Another Day At The Greek Festival

Finally we got a nice sunny day here in Brooklyn. The other day I passed by the priest of the Greek Orthodox Church and told him he should do something about the rain. He said the congregation was sending petitions like mad. It seems like it worked. Next time I see him I think I will ask him what he can do about the parking situation.

A Sunny Day Brings The Crowd Out


Of course even on a sunny day there is a lot of shade most of the time. One of the things about living in a city with narrow streets and tall buildings.

No Sunstroke


But the crowd didn't seem to mind. You get good value for your money here when it comes to the food, and the food is really good. You can get a lot of homemade specialties too, prepared with loving care by the more elderly female church members. Stuff like my grandmother might have prepared if she was Greek and not Norweigan.

Preparing To Chow Down


And plenty of games of chance if you are inclined try your luck.

Catch A Frog


And little rides for the kids.

Magic Mushrooms


Oh, and did I mention games of chance?

Step Right Up


Plenty Of Customers Today


Sadly they had no more of that Greek beer, at least none that was cold. Why, I do not know. The lady said they had plenty of it but it hadn't been put on ice yet. Maybe they are saving it for later when the goat-that-I-never-get-to-eat is done.

Close, I Don't Think So


But who can complain when you get to eat a delicious pork with lettuce, tomato, and who knows what else on a nicely crisped but still tender and chewy thingy.

Mysterious Chinese Woman Is Loving It


A Look Inside


Now I am a big fan of this Greek Festival but there are many people on my block who are not. Their chief complaint is that there is no parking for a week. And I often wonder how they get away with blocking of an entire block for a whole week. Plus they get to sell beer, which is prohibited at a lot of street fairs.

And, as you can see, this isn't your average church social. You can also buy wine and hard liquor here as well, although you have to know how to ask for the hard stuff. And the rides and games of chance are a bit over the top. They used to have slot machines too, but I think they are down in the basement now where there is are usually a few card games in progress. Hey, live and let live is my motto. May things never change.

Except one year I really would like to get some of that goat.

Stupid Burglars

Why do those burglars in the Brink's Security commercials persist in kicking in the door and setting off the alarm just as the person inside is about to open the door?

Gloomy days make me ponder things like this, and we have had plenty of gloomy days here in Brooklyn as of late. I might book that hotel room in Bangkok.

Finally, An Honest Offer

I was so pleased to get this email after being bombarded with so many fraudulent promises of money. I mean, if the FBI is involved, how can you go wrong?


Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation.
J. Edgar. Hoover Building, Washington D.C

==Final Notice for Fund Release==

This is to officially inform you that we have thoroughly completed an Investigated with the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that you are having an illegal transaction with Impostors claiming to be officials of Zenith Bank and some impostors claiming to be the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. We have removed the former Governor of the Central Bank of Niger (Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo) because of his fraudulent act and also because of the fact that he has siphon people’s money in the name of helping them claim their overdue Inheritance/Contract payment.

Go to:

http://www.africanloft.com/sanusi-lamido-nigerias-new-central-bank-governor-speaks-on-govt-7-point-agenda/ to confirm the fact that there is a new central bank governor who we have instructed to make sure he releases your fund to you as the rightful beneficiary.

During our Investigation, it came to our notice that the reason why you have not received your payment is because you were dealing with fraudsters and also you have not fulfilled your Financial Obligation given to you in respect of your Contract/Inheritance Payment.

So therefore, we have contacted the Federal Ministry of Finance on your behalf and they have brought a solution to your problem by coordinating your payment in the total amount of $800.000.00 USD which will be deposited into an ATM CARD. You now have the lawful right to claim your funds which have been deposited into the ATM CARD.

Since the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been involved in this transaction, you are now rest assured that this transaction is legitimate and completely risk-free as it is our duty to protect and Serve citizens of the United States of America.

All you have to do is immediately contact the ATM CARD CENTER via E-mail for instructions on how to procure your Anti-Scam Certificate which will protect you from being a victim of scam and also protect your fund from being stopped by any organization in the world. We have confirmed that the amount required to procure the Anti-Scam Certificate is US$296.00 which you pay directly to the ATM CARD CENTER agent.

