TWIOT: Gratuitous Beer Post

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin

I knew there was a reason why Ol' Ben is my favorite amongst the Founding Fathers. Even if beer is wholly an invention of man, it really is something that, if consumed in responsible quantities, enhances life and good times. The key word there is responsible, as really, getting piss drunk or developing a dependency on alcohol are both not cool at all. But this isn't about lecturing, it's about enjoying the greatness that is beer.

Now, for those who do know me, I'm not really into the garden variety light beers from the major breweries that are usually associated with sudsy consumption. That isn't to say that I'm a beer snob. No, you're a snob when you look down on people for drinking what they drink. If you want to chug Coors Light or Miller Lite, hey, be my guest. Don't expect me to partake though, because I don't like it. That isn't really a slight against the mainstream brewers either. I have hipster tendencies when it comes to beer, but I used to house the shit out of Budweiser before I realized that even drinking one or two of them would give me a hangover the next day. I also enjoy Corona, Guinness, Yuengling and all the different offerings from Sam Adams, and really, if you see advertisements for a beer on TV, they're mainstream.

But then again, since they're all over the place, you know about them. Again, I'm about to get somewhat beer hipster on your asses, but at the same time, I AIN'T CARE if I set the path for these beers to go mainstream. Why? Because they're that good and they need to be shared by people. I'm a firm believer that if something is good, it deserves to be lauded and sampled by everyone. So I'm gonna give some of my favorite off-the-radar beers and hope that you can at least find them.

Awww yeah
Photo Credit: Me

That right there is 3 Philosophers Belgian-style Quadrupel produced by Brewery Ommegang based in Cooperstown, NY. Ommegang is an abbey-style brewery in America, proving that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and that no, the monks over in Belgium aren't the only ones who know how to make top-notch beer. I was turned onto this by a buddy of mine who works for Origlio Beverage Distributors, and it has literally changed my life, at least in terms of what kinds of beers I look for. It has a strong, ale flavor, typical of most Belgians, but it has the hint of cherry. The reason is that 2 percent of it by volume is a kriek, or a cherry lambic.

Now, there are some terms you might need to know going forward that I probably should have introduced. The Belgians have a sort of nomenclature system when it comes to their beers. You have dubbel, tripel and quadrupel. Those names imply a hierarchy, which is there, both in flavor and in potency. Dubbels are traditionally the weakest in terms of alcohol by volume (ABV), while Quadrupels are strongest. That isn't to say dubbels are weak at all. The least potent abbey-style ale will be inordinately stronger than your typical macrobrew here in the States. Also, dubbels are usually brown ales, tripels blond and quadrupels having more of a deep, golden color reminiscent of traditional Pilsner-style lagers you find in America (Bud, Miller etc.). The color is really the only thing that a quadrupel has in common with a traditional American lager, because the flavor, alcohol content and overall quality blows most mainstream beer here out of the water.

Furthermore, lambic-style beers are brews made with fruit. The most common one that I've seen is framboise, which literally translates from the French to raspberry. It's the tastiest of the ones I've tried and it also mixes well with other beers, specifically a chocolate stout. Kriek, pomme (apple) and even cranberry (Sam Adams makes a good one in that style) are also popular lambics. The ABV is traditionally lower than what you'd find in abbey/Trappist style beers, but then again, lambics are generally brewed with lighter flavors in mind, rather than the strong, distinctive ale-flavors in other Belgians.

Back to 3 Philosophers, I'm not really a big fan of cherry flavoring most of the time. I tried Sam Adams' Cherry Wheat and almost threw up. However, the slight hint of cherry flavoring in this beer works on such a great level. It plays with the stronger beer flavor in a way that makes it smoother and deceptively less "alcohol" tasting than you'd think for a beer with 9.8% ABV.

Testify!
Photo Credit: Me

This is another Belgian-style beer from an American company, this time based out of Fort Bragg, CA. North Coast Brewing Co. is responsible for Brother Thelonious, and while I might be speaking out of turn, this might just be my favorite dubbel-style ale right now. Don't get me wrong, Chimay makes a fine one as well, and other companies shine. Abbey-style dubbel, along with stout, porter, traditional Czech Pilsner and Indian pale ale, is in my top five of styles of beer. There are a lot of great breweries, here and in the abbeys across the Atlantic, making quality dark strong ales.

