Jim's Beer List recently passed a round-number milestone. The 400th addition to my Beer List was a bottle of Blowing Rock IPA from Boone Brewing Company. Not surprisingly, the company is headquartered in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The town is in the western part of the state and in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The IPA was a mystery beer that I enjoyed with a plate of chicken wings at my local watering hole. I thought the brew was a respectable example of the style.
More notable than the 400th beer on my list was the next one to make the list which was also a mystery beer from my local neighborhood bar. Number 401 on the list was a bottle of Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss from Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company which is located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. To put it simply, this was quite possibly the worst beer that I have ever drank. It was completely horrible. A few weeks ago, I had another contender for the worst beer which was yet another mystery beer. Elder Betty is Magic Hat's summer seasonal offering, and that bottle tasted like Vicks 44 cough syrup. The Berry Weiss tasted like sour Kool-Aid. It was just not good.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Jim's Travels: Colorado
Yesterday, I posted for the first time in over two months. Today, I am going to write the post that I intended to do yesterday before I went off on a tangent about Facebook. About two and a half weeks ago, I flew to Colorado to spend eight days including Labor Day weekend with my sister April and her family. They live in a small town outside of Boulder. As I mentioned yesterday, April has posted about my trip on her site, and we have both posted photos of the trip on Facebook. I have made several previous trips to Colorado to visit April and her family. My last trip was in April 2011, and I posted about that trip. That post primarily focused on beer, and since most of the rest of this trip has already been covered elsewhere, this post will focus on beer as well.
On my first full day in Colorado, April and I took my nephew Jack and niece Grace to the Oskar Blues restaurant location in Longmont, Colorado. April ordered food for the kids off the children's menu. I remember one of them got macaroni and cheese, and I think the other got chicken fingers with french fries (which were tasty). I do not remember what April ordered for herself, but something possessed me to order the special of the day which was fried chicken and a waffle. The chicken was peppery which was good. The waffle was good as well, but I did end up sharing about half of it with the kids.
Oskar Blues Brewery is primarily known for featuring beer in cans, but at their restaurant, I enjoyed two draft beers. The first was One-Nut Brown Ale which is a nutty English-style brown ale of the Newcastle family. The second was Dave's Pale Ale which is not to be confused with their flagship Dale's Pale Ale. The Dave's was a very nice summery brew which reminded me of Oberon Ale from Bell's Brewery.
The next day, we picked up a sample pack from Twisted Pine Brewing Company. The 12-pack contained two bottles each of six different brews. The package shows their complete product line, so I was disappointed that the box did not actually have a bottle of Billy’s Chilies which is a wheat beer brewed with a variety of peppers. Over the next few days, I drank five of the six varieties that we did get. April's husband Christian and I both skipped the Raspberry Wheat, so April must have drank both of those. The first one I had was the Honey Brown Ale which was a good drinkable beer. I followed that with the Cream Style Stout. On Twitter, I noted that it was pretty smooth and tasty. It reminded me of another local beer, Left Hand Milk Stout. The next day, I tried the Blond Ale which was not particularly memorable, and the following day, I had the American Amber Ale which was reminiscent of other amber ales. I saved their flagship brew for last. On Twitter, I stated that their Hoppy Boy IPA was hoppy, as expected by the name, but not insanely so.
Backing up a couple of days in my narrative, April, Christian and I went to the Boulder Brew and Music Festival on the Saturday before Labor Day We attended the first session in the afternoon. I would not attempt to cover all the different beers that I sampled even if I remembered them all. I will mention that I did finally get to try a sample of the Billy’s Chilies brew from Twisted Pine. It was quite spicy, and the one-ounce sample was plenty. I will also mention that I was surprised by all of the fruits that were represented. According to the festival webpage and the scorecard that was provided, there were 21 breweries with booths. Three of those 21, Angry Orchard, Colorado Cider, and Crispin, were cider brewer. There was also Twisted Tea which has a Raspberry Hard Ice Tea. Plus several of the traditional breweries were offering fruit-flavored beers.
On Sunday, April and I traveled up to the Rocky Mountains with the kids. First, we rode the Estes Park Aerial Tramway up and down Prospect Mountain. We then had lunch at the Estes Park Brewery. The food was standard bar food. I believe April and I split some sliders and a plate of nachos that wase much larger than we anticipated. I had two drafts, the Trail Ridge Red and the Staggering Elk Lager. Both were drinkable although neither were particularly memorable.
