Well I've been on this all liquid died for 10 days now. I'm so tired of it, words can't describe. I'm about to drink my last fluids for a while. As tomorrow morning at 8 AM I am having my surgery.

I'm a bit anxious.

I've known this was coming for a while, but to be sitting here the night before, less than 10 hours away from the surgery itself is a little surreal. I've been preparing for this for just short of a year. I guess I just never thought the day would ever come. The mix of emotions right now is really strange.

I'm not going to say I'm not afraid, because that would be a lie, but I'm scared for multiple reasons, some that you may never guess. No, I'm not going into all of them. I'm also wondering what my quality of life will be like after this. How long will I be stuck on this all liquid diet? Will I ever be able to drink a beer again? What if I don't wake up?

I'm exhausted, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. but I guess I should go try.

I'll post an updated tomorrow evening. Or have Ktreva do it.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:30 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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So I've been on this liquid diet for 8 days now. Yes, I'm grumbly, shut the heck up! I understand how the human body works, especially the digestive tract, but I'm still confused on a couple of things.

Okay, I'm taking approx 700- 800 calories a day, yet I still shite the same amount... Go figure. I know that being on a liquid diet does not mean I'm not going to have proper colon function, but seriously the same quantity? That just doesn't seem right.

Secondly, where the hell did the corn come from???? I haven't eaten solid food for 8 days. I haven't had corn for a week before that. Where the hell did the corn in my excrement long ship come from? I'm not even talking one kernel. It looked like I ate an ear of corn!

And before any of you smart alecs make a comment, no I'm not trying to absorb nutrients anally, thus I am not using corn as a suppository!

Posted by: Contagion at 09:05 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Okay, the reason behind my hiatus is that I'm having a lot of health issues that have accumulated into me having to have surgery on Monday. To prep myself for the surgery on my digestive tract, I am on an all liquid diet. Basically all I can "eat" is: Protein shakes, water, tea, skim milk, tomato juice, jello, broth, kool aid and that about sums it up. No carbonation whatsoever! I'm also supposed to limit my alcohol, to basically none.

I've been on this since last Friday. Let me tell you something, This really farooking sucks! Let me tell you why.

A) I'm tired of drinking my meals. I mean, seriously, my teeth are aching to bite into something. Seriously, when they first told me I'd have to live like this for 1-2 months, I thought it wouldn't be that hard. Well, I'm about at the point of killing someone because of it. This is going to be hell.

2) I've never been a huge fan of sweets. I've never really gone goo goo for candy, sweets, deserts, etc. All the damn protein shakes I have to drink all come in only a handful of flavors Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry or some variation of those. I haven't found anything else. I would kill for a BBQ or cheeseburger protein shake right now. Before someone suggests I make my own, it's not an option. I have to stick to the pre-made or powdered mixes. Nothing additional. Oh, by the way for those of you that are drinking these things for what ever weight loss diet you might be doing, The Slim Fast Optima Cappuccino Delight is anything but a Delight. Seriously, I about spit it out on one of my employees after taking a drink

D) Everywhere I turn people are eating real food! I'm constantly hungry and even foods I hate are smelling good. Thus I'm starting to get real grouchy. I got mad at Ktreva last night because she was eating a Pork chop in front of me. I hate pork chops. Hell, they where even giving away free sandwiches from Jimmy John's at work today. I'm trying really hard to deal with it, but it's getting really, really hard to control myself.

I don't dare cheat, if I do it could cause complications during the surgery. After the surgery it could cause complications that could lead to death. I just need to buck down and follow the doctor's orders.

Because of all of this, I really am getting grouchy. I'm farooking sick and tired of people pointing out to me that I'm grouchy or asking me what's wrong or why I'm not talking. I'm trying not to take it out on the people around me, but when they continue to ask and/or point out that I'm grouchy, it's not helping. I know I'm grouchy, quit pointing it out. If you where in my place, you would be too. If you say you wouldn't, you are lying to me and yourself.

