Sacramento Adventures

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Well, first thing’s first… I was a little under the weather again this weekend. Apparently Dizzy was ill while I was in Utah, was pretty much over it, but was still a little contagious so I think I got her bug this weekend. Just a little bit of sore throat & body aches that were fairly easily remedied… but it was still enough for me to call in sick on Friday so that I wouldn’t pass it along to coworkers… and Dizzy was coughing quite a bit all weekend but hopefully she’s getting over it too. We took care of each other this weekend… and how!?!

 

Friday, I basically spent my whole day off doing laundry, drinking OJ, watching Netflix, catching up on blogging, all that fun stuff but kept to the house. Nothing too noteworthy. Oh, because we were both under the weather, we thought it would be best to hold off on our next stage of homebrewing with transferring our Bourbon Barrel Porter, bottling our Mead, or starting either our Winter Warmer or Oktoberfest brew… but instead, we did have a little fun doing research.

 

Saturday, we were both feeling well enough to keep our plans of meeting up with Dizzy’s sister Tess in the Sacramento area to go on a mystic adventure through time… but first, a few stops. The first stop was Heretic Brewing Company in Fairfield, about 45 minutes from my place (and only about 20-25 from Dizzy’s). Their taproom, known as The Confessional, just opened up a few months ago and we first heard about it because… apparently there was a big snafu about a craft brewery opening up so close & in the same city as a MAJOR Anheuser-Busch brewery… but after legal battles, here they are. Apparently, it IS a free country… for now. The Confessional is located in a somewhat industrial business park area just off I-80, but once you step in the doors, it’s just a nice simple, contemporary place to try out some beers. The crowd was very nice (fellow homebrewers & food truck operators from outside) so we found out a little about them & basically just shot the sh*t while taking in their delicious options.

 

Their motto is “Be a Heretic. Don’t Drink Ordinary Beer” and they certainly have a lineup of distinctive & delicious brews. We tried a sampler of just about everything on tap (nine in total). I really liked just about all of them. Their top year-round selections include Evil Twin (red ale), Evil Cousin (IPA), Shallow Grave (Porter) & Gramarye (GABF 2012 Gold Medal winner for Rye beers). However, some of my favorites were their seasonal CHP (Chocolate Hazelnut Porter), Incubus (Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout) & Miscreant (2 year old Dark Sour Ale) but they have a lot of other selections that are just hard to keep for more than a week. Online there are listings for some interesting stuff like Worry (Belgian style aged in Chardonnay barrels) and their Barleywine (Dead Weight). I highly recommend checking them out if you’re in the neighborhood.

 

Next stop was meeting up with Tess at Goat House Brewery in Lincoln. All I can say about this place… is this is pretty much what we want to do. It’s a husband & wife team (Mike & Cathy Johnson, and their dad actually greeted us in the parking lot before we even stepped in the door) who decided to chase their dream and turn their farm & barn into a farm-to-glass experience… by growing their own ingredients and turning a barn into the brewery & tasting room. We basically were thinking of pretty much the same thing… so it was nice to see that it could be done… and done so well. The whole atmosphere was very nice & inviting… and kind of a beergarten setup where everybody can meet at tables meant for up to 12 people and just chat… or in this case, listen to a local artist. As for the beer, it was also pretty damn good.

 

They had eight selections, basically all the craft brew staples with clever names like Jagged Little Pils, Sweet Georgia (brown ale), Dirty Redhead, 1492 (IPA with Columbus hops) and my personal favorite, their barleywine Badonkadonk. They were all fairly decent as well. I’ve had better but… not really anything that you can knit-pick about any of them. Basically just really good staple recipes with some hoppiness and great flavor. What more can you really want? If you’re ever in the Lincoln area and looking for a great place to chill during the hot Sacramento days, then I’d definitely check this place out. Warning, they do close fairly early around 4 PM.

