough I have to leave for work, she takes my phone number and we agree to keep in touch. It was a friendly conversation that began in the most odd way and I figured I had at least found someone to hang out with.
I get to work and tell my co-workers, Sam and Marlene, about the phone call. I tell Marlene due to the fact the phone was so random. I tell Sam because I wanted to gloat. A 21 year old female personal trainer calls you out of nowhere and you hit it off, that my friends is what heterosexual dreams are made of!!
Marlene, using her damn common sense, begins questioning everything Lauren told me. It all seemed to check out....that is until Marlene remembered that Sheriff Swanson was married to his high school sweetheart. Better yet, he had no children. As much as I hoped she was wrong, I shrugged it off and thought maybe I misheard what Lauren had said. Marlene said she would ask Sheriff Swanson about it the next time she talked to him. Sam, on the other hand, was freaking out in a jealous reaction. I rubbed it in as best I could.
Over the next week or so Lauren and I spoke several times. Just shooting the bull and eventually agreed we should meet sometime. Seems logical. As I'm thinking about what we should do, she continues to call...and call....and text..and call some more. The next few days were nuts, this girl is calling and sending me text messages at all hours of the day. Even when I mention that I'm busy or at work, she continues to give me a ring.
At work Marlene jokes that Lauren is some sort of mental patient who has found her next victim. Sam, too, suggests the girl is mental but as any good man would, he says I should at least meet the girl to see if the "package is worth more than headache". In other words, if she turns out be smokin' hot how long am I willing to subject myself to the wacko in order to show off my trophy girlfriend.
Now I'm no longer thinking about meeting the girl. I'm wondering if this girl has a life outside of annoying me and how much of a burden it would be to change my phone number.
Back at work, Marlene finally gets a hold of Sheriff Swanson. She made sure to call him with me sitting at the desk next to her. Apparently she could tell the future. Swanson confirms the has been married one time and has no children, let alone step children. Also, he says a girl fitting Lauren's background (real or fake) was reportedly trying to buy a car in the Akron area a few weeks before and gave Sheriff Swanson's name as a potential a co-signer for a loan. He had no other information and, thus, couldn't follow up on it.
Lucky for him, I was his new found informant.
I gave the sheriff the name she had given me and her phone number. And pondered a way I could get her to stop calling me. Sam continued to say I should meet the girl, Marlene is telling me to ask the sheriff about the witness protection program.
As the next few days went by I answered only a handful of the what seemed like a thousand phone calls and text messages. I used the excuse of being busy at work, she bought it. Finally, when I was ACTUALLY at work, my phone rang. I checked to see who it was and, SURPRISE, it was Lauren the leech.
Marlene, who up to this point has found the situation funny, can see the consternation on my face. It was funny...for awhile, but it now has become a serious burden. Marlene takes it upon herself to end the annoying calls. I avoid answering the phone and toss it aside, but Marlene grabs it and answers the call. She calmly says 'hello' then asks, "Who is this?" When Lauren asks the same question Marlene answers, "This Craig's WIFE! I see you have called several times and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop calling. Thank you very much!" She then hangs up. I'm stunned with a huge smile on my face. As goes with Sam and our company custodian Mary, who bursts into laughter.
Looking like she couldn't be more proud of herself, Marlene says the girl was quiet and didn't say much. And seemed to have hung up before she did. Marlene says she just thought of it and wanted to see if it would get Lauren to stop calling. And it did! For three days I heard not a word from her.
On the four day after being told I was married, Lauren did call. It was after I had come home from work and went to bed. The phone rang, seeing that it was her, I answered to see what she had to say. I was curious. After my quick 'hello' she says, "I cannot believe you are married?!" Not wanting to drag it on, I said 'yup' and hung up. Though I was relieved, I was still curious to know if she was a whack job or I if had just made a huge mistake. Sam's words continued to haunt me.
I didn't hear from her again.
Shortly thereafter Sheriff Swanson called to let me know that by using the phone number I gave him he tracked Lauren down. He confirmed here name was Lauren, but that was about the only truth that I knew about her. She wasn't 21, but 19. She wasn't from Hawaii, but from right there in Canton. She wasn't his step daughter, just some deranged girl with a vivid imagination who lived with her parents (who are still married by the way). She could have been a personal trainer, but you wouldn't find many of them who serve Whoppers part-time. Though Sheriff Swanson tells me that she was cute...for a teenager.
He also said he gave her, and her parents, a stern warning about what may come from any additional phone fantasies or attempts to use his name in any unlawful way.
