Driven To Drink

On today’s D2D Pod, Greg’s right out of the gate with a jeans’ crisis. With three troops down in one month, and the knees about to blow-out in a fourth, there is a might bit of anxiety. Jen, on the other hand, is right out of the gate fucking with Greg and his tendencies toward repetition, perseveration, and melodrama. Additionally, the topic of Greg’s thick, “rock hard” thighs becomes further fodder for Jen’s self-amusement and light-hearted Greg-bashing. Talk also turns to Emmy, the cat, her tendencies toward assholery and the history behind her personality and behavior. And the booze. It’s all about that booze. Check this out: Wigle Whiskey is one the most awarded craft distilleries in the U.S., with 6 medals at the American Craft Spirits Association (ASCA) conference in Austin, TX…including gold medals for their malted rye and organic deep-cut rye whiskey. The latter spirit is in Jen’s glass tonight! Maggie’s Farm takes Best In Class Rum at the ASCA plus a gold medal for the delicious Queen’s Share double

On today’s episode of the D2D Pod, we drink Rogue Voodoo Doughnut and Troeg’s Perpetual IPA. These two breweries seem to never miss. Beer is good, and these are great. Drink them, you shall. (So says Yoda.) Jen calls Greg a “douchebag,” because Greg is being a douchebag, which reminds Greg of the best Maddy story ever. Jen tells it wonderfully. Greg then pisses Jen off by taking a poorly conceived joke approximately 5 steps too far, and Jen tries to shut the podcast down. (Watch out, it gets loud. The smacking of the microphone, when heard through headphones on the treadmill, or perhaps blasting out of your speakers while hurtling down the highway, can be dangerous.) Things settle, and Greg reveals two insights. This is a roller coaster of an episode which we’re sure you’ll enjoy. We present to you, “Insights of a douchebag.”

A dear friend, Kenny, used to relate an anecdote for which the punchline was a child referring to him as the, “Speech Terrorist.” I love that. Sometimes, though, it really is like that’s what we do. I think about the amount of children and young adults out there whose entire lives are utterly therapized. For some, almost every waking minute is programmed, structured, or dictated; almost every behavior is measured, studied, and pathologized; and every ounce of fun is wrung out of life for the sake of fitting in and “looking like a typically developing child.” I say fuck that. And ultimately, all of the children I’ve met in these scenarios have essentially said the same. I see so many professionals restraining children and telegraphing at them, “Use…your…words!” I’ve often thought, what if the child looked up and said, “Fuck you!”? Behaviorally, you’d have to positively reinforce that…because the child did exactly what s/he was told. Right? (What we generally mean is, “Use the words I want you to use. And do th

A World of Pure Inebriation, Part 7. With his frontal lobe incapacitated and sound decision-making no longer possible, Greg makes himself a rum high-ball. He is a hot fucking mess. Jen is losing steam quickly. Nonetheless, the Drunk Ducas discuss Jen’s middle school rapist (…wha?…), dive into literary criticism (…yikes…), and end with scabs. Scabs are bad. We present to you, “Welcome to the Shit Show, and Good Night.”

A World of Pure Inebriation, Part 6, in which the final 20 ounces of Nugget Nectar disappears along with both Greg’s and Jen’s sobriety. Greg becomes the drunk man who is assuredly drunk, and Jen begins her steady decline toward sleep. The discussion moves from home made didgeridoos and shekeres, to “The Weekly Pint,” and the fact that Jen wants a subscription to receive artisinal cheeses. Additionally, it becomes clear that Jen loves to fuck with Greg when Greg is drunk and feeling self-conscious and sensitive. It’s funny. We present to you, “The Final Ounce Down.”

A World of Pure Inebriation, Part 5, in which the Nectar continues to flow. Greg becomes the drunk man trying to articulate soberly, and Jen makes home made cheese crackers, a la “Cheez-Its.” Greg says, “Gelana Abaya” perhaps 5 too many times and Jen claims, “I’d rather you look like Guy Fieri than Donald Trump.” The Drunk Ducas close this one out strong discussing “The Coolest,” a bag of live chickens, and family alcoholic dysfunction. Cheers. We present to you, “20 More Ounces of Nugget Nectar.”

