happiness is ...

relative per individual.


Dad's been wanting to get to Knoxville for a week or so now so he can get some fish for his fish tank. I have been asking him if we can go pick up another beer kit, since the first batch has been all bottled and my fermenters are now empty and awaiting some flavored liquid.

When we head to Knoxville, we typically hit a couple other places as well. Woodcraft is a near definite everytime we head over. Not that we need something from there, but is always fun (for me, anyway) to look. This may be the one place, that I understand what window shopping is about.

So anyway, we head over that way. Northern Equipment (another neat store) is on the docket today as well. Dad wants to look at a wood stove for the new addition (a screened-in jacuzzi room). They didn't have what Dad was looking for, so we headed off to the homebrew supply store.

In the same shopping center where the brew supply store is, there is a neat little international delicatessen with all types of good meats and cheeses and jams, and ... and ... and ....      Man! could spend *all* kinds of money in there! We picked up some kielbasa, cheese, mustard, and a couple different types of sausages.

From there, we head over next door to the homebrew store! I had seen an IPA kit on their website that looked like it was a great candidate to be my next brew. However, upon perusal of their shelves, they didn't have an IPA kit in stock. BUMMER!

So I show the man  (whom turns out to be the co-owner, and all around cool guy) a recipe I got off the internet that is a clone recipe for Fat Tire (a New Belgium red ale which is pretty tasty). After looking over the ingredients he informs me it's an all-grain recipe and after hearing what equipment I have and my (lack of) brewing experience goes about discouraging me.

He tells me 'I am supposed to sell you whatever you want, but, while you *could* do it with the equipment you have, it would be a real headache to attempt' and suggests I stick with a kit for a few more times until I get comfortable with it.

He further told me 'that he is a better enthusiast than a businessman' and that he doesn't want me discouraged by selling me something to make the process more difficult and labor-intensive. I spent over an hour in the store and learned a LOT from the man. Good stuff!

Next stop was to go to Woodcraft. They had marblewood on sale and I have never worked it before and of course the flyer makes it look really pretty ... and being 25% off, I was curious.  Additionally, I was in need of a Jacob's chuck (basically a drill arbor that fits into the tailstock of a lathe). We get there to find that neither were in stock (but they were unloading this week's shipment from the truck). After another hour, they still hadn't turned up either, but by then we wandered around long enough to see a couple other things that caught interest.

Dad was intrigued by a duplicator jig that attaches to the lathe bed and allows you to duplicate a piece you have turned. I want one ...  but someday when I am better experienced and can put it to good use.

Dad sees it, thinks it's a neat toy, and tells the salesman to get one and put on the counter. I tried to talk him down to something that would be more useful in the immediate future ... and about 1/3 the cost.

Dad shows no interest in this, so I put it back, yet we are still waiting on them to finish unloading the new stock. While they are stocking, I keep poking around this "toy store" window shopping. Dad tells one of the salesman to get that duplicator for me.

I again, tell him 'I'm not ready for it' trying to talk him out of it -- into something cheaper and more (immediately) useful. I'm not sure if he bought it for me .... or bought it to boast about having in his garage (which he refuses to use).

So anyway, we leave there and head over to the place that was the only impetus for *him* going to Knoxville, the fish store. They have an awesome assortment of fresh and salt water fish and he gets five neon tetras (one of which would die once in the tank), three sword fish (a male and two female), two cherry barbs, and two golden gourramis as well as plants to stock his tank.

His 29 gallon tank now looks full of life and he is happy, so I guess that is all that matters!

Was watching "The Rifleman" today. I'm not big on TV, but it is a great show. I'm always glad when Dad puts that one on. Anyway, there was a scene that struck a chord ...

Lucas: "Looks like you're growing up!"
Mark:  "How do you mean?"
Lucas: "Well, son, the older you get, the more questions that don't have answers"

Wow! how profound! and powerfully true!

Life is full of hard questions. We go through the motions day in, day out, but that is all it is. In reality we are only floundering.

It's kind of odd how you can look at another person's life through your eyes and think they got things figured out so much better than you do. In actuality, we all stumble through life.

The complexity of the stumbling may vary from person to person, but there is no denying that we all have more questions we have answers for. The biggest thing is, how much do those unanswered questions impact your life?

playin' in the snow

We had a white Christmas this year and the snow hasn't really stopped falling. While we haven't gotten hammered, we have gotten a significant accumulation relative to what we normally would. I went out this morning to take some pictures and out of curiosity took a tape measure and found we have had 5 1/2" over the past day and a half.