"Dude! You missed your chance!," Sam says through a hearty laugh. I think he was just relieved that Lauren didn't turn out to be who she said she was. That would have really ticked him off.
Marlene holds back the laughter, but the phrase "I told you so" was written all over her face. I'm a little disappointed, but happy to know I wasn't taken for more than just my trust.
I never heard anything more from Lauren. Though, still to this day, I'm very good friends with Sheriff Swanson. I may live and work in Akron now, but still call him through work. In those calls I refer to him as dad and he refers to me as his son. Nice to know he has a sense of humor about it.
But a few things still remain unsolved. In that original wrong number call, who was Charlie? Why didn't she know the directions to a location that was just three miles from her in her own hometown? Who was she trying to call to begin with?
We will never know.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Autumn In Southern Ohio
Pics from Chimney Rock down there in Ross County...pretty place, especially in the fall (These are from last fall '07).
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Schlitz Lovers Rejoice!!
Click on the title above to link to the original story!!!
A COMEBACK IS BREWING
Beermaker is betting on nostalgia in restoring a Milwaukee icon
By Emily Fredrix ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILWAUKEE — It’s The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous. Now Schlitz is making the city nostalgic. That beer with the old-time mystique is back on shelves in bottles of its original formula in the city where it was first brewed more than a century and a half ago. Schlitz was the top-selling beer for much of the first half of the 20th century. But recipe changes and a series of snafus made the beer — in many a drinker’s opinion — undrinkable, turning what was once the world’s most popular brew into little more than a joke. But after decades of dormancy, the beer is back. Schlitz’s owner, Pabst Brewing Co., is recreating the old formula, using notes and interviews with old brew masters to concoct the Pilsner again. The maker of another nostalgic favorite, Pabst Blue Ribbon, it hopes baby boomers will reach for the drink of their youth. They also want to create a following among young- er drinkers who want to know what grandma and grandpa drank. “We believe that Schlitz is, if not the, one of the most iconic brands of the 20th century,” said Kevin Kotecki, president of Pabst Brewing Co., which bought the brand that dates to 1849 from Stroh’s in 1999. “And there’s still a lot of people who have very positive, residual memories about their experience. For many of them, it was the first beer they drank, and we wanted to give it back to those consumers.” In Milwaukee, the comeback is creating a buzz. Stores are depleted of their stock within days, they’re taking names for waiting lists and limiting customers to only a few six- or 12-packs each. People like Leonard Jurgensen say the beer reminds them of better days. The 67-year-old, who grew up on the edge of the brewery downtown, said decades ago it seemed that everyone in the city either worked for the brewery or knew someone who did. If there was a special occasion, you drank Schlitz. Jurgensen had it on his wedding day 45 years ago. “For many years, the product was associated with happy times, especially to people my age,” said Jurgensen, who’s writing a book on Milwaukee’s breweries. Hearing from Schlitz-thirsty consumers prompted Pabst to revive the brand, Kotecki said. It was the world’s bestselling beer from 1903 until Prohibition in 1920, and regained the crown in 1934 until the mid-1950s. That’s when a strike by Milwaukee brewery workers interrupted production and made way for others, like St. Louis’ Anheuser-Busch, to eat into Schlitz’s market share. Before it vanished, the beer changed — for the worse. According to Jurgensen, new owners eager to expand wanted to shorten the fermenting process. There also were quality-control issues for barley, so the beer went flat quickly. To fix the flat problem, the brewers added a seaweed extract to give the beer some foam and fizz. But after sitting on the shelf for three or four months, the extract turned into a solid, meaning drinkers got chunky mouthfuls. And then, the biggest of errors. “They decided not to pull their product off the shelf,” Jurgensen said. “They decided to weather the storm and sell that product. That’s the worst possible mistake they could have made.” And by 1981 the Schlitz brewery closed. The owners sold the brand to the Stroh Brewery Co. in Detroit in 1982, which eventually sold some of its lines to Pabst. Kotecki wouldn’t disclose sales figures for Schlitz but said they are considerably smaller than for the company’s top-seller, Pabst Blue Ribbon. In Milwaukee, it’s at about 75 locations, including bars and liquor stores, though that’ll grow when more is made. John Thielmann, 55, of Milwaukee, says his first sip of the new Schlitz sent him back decades. He remembered being a teenager — drinking underage, he noted — spending summers with family on Druid Lake, about an hour from Milwaukee. But when the formula changed, he started getting headaches after two or three sips, so he stopped drinking Schlitz. Thielmann, who works at a liquor store in suburban Elm Grove, said he was confident the new formula wouldn’t fail him. He figured Pabst had put in enough effort that they’d get the old formula back. They did.
