Blog

Archives : Jan’04 Feb’04 Mar’04

Tue Mar 30 14:57:39 2004

Ug, it's been 10 days since my last blogging. I've had a lot on my mind lately, but not the kinds of things I blog about. The winds are changing, that's for sure. (A clever but vague reference not only to spring, but other things...)

Maxwell came up for a visit 3-27-2004, a pleasant break from my usual routine. One of the reasons I stopped brewing beer for so long was that I had no one to share it with. It was nice to sit around on the patio, enjoying a few pints and good conversation.

Sat Mar 20 09:15:19 2004

A week or two ago I went outside to try to catch a picture of a bluejay. Well, it flew out of range of my zoom, so I ended up walking around taking pictures of things in my yard. I just now got around to putting those pictures up. Enjoy.

Thu Mar 18 10:13:09 2004

Let it never be said that I cannot admit when I’m wrong. I erroneously called Beethoven's 9th Symphony "Ode to Joy." Its real name is "Song of Joy." And for all you Clockwork Orange fans out there that think I purchased it only for the 4th movement, well, yes I did. But after listening to it several times, I really think the 2nd movement kicks more ass than the 4th. It’s a little repetitive at times, but hey, isn't that true of all good music?

I was reading someone's blog or blog comments yesterday and found someone ripping on "The Darkness". Hey, I actually like The Darkness. There are not many bands out there that can make me laugh every time I hear them. And that freak that sings is just more proof that gay people have cornered the market on creativity. Want more proof? Freddie Mercury, Elton John, David Bowie, Mick Jagar, Bruce Dickinson, Sascha Konietzko ... I could go on, but I think I made my point.

Wed Mar 17 23:05:50 2004

Adelphia owes me yet another hour of my life. Today’s mail greeted me with another bill that made no sense to the tune of 2x. Their bill is the only bill that I cannot auto-electronically pay because every other time I get it, it’s messed up. So, I ranted to their customer service rep, sat on hold for an hour, and then she promised me everything would be OK. I got her name just in case (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me).

Then, I discovered the Cat-5 connecting my workstations on my second floor with my servers in the basement via the window had enough of the wind, and committed hari-kari on the sharp edges of my basement window. The better part of an hour was spent rectifying this situation. The replacement cable has a rubber hose wrapped around it to prevent another noble escape from my hill-billy antics.

Wed Mar 17 16:37:43 2004

A snowstorm ambushed us yesterday. I have my son Sundays through Wednesdays and my options were to either take him to daycare, or take the day off. Well, I didn't feel much like driving along with all the incompetents out there and I needed a mental health day anyway, so I took the day off. We spent 5 hours at Boston Mills (Brandywine was closed). There were a lot of kids there taking their own mental health days. Several of them were building hills to jump off, and I was feeling rather rambunctious, so I gave it a try. The first two jumps I did ok, and by the third one, I had proclaimed myself an expert and hit a much-too-big-hill much too fast. I caught lots of air ... and lots of ground. I lay there for a moment taking stock of each bone, barely aware of some guy yelling "Are you alright!?!" from the chairlift. He had to ask me twice before I answered him back, "I’ll know in a minute..." Finally I was able to sit up and gingerly cruised down the rest of the hill. We took a snack break and I decided nothing was broke (it would have been my hip, that’s what I landed on) and then we went out for an hour more so I could "snowboard it off" (a.k.a. walk it off). As of today I'm feeling much better, my only regret is that I don't have a cool scar to show off.

Sat Mar 13 14:23:18 2004

I just finished bottling the doublebock that has been fermenting for the past 2 weeks. Bottling is a pain. If I decide to get back into brewing, I'm thinking of investing in a kegging system.

I also did my taxes today using TurboTax online. I usually go to a tax perparer in Lakewood that does a good job for a reasonable price, but this year, I had absolutely nothing interesting or difficult to claim, so I figured I'd do it myself.

