Well, that time of year has come and gone again. The time of year when nerds descend upon our fair Circle City. The time of year when you can find humongous posters of goblins, trolls, and dragons hanging from the rafters of the Ram brewery downtown. The time of year when it's odd to NOT see a zombie, vampire, or elf taking a leisurely stroll down the sidewalks of Indianapolis. The time of year when I eat too much greasy food, and have to hope that my stomach can recover within a three day period, knowing it's not likely to happen.
It's Gen-Con, baby!
Gen-Con, for the uninitiated, is a convention that is centered around gaming. All types of gaming. Boardgames. Role-playing games. Video games. Miniatures games. Card games. Game-related media, such as artwork and shirts. Basically, it's Nerdfest. And it's really, really cool.
Gen-Con started in Milwaukee, but moved to Indianapolis a few years back. It's the largest or 2nd largest convention held at the Convention Center, and is the only convention held there that is open 24 hours a day. It lasts Thursday thru Sunday, and takes up the entire convention center. There were thirty thousand people there this year. Yes, I said "thousand".
This was our 3rd year of attending, and to say that the first time we went blew us away would be like saying that in the grand scheme of the universe, a piece of sand is "kinda small". We were astounded by what we saw. People were dressed up in ALL sorts of costumes from comic book heroes and villains to Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) characters to Star Wars/Star Trek to just about anything you can think of. Getting through the exhibit hall was like trying to see just how many squirming fish you could fit in to a box; and the "fish" analogy also works because it could be used to describe the odor of some of the people there. Remember when I said it's open 24/7 for the four days? Yeah, some people REALLY take advantage of that, and DON'T take advantage of the free shower that comes complimentary with every hotel room reservation.
We mostly went, and continue to go, for the boardgames. We're not roleplayers; we've never played pen-and-paper D&D, or any other RPG. The video games are cool to see, but lining up to play them would mean waiting in line for approximately 8 years. And that was something I wasn't willing to do with so much other cool stuff to see. Some of the cooler things you can do there include getting demonstrations of games put on by the publisher, or if you're lucky, designer of the game (nothing like learning the rules from the guy who made the game), playing games that haven't been released yet (and supplying your input on the mechanics of the game, how it plays, etc), and getting to play games you've never played before, either in what they call the Library, or just pulling up a chair next to some fellow nerds playing something that looks cool and playing with them. One of our friends who goes, Corey, and I have a running joke that began the first year we went together: "That game looks cool". And that was pretty much the only criteria we had for a game. We didn't care how long it took, how boring it might be, or if you had to sacrifice a goat mid-game; if it looked cool, we were in. So ever since then, if we walk by a game, we look at each other and say "Hey Corey(Matt)....that game looks cool". Re-reading that, it's decidedly funnier if you're there though.
Did I mention there were costumes? OH MAN are there costumes. Great ones, terrible ones, ones that make sense, some that don't, some that fit the people wearing them pretty well, and some who have the costume approximately 8x smaller than they should be. You see lots of women in corsets, and a few of them REALLY don't need to be. Corsets are not designed for 350+ pound women. Seriously. We saw a lot of "Link" from Zelda people this year. Most were bad, but some were pretty good. What's odd is that they were all women (for those not in the Zelda-know, Link was a guy). So I found that confusing. We saw some Stormtrooper's from Star Wars wearing Kilts; apparently robots need a breeze from time to time too. There were plenty of scantily clad women; most didn't look as good as they thought they did, though. There were some pretty freaking sweet costumes though, as always, and I'll try to get some links shortly.
Oh, and if you've never watched The Guild, and have any appreciation for humor regarding online roleplaying games, PLEASE watch it. And most of the characters from that web-show were at Gen-Con. So that was pretty cool to see better-than-pseudo celebrities! (Plus, the red-head is REALLY cute!)
The first time we went, we met two friends of ours that we have "met" playing a computer game online. The last two years we've invited both of them to stay at our house, and that's been a lot of fun. Corey brings a ton of games, I have a number, and the four of us (Corey, the other friend Jed, Kriste, and myself) play as many games as we can in 3 1/2 days. We shipped the kids off (Henry to Kriste's folks, and Jack to mine), so we had more freedom to do what we wanted when and where we wanted. It was almost like we were grown-ups again! We played long games, short games, fantasy-themed games, an Incan-themed game, board games, card games, war games, and even a horse game. Yes, I said "horse game". And it was pretty fun, so shut it!