However, what makes Brother Thelonious stand out most? I think it has the cleanest, smoothest taste, not sacrificing flavor or ABV but having the least hint of acridity that sometimes comes with brewing in this style. It's so drinkable that you can take out a four pack before you know it, which is good or bad depending on how inebriated you wanted to get.

The boar approves!
Photo Credit: Me

This might be a little harder to find for you if you're not in Philly, eastern PA or somewhere near there. If you can find it though, Lancaster Brewing Co. Hop Hog IPA is well worth the purchase. Most IPAs (India pale ale) are acquired tastes, as they're very bitter on account of the massive amounts of hops used for brewing. That being said, if you do have the palette for it, then you probably love drinking them. It truly is a love/hate beer.

I like Hop Hog best because it does the best job of balancing out the bitterness with the citrus notes underneath. Plus, as most IPAs do, it pairs well with spicy foods, and I'm a huge fan of the foods that set your mouth on fire.

JA!
Photo Credit: Me

Ah yes, Germany's submission to the list is Schneider Aventinus, a Weizenbock-style beer from Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider und Sohn. Weizenbocks are cousins to the Hefeweizen-style German brews, which means it's a wheat beer with an unfiltered appearance and texture. It might look murky, but it's supposed to be that way, and actually they can be quite delicious with fruity undertones. Aventinus is a beer that I usually have when I go to my local "beer snob" bar, because it's a safe pick. I know it's going to be there and I know I'll enjoy the hell out of it. Then again, a "safe pick" for me is very adventurous for someone whose idea of a fancy beer is Guinness. Again, nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying. The first time I had it, I was absolutely shocked at how it tasted, actually. You look at a darker beer and think you'll get coffee, chocolate, honey and other heavier, more wintry flavors associated with brews of those color. Not with Aventinus, which boasts banana, apple and even floral undertones.

The OG of Pilsners
Photo Credit: Me

You know the Czechs have been brewing beer longer than there's been a country associated with their nationality? Then again, that goes for the Belgians too, but a lot of what is drunk here in America is a direct descendant of what brewers in the Czech Republic have been doing for about a millennium now. Budweiser even took its name from a Czech brewer and called its product a Pilsner. I'm not sure there are many beer afficianados who'd be okay with either one of those things, but it is what it is.

That being said, Pilsner Urquell, from the brewery of the same name, is one of the original brewers in this style. This is the idealized version of the mainstream American lager. It's clean, crisp, refreshing and has an unmistakable beer flavor that isn't bogged down by a stale or skunky taste that at least I find in most "light" beers (especially Miller Lite... I fuckin' hate that shit, but hey, if you like it, you like it. I can't stress that enough). I don't know, I think if you want to drink an "exotic" beer and you're used to drinking the same ol', this might be the best entree into the world of craft and import beers. It's the best of what's around, I think.

But hey, if you want to be adventurous, be adventurous. Try new things, different things, things that you might not otherwise drink unless someone offered it to you to try. Life is based on new experiences to add to the familiar ones that you already have. I'm not saying that you'll stop drinking Miller Lite or whatever after trying new beers, and I honestly don't want to promise that. There's a place for everything in this world. For as much shit as some people give me for being a "beer snob", I refuse to give it back for people drinking the "same shit". At the same time, I still think people should try everything they can, everything that looks remotely appealing to them.

That means trying a craft brew or an import or a special edition or even a homebrew. There are people out there making fantastic beers who are completely amateurs to the process. Great beer is found everywhere, and again, if you enjoy it responsibly, you'll find a good time wherever there's good beer.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Mavs=Boring. Heat=Exciting.

With the NBA finals gearing up to get started tomorrow a couple of observations must be made.  First off, the Heat are in the Finals, I must admit I'm not surprised and Vegas would agree with me on that. I did not expect to see Dallas in the finals this year and was very disappointed when they molly whopped my OKC Thunder.

