Monsoon's Update for Sunday, 7 December 2008
It's always a good day when the Eagles beat the Giants, and the Cowboys are handed an ugly loss--all within the span of a few hours. The only thing better will be when the Eagles whup Dallas at the Linc on December 28th...
Mrs. Monsoon and I saw a great fight card at the Sovereign Center on Friday night, which featured impressive knockouts by Philly's Mike Jones (pictured below) and Reading's Jason Cintron (younger brother of welterweight star Kermit, who was ringside to cheer on his sib). Inexplicably, the card--staged by Golden Boy Promotions and televised by the Spanish-language outlet Telefutura--was sparsely attended by fewer than 1,000 fans. I would have thought that world-class professional boxing would draw more spectators...
Anywho, on to the weather, which is sumbitching cold. An update:
Very, very cold Monday with overnight/morning lows in the mid teens and an afternoon high of only 31.Winds diminishing.Chance of delay Monday: 20%.
Becoming milder overnight Monday into Tuesday, so precipitation will be largely rain; snow showers with negligible accumulation may mix in early.High 43, low 38.No delays or cancellations.
After rain and drizzle overnight, expect still milder conditions on Wednesday: it will be cloudy with a warm breeze and some rain showers and drizzle; thunderstorms may even mix in!No delays or cancellations.High will reach 57; temperatures will then plunge to 30 overnight, when we may see some quick snow showers or flurries.
Thursday will be much, much colder with a high only reaching about 32 and a low of 18.I’m keeping an eye on a storm that has the potential to bring us a few inches of snow on Thursday.Chance of cancellation: 45%; chance of delay: 60%.
Friday looks clearer and very cold.High 33, low 18.Depending on what we get Thursday, we could be in for a delay on Friday.
The weekend will be seasonably cold with the slight chance of snow showers on Saturday evening.Highs in the mid to upper 30s; lows in the mid to upper 20s.
Next week will begin in much the same way, with seasonably cold temperatures.After a period of rain on Monday evening, we may see a bit of accumulating snow on Tuesday and Tuesday night—giving us a chance of delay or cancellation for Tuesday.The most intriguing event comes in Wednesday into Thursday, when we could get snow mixed with dangerous sleet and/or freezing rain.
Next weekend is now looking rainy and warmer over all, with highs in the upper 40s to low 50s.
Beyond will be colder, but nothing approaching the frigid conditions we’re experiencing now until the second week of January or so.As of now, it’s not looking like it’ll be a “white Christmas.”
Stay tuned for updates...
The Official Monsoon Martin Winter 2008-09 Outlook
‘Sup,
Before I reveal my first annual Official Monsoon Martin Winter Outlook, I want to welcome a new member to the Martin family.His name is Bunk, he’s a three-month-old standard poodle, and he’s a bearish bundle of furry sweetness; the sound of his inquisitive paddling around the kitchen sounds like a five-year-old in footy pajamas skimming happily across the floor, and makes us very happy.Of course he cannot replace Sasha and Ruthie, whom we lost earlier this month and miss desperately.Thanks again to those of you who offered your kind condolences on their passing.
But Bunk can help fill the void left in our lives by the absence of our late companions, and recover some of the peculiar joy we derive from welcoming an animal into our home.I look forward to keeping you posted on his growth (he’s 25 pounds or so now; he’ll grow to at least 60 pounds) and shenanigans.
Now, for the Official Monsoon Martin Winter 2008-09 Outlook, which is based on my own study of forecast models and meteorological trends, with a generous helping of “gut feeling” thrown in.I’ve divided the winter weather season into seven periods beginning with the first half of December and ending halfway through March (roughly, meteorological winter).Each entry begins with normal temperature ranges, followed by temperature and snowfall predictions, along with accumulation totals and winter weather cancellations and delays for area schools.
Please note that my outlook applies to the region encompassing a roughly 20-mile radius round Adamstown, bounded by northern Berks County to the north; Pottstown and western Montgomery County to the east; Mt. Gretna and eastern Lebanon County to the west; and Paradise and central-southern Lancaster County to the south.
