There are plenty of goals in this life that I want to achieve at one point or an another. Some won't happen until later in life due to the variety of pitches life has a tendency to throw at the average person. Jobs, marriage, kids, plus all the other minutia that crops everyday to slow down those plans.
I'm okay with waiting for some of those, to put them on the back burner until I'm able to truly dedicate some time and attention to them. It also isn't a bad thing for me to work on obtaining some patience in my life, a virtue that I don't necessarily have in spades.
Others I'm not so keen on waiting on.
At the top of that list, not surprisingly considering the emergence of this blog, is writing. I have a deep passion for the written word, both read and written, and whether I'm getting paid (not likely) or not (little more likely) a life without writing isn't a life that I'm going to be living. Not only do I tend to articulate myself better on paper (or in this case, on the screen) but I also find that writing out my thoughts, no matter how obscure or random, is a cathartic process that contributes to me having a good day.
I can't explain it any more simply than that. There's a sense of calm that settles onto me as I write, a smile that more often than not that creeps onto my face as I peck away at the keyboard or scribble onto a Moleskine notepad that is never far away from me, a feeling that I'm doing something that may or may not last longer than the good and bad times I'm experiencing at that moment. I don't know what causes that and I really don't care, I just care that it's there and happening when I do it.
I'm a firm believer in finding something in life that serves this same function. I doesn't matter what it is but rather that it happens. It may be creating or playing music, it may be physical activity, it may be cooking, it may be anything. Do something. Let it out in a way that works for you. Writing just happens to be the way that works for me.
I'd like to be published someday but until then I'm going to keep writing.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Rise (and disappearance) of my now favorite trilogy
People can talk all they want about Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings (though that one is magnificent too) but for me the sun rises and sets in regards to trilogies with Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.
Now, I am writing this freshly out of the theater after watching The Dark Knight Rises so there is a bias that can be attributed to the freshness that comes with having just watched the movie, but frankly I don't care.
It actually touches on reality in an honest and aggressive way, dealing with real lose, love gained and lost, an anger that seems to be unquenchable, plus a whole lot more. Star Wars in a sometimes impressive, more often than not, depressing attempts to do this but rather than touch on those issues it hits them with a wiffle bat. Sometimes it stings but usually it just is an annoyance.
Sure, George Lucas told a good story. A story that was unique and new and it made things possible that Christopher Nolan used in his telling of Batman. The difference, to this humble writer, lies in the director's ability to tell a story, the actors ability to convey that story, and the writer's ability to capture the gritty realness of Bob Kane's Batman and mix that comic book story with an honesty that took that comic and made it a "true" story.
LOTR deals with a lot of these same issues and Jackson did a damn good job of telling a story that is one of the greatest story of all time. A difference that only matters when comparing for this post's sake is that the characters are enduring a test of fortitude that is slightly outside the realm of normal. That doesn't diminish the story but I struggle to place myself in Frodo or Aragorn's shoes on their journey to destroy a magical ring and retake the throne of my ancestors. I can sympathize with a man who takes justice into his own hands.
The trilogy as a whole is an amazing story and each component does an admirable job of showing the growth (if that's the right word) of Bruce Wayne and the people that surround him. There's twists and turns in both the story and the characters that fill out that story.
I loved the last movie and it sucks that I don't get to see anymore Christopher Nolan Batman stories. I'll just have to get by with the Blu-Rays of the ones that we got.
Now, I am writing this freshly out of the theater after watching The Dark Knight Rises so there is a bias that can be attributed to the freshness that comes with having just watched the movie, but frankly I don't care.
It actually touches on reality in an honest and aggressive way, dealing with real lose, love gained and lost, an anger that seems to be unquenchable, plus a whole lot more. Star Wars in a sometimes impressive, more often than not, depressing attempts to do this but rather than touch on those issues it hits them with a wiffle bat. Sometimes it stings but usually it just is an annoyance.
Sure, George Lucas told a good story. A story that was unique and new and it made things possible that Christopher Nolan used in his telling of Batman. The difference, to this humble writer, lies in the director's ability to tell a story, the actors ability to convey that story, and the writer's ability to capture the gritty realness of Bob Kane's Batman and mix that comic book story with an honesty that took that comic and made it a "true" story.