Shiner absolutely *loves* the snow. She runs through the snow wide open. It's almost as if she is trying to find a spot to land that isn't cold on her toe pads. The snow even gets ol' Dott dog a-hoppin'.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so this blog will be short, yet here are a few thousand words ...

Puttin' a cap on this batch ...

It has been well over a week now since I had racked my beer into the secondary fermenter and was now time to bottle it up. With all the reading and research I have done about brewing, I had dreaded this part. It looked to be the most labor-intensive and boring phase of the process.

I didn't really want to clean 48 bottles so I used the dishwasher on a heated rinse which was an option according to some of the stuff I had read. I then sterilized the caps, bottling bucket and valve, racking cane, hose, and bottling cane with iodophor.

I transferred the beer from the secondary carboy to the bottling bucket. It looked really clear as it flowed through the tube which made me quite happy. As it was filling the bottling bucket, I put my head down close enough to sneak a sniff of the aroma of the beer. Not only did it smell like beer, but it was rather pleasant. Cool!

I didn't get any of the trub from the bottom of the fermenter during transfer, so I must be starting to get the hang of this.   ; )    Next up, was to take a gravity reading, and of course to sample the beer as well. YAAAYY!!

EXCEPT -- that I forgot to make up the priming sugar. DOH! You are supposed to make up the priming sugar (this helps carbonate your beer while it is in the bottle) and put that in the bottling bucket THEN add the beer. Oh well, just did that out of order, but should be okay so long as I mix it well.

The final gravity showed to be 1.014, which is what it was when I transferred to the secondary fermenter. Then I tasted the sample. Last time it seemed weak on flavor and punch. It was more of a pilsner style and this is supposed to be an ale.

This time, it sure had the character of an ale and the taste was a bit more complex. There were various flavors that danced on the tongue. I think this is going to be a good beer.

Once the priming sugar had been added and mixed into the beer, it was a matter of filling the bottles. I have heard of people's beer that had blown it's top, so to speak due to not filling the beer to the right level. It's my understanding that if it is too low, then the carbonation builds and basically blows the cap creating a nasty mess and wasting potentially good beer. Well, I definitely don't want this to happen!

The DVD that came with the kit we got, said to fill it right up to the very top and once you remove the bottling cane the level should be right -- roughly one inch down from the top of the bottle. Well, it didn't work that way. Once I removed the bottling cane, it was nearly two inches below the top, so I added and brought it up to about an inch from the top and capped it.

This process went fairly quickly and wasn't near the headache I had anticipated. Now it's just a matter of waiting 2-3 weeks to see if we have carbonated, good-tasting beer.

Now it's time to get started on the second batch. However, the local brew supplier doesn't open until Tuesday though.  

descention ....

Well here we are on the dawn of yet another Christmas, and here I am again, just not feeling it. I think this is the third time out of the last five, that it comes down to Christmas day and I am just not in the spirit of it.

I know, respect, and appreciate the real 'reason for the season', yet I just am not into it once again. I don't know why it is, just -that- it is.

It is neat to watch Melissa. She is a true kid -- in a good way. She is one of those rare adults that never lost the magic. You know -- as a child you can easily believe things that as an adult you have been "trained" not to or broken and can no longer accept.

I am not saying she is simple-minded (although, in a way, she is), but she has been able to embrace and hold on to that child-like fun side that most grown-ups lose. God bless her for that! for I am jealous!

Anyway, it's fun to watch her around this time of year. She is, and has been, the biggest kid in the house. *SHE* is the first one up Christmas day, not the kids. *SHE* is the one most wanting to open up the presents. It's funny over the years, the kids have picked up on this and we make it a game to see how long we can stretch it before opening presents just to watch her squirm (I'm not exaggerating).

Yet, I cannot get into it -- or  at least not lately. It is the total opposite of the way my soulmate approaches things. I wish this was not the case.

I'm not alone here, though. I've heard a bunch of folks talk about how they are "not feeling it". Christmas used to be such a special time.

It was a time when you would not just smile and nod at a complete stranger, but wish them a "Merry Christmas" as you passed one another in the street. It used to be a time where one would do something a little 'extra' because it was Christmas 'season'.

It used to be a special time of year. Now it's a rush to "get this done" type of thing.

Dad and I went to WallyWorld the other day to get groceries (he likes going there because it's one-stop shopping -- get everything from hardware to groceries). Most of the folks there were Christmas shopping, yet only a few even engaged in eye contact, let alone speech -- and, again, most of these folks were likely Christmas shopping.