Speaking of the weather, I wanted to share my favorite recent weather-related quote.It was uttered by Danny McBride, who plays Cody, a mulleted pyrotechnics expert in the film Tropic Thunder, when he blows up a row of palm trees: “Mother Nature just pissed her pantsuit!”[A note about Tropic Thunder: I love the film, especially Robert Downey Jr.’s performance in it—he does his best work since his role as Ian in 1985’s Weird Science and as Derek in 1986’s Back to School—but I realize it’s not for everyone.I found its gleeful disregard of propriety intoxicating and Downey’s “400 years” speech made me laugh as hard as anything I’ve ever seen in the movies.]McBride’s phrasing is something I plan to use liberally this winter in endeavoring to explain meteorological anomalies that may arise...
Where was I?Oh, yes.Kind of a lot going on lately.I’ve had a bit of trouble focusing.Back to the Official Monsoon Martin Winter 2008-09 Outlook.There are few really useful climatological clues this season—such as the presence of El Nino or La Niña, neither of which is present in the Pacific this year—so it’s especially difficult to make predictions with any accuracy (particularly regarding precipitation) until just days before the event.But I’m not in the business of equivocation or excuse-making here; I’m about rockin’ this outlook, and rockin’ it hard.Here goes...
First half of December: Average highs are typically in the low to mid 40s, lows in the upper 20s to low 30s.
December 1st to 15th will be colder than normal over all, with some nasty wind chills dipping into the teens.I’m fairly confident we’ll see a snow event in the 4-6” range somewhere around the 9th or 10th of the month; temperatures will become a bit milder then toward mid-month.
Winter weather cancellations and delays: Most of us have 10 school days in this period.I’m predicting 1 cancellation and 1 delay.
Second half of December: Average highs are typically in the upper 30s to low 40s, lows in the low to mid 20s.
December 16th to 31st will be average to a bit warmer than normal, and I do not believe we’ll see a “white Christmas” this year.
Winter weather cancellations and delays: Most of us have only 4 to 6 school days in this period.I’m predicting no winter weather-related cancellations or delays.
First half of January: Average highs are typically in the mid to upper 30s, lows in the low 20s.
After a relatively mild start, the bitter cold sets in by around the second week of January.I’m looking for a small to moderate event in the range of 4-6” early on.
Winter weather cancellations and delays: Most of us have 10 school days in this period.I’m predicting 1 cancellation and 2 delays, mainly due to icing problems.
Second half of January: Average highs are typically in the mid to upper 30s, lows in the low 20s.
Colder to begin the second half of the month, with a significant storm in the range of 10-12”, then a “thaw” with milder temperatures to end the month.Winter’s not over yet, though...
Winter weather cancellations and delays: Most of us have 9 school days in this period.I’m predicting 1 cancellation and no delays.
First half of February: Average highs are typically in the upper 30s to low 40s, lows in the low to mid 20s.
We’ll see very cold conditions and a one-two punch of winter weather events: a fairly moderate storm (6-8”) followed by a big snow (in the range of 12-15”) by mid-month, right around Valentine’s Day.
Winter weather cancellations and delays: Most of us have 9 school days in this period.I’m predicting 1 cancellation and 2 delays.
Second half of February: Average highs are typically in the low to mid 40s, lows in the low to mid 20s.
Around average, with a few days of milder “thaw” temperatures: winter’s chill begins to recede and the snow begins to melt, but a couple of freezing rain/sleet/snow events will make travel treacherous and disrupt schedules in the region.
Winter weather cancellations and delays: Most of us have 9 school days in this period.I’m predicting no cancellations and 2 delays.
First half of March (through the Ides): Average highs are typically in the mid to upper 40s, lows in the upper 20s to low 30s.
I’m looking for near-average temperatures with a few colder days mixed in.If these colder days coincide with a Nor’easter, we could see a major storm develop in the first or second week of the month; I don’t think the pattern is set up for this right now, though.
Winter weather cancellations and delays: Most of us have 10 school days in this period.I’m predicting no winter weather-related cancellations or delays.
Totals and summary: I’m predicting a very active (and frequently, quite cold) winter, especially when compared with the previous 3 or 4 winters, which featured a dearth of snowfall and milder temperatures than normal over all.Snowfall totals will be in the range of 36-42” generally, with fluctuations within the forecast region I outlined above.