 

After some quick refreshments, the three of us headed out to Folsom Lake. Due to a bit of a drought in the area (snowpack is about 35% of normal), the man-made lake from the Folsom Dam has been really low… but one little benefit of it is that you can walk to the ruins of Mormon Island. It was a gold mining town back in the 1880’s and when the damn was built in the 1940’s, they basically moved everybody out of the little town because it was going to become part of the lake created. So it wasn’t washed away in an immediate flood or anything… but still, the foundations were in place and most of the walls, etc… then the lake came in & it was underwater most of the time. Now it was low enough to walk around it… and we got there just as the sun was setting, so we didn’t have much time to excavate… but here we go…

 

After about an hour or walking around, we headed back to Tess’ stables… but she kind of took us on a different path back… and “coincidentally” it went right by their dad’s house. So after some “gentle nudging” from Tess, we stopped by. See… Dizzy hadn’t really seen her dad in about four years. They had a bit of a falling out (alcohol & attitude related) but we figured “what the hell?” So we met up with him, chatted for about 20 minutes, saw a few online videos, and that was basically that. Of course with it being posted on Facebook & Tess calling herself a miracle worker every family member had an opinion this way or that… but yeah, it wasn’t a big thing at all… and of course Dizzy was a little irritated at the response from family (since old ladies have nothing better to do than meddle in other people’s affairs) but whatever… I’m glad that she was able to see her dad & it didn’t end in a fight or anything.

 

So afterwards, we dropped Tess off at her stables (finally)... here's Izzy's favorite horse Rubicon...

 

...and then on the way back home, we stopped for some dinner at Sudwerk Restaurant & Brewery in Davis. This came highly recommended from the host of the Halloween party we went to a while back. They had a keg of their IPA at the party & told us about this place… and basically it was also a German restaurant so… what’s not to like? We pulled up & that was where I found out that the Eagles had yet again lost a first-round playoff game (DAMMIT!!!). But we ordered a sampler of their season brews (Doppelbock, Dunkelweizen, Session IPA, Milk Stout & an Imperial Pilsner) and they were pretty good. Again, nothing incredibly exceptional… but definitely very decent and went will with dinner (a fantastic Tri Tip Salad and Wiener Schnitzel). Again, I highly recommend this place if you’re in the Davis area. Good food & drink to wash it down with.

 

The rest of the night & Sunday, we basically relaxed at my place and watched both seasons of “American Horror Story”, the first season of “Maron”, started up season 3 of “Walking Dead”, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and a few others. The new one was “The Dinosaur Project” which… is basically a low-budget, found-footage style movie about an investigation team being sent into the heart of the Congo to look for a possible Plesiosaur (Nessie-like dinosaur) that was allegedly recorded by locals. Of course the plot involves a teenage son, a lot of Go Pro cameras (and several dozen unexplained camera angles including the climax) but overall, it’s what you expect. Spoiler alert: There’s dinosaurs, everybody dies. Not a great flick… but check it out if you’re interested. You know if you are. It’s not quite SyFy horrible… but it seems like a definite straight-to-DVD kind of flick. Nobody you know stars in it. It’s about a 5 out of 10 on IMDB. Eh… it had Dinosaurs… and you KNOW that’s one of my Key Words in a synopsis to check it out. Remember?

 

So with that… the focus of this week is to make sure that I’m over this cold… and then this weekend, probably catch up on the brew action. We’ve got a load of Quick Mead that may be ready for bottling… but then again, it may be a few weeks too. We definitely have our Bourbon Barrel Porter ready for being “barreled” with Maker’s Mark Bourbon. Then we have a two new batches to decide for our next batch. A winter warmer spiced ale… or an Oktoberfest style lager. I’m thinking the winter warmer since we’d better have it ready before “winter” is over… but then again, when it’s always temperate weather then it doesn’t really matter. Suggestions? Any batches that you’d like to see us make in the near future? I’m trying to think of something adventurous for my Birthday release beer in April… as well as paying off Gretchen in July/August. I have a few ideas but… I’m always up for suggestions. Have a great day everybody!!!

Christmas in Utah 2013

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

I'm actually home sick (again) today... so I figured that I'd take a few minutes and tell you how Utah was. Here’s a somewhat quick breakdown on my recent trip to Utah for the Holidays…

 

Friday – December 20^th

 

I spent Thursday night with Dizzy before going… and flew Allegiant Air to Provo Airport Friday morning. The gate was packed, so I wandered to a basically vacant one thinking “I’ll just swing back there about 45 minutes before take-off & they’ll be about ready to start boarding. So I did that… and went back… and everybody was GONE! They had just already boarded (an hour early) was all… so I got on the plane and headed towards my seat. There was a gentleman in my emergency row seat so I asked him if that was his. It was actually the seat next to it, but a Chinese lady was in it… so we did the switcheroo & she went to her real seat. Well, while I was trying to wedge my happy ass by both the moving parties AND the stewardess, I nudged my head on the overhead bin… because I’m HUGE!!! That’s when the stewardess said “I’m sorry, you can’t sit here either (referring to the lady I guess).”