What happened? I am not much of  a socialist, but there is a point as Karl Marx pointed out that Capitalism really robs the 'common man'. I think that has happened in our culture and, apparently, there is no better barometer than Christmas time itself.

We have gotten so caught up in having to buy this for someone and that for another and this and that for him, her, them, and everyone else ... that it has us running around as if this was another "must-do" part of our lives rather than a "let's do".

There was a time when people spread around more Christmas cheer and goodwill than they did presents. Its been so drastic a change that I have noticed it in *my* lifetime.

I don't know that my "not feeling it" with respect to Christmas is tied into this, but it certainly is something I have noticed and really hate to see. I think my problems stem from much deeper psychological issues that I still need to work out, but sadly, there is a -part- of me that can't help but think if I had money to go 'play' and buy presents for people, would that help me "feel it"? It has worked out that way in the past.

It's truly sad, that we have lost our way. We now go through Christmas getting things for people because we feel we have to. It's rare anymore about what the day was set up to observe.

Jesus didn't demand gifts, yet three kings set out on a journey to show their appreciation for His coming. Ever since it seems to have become a slippery downhill slope.

I wish I still held onto that childlike magic!

all nestled in their "beds"

The new building has  sat empty for nearly a week now allowing it to settle since the ground was so wet when initially set up. So, I checked the building for level to see if it would need to be re-plumbed and it was right where it needed to be. Super!

So the *job* of getting bikes moved into the shed commenced. I enlisted Isaac's help since some of them have not been moved in a *while* and only one of them actually runs right now -- or so I thought.

I looked at the spacing and tried to figure out how I was going to place them (four in all) in there and still leave enough room for the hacked Goldwing.

We set Dad's wheelchair ramp up in the doorway (since the ground isn't leveled up to the entry yet) to make the job easier. The first bike in was Pearl, my baby bandit. I straddled the bike and instantly thought 'Man! I miss riding this bike'. 

I tried backing it up from where it has been in the garage since February, only to find that it wasn't budging. Okay check neutral -- shift it down into first and lift it back up to set into neutral. Grunt, pull, grunt, pull -- no go! Isaac starts yanking with me and it starts moving, sort of. 

The front wheel is locked.  I put it up on the center stand and sprayed some lube around the axle and start working it. It took a few minutes and a lot more grunting, but it finally freed up. We rolled it into place and went after the next one.

I figured on loading the Sabre next. This is the only one in my stable that runs. I put the key in and hit the starter button and it wouldn't go. I kept at it but the battery started draining. Dammit!

Bah! okay, let's get the Magna which has been setting outside under a tarp. I dreaded this because last time I attempted to move it both wheels were not moving. However, it was due to brakes, not the wheels. I had forgotten, and was pleasantly surprised, to see that I had removed the brakes from the discs. Sweet! it nicely rolled into place. 

Went back to the Sabre and tried it again. It is now a little bit warmer outside, so maybe ... hit the starter and it started, then immediately died. I kept at it and it finally got up enough idle to stay running. Whew! Good ol' Jitterbug! one less to push! Made some VROOM VROOM noises and rode it into place.

Next we got the Interceptor to put it in it's place. This one had a flat rear tire, so we lug it back to where the airline hose would reach, air it up and roll it into the shed ... almost. We lost momentum halfway up the ramp. Instead of rolling  it back uphill, I have Isaac get his sister so she can give us the extra 'ooomph!' needed to crest the ramp. 

Now all the bikes are nestled in their new "beds". Well, except for the 'wing which will have to wait until we level up the ground to make a ramp as the wheelchair ramp wasn't wide enough for the land yacht. 

Here is what it looks like with a spot reserved for the 'wing ....

I gathered up the various bike parts and the two extra compressors of Dad's and move them all over to the shed and WOOO HOOOO! there is room in the garage again. Color me happy!

So much so that I celebrated by turning a pieced of wood. It was so great to get back in the garage again. 

shoot the moon ...

or in this case the damned clouds that once again obscured viewing a celestial event *this* year!!!


Normally, I like clouds. I like to marvel at the wondrous Rorsharckian-ink blot shapes that form against the grey or blue background. It is but another beauty of Nature.

However, this is the third time this year I have been prevented from witnessing a celestial event. This time it was the last lunar eclipse that we will see in North America until 2012. I just wanted to go out and play with the camera and try to capture a "red" moon.

The clouds started rolling in about 7:00. We had watched the news earlier in the day and their hour-by-hour forecast indicated we were going to be socked in.

I refused to believe it and was hopeful that maybe a stray wind(s) or some other force(s) would diverge the system enough to allow us a window to see it. Yeah, I'm a fool, but oh well.