Totting up the winter weather-related cancellations and delays: I think we’ll have 4 cancellations and 7 delays.Hell, we may even have an early dismissal or two, particularly in the active period from mid-January through mid-February.
Mother Nature will most definitely be shitting her wetsuit.Or was it sweating through her pantyhose?Puking in her soup?Ahh yes: pissing in her pantsuit.I’ll get it straight...
Monsoon Martin's Forecast Update / National Anthem Critique
Really: John Oates is the best they could muster to sing the National Anthem at last night's Phillies World Series game???
A few things came to mind when I saw him belting out that swelling paean to militarism:
What--Daryl Hall wasn't available? He's the better-known of the two, and judging from Oates's missed high notes, the better singer.
There is a bagger at my neighborhood grocery store who looks like John Oates (at least, to me she does) and every time I see her, I hear the snippet in my head: "I can't go for that, no, noooooo..."
The National Anthems at the three Phillies home games were sung by Taylor Swift, Patti Labelle, and John Oates. I'll give you Patti, who is a Philly institution, despite her screeching, vocal gymnastics-filled rendition on Sunday night. But surely there were singers with Philly ties who would have been far better choices than Wyomissing's mewling country star Swift and the lesser half of Hall & Oates...
Tim McGraw. I hate his music, and he's from Louisiana, not Philadelphia. But at least he's got a legitimate tie to Philly: he's the son of late Phillies relief pitcher and World Series champion Tug McGraw.
Al Alberts. Of the Four Aces, and "Al Alberts Showcase" on channel six when I was growing up. "Try a Little Love"?! Would have been freaking classic. He could have even had dolled-up little kids telling lame jokes afterward.
Frankie Avalon, Philly-born teen idol.
Boyz II Men. Come on! I can hear the old-school harmonies now.
Fabian. Speaking of teen idols...
G. Love and Special Sauce. Could have injected a little blue-eyed funk into the proceedings...
The Delfonics. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" - great Philly soul. Or The Stylistics ("I'm Stone in Love With You"). Anything with a connection to songwriting greats Gamble & Huff.
Will Smith. Could have done a rap duet with Philly-born Eve. Would have been off the hazizza.
The Roots, with Jill Scott. These Philly-born and bred hip hop and neo-soul greats would have done an unforgettable and subversive version of the National Anthem.
McFadden and Whitehead, who wrote "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," which was the unofficial anthem of the Phillies' 1980 championship run. Oh, shit, they are no longer alive.
Just a thought...I wonder if they'll have a fourth National Anthem and team introductions for tonight's (or tomorrow night's) continuation of the suspended Game 5? If so, the Phillies would do well to take some of the suggestions above...
A forecast update for the next several days:
Today: Expect rainy, windy (with strong gusts), chilly conditions with highs only getting into the low 40s at most. Rainfall will be fairly steady but will not generally be heavy in our area.
Tonight: As temperatures dip into the low 30s this evening and overnight, we could see some wet snow mixing in with the rain. Persistent wind, leaves on the ground, and some periods of wet snow could reduce visibility and make the roads slippery in spots. Might be a nice night to hang out at home. Still pretty windy with a low of 31. No appreciable snowfall accumulation, except perhaps in areas like Allentown, northern Berks, and points north.
Phillies game: There's a churning system that's just taking its sweet time getting up and out of our area, so my feeling is doubtful that the Phillies game will be played tonight.
Tomorrow: Continued windy and chilly with a rain shower here and there. A snow shower or two early cannot be ruled out. Clearing and very cold late. High 43, low 29.
Thursday: Sunny and seasonably milder with diminishing winds. High 52, low 33.
Friday: Sunny and warmer still. High 59, low 35.
The weekend: Plenty of sunshine and seasonable with Saturday's high in the upper 50s and Sunday's high in the mid 50s. Lows both nights will dip into the mid 30s.
Next week: partly cloudy and autumnally ordinary for most of the week. Look for highs in the upper 50s to near 60; lows in the upper 30s to low 40s.
Beyond: Rainy, then cooler.
Go Phillies!