Below, you shall find contact details of the Agent whom will process your ATM CARD from Federal Minister of Finance:

Contact details are as follows:

FEDERAL MINISTER OF FINANCE.
ATM CARD CENTRE
Contact Person: MR. EkenBrown Aku.
EMAIL: info@ecowasverification.org
Contact Mr. Aku of the ATM Card Centre with the following information:

Full Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Direct Phone Number:

Once you have sent the required information to Mr. Aku he will contact you with instructions on how to pay the US$296.00 for the Anti-Scam certificate after which he will precede towards the dispatch of your ATM CARD with the Anti-Scam certificate t you provided address without any further delay.

You have hereby been authorized/guaranteed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to commence towards completing this transaction, as there shall be NO more delay once you provide the information required and pay for the Anti-Scam Certificate.

You are hereby advised to give this notice an urgent attention in other to receive your fund without any imposter interfering.

Federal Bureau Investigation
Robert S. Mueller Director, FBI

Now I just have to figure out how to best spend my new-found wealth. Ain't life grand? As soon as I send off that $296.00 I will be all set to go.

Something Sad And Something Sick

I just saw that David Carradine, star of Kung Fu, Kill Bill, etc., was found dead in his hotel room in Bangkok. Apparently he commited suicide by hanging himself. This is sad.

What is sick is that one of the sponsored links for the story is a site where you can, you guessed it, book a room in a Bangkok hotel.

When In Brooklyn...

When in Brooklyn do as, well, as the Greeks do. At least when it is time for the annual (although I swear they have more than one of these a year) Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church just down the block from me.

That Time Of Year, Again


I dropped by the day before the festival began and you could see where they were already starting their prep work.

A Greek's Work Is Never Done



The church has a nice courtyard in the back for tables and the roasting of the elusive goat, but most of the action is on the street.

Step Right Up


This action will really heat up on the week-end, but there was still a nice selection of food this Monday afternoon.

Grilled Chicken And Pork


Lamb Roasting Away


They also have beer and wine available for a "contribution." In the past they just sold it, but I think this must be a way to get around some kind of law. Well, Bar Man is always willing to contribute to a good cause.

A Very Good Cause


I opted for the lamb gyro, and it was a good opt.

Messy, But Delicious


I am sure I will hit the festival again. It would be hard not to seeing as how I have to walk through it every day. But then that is one of the things I love about where I live, there is always something going on.

Happy Birthday Johnny

For those of you of a certain age, watching Tarzan movies on Saturday mornings was a part of growing up. Ah yes, Tarzan, common-law-wife Jane, Boy and, of course, Cheetah. Amazingly he got Boy's name right, but missed horribly with Cheetah.

A Close Knit Family


Today is Johnny Weissmuller's birthday. Some of you may know that he played Tarzan in many of those old movies, and some of you may know that he was a champion swimmer. Few probably realize how great a swimmer he was. He was the undefeated winner of five Olympic gold medals, held 67 world and 52 national titles, and at one time held every freestyle record from 100 yards to the half-mile. And nobody ever saw a picture of him with a bong. But then nobody saw those compromising pictures of him with Cheetah's mother, either.

Today we should all tip a glass of some fermented stuff, preferably African, to celebrate his career.

Straight Up, Or On The Rocks


Sadly, Johnny has passed on to that great pool in the sky. Cheetah, ironically, lives on and, at 76, is the world's oldest, known, living chimpanze.

A Comfortable Retirement


Cheetah enjoys painting, playing the piano, and long walks in the moonlight with that special someone.

Waterfront Ale House

I know, I know, this is my favorite local watering hole and I write about it all the time. This time, however, it wasn't me who wrote about it. If you get a chance to get hold of a copy of the June - July issue of Ale Street News check out the Beer Strategies column written by Paul Sullivan.

The title of the article is Finding Your Local. His local is, you guessed it, Waterfront Ale House. And his reasons for liking it are pretty much the same as mine, "Friendliness, camaraderie, and great beer." Of course I also include the free popcorn and fabulous food.

You can often find free copies of Ale Street News in bars, that is where I picked up mine. They also have a nice website at Ale Street News but this particular article wasn't available online.



And no, I still don't know why the awnings say Pete's Ale House.