Dear Mrs. Dole

To NC Senator Elizabeth Dole:

You are antiquated and have continuously proven yourself useless.

Now, you are on the run to protect your seat. Next move? You accused your opponent (Mrs. Kay Hagan) of being "GODLESS"?

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this in the local news yesterday and today I saw it on the national news. Good job.

The gloves are off! Some body's going to chip the good tea set!

So much for that Southern Charm. I thought American politics had dulled me to surprised, but congrats to you for proving me wrong.

North Carolina deserves better.

Weird Shit

I ran across this on the internet today- totally worth sharing. Wow. Can you imagine pulling this out of your lunchbox?

 

The Banana Bunker

How To Spot An Early Voting Location

The Internet: "It's A Series Of Tubes"

The Longest Serving Republican Senator, Ted Stevens (Alaska) is convicted of lying on seven counts.

I think it's going to be hard to find a replacement as archaic and out of touch...

The bar has been set. High as it my be, at least they have a standard to shoot for.

Odds Are

For anyone who might be keeping track, the baby shower was a rousing success.

First one I have ever been too where the father-to-be had to drink if anyone caught him without the stuffed duck and where a chainsaw was used (to cut wood for an evening bonfire).

The weather was actually pretty nice too on Saturday so we lucked out.

Sunday was even better. It was like 75 degrees and sunny.

Today was where we got screwed. Payback. Winter marched into NC this afternoon around lunch time. It's cold. I mean COLD. It's 7pm and currently 42 degrees.

And.. it's Monday night. That means outdoor soccer game! Whoo hoo! My changes of injury just tripled!

It's the last outdoor game of the season, the next season doesn't start until February. At least we are all planning on rolling to the bar afterwords, so that's something..

Mmm... Espresso & Bailey's... mmmmmm...

Chainsaw prep for Baby Shower Drink & Burn

Let The Baby Shower Begin!

I am usually pretty good about not letting myself get roped into things.. however, there has been a failure.

Today, Rob & I are hosting a baby shower for some friends of ours.

Fortunately, for everyone involved its not supposed to be a standard baby shower... all chicks and stupid games, etc. That without a doubt is not their bag. Nor mine.

This one is supposed to involve guys & girls, beer, booze, football, food, and probably a game of cornhole or two. There will be onesies decorating, however the parents-to-be have placed a tw0-drinking minimum rule before the decorating.. this is going to be interesting...

I have never seen people take shots at a baby shower, but I am guessing this would be the one if it was to ever occur.

They are going to be giving out "It's A Girl!" beer coozies. (Yes, my idea.. brilliant no?)

I am sure it is going to be a good time, I however, just don't feel like cleaning the house this morning or putting the work into it.

I really want them to have a good time and I am sure we will. I just need to dig out my hostess hat I guess. Or maybe I need to just start drinking...

Live From The Field!

The Parking Lot View

I have Tivo so that I don't have to watch commericals. However, it seems the hole in my strategy is in the gym. When I am on the treadmill mt entertainment options are fairly limited.

 

There's a couple of treadmills that overlook the parking lot and the rest all face three TVs. There aren't even any placed where you can people watch, which is fine people watching is dull and butt sweat and fat rolls are nauseating.

 

Usually, the TV options are ESPN, CNN, and WRAL (local news). I try to get on the ones that face CNN, I consider this the less of all evils.. I can usually read the tickers when whatever story they are doing is retarded or complete political bullshit. I can stand about 10 minutes of ESPN and then after that it all sounds like endless conjecture and pointless yammering.

 

Yesterday for some reason there was no CNN. Two ESPN and WRAL. I choose WRAL.

 

I am interested in the local news, this is my home and my community and I care when there's stuff going on good or bad. The problem here is the commericals. I hate commericals. CNN has them yes, but they tend to fairly benign and not all are so stupid they seem to be targeting complete idiots. However, yesterday on WRAL I saw it. The manifestation of highest possible level of commerical hell.

 

Every single commerical, EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL, WITHOUT EXCEPTION was a campaign commerical. Presidential, state, or local. All political. Nothing, but endless political rhetoric. Commericals were run back to back with candidates accusing each other of the exact same thing. Back to back for almost an hour. It was exhausting.

 

I never thought I would miss the normal distribution of commerical bullshit.

 

I have never before hoped so much for a good old iPhone or erectile dysfunction commerical..

 

From now on (until at least after the elections) I think I'll opt for the parking lot view, thanks.