The biggest problem with Gen-Con is that I get a "gamer's high", and have a TON of fun for 3 1/2 days, then the other 361 1/2 days of the year, I go through withdrawal. We've met a couple of people in-town who play games, so hopefully we'll get together with them more often. And I'm trying to trick our neighbors in to playing, too, because they've really become some of our best friends. We play outside with them most days, because our kids are all the same age, so I'm hoping that I can finagle them in to playing, either via tomfoolery or shenanigans; I've not yet decided which will be more successful. Suggestions are welcome.
So yeah. We played some great games, hung out with good friends, ate some good food, stayed up too late at night, and just had a fantastic 4 days last week. Just twelve short months until we do it all again. And I can't wait.
EDIT:
Kriste put up some pics of the 'Con here!!!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Mission: Jack's First Adventure Hike = Success
Or How Jack Ate Dirt Accidentally For the First Time.
Today, was Memorial Day. It was a good day. Good weather (though hot), and most importantly, a day I wasn't at work, that extended the weekend by another day. Woot indeed.
So we decide to take advantage of the day by taking the family out to eat (Kriste's had a very rough couple of days recently with Henry in particular, and needed something fun). Then the plan was for Jack and I to drop Kriste and Henry off at Meijer's to do some grocery shopping, and he and I would go find something to tire him out. (<< Life's great challenge right now)
So we go to Scotty's Brewpub. Totally awshum place that started out at Ball State and later Purdue, and later made a brilliant move by opening up places where those campus' alumni would end up: downtown Indy, and 96th and Keystone. It's a fantastic place to eat, and they always have some of the best brews around. Our friend Jon Miller, from PA, had asked me recently about Gumball Head beer, from 3 Floyds here in Indiana, which made me want to get one again (it HAD been like at least a few weeks since I had one....). So nostalgia of college + good food + good beerz = "let's go to Scotty's".
After that, we're heading to Meijer to drop off Kriste and Henry, and I ask Jack which he would prefer: finding a playground, or going on an "adventure". "Adventure" is typically my keyword for "it's going to be awesome, so pick that one", and it worked again this time. Without even really thinking about it, he blurts out "ADVENTURE!!!". I win. Again.
So the plan is to go to the bike trail at 96th, just west of Allisonville. It's a great little trail for biking, and runs from 96th, under 465, to 82nd Street, and then loops back. It's an approximately 8-mile loop all said, and has a nice mix of technical riding and tough physical riding (at least in my eyes - granted it's basically the only trail I've been on in my adult mountain biking life). The great part about this trail is that they do also allow hikers/walkers. You just have to listen behind you, to be sure you don't end up face-down in mud with mountain bike tire tread running up your shirt. Because I don't think I have to tell you that would be awful.
So, we hit the trail. We start walking, watching for exposed tree roots, rocks, and human limbs. Fortunately we saw none of the last of those, but the exposed tree roots and rocks were enough that you had to really watch your step. All of a sudden, Jack decides this would be a great place for not just an adventure hike, but a trail run. So, he takes off. I'm in my sandals, trying to keep up, and he's just having the time of his life, streaking (okay not literally - his pants were on - most of the time) down the trail. I keep him in front of me so that if one of us DOES get run over, it won't be him. Or at least, I'll be pushed down on top of him, at which point I can hopefully plant my arms enough to make a good ramp for the biker running me down, to protect Jack, on whom I'd be falling, and remind him that there are still bikers on the trail. Said bikers begin to come up on us, and I'm very diligent to listen for them, to alert him, so we can get to the side of the trail to let them pass. I guess I should have mentioned that this is a single-track trail, barely wide enough for a bike in most places, so letting them pass us while we continue walking is out of the question.
We carried on most of the trail without incident, but Jack caught on to me listening, and started pretending like he heard bikers too. He'd stop and go "wait...what's that?", and cup his hand to his ear. Then 2 seconds later go "Oh. I thought I heard a bike, but I guess not", and go back to his (relentless) trot. I was SERIOUSLY impressed by his stamina, and couldn't believe how long he ran!