LOTR deals with a lot of these same issues and Jackson did a damn good job of telling a story that is one of the greatest story of all time. A difference that only matters when comparing for this post's sake is that the characters are enduring a test of fortitude that is slightly outside the realm of normal. That doesn't diminish the story but I struggle to place myself in Frodo or Aragorn's shoes on their journey to destroy a magical ring and retake the throne of my ancestors. I can sympathize with a man who takes justice into his own hands.
The trilogy as a whole is an amazing story and each component does an admirable job of showing the growth (if that's the right word) of Bruce Wayne and the people that surround him. There's twists and turns in both the story and the characters that fill out that story.
I loved the last movie and it sucks that I don't get to see anymore Christopher Nolan Batman stories. I'll just have to get by with the Blu-Rays of the ones that we got.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Getting ready for a house warming party
There's nothing like a deadline to motivate me (and the wife) to really getting something done.
When we got the house we had a tight deadline to get the house ready for us to move into (it was "movein" ready for me, but not so much for the Executive) w/ our lease running up a week after closing. We got possession on a Friday and moved in the next Saturday (eight days). This by itself isn't that crazy of a situation. I'm sure people get possession of new homes everyday and move in shortly after. The wrench in this little scenario was threefold.
1. We didn't pack. At least not adequately enough to make it a smooth and painless adventure. I have come to the realization that it is much, much more important to have everything boxed up, labeled, and staged for the move than to have a crapload of people there to help you move a crapload of stuff that is in varying stages of use and being packed up.
The problem doesn't manifest itself in just the move but also in the unpacking process. When you don't systemically pack everything up and label what it is and where it goes you end up just throwing it wherever there is a patch of carpet or a flat box to stack another box. Once that happens its not even a slippery slope, it's a cliff and you've already fallen off and the landing isn't going to be a smooth one.
2. Our new home, like any home left vacant for a year, needed some freshening up. While the wife was extremely optimistic with how quickly we could plow through our list of needs and then dive into the realm of the areas we "wanted" to fix up before moving in, I tried to temper my doubts and resolved to just dig in and try and get as much done as we could.
Even this conservative approach proved to be too eager and ambitious. If we had of packed everything appropriately, if we had of left more than a week to do all of this (more on that next), if we knew what we were flipping doing, we still wouldn't have gotten everything done in a week.
It's a much better option to do things slowly and not try to multitask through everything at once. Easier said than done.
3. Leave your self the appropriate amount of time and then add a day or two for good measure. We tried to do this but failed horribly. We set ourselves a time frame and a list of things that we wanted to do and then shortened the time frame as more things came onto the list and life took over (jobs, packing, general exhaustion).
I know this isn't that surprising to probably a large number of people but it is amazing how long even the simplest of tasks can take. Painting. Throwing paint on a wall in a measured manner. Not so hard on paper is it? Real life? Quite the opposite, I've waited in the DMV for less time than it's taken me to paint a 10x10 room.
First you have to tape the room (watch a professional painter and you'll realize how slow you are), then you have to get out the paint, then you have to shake the sonofabitch until your arm hurts, then you have to get all the requisite tools and Lowe's created appendages. Now set everything up and finally, after all that prep work, you get to actually start changing the color of your walls. Lets just hope that your walls didn't need any touch up work because, crap, you have to fix those first too.
And this is just one thing we had to do (any almost every house bought will have this done). We painted almost the whole house, I ripped the main floors flooring and laid down new wood flooring, demoed the kitchen and main floor bathroom, redid those two rooms, turned our pond into a pool, built a bookshelf that spans a whole wall (!!!), and a whole bunch of small crap that only my wife or I will ever notice but had to be done.
All of this was done over the last month and a half and we had our last big push to get everything done last week because we threw a House Warming/Stock Our Bar/Pool party on Saturday (got some great whiskeys) and if we hadn't of thrown that shindig I don't know if we would have all of that done by now.
Don't do it that way. Set deadlines but make 'em realistic
When we got the house we had a tight deadline to get the house ready for us to move into (it was "movein" ready for me, but not so much for the Executive) w/ our lease running up a week after closing. We got possession on a Friday and moved in the next Saturday (eight days). This by itself isn't that crazy of a situation. I'm sure people get possession of new homes everyday and move in shortly after. The wrench in this little scenario was threefold.