I have one final beer to mention in relation to this Colorado trip. April dropped me off at the Denver airport on the Wednesday after Labor Day. I had a connecting flight to Chicago which was delayed about an hour and a half. I stopped into one of the airport bars and ordered a beer. I picked the Singletrack Copper Ale from Boulder Beer Company. Singletrack is an American pale ale, and it was very helpful while I was trying to down the spicy soup that I ordered.
On my first full day in Colorado, April and I took my nephew Jack and niece Grace to the Oskar Blues restaurant location in Longmont, Colorado. April ordered food for the kids off the children's menu. I remember one of them got macaroni and cheese, and I think the other got chicken fingers with french fries (which were tasty). I do not remember what April ordered for herself, but something possessed me to order the special of the day which was fried chicken and a waffle. The chicken was peppery which was good. The waffle was good as well, but I did end up sharing about half of it with the kids.
Oskar Blues Brewery is primarily known for featuring beer in cans, but at their restaurant, I enjoyed two draft beers. The first was One-Nut Brown Ale which is a nutty English-style brown ale of the Newcastle family. The second was Dave's Pale Ale which is not to be confused with their flagship Dale's Pale Ale. The Dave's was a very nice summery brew which reminded me of Oberon Ale from Bell's Brewery.
The next day, we picked up a sample pack from Twisted Pine Brewing Company. The 12-pack contained two bottles each of six different brews. The package shows their complete product line, so I was disappointed that the box did not actually have a bottle of Billy’s Chilies which is a wheat beer brewed with a variety of peppers. Over the next few days, I drank five of the six varieties that we did get. April's husband Christian and I both skipped the Raspberry Wheat, so April must have drank both of those. The first one I had was the Honey Brown Ale which was a good drinkable beer. I followed that with the Cream Style Stout. On Twitter, I noted that it was pretty smooth and tasty. It reminded me of another local beer, Left Hand Milk Stout. The next day, I tried the Blond Ale which was not particularly memorable, and the following day, I had the American Amber Ale which was reminiscent of other amber ales. I saved their flagship brew for last. On Twitter, I stated that their Hoppy Boy IPA was hoppy, as expected by the name, but not insanely so.
Backing up a couple of days in my narrative, April, Christian and I went to the Boulder Brew and Music Festival on the Saturday before Labor Day We attended the first session in the afternoon. I would not attempt to cover all the different beers that I sampled even if I remembered them all. I will mention that I did finally get to try a sample of the Billy’s Chilies brew from Twisted Pine. It was quite spicy, and the one-ounce sample was plenty. I will also mention that I was surprised by all of the fruits that were represented. According to the festival webpage and the scorecard that was provided, there were 21 breweries with booths. Three of those 21, Angry Orchard, Colorado Cider, and Crispin, were cider brewer. There was also Twisted Tea which has a Raspberry Hard Ice Tea. Plus several of the traditional breweries were offering fruit-flavored beers.
On Sunday, April and I traveled up to the Rocky Mountains with the kids. First, we rode the Estes Park Aerial Tramway up and down Prospect Mountain. We then had lunch at the Estes Park Brewery. The food was standard bar food. I believe April and I split some sliders and a plate of nachos that wase much larger than we anticipated. I had two drafts, the Trail Ridge Red and the Staggering Elk Lager. Both were drinkable although neither were particularly memorable.I have one final beer to mention in relation to this Colorado trip. April dropped me off at the Denver airport on the Wednesday after Labor Day. I had a connecting flight to Chicago which was delayed about an hour and a half. I stopped into one of the airport bars and ordered a beer. I picked the Singletrack Copper Ale from Boulder Beer Company. Singletrack is an American pale ale, and it was very helpful while I was trying to down the spicy soup that I ordered.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
The Sin of Facebook
Forgive me dear readers for I have committed the sin of procrastination. It has been over two months since my last post. For this transgression, I primarily blame Facebook. I signed up for a Facebook account back in December while I was visiting my Mama for the holidays. My sister, April, who lives in Colorado with her husband, son and daughter, posted a video on Facebook of my niece Grace crawling. Of course, Mama just had to see that video, so voilà, I had a Facebook account.
