Glendale. Introduction.

-As I mentioned before, these next couple of entries are going to be about the little town I grew up in, Glendale. For those who don't know where Glendale is, it is right between Kirkwood and Webster Groves, about 9 miles Southwest of the city. I moved there when I was two and left when I was 20. There are so many great stories and memories that happened there over the years that really make this place special. I will always miss that little two story, three bedroom house that I was raised in and the neighborhood surrounded it

- The family and I moved to Glendale when I was about 2.5 years old from the good ole' town of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. We moved on a perfect street with kids all around our ages and we instantly became great friends. I don't remember my first couple of years there but I am sure no one can remember anything from the ages of two to five.

-Glendale was our own playground. Wiffel ball was played. Doorbells were donged and then ditched. We would walk to and from school and honestly the best of going to school, was knowing that you got to walk home. We would walk to play football. We would walk to get 200 sour patch kids for two bucks down the street and to the left. Walking was essential and it was the best part of living there. We would walk up and down the long streets that were hidden by 70 year old oak trees for hours just horsing around. I grew up on those streets (kinda feel like a drug dealer/gangster for saying that but its true). It was a town with a great school, a great history and it was a great place to grow up.

-I miss Glendale a lot. Life was a lot simpler back then.

Part 1. 246 Parkland Ave (coming soon).

"And That's a Winner..."

It's Been Too Long...

-I have become lazy about blogging and I have no idea why. I've been doing some writing on the side, I should have just been writing on my blog. But anyway... I have come up with a new idea about what I am going to write about for the next couple of weeks. Ever since I have moved out West to Chesterfield I have missed my old house in Glendale. I miss how the house was kind of hidden while walking north down the hill and just having it appear somehow out of nowhere on the right side of the street. I miss walking home from grade school with half of my class. I miss getting my ass kicked in basketball at the neighbor's court by my brother. I miss having the mail man actually walk up to your house and deliver the mail. And most of all I miss running around the old neighborhood with the MQP boys. The next couple of entries are going to be about my life growing up in Glendale. They are going to be about how special that little town still is to me....To be continued...

"And That's a Winner..."

Shout Out

I want to give a shout out to two fellow bloggers.

Lucy Wehking and Christine Tracy. Their blogs are very well done. Give them a look. Hopefully mine will be as good as theirs one day......one can only dream.

The MACK

The Mack Bar and Grill is located on Macklind and Devonshire in South City. This place is one of the best places to pick up bar food. It has the best wings, the best pizza nd the best chicken fingers. Yeah I know what you're thinking, its kind of hard to find a bad one...all taste the same right? FALSE. Best ever. The Mack is a dive. The Mack is a damn good dive.



-I am walking along the sidewalk of Macklind I notice that its actually starting to get a little cold out and that it looks like it might rain. I make a right and turn into the open door of the bar and grill, and take a seat at one of the 5 or 6 tall tops on the bar side. I give a look around and see the great mix of people you always want to see at a place like this. You have the regulars drinking their Busch Heavys and wearing the same hat they've been wearing for the last 20 years. I can hear them talking about their women conquers and their drunken stories of old. You also have the young adult crowd that are slowly moving more and more closer to the area. And finally you have the 65 year old runners coming in to put the calories back on that they've just burnt off.



-As I am waiting for the older brother I decided to order a bucket of Budweiser and some wings with Ranch. The bucket only cost 10 bucks which is a steal nowadays. The brother walks in and then the wings arrive in a timely manner. The wings are cooked perfectly which gives them that awesome crunch that you need in a wing. The wing sauce is that perfect balance between hot and sweet. I could use a little bit more heat in sauce but I love spicy things. After we finish off the wings we order a 14in Supreme Pizza. This is the first time I am going to have a pizza here and I am usually tentative about ordering a pizza in a bar. But my brother swears by it. Unlike the wings the pizza takes forever. The waitress/bartender is the only one working the two rooms in the place. She is running around taking orders, making drinks, and running food all at the same time. She comes over to us and apologizes for the wait and offers us a free shot, which we of course take.