Then, on the way out, I made a (not so) minor tactical mistake. I completely forgot how much further the way back was, as compared to the way out. We got out about 30 minutes, at which point I said "Okay, we better head back", because we had about an hour to kill. Couple the fact that the way back winds about twice as much as the way out, with the fact that I had grossly overestimated Jack's running stamina and forgotten that he'd probably be walking back, and the return trip was about 45 minutes or more.
We finally made it though, after a number of stumbles by tired Jack, one of which caused the aforementioned accidental dirt lunch. Jack kept saying "Why is there so much shade? I want to be in the sunshine", and that was his goal the whole way back. "How much further to the sunshine?". We even called Kriste, to let her know we'd be late, and he told her "We're going to the sunshine, and then we'll pick you up".
Still, for a 4 1/2 year old, he was a heck of a trooper, and made this Daddy very, very proud. I'm totally stoked for our next hiking "trip", and he was asking when he'll be big enough to ride his bike there too. Is good times.
Today, was Memorial Day. It was a good day. Good weather (though hot), and most importantly, a day I wasn't at work, that extended the weekend by another day. Woot indeed.
So we decide to take advantage of the day by taking the family out to eat (Kriste's had a very rough couple of days recently with Henry in particular, and needed something fun). Then the plan was for Jack and I to drop Kriste and Henry off at Meijer's to do some grocery shopping, and he and I would go find something to tire him out. (<< Life's great challenge right now)
So we go to Scotty's Brewpub. Totally awshum place that started out at Ball State and later Purdue, and later made a brilliant move by opening up places where those campus' alumni would end up: downtown Indy, and 96th and Keystone. It's a fantastic place to eat, and they always have some of the best brews around. Our friend Jon Miller, from PA, had asked me recently about Gumball Head beer, from 3 Floyds here in Indiana, which made me want to get one again (it HAD been like at least a few weeks since I had one....). So nostalgia of college + good food + good beerz = "let's go to Scotty's".
After that, we're heading to Meijer to drop off Kriste and Henry, and I ask Jack which he would prefer: finding a playground, or going on an "adventure". "Adventure" is typically my keyword for "it's going to be awesome, so pick that one", and it worked again this time. Without even really thinking about it, he blurts out "ADVENTURE!!!". I win. Again.
So the plan is to go to the bike trail at 96th, just west of Allisonville. It's a great little trail for biking, and runs from 96th, under 465, to 82nd Street, and then loops back. It's an approximately 8-mile loop all said, and has a nice mix of technical riding and tough physical riding (at least in my eyes - granted it's basically the only trail I've been on in my adult mountain biking life). The great part about this trail is that they do also allow hikers/walkers. You just have to listen behind you, to be sure you don't end up face-down in mud with mountain bike tire tread running up your shirt. Because I don't think I have to tell you that would be awful.
So, we hit the trail. We start walking, watching for exposed tree roots, rocks, and human limbs. Fortunately we saw none of the last of those, but the exposed tree roots and rocks were enough that you had to really watch your step. All of a sudden, Jack decides this would be a great place for not just an adventure hike, but a trail run. So, he takes off. I'm in my sandals, trying to keep up, and he's just having the time of his life, streaking (okay not literally - his pants were on - most of the time) down the trail. I keep him in front of me so that if one of us DOES get run over, it won't be him. Or at least, I'll be pushed down on top of him, at which point I can hopefully plant my arms enough to make a good ramp for the biker running me down, to protect Jack, on whom I'd be falling, and remind him that there are still bikers on the trail. Said bikers begin to come up on us, and I'm very diligent to listen for them, to alert him, so we can get to the side of the trail to let them pass. I guess I should have mentioned that this is a single-track trail, barely wide enough for a bike in most places, so letting them pass us while we continue walking is out of the question.
We carried on most of the trail without incident, but Jack caught on to me listening, and started pretending like he heard bikers too. He'd stop and go "wait...what's that?", and cup his hand to his ear. Then 2 seconds later go "Oh. I thought I heard a bike, but I guess not", and go back to his (relentless) trot. I was SERIOUSLY impressed by his stamina, and couldn't believe how long he ran!
