Now UC Keanu

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Tuesday night, Izzy & I were invited to a special screening of the new comedy “Keanu” starring Keegan-Michael Key & Jordan Peele… and they even came out to say hi & run a few minutes of stand-up showing their appreciation. It was pretty sweet! The movie is basically about a pair of cousins where one is a stereotypical suburban dad (Key) and the other is a bit of a stoner who just broke up with his girlfriend (Peele), but during the stoner’s sorrow he’s greeted at his front door by… Keanu! Keanu is an adorable kitten… and he falls instantly in love him. But then… somebody breaks into his apartment and steals Keanu… and now the two of them have to go into the seedy underworld of Los Angeles in order to get him back. That’s about all that I’ll reveal other than you’re going to see Will Forte, Anna Faris, Rob Huebel, Method Man, Nia Long, and a bunch of other actors in roles that you wouldn’t really expect… and it’s hilarious!!! This was kind of sold as a “John Wick” parody… and there are some great little slow motion action scenes (featuring an adorable cat in most) but yeah, just an overall great movie that I highly recommend that you check out… and we’ll be talking a little more about it on our next podcast, so tune in for details.

The other night, Izzy & I also watched a movie that neither of us had really heard of… and then we caught a preview for the sequel on another movie… and it’s 2013’s “Now You See Me” starring Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Common, Melanie Laurent, Michael Caine & Mark Ruffalo. Quite the cast, right? HOW had we never heard of this? Let’s see… synopsis… the FBI tracks a team of magicians who rob banks during their performances & rewards their audiences with the money. That’s it. That’s the story. Bank robbing magicians. Anything else would be giving away spoilers I think but… no, honestly that’s really about it. I could specify that Woody’s character is a mentalist, Eisenberg’s is your standard narcissistic douche, Isla is the former assistant turned illusionist & the other Franco is basically a pick-pocket with some Krav Maga training… Morgan Freeman is a man who specializes in exposing magicians as frauds… but yeah, that’s really about it. Rings absolutely no bells… and I’d like to think that it would. Anyway, apparently it did pretty well in theatres so there’s a sequel (starring Harry Potter himself even!) but this movie was actually pretty good. Now… when I say good… I mean that it was entertaining. There’s a LOT of green screen & special effects… but it’s used pretty effectively to create a sense of movement & energy that this movie needed. There’s comedy… there’s some action… there’s all sorts of trick & double crosses & back-turns & plot holes and all that stuff… basically it’s this generation’s “Ocean’s 11” movie. It’s entertaining as all hell… just not going to win any awards. I’d definitely recommend checking it out. We’ll probably check out the sequel too when that comes out later this year (or next year when it’s on DVD).

 

Sunday night was the annual Meals on Wheels Gala at Fort Mason where Izzy & I volunteered to help with registration. Last year, the event raised over $2.6 million dollars for a great cause… and brings together hundreds of the wealthiest philanthropists from the Bay Area to enjoy some of the best food & greatest charity auctions out there. It was truly amazing… and an especially big thank you to Ivan & Gavin with Barrel Head Brewhouse for hooking us up with some pints of their Kellerbier Amber Lager & a delicious IPA with Nelson & Mosaic hops. Great people, great cause, and I think we may have broken the $3 million barrier this year so that those in need can have hot, fresh meals delivered over the next year.

 

The latest episode of the Everything I Learned From Movies Podcast is up & running featuring the spy romaction thriller “The Saint” starring Val Kilmer & Elisabeth Shue. Be sure to check it out at eilfm.podbean.com and next week… a very special treat… our first guest host superstar!!! What’s the movie? Subscribe to the podcast to find out… Who’s the guest? You’ll just have to follow us on the Social Mediums like Facebook, Twitter & the EILFM website. Until then, have a great day everybody!!!

Everything I Learned From Movies #eilfm

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Tuesday night, we finished off the Softball regular season with a great barbecue and… a 24-12 victory over our biggest rival (another branch of the company). I didn’t play a whole lot as we had something like 15-16 players, but I did get one at-bat, single, and run it in. So… if memory serves me correctly, my regular season stats are 9-for-11 batting (all singles) with two walks, and 8 RBI, with 6 runs. That’s about 85% on base percentage… which ain’t bad at all, even in softball. Anyway, championships are on Tuesday but… I have a scheduling conflict with the SF Homebrewers Guild monthly meeting so… I’ll probably have to be there in spirit only. We shall see…

Saturday, Izzy & I helped out at the Meals on Wheels Fallfest Gala which is where dozens of vintners & high-profile restaurants in the Bay Area come down to Justin Herrmann Plaza near the Ferry Building to help raise money to feed the elderly. Annually, this event raises MILLIONS for this great cause & we’re always glad to help out in any way that we can.