Today has been the worst of it so far. I'm hungry, what I can "eat", ie drink is stuff I don't want. So I'm just sitting back and trying to deal with everything.

It's going to be a long two months.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:09 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Unfortunately my health issues have taken it's toll and I'm going to have to take an even larger hiatus. I will not be able to physically do a beer review for at least 2-3 months minimum. Sorry.

I will still be around, I will put up a post every now and then to update my status.

To my friends: Please check your e-mail. I sent many of you a message with some more details. If you didn't get it, check your spam filter. Apparently I get marked as spam a lot.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:43 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Since Petey and Bruce both have their twelve beers, I can finally move onto beers donated by other people. OtherÂ’s want their glasses as well. This evening I will be reviewing #9 by Magic Hat Brewing Company in South Burlington, VT. Blogless friend Wil brought this beer all the way back just for me to review on one of his many trips across the country.

It came in the standard brown bottle. According to the label, it is ¾ pint bottle, apparently some math genius at the brewery thought that was funnier than putting 12 fl oz. on the bottle. The label is some kind of psychedelic red and orange color round label. The center of the label has #9 mixed into the swirls and whorls. In green on the label it states “Not quite pale ale.”

The color is golden amber with a slight orange tint. When poured into a pint glass, a quarter inch thick head consisting of tiny densely packed bubbles formed at the top of the beer that faded slowly. There was some lacing on the side of the glass.

The scent of apricots is so overpowering you can barely detect anything else. What can be found is a slight bit of hops and maybe grain, but itÂ’s hard to tell because of the strength of the apricot scent. The flavor is surprisingly mild compared to the scent. Apricots are primarily what you taste. Hops and grains can be tasted, but they are very weak and washed out that you can barely taste them. However, they all combine together so that when the beer washes over the taste buds at the back of the tongue, it gives the beer a soap like flavor. The taste isnÂ’t strong enough to leave an aftertaste.

This beer confuses me. It might be “not quite pale ale”, but it’s also not quite much of anything. The apricot flavor, where overpowering compared to the rest of the flavors, really isn’t strong enough for a fruit beer. The grains and hops really aren’t present enough to really be able to adequately classify this beer as anything else. I guess it falls under fruit beer by process of elimination. It’s really not a bad beer. I don’t know if I would go out of my way for it, but I wouldn’t pass one up if given to me. I give this 4 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:55 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Queue theme music from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Also Sprach Zarathustra - 2001: Space Odyssey

Tonight, Bruce of Back to the Batcave has finished his quest for the glass. For tonight I review his 12th beer to give him full enabler status. Congratulations Bruce, I will announce a special presentation time (IÂ’m thinking FridayÂ… at the pub!) The final beer is Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier by the Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams).

It comes in the standard Sam Adams brown bottle. You have their standard label with Samuel Adams prominent in the middle. Blackberry Witbier is in a purple banner. There is a picture of Sam Adams at the bottom hoisting a frothy mug of beer. At the top of the label it boasts this is part of their BrewmasterÂ’s Collection.

There is a beautiful golden honey color with just a touch of orange to it. ItÂ’s clear with just a touch of cloudiness to it, which is unusual for a witbier in my experience. The head that formed was thin and white. It faded quickly to a ring around the edge of the glass and there was no lacing.

The scent was kind of weak, but was dominated by the scent of blackberries. A faint yeast and floral hop smell was detectable. There was no citrus or spiciness that is normally associated with a witbier. The flavor was mostly that of blackberries, that tasted almost like artificial flavoring. There was almost no wheat flavor and there wasnÂ’t any spiciness at all. There was a slight bitter hop finish to it.

This is light bodied beer, with a nice carbonation level. There is no coating of the mouth.