Update
on 2008-10-28 19:05 by Monsoon Martin
First of all, thanks to Steph for the tip: actually, Hall and Oates had been scheduled to perform the Anthem prior to Game 5, but since Hall fell ill, all we got was Oates. Also, after I uploaded the post, I checked the news on Google and saw that Major League Baseball had just announced that Game 5 will not be resumed tonight. Look for the conclusion of the game--and Philadelphia's first major sports championship in 25 years--on Wednesday evening. Maybe Hall will be recovered by then and can sing the harmony vocal for the Anthem, thus completing the rare Oates, then Hall H&O performance.
Monsoon
Update
on 2008-10-29 11:20 by Monsoon Martin
A final addendum: man did I hear from some Pink fans about excluding her from the list!
Alecia "Pink" Moore grew up in Doylestown--and in a Monsoon connection, sat behind Weatherlister Steph Luckey's friend in homeroom at CB West! She is best-known for the hit song "Get the Party Started," but my favorite Pink song has got to be "U + Ur Hand" from her latest release, an empowerment anthem whose speaker is tired of getting "hit on" in bars by sketchy men and assures all comers that, sorry, but "it's just you and your hand tonight." Harsh, but deliciously postfeminist!
Monsoon
Monsoon's Weather Update for Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Habari mori,
I have an update on the forecast for the next several days as our weather changes rather dramatically. But first, I need to ask for some help…
Does anyone have the capability to transfer audio from a cassette tape to a CD, or to a computer file? If you have such equipment or know where to find it, I’d be most appreciative of any help you could provide. I have a cassette recording I’d like to be able to share with the world, and it’s not available in any other format. Thanks!
And now, the weather…
Wednesday 10/15: partly sunny, breezy and quite warm. High 79, low 56.
Thursday 10/16: overcast with some breaks of sunshine; a humid breeze with a few showers or even a thunderstorm around in the morning or afternoon. High 74, low 59.
Friday 10/17: mostly sunny and seasonably cooler with moderate NW winds. High 64, low 44.
Saturday 10/18: partly cloudy, breezy and gorgeous. High 60, low 39.
Sunday 10/19: mostly sunny and autumnally beautiful with light, leaves-rustling winds. High 62, low 43.
Monday 10/20: partly to mostly sunny and breezy. High 63, low 40.
The rest of next week: resplendently lovely weather for this time of year, with highs in the upper 50s and lows in the upper 30s.
The following weekend: Rainy and cool for Saturday and part of Sunday the 25th and 26th.
Beyond: A rainy, windy start to the week will give way to lovely fall weather to end the month. Enjoy!
My prediction for tonight: the Phillies will beat the Dodgers, heading to their first World Series since 1993; Barack Obama will score a decisive victory over John McCain (who will not, as he said earlier this week, “whip his you-know-what”), cementing his frontrunning position for the office of President.
Monsoon's Forecast Update for Thursday, 9 October 2008
Habari mori,
I need to revise the forecast I sent out earlier in the week a bit to reflect the milder and drier conditions that should prevail over the coming week or so. Enjoy!
Thursday 10/9: cloudy with a sprinkle to start; then clearing and mild. Rather windy. High 74, low 52.
Friday 10/10: pleasant with lots of sunshine and a refreshing breeze. High 73, low 48. Happy 10th wedding anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Monsoon!
Saturday 10/11: sunny with a few clouds; nice. High 77, low 49.
Sunday 10/12: mostly sunny and warmer. High 79, low 52. Monsoon will complain that we turned the air conditioning off too soon; Mrs. Monsoon will emit an exasperated sigh, accompanied by an eye-roll, followed (hopefully) by an indulgent grin.
Monday 10/13: partly to mostly sunny and continued mild. High 75, low 51.
Tuesday 10/14: partly cloudy to start; becoming mostly cloudy and windy with a few showers possible in the evening. High 72, low 56.
Wednesday 10/15: sunny, clear, breezy, and seasonably mild. High 66, low 45. Time for the final presidential debate at Hofstra, where my sis is a graduate student in Art Therapy.
Thursday 10/16: partly cloudy and breezy. High 63, low 46.
Friday 10/17: cloudy and chilly with periods of rainfall. High 60, low 49.
Next weekend: sunny, clear, and autumnal for both Saturday and Sunday. Highs in the upper 50s, lows in the upper 30s.