The other night, we watched “The Relic” starring Tom Sizemore, Penelope Ann Miller, Linda Hunt and directed by Peter Hyams (“Timecop”, “End of Days”, “Sudden Death”, etc). This movie is essentially set in the Natural History Museum in Chicago… and is about a superstitious homicide detective (Sizemore) and an entirely too hot anthropologist (Miller) trying to find a vicious killer… and then discover that it’s actually a South American beetle-lizard god running a rampage in the museum (and nowhere else). The weird thing about watching this movie… is that I kept thinking that I had watched it last week when it was called “Mimic” and as I looked into it… yeah, it’s pretty much the same movie… released the same year (this one just a few months before in 1997) but yeah… some mysterious supernatural being is killing a lot of people in surprisingly dimly lit areas (not sure why no lights in the museum EVER, but subways at least made some sense) and there’s a superhot scientist in the middle of it all… but yeah, honestly if you’re going to watch one of these things, watch “Mimic”. This movie wasn’t good at all… well… you know, it wasn’t horrible… but yeah, you’ve seen the movie before or some cookie cutter version of it probably. Not a lot here… and the superstitious stuff was just irritating. Oh, you have a problem with black cats? Then you probably don’t want to be a f**king homicide detective in Chicago.

Sunday night, we watched a 1990 independent movie called “Hardware” starring Dylan McDermott & Stacey Travis, directed by Richard Stanley (the guy who was originally going to direct the 1990’s Island of Dr. Moreau disaster). The story is set in a bleak apocalyptic future that’s kind of Blade Runner meets Mad Max… it’s a barren red radioactive desert wasteland… but with gritty metal & wire kind of cities as well with toxic green rivers… and if there’s one thing about this movie that was REALLY impressive, it’s the atmosphere & setting this really f**ked-up future that global warming will apparently lead to. The red tones & darkness kind of make your eyes hurt, there’s a lot of quick subliminal shots that are just odd & upsetting, you can almost feel the dirt and broken glass and grime that this world has all around them. Anyway, in this future, there’s a scavenger who comes to town and sells a cyborg skull to another scavenger named Moses (McDermott) and he takes it to his ladyfriend (Travis)’s super-secured… I guess, art studio apartment… and she wants to use the skull as the center of one of her pieces that she does. Well, they soon find out that this skull can actually rebuild itself into a six-limbed killing machine. Now, this movie was… awkward to say the least. It’s a very unique & memorable world… and the ladyfriend is kind of a badass… and there are strange turns in the story where you’ll find yourself yelling at the screen… and there are some extremely violent, bloody scenes (was apparently cut a bit to become R rated in 1990) but overall, it’s actually a pretty twisted little sci-fi horror tale without being too predictable or cliché. I highly recommend watching it with some friends this Halloween season… and best of all, I’m pretty sure that none of your friends have seen this little flick. Fun game: See if you can spot Lemmy from Motorhead.

Monday night, Izzy & I hung out with my neighbor J-Mo and we watched “The Dead Lands” starring a mostly New Zealand / Maori cast. Essentially the movie starts at a peaceful Maori village… and they have visitors from another tribe / former rivals… so you know some sh*t is about to go down. Anyway, there’s a burial ground that’s sacred to the rival & they come back saying that the grounds have been desecrated, so basically… this means War. Well, instead under the guise of going back home, they attack like thieves in the night & slaughter the peaceful tribe, leaving behind only one teenage son of the chief who was able to escape. Now… the son wants revenge… but he’s just a boy, what can he do? Well… there’s a mythical monster in the area known as The Dead Lands who may be able to help him… if he/it doesn’t decide to just kill him. This movie… is awesome. It’s a total Man Movie with plenty of fighting involving blunt force trauma, cannibalism, tales of vengeance and honor, talking with dead people thanks to deprivation & mushrooms, but overall… it’s just a great hard hitting movie along the lines of “Apocalypto” a few years back where even with the “primitive” time setting & traditions involved… you find that it’s really still a human story just in their context & beliefs and beautifully shot (except some of the camera work with the fight scenes may cause seizures). I highly recommend checking it out if you can handle the little bit of gore & reading subtitles. Enjoy!