You couldn't have two teams that are more different facing off in the finals.  You have the flashy, cocky, chauvinistic Heat against the steady, fundamental,  structured Mavericks.  I'm sure you can probably already tell by the adjectives I used to describe either team who I would rather watch play.  I am in no way shape or form cheering for the Heat, and although I consider LBJ to be the most explosive athlete on the planet, I do not adore him the way I did when he played in Cleveland.

Here is a visual example of either teams style, exhibited by Lebron's top 10 plays in 2011 and dirty Dirks:

I'm shocked Dirk can even dunk, 1, and 2, the last highlight he couldn't even catch the pass.

Lebron is the reason why I love to watch basketball.

I want to be entertained and the Heat bring that Hollywood flair to the court while the Mavericks with Dirk, J Kidd and Peja bring nothing but chest passes and jump shots.  I'm not knocking the Mavs, but if I wanted to watch their style of play I would just head to the local Y and watch a bunch of old dudes playing in a Mens league.  My pony is no longer in the race we call the NBA playoffs, so now all I want to watch the pony with the most flair.  Whether that pony wins or loses I'm impartial, as long as I'm dazzled on the way to the finish line.

Travels Germany Vol III.

       I was just cleaning/perusing my emails and realized that I have been M.I.A. for quite some time now, and for that I thoroughly apologize.  The long and short of it is that I didn't have much to report for a couple of weeks, a lot of boring routine and as unbelievable as it is you can slip into routine even in a foreign land when every day has potential to be an inKredible adventure.

Athletes for Days.

        When asked by someone "Do you want to hear the bad news or good news first?" I always pick the bad news first, the blow is usually softened by the good news that follows.  I will start with the standard house keeping stuff and then hit you all with the knockout punch afterwards.  Football is going well.  It becomes very frustrating at times when you only have 18 people at practice, not even enough to scrimmage offense vs. defense and you really feel that you're working backwards and accomplishing nothing.  It's tough to go from a University practice where you have 80 bodies at practice a coach at every position and a well structured plan of attack for the week to where I am @ now.  That being said I've started to realize that the teams our team will be competing against are in the same routine and that our team will not get molly whopped by a vastly superior opponent.  Speaking of vastly superior opponents, our team scrimmaged against a division 1 team a couple of weeks ago, we got splayed out but were able to really recognize our strength and weaknesses; our offensive line is rubbish.  It was a glaring problem, GLARING.  It was a problem that was solved by recruiting a couple of beasts from the City of Lubeck's other team.  I'm very grateful for these new players because as the quarterback, who used to be a somewhat ignorant defensive back, I've started to realize once again how an offensive line is the backbone to a good offense. This football diatribe is only necessary because football is the vessel that has allowed me to get the new world experience I am so fortunate to have right now and for that reason I feel obligated to provide a brief summary of my football life.

         My new roommate/teammate/hombre came in about 3 weeks ago now.  Obviously there was potential for him to be a d-bag but the stars seem to have aligned and he is a stand up guy.  It's nice to have some company and someone who is the same exact mind state and place in life that I am in.  He's from Chicago and has a succinct Mid-Western twang.  He is impressed that i don't say "Eh" and that I have knowledge of American landscape, history and politics.  He is a well educated guy who graduated last year like myself and has so very little knowledge of anything Canadian.  It's becoming more and more obvious to me that America as a country has no interest in anything that isn't American.  It's not Rick (My roommate's) fault that he knows so little about Canada, it's the school system and Media in America's fault.  America is like a self centered teenage girl. 

         Now onto the good stuff; all the traveling I have been privy to in the last 3 weeks.  The last three weekends have included, and in this order, Hamburg, Kiel and Berlin.

Bringing my friends overseas, sort of.

