IT'S FRED FEST! :D

1. Bridgeport Brewing's Bourbon barrel-aged (BBL) Old Knucklehead Firkin
2. Laurelwood Brewing's BBL Olde Reliable Barleywine
3. Widmer Brewing's Altbier
4. Lompoc Brewing's Oak-aged LSD
5. Deschutes Brewing's Br. Abe Belgian ale
6. Rockbottom Brewing's Oak-aged IPA
7. Cascade Brewing, 2006 Wild Blackberry ale (Flanders-style red)
8. Lucky Lab Brewing's Double Alt
9. Hopworks Urban Brewery's 2007 Kentucky Christmas
10. Hair of the Dog's Cask Fred from the Wood
11. Full Sail Brewing's BBL 1998 Old Boilermaker
12. Rogue Brewing's Brewer Ale
13. Roots Brewing's 2006 Pinot Noir Oak-aged Epic
14. Ninkasi Brewing's Dry Hopped Cask Tricerahops
15. Firestone's ?????
16. Jim 2007, Holiday Ale Fest Collaboration with HOTD


Yeah, it's going to be a busy afternoon. I predict that nothing will get done tomorrow night. :D

Date:	08 May 2008 - 19:37hrs
Discussion Topic:	california...
Security Condition:	Charlie - Unsecured
Mood:	le tired
Music:	Liquid Soul - Capoccino

Am back.

Miles of trails hiked.
Hundreds of pictures to sort through.

Couch now.

10 GOTO BEACH
20 GOTO CALIFORNIA
30 GOTO HOME
40 END.

ETA: Am back. :)

Date:	05 May 2008 - 10:41hrs
Discussion Topic:	Ways to Make Saving a Habit
Security Condition:	Charlie - Unsecured
Mood:	thrifty
Music:	Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies

What's your excuse? When it comes to the sorry state of our finances, we've all got one. Maybe your raise at work never materialized, or you charged that unexpected car-repair bill -- or that plasma TV -- to your credit card. Whatever the reason, for many of us, personal balance sheets could look better. Half of U.S. workers report less than $25,000 in savings.

Even if you've saved more, is it enough to sustain you through a decades-long retirement? Sure, plenty of consumers now are easing back on spending, thanks to sticker shock at the grocery store and gas station. But soon enough retailers and restaurants will be pushing hard-to-resist "recession deals" -- will you be able to restrain yourself? And, what happens to your budget-minded ways when the economy recovers?

It's time to shake off the "consumer" mantle that politicians and economists are so happy to drape around our shoulders. Resist their calls for consumers to save the economy, and resist the advertisements enveloping us in the idea that we need more and more things. The only thing most of us need more of is financial security. A lot more. How to get there? Think thrift. For some, it's a familiar idea. For others, thrift implies denial and deprivation, and that makes for a tough call-to-arms.

So, how to save money without scrimping, be thrifty without feeling miserly -- and maintain those habits after our economy picks up speed? It won't be easy. Expect discomfort, says Kathleen Gurney, a psychologist and chief executive of Financial Psychology Corp. Keep going, even when it's uncomfortable -- the rewards are worth it, and once this economic slowdown ends, you'll have financial habits in place to support you for a lifetime.

( Read more... )

"We've been conditioned to think that spending the money on clothes, at a restaurant, is going to be the reward," Ms. Gurney says. "But what is the ultimate reward that we want from working hard, in the end?"

Date:	04 May 2008 - 12:34hrs
Discussion Topic:	like woah!
Security Condition:	Charlie - Unsecured
Mood:	awake

HOLY CRAP. IT'S GORGEOUS OUT!



YMMV.

Saw Ironman last night.

But going to the theater on opening night reminds me of why I dislike people in groups. They think that the size of the group allows them some anonymity and to some extent that's true. However, when you're in a static position in the same room and you continue behave like a muppet, you can be localized and singled out. Sufficed to say, there were a ton of muppets in the theater. Thankfully, throwing the hood on my jacket up silenced most of them. Someone whined in someone else's journal recently about how certain local theaters are 21+ only. I can see no downside to this. Even if they didn't serve alcohol, which they do. But I digress...


IRONMAN ROCKED. I wish there was a little more Kiss Kiss Bang Bang smart writing, as I think RDjr is an sorely underused film genius, but it was a comic book action movie, so you can't always get what you want. See it.


Oh, and The Crystal Skull looks like it's going to kick major ass. :D

One: Pandora reminded me that I really like John Prine. Does anyone else like that old guy?

Two: The whole family has no landlines, only mobiles. She just called to ask me her phone number. Hehehe. I love my mom.

Three: Last night I had a birthday shot of tequila in the kitchen of a bar I love with the owner. The best tequila I've ever had and probably the only one I'll ever drink due to how I've mishandled it's consumption in the past.

Four: Repeated watchings of No Country For Old Men proves that it's a great film and keeps getting better. But then again, I've read the book and love Cormac McCarthy's writing style.

Five: Less than a week until the 2008 NoCal Coastal Tour kicks off. Then I'll come back to Fredfest and hopefully a letter from Clark.

Six: This is a little like twittering I suppose, but I'm doing it all at once and it's filled with complete thoughts.

I'm thirty-five today. And it's free cone day.


Coincidence? Nope, it's just how I roll. ;)


ETA: I've got no plans at all, but I've already sewn up my FredFest and PIB schedules. That's right Virginia, beer is your friend. :D

Nothing from schools yet. 35 in a week. Last night was fun though. Why you ask?

Power. Outage.

You see, unlike the third world or say the South, we rarely get power outages, as the company up here (Clark PUD) has an incredible infrastructure. Most of it is underground so that prevents a lot of weather related causes. But last night, a circuit breaker problem at a switching station went KABLOOEY and that resulted in an area about 3 miles wide and 100 blocks long going down. I was in that area.

So I grabbed some wine and went over to archmage's. While we sat there drinking, we discussed the power situation, and how it happens about twice a year and for less than an hour or two at the outside.

Then I said "you know, Clark's pretty good about..." -brrrrrrrrrrrring!- Power's on.


Oh yeah. I rock. ;)

I don't like a lot of TV, but one of my favorite shows is back on the air. And it's one of the only 'reality' shows I think that I could ever stand, plus the intro theme song always has me throwing the horns. Yeah, buddy.


And this photo reminded me of George Carlin's People I Could Do Without comedy bit. Specifically, "a dentist with blood in his hair." LOL.