“That first sip was like ‘I remember this. This is right,’” he said.
Some stores in Milwaukee limit the amount of Schlitz beer customers can buy because of the demand.
Schlitz timeline • 1849: German immigrant August Krug opens a small restaurant and tavern in Milwaukee, begins to brew beer and turns it into a brewery. • 1850: Joseph A. Schlitz, 20, emigrates from Germany and works for Krug as a bookkeeper. • 1856: Krug dies, leaving no offspring, and Schlitz takes over management of the brewery. • 1858: Schlitz marries Krug’s widow, Ann Marie. • 1861: The brewery is renamed the Joseph Schlitz Brewery. Schlitz runs it with Krug’s four nephews, the Uihlein brothers. • 1871: The Great Chicago Fire destroys many of that city’s breweries, giving Schlitz an opening to expand his business. • 1875: Schlitz travels to Germany and is presumed dead when his ship sinks in a storm. Because he had no children with Krug’s widow, the Uihlein brothers take over the brewery. • 1893: The company introduces the slogan The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous. • 1902: Schlitz surpasses Pabst as the world’s best-selling beer after selling 1 million barrels that year. • 1920: Prohibition begins. The brewery makes soda, malt syrup and candy. It survives because the Uihlein brothers have extensive real-estate holdings. • 1934: Prohibition ends, Schlitz resumes production and retakes the No. 1 sales spot. • 1953: Strike by Milwaukee brewery workers hurts brewers like Pabst, Blatz and Schlitz, which lose market share to rivals such as Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis. • 1954: Schlitz briefly rebounds to again be the world’s best-selling beer. • 1955: Anheuser-Busch takes over the top spot, which it still holds. • 1975: Immediate family management of Schlitz ends and distant relatives and outsiders take over the operation. • Mid- to late-1970s: Schlitz still sells well, so the new owners try to make more by shortening the fermenting process. But the beer has no foam and is flat, so managers add a seaweed extract. But that turns solid after sitting in bottles for a few months. Schlitz sales fall and the old formula is gone. • 1981: Production of Schlitz ends in Milwaukee when workers strike. • 1982: Detroit’s Stroh Brewery Co. acquires Schlitz and sells off many of Schlitz’s plants to pay for the acquisition. It focuses on promoting Schlitz’s secondary brand, Old Milwaukee. • 1999: Pabst Brewing Co. buys Schlitz from Stroh. • 2008: Schlitz’s classic formula is reintroduced. Sources: Leonard Jurgensen, Milwaukee brewery historian, and Pabst Brewing Co.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
It IS A Small World After All!!
Last weekend was the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement down in Canton. Since I was a Canton resident up until last December, I had the duties of covering the entire Hall of Fame Festival for Rubber City Radio Group.
I've covered this each of the last four years in one way or another (for different organizations) and it has never been a disappointment. Though the festival remains the same, some out of the ordinary tends to take place each year. On Saturday I sat at the media table on the 50 yard line of Fawcett Stadium as the enshrinement was televised live on ESPN. I, with my laptop, recorded speeches and wrote stories for our website akronnewsnow.com. It was cool hanging out with my media brethren from D.C area. There were a pair of former Redskins being inducted, hence the vast majority of the media onslaught came from Maryland and Virginia.
Aside from meeting other media personnelit was neat to see former NFL stars just roaming around. I'm not one to slobber over the former players or current national media individuals, but I did get to meet ESPN's Chris Mortenson. A quick handshake and "hi" made my day.
The following day, Sunday, my co-worker Lindsay and I covered the Hall of Game between the Colts and Redskins. We watched the first quarter before heading off to get interviews and fan reaction. The starters tend to play one quarter in preseason before the scrubs come in and the game gets boring. Lindsay went to get interviews on a tongue-in-check story on Colts fans versus Redskins fans. I want to get interviews on reactions from fans on the entire festival itself...did they like it? Would they come back? What was their favorite part? Did Canton treat them well? That sort of thing.
I stumbled upon a group of four Redskins fans standing away from the crowd smoking. I figured they would be the best interviewees since they weren't concentrating on watching the game. After asking my questions and getting the audio I needed, we chat for a short time. They were pretty cool and fun to talk to. And I discovered one them was a graduate of Ohio University in Athens. OU is about an hour east of my hometown of Chillicothe along U.S Route 50. When I brought that up he tells me, "No way! I've been there!"
Are you kidding me?! I'm at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton covering the first NFL game (preseason) of the year between teams from Indiana and Washington. And the group of people I decide to talk to, on a whim, are all from Washington, D.C. and I happen to pick one who has been to my hometown & went to college for four years in the backyard of the place where I grew up. Crazy.