Then, on the way out, I made a (not so) minor tactical mistake. I completely forgot how much further the way back was, as compared to the way out. We got out about 30 minutes, at which point I said "Okay, we better head back", because we had about an hour to kill. Couple the fact that the way back winds about twice as much as the way out, with the fact that I had grossly overestimated Jack's running stamina and forgotten that he'd probably be walking back, and the return trip was about 45 minutes or more.
We finally made it though, after a number of stumbles by tired Jack, one of which caused the aforementioned accidental dirt lunch. Jack kept saying "Why is there so much shade? I want to be in the sunshine", and that was his goal the whole way back. "How much further to the sunshine?". We even called Kriste, to let her know we'd be late, and he told her "We're going to the sunshine, and then we'll pick you up".
Still, for a 4 1/2 year old, he was a heck of a trooper, and made this Daddy very, very proud. I'm totally stoked for our next hiking "trip", and he was asking when he'll be big enough to ride his bike there too. Is good times.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
This Changes Everything!!!
or...The Return of the Tighty Whiteys
I'm likely going to burn myself out of ideas for blogging for a while at this rate, but I couldn't keep this to myself. Well, I could have, and maybe should have, but won't.
First, some unnecessary history. So back in the days of yesteryear, when I was but a young pup, I, as all young boys, wore the infamous "tighty whitey" style of male undergarment. Mom bought them for me, they worked, and I didn't know any better.
Enter college, when I finally buy some of my own clothes. BOXERS??? What are THESE??? I had found the seemingly awesomeness that comes with "letting everything hang out". My guys weren't all huddled together, and it was good. Until, that is, they started ripping. Because they were cheap (like I said, I was in college), the material was less than great, they would wear down, and during some strenuous activities, such as sitting down, they could occassionally get a tear in them. This was bad.
So then I found the "compromise" undies: boxer-briefs. These things were great! I could wear them everyday, AND for sports! Okay, so hiking in them would be an awful idea (hellooooooo chafing), but basketball and soccer were just fine. Playing those sports in boxers was...very bad. So these were a great compromise! Leisurely wear that could be used for sports as well.
So, that's what I've been wearing, for a long time. Longer than I've been married I think, which is going on, like, 54 years. I've been fairly happy with them, except in certain situations. If it's really warm out, they keep my upper legs too warm, and I sweat a lot. At night, with the covers on, I find I sweat too much in them. They can give me some red bumps too, from just being too warm. So, Kriste finally talked me in to trying some tighty whitey's again. I was like "Okay, but I'm not going to like them. Just so we're clear".
So on to the whole point of this post. Well, we went to TJ Maxxxxxx (or however many X's they have in their name), and bought some "designer" tighty's, from a company called Evolve. "STOP THE PRESS! WHO IS THAT! These things have changed!!! New material, new cut, new feel...these things aren't bad!" Those were a few of the thoughts going through my head as I put them on, pleasantly surprised. So I wore them one day, and one night, and...no sweating! No issues with getting too hot! These things were fantabulous (as Adam Lambert might say)! So I've continued to wear them, and continued to be amazed.
Had I known how much these things had changed, I would have tried them again years ago. For serious. I'm going to see how they hold out after a few washes, but so far, I'm really impressed, and am missing my boxer-briefs not at all. I read some reviews online, to see if I was crazy, or if all TW's were this good; from what I read, people really feel like these are amazing. Apparently they're from 2xist, which makes really expensive designer TW's, but this is their "lower-priced" brand. And anyway, all of the reviews agree with me, that these are better than sliced bread. Way better. And I loves me some sliced bread.
So dudes...I don't know if all of the tighty's are this good, but head to Target (store or .com) and pick you up some of these Evolve from 2xist. Ladies...don't get these for yourselves. But feel free to get them for your man. You (and he) won't regret it.
I'm likely going to burn myself out of ideas for blogging for a while at this rate, but I couldn't keep this to myself. Well, I could have, and maybe should have, but won't.
First, some unnecessary history. So back in the days of yesteryear, when I was but a young pup, I, as all young boys, wore the infamous "tighty whitey" style of male undergarment. Mom bought them for me, they worked, and I didn't know any better.
Enter college, when I finally buy some of my own clothes. BOXERS??? What are THESE??? I had found the seemingly awesomeness that comes with "letting everything hang out". My guys weren't all huddled together, and it was good. Until, that is, they started ripping. Because they were cheap (like I said, I was in college), the material was less than great, they would wear down, and during some strenuous activities, such as sitting down, they could occassionally get a tear in them. This was bad.
