Maple Bacon Voodoo

On our recent trip to Oregon, KJ and I finally visited the world famous Voodoo Doughnut in downtown Portland. I'd been wanting to try their maple-bacon bar for a while, even more so after AfroDan's latest home brewing endeavor.

Well, I was not disappointed. One of Voodoo Doughnut's most popular creations is a delectable raised yeast doughnut with maple frosting and bacon on top. Maple bars don't seem to be as common on the east coast as they are out west—unless I just haven't visited the right bakeries in Vermont—so it was kind of a new treat for me. The bacon on top might sound a little weird to some, but it was absolutely fantastic.

The second time a photo of bacon
has appeared on this site.

I actually thought it was called the Maple Bacon Bar, but, in fact, it's the Bacon Maple Bar. I guess that makes sense from their perspective. But, I'm going on the record to say if Voodoo Doughnut is interested in calling our home brew the official beer of their Bacon Maple Bar, we'll gladly change its name to Maple Bacon Voodoo Porter, but not Bacon Maple Voodoo Porter.

Update (8/25/11): I meant to add to this that I'm not holding my breath, especially so after seeing this.

No Cell

An electronic sign at U.S. Cellular Field declares its namesake as the exclusive cellular provider of the Chicago White Sox. Little did I know that meant my service, purchased in a market that U.S. Cell doesn't compete in, would be rendered useless. While I can't say for certain that they're actually blocking other carriers, or if it's just that my cell provider doesn't cover the area as well as, say San Francisco, it seems pretty suspicious.

But, I digress. Not only was "The Cell" the third park KJ and I have visited together in our one-year history of traveling to baseball games as a couple, it was the 10th current park I've visited more than once (Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards, Rogers Centre, Progressive Field, PNC Park, Wrigley Field, AT&T Park, Oakland Coliseum). If not for the Twins leaving the Metrodome in favor of Target Field, that would have equaled the number of current parks I've yet to visit.

When Brian and I visited what was then called New Comiskey back in 1998, we weren't terribly impressed with the aesthetics of the park. That opinion hasn't changed 12 years later. Don't get me wrong, this is no Veterans Stadium, but opened one year prior to Camden Yards, it's just not as nice as its contemporaries.

While the photo may not give you enough of an impression, you'll have to either take my word for it or see for yourself. The place just doesn't have a lot of character. But, that doesn't tell the whole story either. The sight lines could be significantly improved if the seats were turned about 15 degrees towards the on-field action, something that has worked well with other parks built in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.

There were positives, however. The rows in our section, and those around us, were only 8-10 seats wide. As a result, there was only one time during an entire nine-inning game that we had to get up to let our fellow patrons pass. If you've ever been to Fenway, you certainly would understand the importance of this factor.

Also, there were numerous concessions options beyond the standard fare. Of course, my mind was fixated on Chicago-style hot dogs, and I wasn't disappointed in the foot long I found, which was topped with sweet pickle relish, tomato wedges, pickle spears, sport peppers, mustard and onions. KJ opted for the smaller version, but I think she ended up regretting that decision. We were both surprised there was only one stand in the entire park that sold these wonderful creations, but we quickly figured out why once we sat down to eat them. A photo would have been a nice idea here, but you'll have to use your imagination to understand how difficult it was to eat a hot dog that looked like it had been "dragged through the garden."

The beer selection was comparable to that at most Midwestern parks. That is, the options were mostly of the American lager variety—Chicago’s proximity to Milwaukee makes it clearly a Miller town—with a couple of decent, if not spectacular, micro-brewed choices as well. We opted for the Wisconsin-brewed Leinenkugel's Classic Amber, which was solid, but nothing special. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a single beer brewed in Chicago available at the game, leading me further to the conclusion that this is not a craft beer city. I may or may not be correct in that assumption, but the following day I would discover the place that, in the very least, is the exception. More on that in a later post.

The White Sox were hosting the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that was fresh off a Patriots' Day weekend sweep of a four-game series in Boston. Apparently, a masterful performance from John Danks is what it would take to slow down the hottest team in baseball. The Chicago lefthander shrugged off a first-inning solo homer by Carl Crawford, then proceeded to hold the Rays hitless for the next 5 1/3 innings until Crawford's swinging bunt single in the 6th. His impressive outing (8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO) was more than enough to lead the White Sox to a 4-1 victory, in a game that lasted just two hours and 22 minutes with none other than Joe West behind the plate.

