May 22, 2009
There are 10 beers, separated into 4 mini-flights.
The First is 3 Czech Pilsners.
The Second is 3 Beers by Bell's Brewery
The Third is 3 American Porters.
The tenth beer is a surprise beer to test your beer knowledge. I'll explain more when it comes time to review the beer.
The food of course will be a Bacon Explosion, Pork Chops and Hot Dogs. There will be Chips and vegetables as well.
There are also some random beers that have been given to me or left over from past reviews if you would like to try them. They are limited, so first come, first serve on those.
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you there.
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May 20, 2009
Petey, this review is dedicated to you.
It came in an 11.2 FL. OZ. brown bottle. The label is black with white lettering on it. The picture is done in the 18th century style of two thistles and what I am assuming is supposed to be Bonnie Prince Charlie between them. The name of the beer is above the label and states, “Traquair Jacobite flavored ale, Ale flavored with coriander.” On the back under a picture of a crown it states, “The famous Bear Gates guarding the approach to Traquair House near Peebles have been closed since 1745~ when the last person to pass through them was Bonnie Prince Charlie.”
The color is a dark chocolate brown, what light that passes through it has a ruby hue to it. ItÂ’s thick enough that you canÂ’t tell if itÂ’s cloudy or not. A thin tan head formed, and faded quickly to nothing. There is no lacing on the side of the glass.
The scent is an exciting combination of Toffee, molasses and coriander. They combine to give the beer a scent reminiscent of a ginger bread cookie. As the beer warms up closer to room temperature the scent opens up and releases touch of a chocolate malt scent. The taste is much like the scent. The coriander, molasses and toffee flavors combine to make the main flavors of the beer. There is a subtle dark fruit flavor, such as prunes that accent the flavor and really boosts the taste. As the beer warms, the chocolate malts are more noticeable. This is definitely a beer you do not want to drink too cold, as the beer has a better flavor at just cooler than room temperature. At 8% Alcohol by volume, you canÂ’t taste the alcohol at all.
It is a medium bodied beer with a smooth and creaminess to it that coats the mouth. It is very easy to drink. There is a pleasant level of carbonation to the beer that is just strong enough to bite on the tongue.
This is an excellent beer. ItÂ’s a nice beer to sit around with friends and enjoy slowly with conversation. In fact the beer itself may be the topic of conversation. Especially if you are with people that donÂ’t know what a Jacobite is. I found myself really enjoying this beer as I reviewed it. If you can get your hands on a bottle of this beer, I would recommend it. I give it 9 out of 10.
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On the other hand they can also bring about sorrow and frustration. Such as what both of my children have done this week.
Since Clone was a baby and not able to walk, whenever I would drop him off at daycare or school, I would give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek goodbye. This was our ritual for 6 years and 2months… until this week. On Tuesday when I dropped him off, he wouldn’t let me give him a kiss goodbye. I went to try and he squirmed away saying, “Dad, not in front of the kids!”
IÂ…Was... Devastated.
This was my little boy. The one IÂ’ve been raising. The one that sits on my lap when he is scared. The one that likes to hold my hand while walking in stores and parking lots. My boy that still thinks that I am an all knowing and all powerful being that can change the fate of the world with just a blink of my eye. A little piece of me died when he did that.
I think he saw that I was hurt, because after I put him down he leaned over and whispered, “But you can still give me one at home.” He’s just growing too fast. I don’t want to lose My Buddy, My Littleman, My Monkey. Inevitably he is going to grow up and no longer want the hugs and kisses from dad; I just always thought it would be in another 2-4 years.
Then last night Boopie went complete teenager. HeÂ’s not allowed to have the cell phone his biological father gave him at our house. Not because we want to be mean, but because he canÂ’t be trusted with it. He takes it to school and uses it during class time to send text messages and call friends. Since heÂ’s failing two classes, he doesnÂ’t need to be distracted all. WeÂ’ve told him he isnÂ’t even allowed to bring it to our house. Well he had it over and checking the info on there you can see that heÂ’s been using it while at school. To talk to friends and text his biological father.