IÂ’m not a fan of fruit beers, and in all reality that is what this is. Most of the characteristics one associates with a witbier are missing from it. As a fruit beer, it was kind of lacking as well. The berry taste wasnÂ’t as dominant as it should have been. It wasnÂ’t a bad beer; I wouldnÂ’t go out of my way for it. I give it 4 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:08 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Bruce of Back to the Batcave donated tonightÂ’s beer. That makes number 11 in his quest for a glass. Number twelve is sitting in the fridge. If everything goes as planned, heÂ’ll earn it next week! I just need to get to deliver the other glasses that have already been awarded. The beer being reviewed tonight is Cerise by Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, MI.

We have the standard 12 fl oz brown bottle. The label is a pinkish label with a picture of cherries on it. The name of the beer is in a fancy handwritten looking script under it. In a red banner it states Cherry Fermented ale.

When poured into a glass, there is a pink, ruby grapefruit like color to it. The beer is clear, with no signs of floaters or cloudiness to it at all. You can see right through it, albeit with a pink tint. The head that forms is a light cotton candy like pink color that fades to a film on the top. There is some lacing on the side of the glass. Did I mention itÂ’s pink?

The scent is a strong tart cherry scent. There is a mild malt scent to the background that gives the beer a slight musty smell. The taste is much like the smell, cherries and malts. The cherries have both the tartness of real cherries and a bit of a sweetness of cocktail cherries. The flavor is very mild with almost no bitterness to it at all. The aftertaste is barely noticeable. At 6.5% ABV you couldnÂ’t taste the alcohol.

This is a light bodied beer, with a mild carbonation. There is no coating to the mouth.

Fruit beers are not normally my forte, yet this one I actually found pleasant to drink. The cherry flavor wasnÂ’t overpowering like in some other cherry flavored drinks IÂ’ve had. Also for 6.5% ABV, this was very easy to drink, almost too easy. In fact I could see myself accidently drinking a six pack of this way too fast. I give this 6 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:58 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The enabler glasses that I announced at the beer tasting have finally arrived! Steve, Petey you will get yours the next time I see you! Tonight IÂ’m taking Bruce of Back to the Batcave one step closer to his 12th beer reviewed. Tonight we are reviewing Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout by the North Coast Brewing Company in Fort Bragg California

The Glass!

It comes in a 12 fl. Oz. brown bottle with a black and gold label. In the center of the label there is what looks to be a hand drawn picture of Rasputin. It looks like heÂ’s either blessing or cursing you for drinking his beer. The picture is inside a gold circle with the name of the beer at the top, and something in Russian along the bottom. The logo of the brewery is at the bottom center of the label.

This beer is black in color, and appears to be very dense. Light doesnÂ’t pass through at all. An inch thick head formed when poured into the glass. The headed faded into a film at the top of the beer, and left some nice lacing on the side of the glass as it was drank.

The smell is of roasted malts and bitter black coffee. There are some flowery hops that combine with the malts to give it a mild soapy scent. The taste starts with a strong citrus hop flavor uncharacteristic of most stouts. There are bitter chocolate and coffee roasted malts undertones. The bitterness bites on the sides of the tongue, but as the beer warms to room temperature it becomes less noticeable. The after taste coats the mouth with a hoppy flavor.

This is a full bodied beer that has some creaminess to it. Carbonation is pleasant.

This is not what I was expecting in a stout. I never thought it would be this hoppy, this is kind of like a stout for someone that likes IPAs. It has the bitterness of the IPA and the thickness of a stout. This is not my style of beer. I really donÂ’t see myself going for another one of these. ItÂ’s not a bad beer, just not to my tastes. I give it 4 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:43 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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This is the last of the beers donated by Petey in that box he gave me. I have a couple more heÂ’s given me since, but there are others that have donated beers that need reviewing, and IÂ’m tired of hearing about favoritism. BTW Petey, I havenÂ’t received the glasses yetÂ…. When I get them IÂ’ll have to drive down and deliver yours in person. Tonight IÂ’ll be reviewing Black Douglas Ale by Broughton Ales Limited of Scotland. Yes, Wil, this is the $10.90 beer we had in Kalamazoo.

Sorry about the picture quality, cell phone.

