So it goes . . .
Health
I stepped on the bathroom scale today and did not like what I saw staring back at me. I now weigh 210 pounds, which is a lot of weight for my 5-foot-7-inch frame to carry.
I am 44 and this is more than what I have ever weighed in my entire life. That is stating a lot.
I began struggling with my weight while in elementary school. The weight gain then, much like now, was triggered by stress.
My maternal grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer while I was in the fifth grade. He died by the end of my sixth-grade year of school.
My mom was an only child. She did have a half-sister through her father’s previous marriage, who was a few years older than her, but my grandfather’s primary care fell to my mom.
Also, my mom’s mom, my grandmother, did not drive. So, I went on plenty of trips to doctors and treatments with my mom and grandfather during that time.
I grew up a lot and ate a lot due to my feelings and gained a lot of weight.
Two years after my grandfather died, and a lot of middle school bullying, I stopped eating to lose all the weight I gained. My mom and dad worried. I had traded in one obsession, eating all the time, with not eating at all.
I got skinny in high school. Then the cycle of weight gain began again when I entered college. I started going to parties and drinking. My freshman year dorm roommate smoked cigarettes, so I started smoking cigarettes too.
I went through a tumultuous relationship that resulted in moving halfway across the country, going to graduate school and then getting married for six months before my wife filed for divorce.
Long-ish story short, after the trauma of that situation, I moved back home to the Greater Cincinnati area. I quit smoking, curtailed drinking alcohol, discovered I enjoyed marathon training and used a smartphone app to manage my caloric intake and again lost a lot of weight.
But at least I was healthy. That’s what I told myself anyway. I did put four stress fractures on my tibia the first season I trained to run a marathon because I tried to do too much too fast.
And now, going back to the beginning of this post where I confessed I weigh more than I ever have.
After completing 15 marathons, numerous half-marathons and averaging more than 1,000 miles running a year for eight years, I burned out and backed off on the intensity. I kept eating and drinking as I always had, though.
Then the pandemic happened. I quit running and now work alone from home, where I read the news and stress myself out regularly.
The funny thing about this current cycle, though, is this: Three years ago, a woman drew me to her the moment I met her. We bought a house together last year and got married in our backyard this past August.
In turn, I sold the house I owned for 13 years, paid off all debt and socked some cashback in savings with the money I made off of it.
I am sharing all of this here because, well, this is my blog. And another constant of the ups-and-downs in my life cycles is this: Writing and sharing my feelings helps me when I get like this.
I could do it in a personal journal, but that is not how writing works for me. I am a writer by trade. By not putting my words out into the ether, my struggles feel dirty, dark little secrets if they do not see the light. And yes, I want the audience and community interaction.
It is good to know you are not alone.
COVINGTON, KY — Braxton Brewing Co. and Graeter’s Ice Cream are at it again.
The local craft beer and small-batch ice cream companies will tap Graeter’s Black Cherry Chocolate Chip White Stout, their latest beer collaboration, this Friday.
Braxton will host a weekend-long tapping and release party in its main taproom at 27 W. Seventh St. in Covington. Festivities will begin at 11 a.m. Friday and continue until 11 p.m. Sunday. The Black Cherry Chocolate Chip White Stout will then be available for purchase in 16-ounce four-packs for $13.99 at area Kroger stores starting March 2.
“It’s always a privilege for us to be able to lend our flavors and expertise to something as innovative and as fun as our collaborations with Braxton,” said Bob Graeter, fourth-generation owner of Graeter’s Ice Cream in a press release. “This year’s Black Cherry Chocolate Chip White Stout is a welcome addition to our current Braxton-Graeter’s collection of innovations. We’re reaching new consumers, helping a new generation to taste and fall in love with French Pot-made ice cream, and it’s stretching our creative approach to fan favorites, overall.”
The same release describes Braxton’s Graeter’s Black Cherry Chocolate Chip White Stout as “a decadent dessert beer, crafted with notes of sweet black cherries, rich dark chocolate and an indulgent, medium-bodied white stout.”
“From the first Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Milk Stout we made with Graeter’s to today’s Black Cherry Chocolate Chip White Stout, we’re proud to be able to honor Graeter’s in our unique way,” stated Jake Rouse, co-founder and CEO of Braxton Brewing. “Graeter’s is such an iconic Cincinnati brand that we’ve loved transforming it into a beer consumers can really fall in love with.”
The special beer release weekend at Braxton also will feature a donut popup shop by Graeter’s Ice Cream, ice cream sampling, a special visit from the Cincinnati Zoo on Sunday, and four-packs available for purchase all weekend long.
For more information visit the event Facebook page.
COVINGTON, KY — Braxton Brewing Co. announced on Monday, Feb. 17, that it will release its newest IPA, Hop Fit this March.
Hop Fit will clock in at 100 caleries and four percent alcohol-by-volume per 12-ounce can.
The low-carb IPA is expected to be available in Kroger stores throughout Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Louisville and Lexington for $9.99 per six-pack.