When I was going through the phone I asked him if he understood why he’s not allowed to have it at our house. His response was, “Because you’re stupid.”
This was just the icing on the cake of his misbehaving. HeÂ’s been constantly testing boundaries and breaking rules. Because of him acting up in school and failing classes weÂ’ve grounded him from just about everything. I even sold his video game system last year. He is supposed to head straight home after school, do his homework and chores and thatÂ’s it. No, heÂ’s been going to friends houses and taking the long way home. HeÂ’s grounded from TV, but he sneaks it because he doesnÂ’t think weÂ’ll know. Even though heÂ’s called out on it every time.
If you remember I about threw him out of the house last November. Well his grades have worsened since then and his apathetic view of his life has really taken its toll on the family. My instinct is to send him to his dadÂ’s and just write him off. Yet, I canÂ’t do that. He is my son. I do love him and I know heÂ’s a good kid. I know heÂ’s struggling with his situation. He has structure and rules at our house, there are consequences to his actions. There arenÂ’t any at his biological fatherÂ’s.
I called his biological father and made him come over; I was originally going to send Boopie packing again. Again, I just canÂ’t do that. Especially since his father is one of the people he was calling and texting on his phone while at school. IÂ’m not sure what IÂ’m going to do with him. I wish I could afford to send him to one of those boot camps for troubled kids this summer, but I just canÂ’t.
After I calmed down I sat down and had a man to man talk with him. I explained the consequences of his choices right now. His choice not to do his school work, to fail classes and to not take the help that is offered to him. I explained what the difference is between getting a job when you have no high school diploma versus having one. The whole time I was trying to get him to understand that yes, school is hardÂ… but itÂ’s worth it. ItÂ’s worth the time and effort to get a HS diploma. ItÂ’s worth it to go to college, be it a community college or a university. ItÂ’s worth it to work hard, especially if you ever want to have a nice life. If you ever strive to have your own family in order to provide for them.
Children.
Heartbreak, sorrow and frustration.
Yet still, I canÂ’t imagine a better life then what I have with them.
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May 18, 2009
At the stop light I try not to stare, but curiosity is a cruel mistress and I sit and wonder, “What has happened to this woman to put her in such a fragile state of emotion? Why is she crying?” The whole time I am glancing over occasionally and seeing her hug the steering while for comfort. Occasionally waves of anger come over her and I watch as she strikes the roof, door and dashboard with clenched fist.
Pain, sorrow, anger, fear.
At some time each of us has been in the same situation as the woman in the car. Whether we display it for the whole world to see, share it only with close friends or keep it bottled up inside, we have been there. An emotional torment that just has to be dealt with in our own personal way or it will wash over us like a tidal wave over a beach. Destroying whatÂ’s in its path.
I can only imagine what situation or situations have occurred to bring this woman to this state. IÂ’ve never seen her before, and I doubt I will ever again. What I do know is that I felt for her. For anything that would drive her to such a state would have to have been truly horrible. I found myself hoping that she was heading to a friend or a loved oneÂ’s house for at least a small sum of comfort, as opposed to the cold reality of a job.
Me, I finished my drive to work and thought not of her again until my drive home. On my way home I started looking at the lone drivers in the cars and trucks around me. Wondering to myself, “What are they thinking? What emotional state are they in?” Are they just a stray thought away from an emotional outburst or are they so devoid of emotion, so focused on the task at hand, that they wouldn’t provide an emotional outburst no matter what happened? Most likely they were some place between the two emotional extremes.
I donÂ’t know why I wondered these things. IÂ’m not even sure why I was fascinated with the lady this morning. Why today did I decide to take a glimpse in the fish bowl that is life? Was there a deep seeded need for me to observe my fellow man that had to be satisfied? Did curiosity finally overwhelm me enough to start wanting to reconnect with a part of society I started to detach from about 16 years ago? Back when I dealt with some of the worst people humanity had to offer. When I witnessed just how cruel and unforgiving people can be to each other.
These are all questions that I may never find an answer.