The beer comes in a 1 pint, .9 fl oz brown bottle with a hops motif blown into the glass. The label has an oval on it with a picture of a ban wearing medieval armor with a black mustache and beard. The back of the label has a brief description of the beer as well as a short description of who Black Douglas was.

There is a dark crimson color to it with a dark walnut hint. A thick, tan head formed when poured. It was made up of a combination of large and tiny bubbles. It lasted for most of the life of the beer. There is a good amount of lacing on the side of the glass.

The scent is a combination of molasses, nuts, caramel malts with a touch of yeast. ItÂ’s very aromatic, but not as strong as one would expect from a Scottish ale. The flavor is a mix of Molasses, malts, a hint of dark fruit with a slight smokiness. They blend together to make the beer very appetizing. The aftertaste is a pleasant hint of bitterness on the tongue with a mild sweetness.

This is a medium bodied beer that has a gentle carbonation level.

This beer is very easy to drink. It has a good flavor and I could see myself grabbing one if it was available or if the mood strikes me just right. I donÂ’t know if I would pay $10.90 for it in a theme bar like I did in Kalamazoo, MI. Overall I thought this was a pretty good beer. I give it 7 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:38 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Sounds yummy!

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Posted by: Writing Board at February 04, 2011 07:53 AM (qIs2R)

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I have some stuff going on in my life right now that I need to deal with. I'm not saying I'm quitting blogging, but I am taking a break. I'm going to continue the Beer reviews, but I just can't handle doing one tonight right now.

I'm not going to blog about what's going on, because I really don't want to share it with anyone, not even my closest friends at this point.

So if you don't see or hear from me in a while, don't take it personally. I'm just trying to deal with what is going on.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:46 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Here when you need us, man. I mean that.

Posted by: Dragonfly at June 17, 2009 11:10 PM (xxXz6)

2 Ditto what DF said. That, and if it's something any of us can help with at all, and you don't tell us, we'll kick your fucking ass. After helping.

Posted by: Graumagus at June 17, 2009 11:19 PM (LxL8S)

3 We're here for ya brother. You know that, so whenever you're ready.....

Posted by: Wes at June 18, 2009 09:15 AM (/mlZL)

4 I'll be keeping you guys in my thoughts and prayers, okay?

Posted by: Omnibus Driver at June 18, 2009 10:41 AM (LBZjj)

5 Sounds like you need a vacation. Good thing it's only 4 more days till living on beach time! WooHoo! Happy Dance!!!!

Posted by: red at June 23, 2009 07:13 AM (tlzMg)

6 Sorry you're having a rotten time of things lately. Hope it improves very soon.

Posted by: Teresa at June 24, 2009 10:07 PM (ZtdpJ)

7 Need anything contact me frenchman. I'm here when ever Bro.

Posted by: Jim E. at June 26, 2009 12:07 PM (uTSFC)

8 you are in my thoughts!

Posted by: oddybobo at June 26, 2009 12:20 PM (mZfwW)

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Wednesday night Ktreva and I loaded up the van for the trip. Everything was set and ready to go. Then on Thursday morning I get a message from Red (Wil's Wife) saying that Wil is calling the trip due to the river condition! CRAAAAAaaaaaaaaaap!

Hmmm, vehicle is loaded... no biggie we could unpack the vehicle. My sister is expecting us to drop of the boy at her place (two hours south of us) and keep him until Sunday. It's not fair to her to deny her the weekend with the boy, especially since she had taken time off of work to watch him. That and she only gets to keep him for the weekend maybe twice a year, just because of the travel distance. I was going to have to make the trip to drop off the boy anyway.

Then Wil calls and tells me to go ahead and bring Ktreva down for the weekend. We'll bar hop, maybe do some canoeing on the local lake, drink beer, barbque, drink more beer, make fun of people, drink beer, etc. I spoke with Ktreva, and we decided, what the hell and headed that way.