 A few other items worth noting from Tuesday night's game:

• It was immediately clear that it was Jackie Robinson Day at U.S. Cellular Field, this being the Sox first home game since April 11. A group of kids spotted outside the stadium, wearing White Sox shirts with #42 on the back, was our first clue.
• The White Sox are one of those home teams whose dugout is on the third base side. I believe I've already written about how much KJ dislikes this.
• We laughed at the song that was played every time Gordon Beckham came to bat: "Your Love" by The Outfield. I'm not sure why we found it so funny to hear "Josie's on a vacation far away, come around and talk it over," over and over.
• Baseball lesson of the day: "One from the mound, two from the field," is the common phrase used to remember how many bases are allowed on a throw that goes out of play: one base if the throw is by the pitcher from the rubber, two if the throw is from any other fielder, including the pitcher while off the rubber. All base awards are from the time of the throw.  

Deep Dish and Light Craft

From a food and beverage standpoint, what would you say Chicago is known for? Forgive my ignorance if I'm missing something obvious, but deep dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs were the two things on my radar as I anticipated my current trip to the Windy City. Wheat beer was not one that came to mind, but when KJ and I visited Lou Malnati's Pizzeria last night, their only craft beer selections were four of the lighter variety—Goose Island 312, Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss, Blue Moon Belgian White, and Goose Island Summertime. The latter was their seasonal selection, an odd choice considering April in Chicago hardly feels like summer.

In reality, I'm sure the beer selection had more to do with the fact that Lou Malnati's is all about great food rather than great beer, or maybe it has something to do with what pairs well with pizza. I really don't know, but I still would have preferred one choice that was a little more hop-centric. Regardless, I wanted to try something that was indigenous to the area, so I gave the Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale a shot.

At first sip, I rather liked it, but that wore off a little as I worked my way to the bottom of the glass. Considering it's not my favorite style, I would still rate it as pretty good. It was light and refreshing, not too sweet, but a bit too bubbly for my taste. It did, however, pair rather well with our food selection, as we opted for the deep dish with sausage and giardiniera peppers, which in reality is a relish consisting primarily of serrano peppers, celery, carrots and cauliflower.

Lou Malnati's came highly recommended as the place for out-of-towners to get a taste of the deep dish pizza that the nation's third most populous city is known for. Let me just say it proved itself worthy of such recommendations. KJ and I shared a 9" pie, which consisted of two fully satisfying slices each, and she caught me saying "whew" under my breath a few times at the spicy kick delivered by the giardiniera.

The decor at Malnati's was pleasing as well. The walls were covered with lots of cool, but very tasteful, baseball memorabilia, including old programs from Wrigley Field, framed jerseys of Ryne Sandberg and Ernie Banks, and home plate from the final game played at Comiskey Park, signed by what appeared to be all the members of the 1990 White Sox. An odd addition to these tasteful decorations was a framed "Cub Fan, Bud Man" tuxedo. I'd really like to know what the story is behind that one.

Tonight, we're headed to U.S. Cellular Field to see if the White Sox can do what the Red Sox haven't been able to—beat the Tampa Bay Rays. More importantly, though, we're checking off the third major league park we've visited together and hoping to satisfy our other Chicago craving, which shouldn't be a problem at a baseball game.

The Gilded Otter

The Gilded Otter was the name of the ship that the French Huguenots who founded New Paltz, New York came to the United States on. They came from the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz, the latter part of which was pronounced Paltz by the people of that particular area.

The Gilded Otter is also the name of a brew pub in this upstate New York village that also happens to be quite the hippie college town. KJ and I visited there on Saturday, and discovered another brew pub that has much better food than it does beer.


Rather than order the sampler, we opted to order a pint each and share them, of course. My initial impressions were that they were pretty good, but as we neared the bottom of each pint, I realized that may have been a bit generous.