         It was my second time in Hamburg and as compared to my first time included a few more touristic things.  Although the company wasn't quite as good the second time around (What up Andy!) I learned a little more about the city the second time around.  The day included a visit to the Beatlemania exhibit that was an homage to the Beatles and especially how their musical career began in Hamburg at the Kaiserkellar.  The Beatles are a lot cooler than I had always thought, I always thought they were a bunch poppy music makers with little to no edge, but boy was I wrong.  These guys made a lot of cutting edge drug induced music that creatively began trends and influenced so many of the artists that we listen to today.  Rick and I then went on a harbour tour and were witness to how vast Hamburgs canals and shipping district really is.  Next on our list was a well reviewed erotic art museum, but unfortunately the museum wasn't open and we needed to move onto the activity, which was the St. Michael's Cathedral. 

St. Michael's

Usually I am not one to be blown away or impressed by churches, but the architecture of St. Michael's was visually stunning. STUNNING.  Although I am not a proponent to the establishment of religion I have decided to dispel my bias throughout my travels through Europe so that I can witness history and architecture associated with churches.  The church had a spire that was approx. 100 meters tall and the view from the top was breath taking.  St. Michael's Cathedral concluded a fun filled day in Hamburg, a city that will be seeing a lot of my face.

          Not really sure why I included Kiel on the list of hotspot travel destinations I visited.  The trip to Kiel was a brief jaunt to have a friendly scrimmage against a The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes, the division I team I referenced in the 2nd paragraph.  I only really saw a football field and a McDonalds. 

The Amphitheater 

          The icing on the cake that has been the last III weeks was my trip to Berlin over the weekend.  In short, although I will venture next into the somewhat longer, Berlin is the greatest individual city I have ever visited in my short lifetime.  The feel of the city is like nothing I have ever experienced.  There is so much culture and history that it almost feels as though the city is a living and breathing organism.  My travel buddies were Rick and his College roommate Martin.  We took the bus from Lubeck early Friday morning and arrived in Berlin late Friday morning.  The first day included a great deal of sightseeing, walking and of course drinking.  We visited the Reichstag, Rottenborg Tor, the Brandenburger Gate, The Willy Brandt museum and Checkpoint Charlie. If I was to get into detail about all of these locations and attractions I would be here for hours, so as a youth from the internet era, I suggest, if interested, you Google all the locations I reference in this email.  It was also my first ever time staying in a Hostel.  A hostel is certainly something that takes some getting used to, people coming and going at all different times of the day and night, complete strangers sleeping right next to you and having to climb onto the top bunk!  It's a great atmosphere though as hostels house travelers from all over the world and a gang of people who are all in search of exploration, it also helps that they offer very affordable accommodations.  Friday night was a late night and Saturday morning was an early morning, a difficult combination to conquer, but mind over matter is what really matters.  On Saturday we met up with a couple of Berliner's that Rick backhandedly knew through one of his friends girlfriends.  Caroline and Martin (referenced all day as other Martin, and referenced as such throughout this email) made the trip.  They were both sweethearts who were really able to help us connect with the city in a way that we wouldn't have been able to had we taken a standard tour.  Other Martin is in school to be a tour guide and wanted to practice his craft, something that we were very grateful for. On Saturday we saw the East Berlin Gallery, the Turkish quarters, The Sony Centre, The Holocaust monument, and the Volkswagen museum.  We were then spoiled with some very tradition German food and beer, which got our night started.  We convinced Caroline and other Martin to stick around and party with us.  One of Caroline's friends is a bartender and was able to get us on the guest-list of the club she worked at, the best part being that the club was holding a private 18th birthday party for a young lady named Nelly.  It was pretty funny crashing an 18-year-old girls birthday party, but after every free round we gave Nelly her due and toasted the birthday girl.  Sunday morning was another groggy morning that was highlighted by us sleeping through checkout time and being kicked out of our room around noon.  All three of us were Zombies but were once again able to gather a little bit of motivation for one last adventure.  Other Martin suggested we hit up this thing called Bearpit Karaoke.  We stumbled into this park around 1PM that was loaded with so many people from all walks of life.  The atmosphere was electric and the good weather, coupled with a couple of beers helped to shake off the cobwebs.  The karaoke was so fun.  There must have been over a thousand spectators and so many people interested in participating.  When I initially heard about the event I figured there would be long points of inactivity where no one would be singing because they didn't have the testicular fortitude to sing in front of so many people. Boy was I wrong in my assumption and after the first 30 minutes there was a lengthy list of performers and an even longer list of people who wished to sing.  Bearpit Karaoke was the final exclamation point on a weekend that I wish never had to come to an end. 