Its things like that make moving around fun. Not that I like moving, I've done it way too many times. Although, if there is a time where you move due to new employment or for a signifcant other this is what makes the experience worthwhile. I've lived in Kentucky, Indiana, Texas and Ohio and each time I have come across someone who is at least halfway familiar with where I used to live or someone I know.
I'm sure this will not be the last experience with such things, I mean...come on, I'm only 33. We'll see how the next 33 years evolve.
I just hope the next person I run into doesn't turn out to be a stalker. Note to self: If he or she knows your social security number or exact birth date...it is no longer fun and interesting.
I've covered this each of the last four years in one way or another (for different organizations) and it has never been a disappointment. Though the festival remains the same, some out of the ordinary tends to take place each year. On Saturday I sat at the media table on the 50 yard line of Fawcett Stadium as the enshrinement was televised live on ESPN. I, with my laptop, recorded speeches and wrote stories for our website akronnewsnow.com. It was cool hanging out with my media brethren from D.C area. There were a pair of former Redskins being inducted, hence the vast majority of the media onslaught came from Maryland and Virginia.
Aside from meeting other media personnelit was neat to see former NFL stars just roaming around. I'm not one to slobber over the former players or current national media individuals, but I did get to meet ESPN's Chris Mortenson. A quick handshake and "hi" made my day.
The following day, Sunday, my co-worker Lindsay and I covered the Hall of Game between the Colts and Redskins. We watched the first quarter before heading off to get interviews and fan reaction. The starters tend to play one quarter in preseason before the scrubs come in and the game gets boring. Lindsay went to get interviews on a tongue-in-check story on Colts fans versus Redskins fans. I want to get interviews on reactions from fans on the entire festival itself...did they like it? Would they come back? What was their favorite part? Did Canton treat them well? That sort of thing.
I stumbled upon a group of four Redskins fans standing away from the crowd smoking. I figured they would be the best interviewees since they weren't concentrating on watching the game. After asking my questions and getting the audio I needed, we chat for a short time. They were pretty cool and fun to talk to. And I discovered one them was a graduate of Ohio University in Athens. OU is about an hour east of my hometown of Chillicothe along U.S Route 50. When I brought that up he tells me, "No way! I've been there!"
Are you kidding me?! I'm at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton covering the first NFL game (preseason) of the year between teams from Indiana and Washington. And the group of people I decide to talk to, on a whim, are all from Washington, D.C. and I happen to pick one who has been to my hometown & went to college for four years in the backyard of the place where I grew up. Crazy.
Its things like that make moving around fun. Not that I like moving, I've done it way too many times. Although, if there is a time where you move due to new employment or for a signifcant other this is what makes the experience worthwhile. I've lived in Kentucky, Indiana, Texas and Ohio and each time I have come across someone who is at least halfway familiar with where I used to live or someone I know.
I'm sure this will not be the last experience with such things, I mean...come on, I'm only 33. We'll see how the next 33 years evolve.
I just hope the next person I run into doesn't turn out to be a stalker. Note to self: If he or she knows your social security number or exact birth date...it is no longer fun and interesting.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Not That There's Anything Wrong With That...
How you conduct your life is your business. I firmly believe that. Your likes, dislikes, preferences and lifestyle is something I do not judge. Though I have to admit I was taken back a bit by an acquaintance a few years ago.
In the winter of 2004, not long after moving from Newark to Canton, I found a local watering hole to spend some time after leaving work every now and then. My shift was 3pm to 11:30pm, and not having cable, led me to finding a place to make some friends and have a beer or two. This ended up being Harmon's Pub at West Tuscarawas and Arlington in Canton.
Harmon's is a very cool place. Not big, but not really that small, great food and inexpensive beer ($2 Miller Lite, ALWAYS). This is a great place to sit and watch Sportscenter or an Ohio State game whenever possible. It is friendly and the patrons are equally as appealing. It was maybe the third or fourth time I had stopped by and I a was amazed that one of the bartenders who had seen me in line to buy a beer had a Miller Lite opened and waiting for me. I was able to skip the line, slap down my two bucks, take a seat and relax. Cool! It was like I was a regular on an episode of Cheers. They knew me without really knowing me. It made me feel good and, of course, I'm sure that's how successful businesses are run.
One night after work when summer rolled around I was nursing a beer and watching baseball when a group near me started a conversation. Shortly there after I joined them. When the night was coming to a close I exchanged phone numbers. I had found some friends, guys and girls who I could run around with in my new hometown.