For months, I did not do much with Facebook. April was my first and only friend for the first several weeks. I believe my second Facebook friend was a coworker who had posted photos of us from the Krispy Kreme Challenge which we ran in February. For those who are not familiar with the Krispy Kreme Challenge, it is a race here in Raleigh that starts at the NC State Belltower. You run two and a half miles to the Krispy Kreme on Peace Street. When you get there, you cram down a dozen of their famous glazed doughnuts which are no longer either hot or fresh. Then you run back two and a half miles. The challenge is to complete the run in less than a hour which I was able to accomplish.
Since then, I have added 52 other Facebook friends to bring my grand total to 54. The list includes eight family members. In addition to April, there are four cousins, an aunt, an uncle, and the wife of one of my cousins. I also have nine coworkers including Bill who posted the photos from the doughnut run. Others on my friends list include people from back in South Carolina who I knew when I was young, some of my buddies from the local bars, my college roommate Alan, and a few old girlfriends.
I have taken to posting more and more frequently on Facebook. I find that instead of composing longer posts here, I just write quick posts and comments on Facebook as well as posting even shorter thoughts on Twitter. For instance, I made a trip to Los Angeles last month for work. During my visit, the area had a minor earthquake. I do not believe there was any major damage, but it was an interesting experience. I also enjoyed some good food and drinks while I was there. Instead of writing a post here about the trip, I just made posts on Facebook including a quick blurb about the earthquake. I took several photos on my cellphone during my visit which I also posted on Facebook.
All of this has resulted in me having a backlog of longer posts that I want to write. One such post will be about another trip I recently took to Colorado to visit April and her family. April has posted about my trip on her site. She and I have also put plenty of posts and photos of the trip on Facebook. However, I intend to write a post on this site which will primarily cover all the different brews that I enjoyed while in that area. Stay tuned.
For months, I did not do much with Facebook. April was my first and only friend for the first several weeks. I believe my second Facebook friend was a coworker who had posted photos of us from the Krispy Kreme Challenge which we ran in February. For those who are not familiar with the Krispy Kreme Challenge, it is a race here in Raleigh that starts at the NC State Belltower. You run two and a half miles to the Krispy Kreme on Peace Street. When you get there, you cram down a dozen of their famous glazed doughnuts which are no longer either hot or fresh. Then you run back two and a half miles. The challenge is to complete the run in less than a hour which I was able to accomplish.
Since then, I have added 52 other Facebook friends to bring my grand total to 54. The list includes eight family members. In addition to April, there are four cousins, an aunt, an uncle, and the wife of one of my cousins. I also have nine coworkers including Bill who posted the photos from the doughnut run. Others on my friends list include people from back in South Carolina who I knew when I was young, some of my buddies from the local bars, my college roommate Alan, and a few old girlfriends.
I have taken to posting more and more frequently on Facebook. I find that instead of composing longer posts here, I just write quick posts and comments on Facebook as well as posting even shorter thoughts on Twitter. For instance, I made a trip to Los Angeles last month for work. During my visit, the area had a minor earthquake. I do not believe there was any major damage, but it was an interesting experience. I also enjoyed some good food and drinks while I was there. Instead of writing a post here about the trip, I just made posts on Facebook including a quick blurb about the earthquake. I took several photos on my cellphone during my visit which I also posted on Facebook.
All of this has resulted in me having a backlog of longer posts that I want to write. One such post will be about another trip I recently took to Colorado to visit April and her family. April has posted about my trip on her site. She and I have also put plenty of posts and photos of the trip on Facebook. However, I intend to write a post on this site which will primarily cover all the different brews that I enjoyed while in that area. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Celebrating Rebels and Rogues
As with some other of my posts recently, this post is just an excuse to post the picture to the right which itself is just an excuse to drink the beer contained in this interesting pink bottle. That works out well since although today is a Wednesday, I have no particular plans. Today is July 4 which is of course Independence Day here in the United States of America. This year, the anniversary of our country's independence from the British Empire falls on a Wednesday which makes it an awkwardly occurring holiday.The other day, some of my coworkers and I were explaining to another coworker of ours from China that we would have the today off of work due to the holiday. She wondered why the government just did not move the holiday to a Monday or Friday. We did not have a good answer, although the answer was probably that the idea actually made too much sense.