So then I found the "compromise" undies: boxer-briefs. These things were great! I could wear them everyday, AND for sports! Okay, so hiking in them would be an awful idea (hellooooooo chafing), but basketball and soccer were just fine. Playing those sports in boxers was...very bad. So these were a great compromise! Leisurely wear that could be used for sports as well.
So, that's what I've been wearing, for a long time. Longer than I've been married I think, which is going on, like, 54 years. I've been fairly happy with them, except in certain situations. If it's really warm out, they keep my upper legs too warm, and I sweat a lot. At night, with the covers on, I find I sweat too much in them. They can give me some red bumps too, from just being too warm. So, Kriste finally talked me in to trying some tighty whitey's again. I was like "Okay, but I'm not going to like them. Just so we're clear".
So on to the whole point of this post. Well, we went to TJ Maxxxxxx (or however many X's they have in their name), and bought some "designer" tighty's, from a company called Evolve. "STOP THE PRESS! WHO IS THAT! These things have changed!!! New material, new cut, new feel...these things aren't bad!" Those were a few of the thoughts going through my head as I put them on, pleasantly surprised. So I wore them one day, and one night, and...no sweating! No issues with getting too hot! These things were fantabulous (as Adam Lambert might say)! So I've continued to wear them, and continued to be amazed.
Had I known how much these things had changed, I would have tried them again years ago. For serious. I'm going to see how they hold out after a few washes, but so far, I'm really impressed, and am missing my boxer-briefs not at all. I read some reviews online, to see if I was crazy, or if all TW's were this good; from what I read, people really feel like these are amazing. Apparently they're from 2xist, which makes really expensive designer TW's, but this is their "lower-priced" brand. And anyway, all of the reviews agree with me, that these are better than sliced bread. Way better. And I loves me some sliced bread.
So dudes...I don't know if all of the tighty's are this good, but head to Target (store or .com) and pick you up some of these Evolve from 2xist. Ladies...don't get these for yourselves. But feel free to get them for your man. You (and he) won't regret it.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Ayinger - Celebrator
Another beer review. This time for Ayinger's Celebrator, "The Finest Bavarian Double Bock Beer". Or as I like to call it, the marriage made in Heaven between Kool and the Gang and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
First off, the coolest thing about this beer is the plastic goat...thing...on the outside of the bottle, seen here.
That is all.
Okay, I guess I can give SOME more details. This is a dark beer, though not like a stout. Think Newcastle, if you've had that before, and that's close to the color, though this is probably a bit darker. It's kind of a mix between a typical brown and a wheat beer. It has some slight coffee taste to it, but tastes more like a carbonated brown really. There are some caramel and toffee hints as well. All of this combines to make a really good spring beer. It will warm you up just a tad, but has the slight hoppiness and carbonation that makes it go down very smoothly.
Yay! Another bottle of beer off of my desk!
First off, the coolest thing about this beer is the plastic goat...thing...on the outside of the bottle, seen here.
That is all.
Okay, I guess I can give SOME more details. This is a dark beer, though not like a stout. Think Newcastle, if you've had that before, and that's close to the color, though this is probably a bit darker. It's kind of a mix between a typical brown and a wheat beer. It has some slight coffee taste to it, but tastes more like a carbonated brown really. There are some caramel and toffee hints as well. All of this combines to make a really good spring beer. It will warm you up just a tad, but has the slight hoppiness and carbonation that makes it go down very smoothly.
Yay! Another bottle of beer off of my desk!
Yay! It's working!
Wow, I really AM posting more often!!!
(Okay, maybe I copped out by separating one post in to two...)
So, a while back, we went to Cincinnati, OH, for a company get-together Dad's company does each year. While there, we went to a place called Jungle Jim's. Some of you may be familiar with it; we were not. Three words came to mind to adequately describe it:
HO
LY
COW
This place was nuts. It was like Trader Joe's, but on some crazy chemical combination of crack and steroids. (Note: I do NOT support the consumption of this combination. Sure, there are some nice benefits, but man do the drawbacks kick you...hard....)