One of them, Rocko ( I'm not sure if this was a nickname or not), was usually the one to drop me a line when they were going out. Throughout that summer I tagged along and we had some good times. I never thought anything more of it.
Maybe I should have.
One night we are all hanging out at Harmon's (a good Irish bar) and as the night was winding down our crew dwindled. Soon it was just Rocko and I, shooting the bull with the bartenders and wasting time. When I finally decided to call it a night Rocko asks me to hold one for a minute or two. As those near us seem to be out of earshot he tells me, with a sheepish look, that he's bisexual. "Uhh..well..okay. I have no problem with that," I say. I'm thinking its cool he's confided in me, but I'm not sure WHY he's telling me. He goes on to say the rest of our crew doesn't know and he'd like to keep it that way. I reply, "I can do that."
Before I say farewell for the night Rocko drops another bomb. He's told me this piece of information about him because...get this...he finds me attractive?! He's curious to know if I would be interested in making more of this "friendship". I'm not freaked out, though I'm definitely stunned. He could see from my blank stare that I did NOT see this coming.
He apologizes. I gather enough thoughts to utter a sentence or two and tell him he doesn't need to apologize. He was curious and needed to know, so naturally he had to ask (I think). I kindly tell him I'm flattered (sort of), but I'm heterosexual and don't waver from that. He wonders if he's just ruined a friendship and I tell him I don't hate him, I just don't "go" that way. He's satisfied that I'm okay with his lifestyle, though I'm still trying to make sense of what happened. At this time I had not had a real date in sometime and had been turned down for such activity by a few woman couple of weeks prior. I'm even thinking, "Do I look gay?" or "Am I giving off homosexual signals?"
Stupid I know, but all of us tend to over think somtimes.
We part ways and nothing comes of it as our group continues to hang out.
About a month later lightning struck a second time. Nearly the same scenario, Rocko again asks if I'd like to make more of our friendship. I'm thinking, "Dude, there's no magic potion that's going to make me change my mind!" I tell him, again, I don't roll that way. If that's his choice, cool, its his choice. But it is not mine, I'm sorry. This kind of ticked me off. Not because he "liked me", but because he had me thinking I was doing something (unbeknown to me) that was attracting men.
That was the last time we hung out. He and the rest of the group never called me again & vice versa. I was frustrated...I was having a hard time getting a date and meeting women, but I apparently had no problem attracting men! I kept looking for the a sign that was hidden somewhere telling people I was gay. It must have been a helluva hiding place. I couldn't find it.
A female friend of mine, after hearing this story, relayed to me that it is widely considered that if homosexual men find you attractive that is a very good indication that women, too, find you attractive. I don't know if she was feeding me load of crap, but if this were true I wanted to know who these women were and why I couldn't find them. Or, at least, why they were avoiding me.
I continued to swing by Harmon's every once in awhile, though I never did see Rocko and the others again. Now that I think about it, there may have been a reason why I was invited to hangout with them to begin with. And it had nothing to do with the fact they found me to be good company. It was just a ruse to get introduced to someone who was "interested". Whatever.
I did end up getting a date few weeks later and Heather, I think was her name, and we dated for a couple of months. It was nice. When that ended it wasn't long before I met another woman. And my initial thoughts were affirmed, I AM heterosexual and I do enjoy the company of women. Guys are cool...but only for sports, beer, road trips and running from police (on occasion).
This is a funny story now, but four years ago I was definitely frustrated. Not with Rocko or his sexual preference, but with my lack of a social life. There are phases we go through and we have to deal with them. How we handle those phases is up to us. Just don't do anything drastic that you will regret down the road. I didn't and I'm better for it.
Rocko, I hope you and your friends are doing well with whatever you chose to do and thanks for making my move to Canton eventful.
I'll never look at drinking a beer & watching Sportscenter at an Irish pub in the birthplace of professional football with a gay man the same ever again.
In the winter of 2004, not long after moving from Newark to Canton, I found a local watering hole to spend some time after leaving work every now and then. My shift was 3pm to 11:30pm, and not having cable, led me to finding a place to make some friends and have a beer or two. This ended up being Harmon's Pub at West Tuscarawas and Arlington in Canton.
Harmon's is a very cool place. Not big, but not really that small, great food and inexpensive beer ($2 Miller Lite, ALWAYS). This is a great place to sit and watch Sportscenter or an Ohio State game whenever possible. It is friendly and the patrons are equally as appealing. It was maybe the third or fourth time I had stopped by and I a was amazed that one of the bartenders who had seen me in line to buy a beer had a Miller Lite opened and waiting for me. I was able to skip the line, slap down my two bucks, take a seat and relax. Cool! It was like I was a regular on an episode of Cheers. They knew me without really knowing me. It made me feel good and, of course, I'm sure that's how successful businesses are run.