Now Wil wasn't in town Thursday night, he had to go play long haul trucker. That left it up to me to entertain Ktreva and Red. We went to the local bar, Buddie's. Unfortunately it was open mic night. This means that any American Idol reject wannabe can get up and sing. The last time I was in this bar it was open mic night, and Wil booed a girl off stage and made her cry. That was over a year ago. Guess who was back? I started yelling "you suck", but Red and Ktreva made me stop.

Friday Wil finally shows up, but just for enough time so he can change his clothes and then head out to Ottumwa, Ia. He had to pick up a load of John Deere combines and bring them to Galesburg. He asked if I wanted to go with, I said sure. I figured it couldn't hurt. Plus I had never ridden in a big rig, so I thought what the hell, why not. Yea, it's a good thing I went, I noticed a road construction sign on the way there that limited the width of vehicles to 10 feet, 6 inches. The load we had was 11 feet 2 inches. If I hadn't noticed it Wil would have tried to go through. Of course he'll deny this and say that he would have checked the load width and caught it before the accident could have happened, but I know the truth. Lets just say it would have ended up with combines all over the highway! HA-ha!

Saturday we actually decided to spend some time on the river. We put on the river at Fort Wallace (don't ask me why they call it that, there's not fort there) Just east of 74 and we pulled out at the Wolf Covered Bridge. We did this trip in about 30 minutes, which means that the river was flowing at about 6 to 8 miles and hour. We would have liked to have gone longer, but we already had the vehicles at the Wolf. However, it worked out okay because that gave us time to run to town, get some more beer and prepare for everyone to show up for the night barbeque.

That night Wil cooked a bunch chicken and pork chops for everyone. They were really fantastic. A bunch of guys showed up and we sat around, drank beer and talked. Except for at one point when Ktreva and I disappeared for a little exploration of Gilson. That is all I'm going to say about that tour. So for those of you that left before we came stumbling back at 1:30 in the morning, sorry. It was nice seeing all of you!

Posted by: Contagion at 09:12 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Hey now! Every combine Wil wrecks is another one I get paid to make parts for

Posted by: Graumagus at June 15, 2009 10:05 PM (LxL8S)

2 I'm surprised Wil didn't blame you for him not seeing the sign. He blames me if he misses his turn while talking on the phone to me.

Posted by: red at June 23, 2009 07:11 AM (tlzMg)

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No Beer review tonight. This weekend IÂ’m taking Ktreva on a canoe trip, the exploration of the Amaquonsippi. ItÂ’s a period correct trip (with the exception of the canoes, life jackets, water jugs and toilet paper in a plastic bag). We are doing the last leg of the trip this year. I did the second leg last year, Ktreva didnÂ’t go. Since we are getting ready for that, I just donÂ’t have the time to do a proper beer review. IÂ’ll try to put up an extra one next week to make up for it.

IÂ’m pretty damn excited about this trip. It looks like the river is going to cooperate, so we wonÂ’t have to drag our canoes down the river. I get to spend the weekend with my wife and friends doing what we love, what more could I ask? IÂ’ve gone over our gear a couple of times now to make sure that we have no non-period, or non-period looking materials. Where this trip isnÂ’t juried, IÂ’m still trying to take the high road and make sure my stuff is right or as close as I can get with what limited resources are available to me with the time constraints.

IÂ’m sure some of my friends will give me some grief over some of preparations. I keep a journal of the re-enactments that I do in a period looking book. For my own reference I made a slightly detailed hand drawn map inside the bookÂ… that I based on the USGS topographic survey. Yes, you can scream loser at me now, but if I had the patience IÂ’d be a cartographer! This is an exploration and I like to document things. This brought me some hazing last year when I was using my portable GPS to document wear we were stopping, camping, etc. I just wanted to document the trip.

Now I know some people could care less about this type of stuff, but some of these are the same individuals that thrive on reading other peoples journals and seeing their maps. One of the highly debated topics amongst archeologists and historians is exactly where certain camps were specifically located, hence why they have spent years trying to find the Lewis and Clark sites. We love getting information from the journals, it’s a primary source. Yet I try to document something and I get the “We’re on the river, that’s where we are” statement. Its okay, to each their own and if they don’t like it, then I don’t have to share it with them! (Also they didn’t want to see the modern GPS, but we’ll just glaze over that fact).