 

Confused $teve: “What? Why?”

Stewardess: “Sir, are you drunk?”

Confused $teve: “No? No. Not at all.”

Stewardess: “Well, somebody smells like… sir, have YOU been drinking? (to the other guy on the row)”

Dude #2: “No!”

$teve: “Ma’am, have YOU been drinking?”

Stewardess: “Well, are you gentlemen able to operate this door in case of emergency?”

$teve: “Yup… you pull this here, turn this lever, give it a push, the slide inflates, tell others to jump on out to safety. We’ve got this…”

Then I put up my hand for a high-five from Dude #2… and he instinctively returned the high-five. Yes, it WAS awesome.

Stewardess: “(Confused look) So neither of you have been drinking?”

$teve: “Ma’am, we’re done here. Please continue with your pre-flight duties. Good day!”

 

So that was the start… but the flight was quick & my mom was there to pick me up, stopped by my brother’s to see the niece & nephew, then we headed to my Mom’s family Christmas Party. I’ve mentioned before that she’s one of 17 children… and they’re all grandparent age now… so yeah, lots of people there. Here are some pictures…

 

Saturday – December 21^st

 

I spent Saturday at my Mom’s house a.k.a. The Fortress of Solitude. The niece & nephew were up there too… we basically just relaxed and watched shows and made goodies… pictures…

 

 Uinta Brewing was available at the grocery store...

I tried their Mix'r pack with Wyld Extra Pale Ale,

Baba Black Lager & Punk'n Pumpkins Ale

I also transported my homebrew for presents...

Side by side of Punk'n and my homebrew...

Taste test... the same...

Snow Angel...

Sunday – December 22^nd

 

I drove down in the morning to meet up at my Dad’s and watch some football. My dad has been having a rough patch the past few years with almost consistently being either sick or injured (knee replacement, broken bones, etc) or BOTH. He missed me… and I really miss him… but he knows how I’m living in the Bay Area so he’s happy for me… and wants to come visit when he has money again. Hopefully he can come by around Memorial Day Weekend or something. Anyway, football was awesome… Eagles destroyed their opponents and set up a final week matchup with the Cowboys for a win or go home scenario for the playoffs.

 

Monday – December 23^rd

 

I started the afternoon by going to check out one of Utah’s little gems, Epic Brewing Company. This is a fairly new entry into the craft beer scene, but they specialize in high-alcohol content beers… and have a wide variety of barrel-conditioned ales. Their “Brainless” series starts with a Belgian-style ale… then they add pureed fruits like raspberries, cherries, peaches, etc… and place them for long-term fermentation (about a year) in used chardonnay barrels. What comes out is about 10-12% ABV, pretty sweet for a beer, but pretty delicious as well. While there, I tested some of their goods along with fellow travelers.

 

One note about breweries in Utah is that you MUST order food before you can be given alcohol in a restaurant. There are some ways around these kind of archaic rules… but the main benefit is for the breweries, because then they can charge about $7-$8 for a Panini sandwich, then start with the beer tastings, basically doubling your bill. Not a bad racket… but yeah, it’s different from most establishments in the world. Still they’re reasonably priced compared to most here in San Francisco. I’d highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the neighborhood. No brewery tour this time, but it’s a fairly small operation with good beer.

 

Afterwards, I returned home and watched “Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid” starring Robert Redford & Paul Newman. You see… I had never seen this movie all the way through. Sure I knew the basic story and had seen most of the parts here & there… but yeah, first time watching it all the way through. Basically it's the story of two bank robbing outlaws in the Old West... and the woman they both loved (awkward?) but they get a pretty intense posse after them... so they go to Bolivia. Why? Because they've heard such great things about it... well, just watch the movie. It's a comedy... sort of... with a story about trying to turn good, paying for past indiscretions, and just a pretty decent & fun flick to watch. If you haven't, do it.