One night after work when summer rolled around I was nursing a beer and watching baseball when a group near me started a conversation. Shortly there after I joined them. When the night was coming to a close I exchanged phone numbers. I had found some friends, guys and girls who I could run around with in my new hometown.
One of them, Rocko ( I'm not sure if this was a nickname or not), was usually the one to drop me a line when they were going out. Throughout that summer I tagged along and we had some good times. I never thought anything more of it.
Maybe I should have.
One night we are all hanging out at Harmon's (a good Irish bar) and as the night was winding down our crew dwindled. Soon it was just Rocko and I, shooting the bull with the bartenders and wasting time. When I finally decided to call it a night Rocko asks me to hold one for a minute or two. As those near us seem to be out of earshot he tells me, with a sheepish look, that he's bisexual. "Uhh..well..okay. I have no problem with that," I say. I'm thinking its cool he's confided in me, but I'm not sure WHY he's telling me. He goes on to say the rest of our crew doesn't know and he'd like to keep it that way. I reply, "I can do that."
Before I say farewell for the night Rocko drops another bomb. He's told me this piece of information about him because...get this...he finds me attractive?! He's curious to know if I would be interested in making more of this "friendship". I'm not freaked out, though I'm definitely stunned. He could see from my blank stare that I did NOT see this coming.
He apologizes. I gather enough thoughts to utter a sentence or two and tell him he doesn't need to apologize. He was curious and needed to know, so naturally he had to ask (I think). I kindly tell him I'm flattered (sort of), but I'm heterosexual and don't waver from that. He wonders if he's just ruined a friendship and I tell him I don't hate him, I just don't "go" that way. He's satisfied that I'm okay with his lifestyle, though I'm still trying to make sense of what happened. At this time I had not had a real date in sometime and had been turned down for such activity by a few woman couple of weeks prior. I'm even thinking, "Do I look gay?" or "Am I giving off homosexual signals?"
Stupid I know, but all of us tend to over think somtimes.
We part ways and nothing comes of it as our group continues to hang out.
About a month later lightning struck a second time. Nearly the same scenario, Rocko again asks if I'd like to make more of our friendship. I'm thinking, "Dude, there's no magic potion that's going to make me change my mind!" I tell him, again, I don't roll that way. If that's his choice, cool, its his choice. But it is not mine, I'm sorry. This kind of ticked me off. Not because he "liked me", but because he had me thinking I was doing something (unbeknown to me) that was attracting men.
That was the last time we hung out. He and the rest of the group never called me again & vice versa. I was frustrated...I was having a hard time getting a date and meeting women, but I apparently had no problem attracting men! I kept looking for the a sign that was hidden somewhere telling people I was gay. It must have been a helluva hiding place. I couldn't find it.
A female friend of mine, after hearing this story, relayed to me that it is widely considered that if homosexual men find you attractive that is a very good indication that women, too, find you attractive. I don't know if she was feeding me load of crap, but if this were true I wanted to know who these women were and why I couldn't find them. Or, at least, why they were avoiding me.
I continued to swing by Harmon's every once in awhile, though I never did see Rocko and the others again. Now that I think about it, there may have been a reason why I was invited to hangout with them to begin with. And it had nothing to do with the fact they found me to be good company. It was just a ruse to get introduced to someone who was "interested". Whatever.
I did end up getting a date few weeks later and Heather, I think was her name, and we dated for a couple of months. It was nice. When that ended it wasn't long before I met another woman. And my initial thoughts were affirmed, I AM heterosexual and I do enjoy the company of women. Guys are cool...but only for sports, beer, road trips and running from police (on occasion).
This is a funny story now, but four years ago I was definitely frustrated. Not with Rocko or his sexual preference, but with my lack of a social life. There are phases we go through and we have to deal with them. How we handle those phases is up to us. Just don't do anything drastic that you will regret down the road. I didn't and I'm better for it.
Rocko, I hope you and your friends are doing well with whatever you chose to do and thanks for making my move to Canton eventful.
I'll never look at drinking a beer & watching Sportscenter at an Irish pub in the birthplace of professional football with a gay man the same ever again.
Friday, July 25, 2008
BBQ Is Life
If you aren't a Canton native it looks like an old building waiting for someone to give it new life, but if you are a Hall of Fame city resident, it is a hidden treasure.