The Dusseldorf Altbier is a medium-bodied brown ale with medium hop bitterness. Its toasted biscuity flavor has real potential up front, but just kind of fades to the land of bland. It's well-balanced, but I would rate it above average at best for the style.

The Three Pines India Pale Ale has a nice floral hoppy aroma—I accidentally wrote hippy when I was taking down notes on my iPod Touch—but doesn't taste overwhelmingly hoppy. Despite this, the hops still dominate to the point that I think it could stand to be a little maltier.

We also asked for, and received, a small sample of their Stone House Coconut Stout, mainly because we were curious. I couldn't taste the coconut at all—although I thought it was pleasantly creamy—but KJ did, so here I introduce you to a new occasional feature of this blog. KJ Says: "It's too flat. I get the coconut, then a little hint of coffee, but there's nothing dancing on my tongue."

I like that description.

As I said, the food was great. We ordered—and shared—the Pizza Rustica, one of their spent grain pizzas, and the Meatloaf Sandwich. The Pizza Rustica was a Greek style that was covered in tasty kalamata olives, feta cheese, roma tomatoes, artichokes, caramelized onions and garlic oil basil pesto. The Meatloaf Sandwich was advertised on the menu as served cold, but we asked for it heated. It was served on Texas toast with chipotle mayonnaise and tabacco [sic] onion petals. We opted to top it off with pepper jack cheese, and it was just fantastic, as was the pizza.

I thought I was only hungry enough for a light lunch, but these dishes did quite the job of coaxing my appetite out of hiding.

Other than the food, the one really positive thing I have to say about the Gilded Otter Brewing Company is that they rotate their beer selection much more frequently than most. Typically, brew pubs feature one or two seasonal beers at a time, but the Gilded Otter is constantly rotating half their menu. While they consistently serve their four standards, the other four on the menu are constantly changing. So, for variety and experimentation in brewing, they get high marks in my book.

I wish I could rate their beers more highly. I've been mostly disappointed by my experiences with brew pubs in the mid-Hudson Valley, and was really expecting this place to stand above the rest. Maybe it was unfair to the Gilded Otter that it was the first new brewery I've visited since my trip to the craft beer capital of the United States, but unfortunately they will simply be lumped in with all the other so-so brew pubs I've visited during my 15 years as an aspiring beer snob.

Signs of the South

We took a lot of photos of signs on our recent trip down South. Many of these shots were captured simply because we found them humorous in some way. Others were a little more significant to the trip, but all of them are interesting...at least in my opinion.
So, I thought I'd share a few of them with you here.
We'd only recently heard of the unusual delicacy that is Chicken and Waffles. So, when we walked past this specialty restaurant in Atlanta, I had to snap a picture. Apparently, the exact origins of the dish are unknown, with several accounts tracing its roots to the south. One story, though, is that the Wells Supper Club in Harlem started serving it to their late-night patrons because it was too late for dinner and too early for breakfast.



Besides being a potential apostrophe catastrophe—I can't tell if that mark in the upper right corner is supposed to imply ownership—this is also a tribute of sorts to my soon-to-be-married friend, Anders.




This, of course, is the monument, original fence and all, to the exact spot of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run.



On our brief stay in South Carolina, we visited the monument to "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in his hometown of Greenville. This sign sits at the base of a life-size statue in the downtown area of this charming southern town. There's also a museum, but unfortunately it's only open on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm, and on nights that the minor league Greenville Drive have home games, so we weren't able to check it out.



My new iPod touch uses its GPS capability to determine my location and tell me where the nearest options are for the services I'm looking for. If only there were more signs like this one we spotted in Savannah, there certainly wouldn't be a need for an application to direct me to the nearest bar.



Of course, we took them up on their quite generous offer.



At least Hooters has the subtlety to pretend their name has something to do with owls.

Four Nights in the Garden of Good and Evil

Following our visit to Atlanta and Turner Field, and a brief stopover at my cousins’ place just outside of Greenville, South Carolina—the former hometown of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson—KJ and I ventured down to Savannah. A charming and historic port city on the coast of Georgia, Savannah lies at the mouth of the river that shares its name. It also has a unique history of interesting, and sometimes eccentric, people and mysterious circumstances.

