Author: Nichole S.

St. Patty’s Eve

Posted on by Nichole S.

So, not being Irish, I learned something new today. I learned that if I were Irish there would be some prep work to be done.  Who would have thought…

This much I already knew….The night before Christmas you might hang stockings, the night before Easter you might hide eggs, the night before Thanksgiving you might prep your kitchen, the night before running a marathon you might carbo load, the night before April Fool’s you might put saran wrap over the toilet seat (what?), etc.

What I didn’t know is that the night before St. Patrick’s Day you practice awkward barroom behavior.  Well, according to Guinness (whom I trust with all my heart) that’s what you do!  And I’m not going to mess with that.

So, for those of you who may be preparing to belly up to some corned beef and cabbage and drink until you’re green, you may want to watch these first.  And…if you’re having trouble rounding up some mates to celebrate with, please sure to watch the last video…and go buy yourself a dog with some mad herding skills.   Cheers!

Stupid is as Stupid Does

Posted on by Nichole S.

Effff.  Again.  What the hell is my problem?

I need spring to hurry up and get here, like yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday…

Yesterday, I grabbed my keys and phone, threw on my coat, realized I had a second to actually pee alone, took the opportunity to multitask by simultaneously going over my mental to-do list, and then heard voices.  I actually took a second to look in the toilet….cause, you know, its possible that the voice was coming from there….and then dismissed it, flushed, zipped, washed my hands (honestly), and ran out the door.  I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time….and realized where the voice was coming from.  Efff.  Pocket dialed mid pee.  Left a message of the whole damn thing.

Flash forward just a few short hours.  Got home, unpacked backpacks, hung up coats, unpacked lunch boxes, chucked filthy snow pants + jackets into the laundry, jumped into shower….with…my…socks…on…again.  Yes, again.  Because, unbelievably, I did that once last year too.

What the hell?!  Mid march madness in my mommy brain?  Seasonal distressed disorder causing disorder to my order?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming to be busier than anyone else…maybe just stupider.  (see what i did there)     😉

But not this stupid, yet.

images-2

Bring on the 37,400 bums!

Posted on by Nichole S.

In just over 3 weeks these seats will be full with 37,400 Fenway Faithful! I had a bit of a seat fetish during the years I spent photographing the inside of Fenway Park….and still do.  Even after two World Series, two rolling rally parades, and two ring ceremonies, some of my favorite photos are still of the empty seats.  It isn’t too much of a stretch to say that I’ve photographed every inch of that ballpark, and I’m not sure why…but the empty seats speak to me. I always find myself thinking about how many people have sat in each seat and enjoyed an amazing afternoon with friends or family within the sacred grounds of undoubtedly one of my favorite places on earth.  One of the many random things that gives me the warm fuzzies.

Boston Red Sox 2014 Schedule

A Cow and a Lobster Walked into a Bar and….

Posted on by Nichole S.

Try as I may, I can’t come up with a good punchline, but I did get an excellent meal out of it!

The Surf and Turf Burger at the Yard House in Lynnfield totally hit the spot during “Mommy and Daddy really need an evening out alone” night on Saturday.   Check out those chunks of lobster!  So good.

maine lobster sautéed in garlic butter, grilled asparagus, swiss and tomato béarnaise with fries
maine lobster sautéed in garlic butter, grilled asparagus, swiss and tomato béarnaise with fries

The Spicy Tuna Roll was pretty unbelievable too.  This photo doesn’t do it justice as we’d already ripped into it a bit, but it was huge and super yummy!

Spicy Tuna Roll: seared rare ahi, avocado, edamame, cucumber with wasabi soy sauce
Spicy Tuna Roll: seared rare ahi, avocado, edamame, cucumber with wasabi soy sauce

The Yard House

Good times, good eats….and the beer isn’t so bad either.

Beer Koozies are so 1990s

Posted on by Nichole S.

I’ve heard a rumor that spring is right around the corner.  I don’t necessarily believe it, but just in case, I thought I might start getting ready.  You know, the same way that you might get ready for a blizzard by fighting the crowds at good ol’ MB and stocking up on necessities.

“Spring necessities?” you may ask.

Well, sure.  New flip flops for the whole family, some sunglasses for the boys (because inevitably they loose theirs once or twice each summer), some new planters for the front stoop, new cushions and throw pillows for the outdoor furniture, and a beer holster for my husband.

And, we’re good to go.