Braxton will mark the releaste of Hop Fit on Saturday, March 7, with a launch party at its main taproom, located at 27 W. Seventh St. in Covington.
The party will include a “POUND & POUR” workout class, an obstacle course, a live DJ, sampling and more.
Braxton made waves in the low-calorie craft drink market around the same time last year with its release of Vive, a lineup of hard seltzers.
Tap here for more information about Hop Fit and Braxton Brewing Company.
THE IMPORTANT STUFF FIRST 👉 Warped Wing Brewing Co. will host a launch party for its newest core beer from 3-10 p.m. at its main taproom located at 26 Wyandot St. in Dayton, Ohio.
Warp Wing will begin selling Hydro Haze Pale Ale on draft and by six-packs in its taproom during the launch party.
The beer then will be available for purchase through Warped Wing retail partners starting Tuesday, March 10.
Warped Wing’s release describe’s Hydro Haze as a a pale ale that “carries delicious, juicy, and tropical citrus/pineapple notes.”
NOW ONTO THE REST OF THE RELEASE BELOW. 👇
“We have been working on this formula for some time,” said Nick Bowman, VP/Sales & Marketing and Managing Partner at Warped Wing. “This has been a missing puzzle piece within our portfolio of core beers. It’s something we did not want to rush out to market until we knew it would be special. Last summer we launched a ‘Test Flight’ program reaching out to our customers, urging them to taste test several Pale Ales and IPA’s.
Having our customers as part of the final result of the product was very rewarding for us. We used that feedback to create and perfect this beer. John Haggerty and his brew team delivered and we are extremely proud to share Hydro Haze with our Ohio friends.” said Bowman.
“There’s a much deeper historic piece to the brand”, said Tara Michel, Marketing Manager at Warped Wing. “I started digging into some Ohio history around flood management and found out that a major water/dam control system was developed right here back in 1913. The design was based on controlling flooding in our river systems. It’s a technology that is still used today around the world. The name for the beer seemed like
a natural. Especially given the fact that water is the most important natural resource in our brewing operation. And Dayton presides upon one of the finest water aquifer systems in the world.”
Copy on the can reads, “The water came crashing over the banks as the smoke rose from the valley below. Hydro Haze. A tsunami of juicy tropical citrus and pineapple, balanced with a whirlpool of creamy hop goodness. Pop a top and break the dam. The haze awaits.”
Please join us on Thursday, March 5th for the Hydro Haze Pale Ale launch party at the brewery. Festivities run from 3-10 p.m.
Warped Wing Brewing Co. is a Dayton craft brewery inspired by Ohio’s rich history of innovation and invention. We are committed to carrying that spirit forward by brewing new proprietary beer styles along with original interpretations.
Husband-and-wife, Christian and Mindy Strong worked in management at LaRosa’s, Cincinnati’s largest local pizza chain, for nearly two decades before going into the pizzeria business for themselves in 2012.
Shortly after opening in Newport, Kentucky, their Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria quickly gained a loyal following. Two years later, Christian and Mindy opened a second location in nearby Hebron, Kentucky, followed by a third in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in 2016.
Click here to read my interview with Christian Strong before he and his wife opened their Lawrenceburg location.
All three Strong’s locations feature 10 specialty pies with one of six signature sauces, build-your-own calzone and pizza options, and appetizers ranging from salads to a plate of three Italian meatballs. The Hebron and Lawrenceburg locations also serve chicken wings, french fries and have a kids menu with a chicken fingers option.
The base for each pizza is a crispy, but not-too-thin wood oven baked crust. The most popular sauce is the plum tomato sauce, which has a fresh tomato zing versus the sweeter, more ketchup-y tasting base sauce of LaRosa’s. Other pizza sauce options include a vodka cream, pesto cream, buffalo cream, diavolo or olive oil base. Each are equally delicious.
For me, the secret to Strong’s pizzas is in the combination of sauce, fresh ingredients and crust. The toppings are always fresh and each specialty pie offers a delicious combination of flavors. As a bonus, every slice is easily foldable for maximum pizza consumption. I also like the fact Christian Strong remains committed to keeping his boutique pizzeria chain limited to three locations so he can frequently visit each to insure quality.
For the full Strong’s experience, I suggest visiting the original Newport pizzeria.
Why? Because, I have a soft spot for the late 1800s, three-story brick house the pizzeria occupies. The indoor dining space located on the first floor is small and has plenty of character. There’s also a quaint outdoor patio wedged between one side of the house and a neighboring retaining wall.
As far as pizza is concerned, I’m a big fan of the Consentino. The pie is made with mozzarella, plum tomato sauce, roasted red peppers, sausage and fresh sliced garlic.
The Newport location also has a limited selection of canned-and-bottle craft beer. If the pizzeria is busy, the wait staff will typically check your I.D. and then let you grab a bottle or can from the beer fridge.
For more informations about strong visit strongsbrickovenpizza.com or tap on the icon locations in the Google map below.