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May 17, 2009
Now this was just the rough art, not the final, you'll have to wait to see that.
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At first the Raptor's players and coaches sitting in front of me thought it was way too loud. A couple of them where telling me to point it higher. That was until on our first defensive plays I caused the opponents to jump off sides, A false start and a time out. The time out was funny because Milwaukee's quarterback went to talk to his coach and pointed right to me. I'm thinking that I was so loud that it was causing his cadence to screw up.
For the rest of the game, the head coach and the other players kept encouraging me to be as loud as possible during the defensive stands. I even had some of the players come to try and play the horn. I also had a guy from in the stands come down and ask to play it. He was a trumpet player and wanted to see if it was the same. I told him that it was similar. He gave a try and had some success at it.
It was a great game, we won by 30 points.
Today, Ktreva and I stained the front porch. We had though this was going to be a quick job, but it turned into a five hour task. Just some complications, like the original sprayer we bought not working properly. After getting a new one, we finally finished. When we bought the stain we were going to use, it was called redwood. The little tile they had at the hardware store made it look like a brownish red. After we finished the front porch, well it looked like Barn red.
As it started to dry, it darkened up some, but it still looked really red. However, we did like the way it looked. It was just more red than we had expected.
Now this week I have to start getting prepared for the Beer Tasting next weekend. A lot of work, and a short amount of time to get it done in.
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May 12, 2009
The problem is that if you buy a used canoe, you can have a ton of fun trying to get it registered. Especially if you have a canoe that is not currently registered with the state or comes from a state that doesnÂ’t register their canoesÂ… such as Wisconsin. That is where my canoe came from. So as I filled out the paper work, and I spoke with the DNR there was mention of a watercraft tax.
At the time you apply for an Illinois title or registration with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for a watercraft you purchased or leased, you are required to submit either payment of tax or proof that no tax is due before your watercraft can be titled or registered.The Illinois Department of Revenue is responsible for administering the collection of tax and providing the necessary tax forms. You must make separate payments for tax due and title and/or registration fees. Make your tax payment payable to the Illinois Department of Revenue and your payment for title fees payable to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The Department of Natural Resources directed me to the Illinois Department of Revenue. While I was on hold with them I started doing some research and discovered the following on the back of the registration form:
Effective September 1, 2004 tax is owed when a watercraft (class 2, 3, 4 and personal watercraft [PWC], i.e. jet-skis) is acquired by gift, donation, transfer, or non-retail purchase if the watercraft will be used in Illinois.
Thus, I figured when I finally got through the person would tell me that I owed nothing because a canoe is a Class A watercraft… “Class A – Canoe/Kayak/Paddleboat”. Finally after ten minutes a guy with a thick Spanish accent is trying to help me. I could barely understand what he was saying to me. I explained why I was calling. He asked me how long was is the canoe. I advised 17 feet and he put me on hold “to look something up.” He came back on and said that I would indeed owe taxes on it.
SAY WHAT?!?!?!?!
He said that because the canoe is 17 feet, I owe taxes on it. If it had been 15 feet, I would have been okay. I clarified that the form says that a class 2 watercraft is 16 to 24 ft , but that a class A is a canoe/kayak/paddleboat. It doesn’t say what size it has to be. He stated that there is nothing that claims that a canoe is exempt from the size categories. Even after I pointed out that doesn’t make sense since they have a separate category just for Canoes/kayaks/paddleboats. The guy put me on hold again and said he was going to talk to his supervisor. I was on hold for another 5 minutes and he comes back on and claims that “I spoke with my supervisor and they agree with me.” I asked to speak with the supervisor and was transferred to a voice mail.
I left a message asking them to call me back. In the meantime I started doing more research and I found this on the Illinois Department of RevenueÂ’s own website. First I have from their own section on definitions.