I went out at 1:00 about a half hour before the edge of the Earth's shadow was supposed to start "blocking" the Moon. A quick look only confirmed that the weather prognosticators were correct and my hopes for stray winds or other outside help were futile.

There was a faint glimmer of where the moon's location was beyond the clouds, and that was it. The sky was completely covered in clouds and I opted to go to bed out of frustration because I no longer had hope that it would clear up to offer me so much as a glimpse. All I wanted was a few pictures.

I guess that gives me time to hone my photography "skills" and maybe by 2012 I will be able to snap a decent shot of it ... that is, if the damned clouds don't interfere ... AGAIN!

steadfastly stupid ....

what do you get when a ram runs full steam into a brick wall?

you get my dad and i being stupidly stubborn and neither giving in!

spacing out ...

Woo Hooo! The new building arrived today. This is the place that will house the bikes and (hopefully) free up some room in the garage.

Here it is in its new home ....

It is a 12' X 16' shed. This will easily house my 3 Honda V4s, the Bandit, and Dad's hacked Goldwing. I can't wait to get them in there so I can actually move around a little in the garage when it comes time to do some work out there.

I would've already had them in there, but with all the snow, ice, and rain we have gotten this week the ground is soft. I mean *really* soft! I will need to wait until the ground settles before putting any weight in there.

It was so soft [yeesh there's always one, isn't there?], that the guy who dropped it off had a tough time getting it unloaded as there was only one load point and the weight of the shed just pushed the stacked blocks into the ground. He finally had to set it up so that there were three instead of a single load bearing stack so that he could remove it from the trailer without the shed sinking into the ground.

Then it was just a matter of creating more load supports. Jack it up, place blocks, lower, check level, repeat (sounds like showering instructions).

There are 11 places under it that are supported by block and the front left corner is supported directly by the ground. It took well over an hour to get it set due to the soft ground and the fact the grade had a definite slope to it, as can be seen.

When grading it, I did the best I could but ran out of material to build up the back corner. We brought in 10 ton of fill dirt and 10 ton of gravel, but as you can see the back side was still low. Part of that was due to lack of material, but also due to the fact that I couldn't get the tractor's box blade to pull the dirt as far as I wanted due to the treeline being in the way.

Hopefully it will settle in the next few days and I can free up some space in the garage.

right on (t)RACK

Earlier this week I was in a bit of a panic as I thought my fermentation had stalled. It just quit bubbling, after a mere four days. I have seen some reports on some brews that state their beer fermented for over a week and on some styles even up to two weeks.

When mine quit at four days I got concerned that I didn't pitch enough yeast. Or that a temperature fluctuation flucked up my process. Or ... or .... or  .....     Being new at this, I just don't know what to expect so when things happen contrary to what I've read, my mind starts running wild with all kind of scenarios.

It's been dormant for four days now, so I decided to rack (transfer the liquid) it into a secondary fermenter. This process basically extracts all the "beer" (it's still not yet beer) from the sediment (spent yeast and byproducts) which remains in the bottom of the primary fermenter. This allows the beer to become more "clear" and lessens the chance of off-flavors tarnishing the beer.

I took a gravity reading which tells the basic alcohol content if you take an original reading, which I forgot to (need both to go into a formula to figure out the ABV content), and also gives you an idea if fermenting is indeed (mostly) done. My reading came in at 1.014 and the kit says it should settle at 1.010 to 1.015 -- sweet!

After finishing the racking and gravity test, came the fun part. I got to taste it.

There was some carbonation present, so I was pleased. However, the beer didn't have as prominent a flavorful taste as I had hoped. It wasn't bad, there were some undertones, but they were very "hidden". When I added the coffee beans and roasted pecans, I expected it to be more evident than my initial test showed.

Also the character of the beer was a bit off. It is supposed to be a brown ale, but it tasted more like a pilsner.

Maybe it will become more prominent as it ages some more. Time will tell.

Even though, it wasn't as tasty as I had hoped, it *was* carbonated, and it didn't have any overwhelming off-flavors that many folks on the brew boards say can occur with bad procedure. So overall, I am pretty satisfied (so far) with my first attempt. At least I didn't immediately have the urge to spit it out upon it hitting my tongue.    ; )

obscured by clouds ...

AGAIN! When it was time for the annual Perseid meteor shower, I went outside to watch some meteorites streak across the black sky. However, the peak period for these streaking "stars" was marred by an overabundance of clouds blocking any chance of seeing them.