The other two major holidays of the summer season are always celebrated on Mondays. Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May and marks the unofficial start of summer. Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September and marks the unofficial end of summer. Of the other holidays, Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday with most people also getting the following Friday off. Christmas and New Year's do not fall on fixed days of the week, but together they make up the extended winter holiday period, so the actual days of the week are less relevant. It would make sense to me to always celebrate Independence Day on the first Monday in July. This would be similar to how George Washington's birthday (which is now considered Presidents' Day) falls on the third Monday in February and never on Washington's actual birthday which is February 22. But again, this idea is probably too intelligent to actually be seriously considered.
Anyway, let us get back to the interesting beer in the large pink bottle. As can be read from the printing on the bottle, this is Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale from Rogue Brewery. Rogue is headquartered in Newport, Oregon. On one of my trips to Portland to visit my friend Alan, I had the opportunity to tour the Rogue Distillery that is located in Portland. This bottle of their beer made the trip from Oregon via Las Vegas. Back in April, I was in Vegas for a conference. Alan made the trip down from Portland to visit and brought me this bottle. The picture above was actually taken on the bed in my hotel room. I brought the bottle back with me, and it has lived in my refrigerator up until now.
I have been happily sipping on this beer since I first started typing this post. For those of my imaginary (and not-so-imaginary) readers who are not familiar with the Portland area, Voodoo Doughnut is a well-known doughnut shop in the city. Their most famous doughnut is probably the Voodoo Doll which is stabbed in the heart with a pretzel stick. They also have a Bacon Maple Bar which is the inspiration for this brew. The beer has a lovely sweet and malty smell and a pleasantly sweet and smoky taste as would be expected since the ingredients list on the bottle includes applewood-smoked bacon and pure maple flavoring. This is an interesting beer, but not a beer of which somebody would want to drink more one at a sitting.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Review: The Planets
The Planets by Dava Sobel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Filled with snippets of poetry, the Planets is a amorous ode to the local heavenly neighborhood. The book includes chapters on the Sun and the Moon. Both were previously considered to be planets until Copernicus promoted the Sun to the king of the solar system sitting on its throne in the center of its kingdom and demoted the Moon to a simple satellite circling the Earth. Our home world thus became just another one of the planets, so it also has a chapter in the book. Pluto which is no longer considered a full-fledged planet is covered in the penultimate chapter that discusses trans-Neptunian objects as well as those other non-planets, the asteroids. The chapters start with the Sun and move outward from there with each chapter covering a loosely related topic such as mythology, astrology, and music.
I have previously read Longitude and Galileo's Daughter by this author, and I enjoyed reading those two books. While I also enjoyed this book, I think that I prefer my popular science books to have less of a romantic vibe.
View all my reviews
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Shiny Trophies
It is the start of summer, so of course I am writing about the National Football League. In fact, this will be the fifth part of my now not-so-modest and seemly never-ending proposal for revamping the league. To quickly recap, the first part proposed combining the existing eight four-team divisions into four eight-team divisions. The second part discussed realignment and the possible relocation of teams. The third part covered the postseason tournament, and the fourth part suggested changing the Pro Bowl. This part will return to the topic of the postseason.
In current sports news, the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fifth game of the NBA Finals on Thursday night to win the championship of the National Basketball Association. The week before, the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils in the sixth game of the Stanley Cup Finals to win the National Hockey League championship. I think the difference in the importance of the actual trophy related to these championships is significant. In fact, I would say the Stanley Cup is the most important trophy of the four major professional team sports. Hockey players do not just think about winning the NHL championship. They grow up specifically dreaming about lifting Lord Stanley's Cup. I would argue that the next most important championship trophy is the Vince Lombardi Trophy which is award to the winner of the Super Bowl and thus the NFL championship. Third on the list would be the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy, the image of which is seen on the court and as a patch on the players' jerseys during the Finals. This trophy has been made famous by basketball players trying to make out with it. Bringing up the rear would be Major League Baseball's championship trophy. I can not even remember the name of that trophy or exactly what it looks like. (Wikipedia tells me that is the Commissioner's Trophy and looks like this.)