Holding Pattern

We've been back from Denver for a week now and just now am I starting to feel like I am getting all my shit back together.

The last few weeks have been a complete blur.

It started on 2 hours notice that my project was going from accelerated to right the fuck now which rolled right into the Durham Beer Festival and then on a plane to Denver and back for the GABF. As much fun as the GABF was, it was not relaxingly really at all.

And then we got back on a Sunday night and got dumped back into work.

Things were started to slow down with my project last week and now they are moving along at the speed of sloth.

There's not much to do. Every one's burnt out. Most everyone is out this week. The new projects are still too early on to panic.. there's nothing going on...

It's like going from 70 mph to a dead stop.

I admit, I am a little off balance with it all.

On top of that all, Fall is definitely here. It's cooling off at night and the days are only barely reaching 70ish. Makes me want to crawl into a pile of blankets and sleep until March.

I spent the weekend mostly avoiding the things I needed to do. I did some shopping.. we'll that's not really true. I tried really hard to spend some money and failed. I don't like the fall stuff much and the things I do like I don't think are worth the price tag..

So after my failed attempt to stimulate the economy, I spent most of Sat sitting in a bar with ME. Been a long time since we burned the greater part of a day that way, I enjoyed it.

I don't know if its the quick stop, the cooler weather, the lack of anything interesting upcoming on my work radar, a combination of all of it or what but I am just completely blah.

Uninterested. In most everything.

Got a soccer game this evening and I am barely interested in that and that's strange. I am going because I said I'd be there and it's not like I have anything better to do. Come to think of it, that describes most of my next month...

Back to Reality

We made it home from the GABF last night and today was back to work for both of us. Today, for the first time in over a week, I didn't feel miserable. Cruel joke, don't cha think?

The last day of the GABF was probably the best. We went to the morning Members-Only Session and while there were a lot more people than I thought there would be, there were not nearly as many as at the other sessions.

It was a little more laid back. The medals were announced and I got my chance to hit the breweries that I had not yet hit. The best surprise was the Weekapaug Gruit from Magnolia Brewing Company in San Francisco (home of Old Thunderpussy Barleywine & The Worm Burger), I think that was the best beer I had there.

I got the chance to sample the rest of Green Flash Breweries options, to date I had only had the West Coast IPA (which is of course spectacular). I finally got to try the 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat out of a can- it was terrible, hard to believe it is the same as what to get on tap there (San Fran) in the summer.

Unfortunately, a lot of breweries started running out of beer by the members only session. This coupled with the fact that we had pretty much tasted everything we wanted to by the end of that session made going to the last session (Sat night) seem like an unnecessary goat rope.

So we sold our tickets and used the money for dinner at the Denver Chophouse & Brewery. It began with a beer sampler and ended with me watching the husband devoured what had to be a 2 pound slab of meat served in meat juice (prime rib, I think). Lehto took down another rather large slab of meat and a good, civilized time was had by all.

I don't know if it was the gorging of ourselves or if it was that we finally found the bodies natural fill line with beer, or maybe it was a combination of both- but we all pretty much reached the point where we couldn't suck down another ounce of beer.

It was strange.

But rewarding. We drank everything. The good, the bad, the local, the creative, the winners, the losers, and the old familiar. While I am not a big fan of Colorado (particularly of the weather) I am a huge fan of the beer and their beer realted festivities. It's a beer lovers mecca, no doubt.

I won't be back for the weather, the skiing, or any of that other crap. I will however, be back for the beer. Maybe even another GABF.

So back to my real life. Working my way through the laundry, washing our new brewery pint glasses so they can join the rest of our displayed kill, and making the list of all the things I need to do now that I am back to my real life. Blah, blah, blah...

Oh yeah and by the way. Rob has a sore throat.

That was phase one of the Swamp Jackal Mountain Fairy Flu. He's the only one who's manage to avoid it until this point. Now? He's going down and there's nothing anyone can do to save him.

Sampler #9 - Denver Chophouse & Brewery

Pre-Game Warm-Ups

Session 2

Yesterday was one of those days that took on a life of it's own.

It started with the plan to head up to Fort Collins to hit New Belgium Brewing Company and then hit a few other breweries up that direction as we worked our way back to Denver for Session #2 of the GABF.

New Belgium was fantastic. It's a tap room, they don't sell their beer for consumption there (you can buy it to go) but you can taste the beers. It's set up similar to a German beer hall, come in, pull up any empty chairs you can find and start chatting with the people you are sitting with.