-Finally the lovely thing gets her and it is beautiful. Thin crust topped with hamburger, sausage, pepperoni, green peppers and onions. It was just the right amount. The cheese is almost like Imo's but I think it is a little bit better. All in all the best pizza in St. Louis. No joke. The meal was rushed but it was really soul satisfying. If you are ever in the area, stop here to eat and have a cold one. They have plenty of flat screens and plenty of seating. The Mack is one of South City's best kept secrets.

"And That's a Winner..."

The Arch = Bad Ass

-Ever since I was little I thought that the Arch was the coolest thing ever. These pictures just amaze me on how they built the Gateway to the West. Construction started on February 12, 1963 and was finished on October 28, 1965.

-Was I the only one that didn't know that the Arch was as wide as it is tall? 630 ft! Doesn't seem that way up close. Maybe it does...I haven't been up in the Arch since I was a Cub Scout. Yeah, I was a Cub Scout...Represent!

-Some people think that the Arch isn't anything special but its the tallest monument in the U.S. The Arch is an amazing example of engineering and construction. And I'm proud that its in our fair city. Its the bad ass of all the other monuments.

"And That's a Winner..."

A Bud Ice at 10:30? Why Not!

-I was going to try and write a second part to my preview of this past weekend but got too busy. Please forgive me. So this entry is about Saturday and all it's glory...

- My alarm goes off at 7:30 a.m. and as I'm reaching over to shut the damn thing up, I knock it on the floor and a few curse words stream out of my mouth. Everyone else is starting to move around a little bit, my head hurts like hell. Like always I double check my phone to make sure I didn't send any stupid text messages the night before. I didn't, Thank the Lord. I get up off the wonderful couch and reach my arms up as high as I can. I get a head rush and fall back on the couch. The "mother" of the group goes and gets dough nuts and H20 for us. After a shower, I feel like a million bucks and the day starts....

- Tailgating is probably my most favorite thing to do and Saturday's did not disappoint. We got to the tailgate around 10:30 and I was already feeling a little bit tipsy, J-Kwon style. Right when I got there I saw the MQP boys. Its always good to share a beer with those boys every now and then. Wish it happened more. All of a sudden I was handed a Bud Ice, worst idea ever. Bud Ice my friends, is terrible. It tasted like drinking really cold bath water! AH! A couple minutes later I was given a Bud Select and I was saved. Pictures were taken and akward hugs were exchanged. It was now 11:30. Game time. Peace out Phi Kapps.

- The game started off on the wrong foot. The Illini ate up most of the 1st quarter and kicked a field goal with about 4 mins left. Blaine Gabbert looked a little off in the first half. He made a lot of throws off his back foot and threw across the field a little too much. Has anyone noticed that Mizzou QBs look like they already know who they're going to throw to before they even leave the huddle? They never scan the field or read the defense! This angers Matt to no end. But any way, the first half was all Illinois. I was worried. Mizzou wasn't showing us the offense that we have gotten used to over the last 5 years. We were down 13-3 at half. It just seemed strange. But thank god the second half was a different story. Gabbert looked like his old self and Mizzou finally scored a touchdown with its first drive in the second half. Mizzou won the game by shutting Illinois out the rest of the way and won 23-13.

- After the game we went to Over Under, which is a pretty cool place. It's got a nice patio and probably one of the nicest wait staff I have ever met at a bar. We got a drink and decided to walk all the way to the landing. Damn that was a long walk. Don't ever do it in flip flops. And then, back to Over Under again. I went to that place 3 times in 20 hrs. Unreal. After a little while I had to take a nap. I woke up after an hour and went back at it. Over Under again and to the Dubliner of course. Budweisers and Cherry Bombs all night long. I am sooo tired. Finally after being up for 18 hours I had to call it a night. It was a great weekend. Missed some people on Saturday but it was still a blast. Nothing like a two day hangover.

"And That's a Winner..."