The important of the championship trophy varies between leagues and sports. A few other trophies come to mind that are highly important to their leagues. Another playoff tournament that is primarily know by the name of the championship trophy is the Grey Cup. The Grey Cup is awarded to the champion of the Canadian Football League. Perhaps placing a ton of importance on physical trophies is a particularly Canadian phenomenon. The glass football that is awarded to the team winning the National Championship Game of the Bowl Championship Series has now almost moved into iconic status. Although, I had to search Wikipedia to find that it is named the AFCA National Championship Trophy which is not quite as catchy as the simply-named Stanley Cup. The tennis championship at Wimbledon starts this week, and I have always thought that the plate awarded to the women's champion is particularly notable as a championship trophy. Wikipedia tells me that the silver (and not gold, as I previously thought) dish is a salver which is a type of serving (a pun?) tray and is named the Venus Rosewater Dish. Of course, the most famous of championship trophies are probably the Olympic medals.
While championship trophies can be important to their sport, much less important are the trophies awarded to conference and division champions. In the NHL, the Prince of Wales Trophy is awarded to the Eastern Conference champion while the Clarence Campbell Bowl is awarded to the Western Conference champion. Teams that win these trophies generally avoid touching them because it is considered bad luck towards the team's ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
After continuing to ruminate about my proposal for the NFL postseason tournament, I came to see what I thought were two somewhat minor issues which could easily be solved with one solution. The first is the clunky monikers which I gave to the two games leading up to the Super Bowl. Going off the directional names of the four divisions, these games would be called something like the North/South and East/West Semifinals, and the names would switch annually based on that year's divisional match-up. While not as bad as the AFCA National Championship Trophy, those are definitely not attractive names. The second issue was that by eliminating the NFL's two conferences, I had also eliminated the trophies for the champions of those two conferences. The straightforward solution is to keep the two trophies, and name the two semifinal games after the trophies. Not so simple is how to implement this idea.
Losing the two trophies in question would also mean losing some of the game's history since those trophies are named in honor of two the greatest statesmen of the game. The Lamar Hunt Trophy is awarded to the winner of the AFC Championship Game and is named after Lamar Hunt who was the first owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. The George Halas Trophy is awarded to the winner of the NFC Championship Game and is named for George Halas who was the longtime coach and even longer-time owner of the Chicago Bears. As far as I know, NFL players have no qualms about touching those championship trophies. By the way, the NFL recently had the look of the two trophies overhauled.
Deciding to keep these two trophies presents a bit of a problem since there would no longer be conferences and thus no conference championships. Dubbing the two games the George Halas Semifinal Game and Lamar Hunt Semifinal Game seems simple enough. The associated brackets could become the Halas bracket and the Hunt bracket. However, which game and bracket should be the named for Halas and which for Hunt?
Here is where my proposal gets wonderfully complicated. Since Hunt is closely associated with the Chiefs and Halas with the Bears, it seems logical that those teams should be able to play for the appropriate trophy if reasonably possible. If only one of those two teams make the playoffs or if both teams make the playoffs but are in opposite brackets, then the solution is simple. The Bears play in the Halas bracket, and the Chiefs play in the Hunt bracket. If the teams are in the same bracket, the naming would follow the higher-seeded team. If the teams have the same seed or if neither team makes the playoffs, then another rule is needed. In these cases, I would take the two top seeds from each bracket and evaluate the number of times those teams have won each trophy. I would apply a bit of redaction since the trophies have only been awarded since 1984. For instance, if the Dallas Cowboys who have won the NFC championship eight times and the San Francisco 49ers who have won the NFC five times are the top seeds in the same bracket, that would be the Halas bracket. If the Pittsburgh Steelers who have won eight AFC championships and the New England Patriots who have seven AFC championships are in the same bracket, then that would be the Hunt bracket. If there are ties in the championship counts, then the rule would move down to the second-seeded teams and so on.
This ends the fifth part of my proposal for revamping the NFL. There is however still one more part to be written which deals with the giant contracts between the NFL and the television networks. It will also cover when and on which network games are broadcast.