         I have babbled quite a bit but I hope this email has been somewhat informative as well as entertaining.  I would love to attach some pictures of my journeys but if I attempt to do so my internet modem may burst into flames.  It doesn't exactly provide much of a connection, but it does allow for the basics of communications, which now a days primarily includes emails.  Once I upgrade from a I to I-a internet connection I'll be sure to send you all an assortment of the best moments caught on Camera. In the meantime thanks once again for the audience, I miss you all dearly and wish nothing but the happiness I am currently experiencing for all of you. That line was pretty corny and makes me feel a little like Tony Robins.  In reality I could go back right now and erase it but I'm gonna keep it in there cause I really do mean it.  

Jesse Ross Mack

Travels. Germany Vol II.

Moin Moin, (A little bit of Northern Deutch slang to get us started)

It’s been a while since you’ve all heard from me, and my reasoning for being MIA is my current Internet situation.  It is not ideal to say the least!  I will not bore you all with details, but within the next week or so with a top-notch wireless connection. 

I moved into a new apartment 2 weeks ago.  It blows my old apartment out of the water but it is still a work in progress.  My daily essentials are available to me but not much else. I’m learning a great deal of patience in my travels and also that relying upon others is the worst!  Everything that I need or ask for is available the only problem is it takes time.  Stuff usually comes from a players aunt, who got it from their best friend from work.  The process is long and sometimes painful, BUT I end up getting free stuff, and my current favorite European # is zero.  As soon as I get my flat (European terminology) pimped to the 10^th degree I’ll email over some pictures.  A responsibility I have decided to take on is… Owning a plant, On top of that, one that is not fake.  It’s a small step, but I feel that it is a step in the right direction!

I never got to explain to everyone what my job is in Deutschland. My place of employment is call “DAS STICKWERK” which in English would be roughly translated to “The Stitch Factory”.  I am doing a lot of silk screening and printing on garments, which is right up my alley.  I’m very excited because the job I lucked into here is something that has always interested me and I’ve always considered as a possible career choice in the future.  I am gaining very valuable experience that I will be able to bring home with me and will no doubt point my in a very positive direction.  I lucked into this opportunity big time and I will ensure not to waste it.  Basically during the day we may have 3-6 orders and we print off the decals, peel them and then transfer them to whatever garment the design is associated with.  The best part of my job though is that Andre (my boss) and I are designing a line of clothing for the SEALS football team.  We have a catalogue that is approximately 10 pages deep with T-shirts, Polo Shirts, Sweaters, and Hoodies etc.   I actually get excited to go to work because I get to work on wikkid clothing, something that has always been of interest to me.  Even though we are a fourth division team we have the largest collection of clothing available for purchase of any team in all of Germany.  Attached is a design that Andre and I worked on a couple of weeks ago. The inspiration behind the design is Lubeck itself, as well as the Marines.  The anchor symbolizes Lubeck as well as the Seals, and football laces, to help Europeans recognize that the Seals are in fact a football team, outline the crest!  Eventually all of our clothing will be available on a website.  I will make sure to email you all the link and you can check out what I’ve working so diligently on, and maybe even buy something because we offer worldwide shipping. Oh, and also, the second best part of work Is that I am fed lunch every time I’m there, which is AMAZING.  I have my boss, whose English is very choppy saying AMAZING all the time now, helped me realized that maybe I overuse that word. What’s really amazing is Schnitzel, I could eat it every day cause it’s that good.  Fun fact: German people eat absolutely humongous lunches, like so big I finish mine and need @ least 2 coffees to keep my eyes open, but they barely consume anything for dinner.  It’s such a strange cultural difference.  They also bike EVERYWHERE and in ANY weather.  Maybe that’s why their all so skinny as compared to us portly North Americans.