So this place has isles and isles of food stuffs. Foods, beverages, toys...lots of stuff. But the cool thing, and kind of their shtick, is that it's all organized by country. So you can find all kinds of teas, crumpets, Robin Hood, and things of that ilk in the English isle. Wander in to the German isle and you'll find plum butter, Bavarian mustard, and silly hats. There are isles for everything. Mexican, Irish, Australian, Papau New Guinea...everything! Okay, that last one may not exist. But if any store in America had a Papau New Guinea isle, it would be Jungle Jim's.
In addition to all of that, they have....beer. Lots and lots of beer. International beer, domestic microbrews, and everything in between. THIS was like Heaven on Earth for me. Due to financial constraints, I kept myself to only purchasing 6 internationals, and plan on talking about each of them on here. This is partially so I can have a reference for myself, when purchasing other beers in the future, partially for my friends and family who also enjoy a nice yeasty beverage, and partially to get these bottles off of my desk, that have been sitting here JUST waiting for me to review them. I need to clean this place up, so, I review.
So the first one that I'll be talking about is Ayinger's Ur-Weisse. Ayinger Ur-Weisse is an old-fashioned wheat with some fine roasted malt to give it more color and flavor than golden hefe- weisse. It has an immense crown of lovely foam held proudly above a robe of translucent amber. On the palate, malt and yeast predominate, with a delicious balance of fruit and bread-like yeast. The taste is complex, with suggestions of soft fruit, apple, and, in the finish, perhaps, even cloves.
Confession: I didn't really write all of that in the previous paragraph. It was copied from here. But it sounded good, right? In my own words, I'd say...ditto! Seriously though, it was a great wheat beer. It was a bit of a darker wheat, but not heavy tasting. It was a bit heavier than a lot of hefeweizen's, but still made for a fantastic summer brew. I can see what they mean in the description above by "bread-like yeast"; while I wouldn't say it tasted like homemade bread, I can see the comparison. It was just a nice, medium-bodied, darker (though not as dark as the double bock I'm going to review next) wheat beer, that would go really well with anything you grill, especially chicken or sausages of some sort (brats, obviously - der.). So, go get one (if you can find it)! It tastes kind of, a little bit, sorta like bread!
(Okay, maybe I copped out by separating one post in to two...)
So, a while back, we went to Cincinnati, OH, for a company get-together Dad's company does each year. While there, we went to a place called Jungle Jim's. Some of you may be familiar with it; we were not. Three words came to mind to adequately describe it:
HO
LY
COW
This place was nuts. It was like Trader Joe's, but on some crazy chemical combination of crack and steroids. (Note: I do NOT support the consumption of this combination. Sure, there are some nice benefits, but man do the drawbacks kick you...hard....)
So this place has isles and isles of food stuffs. Foods, beverages, toys...lots of stuff. But the cool thing, and kind of their shtick, is that it's all organized by country. So you can find all kinds of teas, crumpets, Robin Hood, and things of that ilk in the English isle. Wander in to the German isle and you'll find plum butter, Bavarian mustard, and silly hats. There are isles for everything. Mexican, Irish, Australian, Papau New Guinea...everything! Okay, that last one may not exist. But if any store in America had a Papau New Guinea isle, it would be Jungle Jim's.
In addition to all of that, they have....beer. Lots and lots of beer. International beer, domestic microbrews, and everything in between. THIS was like Heaven on Earth for me. Due to financial constraints, I kept myself to only purchasing 6 internationals, and plan on talking about each of them on here. This is partially so I can have a reference for myself, when purchasing other beers in the future, partially for my friends and family who also enjoy a nice yeasty beverage, and partially to get these bottles off of my desk, that have been sitting here JUST waiting for me to review them. I need to clean this place up, so, I review.
So the first one that I'll be talking about is Ayinger's Ur-Weisse. Ayinger Ur-Weisse is an old-fashioned wheat with some fine roasted malt to give it more color and flavor than golden hefe- weisse. It has an immense crown of lovely foam held proudly above a robe of translucent amber. On the palate, malt and yeast predominate, with a delicious balance of fruit and bread-like yeast. The taste is complex, with suggestions of soft fruit, apple, and, in the finish, perhaps, even cloves.