Hello there! We’re glad to have you back for the concluding installments of our serialized booze-a-palooza! To recap: One Friday night, several months back, Greg and Jen made their way through 7 alcoholic beverages and recorded mini-podcasts per drink. Previously, we presented, “The Belfast,” “One Miller Lite,” and “Mr. Burton Baton.” Today, you’ll move through the final four. As always, we appreciate your eyes, your ears, and your willingness to comment, to share us with your friends, and to keep coming back. And remember, the more you drink, the funnier we get. A World of Pure Inebriation, Part 4, in which we crack open a 64 ounce growler of Troeg’s Nugget Nectar, discuss a friend’s upcoming birthday, consider framing a very old British newspaper, and spread love to other wonderful people. For Greg, the official Head of Hyperbole, everything becomes “amazing,” and “incredible.” Additionally, the word “like” escapes his mouth so much one might be tempted to drown him in the Pacific Ocean along with a venue o

A World of Pure Inebriation, Part 3, in which the soon-to-be Drunk Ducas enjoy a “Burton Baton” from Dogfish Head. Oak aged, 10% alcohol by volume, imperial India Pale Ale. And holy shit what a whack in the palate after the Episode 2 debacle. We present to you, “Mr. Burton Baton.”

A World of Pure Inebriation, Part 2, in which Greg unveils a Miller Lite. Why? We propose, why the hell not?! Here, Jen researches the ingredients of Miller Lite, among many other common and popular beers, and Greg is gobsmacked. We present to you, “One Miller Lite.”

Greetings regular readers and listeners. Today, we have quite a treat for you. Did you like NPR’s “Serial?” Do you enjoy conversational podcasts? Do you adore your ‘happy drunk’ friends as they travel through the evening? If you answered unequivocally “No” to even one of these, I’m not entirely sure what you’re doing here in the first place. However, if any of these questions sparked even a modicum of interest or intrigue…come with me, and you’ll see, a world of pure inebriation. One Friday night, several months back, Greg and Jen made their way through 7 alcoholic beverages and recorded mini-podcasts per drink. As always, we appreciate your eyes, your ears, and your willingness to comment, to share us with your friends, and to keep coming back. So, without further ado: Episode 1, in which Greg is incredibly excited to have “invented” a new drink, the Belfast…only to later realize that he’d made a Rob Roy. It was smokey and delicious, and Greg stands by his minor modifications on the classic cocktail in creat

On today’s episode of the D2D podcast, Jen and Greg travel on 79 South toward Pittsburgh after a wonderful day and evening in Erie. They discuss how to make shitty, burned, convenience store coffee (kind-of, sort-of, maybe, not really…) palatable, and also how to make delicious coffee in a style that has come to be known as “bulletproof.” (For Greg’s recipe, 10-12 ounces of delicious coffee, likely from Commonplace Coffee, made on a pour-over bar. 1 tablespoon of grass fed, unsalted butter. 1 tablespoon of unrefined coconut oil. Organic ginger and cinnamon. A few dashes of organic Stevia. Craft bitters can be quite fun here too! All go into a blender and are spun on high for 10 seconds or so. When the blender is shut down, the new concoction forms a wonderful, frothy head. PLEASE NOTE: For those of you who drink tea, this absolutely can be done with your beverage as well. I suggest using black tea, steeped for at least 5 minutes but perhaps even 6, then do everything else as described above. PLEASE ALSO NOTE:

Jim won't put Aunt Jemima in his drink.   Why?   Well, it's certainly not becuase the product is entirely fake and processed.  No, it's because there's a black woman on the label.   In this mini, the song "Freebird" reminds me of both the event and my recent post related to it.  (Check it out here.)   Please forgive the various odd noises that occur.  It's as if an alien is attempting to communicate with me.  Which reminds me, I really do need to get more consistent recording equipment.   Love yinz!

On this episode of the D2D podcast, you'll find ample joy, laughter, anecdote...and beer.  Pay close attention for all of the mentions of delicious food and drink (links provided below), and please support all of the amazing people and places mentioned in this podcast.  Really, it's all incredibly good stuff. In preparation for judging the "Battle of the Brewz" at The Commons at Franklin, Greg purchased several bottles of disparate brew types, nuzzled in next to Jen and the recorder with clean beer goblets and several printed tutorials on beer tasting (...check out ratebeer.com, craftbeer.com, and beeradvocate.com...), and let the  not-entirely-perfect pours commence. (Note: The competing breweries were North Country and Timber Creek.  The other judges were from Lavery Brewing.  (These fine establishments and people will be featured in next week's D2D pod!) First up was Southern Tier 2XPRESSO (...yinz guys gawt expresso?  How baht a mawkeeawdoh? It was ruhl good!...).  Actually, I'll let the folks at Southern

In this episode of the Driven 2 Drink podcast, Greg remembers that George Thorogood needs 4 minutes to get to the chorus of, "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."  (...but only after listening to the song for 4 minutes.)  Please feel free to also listen...or fast forward to the 4 minute mark!   We also find out that Jen, while not a booze snob, has a super refined and accurate palate; while Greg's palate, unlike his highbrow, smarty-pants demeanor, has the fidelity of a late 19th century phonograph (...or this damn podcast.  Thanks for listening.  I'll purchase microphones soon.  Promise. K? K. Try the fish.)  We also discuss vascular dudes at the gym (...think He-Man figurine on top with Waldo on bottom...) and a tattoo so egregious it became the title of this post.  We love having you with us, and hope you love having us with you. Without further ado, we present to you, "Bible Buttocks."