In current sports news, the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fifth game of the NBA Finals on Thursday night to win the championship of the National Basketball Association. The week before, the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils in the sixth game of the Stanley Cup Finals to win the National Hockey League championship. I think the difference in the importance of the actual trophy related to these championships is significant. In fact, I would say the Stanley Cup is the most important trophy of the four major professional team sports. Hockey players do not just think about winning the NHL championship. They grow up specifically dreaming about lifting Lord Stanley's Cup. I would argue that the next most important championship trophy is the Vince Lombardi Trophy which is award to the winner of the Super Bowl and thus the NFL championship. Third on the list would be the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy, the image of which is seen on the court and as a patch on the players' jerseys during the Finals. This trophy has been made famous by basketball players trying to make out with it. Bringing up the rear would be Major League Baseball's championship trophy. I can not even remember the name of that trophy or exactly what it looks like. (Wikipedia tells me that is the Commissioner's Trophy and looks like this.)
The important of the championship trophy varies between leagues and sports. A few other trophies come to mind that are highly important to their leagues. Another playoff tournament that is primarily know by the name of the championship trophy is the Grey Cup. The Grey Cup is awarded to the champion of the Canadian Football League. Perhaps placing a ton of importance on physical trophies is a particularly Canadian phenomenon. The glass football that is awarded to the team winning the National Championship Game of the Bowl Championship Series has now almost moved into iconic status. Although, I had to search Wikipedia to find that it is named the AFCA National Championship Trophy which is not quite as catchy as the simply-named Stanley Cup. The tennis championship at Wimbledon starts this week, and I have always thought that the plate awarded to the women's champion is particularly notable as a championship trophy. Wikipedia tells me that the silver (and not gold, as I previously thought) dish is a salver which is a type of serving (a pun?) tray and is named the Venus Rosewater Dish. Of course, the most famous of championship trophies are probably the Olympic medals.
While championship trophies can be important to their sport, much less important are the trophies awarded to conference and division champions. In the NHL, the Prince of Wales Trophy is awarded to the Eastern Conference champion while the Clarence Campbell Bowl is awarded to the Western Conference champion. Teams that win these trophies generally avoid touching them because it is considered bad luck towards the team's ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
After continuing to ruminate about my proposal for the NFL postseason tournament, I came to see what I thought were two somewhat minor issues which could easily be solved with one solution. The first is the clunky monikers which I gave to the two games leading up to the Super Bowl. Going off the directional names of the four divisions, these games would be called something like the North/South and East/West Semifinals, and the names would switch annually based on that year's divisional match-up. While not as bad as the AFCA National Championship Trophy, those are definitely not attractive names. The second issue was that by eliminating the NFL's two conferences, I had also eliminated the trophies for the champions of those two conferences. The straightforward solution is to keep the two trophies, and name the two semifinal games after the trophies. Not so simple is how to implement this idea.
Losing the two trophies in question would also mean losing some of the game's history since those trophies are named in honor of two the greatest statesmen of the game. The Lamar Hunt Trophy is awarded to the winner of the AFC Championship Game and is named after Lamar Hunt who was the first owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. The George Halas Trophy is awarded to the winner of the NFC Championship Game and is named for George Halas who was the longtime coach and even longer-time owner of the Chicago Bears. As far as I know, NFL players have no qualms about touching those championship trophies. By the way, the NFL recently had the look of the two trophies overhauled.
Deciding to keep these two trophies presents a bit of a problem since there would no longer be conferences and thus no conference championships. Dubbing the two games the George Halas Semifinal Game and Lamar Hunt Semifinal Game seems simple enough. The associated brackets could become the Halas bracket and the Hunt bracket. However, which game and bracket should be the named for Halas and which for Hunt?
Here is where my proposal gets wonderfully complicated. Since Hunt is closely associated with the Chiefs and Halas with the Bears, it seems logical that those teams should be able to play for the appropriate trophy if reasonably possible. If only one of those two teams make the playoffs or if both teams make the playoffs but are in opposite brackets, then the solution is simple. The Bears play in the Halas bracket, and the Chiefs play in the Hunt bracket. If the teams are in the same bracket, the naming would follow the higher-seeded team. If the teams have the same seed or if neither team makes the playoffs, then another rule is needed. In these cases, I would take the two top seeds from each bracket and evaluate the number of times those teams have won each trophy. I would apply a bit of redaction since the trophies have only been awarded since 1984. For instance, if the Dallas Cowboys who have won the NFC championship eight times and the San Francisco 49ers who have won the NFC five times are the top seeds in the same bracket, that would be the Halas bracket. If the Pittsburgh Steelers who have won eight AFC championships and the New England Patriots who have seven AFC championships are in the same bracket, then that would be the Hunt bracket. If there are ties in the championship counts, then the rule would move down to the second-seeded teams and so on.