"Watercraft" means Class 2, Class 3, and Class 4 watercraft, as defined in Section 3-2 of the Boat Registration and Safety Act [625 ILCS 45/3-2] and personal watercraft, as defined in Section 1-2 of the Boat Registration and Safety Act [625 ILCS 45/1-2]. [35 ILCS 158/15-5] Section 3-2 of the Boat Registration and Safety Act defines these terms asfollows:"Class 2" watercraft means all watercraft 16 feet or more but less than 26 feet in length, except canoes and kayaks.
"Class 3" watercraft means all watercraft 26 feet or more but less than 40 feet in length."Class 4" watercraft means all watercraft 40 feet or more in length.
Next I found this on the FAQ for the RUT-75 form. The one that you have to fill out to pay for the tax.
Who must file Form RUT-75?
If you acquire an aircraft or watercraft by gift, donation, transfer, or
non-retail purchase, you must fi le Form RUT-75, Aircraft/Watercraft
Use Tax Transaction Return.“Aircraft” includes airplanes, helicopters, hot-air balloons, ultra lights,
gliders, blimps, dirigibles, seaplanes, and anything else defined as
aircraft in Section 3 of the Illinois Aeronautics Act.“Watercraft” includes
• Class 2, Class 3, and Class 4 watercraft as defined in Section 3-2
of the Boat Registration and Safety Act; and
• personal watercraft as defined in Section 1-2 of the Boat
Registration and Safety Act (jet skis, wave runners, etc.).
“Watercraft” does not include canoes or kayaks.
Emphasis mine
Finally we have 625 ILCS 45/3-2
(625 ILCS 45/3 2) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 313 2)
Sec. 3 2. Identification number application. The owner of each watercraft requiring numbering by this State shall file an application for number with the Department on forms approved by it. The application shall be signed by the owner of the watercraft and shall be accompanied by a fee as follows:A. Class A (all canoes, kayaks, and non motorized paddle boats). $6
B. Class 1 (all watercraft less
than 16 feet in length, except
canoes, kayaks, and non motorized paddle boats).. $15
C. Class 2 (all watercraft 16
feet or more but less than 26 feet in length
except canoes, kayaks, and non motorized paddle boats). $45
D. Class 3 (all watercraft 26 feet or more
but less than 40 feet in length)............ $75
E. Class 4 (all watercraft 40 feet in length
or more)........................... $100Upon receipt of the application in approved form, and when satisfied that no tax imposed pursuant to the "Municipal Use Tax Act" or the "County Use Tax Act" is owed, or that such tax has been paid, the Department shall enter the same upon the records of its office and issue to the applicant a certificate of number stating the number awarded to the watercraft and the name and address of the owner.
(Source: P.A. 93 32, eff. 7 1 03; 94 45, eff. 1 1 06.)
Emphasis mine
Pay no attention to the prices, those have gone up.
So IÂ’m waiting for this supervisor to call me back. IÂ’m fighting paying the taxes on this because according to all the laws, forms and documentation I can find, CANOES ARE EXEMPT!!!!! IÂ’m not paying any more money into this State hemorrhaging money due to bad money management. I wonder how badly the state is going to come down on me?
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May 11, 2009
Last week Boopie had his 16th Birthday, for five years my plan was to buy him a car. Nothing too nice or fancy, but just a cheap $2,000 to $3,000 car. He even knew that was what the plan was. A couple of years ago I promised him I would match him dollar for dollar toward a car, up to $2,000.00 when he turned 16 as long as he had no Ds or Fs on his report card. I knew in October that I wasnÂ’t going to have to worry about it, because he was failing classes, and he just went down hill from there. So he turned 16 and didnÂ’t get his license.
The sad thing is that I get the impression that he blames Ktreva and me for him not getting his license.
Thursday night, I obtained my first degree as a Mason. TheyÂ’re a group IÂ’ve wanted to join for a while now, but I just never had the opportunity and time. I finally decided to get off my arse and make it happen. IÂ’ve got a lot of work ahead of me as I am but an apprentice, but IÂ’m up for the challenge. In fact I have a meeting tonight with them.