We had a great time here. Met some of the staff- Jamie hooked us up with samples of a bunch of beers not listed on the menu including a Sour Peach that was excellent. Most notable were the cranberry sassion, the espresso ale (I have only had these brewed as stouts or porters- this as an ale was a beautiful thing), Abby Grande Crue, and Cherry Ale.

After tearing ourselves away from New Belgium we headed to Ft. Collins Brewing Company Tap Room for another sampler, they had a Rauchbier, Pomegranate Wheat, and a the Z-Lager.

On our way out of Ft. Collins we rolled into O'Dell Brewing Company Taproom for a quick sampler. This place was mobbed when we got there. Rob had to pull the car into the grass next to the shipping dock just to find somewhere to park. The most notable beer here was their Pale Ale.

From Ft. Collins we headed towards Boulder and made a quick stop in Longmont to check out Pumphouse Brewing Company. A solid sampler across the board, I think our favorite here was the 4-Alarm Copper Ale.

Off to Boulder, finally. We went straight to the Boulder Brewing Company. It was time to eat and we'd been told the food was best here. The food was indeed excellent, but better yet was my discovery of Single Track Copper Ale.

Single Track was originally brewed at Rock Bottom Brewery at Arrowhead (Glendale, AZ) and when I lived here, I lived almost across the street. I was a regular at RBB and I drank this every time I was there. Gallons and gallons of it. It's one of my favorite beers. It broke my heart when they sold it (right after I moved). I knew they sold it to a Colorado brewery but I didn't know which. Now I do. Boulder Brewing Co. It was like running into a old friend.

Also excellent at Boulder: the Hazed & Infused and the Mojo IPA.

My visit to Boulder Brewing Company was my 99th brewery. At this point, there was no way we could go back to Denver without hitting one more brewery. I have been working towards my 100th brewery since my first microbrewery visit to Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, MO with Towle & Bulldog in 2000.

And no, I don't count any macros and any "breweries" that don't actually brew their own beer.

So it was off to Avery Brewing Company for us. My 100th Brewery.

It just seemed fitting to hit this goal over the GABF, no?

Speaking of GABF. So after we leave Avery, we headed back to Denver, dropped off our accumulated swag, dropped off the rental car, and rolled into Session #2 about 3 hours late. Fashionably late I should say.

At this point, we were all so beer bloated we could hardly drink any more beer. It was about principle. We made it, we went. But we didn't last long.

No worries. There are 2 sessions today. The early session (12-4:30) is for BA (Brewers Association) or AHA (American Homebrewers Association) Members Only- we are of course AHA members so we will be there. This is the session they are going to be announcing the awards, so I am stoked.

Then there's the last session this evening from 5:30 - 10pm. I am going to have to find legitimate food in between here so I imagine we will be later to the last session but whatever, we'll be there.

So here we are at the last day and the final push. It's been a hell of a good time. I've been leaving a trail of snot rags behind me all over central Colorado and it's been totally worth it.

Tomorrow is going to suck. Our flight out leaves at 8:50AM!

The husband has lost all beer related events scheduling/logistical privileges.

Brewery #100 - Avery Brewing Boulder Co.

Sampler #8 - Boulder Brewing Co (Brewery #99 for The Liquor Fairy)

Sampler #7 - Pumphouse Brewery Longmont Co

Detour... Pumphouse Brewery in Longmont Co.

Sampler # 6 - O'Dell's Brewing Ft. Collins CO

Sample #5 - New Belgium Brewing Co. Fort Collins Co.

Session 1

We have survived the first day of the GABF.

It was a lot of what I thought it would be and yet not all at the same time. I think I had really high expectations as this is the pinnacle of American Beer.

First dud is Sam Adams. You guys suck.

They always pour some Utopia at the GABF. Everyone we'd talked to said go there first, they run out fast. Okay, so we got in went straight there and they "didn't have the keg yet, but it was coming, just keep checking."

So we did. Roughly every 20 min or so. We went back no less than 5 times. Then we run into a couple of douchebags who were telling Rob that they had it and Sam was out- they poured at 7:30 and only poured two pictures. They knew to be there at that time cause they had made friends with one of the volunteers in the tent and she told them.

That is BS. They old everyone they didn't know when keep coming back. What a bunch of crap. I still have 2 more chances I guess. We'll see. I see me writing a nasty gram in the near future.

