Since WWE announced it’s Mania main event the day after last year’s show (Rock vs. John Cena for those not paying attention), I figured we’d better get going and put together rules of engagement for the evening’s festivities.

NOTE: This post will be updated as the event draws near…

1. 1 drink every time the announcers reference the fact that Miami is The Rock’s home town.
2. 1 drink for every on screen reference to Twitter.
3. Shotgun a beer if The Undertaker loses.
4. 1 drink for every Rock / G.I. Joe reference.
5. 3 drinks for a surprise return.
6. 1 drink for every missed match outcome.
7. 1 drink for each title change (even if you called it).

Please don’t take this to mean that life at IU was all about partying.  There was certainly (more than) a fair share of that, but what this really evokes from my memory is the FUN that we had.  I met some of my best friends there… friends that I’ve got and cherish to this day.  Not only that, but I grew up there (kind of).  IU and Bloomington hold a special place in my heart and these videos have captured a little piece of  it…

Where the hell did they dig up all the 406 footage for this video???

If I wasn’t pumped for my trip back to my second home on Friday (which I was) you can damn well be sure that I’m bursting with excitement at this point.  Am I remembering and romanticizing a time from when I was a lot younger, in a lot better shape and could drink a lot more beer?  You’re damn right!

Good God it’s going to be great to be back in the Hoosier state!

Get ready… Chewie’s coming home!

Canal Park Home Of The Akron Aeros (Akron, Ohio)

Not only did I get to take in a ballgame at beautiful Canal Park in Akron the other night, but we also go to watch midget wrestling!  Beer, baseball and midgets.  What more could a guy ask for?

Beer Shots #3 - Eddy & Iggy's (Lakewood, Ohio)

I recently went to a networking event at Eddy & Iggy’s in Lakewood.  I didn’t stay long, but was there long enough for a Summer Shandy from Leinenkugel.  Yummy!

Beer Shots #2 - Der Braumeister (Cleveland, Ohio)

Der Braumeister is a German restaurant, market and “biergarten” located on the west side of Cleveland.  You can find their website here: http://derbraumeister.com/

Nachos From BW3

These nachos were free for being the Foursquare mayor at BW3.  I haven’ t been there in forever so I’m not sure I’m the mayor anymore, but damn were these great… especially with that price!

Valentine's Day Dinner

The wife and I treated ourselves to an incredible (if I do say so myself) dinner on Valentine’s Day.  Luckily we didn’t have the same problems with this lobster as we did in previous years.

The Parmageddon From Melt

Definitely not good for you but DAMN was it good.  This sandwich is called “The Parmageddon” for obvious reasons.

Meatball Sub & Cookie

Shredded Chicken

WrestleMania 27 Food

Stir Fried Dinner

Cupcake @ The Office

The rest of these pics are from a recent trip I took to Austin, Texas.  I can’t say that I ate all that healthfully, but between Texas BBQ and some ice cold beer I have to say it was an outstanding culinary trip.

Nachos During Happy Hour

Texas BBQ From Iron Works

Mmmm... Beer

Bowl Of Fried Glory

This Is Me Being "Artsy"

I was working on Friday and Al had the day off, so he was nice enough to give Pip a ride downtown.  After work, I rode the RTA into town to meet up with the boys.  Needless to say, I felt like a sardine riding the RTA to the stadium.  Apparently I wasn’t the only one with that brilliant idea.  We met up at Cadillac Ranch for some awesome pre-game grub.

Opening Day in Cleveland is essentially a holiday… second only to St. Patrick’s Day.  That said, there were a TON of people who were WAY ahead of us in the drinking department – including this guy who was busting a move to Footloose.  I can’t be hyper critical though… Pip and I did the same thing at his wedding.

We made our way to Jacob’s Field which was beautiful as always.  Yes… I know it’s called Progressive Field these days.  I don’t care… it’ll always be “The Jake” to me.  The Indians did a great job during the pregame and honored recently deceased Bob Feller with a very touching video.

After the game, we headed out to celebrate my buddy Brad’s birthday for a while.  Through many protests, we called it a night before going “next door” and headed home.  In retrospect a very good decision.

Saturday we hung out with the boys during the day and then met up with one of Pip’s high school classmates and her husband for dinner and some drinks.  SUPER cool people that I’m so happy to have met.  After meeting up with them, Pip had to make his annual trek to the Annex.  Even if its for one beer (which this year it was) it’s nice to be back “home”.  We continued our rounds of local bars with a stop at Legends to check out some of the scenery… and a very talented band.  Knowing that Sunday was going to be a big day we headed home rather early.

Sunday – WrestleMania day.  Marko got in on this year’s action and came over at around 5:00 for the 7:00 show.  We got ourselves some food and we were ready for the evening’s festivities.  I’m certainly not a “foodie” by the traditional sense of the word, but I have to say we did a pretty damn good job in the food department.

I won’t go into the details of the show here but if you’re interested in my thoughts you can find them here.  The Beeramid as per usual was a tall challenge but I’m thrilled to report that we once again were up to the task.

If you want the blow by blow details of the Beeramid challenge you can find them here.  Suffice to say it was once again A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  Monday morning rolled around rather quickly and just like that the weekend was over.  Miraculously I was at the office right around normal time on Monday morning and Pip was out the door and on the road by 9:00 as well.  We don’t have a date yet for my trip to visit the Pips but it’s typically in the fall.  I absolutely can’t wait (though my liver does need a bit of a rest).  See you soon brother!

This is simply a shot of my shirtsleeve.  I love this particular shirt, but the sleeves are just REALLY long.  Not really sure if it’s just made incorrectly or not cause the rest of the shirt fits just fine.

There’s an absolutely AMAZING restaurant in the Cleveland area called Melt Bar & Grilled.  They make grilled cheese.  That’s not quite fair… they make the best grilled cheese known to man.  The above pic is a shot of my sandwich from a recent trip with my wife, bro and sister in law: The Parmageddon.  The description from the menu: 2 potato & cheese pierogi, fresh napa vodka kraut, grilled onions, sharp cheddar.  My description: INCREDIBLE.

My boys are getting to that age where their toys come with decals.  As they’re 4 (G) and 2 (C – until next month) guess who gets to do the decaling work… Super Dad.  This particular kit was a tough one as it took me longer to get the stickers on than it did to build it.  However all of my frustration was totally worth it when I saw how happy they were.

Even with my infinite childlike behavior, I think my wife would agree that I’m good for at least one thing: running errands.  Unfortunately, many times I even mess THAT up coming home with the wrong thing.  SO, on a recent trip for additional fettuccine I decided to take a photographic “wish list” of what I was to bring home.  I’m happy to say that with minimal issues, I did in fact return home with the correct item.

For many people, spring means birds, snow thawing, and finally seeing green grass after a long winter.  For me it means WRESTLEMANIA.  And with WrestleMania comes one thing: The Beeramid.  I sent this shot to Pip just the other day letting him know that the pre-Mania stockpiling had begun.