This weekend should prove epic… as Saturday is the Bay Area Mashers’ Sacramento Brewery Tour where we’re going to take a bus ride up to Sacramento to tour FOUR breweries… all four new to us… New Glory Craft Brewery, Device Brewing, Track 7 Brewing & Oak Park Brewing Company. Also, we’ll be introduced to other fellow homebrewers from the East Bay area… and it’s always good to spread the culture. The SF Homebrewers Guild’s Brewery Tour is coming up in December too… but more on that as we get closer.

Then on Sunday is the bottle sort portion for the California State Homebrew Competition which the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild is taking control over now… so yeah, a lot of awesome beer related things to come… as well as…

WE’RE FINALLY RELEASING OUR PODCAST TO THE WORLD!!!

We found a little time on Sunday to finally focus & get some structure to our podcast “format” and this podcast is called… EVERYTHING I LEARNED FROM MOVIES!!! #eilfm Yes, there’s some resemblance to the Audrey Hepburn quote (and book I think) “Everything that I learned I learned from movies” but essentially… to start, our podcast will include movies reviews, some beer talk, and we’re working out some of the musical aspects… but until then, you get to witness the beautiful harmony of our voices in accapella versions of theme music… and just trust me, you’re going to love it. Check it out! Our first episode… we review the new Netflix release “Tremors 5: Bloodlines”!

Have a great weekend everybody!!!

Learn to Homebrew Day & Meals on Wheels

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Thursday night, we kegged our Milk Stout in preparation for Learn to Homebrew Day on Saturday... here are some pictures...

Saturday, we started around 10:30 AM and we had about 8-10 guests for our Learn to Homebrew Day. We had our first one about six months ago in early November... and during it, we basically explain the process of brewing beer (much like this blog), share some of our homebrew to show what can be done, share some of their own (some have done a handful of brews), and share stories, answer questions, just plain have fun. This time around, we did a partial mash English style Porter. Here are some pictures...

Above: Our fabulous potluck

Below: Spent Grains 

The whole brew took about four hours total, so a pretty quick spiel... and everybody had a good time... and hopefully we'll have a few more readers of this blog. For those new readers, please feel free to go back through some of the past entries. There are LOTS of pictures and further explanations of past brews. I'd also like to thank everybody for coming out to the event & please check out the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild page for details on how to learn more... join their mailing list... join the blog... or just read our blog too... it's pretty awesome! Comments are always welcome & I can certainly recommend past entries & answer questions if you want to know more. It's truly my pleasure.

After the event, since we had all of the gear still out... we also decided to transfer our SMaSH English Pale Ale to secondary as well...

 Beer Lacing Alert - Beer Turkey!!!

Sunday, we helped out at the Meals on Wheels Fundraiser Gala where they annual raise MILLIONS of dollars for elderly individuals who cannot provide food for themselves... so a great cause and a great night with a LOT of great individuals helping out those less fortunate. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures... but yeah, everybody dressed to the nines, a lot of great restaurants & vintners donating... and yeah, I highly recommend helping out, if not this charity, charities in your areas... just do it! Pay it forward!

Anyway, that's about it for this entry... unfortunately I'm just a wee bit busy... but please leave comments, check out some past entries & just enjoy your wonderful lives! Have a great day everybody!

Sly: The Next Generation

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

This weekend was pretty chill… not gonna lie… basically it was a bunch of running around for groceries & such… and then Saturday night we had a wonderful Portuguese dinner with Izzy’s Aunts and some of their friends. We ate suppas… which apparently some Portuguese sweet bread with roast beef, cabbage and au jus over the bread… and we also had Easter Bread… and some of our amazing homebrew. Good times…

 

Sunday morning, we then met up with a few at a small restaurant called Joy of Eating in Vallejo for a Portuguese breakfast… which was very similar to an American breakfast but with sweeter bread. I had chicken fried steak with scrambled eggs & potatoes with scallions. Mmm mmm mmm…

 