Our first night in Savannah, we wandered around town, getting the lay of the land. The city’s historic district is comprised of 24 squares, although three of these were all but destroyed due to development in the 1950s. Unlike in Boston, where a square is really just a chaotic maze-like intersection, Savannah’s squares are basically miniature parks. Most of them are shaded by Spanish moss covered live oak trees, and many feature fountains and/or statues as their centerpieces.

The next morning, we visited the Mercer House, which was less than a block away from our B&B. The home was built by the great-grandfather of Academy Award winning lyricist Johnny Mercer (“Moon River”, “Days of Wine and Roses”), who was also the co-founder of Capitol Records. The Mercers never lived there, though, but antiques dealer and Savannah socialite Jim Williams—the central character in John Berendt’s true-crime murder story Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil—did.

Speaking of Moon River, and since a trip to a new area wouldn’t be complete without tasting some locally brewed beer, the afternoon brought us to Savannah’s one and only brewpub. Moon River Brewing Company’s Wild Wacky Wit is an ordinary, but refreshing, orange peel and coriander-spiced Belgian-style wheat that went well with our lunch on a hot and sunny day. Their Savannah Fest is a German-style fest beer with medium malt character and a nice hop/malt balance. It was most enjoyable, though, due to the fact that Savannah’s lack of an open container law allowed me to get it “to-go” in a plastic cup and consume it while walking around town.

Our second night was not without incident. After much indecision about where to go to dinner, we ended up at a place whose menu did little for me, at least partly due to my distaste for seafood. We opted to just have a drink there prior to moving on, but not before I proceeded to let a pint glass slip out of my hand and knock over KJ’s drink in the process, spilling the majority of both drinks on my lap. The waitress replaced both drinks—mine was a SweetWater Georgia Brown—but considering the state of my shorts, we decided to dine at Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

The SweetWater Georgia Brown was unimpressive, as are most American brown ales—with the exception of Brooklyn Brown—it seems. This one, though, was oddly over-carbonated but with virtually no head retention. Five Guys, on the other hand, was easily the best fast-food hamburger I’ve ever tasted. This was my first visit to the Washington DC based chain, and I left there hoping they have plans to open more locations than the three that are within 20 miles of Boston.

A trip to the south just wouldn’t seem right without some barbecue, and our third night was highlighted by a visit to a place called Blowin’ Smoke. Besides having a great bottled beer list—although I opted for a Dale’s Pale Ale, a rare microbrew in a can—this joint featured the best Kansas City Ribs and green beans I’ve ever had. Their pulled pork, fried pickles and mac & cheese were boast-worthy as well, and the Dale’s—a strong ale that perfectly straddles the line between pale ale and IPA—was the perfect complement.

On our fourth, and final, night we re-enacted a memorable scene from the aforementioned book—well, sort of—by driving to Bonaventure Cemetery with a couple of cocktails, and drinking them while sitting on the grave of writer Conrad Aiken. Now, before you jump to the conclusion that this was a disrespectful act, I should tell you that Aiken’s gravestone is built in the shape of a bench, and he had it made that way for this very purpose.

Aiken’s successful life and career as a poet and writer of short stories was despite a tragic childhood. At 11 years old, the Savannah native found the bodies of his dead parents, the casualties of a murder-suicide committed by his father. He was subsequently raised by relatives in Massachusetts, returning to Savannah later in life, where he lived out his final 11 years.

Overall, our trip to the 13th colony was one of my best vacations in recent memory. That, of course, had as much to do with the company as with the places we visited, although that’s not to say that I don’t wish I was still on the streets of Savannah, drinking a beer from a plastic cup or a vodka and tonic from the styrofoam variety.

Portsmouth Brewing Company

I lived in Dover, NH, a charming old mill town about a half hour from Portsmouth, for about a year back in 1996-97. In fact, that was the year that my annual top ten albums tradition—which has since grown to a top 40—was born. But, that's not relevant to what I'm writing about today.

The Portsmouth Brewing Company opened its doors in 1991, two years prior to the inception of Brown & Moran Brewing Company in Troy, NY, which is where my taste for micro-brewed beer began to develop. Prior to that, I considered it a treat when a bar had Samuel Adams on tap. I say that not to put down Sam Adams—I still think their Boston Lager is a quality selection, although I'm not a fan of most of their specialty brews—but because, having lived in Boston for the past 12 years, that particular beer is not difficult to find.

