George Michael's Logical Syllogism

Premise 1: Guilty feet have got no rhythm
Premise 2: Though it's easy to pretend, I know you're not a fool
Premise 3: I should have known better than to cheat a friend
Premise 4: And waste a chance that I'd been give
Therefore, I'm never gonna dance again, the way I danced with you

Russian Imperial Stout (the desroyer beer)

Imperial stout, also known as "Russian Imperial Stout" or "Imperial Russian Stout," is a strong dark beer or stout that was originally brewed by Barclays brewery in London, England for export to the court of the Tsar of Russia. It has a high alcohol content (nine or ten percent is not uncommon) intended to preserve it during long trips and to provide a more bracing drink against cold climates. The colour is very dark, almost always opaque black. Imperial stout exhibits enormously powerful malt flavours, hints of dark fruits, and is often quite rich, resembling a chocolate dessert.

Over winter break, my step-father cracked open a version of this brew from Stone. It had been a long time since a beer had "taken me out" and this one surely did. The robustness of the malt and hops are indeed remarkable. In fact, a friend of mine was enjoying one a few days ago and actually had to stop drinking near the end of the pint because he was overcome. If you ever get the chance, drink this one with a few good friends.

Can You Guess Which Ride We're On?

Last summer, I was workin' crazy hours with my uncle both at the Horn shop and out at his property. Most days exceeded the 12 hour mark and we rarely took a day off. At one point, I had worked for 45 days straight. It was a cruel, cruel summer.

Why did I do it? Well, he's building a house just outside the city of Fresno and it was crucial that we got the roof on before the rains came. It also had something to do with the duckets.

Do to large time commitment, a feeling of entitlement began to rise up in me and one day, in the midst of the swealtering heat, I said, "Harry, when we finish this house, we're going to Disneyland." It was a joke. It was also serious.

Well, this past thanksgiving, with the roof on the house that joke was realized. The photo is proof. If I had to do it all over again, I would.

A Portrait of California

So, my dad plays this game with license plates as he's driving around town. He counts the last three numbers of a license plate sequencially beging at 000. Right now, he's on 680. Truck plates don't count. He's been playing this game for over 6 years. Others play this game as well.

Dreaming of Becoming a Fireman

Lots of little boys dream of becoming firemen when they grow up. Firemen are some of the more idolized professionals among the 3-8 year old demographic. Today, I saw the manifestation of this as I was driving home. As I passed by the local fire station, I noticed that the big fire engine doors were open and that a stream of water was pouring out into the drive way. Then I noticed the fireman holding the hose and a little boy, no more than 3 years old, by his side. The boy's mother stood off to the side, watching with glee. It was a perfect encapsulation of what used to be good about American culture.

I feel like we all want to become firemen is some sense or another. For instance, I was eating some really hot salsa earlier today and I was, like, "Damn, that is some hot stuff. My mouth is on fire! I need a fireman to put out the flames that are coming out of my mouth."

(Sigh)

"I wish I was a fireman."

Double IPA Festival in Hayward, Ca

This past weekend the executive chef at Calvin Crest Josh Haas, my step father Dave Divelbiss, world renown Gear's of War advocate Brad Long, and I made the trek up to the Bay Area to enjoy some serious brews. The weather was a bit sketchy at times, but the beers made up for what mother nature left out. Here is a photo of some of our selections: Hebrew's RIPA (Dark), Pizza Port's Hop 15, and Russian River's Pliny the Younger (light). Of all the beers present (well over 50 different Interpretations of the Double IPA style), Russian River won the day with their incredible Pliny the Younger. I'd like to give a big up's to all the guys for letting me tag along on some seriously "Good Times."

Men at Work's Logical Syllogism: 80's Music in Review

Premise 1: Do you come from a land down under?
Premise 2: Where women glow and men plunder?
Premise 3: Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
Therefore, you better run, you better take cover.

A Brief History of the Nonic Pint Glass

“Conical” glasses are shaped, as the name suggests, as an inverted truncated cone around six inches tall and tapering by about an inch in diameter over its height. More often than not, the glass bulges out a couple of inches from the top; this is partly for improved grip, and partly to prevent the glasses from sticking together when stacked. This style of bulged conical glass is often termed “nonic” by suppliers. This is the most common type of pint glass found in UK pubs.