Aside from that, not a whole lot to report… we relaxed a bit… watched some shows… did that whole thing. The movie we watched though was a great little kids flick called “Song of the Sea” which is an Irish animated tale from director Tomm Moore (“Secret of Kells”) and the voice talents of… well, honestly the only I knew was Brendan Gleeson. Anyway, the story is about a family that mans the lighthouse out in the country… it starts with a pregnant mother (you know where this is going, right?) reading a story to a young boy… and then there’s a sweet family moment, putting the kid to bed… and then UGH time for the baby to come out… and the mother is never seen again… but the sad father has a little girl named Saoirse… who the little boy now kinda hates because… you know, this baby took my mother away. Rrrrr! Six years later, the little girl discovers that she has some mystical powers… and the stories go from there… but all I can say… is go f**king see this movie! With your kids! It’s a great kids flick… the animation is absolutely amazing & inventive… voice acting is okay… seriously, it’s pretty sweet, go see this movie now. I’ll say it again, rent it & check out this flick with your family… it’s cute, funny & everything that you want in a kid’s flick. Enjoy! You’re welcome!

 

Tuesday night, we had some training for a big Meals on Wheels event this weekend… and because I had done it a few times before, guess who was nominated to be a captain for the event? And guess who found out about it at the training last night? Not that it’s a huge deal or anything… or that I’m really ill-prepared, because I have the utmost confidence in my competence… but yeah, odd that I volunteer to help out & it’s like “Hey, you’re taking this over, is that cool?” “Ugh… sure? Yeah… so… anything changed since last year.” “Oh yeah, a whole new thing… but you’ll figure it out & teach others.” “Yup… can’t fail!” Anyway, we went through it last night & yeah, it’s gonna be a great event to raise a few million bucks for a great charity!

 

After training, Izzy & I watched “Find Me Guilty” starring thespian Vin Diesel as a low-level gangster who represents himself during the longest-lasting RICO case in the history of the United States with the Mafia… and yes, it’s based on a true story. This movie is directed by Sidney Lumet (most famous for the classic “12 Angry Men”) and also stars the likes of Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”) and Ron Silver (bad guy in “Timecop”). The premise of the story is that Tony (Diesel) is a guy who’s serving a 30 year prison sentence for drug trafficking… when he’s brought into a conspiracy case against the Mafia, basically because the state thinks that they can get him to be a witness on their side in return for a reduced sentence… but they’re wrong, Tony won’t turn on his friends. While everybody else on the defense is lawyering up, he decides to represent himself since… well, his last lawyer took $250,000 of his money to completely screw the pooch & get him 30 years. More on the lead actor later… but I just want to mention that Peter Dinklage and Ron Silver are amazing in this movie. Dinklage always is... as Izzy put it last night during his speeches, “What’s happening is totally boring… but he has my attention with every word.” Or something like that… not sure if that’s an exact quote. Basically, he’s able to keep you captivated during otherwise boring blah blah blah that you see in most courtroom movies. Ron Silver also does a great job as the judge… like where it actually stands out in a few scenes, which was kind of unexpected. Basically this movie is a little odd (hence why it wasn’t a large release) as a lot of the context & music choices make it seem like a f**king black comedy… which it kind of is at times… but it’s also a courtroom drama… and a heartfelt drama most of the time… so it’s got a really weird feeling throughout. Overall though, I’d say check it out… it may just blow your mind… but probably not.

 