Confession: I didn't really write all of that in the previous paragraph. It was copied from here. But it sounded good, right? In my own words, I'd say...ditto! Seriously though, it was a great wheat beer. It was a bit of a darker wheat, but not heavy tasting. It was a bit heavier than a lot of hefeweizen's, but still made for a fantastic summer brew. I can see what they mean in the description above by "bread-like yeast"; while I wouldn't say it tasted like homemade bread, I can see the comparison. It was just a nice, medium-bodied, darker (though not as dark as the double bock I'm going to review next) wheat beer, that would go really well with anything you grill, especially chicken or sausages of some sort (brats, obviously - der.). So, go get one (if you can find it)! It tastes kind of, a little bit, sorta like bread!
Fail
Okay, so my whole plan to update more often failed. Miserably. Le Miserab...ly.
So, take 2. Trying it again. I've decided to expand it a bit too, which may help me to do this more often. By better defining what I'm trying to do, I may be more motivated to actually DO it. So to that end, I plan on writing more reviews of things I love. Namely, beer, coffee, music, hiking, and maybe some other things.
Something else I'm thinking may be nice would be if somehow these are saved long enough that my sons can read them, to have some more insight in to what Daddy was like when they were growing up.
So, take 2. Trying it again. I've decided to expand it a bit too, which may help me to do this more often. By better defining what I'm trying to do, I may be more motivated to actually DO it. So to that end, I plan on writing more reviews of things I love. Namely, beer, coffee, music, hiking, and maybe some other things.
Something else I'm thinking may be nice would be if somehow these are saved long enough that my sons can read them, to have some more insight in to what Daddy was like when they were growing up.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Make the best of what's around indeed
A few days back, I made my FaceBook status "Turns out not where but who you're with that really matters". It's one of my favorite lines of a Dave Matthews Band song, "Best of What's Around". The song is one of my favorites, because of the message that I take away from it. I don't want to say "the message in the song", because I think that's up to the listener; we take from it what we need. And in this case, this is one of the DMB songs that helps me relax, and get back to Level 1. Here are the lyrics that strike a chord with me everytime I hear them:
Turns out not where but who you're with
That really matters
And hurts not much when you're around
And if you hold on tight
To what you think is your thing
You may find you're missing all the rest
(Note: Level 1 is something I totally just made up, but I'm going to use to describe the state in which I am back to basics, forgetting the drama, and remembering how blessed and lucky I am)
The song actually ties in to our church message from yesterday as well, which was (in very short form): "Spend the best minutes of your life with those who love you, and will truly miss you when you're gone". The idea obviously is to give your family the best minutes of your life, which (sadly) is a message that many of us have to be reminded of sometimes. Anyway, the tie-in that I saw was the line that I mentioned above: it doesn't matter where you are, so much as who you are with when you're there.
The other part that jumps out at me are the last 3 lines of the quoted lyrics above. Sometimes I find myself holding on to things I think are important, only to find out that my priorities are all jacked up. So, I have to unjack them, and get back to the aforementioned, and completely made-up, Level 1. (I wanted to use Ground Zero, but that's got an entirely different meaning now. So, that seemed like a bad idea). Then I'm able to take a look around, and see that I'm actually insanely lucky, way more so than I have a right to be. That's when I make the best of what's around.
The viday-o
Turns out not where but who you're with
That really matters
And hurts not much when you're around
And if you hold on tight
To what you think is your thing
You may find you're missing all the rest
(Note: Level 1 is something I totally just made up, but I'm going to use to describe the state in which I am back to basics, forgetting the drama, and remembering how blessed and lucky I am)
The song actually ties in to our church message from yesterday as well, which was (in very short form): "Spend the best minutes of your life with those who love you, and will truly miss you when you're gone". The idea obviously is to give your family the best minutes of your life, which (sadly) is a message that many of us have to be reminded of sometimes. Anyway, the tie-in that I saw was the line that I mentioned above: it doesn't matter where you are, so much as who you are with when you're there.
The other part that jumps out at me are the last 3 lines of the quoted lyrics above. Sometimes I find myself holding on to things I think are important, only to find out that my priorities are all jacked up. So, I have to unjack them, and get back to the aforementioned, and completely made-up, Level 1. (I wanted to use Ground Zero, but that's got an entirely different meaning now. So, that seemed like a bad idea). Then I'm able to take a look around, and see that I'm actually insanely lucky, way more so than I have a right to be. That's when I make the best of what's around.
The viday-o
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