Thereafter: the following week begins with similar weather, then becoming cooler after a cold front rolls through.
Monsoon
P.S. “Habari mori” means “Hello friends” in Swahili. I am going to try it out, since “my friends” has been housed by the Republican candidate for President, who uttered the phrase some 22 times during Tuesday night’s debate.
P.P.S. Happy first birthday, Zoe!
Monsoon Martin Hails a Hearty Howdy to Mallory King!
After a delivery she described as “magical” and “effortless,” Megan King and her husband Jon welcomed a healthy female human into the world just after 2am this morning. The child weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured in at 19 inches at the moment of her birth.
Megan and Jon have named this lovely creature Mallory Ann King. The Monsoon Martin extended family wishes Megan, Jon, and Mallory every happiness. (Below is a photo of the actual newborn.)
In an extremely good omen, Mallory shares a birthday with Maurice “Mo” Cheeks, Monsoon’s favorite basketball player of all time—a member of the 1983 NBA Champion 76ers and Sixers head coach since May 2005—who was born on this day in 1956.
Monsoon's Exclusive Interview with Five Guys' Molly Catalano
My friends,
A few months ago, I posted a review of Five Guys Burgers and Fries and contacted its corporate headquarters to let them know just how much I loved them. I began an email correspondence with Molly Catalano, who is the Public Relations Manager for Five Guys. Soon I had compiled a list of questions for Ms. Catalano and asked if she would consent to an email interview; she delighted me by answering the questions generously and thoroughly.
I am now proud to present these questions (MM) and Molly Catalano’s answers (MC) exclusively and without commercial interruption here on Monsoon’s weblog!
MM: I read that Five Guys has tried various additions to its menu in the past, but ultimately decided to pull these items. Can you discuss a few of these ideas?
MC: The menu originally included a Virginia baked ham sandwich and there is a rumor that they tried a chicken sandwich for one day. This was well before we started franchising and the menu has been the same for at least the past 10-15 years. We get many requests for chili and slaw in the south and sauerkraut in the north, but we will only add to our menu if we know it was the best item possible.
MM: Can you talk a little bit about Five Guys’ interior design? What is the intended effect of having fifty-pound bags of potatoes between the ordering and dining areas?
MC: The basic idea for the décor is to make sure that nothing takes attention away from the food. So it makes sense that we have an open kitchen; our cooking process is the décor! This way, we don’t have to talk about ourselves (hence the articles and quotes from others on the walls) and we don’t even have to tell you what we serve…you see it when you walk in.
Also, with our stacks of potatoes and boxes of peanut oil, along with our open kitchen, we can show guests that we are in fact making everything fresh.
MM: Have you thought about expanding your beverage and treat offerings to include milkshakes, light desserts, and the like?
MC: Besides the chili and sauerkraut, milkshakes are the third most requested item. We love milkshakes, but at this point we don’t think that we could serve the best milkshakes possible without sacrificing quality elsewhere…and we aren’t willing to do that.
MM: It has been reported that Five Guys was pursued for years by individuals who wanted to purchase franchises, but repeatedly turned them down. Can you briefly discuss why Five Guys rejected franchising offers for so long, and why Five Guys ultimately decided to franchise?
MC: The Murrells—especially the father, Jerry—didn’t want to franchise. I don’t know his exact reasoning, but I think things were going well and at the time it didn’t appeal to him. However, the boys were ultimately the ones who decided to franchise and they have done a great job focusing on what is important and not giving in to pressures to change. At the same time, we have learned a lot from our franchisees and I would say that our stores are more consistent now than ever before. Even small changes like our black ceilings and higher quality red countertops came from our franchisees.
MM: Given Five Guys’ unconventional business model, limited menu and untraditional practices, has the company faced any difficulties in attracting investors or selling franchises?
MC: Not at all. In the end, there is a reason behind everything that we do, from the way we cook our fries to the way we change our gloves, and people understand that. We do not advertise for franchisees and franchise inquiries are the highest volume of emails and calls we receive.
MM: I find the construction of your burgers to be artful and ingenious; can you discuss their assembly a bit? For example, why was it decided to put the bacon underneath the patties rather than on top, as is traditionally done?