Friday night I had to get a car carrier for the canoe I purchased. It came with a foam pad system, but after doing some research, and talking to other canoe owners, I decided that if IÂ’m going to take that canoe on any distance, I want something a bit more stable than those foam blocks. We are planning our family vacation with our friends Wil and Red to The Lake in The Ozarks, and want to bring the canoe along. After doing the research and reading horror story after horror story about those foam pads either failing or scratching the hell out of the paint, I decided to get a real carrier. A local canoe shop had exactly what I wanted, and I ended up getting a Yakima rack system. The owner of the shop even helped me install it.
After the rack I took Ktreva and Clone to see the new Star Trek Movie. Okay, IÂ’m not going to give anything away, but honestly for those Star Trek purists out there, this movie is going to annoy you. The main plot device is was a crutch that bad writers use when they canÂ’t come up with an original idea. Heck, they might as well have done the entire movie based in a Halodeck. That is the only bigger crutch out there. As a movie on its own, it was pretty good. They did pay a lot of homage to the original series with the devices, sounds and catch phrases. I donÂ’t want to give anything away, so IÂ’m going to quit talking about it now.
Saturday morning we had to go to Madison, WI to get the Canoe. ItÂ’s an older used canoe, but it looks great. There are some scrapes and dings on it from use, but all the seems are straight, the rivets are all original and itÂ’s sturdy! We put her on the new rack system and left for home. I had originally planed on using some of the straps that came with the canoe, but the seller didnÂ’t have a lot of faith in them, so we temporarily tied it down with twine until I could get to a Menards and buy some ropes for it. We picked up some ratchet ropes and are probably the best thing for canoes IÂ’ve ever seen.
Saturday night I took Ktreva to the RaptorÂ’s football game. Where, since the Metrocentre only sells Budweiser products that I wonÂ’t drink, we had way too many Bloody Marys. I mean way too many! Ktreva made our quarterback cry. It was rather amusing, yet sad. Sad for the quarterback, as he really was not having a good night. I also spent a lot of time trying to educate Ktreva on the small nuances of football. I really should only do that when neither one of us has an alcohol soaked brain.
On MotherÂ’s day I gave Ktreva the gift of laziness. I let her do what ever she wanted, and I took care of all the work that needed to be done. Well not all of it, because I needed some help here or there. I did all the cooking. We had smoked pork chops, bratwurst and I made my first Bacon Explosion! It turned out really well. IÂ’m looking forward to making my next one for the Beer Tasting.
Speaking of which, the deadline for the Beer Tasting is rapidly approaching! Let me know, if you havenÂ’t already, if you are coming!
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May 05, 2009
So far the guest list is as follows:
Shadoglare
Graumagus
Bruce
Harvey
Petey
Wil
Red
Ktreva
I also have a couple of maybes. If I missed you on the list, or if you can make it, please let me know ASAP. I need to be able to order the beer soon. Either leave me a comment or if that doesn't work, send an e-mail to Contagion_1 AT Yahoo Dot Com. Make sure the subject line has Beer Tasting in it.
Remember, you don't have to bring anything, but yourself!
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I picked mine up off of e-bayÂ… after losing a couple of others at the last minute. TodayÂ’s bidding ended at 1:40 in the afternoon and I think that helped me. Especially since this canoe came with a car carrier, paddles, life vests and extra floatation cushions. I got it the whole thing for $532.00.
My new canoe.
Now I just have to go pick it up. I can barely contain my excitement.
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May 04, 2009
Thursday morning the friends we wanted to camp with started showing up. Wil, Red and Moses showed up during a break in the rain and were actually able to set up and stay dry. Friday Petey, Ark Builder, Dragonfly, Wes and his eldest spawn showed up. Grau was supposed to come, but he came down with swine flu, anthrax or a bad case of back fungus and decided that, instead of re-enacting a plague victim he was going to stay home and try to get better.
I wish I could tell you some great story that I could tell you of events that happened, but this was mostly an uneventful. None of the drama that any of us where anticipating was ever brought up. Oh, the players were all there, but the ones that talk big over the phone, via e-mail or forums didnÂ’t say a peep in person. Heck, the only thing I heard about my own little issue was from friends and I making fun of it. To be honest, I was prepared for a confrontation and was a wee bit let down that there wasnÂ’t one. Although, it was probably in the best for everyone there wasnÂ’t.