Last night was the peak time for the (also) annual Geminids. This year the Geminids were supposed to be very active on the order of nearly 120 an hour possible at peak. I was looking forward to this one and would've endured the low-teen temperatures to get a glimpse of the light trails dancing across the sky. Yet, once again, clouds (snow clouds this time) prevented any chance of enjoying the show. The two biggest meteor showers of the year and both were hidden.

Ah well, there is always next year, I suppose.

without belief ... we have nothing

... that was a line from the movie I seen earlier today. That's right *I* went to the movies.

I *hate* going to the theater. Not so much the prices (which are outrageous) but the rudeness of those around you as you try to enjoy a movie you just paid "way too much" for.

I have always had a fancy for fantasy films. I don't know why, but for whatever reason, I still haven't outgrown it.   ;j

Going to see ths was bittersweet, since her and I never (okay hardly ever) get to have just "us" time, but  it was the first time this series would be viewed when all four of us were not present. Granted, when Dad took his stroke, we all knew our lives had changed, but had no idea to the extent they had. It's sobering sometimes!

The movie? the latest installment of the Narnia series ("Voyage of the Dawn Treader") by C.S. Lewis. Megan is an avid reader and a *big* fan of C.S. Lewis' novels. (not at all saying I am *not* a fan, just haven't read it, since I am not much of a reader)

Soooo .. when her and I saw the advertisement for the preview of this movie, I looked at her with an anxious smile and said "Let's go to that" and she, without hesitation, said "Yes, let's".  So it was a date ... SWEET!

As mentioned, I have never been much for seeing a movie at a theater, especially as much as they charge to do so anymore. This was even more escalated when Megan found out that the 3-D version of the movie cost $3 more than the 2-D version.
.
WTF?!?! There never used to be any difference between watching 2-D and 3-D flicks. sunuva .........

Well, neither Megan nor I are so caught up in  effects to merit the extra $3 (bless her heart) to watch the technology that was already (fuggin') filmed! So we both decide the 2-D version is good enough since we are both in it for the story and plot ... not so much the special effects (again, bless her heart!)

We get to the theater about 10 minutes prior to filming to see .. commercials! Really? I see enough advertisements on *TV* that I try to IGNORE!! Commericals? Really? yeesh!

Anyway, the movie finally starts and I am not sure if I enjoyed the movie more .... or Megan's reactions to the movie. I could tell when moments of the movie did not follow the C.S. Lewis' intent; I could tell when all of a sudden Megan was scared, enthused,  or shocked by a scene; it was almost as fun to watch her react. Don't get me wrong ... the movie was good, but it was priceless to watch Megan.

Again, it was bittersweet, since it was just her and I watching it, not all four of us! But then again, as previously mentioned, her and I get few "dates" .... the last occurred so long ago neither of us could recall the date, but knew what we had done together. However, as sweet as it was, it was still awkward since, Melissa and Isaac had not joined us.

The movie was great, and if you had watched the previous two, the third didn't disappoint, and that is all I am going to say in hopes that I don't want to spoil it for those that would be wanting to see it. I will say, though, there was one scene that reminded me of the silliness of Monty Python's "The Holy Grail" scene where the knights that say "ni" asked for a "shrubbery" (it is the monopods scene for those familiar with the novels).

Once the movie ended, the directors/producers/ whomever incorporated the actual artwork of C.S. Lewis' works in the credits. Of all the 12 people that were in attendance, Megan and I were the last to leave, as we enjoyed every bit of the artwork offered.

We closed our "date", with some sundaes at Sonic. Ordinarily, that would be no big deal, but this time, it was around 25*F so I imagine we tripped out the people working there when we ordered.   LOL

Sadly, Megan had to head back to the dorms shortly after getting home as the winter storm coming had intimidated her, and she had finals in the morning. Good luck Kiddo .... and thanks for a good (albeit rare) afternoon date!   ;j

if at first you don't succeed?

Tonight I made my first attempt at brewing some beer. It was from a Brewer's Best English Brown Ale kit. I have read and read and read until I was sick of reading just trying to get the process of brewing engrained (no pun intended) in my head, so that when the time came to do it, I could do it without having to think about it.

I had a perfectly good kit, that if I followed directions, should produce a good beer. But me, being me, that wasn't good enough. This is my first run, yet I had to play with it. I decided I wanted a nut brown, but was unable to find a nut brown kit at the homebrew supplier.

I decided to add some roasted pecans to get a nutty flavor and some crushed chocolate-flavored coffee beans (to add to the complexity of flavors) to the steeping bag. This could either be really good or introduce oils and tannins that will not work with the beer. We'll find out in a month or so.