This year IÂ’m trying something different. IÂ’m using some knowledge that I obtained since last years trip. I wonÂ’t be as accurate as a GPS, but IÂ’m sure I can get the general area. Of course the worst heathens on this trip (which are some of my closest and dearest friends) will still give me grief over it. Just like theyÂ’ll get over the fact that I give them grief that this trip is more akin to a drunken float down a river than it is to a canoe trip! (very little paddling) hehe

IÂ’ll let you all know how it went when we get back.

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Today is the anniversary of D-day. I would like to take a moment to thank all of the men that fought and died during the invasion of Normandy.

I salute you.

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At work we have a client that is extremely unhappy with us, and has threatened to take their business elsewhere. They have a large contract with us and where their loss wouldnÂ’t be devastating; with the state of the economy we just donÂ’t want to lose anything.

In order to appease this client some very unorthodox concessions were made. Without going into too many details, what they are asking for would be something akin to those that work in a manufacturing area having each individual part made by hand instead of using machines. Coiling springs, bending tubes, filling bottles, loading trucks one piece at a time with out the used of any mechanical assistance or tools, each piece being identical and still keeping the same deadlines. Yea, trust me, itÂ’s like that.

This agreement was entered into by executives and marketing with full knowledge that our painfully inadequate systems couldn’t handle the request. They turned the “how to” over to our director to work out. Now I’ve had my falling out of favor with my director and upper management since Okla-farooking-homa. Heck, remember I was in talks with the state’s attorney last December and January over possible fraudulent activities. I’ve pretty much been persona non-grata for so long now that they don’t even complain when I don’t go to meetings.

When I was called into a meeting with the director and she was asking me what we could do to implement this agreement, I was floored. They havenÂ’t asked my opinion on anything in so long that at first I just sat their quietly thinking she misspoke. When it became abundantly clear she hadnÂ’t, I really wasnÂ’t sure what to say. We spoke for a good hour on the situation, kicking around various ideas and doing the pros and cons over the different solutions. At the end I was assigned a task of overseeing the creation and implementation of the agreed upon procedures.

She gave me full control to make any changes I deemed necessary and to use any resources I felt necessary. I asked if I was going to have to run anything past my assistant manager or managers. The director advised me that for this case, I only had to keep her informed and run any major changes past her. I would have no “interference” from upper management in the office “like in the past”.

IÂ’ll be honest, my jaw about hit the floor.

My being a normally suspicious person, I started to think they were setting me up. I started adding caveats to various things like, “I can’t guarantee” or “There’s too much room for error” and the like through out the conversation. My director flat out told me, “There is a huge percentage of this failing and our loosing the client. We know that, but we want to do everything in our power to keep them.” I couldn’t help but ask why she chose me for this task. Actually hearing her say that she felt not only was I the best person for this job, with my background, skills and abilities, but that I would work the hardest to make sure everything was done to please this client in her opinion left me stunned.

It almost made me feel like they appreciated me.

I wonder what sheÂ’ll say on Monday when she finds out we are already ahead of schedule.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:10 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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In this new texting age, this speaks to me.

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(Que Fanfair) Tonight marks Petey of PeteyÂ’s Powderhorn twelfth donated beer that has been reviewed. That means he is the first to earn Full Enabler status, which earns him all the rights and privileges that goes along with the status*. I would present him with his complimentary glass; unfortunately I have not received them yet from the manufacturer. The twelfth beer is Belhaven Wee Heavy Scottish Ale by the Belhaven Brewery Company of Scotland.

It comes in a large 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) brown bottle. The label is an oval label. There is a scarlet label on it. There is a gold border and in the middle is the rampant lion of Scotland. The name of the beer crosses the middle of the label, with the name of the Brewery arched over the lion. There is also a matching neck label.