I'm talking about Kennedy's BBQ at 1420 7th Street NW. You will find it just to the east of the William McKinley Monument, right across the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad tracks. Upon your initial glance the thought to keep moving on and find a better establishment may arise, but trust me when I say this...BIG MISTAKE.
Kennedy's, a family run Canton staple since 1922, kept me in the dark for the better part of three years. I passed it a thousand times and it never looked open. Then suddenly, a little over a year ago, I was wasting time in Monument and Stadium Park when I noticed several cars in the lot next to it. Its not flashy, doesn't grab your attention and (in all honesty) is not easy on the eyes.
Curious to see what the deal was I parked my dented Honda Accord and decided it was time to shed some light on this mystery. Ladies and gentleman I walked into heaven! You step in to a couple of booths on the right, two or three tables in the middle and an old-fashioned lunch counter on the left. That's it, nothing more. It could give someone with claustrophobia a run for their money. Rubbing elbows with others is literally what you do.
Kennedy's serves smoked ham, pork, beef & turkey that is prepared in their own smokehouse -- which is attached to the small restaurant! The sandwiches go for about $3.75, but they are stuffed to the gills with whatever meat you choose. One would be more than enough for a normal person, which means I tend to force down two before my stomach starts begging for mercy.
You can have these plain or with BBQ sauce, or this spicey-tangy-sinus clearing relish. You are asked if you would like relish on it at the time you order. If you are so inclined, they will slather it on your mountain of smoked goodness. It is hard to tell exactly what the relish consists of but if you are a no-holds barred foodie...you'll love it. If you are not an all out foodie, you should just ask for it on the side. You can also buy this in bulk and makes a great weapon in the arsenal of those who enjoy entertaining at home on a regular basis. (Shhh..your secret is safe with me!)
Aside from the sandwiches, Kennedy's offers their Delicacies in bulk. The meat comes chipped or sliced and ranges from $6.50 a pound to $7.00. I can't tell you how cool it is to find a small, neighborhood eatery that smokes and prepares their own BBQ just feet away from where you actually order it. Family owned and run business are the best I tell you.
Along with the sandwiches, the BBQ is also used as the main ingredient in a couple of soups that can melt any nasty NE Ohio fall and/or winters day away. The bean soup has a smokey flavor provided by the big slivers of the ham that swim along side flavorful beans in a savory broth. Very simple ingrediants, but with superior taste. Adding a sandwich to this at lunch will make you forget the doldrums of working for living.
The chili is just as tastefully prepared as the bean soup. Thick, chunky and just spicey enough to wake you from that mid-afternoon slumber. Feel like taking it home to for the family? You got it! The soups come in the 1/2 pint, pint and quart varieties at $2.50, $5.00 and $10.00.
If you just want to cool off with a malt or shake an old-time malt mixer will make sure you are not disappointed. Also, the Amish made pies sit within eyesight and mock you as you attempt to finish lunch. Don't stare or you will be hooked!
Looking for that holiday party surprise? Kennedy's has you covered. You have to order in advance since they smoke it for you (on the premises...awesome!!). The traditional holiday hams are cooked in their "pit". You have the option of selecting a semi-boneless ham (14-20 lbs), boneless tavern whole ham (14-20 lbs), 1/2 boneless tavern ham (7-10 lbs), whole spiral sliced ham (14-20 lbs) and 1/2 spiral ham (7-10 lbs).
I ordered a 14 lb semi boneless for a party last Christmas and I was more than impressed. Even more impressed were the guests my girlfriend and I were hosting. The best part? Plenty of left overs for whatever your heart desires. Christine made a ridiculously good spicey bean soup with our remnants. The ham was even better the second time around.
You may notice I keep referring to "lunch" at Kennedy's. Well, that's about all you are going to get when you arrive and you have to be there at just the right time. Why? Because they are open Monday through Friday...for just 3 1/2 hours at a time! From 10:30am to 2:00pm.
In the 17 1/2 hours a week they are open they, apparently, make enough profit to stay in business (and have done so for the past 86 years) and they have a laundry list of regulars. A friendly staff who seems to recognize you, no matter how many times you have been there, helps with it's mystique. I could kick myself for not getting to know Kennedy's when I first moved to Canton from central Ohio in 2004. At least I made my way there before moving to Akron last December, but that's just one more reason to travel to Canton every so often.
The establishment's walls are littered with newspaper articles from over the years featuring the eatery. The articles, my friend, don't do it justice. It is a piece of americana hidden deep in the heart of Canton.
Meat and BBQ lovers...no need to thank me. Thank the wonderful world of simplicity.