Red Envelope Leather Beer Holster. You can even get it monogrammed so it doesn't get mixed up with your neighbor's beer holster!
Red Envelope Leather Beer Holster. You can even get it monogrammed so it doesn’t get mixed up with your neighbor’s beer holster!

Best received gift that I’ve ever given….that has come out of a box anyway. Yet more reason for my husband to be the envy of the neighborhood. (ha ha)

Red Envelope

Or…you could just keep doing this.  That’s fine too.

Don't be this guy. Your beer deserves better.
Don’t be this guy. Your beer deserves better.

Joey C. and Mark Wahlberg separated at birth?

Posted on by Nichole S.

If you’re like me, you may have found yourself wondering, “What do Joey C. and Mark Wahlberg have in common?” on more than one occasion.

Fear not, I have done a bit of research for you.

Well, for starters, they’re both in their 40s, their first names both consist of four letters, and their last names are both easy to misspell.  But that is rookie stuff.

Joey is from Gloucester.  Mark really loves Gloucester and spent time here filming the Perfect Storm….which Joey has seen!

Uncanny, right.  But it doesn’t end there.

Mark’s brother was in The New Kids on the Block and Joey auditioned for The New Kids on the Block (I may have that part wrong…)

Mark was an underwear model for Calvin Klein….and Joey. Wears. Underwear.

I know what you’re thinking.  It’s almost like they were separated at birth.

Mark made his big screen debut in the film Renaissance Man done by Penny Marshall.  Joey once had a crush on Penny Marshall’s character Laverne from Laverne and Shirley.  (That’s what I heard anyway).

According to our most recent Podcast, Joey would order a burger over

“Dog Shit, Seagull Shit, Crap on a Shingle, and Corned Beef and Cabbage”

and Mark owns the burger joint Wahlburgers along with his two brothers.

Joey has been to the new shopping mecca MarketStreet in Lynnfield (although was deterred by the long lines) and rumor has it that Wahlburgers will be opening there soon.  (which may or may not be the real point of this post).

And then there’s the little 3rd nipple thing.  Which, until yesterday, they both had.

So, if Wahlburgers is indeed opening in at MarketStreet, would you go?  I think I might.

Wahlburgers Burger Joint
Wahlburgers Burger Joint

Click here to check out Wahlburgers

Put me in, Coach! Psyched to be a part of the team!

Posted on by Nichole S.

So, I’m beyond excited, and kind of flattered, that Joey has asked me to be a regular contributor to this amazing little thing he has going on called Good Morning Gloucester.  I have stalked the blog for quite a while now, as my charming husband once pointed out to Joey during a chance encounter (thanks for that, honey).  My stalking my have started because, let’s be honest, Joey is easy on the eyes, but it has grown to something  much more.  (Just seeing if you’re paying attention).  Joey has been kind enough to let me crash the party and contribute here and there, but for the most part, I have admired from afar the wisdom, the wit, and the love that the GMG contributors share for this tremendous community.  I love the diversity, the honesty, and the intelligence of both the contributors and the followers!  That having been said, I also love the absurdity, the randomness, and the widely inappropriateness that often slithers in.

Born and raised on the North Shore, primarily Hamilton, I moved to Gloucester (the hometown of both of my parents) just after college graduation. My husband, two young sons, and I now live in Rockport and I consider myself blessed to be raising the boys in such an amazing community. As is probably true for many of you, my family and my career somewhat define me and I wouldn’t change that for a thing, but I’m also pretty passionate about selfishly maintaining “me time” to pursue some other things that keep me feeling like, well, me.  I’m psyched to have the blog be one of those things!

If you listened to the most recent podcast, you heard Joey introduce me….and also mention a couple of times that I like to eat and drink.  Jerk.  Okay, well, he didn’t say it exactly like that, but still…

So, what better way to further introduce myself than by showing you one of my favorite things to eat….and one of my favorite things to drink.

Schofferhofer: Super Yummy Grapefruit beer. You're going to have to trust me on this and not rule it out.
Schofferhofer: Super Yummy Grapefruit beer. You’re going to have to trust me on this and not rule it out.
Veggie Panini with Sweet Potato Fries from the Seaport Grille. Come on! So crazy good.
Veggie Panini with Sweet Potato Fries from the Seaport Grille. Come on! So crazy good.

 Seaport Grille Menu

Here’s the podcast we taped yesterday for the second time after Joey inadvertently forgot to press the record button the first time around (dumbass)-

podcasticon1 (1)