Preview of the Weekend to Come. Part 1

-This weekend has the chance to be an epic one. Since I've been back in the Lou for about two weeks now I haven't been downtown yet. I haven't been to the lovely Washington Ave. I haven't put my hands on the sticky gun of the Big Buck Hunter machine at Jack Patrick's (If you haven't been there yet, go. Probably the most underrated bar downtown). I haven't slept on the couch that's located on 10th and Olive. I haven't been to the crowded Dubliner either. Hopefully that will change this weekend. Here is what I'm hoping will happen:

Friday Night

- I hop in the old car after work, feet and back hurt like hell, and look at my watch and it says 9:45, its early. I grab my phone and give Chris a call to warn him I am coming down. He answers with the normal, "Hello Brother" and I give the standard scream back; "AHHHHH!". I tell him I'm at 40 d Ballas and that I'll be there in 15. I take a sip out of my roadie soadie and turn up the volume on Grey Street by DMB live at Busch Stadium. I am hoping for a great night because I need it. I want to be with a good group and I want to laugh a lot. It could happen. A lot of Mizzou people are in so its going to be a busy night. I get to Chris's and run up the stairs with my back pack and case of Bud Select. I swing open the door and Reggie comes charging at me, I dive on the floor and let him lick and bark at me. It's going to be a good night.

- I change quickly and grab a beer and ask what's the plan tonight...no one knows. Calls and texts are made to see where everybody is and what they're doing. This is my least favorite part of any night. Chris and I decided to go to Jack Patrick's and have a few beers and a Cherry Bomb and of course, play some Big Buck Hunter. Chris gets a text from his woman and we head off to the Dubliner at 11:30. I give my ID to the bouncer and he gives me a look like, "You've got to be kidding me." We immediately head up the stairs to the second bar. I see a lot of Mizzou people that I know but don't know well. I look around and see that this is going to be fun. Rounds of beers and shots are bought by random people. People are getting more jolly and more drunk. The discussions get more open and more outrageous. It reaches around 1:00 and we decided to call it a night due to the fact that its gonna be an early morning because the the football game is at 11:30. We get to his place and I run up the stairs like I always do and dart to the couch. Tomorrow is going to be even better. I close my eyes and pass out.

Part 2 coming soon.

"And That's a winner..."

Please Save us Mr. Sam Bradford.

- It surprises me to say this, but here goes - April 22, 2010 was one of the happiest sports days of my life. No, it does not beat the Cardinals 2006 World Series or Jimmy Edmond's NLCS home run in 2004. And it obviously doesn't beat out the Rams Super Bowl of '99. But it is in my top five of favorite St. Louis sports moments. I wasn't alive to see Gibson pitch or old enough to know what "Whitey Ball" was. But this day that I am referring to is when the St. Louis Rams drafted Sam Bradford as the number one overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft. That very day was when I got renewed hope for an NFL team that has only won 5 games the past three years.....

- I was at OB Clark's finishing off their wonderful wings and taking my last gulp of a Budweiser draft. I looked back at the T.V. and saw that the Rams had two and half minutes left on the clock to make their pick. I was literally nervous. I was actually surprised at myself how much I cared about the Rams. I mean they have been terrible, awful and every other bad word to describe them for the past couple of years. But I mean I was thrilled!

-All of a sudden I saw the words, "Pick is In" in the bottom left corner and my heart started beating fast. Then next I watched the commissioner walk towards the podium. All of the draft experts thought that the Ram's would pick Bradford but I wasn't convinced. I thought that this team was cursed ever since we released Kurt Warner over Marc Bulger. I was certain they would go another way and pass on another star QB for the 3rd time in 5 years (Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, and Mark Sanchez). I then grabbed my Saint Matthew medal around my neck, with pending doom looming over my head, and I closed my eyes. All of a sudden I heard the 18 most beautiful words ever: "With the First pick of the 2010 NFL draft, The St. Louis Rams draft Sam Bradford, Quarterback. Oklahoma." I stood up with my fist in the air and yelped like a little girl who had just gotten a Polly Pocket Mansion from Santa. I was embarrassed...