I'm talking about Kennedy's BBQ at 1420 7th Street NW. You will find it just to the east of the William McKinley Monument, right across the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad tracks. Upon your initial glance the thought to keep moving on and find a better establishment may arise, but trust me when I say this...BIG MISTAKE.
Kennedy's, a family run Canton staple since 1922, kept me in the dark for the better part of three years. I passed it a thousand times and it never looked open. Then suddenly, a little over a year ago, I was wasting time in Monument and Stadium Park when I noticed several cars in the lot next to it. Its not flashy, doesn't grab your attention and (in all honesty) is not easy on the eyes.
Curious to see what the deal was I parked my dented Honda Accord and decided it was time to shed some light on this mystery. Ladies and gentleman I walked into heaven! You step in to a couple of booths on the right, two or three tables in the middle and an old-fashioned lunch counter on the left. That's it, nothing more. It could give someone with claustrophobia a run for their money. Rubbing elbows with others is literally what you do.
Kennedy's serves smoked ham, pork, beef & turkey that is prepared in their own smokehouse -- which is attached to the small restaurant! The sandwiches go for about $3.75, but they are stuffed to the gills with whatever meat you choose. One would be more than enough for a normal person, which means I tend to force down two before my stomach starts begging for mercy.
You can have these plain or with BBQ sauce, or this spicey-tangy-sinus clearing relish. You are asked if you would like relish on it at the time you order. If you are so inclined, they will slather it on your mountain of smoked goodness. It is hard to tell exactly what the relish consists of but if you are a no-holds barred foodie...you'll love it. If you are not an all out foodie, you should just ask for it on the side. You can also buy this in bulk and makes a great weapon in the arsenal of those who enjoy entertaining at home on a regular basis. (Shhh..your secret is safe with me!)
Aside from the sandwiches, Kennedy's offers their Delicacies in bulk. The meat comes chipped or sliced and ranges from $6.50 a pound to $7.00. I can't tell you how cool it is to find a small, neighborhood eatery that smokes and prepares their own BBQ just feet away from where you actually order it. Family owned and run business are the best I tell you.
Along with the sandwiches, the BBQ is also used as the main ingredient in a couple of soups that can melt any nasty NE Ohio fall and/or winters day away. The bean soup has a smokey flavor provided by the big slivers of the ham that swim along side flavorful beans in a savory broth. Very simple ingrediants, but with superior taste. Adding a sandwich to this at lunch will make you forget the doldrums of working for living.
The chili is just as tastefully prepared as the bean soup. Thick, chunky and just spicey enough to wake you from that mid-afternoon slumber. Feel like taking it home to for the family? You got it! The soups come in the 1/2 pint, pint and quart varieties at $2.50, $5.00 and $10.00.
If you just want to cool off with a malt or shake an old-time malt mixer will make sure you are not disappointed. Also, the Amish made pies sit within eyesight and mock you as you attempt to finish lunch. Don't stare or you will be hooked!
Looking for that holiday party surprise? Kennedy's has you covered. You have to order in advance since they smoke it for you (on the premises...awesome!!). The traditional holiday hams are cooked in their "pit". You have the option of selecting a semi-boneless ham (14-20 lbs), boneless tavern whole ham (14-20 lbs), 1/2 boneless tavern ham (7-10 lbs), whole spiral sliced ham (14-20 lbs) and 1/2 spiral ham (7-10 lbs).
I ordered a 14 lb semi boneless for a party last Christmas and I was more than impressed. Even more impressed were the guests my girlfriend and I were hosting. The best part? Plenty of left overs for whatever your heart desires. Christine made a ridiculously good spicey bean soup with our remnants. The ham was even better the second time around.
You may notice I keep referring to "lunch" at Kennedy's. Well, that's about all you are going to get when you arrive and you have to be there at just the right time. Why? Because they are open Monday through Friday...for just 3 1/2 hours at a time! From 10:30am to 2:00pm.
In the 17 1/2 hours a week they are open they, apparently, make enough profit to stay in business (and have done so for the past 86 years) and they have a laundry list of regulars. A friendly staff who seems to recognize you, no matter how many times you have been there, helps with it's mystique. I could kick myself for not getting to know Kennedy's when I first moved to Canton from central Ohio in 2004. At least I made my way there before moving to Akron last December, but that's just one more reason to travel to Canton every so often.
The establishment's walls are littered with newspaper articles from over the years featuring the eatery. The articles, my friend, don't do it justice. It is a piece of americana hidden deep in the heart of Canton.
Meat and BBQ lovers...no need to thank me. Thank the wonderful world of simplicity.
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