MC: The assembly, as you may have noticed, is very finely tuned. This, especially, is the area of the business that the “boys” (the Five Guys) perfected in the 15 years before they opened. The assembly is the result of a desire to give optimal flavor combinations while encouraging speed in assembling the burger. With so many toppings, each burger is unique, so we have to have a method to the madness in order to make sure we don’t forget toppings!
MM: The Murrell family’s involvement in the Five Guys business is storied: to what extent is each of the Murrells’ five sons still involved in the business?
MC: All seven (Jerry, Janie, Jim, Matt, Chad, Ben and Tyler) family members are involved in different ways. Ben focuses on franchise development and meets with each franchisee candidate. Chad focuses on training operations. Matt focuses on operations and development, Tyler works with the bakery and Jim focuses on corporate-owned stores.
MM: What is involved, financially and logistically, in securing and setting up a franchised location of Five Guys?
MC: Five Guys sells exclusive territories to franchisees. A franchisee must purchase a territory with a minimum of 5 locations, but many of our franchisees purchase the rights to open much more than that. A franchisee pays a franchise fee for each location and then pays to develop the specific sites once they find them. So a franchisee really does it all: decides where he/she wants to open locations (generally), selects specific sites (with approval from Five Guys) builds out the store, and then opens and runs it. Five Guys provides training and support along the way and throughout their life as a franchisee.
MM: Five Guys reportedly conducts very little, if any, advertising. What is the reasoning behind this strategy, and how successful has it been?
MC: You are correct: Five Guys does not spend ANY national or corporate funds on advertising. We do allow our franchisees to advertise (with approval), so there are a few local items out there. The reasoning is based both on economics and our brand. We want to be known for a great hamburger and great fries and the best form of marketing to do that is word of mouth, so we focus on that. We know that word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing, so we focus on making sure people want to talk about us because they love our burgers and fries!
Additionally, to really compete with others using advertising, you need a lot of money and we believe that we currently get the biggest bang for our buck by providing a very large employee incentive program and by word of mouth. We believe this is successful…or we wouldn’t be here now! Additionally, our new stores open with stronger and stronger sales!
MM: How involved is the Five Guys corporate structure in the day-to-day operations of its franchise locations?
MC: Our franchisees, managers, assistant managers and crew-level employees run the true day-to-day operations. Five Guys Enterprises is involved through our District Manager program. We have District Managers who over see about 15 stores each, and they act as the liaison between franchisees and corporate. They are there to help make our franchisees successful and to protect the Five Guys brand.
MM: Have you considered adding a drive-through element to the Five Guys stores?
MC: We have opened a few locations in buildings that have drive-throughs, but we can only use them as call-ahead pickup windows. This is because it takes about 7-10 minutes for us to prepare an order and that is not fast enough for a drive through.
MM: Your pickles are heaven. How are they made and where are they from?
MC: I agree! Our pickles, like all of our toppings, are specially selected. They are Mount Olive brand kosher pickles. The “boys” (the Five Guys) are fanatical about the quality of our toppings. For example, our current mayo producer is going to stop producing the kind of mayo we use and as a result we are going to privately label mayo for our use because the boys think that this mayo has the right level of creaminess and taste for our burgers.
MM: The interior of the store I visited in Lancaster, PA was lit with fluorescent bulbs. Is this done consistently at your stores? And what other measures has Five Guys taken to minimize the restaurant's impact on the environment?
MC: Many of our stores use fluorescent bulbs (as do our corporate offices, which have the same type of lights). Our peanut oil is currently picked up by a company that uses it for various purposes, but we have researched giving/selling our used peanut oil for use in diesel cars. It is a hard process to do right now because there isn’t a national company that does that, but we have one or two stores that do give their used peanut oil to individuals who use it to power their cars. Finally, we are in the final stages of researching paper fry cups. We currently use Styrofoam, which is not as good for the environment. We hope to roll that out before the end of the year.
MM: Your organization's founder, Jerry Murrell, has been described as being “obsessed” with quality in choosing the ingredients of Five Guys' offerings. Are any of Five Guys' ingredients certified organic or antibiotic-free? If not, does Five Guys have plans to move in this direction in the future?
