Pour Me A Story, Vol. 56
feat. Brian Coulter and an out-of-this-world ice cream
greetings folks, and happy weekend!
apologies for arriving in your inboxes a day late and a buck short this week. it was a long week, and a surprise therapy session on Thursday afternoon (read: I forgot it was scheduled until the video call started) left me devoid of all ability to tap into any form of creativity after the baby went to bed.
but here we are with a rare Saturday edition! thanks again for joining me, and I won’t keep you waiting any longer. let’s jump in.
Anyway, We Have Company
as I believe I’ve mentioned a handful of times in these pages, the 13-plus years I’ve spent on Twitter have given me the opportunity to make some great friends in many parts of this country and the world. but for some reason, residents of Philadelphia represent an outsized segment of my online pals, and it’s amazing to observe on a daily basis. I don’t think I’ve ever met a group of folks who’s so chest-out proud of where they’re from and, as a nomad of sorts for the past decade, it’s really something to behold.
this is a long way of saying that this week’s guest is Brian Coulter, who’s been a friend who lives in my phone for a number of years that I couldn’t possibly pinpoint and a Pennsylvanian for presumably all his life. I haven’t got to meet Brian in the flesh yet, but we’re gonna get there one day and drink a bunch of beers together. in the meantime, let’s meet him shall we?
Adrian Crawford: tell us who you are, where you're from, and a fun fact about yourself.
Brian Coulter: I am Brian Coulter from Bensalem, PA. Most people that know me on social media as PhilaBCoulter. A fun fact? Probably that Twitter saved my life in some respects. While we were never meant to know the thoughts of so many people, it's thanks to them I've become a better person than the path i was probably heading down.
AC: what has life looked like for you over the past few months? hurdles or achievements big or small? light at the end of a tunnel?
BC: 2022 saw a lot more change in my work life than in my personal one. Delivering auto parts in a 5,000 square foot building in January turned into helping run a 100,000 square foot warehouse and delivery center by July. The entire mindset has changed from this being a place where I can graduate into a bigger position elsewhere, into this being the company I intend to retire from.
AC: how do you see the next few months shaping up? what's on the horizon for you and yours?
BC: There's probably going to need to be some more personal growth, as I fully expect the need to take on more responsibility at home. To make an extremely long story short, I've been helping to take care of my parents in some form or fashion since I was 18. Now as both of them reach retiring ages, I have to make sure I'm able and available to continue helping them however possible.
AC: what's something you've particularly enjoyed recently? could be anything from a funny tweet to a 27-course meal (if it's the latter, can I borrow some money).
BC: As a diehard Phillies fan, watching them make a run at a World Series was thrilling. It also allowed close friends to see that I can truly be as deranged and crazy as they get towards the Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, etc.
A random tweet:
AC: are there words you try to live by or an experience that's informed how you tackle problems or challenges?
Two mottos, first is for work:
Be prepared.
Ask for help.
You will fuck up.
A personal one:
Some rules you should follow willingly
Some you should follow politely
Some rules you should break quietly
But others should be broken entirely
AC: what's the best sandwich you ever ate?
3-way Tie:
Woodrow's cheesesteak, South Street in Philly
A completely random burger outside Chicago at a place I'll never remember because they somehow cooked the pretzel roll bun perfectly.
Any grilled cheese sandwich with fries I've ever had between 1-4am. (ed. note: this definitely tracks.)
AC: each edition's guest gets to choose the song of the week (or whatever the publishing interval is). is there a tune that's been on repeat for you recently, or has particular significance to you?
Afraid of Heights by Billy Talent, because there's millions of men and women who've had their musical taste influenced by Tony Hawk video games. (ed. note: this is also 100 percent on the money.)
AC: the second special guest privilege is the Free Plug -- you can plug something meaningful or important to you or something infinitely less consequential. sky's the limit!
Shoutout to a true friend of mine who, in a just world, will be someone you come across regularly on ESPN or the NHL Network in the next few years: The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor. Terrific writer, better person.
Trying Not To Make It Weird
since my little subscriber base has grown by a decent chunk over the past few weeks, I’m gonna throw a little housekeeping in here because folks ask me about it now and again (they go to a different school, in Canada, you don’t know them).
first and foremost, this is a free newsletter because frankly who would would pay for something that disappears without a trace for months at a time, and I don’t have the time or creativity to dedicate to making sure this is worth spending your hard-earned dollars on each month.
with that being said, if there’s ever an edition you particularly enjoy or you aren’t suffering post-pandemic tip fatigue, you are always more than welcome to throw a little change my way as though I were the guy playing violin in your subway station. I promise it’ll be squandered on renting movies on Amazon or chips or something equally useless.
Worthy Consumables
as I mentioned last week, I was down bad for a couple days with covid. you guys remember that thing? I didn’t have significant symptoms but my sinuses were backed up for a few days, which of course dulled my sense of smell and taste.
when Thursday night rolled around I felt healthy enough to move from the guest room to the basement couch to watch M3GAN, the latest iteration of “haunted-doll” horror movies (my review: pretty good! also, Alison Williams’s character is a terrible guardian and you should never leave your child with her) and I even felt up to trying a little ice cream.
Alex had found a frozen treat at Whole Foods by Jeni’s, an ice cream brand that I’ve only just learned is based in Columbus, Ohio. Jeni’s has some wondrous creations that encompass all the regular flavors you might expect from a small batch ice cream company as well as wilder options like Goat Cheese with Red Cherries, Wedding Cake, Boston Creme Pie and more. the one that made it into our home (briefly), though, might be the best damn dessert I ever had.
had I been in full control of my senses, this would’ve tasted like the best donut I ever had. as it stands, with dulled taste buds, it was still phenomenal. I mean come on. why haven’t we ever seen jelly donut-flavored ice cream before now?! it’s 2023 and we’re still innovating. it even gives Graeter’s, the best ice cream in the world and another proud product of the Buckeye State.
so if you run across Jeni’s in the freezer case at Whole Foods or wherever, it gets my seal of approval, and I didn’t get to pushing 250lb by not knowing a thing or two about good ice cream.
Parting Note
as a fellow older-millennial white man, I can relate heavily to Brian’s musical taste being influenced by the Tony Hawk video game series, so here’s his song choice for the week.
thanks again for hanging, folks. see you again next week!
— adrian ✌🏻
Two addendums:
"You will fuck up" is important to tell new hires, especially in my line of work. Breaking that ice has helped my new drivers a lot in being more upfront with mistakes and questions.
We need the return of 24 hour diners. Covid really cut into those businesses in and around Philadelphia, and there's a generation of young adults that need to be able to cure potential hangovers with greasy food options.