It's a mess

This weekend was a mess up here in the North Country.  While NYC enjoyed a 70 degree day, we had rain/sleet/freezing rain/snow... that left a sheet of ice on everything. My car was covered in snow and then a 1/2 inch layer of ice.  I really wish I had a garage. It made it tough to really do anything. Am I stoked to drive around in the freezing ice tomorrow? You know it!!!

One thing that did happen was that my kids turned 1 yesterday. I don't want to jinx it but after a very difficult beginning they are awesome. They are still small and there may be challenges ahead but when I think back to where we were in December of 2012 to where we are now it is amazing. My little boy is a bowling ball w/ tons of personality, no interest in sleep, and a hard head which he likes to use for head butts. My daughter is sweet and intelligent, and a little snaggle tooth. They are great and interesting in their own ways. They did get the shaft from their bummer parents though. A puzzle toy and banana bread w/ a couple candles. Boooo.

For Christmas I would like for my son to stop waking up at 5AM and screaming. That would be a cool gift, and pretty cheap.

So I know that the media loves themselves some Peyton Manning. Maybe it is because he is a goofy dude who is unattractive and does not have a super model wife, and often chokes in big games but people in general seem to love him and hate Tom Brady. That is fine. I thought I might point out that the record for touchdowns that Peyton just grabbed from Brady is impressive, kind of. Manning now has 51 touchdowns versus the 50 Brady threw in 07. Manning has thrown the ball 631 times so far. Brady threw it 578 times in the entire season. So if Brady had another 53 attempts would it matter? When you throw a touchdown every 11.6 attempts, that would actually put him on pace for 54+ TDs. So sure, the record is fine but anybody tossing the ball 700 times a season should find a nut or two along the way.

Merry Christmas and assorted holidays everyone!

Holy Crap!

Russia has sprinted by the U.S. as the top reader of the Jay About Town Blog! Thank you Russia!!!

Um, Hi

Yeah, I know... it's been awhile. And you might be asking, what have you been up to? None of your damned business!!! Actually, I have been busy I suppose but not really doing anything particularly interesting. I have been mildly addicted to the Discovery show Alaska: The Last Frontier. I am not sure it needs a full review though. All you need to know is that for people who live off the land and are homesteaders... these people are pretty darn good looking and well educated. They could make the show 20 minutes instead of 48 by removing the scene replays.  Oh yeah, and they are all related to Jewel. Yeah, the one who used to have the f*d up teeth. She was still quite attractive... for a homesteader.

I have recently watched a few movies... I really was excited about The Iceman with Michael Shannon. Sucked. No plot, and hard to figure out why they needed to make the movie.

We had our office holiday dinner at Hen of the Wood in Burlington.  I thought it was another excellent meal. I actually escaped w/out the heartburn I had last time, although maybe I could not feel the burn due to the raging headache I was rocking?  Anyway, the flank steak was nicely cooked and very flavorful. The pork rinds were also pretty greasy and delicious.

My kid has recently discovered the joys of night screaming. I was on solo duty last week and he was losing his shit so I brought him into bed.  He screamed in my ear then turned himself perpendicular to me, kicked me in the ribs (while screaming) for a bit, then finally fell asleep. Thanks pal.

Service at the Icehouse in Burlington gets 2 thumbs way down. I think I have figured out why the place is always empty... not very good food, priced way too high, and served by absolute morons. If you have recently "changed the menu"... then you should probably change the actual f*cking menu!

I was meeting a buddy at Barkeater's for a drink last week. When I popped in I was the only one there (5pm or so?). I asked for a Manhattan. The woman behind the bar got immediately flustered and started explaining how (even though she was behind the bar) she was not actually a bartender but she could probably make me a Manhattan.  Whoa!!!! Back up chief, I'll take a beer. She then told my buddy and I that there was an older guy who was about to arrive and he liked our seats and liked for his buddies to be able to sit there w/ him. So even though the bar was completely empty could we move down? When did I get to the Icehouse?!



I would like to thank the older woman who cut me off several times on Rt 7 the other day. I forgot how much I hate other drivers the other day! I am not sure why they put rearview mirrors in cars anymore. As with cigarette lighters they are only used by about 2% of the population. I should text that joke to a friend of mine tonight on my drive home. While swerving in between lanes looking at my radio.

Only one thing will make me feel better about the state of things...

Jay About the Public House

I could bore you with the tale of my Thanksgiving but it truly was uneventful. With babies in the mix it is nice to get together w/ family but it is boring to think about after the fact. It is not like we turned it into a rager or Uncle Jerry passed out and pooped his pants. We just had good food, pretty low fuss, very calm. So I will avail you with grand tales of our family venture to the Public House in Hinesburgh.  The weather in this part of the country is shit right now. It is too cold to really take the kids out and there is no snow to play around in anyway so it is just cold, gray, and gloomy. We were getting pretty restless by Sunday afternoon and w/ the kids deciding to say f*** you to their naps and their father... we needed an exit from the homestead. We tried driving for a bit but they were not interested in a car nap so we cruised over to Hinesburgh and decided to try a new to you joint, the Public House. Now the P.H. bills itself as a place for "Food. Friends. Drink"... when you bring two over tired babies into an establishment you test the "friendly" factor pretty damn quick.  Well, they were friendly. It helped we got there early, like 4:15PM or so but they seated us right in the mix in a booth near the bar. The place was pretty quiet but had a nice vibe. The space was a little industrial but warm and inviting. We did not want to test fate so we ordered a beer and a couple apps. I wanted to continue to get not slim so I stabbed my lady in the back and ordered fries even though she was not really interested. Our server looked by a kid who should have been selling meth on Church Street but to our surprise he was very friendly, professional, and courteous. Our beer and food came promptly and was all pretty solid. The owner stopped by and said a quick hello. A hostess stopped by to say hello. My son has been a real ball buster all week. Seriously. This blond woman stops by and bends over to chat and he edges his way over and flashes a huge smile and his twinkling blue eyes in a shameless flirt that his old man has never attempted not thought to attempt. Little pip. The kids were very well behaved actually. We had a couple close calls w/ the plate of fries and my beer but otherwise they were quite and content to play w/ the menus. The food itself was pretty good. We ordered a side of fries that were hot, a little crispy, and maybe slightly too garlicky but really pretty good. We also ordered a pretzel (actually 2 per order). They were warm and crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, just a little salty and very good. The honey mustard dipping sauce was also tasty with a little kick. Decent beer selection on tap. Nothing crazy but plenty to choose from. As he brought us the check, our waiter advised us to take it easy, the weather was turning a bit and might be a bit slick. That small gesture earned him a little extra gratuity. I appreciate that effort and often find it lacking in Vermont. 1 3/4 thumbs up.

BTW, I watched the original Oldboy as it is supposedly a classic and a Spike Lee remake was bombing in the theaters this weekend. Pretty visually stunning and certainly unexpected. While not shocking by current standards(which are very low), it was a grade A f***d up premise and movie. I can not exactly recommend it but I also found it entertaining and at times very good. So on thumb chopped off and sent to you in a box sideways...