MC: Five Guys does not have any certified organic or antibiotic-free items. This is not necessarily intentional. Rather, “organic” and “antibiotic-free” are not synonymous with quality. You can have low quality organic items just like you can have low quality non-organic items. Our quality is focused on freshness, lack of preservatives, industry standards of quality (like peanut oil for fries) and then personal family standards. For example, we source whole heads of lettuce rather than that shredded stuff, we put 2 slices of tomatoes on a burger, and we use brand name items like Hebrew National hotdogs, Mount Olive Pickles and high quality bacon that is from a very old and established smoke house.
MM: My readers are anxious to learn what new franchise locations are planned in the southeastern Pennsylvania region: Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Berks, and Lancaster Counties.
MC: We are opening in all of those areas although it is hard to say when as we don’t know opening dates until a few days before. My suggestion is to visit our website frequently as we add stores to the “coming soon” list every month. [Monsoon’s note: Exeter Commons Shopping Center will feature a Five Guys Burgers & Fries and a Red Robin, in addition to anchor stores Lowe’s, Giant, and Target. Rumors are swirling that a similarly-anchored shopping center planned for the area of the 222/Turnpike interchange in Denver may also attract a Five Guys!]
MM: Thank you for your time!
MC: I apologize for the delay in getting this information to you!
Monsoon Emerges from Summer Hiatus!
Hello, my friends!
It’s your old pal Monsoon, emerging from my summer hiatus to send some warm greetings out to you all. The summer has been … well, how really can one sum it up succinctly? It’s had its ups (Megan’s baby shower, Marina’s surprise party, sojourns with the wife, etc.) and downs (many of you know my summer began with a professional situation that caused—and still causes—me deep disillusionment). I’ve been watching a bit of reality television (no, not the moronic likes of “Big Brother” and “America’s Got Talent”—the latter irredeemable by the Hoff’s presence). My preference is for shows like “Intervention” on A&E, “Cash in the Attic” and “How Clean is Your House” on BBC America, and I’ve become absolutely addicted to “It Takes a Thief” on the Discovery Channel.
(A quick aside: if you’ve ever seen that show and enjoyed it, you’ve got to see this compendium of outtakes from season two , which I found on YouTube. Fair warning: it’s rife with mature language and sophomoric humor.)
I also have to confess that I watched the final two episodes of “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” and I have literally felt dirty ever since. (If you haven’t seen this show, it’s an MTV production involving the impossibly foul bisexual former stripper and all-around überskank Tila Tequila, who puts sixteen lesbians and straight men through tasteless stunts and competitions to vie for a “shot at love” with her. She also pretty much has sexual contact with all of them; as a result more appropriate titles would be “A Shot at Chlamydia” or “A Shot for that VD” or the more succinct “Ick.” Anyway, it’s not pretty.)
And finally, I think my new favorite show is “The Soup” with Joel McHale, airing Friday nights at 10pm on E! It’s a snarky look at the week’s best moments in reality TV, talk shows, and pop culture over all. Here’s a clip that I enjoy for two reasons: it’s funny, and it ridicules the dopey, journalistically obtuse Ann Curry of “The Today Show.”
Took in some flicks at my new favorite theater, Penn Cinema in Lititz, which I wrote about in the spring. Most impressive was Journey to the Center of the Earth in digital 3D. Visually stunning, and a highly entertaining movie…
Oh! And we got a new computer--one that actually, you know, does things. Our previous, nine-year-old Gateway had dialup service and took seventeen hours to load one webpage (perhaps you forgot my tendency for hyperbole; and perhaps I am actually not exaggerating all that much, sadly). Our new HP laptop with D&E Jazzd service is a sleek and multitalented machine.
Anyways, to celebrate a fine summer thus far, and to reorient you all into the world of Monsoon, I thought I’d spend the next couple of weeks posting an old favorite of mine from before I started the blog: The Many Jobs of Monsoon from the autumn of 2006. This five-volume opus is—as the title suggests—a compendium of my most memorable, triumphant, cringeworthy, and downright scarring employment experiences, roughly from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.
I’ll also throw a weather report or two in there, as some of you have been complaining vociferously of my lack of forecasting activity over the past month or so.
Enjoy—and as always, I welcome your comments!