When poured into a pint glass, there is a dark brown color with a rich ruby accent. Light passes through easily, but the beer is dark enough that you cannot clearly see through it. It appears to be clear, with no floating bits in it at all. An inch thick tan head formed. It was made of mostly tiny bubbles with the occasionally larger bubbles mixed throughout. There was some nice lacing on the side of the glass.

The scent is a subtle combination of Butterscotch, roasted malts, prunes, raisons with a slight brown sugar scent. The scent reminds me of Glogg (a traditional Scandinavian winter drink). The taste is a complex mixtures of roasted malts, dark fruit and peat smokiness often associated with Scotch Ales. The flavor opens up more as the beer warms toward room temperature. The aftertaste is mild and pleasant

It is a medium bodied beer. There is a decent level or carbonation.

This is an excellent Scottish Ale. A delightful combination of scents and flavors that makes it a pleasure to drink. The 6.5% ABV isnÂ’t noticeable in the taste, but one should be aware of it. I could see myself sitting down with friends on a cool summer night and drinking a bottle or two with them. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:19 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Well itÂ’s official. IÂ’m never buying a GM product again. General Motors Files for Bankruptcy Protection.

The plan is for the federal government to take a 60 percent ownership stake in the new GM. The Canadian government would take 12.5 percent, with the United Auto Workers getting a 17.5 percent share and unsecured bondholders receiving 10 percent. Existing GM shareholders are expected to be wiped out.

Chrysler did this back in April, and when they did I was annoyed that the government feels the need to own and operate businesses. I vowed at that time to never own a Chrysler product again, but that wasnÂ’t a big deal because I vowed that when I was in college and IÂ’ve never seriously looked at buying anything ever made by Chrysler.

I’ve owned Fords and GM products, and other than Ford cars, I’ve been happy with them. I’ll never own another Ford car after the catastrophes that were the two previous ones I owned. Now I know some of my readers will throw magazine reviews and statistics compiled by “independent” sources, but honestly my experiences with the Ford car division and others that I know that own them pretty trump what ever I read in a magazine from a person I don’t know. Ford trucks I’ll swear by, they’re a good sturdy truck.

With GM now out of the running, when it comes time to get replace either my truck or KtrevaÂ’s van, I know it wonÂ’t be with a vehicle made by GM or Chrysler. IÂ’m not buying a vehicle from a government owned company. Oh, and now that they are partially owned by the Canadian Government as well, IÂ’m definitely not buying from a foreign government.

Fortunately it will be years before I have to buy a new vehicle.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:28 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Anyone that has met me knows that I'm a rather hairy man. As I've aged, unlike most of my friends, I've gained more hair. I haven't lost any. Let's compound this with the fact that my hair tends to be course and wiry. I've worn out multiple trimmers, clippers and electric razors over the years. After I've trimmed my facial hair, I've run my hands through my goatee and come away with hair slivers.

To make matters worse, this hair is growing out of my nose this way. I used to joke that I didn't have a mustache, I just combed my nasal hair into one. Unfortunately I often did use my mustache to hide my nasal hair. I used to trim it, even when it would wear out my trimmer. Then a couple of months ago, my trimmer disappeared.

My nose hair started growing at an alarming rate. I had to do something about it when one day one of the hairs was so long, I could almost chew on it. So I did the only thing I could think of doing, I started plucking my nose hairs out.

Sure it hurt at first. After the first couple of weeks, I started getting used to it. Now it doesn't bother me at all. Well, okay, occasionally I grab one that is well rooted and it hurts, but most of the time it doesn't.

Ktreva is upset over this. She doesn't want me yanking my nose hairs out one or two at a time. She wants me to buy another trimmer that will wear out. I figure I can keep this up and it won't cost me a thing. What really bothers her is that I do it while riding in the van or while watching TV. So she watches me do it, and it causes her to squirm and hold her own nose and pain.

My thing is that it doesn't harm her any. I'm not yanking her nasal hairs out, just my own. She has asked me to stop, but honestly, I think it's easier.

What do you all think, should I stop or should I continue?

