Pour Me A Story, Vol. 33
feat. Eric Fink, Italian frozen treats and more
greetings everyone! we’re back with the 33rd edition of Pour Me A Story.
the past seven days have, as usual, felt like a whirlwind. I hope y’all had a relaxing Memorial Day Weekend, or at least that the weather wasn’t some form of miserable where you reside. it was pretty bleak here but we were able to get the kiddo out of the house for her first trip to the museum on Monday, which was equal parts overwhelming (for me) and mind-blowing (for her.)
speaking of mind-blowing, I’ve been sufficiently amazed over the past 48 hours at the initial support for the Rhode Island Seafood Festival, which I spoke about at length last week. we opened ticket pre-sales on Tuesday, and already we’ve moved a handful of two-day passes. this might not sound momentous by any stretch, but considering we didn’t really have a festival last year, it’s both flattering and encouraging that folks would jump online and buy tickets 100 days out after a year spent in absentia. I guess that goes to show just how great of an event we’ve built over the past decade.
it’s also been an exciting couple weeks for a handful of friends of mine around the country, who’ve been celebrating professional and personal achievements of various types. I gotta get my act together and get them in here so we can all bask in the glow of Good Things Happening To Good People.
Anyway, We Have Company
this week we’re joined by another Philly Twitter guy who happens to be one of my IRL friends as well. the first time I met Eric Fink in person, I was first-out bartender on a Saturday night. he came storming in, stood in front of me, dropped his pants to his ankles to reveal a tattoo on his thigh of the Rocky Mountains as depicted on the Coors Light bottle, and hollered “The Philadelphia Eagles beat the New England Patriots 41 to 33 to win Super Bowl 52.” it was quite the entrance and I’ve never forgotten it. anyway the man contains multitudes as you will see below.
AC: Fink my friend! what's up brother, how's your week been?
EF: Adriaaaaaaan, hello my guy. How we doing? How’s the weather? My week has been okay. A few highs and lows due to my sports teams but overall a pretty decent week. How about yourself?
AC: I'm doing alright my friend! Memorial Day weekend we got some miserable weather but it's been beautiful out here ever since. how about those Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers?! how you feeling heading into the second round?
EF: HOW ABOUT THEM SEVENTY SIXERS HUH?! How am I feeling?? I’m not going to lie, I’ve been OVERLY confident about the Sixers and the playoffs and it felt like “the year”. The Embiid news really was a cold shower for me. I’m not worried about the Hawks but I am worry about the rest of the playoffs. I’m a natural worrier whatever!!
AC: buddy you may be a natural worrier but you’re hands down one of the most positive people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. speaking of the Sixers, I loved that they included you (eventually) in their small business signal boosting a few weeks ago. how did that come to life?
EF: Making me blush!! So the Sixers started a small business program to help businesses throughout the tri-state area during the pandemic. Someone from the Sixers reached out, (I don’t know if someone nominated us or not) sent back and forth a few emails and we were signed up to go. Had a little wrinkle but finally got on there. Was a lot of fun and I don’t know if you know this Daryl Morey came into our shop.
AC: what was he like? I imagine him being the diminutive type, which is an incredible contrast to your larger-than-life personality. and for everyone playing at home who isn't familiar with Eric, his family owns award-winning sandwich shop Fink's Hoagies, where I cannot wait to eat one day. how long have the Finks been in the hoagie game?
EF: He was actually really nice, down to earth. Had a nice 15-20 min conversation with us. Took a selfie with my dad to send to Mike D’Antoni???? (F the Nets!) Just a really awesome dude. Was a cool day. Need to see you in the shop. Mr. Fink after a long career of different jobs became the hoagie King in 2004!
AC: that’s amazing dude, and the Sixers couldn’t have picked a business more representative of the city. so proud. and you guys seem to be absolutely slammed every day, so how do you manage to find time for Joel Catbiid and Harper and of course the lovely future Mrs. Fink?