Okay… I’ll admit it… I’ve never really seen Vin Diesel as a real actor. I’ve mentioned before that he’s basically the Sylvester Stallone of our generation… like a caricature of what an action star should be, more than a real thespian. However, I’m starting to realize a few things about that comparison that is quite prophetic… and also reassuring for his career. They may be two of the smartest mother f**kers in Hollywood. I mean… think about it. Okay, Sly back in the late 70’s had what very well could’ve been a one-hit wonder in “Rocky” that he turned into six (and counting with “Creed” later this year & let’s face it “Grudge Match” is another Rocky) movies based on that fairly one-note character… the semi-likeable, dim-witted, ultra-motivated boxer. Not only that, he then also had the “Rambo” franchise… and “The Expendables”… that’s AT LEAST THREE TRILOGIES!!! Including two in the 80s! That itself is commendable… and the man can barely talk! Let’s not forget one-off masterpieces like “Demolition Man”, “Tango & Cash”, “Over the Top” and all that. Occasionally he tries some more dramatic stuff like “Copland” & something like whatever “Oscar” was supposed to be… but he knows his strengths & has now basically rebooted his career in his SIXTIES to continue his money-making empire with “Expendables” and “Bullet to the Head” and stuff like that. It’s f**king insane! Vin Diesel… seems to be modeling his career after the same kind of thing… but with a few key differences… first off, he can actually speak. Yes, the voice is deep & gravely… but he also has the ability to annunciate when needed, hence voice over work like Groot and just less parody & frustration from the movie viewing public.  Here’s food for thought… the original Rocky won Best Picture and had a sh*t ton of sequels… and nobody watched “Rocky Balboa” except me. Conversely, the original Fast & Furious was so critically acclaimed that VIN DIESEL DIDN’T EVEN STAR IN THE SEQUEL & the 3^rd movie went straight to DVD… and yet #7 in the serious is breaking every Spring release record and grossed a billion dollars in the past ten days! The Riddick trilogy is his Rambo… in the dark. “The Pacifier” is his “Stop! Or my Mom Will Shoot” but Vin’s was actually kind of funny. He pulled out some great acting in this “Fine Me Guilty” flick which I argue that Sly really hasn’t been able to do in any of his films. All I’m saying is that this guy could be one of the smartest guys in Hollywood… and we’ve all underestimated him because there’s no way that he can look the way he does AND be super-intelligent… like Stallone… like Schwarzenegger… like The Rock. All I’m saying is… keep an eye on this guy… he’s making studios stacks of cash… he’s social media savvy… and he & Terry Crews could be governors of your state sooner than you think.

 

This weekend is going to be fun… we have Learn to Homebrew Day this Saturday & Sunday we’ll be helping out at the Meals on Wheels event! Lots of good times! Have a great day everybody!

Pikachu, I Choose You

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

It’s been a busy time as usual… and of course with government shutdown, BART strike threats, Columbus Day Weekend (kinda the same as a government shutdown anyway) and all that it’s been a little trying… but we all maintain. Here are a few highlights of the past week:

 

Thursday night, Dizzy & I went to a special screening of “The Fifth Estate” starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan in “Star Trek Into Darkness”) and Daniel Bruehl (“Inglorious Basterds”) which is a dramatic representation of the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange and his main partner during the boom prior to their HUGE scandal in 2010 where hundreds of thousands of secret government documents were released to the public. The feel of the movie was very similar to “The Social Network” a year or two ago where it was a partnership that starts out good, then turns sour, and it kind of paints Julian Assange in a negative light as it’s based on the book by the other partner… but that being said, for what it is, it was a pretty good movie. Beautifully shot across Europe, it told a story, loosely based in reality, you know how Hollywood twists things, but yeah… it was okay. The movie did seem to be really long though it was just over two hours I think… we may have been privy to an early director’s cut or something though so I’m sure it’ll be trimmed by the time it releases nationwide/worldwide. The performances were really good… Benedict had all the mannerisms you’ve seen in the Assange interviews… and it’s always good to see a good German actor working like Daniel Bruehl. Anyway, if you like “The Social Network” it’s a lot like that… and if you didn’t, then you’ll probably pass on this movie.

 

Saturday morning, Dizzy & I woke up early to go assist with the Meals on Wheels FallFest Spectacular in Hermann Plaza near the Ferry Building. It’s an annual fundraiser where top restaurants & wineries come from all over the Bay Area to show off their goods & guests who purchase tickets via donation get to spend the afternoon enjoying the festivities, trying some fantastic hors d’ouevres, various wines from all over Napa & Sonoma valley & beyond… and basically just have a great time for a great cause. We were there to also sell raffle tickets for some the giveaways… and we had a pretty good time. Dizzy is quite the saleswoman… and I’m decent eye candy. We got to sample some of the foods & beverages towards the end… and it was spectacular… and most importantly for a good cause. Since the government shutdown, Meals on Wheels isn’t getting any funding… and they’re literally waiting payday to payday to maintain, there’s really no reserve. Luckily this fundraiser was planned for this time anyway… but they REALLY need your help if you could possibly donate.

 

That night, we sampled our Red Ale (discussed in earlier post) and then watched a documentary entitled “Killer Whales” about… wait for it… killer whales. I think it was produced by the Discovery Channel… but yeah, talked about Killer Whales as the vicious apex predators of the oceans that they are… including them eating dolphins & great white sharks… no joke… and they had them attacking seals, shaking them in their jaws until they went limp & then playing with their mangled corpses before finishing them off… so in other words, it was pretty f**king awesome!!! A children’s book may be coming out very soon based on these beautiful, terrifying creatures that I like to call… Sea Pandas. Anyway, I’d check it out. It was pretty interesting in my humble opinion.