There was a lot of good shopping at this event. Various venders I donÂ’t see anywhere else but at Bloody or Kalamazoo were there. Ktreva was able to pick up a nice new hand woven wool blanket. I was able to get a sky blue hat that everyone loved. I mean I looked FABULOUS in it. I canÂ’t wait until I can get a chance to wear it! Everyone was jealous and wanted one for themselves.
My beautiful blue hat!
Okay, that is the hat, with my blue bonnet on top of it. I look like a deranged purple pieman with that hat on.
We had a great time, and I hope that we can get more of our friends to go next year, some of the people that didnÂ’t make it next year. Those of you know who you are.
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April 28, 2009
The weather was beautiful on Friday, warm and sunny. My friend Dragonfly and I didnÂ’t do demonstrations for kidÂ’s day. So we just kind of walked around and watched other peopleÂ’s demonstrations and visited with friends between classes. Since Dragonfly portrays an Indian, he was in full pain. Of course this attracted a lot of attention. He got to spend a lot of time explaining who he was portraying to a lot of kids while secretly checking out the hottie teachers, teacher aids and adult chaperones with the kids.
The weather was a little rainy on Saturday and pretty much down poured on us Saturday. Last year if you remember half the camp bugged out after some rain. This year we didn’t seem to have that problem. In fact no one left early due to weather. That didn’t stop me from making some comments like, “Hey, it might rain, we better start dropping the canvas.” For those that are interested if I caught any flack about my review from last year…
Not really.
Well there was some, but it was all in good nature. In fact it was funny that at the camp meeting someone made the comment like, “we need someone that isn’t afraid to voice their opinion” and someone in the crowd (not mentioning names Jingle While She Walks) yells out, “Where’s “Contagion” when we need him.” Mostly what was said to me was people in agreement or people stating that they may not agree with what I said, but it was my opinion and I had a right to it.
Overall the weather was the only thing that wasnÂ’t cooperative. I would have liked to have come home with dry canvas, but I didnÂ’t. Not that itÂ’s that big of a deal. IÂ’m heading out tomorrow to set up camp at Bloody Lake, just outside Woodford, WI. That also means that Ktreva and I had to make any repairs and clean what needed to be in just two days.
Yes, I said clean. We have to clean the mud off of all the clothes, shoes, blankets, etc. Yes I know some of my re-enacting friends are gasping and saying, “But you are removing the patina from it!” Yea, well I do not like caked on mud in my bedding.
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April 22, 2009
They use a standard 12 oz brown bottle. There is a tan label with a red fire fighter style Maltese cross. The name of the beer company is in the cross in a two tone white and gold lettering. Under the cross is the name of the beer with two crossed axes under it. The neck label states, “For every barrel we sell, we make a donation to a local burn foundation” and “A penny for every pint.”
There is a nice golden straw coloring to the beer. It is clear, with no signs of cloudiness of floaters to it. When I poured it into a pint glass, almost no head formed. What head there was consisted of tiny white bubbles and faded quickly to nothing, not even a ring around the edge of the glass. There was no lacing at all.
The scent is a mainly a dray caramel malt with a slight graininess to it. There were some floral hops in the background that helped enrich the overall scent. The flavor is a subtle and a little week. ItÂ’s mainly of malted grains and a very mild hop finish. The combination of ingredients gives the beer a very mild pear flavor in the background.
This is a light bodied beer. Almost no coating to the mouth and it passes over the tongue very easily. The carbonation is a little strong and bites on the tongue and lips.
Overall this is a nice, gentle beer. I think this would be a good one for a hot summer day. The thought of sitting out on the front porch kicking back a couple of ice cold ales or even sitting around a campfire on a cool summer night with friends. I enjoyed it, and could see myself picking up another six pack sometime in the future, especially since each purchase helps a burn foundation. I give it 5.5 out of ten. (An extra half point for the generosity.)