My good friend Andy rolled into Lubeck a week ago today.  He had been in India celebrating a friends wedding for 3 weeks and planned on spending 4 weeks in Europe cruising.  For those of you who know you can probably imagine how he got from India to Lubeck, and for those of you who do not know Andy I will paint a vivid picture for you.  Andy is the least organized and logical human being on the history of the planet.  We had emailing back in forth while he was in India, but very spareingly, and last Thursday I received a call while I was at work from a man with a very thick German accent.  Andy had showed up at my apartment and made friends with my non English-speaking neighbor Andreas.  He kept Andy sheltered until I could scoop him up after work was done.   We had a great time while he was here.  We got to see lubeck, We went to the A1 (the disco) and we went to Hamburg.  This was the first time I had been to Hamburg to visit and it is an absolutely spectacular city.  It is the second most populated city in Germany and has more canals than Venice and a lager red light district than Amsterdam.  I have attached some of the pictures that Andy and I took while in Hamburg.  We visited a parliamentary establishment as well as some churches, and couldn’t keep ourselves from doing a little bit of shopping.  We then traveled to the Repparbahm, which is the main drag in the red light district.  It was quite the experience to say the least!  I think that Andy and my view of the whole situation were skewed based on the fact that we were in the red light district @ 5 in the evening, while it was still light out, on a Monday.   There were sex shops beside gun shops that were beside grocery stores and churches, it was like nothing I had ever seen before.  I would say that Hamburg was the highlight of Andy’s trip and it was great having a familiar face around.  I dropped Andy at the airport on Wednesday morning, late of course because he insisted on packing in the morning instead of the night before. 

In terms of football not much has changed since my last email.  We have been putting in offensive plays and are just trying to hammer away at everything so that it becomes second nature.  Our skilled players are great and have a lot of dedication to learning and getting better.  Our biggest issue is our offensive line, they are a very rag tag crew.  If were going to succeed they need to start coming together as a unit, because without them performing at a high level we won’t have an ability to showcase the strength of our skill players.  Our other player, and my new roommate will be coming over on the 27^th of March.  He playes tight End and is going to absolutely dominate in this league, on top of that he will make me look like Joe Montana!  He is 6’6”, 256 lbs and can run. I’ll just have to lob it in his direction and he’ll be able to do the rest.  I’m excited to have a room dawg as well, someone to roll with to the gym with and share groceries with.  I’ve been doing a lot more coaching than I had initially anticipated doing.  I’ve gained an immense amount of respect for coaches and the act of coaching. (Compliments towards you coach Cummings) Language barriers don’t help, but some people are just bad listeners. The youth team is fun but out of 20 kids, about 5 have some athletic ability, the rest look like they sit at home, play dungeons and dragons and watch dragon ball-Z.  It’s hard not to get frustrated when teaching a basic football fundamental and no one can grasp the concept of what is being taught.  I’ve concluded that instead of worrying about the little details the most important thing to o is make football an enjoyable experience.  The only way to keep these kids coming back and consequently have them improve is to make sure they’re having a blast.

I was in the newspaper a couple times in the last couple of weeks, which is pretty cool.  Our organization really works diligently to get its name out and be visible in the community.  This is hard work because we are a fourth division football team in Germany, but the effort is there, and so are the results.  I have attached the website link of the press clipping:

http://www.seals-football.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164:amerikanischer-neuzugang-bei-den-seals&catid=34:inhalte&Itemid=78

This article also ran in a couple of newspapers. I know, I look young, I can’t help it.  On a related note my facial hair situation has grown in leaps and bounds recently, can’t really explain why, but I’m not complaining.  If I’m talking about my facial hair I’m getting the feeling it’s a good time to sign off. Once I again I appreciate all the love I’ve been receiving and keep it coming, it’s always nice to have your inbox inundated with emails.

Travels. Germany Vol I.