EF: Is this whole thing about making me blush the whole time because it’s working. We’ve been super busy recently with the restrictions being lifted, schools are ordering, graduation parties are back, it’s been a crazy 3-4 months I’ll tell you that.
Honestly it’s been super hard. Harper stays with Steph (FMF) and I have Joel Catbiid. We currently have separate living arrangements (thanks pandemic). Steph is in nursing school full time (passed her first semester, shout-out my future wife) while working. We both work weekends. It’s been very stressful but we make sure to find time for each other even if it’s for a 20-minute walk with Harper, stopping by each other’s places on the way to some place we have to be.
It’s rough but the things you do for love Adrian!!
AC: the things you do for love indeed my man. it sounds like you guys are doing everything you can to get some family time, and that’s the main thing. and I feel like I’ve gleaned the understanding that you guys have a long history that rekindled recently? or am I imagining that?
EF: Sooooooo, Steph and I first met in 2009. My cousin was dating her sister. We were introduced, quickly fell in love and dated for a good 3-4 years. Now I’m the first to admit my past mistakes, I was a shitty boyfriend! She dumped me (which I deserved). Over the years we still kept in contact loosely. Had a few rendezvous. Tried to work on things, didn’t work out. We finally sat down one day for lunch to have a talk. Told her we have to decide what we’re doing, I tried to force an ultimatum (what an idiot, fellas don’t ever do this) she was up front with me and said she can’t get over our past and she’s not ready to get back with me.
That was it. I’m stubborn as hell. (So is she) So that was the last time we talked or had contact for about I’d say 4 years? I mean 0 contact, no texts, social media, nothing. Over the 4 years we did our own thing. I dated someone for a few years, she dated someone for a few years. We had other lives.
Let’s fast forward to 2018. So I mentioned my cousin, her sister. They have a kid together now. So that cousin, (what up Danny) runs a memorial softball tournament every year for our cousin Nicky and friends they grew up with. I get invited every year, duh I’m family and duh again a stud softball player but decline because Steph will be there. Every year, Nope can’t make it. Now I’m single, I don’t care I’m like oh baby this will be great, she’ll see me and fall back in love, I got Stephy back. Oh no pal, Adrian, she brought her boyfriend to the tournament AND THEY’RE BOTH ON MY TEAM. I was in hell.
I put on my nice face, played along, was a very nice guy the whole day. Now she’s on my team so we’re just talking during the game, giving pointers, etc. Man, Adrian… I was soup. Melted all over again. I had a fantasy draft that night and she was still with a boyfriend. That’s it. No more Steph. 8 months go by. 2019, (I swear I’m wrapping it up) she is out and she sees a one of my best friends Nick. Nick and her are longtime friends, even before I met Steph. So they’re talking and you know how the talk goes. Eventually “Eric is being his old self nothing I see changed.” (I could be butchering their exactly talk but you’ll get the point) Nick is like what??? She mentions I might comment or like something from a [Facebook] memory on this day or something. (You would have hated 23-27 year old Eric) but he basically says no Steph he’s not doing it to be annoying Eric or whatever, he’s still in love with you. Like I said, we haven’t really talked in years or had any contact, avoided places we’d might see each other.
But man she was always the one, seriously. My friends knew it. Was always talking about her when I was single. This threw wifey in a dizzy because she had no idea I still felt this way, had feelings for her, etc. So she texts me next day and says we have to talk. I said okay absolutely when? I can call you right now. (I was so desperate looking back damn)
So it a few days later we had a talk and it was literally by chance. (Even though she texted me, man just listen to the story) I was coming home (I live on top of a bar) she was at the bar I live on top of with her friends she recorded a podcast with. She texted me and said “I’m at Bar and I’m leaving in 5 mins. I don’t know what you’re doing but if you are home and would like to talk to can meet me out front. I’m not coming in, I’m not going anywhere else. 5 mins. I’m in an Uber on my way home after being out with friends literally mins away. She was in her car ready to go (she definitely waited a few extra seconds, I know it) and saw me. She stayed for about 20 mins and all we literally did was stand out front of this bar just catching up on life, talking about family, friends. I felt like I was in Heaven. Man when you know, you know. I wasn’t letting her get away again.