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April 21, 2009
-Verifying that the floor plan for their home office is correct.
-Confirm that work area is a separate space from common living area of home.
-Confirm that work area has a door with working lock.
-Confirm file cabinet has a working lock.
-Verify it is a distraction free environment (no television, pets, children or elderly they have to take care of.)
-Verify that homeownerÂ’s/renterÂ’s insurance policy is active.
-Verify working Smoke Detector.
We actually have a checklist we have to go down. If they fail the inspection, then they have to return to working out of the home.
Today I had to do my first round of home visits. IE The Inspection! Of course, to make sure that they donÂ’t cheat, itÂ’s a surprise inspection. Meaning, I just show up during the times they are supposed to be working and make sure everything is on the up and up. The whole thing is rather uncomfortable for everyone involved. I really donÂ’t want to go in their house, and they really donÂ’t want to just surprise them by stopping by, especially if itÂ’s a bad house day.
Of course there is some fun to be had. I hit the first minionÂ’s home. Everything was squared away and fine. She had all the information I needed and everything matched as it should. When I went to check the smoke detector, it wouldnÂ’t go off. Of course she gave me the song and dance that the battery had been unplugged because of a cooking incident. Once the battery was plugged back in, it worked just fine. However, I couldnÂ’t bypass this opportunity to tell her that I was going to have to fail her because it hadnÂ’t been plugged in. At first she believed me, but because I was in a hurry to get out of the house, I let her know right away that I was kidding.
One of the houses I went to really threw me for a loop. Management has joked about going to the houses and seeing people working in their pajamas. I just never thought I would actually see it. Nope, when I rang the doorbell my minion answered the door in her pajamas. She had everything on the up and up, but it just made me a tad bit more uncomfortable. I was really glad that one of my Peers was with me, just for proprieties sake. And trust me, this is the only time you will ever hear me be honestly thankful for this peer, because she in general gets on my nerves.
One of my minions is a smoker. When I visited her, I saw that she had ashtrays next to her computer. Our company has a very strict no smoking on company property policy. I had her going that I was going to have to revoke her work from home privileges because she was smoking while on the company time. I explained that, even though she is at home, the equipment belongs to the company and that while she is on the clock, she is not allowed to smoke. Because she was in violation of that, I had to bring her home. I even went so far as to show her in the agreement papers she signed; it states she must follow all company policies. I had her going pretty good.
I let her off the hook as I was walking out the door. We all had a chuckle about it, of course she was relieved. She didnÂ’t want to have to go back to working in the office.
So my first set of home visits went well, IÂ’d still rather not do them, but if I have to, I hope they all go this well.
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07:06 PM
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April 20, 2009
The whole time I was working on this, I was drinking All Natural Cranberry juice. After I finished working on my projects, I continued to drink cranberry juice, but now I added vodka to it. When the evening was over, I ended up drinking over a gallon of Cranberry juice. Yep, a gallon. (Thank god it was sugar free).
This morning I have discovered that drinking that much Cranberry juice has a very interesting effect on the human digestive tract, the colon to be specific. I was at work, when my internal clock went off and told me “It’s time to let out the waste!” Yes, I’m so regular that I can almost set a clock by it. Every day at approximately 10:30 AM, this means that I am usually at work when my colon decides to purge itself.
Now, IÂ’m not going to go into a lot of details here. However, just keep in mind there is a lot of Fiber in cranberry juice. The consistency was, to be blunt, less than solid. I can understand that because of the fiber. What I donÂ’t understand is why it smelled like someone emptied a can of Cranberry scented air freshener into my colon.
Seriously, it smelled like someone had sprayed cranberry scented air freshener in the bathroom.
I mean, there was still the stink of the colon blow, but it was masked with a sweet and fruity scent. And I know no one sprayed the air freshener, because its vanilla scented in that bathroom. IÂ’m not saying it was pleasant, but it was definitely better than the scent of burnt motor oil.
IÂ’m going to have to try this the next time I drink a CarlyleÂ’s Scottish Ale and eat Uncle NicksÂ… see if it makes that gas smell better.