Posted by: Contagion at 07:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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As the rain slowly fell today, all I can think about is how I would rather be camping right now. IÂ’d rather be huddled under a rain fly and trying to keep a campfire burning than having spent my entire day at work.

IÂ’m grateful that I have a job right now, especially one that could be considered a steady position. Yet at the same time I keep thinking about just how much I get no satisfaction, joy or sense of being from it. Seriously, most of the time I view my duties as being boring, redundant and less than stimulating. IÂ’ve actually lost any amount of caring I had about the company that employees me. At one time, I actually cared and tried to do whatÂ’s best for them, now I just donÂ’t care.

IÂ’d start an earnest attempt at procuring new avenues of employment, but thanks to the severely bad management of this country by its elected officials, government appointees, and the citizenry that failed to remove them from those positions, we have an economy that really is unfriendly toward the job seeker. The only joy I take in life right now is my family and friends, but I feel for my friends because so many (too many) of them are feeling the crunch of this insipid economy.

The few things I enjoy in life, I just couldnÂ’t make a living on, even if the economy was better. My hobbies are ones that in general cost money, not make it. Unfortunately I do not think they have a job for the drinking re-enactor that likes to barbeque while shooting, camping and watching movies. If they do, someone please point me in the right direction. I really need a change of scenery.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The second annual Miasmatic Review Beer tasting is in the books, and I feel it was a success. There were some good beers drank, and some beers that I think people are glad they got to try so they know not to buy them in the future. I didn't do scores like last year, because this is a beer tasting, not a review. My goal was to let people experience and taste new beers for themselves, inspire discussion about the beers and let them feel free to form their own opinions. Where as by having everyone score it, I think it may have put pressure on people last year.

The beers we tasted were:
Flight one: Czech Pilsners
Pilsner Urquell
Kursovice Imperial
Staropramen

Flight Two: Beers by Bell's Brewery
Lager of the Lakes (American Pale Lager)
Amber Ale (American Amber/Red Ale)
Oberon Ale (American Pale Wheat)

Flight Three: American Porters
Anchor Porter
Founders Porter
New World Porter

Bonus Flight: Mystery beer!
I did a blind tasting. Basically I obscured all information about the beer we were tasting and the point was to see if anyone could tell me what kind of beer it was. The person that got the closest to the Name of the Beer, type of beer and where it was brewed would win a prize. The beer for this was Xingu by Cervejaria Sul Brasileira in Brazil. It's a schwarzbier (Black Lager). The winner was Shadoglare who guessed Black Lager, he came the closest.

Just for the record, this is a very difficult task. Identifying a beer you may or may of had in the past just by taste is not something that most people could do. I've been put in this position before and failed miserably. The closest I've gotten was the type of beer.

So what did Shadoglare win? If you remember I had a surprise. I officially announced the soon arrival of the Miasmatic Review Enabler Glasses, Shadoglare won the first one. It's a 20 oz imperial pub pint with the logo shown, only in dark green, and with a 22k gold band around the rim. When a reader has donated a total of 12 beers that I review, I well show my appreciation by giving them one of these glasses. For being closest to what the beer was, Shadoglare has earned himself one of these glasses.

For those that were in attendance, I served them a Bacon Explosion and smoked Pork Chops for dinner. From the feedback I received, I think the Bacon Explosion was a big hit. I only made two, I may have wanted to make four. It was a huge success.

I'm planning right now on having the 3rd Annual Beer tasting in 2010 again on Memorial Day weekend. I hope to have more people in attendance next year. We had eleven people, including myself, that were actually participating in the tasting. There were others that were around just for the observation or to socialize. I would like to thank Harvey, Graumagus, Bruce, Shadoglare, Labgirl, Wes, Petey, Wil, Red and of course KTreva for participating in this years event. With out all of you, this would have been just me sitting in the backyard drinking beer by myself. An extra special thanks goes to Ktreva for all of her help, support and hard work in the last couple of months getting this all put together.

Hope to see you all there!

Posted by: Contagion at 01:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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