 

Tuesday – December 24^th (Xmas Eve)

 

Christmas Eve was basically wrapping the last few presents... then going to my Stepmom’s family Christmas Party at her parent's house. We did the usual dinner, followed by a Nativity Scene... with one switch, typically her dad reads the passages from the Book of Luke about the birth of Christ... but this year, yours truly was the narrator of this tale... and let's just say, I rocked that sh*t. Here are some pictures...

 

One sad note: This year has been a rough one for my stepmom's family. Divorce, lost jobs, kids going away, etc... but the biggest part was that her mom has had some serious medical problems... and her dad has been almost exclusively the caregiver for her... and that has to be basically one of the roughest things I can imagine. Since last year, I swear he's basically aged 10-15 years... and it was pretty tough to hear him talk about family, love, the spirit of Christmas and all that... and then infer that he needs help in taking care of his wife because he can't do it alone. I was shocked. NOBODY is helping him? I live 1000 miles away and I want to help him. What the hell guys? Hopefully they'll get it all figured out for 2014... but I have this sneaking suspicion that the end is near for them. I hate to say it... but hopefully it'll jinx it & I can see them next year... but it's been rough. Sorry, Debbie Downer I know... but yeah, that was Christmas Eve... and it's things like that that make you appreciate what you have when you have it. Hug a loved one. Like... right now.

 

Wednesday – December 25^th (Xmas)

 

As per usual, I was part of Three Christmases... first at my brother's in Ogden at 7 AM...

 

Then at my dad's in SLC around 10 AM...

 

Then up at my mom's in Eden around 4 PM...

 

By the way, greatest idea for a teabag EVER

Good times... but during the 3rd Christmas, I starting feeling unwell…

 

Thursday – December 26^th

 

Which basically led to me being sick all day the next day drinking OJ & eating... well, whatever was around, probably candy for the most part.

 

That night, my mom & I did meet up with my Aunt Pat & cousin Alicia at Rooster’s Brewing & Eatery on Historic 25^th Street in Ogden. They are a restaurant that brews their own beer... and the four kinds that they had at the time were pretty good. Standard recipes sure... but not horrible at all... and the atmosphere was pretty cool. Apparently they decorate like my mom does by putting cocks/roosters up everywhere.

 

Friday – December 27^th

 

Friday, I was still pretty ill... but in the afternoon, since we were all in town, we went out to JC Penney for some Family Photos... I'll have the real ones out to you shortly once I get copies...

 

That night, my brother & I met up with my "brother" Isaiah who I hadn't seen in almost two years. He's doing well... has a 3rd kid on the way... and basically he & my brother chatted about a lot of theories that it sounds like they got from the TV series “Ancient Aliens” mostly... but yeah, it was good to catch up. Miss that punk...

 

Saturday – December 28^th

 

I spent the Saturday at my dad's... and because I was sick Friday, I didn't get to tour the Utah Brewers Cooperative but I checked out what I could. They had an issue were their bottling line didn't start up immediately when it shut down for Christmas... so they were playing catch up... so even my charm couldn't squeeze us in. This location does the brewing & bottling for Squatters & Wasatch Beers, both pretty big names in the Utah craft beer industry. In fact, I think they've gone into the Top 50 in the nation size-wise. Anyway, I grabbed a sampler six-pack.... and yeah, they're all pretty good...

 

Sunday – December 29^th

 

I watched the last week of regular season NFL Football with my dad... and yes, it was pretty awesome. Then in the afternoon my brother, his friend Jarin & the kids picked me up & we went to Provo for the night as I flew out in the morning. Of course, that was after I bought lunch... and dinner once we got to Provo... and I covered the hotel room for them to stay in... but whatever, we had fun... and we watched the Eagles beat the Cowboys to move on to the playoffs. Boom!

 

Monday – December 30^th

 

Basically from there, I got on the return Flight, was back in Oakland by about 2 PM and then I was picked up by Dizzy & her mom with Philla Burgers... and we just had a great night talking about Christmas.

 

Anyway, that's about it. Merry Christmas everybody... and a Happy New 2014!!!