Out of all the reading I've done, if there is *one* thing I've learned, it is clean, clean, clean. Then, when you think you have cleaned everything, clean some more. I spent an hour and a half cleaning and sanitizing, not just the equipment but countertops, stove top, and the deep freeze, next to the oven.

Upon finishing the sanitizing process, I put 2 1/2 gallons water (as per directions) in my brewpot and brought it up to 160* F.  I put all my grains, coffee beans, and nuts in the steeping bag and boiled for 20 minutes.

About 10 minutes into the process, I already am questioning this decision. The smell of coffee is ... overwhelming. Okay, I'm worried that I just brewed a $30 batch of carbonated coffee.

Then I removed the bag and added the dry malt extract, the liquid malt extract (which was thicker than molasses), and the first round of hops, called the bittering hops. This needed to boil for 45 minutes. Luckily, the coffee smell had subsided by now, and some confidence is coming back.

The second thing I have taken from my reading is that you really want to avoid boilover. I stood at the oven and watched to make sure it didn't.

Stir, Stir, Stir, Stir. Monotonous! yet, it's certainly a labor of love.

After the 45 minutes was up, things would happen much quicker. The next round of hops, called the flavoring hops, were added and boiled for 10 minutes. Then the last round of hops, called the aroma hops, were added  and would  boil for another 5 minutes.

Then, you remove the wort (that's what the beer is called at this point) and put it in an ice bath to bring the temperature down to the temperature of the yeast that will be used to ferment it. I have read this typically can take about an hour without a wort chiller (which I don't yet have).

I filled a plastic tub with ice, put the brewpot in it, and kept stirring the wort. I figured if I took it outside it would cool quicker since it was about 30* outside, so that is what I did.

Within 20 minutes (TWENTY!) it had cooled close to what the yeast require. I called a buddy of mine whom has brewed before and asked him if I had done something wrong or something right. He seemed to think I was okay.

I spent about 30 minutes trying to catch up and chat with him, all the while my wort is getting cooler and cooler in that ice bath. When I got off the phone I checked the temperature again,  only to find that it was down to 60*F. Uh-oh! I needed it to be 70*. DOH!

I brought it back inside and let it come up to room temperature. This took .... forever! I actually passed out on the couch waiting.

Upon awakening, however, the wort was room temperature and I was able to "rack" the beer into the carboy that it would ferment in. Once the beer was added, I added the yeast and enough water to bring it to 5 gallons and shook the hell out of it. All that remained now, was to put on the airlock and hope it ferments over the next couple weeks.

Now, it's just wait, wait, wait, and hope, hope, hope that I didn't fuck it up! That's what I am doing.

the waiting is the hardest part ....

Headed over to Knoxville today to get the rest of what I needed for my first attempt at brewing. I didn't need much, but had no bottles, no ingredients, nor sanitizer. Yes, you can use bleach, but the sanitizer is tasteless and isn't toxic and you needn't worry as much about rinsing the equipment.

Dad is trying to sell his Mustang and is interested in trading it off for another old classic. While perusing Craigslist the other day I noticed a 66 Galaxie convertible. He was interested and it was just a half hour further, so we included that on the agenda as well as a trip to Sam's Club to further justify the trip over and back.

Well, the Galaxie wasn't what Dad was looking for, so we loaded back up and headed over to the homebrew supply store to pick up the last of what I needed to brew with. Upon pulling into the parking lot, Melissa and I spied an International specialty store. What caught my attention (and Dad's) was the word "sausages" painted on the window.

We went in and were pleasantly surprised at the selection of meats and cheeses, jams, and other condiments available. We left with some Polish cheese (cannot remember the name nor will I attempt to pronounce it), Knockwurst, Kielbasa, and Bratwurst, as well as some mustard, a couple of teas, and jam.

From there we went into the brew supply store. We got the stuff needed to get me up and brewing. The brewkit we got was a European brown ale. Sweet! I am soo stoked. I cannot wait to get home and get started.

The last stop was Sam's and we headed that way, but were again sidetracked when Dad noticed this store that sells those "as seen on TV" items. He had seen a couple things he wanted to pick up as Christmas gifts so  we stopped there. He got everything he was wanting and to be further sidetracked in the same plaza/strip mall, was an "Oak Factory" furniture store.

He wanted to check that out, too. It was on the opposite end of the strip mall, and as we were headed there, there was a neon sign that said "Fat Tire" so I curiously checked in the window and saw quite the selection of beers. We wheel in there and were able to make a variety six for me and one for him as well. I got quite a few beers I have never tried and cannot wait until tomorrow to try them (as they were not cold).