It's semi-traditional for bloggers to post wish-lists of stuff that their fans can buy them should they be overcome with the giving spirit. And, since my birthday is coming up (it's the same as tax day) here's mine –

Chainsaw
Axe
Wheelbarrow
Mini-tiller
Canning supplies
Advice from an interior decorator
Dishwasher
Cool new music
Bath salts
Gift certificates to Home Depot or Lowes

Thu Mar 11 12:21:57 2004

I volunteered to support my local police department this morning by driving too fast on my way to work and getting caught. When you drive 2-3 hours every day with most of it being back roads and highways, it's only a matter of time before they get you. I'm always careful to use roads that I know are less patrolled (i.e. NOT route 303). I think it was a fluke that this copper happened to be on my road this morning. He looked like he was on his way somewhere, but I think he saw me catch air over one of the rises in the road, and flipped on his radar in time to catch me coming over the second rise. My lighting fast reflexes allowed me to nearly lock up the breaks when I saw him and I managed to get myself clocked at only 66 (in a 45). He was a peaceable guy, and he didn't try to ask me any trick questions like, "Do you know how fast you were going?" Of course I don't know. When you drive as fast as I do, you really can't take your eyes off the road much to check the speedometer. After receiving my ticket, I changed out my Korn "Untouchables" disk for Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". It didn't really help much. Beethoven gets me going just as much as Korn does. Maybe I'll start profiling another route.

Tue Mar 9 20:16:08 2004

I just got home from the second meeting with the lawyer/mediator. We reviewed the first draft of the contract and it seems he understood my concern for any wording that makes me look like a "secondary" parent. There were only a few minor points that I had issue with, and we had that straightened out by the end of the night. We have one more meeting with him to sign the final draft, then the papers are filed with the court, and then we draw a judge and get a court date. Court dates are always at least 45 days out. But progress is progress.

My son and I have finished reading "Treasure Island". Am I the only one that thinks Jim Hawkins is the hero of that story only because of his Forest Gump-like luck? Now, John Silver, there’s a man to recon with, and you may lay to that! He was my hero in that story. Anyway, now we are reading "The Wind in the Willows". I literally burst out laughing in the first chapter upon reading this (right after the otter suddenly disappears) –

"The Rat hummed a tune, and the Mole recollected that animal etiquette forbade any sort of comment on the sudden disappearance of one's friends at any moment, for any reason or no reason whatsoever."

What wonderful etiquette! Imagine if you were in a meeting at work and you could suddenly leave without anyone saying a thing! Or, maybe you're hit by a bus crossing the street, and it were considered impolite for anyone to comment on the situation? Ok, maybe I'm just weird, but that sounds awesome.

Thu Mar 4 13:31:23 2004

The brew had me worried. All day Monday there was no activity in the fermentor (has it been that long since I last blogged?) However, it's going along nicely now. I should be able to rack to the secondary fermenter by this weekend. The temp in my basement is a cool 53 degrees. That's the lowest this particular yeast is rated to work.

I don't have much to say about the meeting on Tuesday. It happened. We have a follow up next Tuesday. I'll be happy when it's over.

Mon Mar 1 11:58:34 2004

Ok, sorry for not updating over the weekend. Here’s a quick rundown –

Saturday – My one attempt at accomplishing something failed miserably, so sat around and did nothing all day, and enjoyed it immensely. I tried to diagnose the dryer. Unplugging it resulted in a loud 'BZZZ-zap!', blackening the neutral lead on the plug. Undeterred, I removed several covers and plugged it back in, and started probing around with my brand new multimeter. Another BZZAP! later, I decided this was a job better left to the pros. No worries, the multimeter still works, and so do I.

Um, oh yeah. I also drove out to the Grape and Granary and was rather distressed to find it no longer where I left it last. Flummoxed, but not defeated, I kept a careful eye out for it as I drove home, and I found it. They have a new storefront on Home Street, (not Evans anymore) complete with wine tasting lounge! I stopped in and grab a kit of Doublebock and Wyeast 1007.

Sunday – Went to the Squire Laundromat, and washed the dog's blanket in addition to my normal clothes. Being the kind gentleman that I am, I even cleaned out the terrier-sized hairball out of the washer when I was finished. Went home, brewed beer, put a stew in the crock-pot, and after my son arrived at 1:00 p.m. I hung out with him all day. We played with the dogs and chickens, and watched the Phantom Menace for about the 100th time. BTW – left over beer grains gives chickens diarrhea.