When I first visited the brewpub in the heart of downtown Portsmouth back in 1996, it was relatively young, as was my status as a "beer snob." So, when I say I was not particularly impressed with their offerings back then, I have to qualify that by saying I'm not really certain I gave them a fair shake—although I did make several visits. Also, at least 12 years have elapsed since I was last there, and they are now owned by Smuttynose Brewing, a development that I think has occurred since my New Hampshire days, although I'm not 100% sure of that.

So, when KJ and I went on a day trip to Portsmouth this past weekend, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to give this brewery a second chance. After spending a few hours wandering around one of the best small cities in New England, we stopped in for an early dinner. Since we couldn't really decide what kind of beer we were in the mood for, we opted for a sampler of approximately three ounces each of seven PBC and three Smuttynose offerings. The following were my impressions of each (listed in the order consumed):

Dirty Blonde: This is a fairly standard, light golden ale. It's definitely not my favorite style of beer, and this one did nothing to change my opinion. Grade: C-

Smuttynose Star Island Single: Smutty's newest brew, this is a very nice, lighter ale that is not lacking in body, and has a very subtle fruitiness to it. Of all the beers we had on this visit, this is the one that I would have most enjoyed drinking two or three of. Grade: B+

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale: This is easily the weakest of the three Smuttynose offerings, a very bland, brown ale that wasn't nearly as full-bodied as advertised. Grade: D

Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale: A very solid, English-style pale ale, with a nice flavorful body and just the right amount of hops bite. Grade: B

Bottle Rocket IPA: PBC's IPA is solid, but let's face it...IPAs to me are like pizza. Very few of them are bad, but when it comes to considering one truly exceptional, my standards are pretty high. Grade: C+

Saison de Printemps: This is their current seasonal offering, a spring farmhouse-style ale as described by our waiter. I liked the sample, but when I ordered a full glass, I found myself less enamored with it. It tasted much stronger than it turned out to be, and with no pronounced hoppiness that could have given it a little more balance. When I discovered it was only 5.5%, I wondered why they only served it as a 12-ouncer. Grade: C+

WiezenBock: As is pretty standard for the style, this one is quite lacking in balance as well. However, at 7% ABV, that's a little more understandable. Still, I was not particularly impressed. Grade: C+

Wheat Wine: This one is quite interesting, brewed in the barley wine style, but with wheat, rather than, barley malt. At 11% ABV, it is the strongest brew I've had in quite some time, although we had hoped the 21st Century Schizoid Ale would approach that level. Grade: B-

Black Cat Stout: Yesterday was Mother's Day, and my mother always taught me if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all. That's all I have to say about this one.

Imperial Porter: A rich and strong porter, but I don't feel that its body measures up to the increased alcohol content, making it lose some of its porterish qualities. Grade: C

I have to admit that, although I definitely have considerable knowledge about craft-brewed beer, I don't really feel as though my palette has quite what it takes to be an actual beer critic. I don't recognize subtleties in flavor as well as I would need to in order to consider myself qualified for that kind of gig. In fact, a couple of minor details in the above mini-reviews probably were actually KJ's observations. Also, I've often thought that my taste buds have minds of their own, and are actually quite moody as well.

So, when I say that my return to the Portsmouth Brewing Company did nothing to change my previously held opinion of the place, I don't mean to discourage you from checking it out yourself. In fact, the food was excellent. I had a pulled pork sandwich that was as good as anything I've eaten at my two most frequented BBQ establishments in Boston: Blue Ribbon and Redbone's. KJ raved about her fried haddock sandwich as well, and seconded my opinion of the pulled pork. I, of course, wouldn't go anywhere near the haddock, as those of you who really know me won't be particularly surprised to hear.

I'll summarize by saying that there are definitely enough positives about the Portsmouth Brewing Company that make it worth the visit. If nothing else, enjoy the food, choose your favorite style from among the more common brews that they serve, and take in everything that this little New England port city has to offer.