Oddly, when we got to the Oak Factory, it had since closed. Alright, load up get to Sam's and get on home. Upon arriving home, I asked Isaac if we got a package delivered today. When I ordered my brewkit last week, I ordered a  5 gallon brewpot at the same time. For whatever reason it still hadn't arrived.

So now that I have everything (else) that I need, i asked Isaac if we had that delivery ... "Nope, no one came by today" GAAAAHHHHH!!!!   sooo aggravated! I was psyched to start brewing, but now have to wait.

I so wanted to be sippin' on some homebrew for New Year's Eve, but it isn't looking likely.

yeesh! it's just a game!

Hi, my name is Ed and I am a college football junkie. I love the game. I love the pageantry, the rivalries, the tradition, the intensity (that gets lost most times in the NFL -- money ruins everything), just about everything about it (well with the exception of the BCS structuring -- again money! but that's another rant!). 

I could happily set my ass down in front of the idiot box on Fall Saturdays and watch 12 hours of games. It's a disease, I know, but we all have our vices.   ; )

I am a big-time loyally devout University of Tennessee Vols fan. I watch every game I can, and those I cannot watch, I listen to Bob Kesling on the Vol Radio Network. Winning or losing, whether or not the game is competitive, I am tuned in. When they do well I cheer, when they don't, I jeer. Yet, I still watch and faithfully support them week in, week out.

I have been to many games at Neyland Stadium and have had interactions with fans from nearly every single SEC school. There is always banter and smack-talk going on between the fans, and it is usually done in a light-hearted fun spirit.

The Florida Gators are a much-hated rival. Well for us at least, since it's been such a long time that we have beat them. Additionally, more often than not, the winner of that game has gone on to represent the SEC east in the SEC championship game, so it's always a big game. I have been to two UT-UF matchups and have had a pleasant interaction with Gator fans, even though they are on the wrong side.   ; )

Alabama is another hated rival. Our team could theoretically go 1-11 for the year and the coach wouldn't get fired, so long as that lone win was over the Crimson Tide (okay that's a bit exaggerated, but you get the idea).   Again, I have been to two UT-UA  matchups and have had no problems with the opposing fans.

Football is a big deal in the south. These folks take it seriously. Fridays in the fall in many small towns are spent at the local High School stadium watching the boys play. Saturdays are typically spent either watching the game on TV or going to campus to tailgate on the strip and, if fortunate, watch the game. It's just a rite of passage!

Yesterday, prior to the game between USC (southern Cal.) and UCLA there was a brawl involving over 50 fans. As a result, two folks got stabbed. STABBED! over what? an argument about "my team is better than yours"? WTF?!?!

There is a quote by Mark Twain I like (actually I enjoy most of his witticisms) that is especially pertinent to this situation ... ""We need not worry so much about what man descends from-it's what he descends to that shames the human race." Too true!

I mean, really! What has become of "civilization"? I can understand that tempers flare, but this all started over a game! 

Yes, I am aware violence occurs with some regularity at some World Cup events, but again, it's just a game! I love sports, am a bit  of a fanatic, but not crazed enough to cause harm to another, that's ridiculous! and as Mr. Twain said .... SHAMEFUL!

(as a side note, cops arrested the two they believed to have been responsible for the stabbing and the two that were stabbed were taken to the hospital and were in stable condition)

"alien" life

Yesterday NASA announced it had found a new lifeform that defies "life as we know it". This lifeform is an adaptive form of bacteria that has managed to thrive in what we refer to as a poisonous environment. It is immersed in and feeds off of arsenic. Adaptive, indeed!

Arsenic is poisonous to "life as we know it". It is the only lifeform to date that has been found living in such conditions. Originally this bacteria lived in a phosphoric environment which is not outside the accepted boundaries of basic life requirements.

It managed to adapt to arsenic-based life when it depleted its phosphoric medium. Quite an accomplishment, to be sure, but, then, life is not static. As Darwin implied it will adapt, or die off.

These scientists that claim "life cannot exist unless ...." are clueless. These bateria cannot exist because "life as we know it" cannot do anything but perish in an arsenic environment.

The finding of life in an unexpected environment is not a new premise. There were lifeforms found thriving in an extremely hot hydrogen sulfide climate near the ocean floor. Hydrothermal vents are basically cracks in the Earth's crust that force super-heated gases through the surface.