Hello All,

So I've been living in Germany now for just over a week and am just starting to get over the culture shock.  I must admit though that coming into my new situation with 0 expectations has made the transition much easier.  Fortunately enough I have walked into a great situation.  Everyone has been so accommodating and nice.  I was picked up at the airport by 3 of the guys on the team, Paddy, Knuppel and Toshy.  My first bit of difficulty was adjusting to the rudimentary English that they all speak, and then I learned how often I will be staring off into space when everyone breaks off into German.  By the time I return home my English will have become so rudimentary and poor that I might even need to go back to school to learn the basics (I know Grandma, it is possible for my English to get worse, and yes I am the only one wearing my pants a low as I do here! I won't be pulling them up anytime soon though!)  My first night I was out until 6 in the morning, which is like noon at home though so it wasn't too bad.  They through a nice party, not necessarily for me, but I did feel like the guest of honour.  Everything is open so late its crazy, you can be at the "disco" until 8 in the morning, and people generally don't head to the "disco" until 2.  One of the pictures I have attached is me on my first night with my new home boy Knuppel and Anja, Paddy's Girlfriend

It's taken about a week to get over the jet lag but I'm starting to get used to the time change.  My apartment is really nice, although I will only be living here for another week or so.  The head coach just arrived yesterday and I must admit it is nice to have English speaking company.  He is from Texas and holds true to many of the stereotypes associated with Southerners although he assumed I lived in an igloo and had a dog sled as a primary vehicle.  He is a very nice man and seems very serious about his football.  He has planned on living here a couple of years and is Bringing his whole family over come June.  Thats nice for me because come June, I'll have a secondary family, obviously they will be unable to eclipse my primary family, but they'll be my German family. 

Hannsestrasse

In terms of football it is pretty much what I expected.  There are some really good football players, for example Paddy who played in NFL Europe, and Knuppel who played in the 1st division, and then there is a some guys that were talked into playing by Paddy while they were both hammered one night.  It's a total mish mash which makes it kind of fun.  I was also told that I had a good arm, so my fears of coming over here and completely flopping have been dispelled.  Were practicing in a gym right now and have about 20 guys per practice.  Now that coach is here we will start to get some structure and a set schedule.  I wonder if after practice he will find it strange that half the guys are outside hacking butts?  Or I wonder if he will find it strange that some of the guys are 18, and that our centre must be 40 years old and weight 180 pounds, or as they say 80 Kilos.  We also have a dough boy for a guard, the gentle giant, who speaks less German than I do, although he is a Deutchlander.  Its going to be quite the season and I hope you can all keep tabs on me on the website.  I also get to coach the youth team.  They're all between 13-16 and they know even less football than the older guys.  They're tons of fun and have been receptive to my enthusiasm breeding enthusiasm approach.

Lubeck is a great city and I'm starting to become very accustomed to getting around.  The picture of the car I have attached has been termed the "Seals Mobile" and gets me from point A-->B with few amenities.  It's standard so I've had to bone up on my skills, and after a few embarrassing stalls I seem to have it down to a science.  Oh and I forgot to mention that the car doesn't have power steering.  I have a gym pass but with all the stairs I climb to my apartment, and all the driving with a non power steering car I'm not sure how much I will really be using it.  There are no snow ploughs here so when I first got here there were two tire tracks on the roads and thats it.  The snow has since began melting but there are still strange snow drifts everywhere.

"Riding along in my Automobile, with my baby @ the wheel, I took a kiss @ the turn of a mile..."

Needless to say I lucked into a very good situation.  I'm comfortable and happy.  Thank you to everyone who has been writing me and its great to hear from you all.  Please keep sending the love this way as I really enjoy having my inbox inundated with emails!  Talk to you all soon!

Jesse Ross

#18  

Travels Intro.

As some of you may or may not know I spent a good 10 months of 2010 living in Germany.  The vessel that got me over to the great Deutchland was football, American football.  I played football, worked for a textile printing company called Das Stickwerk and got to travel all over Europe.  While I was there I documented very thoroughly my travels.  I have 8 entries that I will be sharing sporadically on What up? What's Happening? Enjoi.