 
 

Over the weekend, we also watched “Brew Masters” starring Sam Calagione & the rest of the crew at Dogfish Head Brewery of international fame based in Delaware. The show only lasted six episodes, one of which was never aired in the U.S. apparently, but the other five are on Netflix. The story is that… the show was cancelled because “Big Beer” may have threatened to take out their advertising… but whatever case, the ratings were kind of low too. I didn’t even know about it until a few weeks ago. Each episode focuses on the development of one of two of their unique beers… usually starting with the inspiration behind it or the (sometimes convenient) tie-in with another company or event in the industry… then going through the research involved, experimentation of various ideas, sometimes travels to different places around the world (must be sweet to be rolling in dough like that), some problems along the way… and then finally the end product, a craft beer. Regardless of whether I’d try the beer that they made (Chicha still makes me vomit at the thought) the whole process was pretty sweet to watch however doctored for TV it might be… and also, Sam’s a pretty charismatic guy to narrate a show like that… though I kept thinking of Zac Bagans from “Ghost Adventurers” for some reason. Not nearly as douchey though… so I really enjoyed the show. Too bad that “Big Beer” had to shut ‘em down… like they’ve tried to do with several of their most popular beers like Punkin’ Ale & Chicory Stout. Merciless in those billion-dollar industries… but still, check out the show if you can.

 

Sunday, Dizzy & I woke up a little early and drove to Pleasanton so that she could take part in the Pokémon Video Game Regional Championships. Dizzy loves the Pokémon video games… and this competition was the Nintendo DS version where the pocket monsters that range from adorable to just weird battle in teams against one another. Obviously I’m not well versed in this universe… but she was there to be my Sherpa when I questions. The event was held in the Commerce Building of the Alameda County Fairgrounds and what I was expecting was something out of “The Wizard” with giant screens showing some of the premiere battles featuring former world champions & possible children of Yakuza druglords trying to establish their turf in the western U.S. Instead… there were no screens to watch what was going on… and I had to contain myself from channeling my inner Ogre and yelling out “NEEEEEERRRDS!!!” every few minutes. Not really… but yeah, it was great people watching. Here are some pictures…

 

Yes, the smoking area was a tent basically in a beautiful sunny park...

GUARDIAN OF THE THRONES!!!

She doesn't look nervous at all...

That guy was at nationals last year...

That's better...

The thrill of Victory!!!

Dizzy finished #72 out of 107 in the Masters division (18+ I think) but from what I understand, this was a pretty stacked competition. Being the first of five regionals, some of the former world champions & those invited to worlds showed up so that they would lock their invites to Nationals in Washington D.C. or wherever it’s held. That way… if they somehow finish just out of the Top 8 that advance, then they can try in Phoenix or Indianapolis or one of the other regionals. Who knew there was such a world? Also, I expected a little more sh*t talking… but most were very respectful. There was one douche who almost got his ass kicked… but he seemed to mellow out after Dizzy told him that he “should learn to be a better winner.” Now I’m trying to convince my brother to enter the Utah Valley VGC’s in Provo on October 26^th so we’ll see if he goes. It’s actually about the same distance from his house as Pleasanton was for us… but I had a little determination. I’ll keep you posted. Congrats Dizzy!!!

 

After the VGCs, we headed into town to the Main Street Brewery and sampled their Raspberry Hefeweizen & all-day IPA which were on special… as well as their Cajun Fries & Nachos, which were all pretty amazing. We watched a little bit of the 49ers game… Yes, I gave up football for the VGCs because I’m amazing… but yeah, pretty nice place. I’d recommend it if you’re in the area.

 

Tuesday night, Dizzy & I went to the San Francisco Homebrewer’s Guild Meeting at Anchor Steam Brewery to meet some of our peers in this Homebrewing adventure. We showed up & they had some of the great Anchor Steam brews on tap… complimentary to attendees. Yeah… great beer too. We mingled & met a few of the members… and most of them have been doing it for 8… 15… 20+ years off & on. So then they asked how long we’ve been doing it, “Six weeks.” I think we got a little bit of credibility already coming to meetings like this when we’re so new to the game & so passionate about it… so yeah pretty sweet.