Posted by: Contagion at
01:58 PM
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April 18, 2009
Yea, those are the ribs right after I put them on the smoker 2.5 hours ago. They have been cooking at 225 to 250 degrees the whole time. They have marinated in a special sauce and then I rubbed them down with my special seasoning combination.
Hungry yet?
Posted by: Contagion at
02:11 PM
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April 16, 2009
It came in a 12 oz brown bottle with a red foil seal over the bottle cap. The label shows a picture of a Viking on a beach. The name of the beer is at the top, and Orkney Ale on either side of the Viking. The back label says “Orkney - a small group of islands off the northern tip of Scotland, shrouded in magic and mystery, was the home of Thorfinn Hausakluff (SkullSplitter) 7th Viking earl of Orkney around 1,000 AD.” The front label also states the beer has a 8.5% Alcohol by Volume.
There is a dark nut brown color to the beer with copper accents. There is a slight haziness to it, not enough to impede light passing through. When poured a quarter inch, off white head formed. It dissipated quickly to a ring around the edge of the glass and a slight film at top. There was no lacing at all.
The scent was almost overly sweet. Toasted malts, molasses and caramel are most notable. There was also just a slight hint of alcohol. The flavor was a combination of caramel malts, dark fruit, brown sugar, and touch of acrid alcohol. There was also a slight bitterness to the finish. The aftertaste was almost buttery.
This is a medium bodied beer. A slight creamy coating forms in the mouth.
This was not exactly what I was expecting from a Scottish Ale. It was a bit sweeter than I expected, however I was surprised that the 8.5% ABV wasnÂ’t as noticeable as one would think. As it warmed towards room temperature, the flavor opened up more, and the body seemed to gain a thickness to it. Towards the end it was almost like I was drinking beer flavored melted butter. The butter analogy comes from the buttery taste to it. IÂ’m not sure that I would want to drink a lot of this beer in one sitting, but a bottle every now and then definitely would be nice. Thankfully the name had nothing to do with how your head feels after drinking it. I give it 6 out of 10.
Posted by: Contagion at
07:43 PM
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Ill may we never see;
Here's to the King
And the gude companie.
Here's a health to them that's away,
Here's a health to them that's away,
Here's a health to them that were here shortsyne*,
An, canna be here today.
~Old Jacobite Toast.
*A little while ago
For fear ye are forgotten.
Remember that this day, a host of proud and brave Scots took the field against a larger force to fight to preserve their way of life. They were crushed and the actions taken against the wounded, and the civilian occupants by their opponents would be considered of the worst war crimes if it happened today. ItÂ’s also why no existing regiment claims a victory at Culloden.
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01:16 PM
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April 15, 2009
Tomorrow, I'm getting together with some friends and hitting the Hope and Anchor, an English Pub, to help remind them of the what happened.
For some fun, here are a couple of video clips regarding Culloden, The first is from the Culloden Battlefield Experience in Scotland.
Trailer for audiovisual film at National Trust For Scotland's new Culloden Battlefield Experience. A dramatic reconstruction of the Battle of Culloden, the last battle fought on British soil on 16th April 1746 between the Jacobite supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie and The British Army of George II. Directed by Craig Collinson & Produced by Nobles Gate.
And short tour of the battlefield done to The Ghosts of Culloden.
If you are going to be in the area, you can join us. The whole family will be there.
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07:01 PM
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April 14, 2009
Since he wasn’t paying attention, he doesn’t know what was asked of him, only that he heard his name. “I’m sorry, what was the question?” was his response. Everyone else chuckles because they know he was not paying attention. The person holding the meeting laughingly asks, “Not paying attention?”
“Oh, I was.” Says the man, “Just not to you.”
The rest of the room erupts in laughter, the host nervously laughs.
Two hours after the meeting, the man is told of another meeting he has to go to now. One that involves his manager and assistant manger.
All the man can think of is, “where did I leave off in that day dream?”
Posted by: Contagion at
05:03 PM
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