2013 $tevie Awards

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Well, another year has come and gone… without so much as cab fare left behind… so that means that another round of $tevies should be handed out. While last year’s master of ceremonies Robocop is busy shooting a new movie, the show must go on… and so, ladies & gentlemen… I give you… just me. I’m phoning it in a little bit this year. Why? Eh… it’s just a silly questionnaire thing from way back… and chances are that you know the answers already anyway if you’ve been reading this thing… but here you go.

 

DRINKING BUDDY OF THE YEAR: Dizzy – We have a NEW champion! After Bubbles sweeping this award the past 5-6 years… there is a new drunkard in my life… and while Bubbles & I still enjoy drinks from time to time… and Jackie D has made a few appearances this year… as well as the Wingman… I really HAVE to give it to the lady that I’m starting up a small homebrewing empire with, right? I mean… come on. You’ve read the blog. We’re always trying out different brews, locations, recipes, and just drinking all the time… but not in the purely alcoholic way (although we’re both pretty mindful of our hereditary tendencies). Yup… she’s totally my new drinking buddy… and she’s basically done after a glass or two anyway so… kind of a cheap date. Easier on the pocketbook that’s for sure.

 

LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD (longest friend): The Wingman – My buddy since the 2^nd grade Isaiah has also ran the table the past few years… but this Christmas was the first time that I've seen him in about two years… so now the award goes to The Wingman who may have hopped into my life a little later than most… but it’s been a great decade or so & we’ve been on a few adventures of our own. Time to shake up this award I think.

 

NEWCOMER AWARD: New Roommates? – There’s really not a whole lot of newcomers this year… but I did get two new roommates who have been pretty amazing thus far. One’s a quiet Turkish guy who makes great food made of… I don’t know what but it’s good. The other is a strong-minded Massachusetts girl who eats gluten-free. I smell a sitcom… but until that day, this award will have to suffice.

 

SONG FOR 2013: "Thrift Shop” by Macklemore – That’s right, there was a Jay-Z AND a Kanye West album this year… but honestly, I preferred Macklemore’s to both of theirs. “Royals” by Lordes was also pretty high on the list this year… but “Thrift Shop” was a favorite of mine back when I just heard it on the radio… and then I saw the video (damn, that IS a cold ass honky, I thought I was hearing it wrong on my radio) and honestly, I just like the message that you can be fly without dropping a bunch of money on clothes as long as you got style… and just because it’s used doesn’t mean that it’s worthless. Recycle, b**ches!

 

MOVIE FOR 2013: "Gravity" – Yes, many of the “award winners” have yet to be released… but as far as a great movie going experience, “Gravity” from director Alfonso Cuaron gets my nod for movie of the year. Simple premise, great execution, basically it’s everything that it should have been. I’d also like to give a nod to Robert Redford’s “All is Lost” flick which was kind of the same thing. Also, because this is my blog & I have amazing taste in movies… I’m giving the bronze to Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete Kills!” because it’s just my kind of movie… and it’s pretty amazing… and I got to meet Danny Trejo (sorta). Honorable mention to the amazing special effects of “Pacific Rim” which almost overcame a HORRIBLE storyline & acting. Almost.

 

At this point, I also want to mention… that I don’t understand why all the critics are so high on “Inside Llewyn Davis”. I watched it… and paid full attention to it… and it wasn’t an award winner at all. It was pretty horrible actually. I see all these critic reviews, metascores in the high 90s, people in the media talking all about it for winning best pictures at these film festivals that nobody has heard about… and it was pretty average at best. The music was good… though if I ever hear a song with “Fare Thee Well” in it again my eardrums may literally commit suicide. The acting was good. The story… who gives a sh*t? A struggling artist… okay… he’s an asshole to everybody& that’s half the reason he lives the life of a struggling artist. The other half… NOBODY GIVES A F**K ABOUT FOLK MUSIC!!! That’s like somebody being the world’s greatest tiddlywinks player… but they he has to live on the streets. Why? Because nobody is willing to pay you to play f**king tiddlywinks. It’s a hobby. If you’re not getting paid, it’s a hobby. And if you’re an asshole to everybody, then why would you expect anything more? Can somebody PLEASE explain to me how this is a good movie? Not even a great one… just good… certainly not the best. For God’s sake, I just said that “Pacific Rim” was easier to tolerate.