1. We didn't pack. At least not adequately enough to make it a smooth and painless adventure. I have come to the realization that it is much, much more important to have everything boxed up, labeled, and staged for the move than to have a crapload of people there to help you move a crapload of stuff that is in varying stages of use and being packed up.
The problem doesn't manifest itself in just the move but also in the unpacking process. When you don't systemically pack everything up and label what it is and where it goes you end up just throwing it wherever there is a patch of carpet or a flat box to stack another box. Once that happens its not even a slippery slope, it's a cliff and you've already fallen off and the landing isn't going to be a smooth one.
2. Our new home, like any home left vacant for a year, needed some freshening up. While the wife was extremely optimistic with how quickly we could plow through our list of needs and then dive into the realm of the areas we "wanted" to fix up before moving in, I tried to temper my doubts and resolved to just dig in and try and get as much done as we could.
Even this conservative approach proved to be too eager and ambitious. If we had of packed everything appropriately, if we had of left more than a week to do all of this (more on that next), if we knew what we were flipping doing, we still wouldn't have gotten everything done in a week.
It's a much better option to do things slowly and not try to multitask through everything at once. Easier said than done.
3. Leave your self the appropriate amount of time and then add a day or two for good measure. We tried to do this but failed horribly. We set ourselves a time frame and a list of things that we wanted to do and then shortened the time frame as more things came onto the list and life took over (jobs, packing, general exhaustion).
I know this isn't that surprising to probably a large number of people but it is amazing how long even the simplest of tasks can take. Painting. Throwing paint on a wall in a measured manner. Not so hard on paper is it? Real life? Quite the opposite, I've waited in the DMV for less time than it's taken me to paint a 10x10 room.
First you have to tape the room (watch a professional painter and you'll realize how slow you are), then you have to get out the paint, then you have to shake the sonofabitch until your arm hurts, then you have to get all the requisite tools and Lowe's created appendages. Now set everything up and finally, after all that prep work, you get to actually start changing the color of your walls. Lets just hope that your walls didn't need any touch up work because, crap, you have to fix those first too.
And this is just one thing we had to do (any almost every house bought will have this done). We painted almost the whole house, I ripped the main floors flooring and laid down new wood flooring, demoed the kitchen and main floor bathroom, redid those two rooms, turned our pond into a pool, built a bookshelf that spans a whole wall (!!!), and a whole bunch of small crap that only my wife or I will ever notice but had to be done.
All of this was done over the last month and a half and we had our last big push to get everything done last week because we threw a House Warming/Stock Our Bar/Pool party on Saturday (got some great whiskeys) and if we hadn't of thrown that shindig I don't know if we would have all of that done by now.
Don't do it that way. Set deadlines but make 'em realistic
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The Nectar of Gods
There's a certain connotation bestowed on the shoulder's of beer snobs and for the most part it's a valid and applicable label.
The thought that anyone who can drink, let alone enjoy, the watered down, false advertised (triple hopped!, Great Taste with Less Filling!) swill that that is associated with our big sporting events is a person living int he dark ages who has no ability to gauge what's good in the world.
Just like with anything in life there's a dividing line drawn in the proverbial sand. On one side is the educated, well paletted beer aficionado who you see calmly and patiently perusing the beer store's wall of deliciousness. On the other side is the beer consumer who doesn't want to make a decision, but wants to get the best bang for his or her buck (which they never truly do) and want to get away from the condescending glares of the snootier beers and their artistic labels.
Here's some beers and the "type" of person who drinks them....
The thought that anyone who can drink, let alone enjoy, the watered down, false advertised (triple hopped!, Great Taste with Less Filling!) swill that that is associated with our big sporting events is a person living int he dark ages who has no ability to gauge what's good in the world.
Just like with anything in life there's a dividing line drawn in the proverbial sand. On one side is the educated, well paletted beer aficionado who you see calmly and patiently perusing the beer store's wall of deliciousness. On the other side is the beer consumer who doesn't want to make a decision, but wants to get the best bang for his or her buck (which they never truly do) and want to get away from the condescending glares of the snootier beers and their artistic labels.