 

The Guild had some special guest speakers come to talk about “Sour Beers” (the purposely sour kinds) and a lot of the talk was more scientific than we have ventured into yet, but having read the books I was right there for most of it. I’m sure it’ll make even more sense down the road when we have a few brews under our belt. Afterwards, we mingled some more & tasted some of the other brews that members brought along for feedback (pretty good). Next time we may have to bring in our Red Ale & perhaps our Pumpkin Ale or Hefeweizen to get some feedback on how to make the beer even better. You know, whether it’s stuff like Irish Moss for clarity or maybe add a dash more hops or anything like that. These guys & gals seem to be pretty legit. Also, with membership, we get a 10% discount at brewshops… which is cool because we were going to go shopping this weekend anyway. BONUS!!! The meetings are monthly and we’re already pretty excited about going back.

 

This Thursday night, Dizzy & I met up with her aunts, mom & friend from school to watch a special preview screening of “Last Vegas” starring Michael Douglas, Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman & Kevin Kline in a premise that’s basically “The Bucket List” meets “The Hangover.” Four friends for life have grown a little apart over the last… 58 years but they reunite when the life-long bachelor of the group (Douglas) finally gets hitched to a woman less than half his age. So they meet up in Las Vegas to throw him a bachelor party, throw in a little internal conflict, some cold feet, a lounge singer of a certain age (Mary Steenburgen) and a lot of hilarious (if not a bit unrealistic) situations… and it’s actually a pretty hilarious little movie, especially if you’re… of a certain age. I thought Kevin Kline was absolutely hilarious… and everybody else was pretty good too. It’s exactly what you expect in all the best possible ways. Go check it out! Take your parents! They’ll love it! You’re welcome…

 

Aside from that, nothing much else going on with me… my brother & buddy Chris convinced me that getting “Grand Theft Auto V” was a good idea for some reason, so I will probably play it with them a few times before they get bored of it & I’ve wasted $60 on another GTA game that I’ll play a total of 10 hours over the past 7 years or so… but hey, I’ll get a little fun playing time in with my peeps back in Utah. By the way, did anybody catch that Utes pounding of Stanford over the weekend? First big win since the Sugar Bowl over Alabama for the Utes! Congrats! Have a great day everybody!!!

Secret Santa Rosa Weekend

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

First & foremost, happy fathers day (or not-a-father's day) to all the potential fathers out there!!!

Well, it happened... the super secret birthday weekend (day really) for Dizzy... and we woke up bright & early (6:15-ish), packed up a bag of road trip goodies, and went all the way to... Santa Rosa (a little over an hour away). It may not have been too far... but the first stop was into the rolling hills of wine country to see the beasts of Africa at Safari West!!! Now, for those of you who don't know... Dizzy loves goats... and giraffes... because they're basically SUPER GOATS!!! And there were plenty at Safari West where you can get pretty close & personal... but I'm getting ahead of myself. Here are some pictures from the three-hour safari tour...

 

Ostriches picking a lock...

 

Quite possibly the happiest girl on Earth at this moment...

 

This... is actually pretty cool...

Next, we grabbed some In-N-Out Burger for sustenance, and went to the Charles M. Schulz Museum. You may know him as the creator of the Peanuts gang... and you'd be right, but those who really knew him apparently called him Sparky... and he loved hockey, the city of Santa Rosa & just being able to express himself through his comic strips & helping others. The museum was pretty decent... and reasonably priced... and with Dizzy & I being aspiring comic book makers, it made sense. Enjoy these photos...

 

Giant mural may not seem like much...

 

Until you realize it's about 3500 of these...

 

Nursery wall for Sparky's daughter...

His office... and what's that under his desk?

Basketball signed by Dr. Julius Erving

After the museum, we went back to my place for a quick nap (late night + early start) before heading to a fundraiser from the creators of the Carla & Larry Show that was raising money for a lovely young woman named Susan who is part of Bike Zambia, who bike around Zambia spreading AIDS awareness & working with several different organizations. Basically it was reasonable priced great food, free Caymus wines, raffle ticket prizes & socializing with some of San Francisco's elite... so we had a great time, full bellies & I even won a pack of CDs. Thanks for the invite, Carla! And enjoy Zambia, Susan!!!

That's pretty much it for the weekend... on that note, we also watched a movie but I'll wait until another entry to chat about it. Hope you all had a great weekend as well & again, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!