Heyoooooh! On this episode of the D2D podcast, recorded on Black Friday, 2014, your humble and appreciative hosts discuss the wonder that is Troegs Brewing Company and their five-star, knock-your-socks-off snack bar; the pitfalls and travails of the Pittsburgh Turkey Trot, both human and canine; and all manner of douche-baggery.  Additionally, Jen finally unleashes her frustrations and taps into her "inner-Greg," which then opens the door for yet another comical Greg-rant.  We love and appreciate you, and we present to you, "Black (Sabbath) Friday."

As promised, here is the companion podcast to the D2D Post, "Enjoy the Silence."  If you are a regular reader but not listener, this episode is a really nice place to start.  If you are a regular listener but not a reader, well...same goes for the post.  (I've linked it just above.)  If you regularly read and listen, well then you should be happy as a clam at high tide. Further explanation is unnecessary, so we present to you, "Enjoy the Silence."

We saw Maron Friday night (4/17).  Before the show we drank at Voodoo Homestead, our new favorite beer and brewery, and we had food from the Berlin Street Food cart.  The sandwiches were sublime.   The venue was within walking distance from the brewery and the evening was warm and sunny.  The smell of food in the air, the sounds of children playing basketball, the volunteer firefighters cleaning their trucks and laughing at private jokes...a perfect community vibe.   Maron walked on-stage at about 8:20, and he was outstanding.  All the things I expected, and more...hilarious, honest, relaxed, in-control.  He moved through stories, jokes, call-backs, spot-on improvisational choices, impersonations, and he did it all with perfect...Maronness.  He's on my Mt. Rushmore of comics and podcasters (...that's two separate monuments, for those keeping track...), and I was on cloud 9 for like 75 minutes.  Really, he went for that long...and he was on fire the entire time. On the walk back to the car, Jen and I both clai

Oy, wait, you're listen...(ha-ha-ha)...Okay? Alright. K? Alright. (Throat clear) You are listening to Driven 2 Drink (Driven 2 Drink)...SHORTS! From WGCD (D? Yes.), and Jen P.R. Hi.  This is Gregory Del Duca. (And this is Jennifer Del Duca.) On today's episode of Driven 2 Drink, we discuss our amazement and appreciation that you are spending time with us weekly, Greg finds out some things about himself, we shower love unconditionally upon Mike and Aunt Penny as we drink Margaritas infused with a marvelous Grand Marnier (Signature Collection #2, Raspberry Peach) provided by Ilyssa and Marc, and we close with a classic rock ballad ("Motorin'!!!"). We present to you, "Appreciation, Self-Depreciation, and Night Ranger." [If you didn't catch it, we love Radiolab, and if you don't know about it you should really acquaint yourself with THAT podcast.  It is breathtaking and captivating and enlightening and flawlessly produced.  In other words, NOTHING like this. Also, you'll understand that first paragraph (above) an

Unquestionably the most fun we've had with a podcast thus far.  Perhaps not coincidentally, it's also the drunkest Greg has been.  Unfortunately, both the fun and Greg's boisterous inebriation highlight the fact that we need to purchase decent microphones and processing/editing software.  2015 is just around the corner and with it the prospects of a few spare shekels and a couple of sexy mics!* (*Update: We're super close on the sexy mic front.  Also thinking about a sound board and other goodies.  Very, very close.) The highballs (...our version for this podcast included: 1 part Gentleman Jack Tennessee Whiskey, 2 parts Fever Tree ginger beer, fresh-squeezed lemon, liberal ice...) were flowing perpetually, like the coffee flowed the morning after, and Greg's laugh traveled the entire spectrum from giggle through guffaw and eventually hyperventilating cackles. (Again, we apologize for the audio...particularly Greg and his maniacal laughter.  Jen has it down pat.)   On this episode of the d2d podcast, we discu

(Note: this podcast was recorded in December, 2014) November and December bring multiple holidays and celebrations, one or several of which find participation by nearly every U.S. citizen.  It's a time for reflection, for thankfulness, for kindness and generosity, for family and friends.  For many, it's a time that brings anxiety, frustration, and myriad reminders of misfortune, mistreatment, and challenges.  This is particularly true for our veterans.  The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, with data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, estimates that approximately 50,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. (Let that roll around in your head.)  I took a look at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's information regarding uninsured veterans and family members and found the following: In 2010, an estimated 1.3 million veterans and nearly 950,000 members of their families were uninsured. (It's unclear where those numbers stand today, even with recent medicaid expansions of the A