Here's some beers and the "type" of person who drinks them....
- Bud Light - You're a wuss. At least drink Bud Heavy. It's not going to hurt you.
- Bud Heavy - You may have relatives from the South or you definitely enjoy Nascar.
- Miller Light - You're single, or your girlfriend is okay with the gas that this beer inevitably turns into.
- Coors Light - You have a tiny bit of taste but you don't want to indulge that taste with something that actually is good.
- Keystone/Busch/etc.. - You, like my grandfather, think medals won in the 30's mean their water's still good to drink.
- PBR - You lost all your matchbox car races as a Cadet and this is your first and only blue ribbon you're going to get.
- Any Churchkey beer - your attempt at drinking a beer in a hipster fashion is indicative of some deep routed problems
This could go on but you get the idea.
There are a number of reasons for the beer snob or home brewer (these terms are often synonymous) to think that these types of beers (and people) are sub par.
First we have the beer's own inadequacies:
- watered down
- lower quality ingredients
- no variety. Americans drink lagers and pilsners.
Consequently this shows an inadequacy in the people who are content to consume these beers:
- Boring people who are scared of trying something new
- They have no flavor. No pizzazz. They're plane janes.
Whether you agree with the stereotypes or not it is very hard to disagree with the reasons why people feel this way. There's a quality that is present in craft beers that in this humble beer drinker's perspective is well worth the uptick in price.
I'm going to leave you with a couple of my favorite breweries and beers.
Breweries and beers they make:
- Bells (Oberon, Two Hearted, HopSlam)
- Founders (KBS, Curmudgeon, Dirty Bastard, Pale Ale, Breakfast Stout, and many more)
- New Holland (Dragons Milk, The Poet)
- Left Hand (Milk Stout)
- Dark Horse (One, Two, Three)
- Lagunitas (Sumpin' Sumpin')
- Arcadia
- Shorts
Beers you need to try if you can get your hands on:
- Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger
- KBS
- Mine :)
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy 4th!
Happy Fourth of July, folks!
Remember today as you're tossing a couple dogs on the grill or tossing back a cold one that you get to do so because of those who stood and fell before us.
Remember today as you're tossing a couple dogs on the grill or tossing back a cold one that you get to do so because of those who stood and fell before us.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Where did the weekend go?
Luckily I've got a glass of whiskey here to help me through the last bit of the weekend.
I'm quaffing for only the second time ever a glass of Buffalo Trace and while I won't ever call it my favorite whiskey it's definitely up there if you were to ask for some advice when it comes to an affordable whiskey. I picked up a small bottle for fifteen bucks at a local specialty store and it's well worth the money spent and you can pick up a fifth for thirty or so at most places.
Whether you've just taken the stopper out or your lifting your tumbler up for your first sip you're not going to be taken aback by any strong, alcoholic scent. That trend continues during each sip. It's a smooth drink that while it will pack a punch if you drink more than one in a given night (the affects of a 90% drink or two may or may not be known on good confidence) goes down nice and easy leaving only a nice spicy after burn that doesn't bite but leaves a nice toasty after affect that just reminds you of the good drink in your hand.
Drink it with a cube of ice (don't go with more or you'll water it down too much) or drink it straight. It's an enjoyable ride.
Luckily I've got a glass of whiskey here to help me through the last bit of the weekend.
I'm quaffing for only the second time ever a glass of Buffalo Trace and while I won't ever call it my favorite whiskey it's definitely up there if you were to ask for some advice when it comes to an affordable whiskey. I picked up a small bottle for fifteen bucks at a local specialty store and it's well worth the money spent and you can pick up a fifth for thirty or so at most places.
Whether you've just taken the stopper out or your lifting your tumbler up for your first sip you're not going to be taken aback by any strong, alcoholic scent. That trend continues during each sip. It's a smooth drink that while it will pack a punch if you drink more than one in a given night (the affects of a 90% drink or two may or may not be known on good confidence) goes down nice and easy leaving only a nice spicy after burn that doesn't bite but leaves a nice toasty after affect that just reminds you of the good drink in your hand.
Drink it with a cube of ice (don't go with more or you'll water it down too much) or drink it straight. It's an enjoyable ride.
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