The hydrothermal vents I am referring to exist on the ocean floor and the water surrounding is extremely hot and would likely boil the blood in an organisms vessels should they get close to it. Furthermore, the water around these vents is primarily a Hydrogen Sulfide concentration, which is not very habitable as far as the experts claim.

Yet, there is a whole ecosystem that has learned to adapt to living in such volatile, non-life-supporting conditions (as we know it). There are a host of adaptive invertebrates including tubeworms, clams, shrimp, and mussels  that all survive in this harsh environment.

How can this be? How do the baterial lifeform announced yesterday thrive? When you look at the requirements for "life as we know it"  there is no way these organisms can survive.

Sooo ... how is it that these experts can claim that there is only ____________   planets in the entire solar system that can support life. We keep finding things that defy explanation and those blanket statements are not universally true.

The more we know, the more we learn what we don't know.

space is at a premium ...

at least with Dad it is.

Yesterday he and I went out to order a storage building that would be large enough to house the bikes and free up some room in our garage. As it is now, everytime I go into the garage, I have to perform aerobic exercises to get beyond the door.

Dad likes toys! Actually, I think he makes it his mission to fill up every available square inch of room available, and then get *just* a little more. He sure does like a full garage, but then he doesn't have to navigate his way through it.  ; )

When we moved up here, the first thing Dad did on the property was to get a 20 X 26 two-bay garage built. This is much larger than the one he had down in Florida.

Of course, it didn't take long for him to acquire enough toys to fill it. First, it was the Tyrex (basically a 4x4 golf cart on steroids), which he had in Florida, along with his Harley and my Sabre and Bandit.

Then he bought a tractor. So now both bays are full as well as the middle with bikes.

He then traded his bike off for a 66 Mustang. Now the tractor has to be kept outside, so I built him a lean-to along the side of the garage so the tractor wouldn't be in the weather.

About 6 months ago, he bought a 2010 Challenger R/T, which also has to sit outside, but we do have a car cover for it. Back in September he picked up a Goldwing with a sidecar, now the Tyrex sits outside so the 'wing won't have to. His toys sitting outside drives him crazy.

So we came up with the idea of getting  another building that we could keep all the bikes in and hopefully (at least briefly) free up some space in the garage. I can hear the wheels in his head spinning   "what can I get next to fill that area back in?"  LOL

As I mentioned at the start of this blog, we went and ordered a building yesterday. It is due here two Wednesdays from now. It will be 12 X 16 with one 90" door, which is just barely wide enough to drive the rig into.

Problem is, the space where it is going to be placed, is not very level. So I scooped the top layer of dirt I dragged off for Melissa's garden a couple weeks ago and began using it to fill in the low spots. Where I had this pile of dirt was on the lower part of the property.

After a few trips across it with the tractor, it was getting rather slippery due to all the rain we had in the past two days. I damn near got that tractor stuck and I had it in four wheel drive. I was backing up and just sliding sideways further downhill.

All the while, I kept playing with the gas and the wheel trying to regain traction, but it was pretty futile. I finally grabbed enough traction to get out of there and decided that was all the dirt I needed to get today so I wouldn't risk getting the tractor stuck!

it was 20 years ago today ...

okay so it was 55, but I was just looking for an excuse to use the song. Anyway, it was a  very significant moment in our nation's history. Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to take it ... anymore!

In the waning heights of racial inequality in the southern, redneck-dominant, KKK-influenced Alabama, a black woman said "No" to, not one, but MANY whites, and their silly "ideals". Back then, in the "sawth", as a black you had to give up your seat to whites when the bus got crowded and whites no longer had a place to sit.

After one long, stressed day at work a certain black woman said "NO". It was a voice (and ideology) that would resound across a nation. Sometimes, media coverage is not such a bad thing.

It wasn't so much that she was tired from a long day at work as much as she was just ... tired! Tired of racial inequality, tired of being treated inferior (for no legitimate reason), tired of rolling over or being pushed around ... just tired!

Her defiance influenced a young minister that we have come to know as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He went on to further Rosa's stand. I am not saying that MLK lacked that ambition to start with, but maybe Rosa's stand helped be the spark that lit the fire that ignited the movement, that was long overdue.

God bless her for standing up (or for not standing, as it were)! This was supposed to be a land of equality and freedom; for so long, it wasn't. At least not for the people that didn't bear the "ever-precious white skin"! Everyone else was inferior in this country of opportunity.

A quarter century ago, a little minority woman in Alabama said "No", and it made our nation better, stronger. She suffered for her decision, as did her family. Yet, her action sparked a revolution of sorts that needed to be waged. Never give up what you believe in!

"I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free. "

- Rosa Parks