-I believe that the Rams hit the jack pot with Sam Bradford but I am sure thats what the Chargers said with Ryan Leaf and that the Browns said that with Tim Couch. Bradford has the tools and he has the personality to be a leader. He proved it in college, taking his team to the National Championship Game and winning the Heisman as a sophomore. All issues about his shoulder has been thrown out the window. He is ready.

-After watching the first Rams' preseason opener and watching Bradford play, I think he will be a winner (Just as long as the offensive line protects one of our QBs for once). I will be watching every game this year. Because lets face it St. Louis, if the Rams can't win with him, they are not going to win with anyone for awhile. He is our savior Saint Lou. So please save us Mr. Sam Bradford.

"And That's a Winner..."

Is it going to be different?

The first entry I wrote for this blog about The Lou was written a couple months ago in Madison, WI, believe or not. I have spent this past summer working in Madison for the wonderful company called Genworth Financial LTC. In one week I will return back to The Lou; back to Rosemary, back to Richard, Brother, Banana, Gunn Gunn, and back to everything thats "normal" in my life. This summer has been a real interesting one for me. I have missed home more than any time I can remeber. I have never been soo damn bored in my whole entire life. I did nothing up here, social or work wise. To me this summer has been a waste. Its actually really sad to look back on, now that I think about it. But this summer has taught me a lot actually. It has taught me that I don't want to be in the insurance business. It has taught me that no body is perfect by any means. And it has taught me that Wisconsin does in fact, not rule.

I'll be coming back to The Lou in one week, Thank the Lord. I have no idea what I am going to be doing when I get back home. School is always an option but again with me and my recent track record, why bother? There is always the work at the old jobs but who really wants to make a career out of that at 24. When I think about working full time at one of those places with all the other full timers who are my age, who smoke 3 packs a day and each have a kid, it makes me sick. But hey thats just me....anyway a person makes a living is ok in my book. But for the first time in my life I have no idea what I'm going to do when I get back home, no hidden plans, no false promises; no clue and this excites me. For the first time I am actually just going to take everyday in stride. No plans, No agenda. NOTHING!

When I started this blog I was in Madison wanting to write about Saint Lou and in one more week I'll be back, actually getting to write about the city that I love. Maybe this blog will be my way of getting out from the bottom of well?! Probably not, but I'll be writing about Saint Lou soon while I'm in Saint Lou...and I can't fucking wait.

(Actually written August 7th, 2010)


"And That's a Winner..."

Still Love It...

-I never thought of myself as a "blog person" but sitting in an office for ten hours daily sometimes takes its toll on a person. This one will most often be about the city that I was born and raised in; Saint Louis, MO. It will be about pretty much everything that is fun and dear to me in the city. Whatever I am thinking about St. Louis, I'll write. Here's the first one. You better like it!

-I will always have a weird relationship with this city. I love it with every ounce in my body but sometimes, I have wanted to burn it down and spit on the ashes....But alas The Lou will always be home to me and nothing will ever change that. Nothing.

What do I love about this city? Just read fool.

- Cardinal Baseball.
- the fact that where you went to high school is the most important thing about you.
- walking up to Cunetto's on the Hill every Friday after Thanksgiving, hungover.
- thats its sticky hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.
- Glendale.
- The upstairs bar at the Dubliner
- St. Joseph's Academy Class of 05 (They were all hot, seriously, all of them).
- Cardinal Baseball again
- Cooking in John's Kitchen w/ the Duvall boys and K
- Berry Bombs at Duffys in Town Country
- Winston
- Highway 40 W at 2:00 AM
- Paying 9.50 to see a movie with the lil sis.
- The smell of the Fox
- Christmas Eve mass at the Old Cathedral
- The Bridge
- The "Turtles"
- Back right booth at O'Connell's
- Did I mention Cardinal Baseball?
- Wings at OB Clarks
- Sam Bradford, yea...already
- Johnston, Richard, and Stan
- Talking to Rosemary on the patio about my future
- Mike Shannon's voice
- South City
- the fact that New Years Eve sucks here.
- Outside at McGurk's in the summer
- MQP
- Truman, the concert girl.
- The summer before everyone left for college.
- The Smoke House BLT

And thats just to name a few...



"And That's a winner..."