VIDEO GAME FOR 2013: NBA 2K13 – Yeah, I bought it a year late… but it’s pretty sweet & I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great basketball game & I guess that it has a monopoly in the industry now with EA bowing out. “Grand Theft Auto V” was the only game that I think I bought this year... but I only have a few hours in playing it… and most of that was shooting it up with my brother & my buddy Chris online. I really don’t know anything about the story… but I assume it’s the usual robbing, killing & shooting up hookers or whatever. I also got “Madden 25” but primarily for the NFL Sunday Ticket that came with it… but yeah, from what I’ve played it’s very similar to last year’s winner NCAA Football 13, just with pros… and a year later, but still basically the same. I also REALLY enjoyed the remastering of the Nintendo classic “Ducktales” for the PS3 (and it was like $10).

 

TV SHOW FOR 2013: Netflix – Yeah, Netflix has become my TV this year… and I’m pretty good with being a year behind as long as I don’t have to pay a sh*t ton a month. Big ups to continuing stories like "Archer”, “Walking Dead”, “Breaking Bad”, etc. I’m sure that eventually Netflix and/or Hulu will get a nice monopoly & jack up their prices for streaming… but in the meantime, I’m enjoying it.

 

HALLOWEEN COSTUME:  Waldo yet again... You’d think that I might be sick of this outfit… you’d be wrong. Maybe next year I’ll try something new but… I honestly don’t give a sh*t about my Halloween costume… and Dizzy seems to enjoy her Carmen Sandiego outfit so they go well together.

 

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR: KC Barbecue in Berkeley – One of Dizzy’s aunts suggested this place… so we went one afternoon… and basically for $20 we walked out with THREE meals worth of delicious chicken, ribs, hot links & sides. Sh*t was amazing… and I can’t believe that we haven’t gone back since… but I think we may do that very soon. Also, for fancy restaurants, Parallel 37 at The Ritz-Carlton here was pretty magnificent too… as long as you’re willing to go $$$$ on Yelp. Great “occasion” location though. I highly recommend either depending on your budget.

 

BOOK OF THE YEAR: “How to Brew” by John Palmer – This book basically helped to get me excited about the world of homebrewing and Beer in general. I’m also not a HUGE book reader… but this was very interesting & I of course recommend it to anybody who is interested in the subject… and I’ll probably reread it for many years to come. Not sure what else can be said about a book with those credentials.

BIGGEST DOUCHEBAG AWARD: SFMTA - San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency  - I’m a huge fan of public transportation and the service it provides… but it has also come to my attention that you also control the parking meter maids & various other aspects of that world… so f**k you and everything you stand for. You basically tow at will, without proper cause or reason, and there’s really no legal recourse that can be taken. If I challenge it in a court, you MAY waive the ticket for the cost of another fee… but the towing (which is of course VASTLY more) can never be restituted. Why? Because it’s a form of legalized financial rape. Pure & simple. Is this the only way that the government rapes its funders? Of course not… but this is definitely one of the most prevalent in the city… so next time you meter maids are in the street, watch your six & be careful getting out of your modified moped. People get ran over all the f**king time. Just ask that rich kid in Texas who got away with only probation after killing four & injuring nine when he was three times the legal limit… and is on probation. You know what? F**k the whole “justice” system! You get a $tevie! “Wait, getting a $tevie is a bad thing now?” IT IS WHEN IT’S A LITERAL BAG FILLED WITH DOUCHES, BLOOD& FECES!!! You’re welcome!

BEST RELATIONSHIP: Dizzy – Yep… still hangin’ out with her… dang, it’s been almost two full years now. Amazing that she isn’t sick of me yet… but then again, I AM pretty awesome… except maybe when I’m ranting like two sentences ago…

WHO DID YOU SPEND VALENTINES WITH: Well, I started it in New Orleans with Filly after almost two weeks of Super Bowl & Mardi Gras celebrations… then spent most of it in the airport environment, which is basically horrible… but it ended with me in Dizzy’s bed, so it’s all good. Click here to check out the story of the rose that I got for her too.

BEST DECISION MADE THIS YEAR: Homebrewing? – I don’t know… it’s just fun & definitely something that I can REALLY get into. Besides, the side effect is Delicious Beer. There really haven’t been a whole lot of HUGE decision made this year… but yeah… I’d definitely go with that one. Heck, continuing to brew at home may be next year’s best decision too. We will just have to see.

PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR: Last year’s entry was “Keep on doing what I'm doing... only more so... and I've already got a good plan set up to keep it moving...” and that still holds true.

 

STUPIDEST IDEA WHEN DRUNK: Dang… despite a year involving alcohol almost on a weekly basis… I didn’t get REALLY blitzed at all this year… so no real stupid ideas to report. Trips to wine country, Oktoberfest, beer brewing, sampling at various locations, even Mardi Gras, I didn’t really get completely hammered anywhere. Not going to lie… there were times that I shouldn’t have been driving… but in those instances… I DIDN’T!!! So with that in mind… maybe my stupidest idea while drunk… hmm… Orcat? No… that’s pretty amazing. Oh, you don’t know about that? Stay tuned…

BIGGEST CHANGE OF THE YEAR: ??? – There really wasn’t a whole lot of change this year. A few new roommates… homebrewing… but yeah, nothing major. I’ve started listening to podcasts. Does that count?

 

HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR: Wow... such a great year with so many wonderful things going on. There was Mardi Gras & the Super Bowl in New Orleans, birthday roads trips to Gualala & Santa Rosa, Christmas was awesome... but I'll elaborate on that next time... but I'd have to say that my high point of the year was the week or so that I spent in Oregon with Dizzy, C&H, and Chick'n'Wing's family. That's right, Christmas has been dethroned this year too. I'm going with that wonderful week in August in Oregon. Don't remember? Part one and Part two.

 

LOW POINT OF THE YEAR: Well, I've already elaborated on SFMTA screwing me out of money... but that's sadly a pretty standard thing. It's been a great year... but there have been points where, I realized that I'm not a young buck... and I'm reminded of my own mortality on a fairly consistent basis. This is new to me. Family members dying, health scares, etc... but probably the lowest point was when my coworker lost her eye a few weeks ago. Basically she's only a few years older than me, but went in for a routine checkup, mentioned some trouble focusing on a computer screen, a few tests later, it was a tumor behind her eye. Not unlike the scare that I and my uncle had last year. Well, they did some tests, planned out a routine or whatever & all looked like it was going to be okay... and then she went in, they found that it had grown more than expected, and the decision was to take out her eye. It just... really stuck with me how quick & sudden it was... yet it really wasn't sudden at all, it was a few weeks but... yeah, one week you're perfectly fine... then a few days later you're just going in for a quick fix thing... and then poof, you're a pirate for Halloween every year... which isn't nearly as bad as it could be... but yeah, that compiled with everybody else in my family starting to have health things... just reminded me that I'm not going to be here forever. It's okay though, I just have to enjoy my time here & let those around me that I care about know that I care about them. That's one thing that I CAN change.

BEST HOLIDAY: Christmas... as usual... it's pretty awesome... to be continued...

Last Year’s REAL REAL RESOLUTIONS Review (still in effect for 2014 as well):

• Date Dammit! – I’m kinda set here for the time being
• Learn Another Language – Ugh… dammit…
• Give Up Mountain Dew – Ugh… double dammit… still better than I was…
• Get Back Into Ballin’ Shape – Not too bad but can always get better
• Remember JJ – I still haven’t forgotten about ya… though I’m pretty sure she’s forgotten about me
• Use My Passport – That’s FINALLY coming up in May… cruise to Alaska with Dizzy (best Christmas & birthday present EVER), my mom & stepdad… basically five years after it was renewed
• Write a Children’s Book – I’m well on my way with making a comic & with being surrounded by artistically talented family & friends, it makes for a great start to my future literary domination! Watch yo ass, Stan Lee!
• Don’t Sweat the Small Sh*t – I’m still relaxing & taking things as they come…
• Look for the Next Step – Eyes are open...
• Survive the Apocalypse – I’m still surviving like a f**king CHAMPION!!! Aaaaaand queue the quake…

 

Anyway, hope that you all enjoyed this. I've got some laundry & other things to do since I came back from Utah so... feel free to check out some of the links above & I'll catch up on the Utah Adventure probably this weekend... and I'll likely have more adventures by then too. A HAPPY 2014 TO YOU ALL!!!