Back in the High Life Again

It's exactly one month short of ten years since the last time I was in Milwaukee, which, of course, was for a baseball game. Back then, my oldest friend, Rob, and I attended a September 1998 matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers at the old County Stadium. Miller Park was under construction at the time, so we got a sneak preview of the new stadium.

The excitement surrounding that game was Mark McGwire's expansion of his own recently established single-season home run record, which was far from safe with Sammy Sosa right behind him. This year, however, the Brewers are in the thick of a playoff race, with the second best record in the National League. Going into last night's action, they were leading the wild-card race by two games over St. Louis, and trailing the division leading Chicago Cubs by 5 1/2 games.


Last night's game was CC Sabathia's 9th start since coming over from Cleveland in the early July trade that is looking to be the most significant mid-season trade in recent memory. Sabathia is already the most popular player in town. He received a noticeably louder pre-game ovation than both Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Very interesting, considering his tenure with the Brewers is all but guaranteed to last no more than four months before he moves on as a free agent.

My seat was in the 9th row, directly behind home plate, possibly the best seat I've ever had for a major league baseball game. Miller Park, of course, is as nicely built as any of the newer stadiums. The only factor preventing it from being among my favorites is its non-downtown location. The beauty of parks such as PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Camden Yards in Baltimore is enhanced by their downtown location and skyline views from within the stadium. Another drawback of being located outside the heart of the city is an inability to soak in a certain pre-game neighborhood atmosphere. On the other hand, not having to drive into the city is certainly an advantage, although considering this is Milwaukee, I doubt if that would be a major inconvenience.

I actually had pretty good luck finding decent beer at the stadium. Leinenkugel, the Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin-based craft brewer had a very significant presence. Of course, not surprisingly, I learned that Miller owns Leinenkugel, but the beers are still pretty good. I enjoyed two pints of Sunset Wheat and one of their Red Lager, for $6.75 each. The Sunset Wheat was a quite refreshing summer brew, although I have to admit that, by the second, I was starting to feel that it was a little too tangy for my taste. The Red Lager was solid, certainly better than Killian's Red, but far from something to write home about.

Food options, of course, included quite a few of the German variety. I opted for the local flavor, however, as I couldn't resist the urge to try a pulled pork sandwich called the Stormin' Gorman, for $6.50. It did not disappoint. Later, for $4.50, I opted for a Chicago Style Hot Dog, with "the works": pickles, relish, onions, hot peppers, tomatoes, mustard. Quite good, but a little spicy. Good thing I was on my second Sunset Wheat at that point.

I decided I wanted to buy a Corey Hart t-shirt, because of a certain fascination I had in college with a singer of the same name, when I wore a spiked haircut and rarely removed my black Ray-Ban Wayfarers. I was disappointed that I couldn't find one in my size. I was able to find mostly child sizes of his shirts, somewhat ironic considering he's 6'6". Even more ironic was the fact that a female friend of mine from Boston, who weighs about 100 pounds soaking wet, texted me to say she wanted a Prince Fielder shirt.


There was definitely a buzz in the air at Miller Park on this particular night, and considering tonight's crowd of 41,991 was their 16th consecutive sellout, and franchise record 32nd of the season, it seems that it wasn't just because CC Sabathia was pitching. The Brewers won 9-3, powered by CC's 5th complete game in his 9 starts with the Brewers. Based on this, and considering that he's now 8-0, it's understandable that he's become such a fan favorite in this town. I still find it questionable that he took the mound for the 9th, already sitting on 111 pitches and with the team leading 9-2. But, the fact that he's become quite the Milwaukee folk hero, and that there is actually talk of his MVP candidacy, is easily the story of this baseball season, in my opinion.

Baseball Lesson of the Day: With runners on first and second and one out in the bottom of the 6th, J.J. Hardy struck out swinging, but the ball got away from Houston catcher Humberto Quintero. Both runners advanced, and Hardy ran to first, but the home plate umpire quickly indicated, correctly, that he was out. A father and son sitting next to me pondered this play. The father suggested to his son, "I think he can't go to first because of the runners, but I'm not sure". At that point, I turned to them and explained, "With two outs or less, and first base occupied, the batter is out". The father's reply, to his son, "See, you should listen to your dad more often".