This was amusing. I rolled up to Moon River and the brewer's looks right at me and says: "I remember you. No. We didn't bring Savannah Fest." They remembered me from the Durham one and some previous best festivals. One of the guys asked me, "I have been meaning to ask you, who are you with? (like company)?

I laughed. "Nobody, I do this for fun."

I think the best beer I had yesterday, was the Rauchbier from Buckbean Brewing.

We did have some really crafty beer that were pretty good/interesting but over all I wasn't that impressed with the creativity of the brews. Lots of coffee stouts and porters, standard wheats, pale ales. I was surprised to never really find an outstanding Red.

I was elated to see Four Peaks, but crushed that they didn't bring the Arizona Peach Ale (I suspect that it doesn't travel well). 75th Street from KC showed, but neglected to bring their Raspberry Wheat. Triple Rock out of Berkeley came, but without their Dragon's Milk Stout or Bug Juice...

BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Shoutouts to:

Great Lakes Brewing -good to see you guys.
Boulevard Brewing brought the Unfiltered Wheat (the stuff that dreams are made of)
New Glarus came and brought their Belgian Red, this beer was described as the perfect marriage between beer and fruit and I absolutely agree.
Sweetwater always there always bring the Blue! Love it, now ya just got to distribute in Raleigh!

Everything at the GABF is set up by region. So we started at home in the Southeast.

By the way, Proud to be from NC! North Carolina had a really respectable brewery turn out which included most of the actual brewers and the NC Brewers Guild showed up.

Then we moved to the Southwest, the Midwest, the Plains, and part of the Pacific.

We still have left: Rest of the Pacific, Pacific Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, New England, and Rocky Mountains.

It's 8.25 hours until Session #2 starts. We are on our way to pick up a rental for the day, spring the Jackal and head up to Ft. Collins to tour the New Belgium Brewing Co. There's a bunch of breweries up there and in Boulder, which is on the way...

Game on. Let's see what we can get into.

New Galrus Belgian Red - possibly one of the best beers ever brewed.

REPRESENTIN!

love the name and its actually damn good

IN!

Holy shit this is the line an hour before!

Less than 2 hours

Less than 2 hours til the GABF starts (session #1)!!!

Got my pics loaded up and linked from last weekend's World Beer Festival in Durham.

On our way out to hook up with the Greasy Jackal...

Stay turned.. the smell of disaster looms.

Sampler #4 - Rock Bottom Brewery Downtown Denver

CATCHING UP TO DATE

I know. I know. I am way behind on posting. It's gotten away from me.

Now, I am going to play catch up.

It's 9am in Denver and I am sitting on the bed in the hotel room surrounded by snot rags, Tylenol sinus, NyQuil, cough drops, and orange juice. I look and feel like hell. For the record, I blame Lehto for this- he was sick last weekend during the Durham Beer Festival and now I am sick.

This crap started last Sunday and I was really hoping I would be through it before we got here. No such luck. Do you know how hard it is to breathe with a head full of snot in crap in your lungs in fucking Denver? There's no damn oxygen here.

This is the latest in a string. The torn intercostal muscle, the bruised ribs before that. Then the project from hell and working 12+ hours a day for almost 3 weeks. Rolled right from that into the Durham Beer festival and then 2 days after that we left to come to Denver. I'm an unmitigated disaster.

We landed yesterday morning and went out and hit at few breweries and tooled around. I came back for a nap and never made it back out, I just got worse and worse.

I still have hope this morning. At some point I am going to hit the shower and head out for breakfast and hope for the best. I am NOT going to miss this.

The Great American Beer Festival starts today. I have been looking forward to this for years.

So the World Beer Festival last weekend in Durham was a hell of a good time. I am downloading the pictures now, so they should be up today or tomorrow.

Speaking of pictures. I have given up on my Project 366. It really got to be just a nuisance. I can't recall every saying I was going to do something and then not following through on it until now. For some reason, bailing on this and calling it what it is seems like an accomplishment in its own right.. strange, I know. I stopped enjoying it. I enjoy the moblogging much better and since it's not like my job that I get paid to do, I'm pulling the cord.

Maybe a hot shower will help. Lehto arrives in Denver sometime this afternoon. I am so going to get him back for this.

Sampler #3 - Great Divide Brewing Co.

Sampler #2 - Breckenridge Brewery

Sampler #1 - Wynkoop Brewing Co.