We talked through text back and forth here and there for a few days. I went on vacation with Div to New Orleans, when I came back she told me she’s willing to give it another shot. (I’m giving the main points, we talked more than two words you get it)
We took it slow. Acted like we were dating for the first time again. Some small movies dates, this and that. We had our first “official official” “first” date, I remember sending out a Snapchat that night of her walking down the block looking as gorgeous as ever and said damnnnnn I’m gonna marry that girl. Six months later I’m on my knee asking Steph to be the future Mrs Fink, she says yes and we’re getting married 12/31/22 (first night I asked her out officially in our 20s, proposed to her on 12/31).
If we didn’t have that time apart, time to go through other life experiences we would of never gotten back together and been able to work like we have. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. (That’s a thing right?) Sorry for rambling! Love my wife and talking about my wife!
AC: now that’s a goddamn love story. alright I don’t wanna keep you too much longer while you’re enjoying a nice high so just two more softballs. number one: the special guest gets to choose the song of the week. number two: you get to plug whatever you like, it can be something meaningful or important to you or just fun or whatever. sky’s the limit!
EF: Oh no man if you got more I’m chilling I have to be the best guest ever (I’m high every night and my power is out) Song of the week: Rod Lee - Dance My Pain Away I would like to plug Joel Embiid’s meniscus tear so he can help the Sixers win a title. Seriously though just want to say thank you to you Adrian for even having me as a special guest! Not being sarcastic, it’s truly a honor and appreciate you thinking of me. Shoutout my niece Shannen who is graduating high school this week!! Going to Holy Family in the fall 😤
BE KIND TO EACH OTHER, STAY HYDRATED, I LOVE YOU ALL. #PVO
AC: love ya brother, thanks so much for sharing some of your time with me! can’t wait til we can be in the same room again sinking some cold ones.
Worthy Consumables
it is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge that the few months post-half-marathon training have been a lot more physically stagnant than my body was accustomed to, and I’ve had trouble adjusting my caloric intake to accommodate.
what I’m saying here, pals, is that I’ve put on a few pounds that I would like to get rid of. one of my major vices is dessert; I’ve got a sweet tooth that would make Willy Wonka uncomfortable. To that end, making sure we don’t have easily accessible sweets in the house is an easy way to not blow the daily calorie allowance out the window.
Alex picked up some of these as a compromise, and by god they’re pretty good. I don’t know much about Italian ice (frozen water with an accent? idk) but they clock in at a lazy 100 calories and I can almost convince myself it’s ice cream, which is good enough for me.
I uhh
I uhh probably could’ve taken a photo of the confection itself rather than the fuckin’ nutritional information label, but I’m not a food photographer. anyway it’s called Luigi’s and I would recommend it if you, too, do not need 500 empty dairy calories at 8:30pm.
Parting Note
this one was a bonus for me because I’d never heard of it until Eric requested it up there, but then when I searched to get the YouTube link, I noticed the cover photo was the soundtrack from The Wire, a show which debuted 19 years ago this week and is very dear to my heart. as soon as I clicked play, I knew exactly what it was.
that’s it from me for another week, friends. enjoy those weekend plans and (hopefully) some nice weather and we’ll see each other in seven or less days.
— adrian ✌🏻
Shout out to Fink!
Adrian brother you can't be this Philly-adjacent and talk about Luigi's like it's something good. When you get settled in after the move I'm gonna ship out some real wooder ice for youse.
Luigi's is the best and if you scoop around the sides and turn the ice upside down you get a bunch of gooey, sugary goodness on the bottom