This ends the fifth part of my proposal for revamping the NFL. There is however still one more part to be written which deals with the giant contracts between the NFL and the television networks. It will also cover when and on which network games are broadcast.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Review: I Will Fear No Evil
I Will Fear No Evil by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
If this book was a new television show, the review would go something like this. On the pilot episode of the soon-to-be-hit sitcom
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Thursday, May 17, 2012
Review: Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem
Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem by Philip Kerr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
If the three novels contained in Berlin Noir just happened to be the first hardboiled crime stories that I had ever read, I might have given this book four stars. I might have even given it five stars if I happened to be in a particularly good mood. I found the novels to be engaging, gripping and all those related literary buzzwords. However, I have already read my share of noir detective stories. I have read Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and Philip Kerr is not Hammett or Chandler.
I would actually say that Kerr does a good job of mimicking the two masters of genre. Kerr just might be the literary equivalent to a cover band in music. Of his previous novels, I have read the Grid, Esau, and the Shot. Based on those books, I found Kerr to be England's answer to Michael Crichton or perhaps Dean Koontz. He has proven that he cover both thrillers and hardboiled crime.
The characters in the works of Hammett and Chandler are closely tied to their environments in both place and time. Chandler's Philip Marlowe inhabits the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles in the intoxicating (or intoxicated?) times of the 30s. Hammett's characters (the Continental Op, Nick and Nora, and of course, Sam Spade in all his Humphrey Bogart-ness.) also shared the 30s, but were located more north, in the thick fog of San Francisco. Kerr's efforts with the novels contained in this book might be the manifestation of a thought experiment or perhaps an answer to some hypothetical question. Instead of the noble private investigator toiling away in California, what if the setting was Nazi-era Germany and then Allied-occupied Germany? The answer is found in the character of Bernard Gunther.
To be fair, I think Kerr is completely honest with his homage to the grandmasters. In a German Requiem, he drops a reference to the Thin Man, and there are other such references and commonalities peppered throughout the books. However, he also seems to be trying a bit too hard to outdo his predecessors. He sometimes goes overboard with his Chandler-like descriptions, and I think some of Herr Gunther's deadpan observations and sarcastic responses are too Marlowe-esque for even Philip Marlowe.
I did thoroughly enjoy all three of the novels, and I think Kerr does a respectable job with his endeavor to replicate and revive the hardboiled detective genre.
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Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Not a Mystery
Yesterday, I had dinner at the new location of the Flying Burrito which happens to be near my place. The restaurant recently moved from its original location in Chapel Hill into the empty location that was vacated last year by Lynnwood Grill. There is some hope around the neighborhood that this new place will recapture the atmosphere of the old Lynnwood Grill before it moved across the street into its fancy new digs.
This was actually my second trip to the Flying Burrito. My first was on a Saturday for lunch, and I enjoyed their flagship entree, the Flying Burrito. My second visit started at the bar. I asked the bartender about their specials, and she informed me that they had mystery beers for a dollar. Those of you that are familiar with my Twitter posts know that I enjoy mystery beers. There is usually a big drum filled with ice and random bottles of beer. My understanding is that the mystery beers are bottles which the distributor is looking to get rid of. They could be from a broken case or seasonal brews that are out of season, a Christmas ale or a winter warmer in the heat of summer for instance. In this case, the one-dollar mystery beer was a Budweiser. As I posted on Twitter, I had the least mysterious mystery beer in history. It might just be me, but a Bud just does not live up to my expectation of a mystery beer.
For food during this occasion, I ordered their shrimp burrito which came smothered in buffalo sauce. The buffalo sauce was also not mysterious since it seemed to be Texas Pete. Discounting the tortilla, rice and black beans, I essentially had grilled shrimp covered in Texas Pete along with a bottle of Bud to wash it down. The whole experience seemed to be more Southern than Southwestern.
My two trips to the Flying Burrito had one thing in common, and that was very good service which bordered on annoying. Unfortunately, this good service seemed to be primarily due to the lack of customers in the place. Granted, I visited on a Saturday afternoon past the primary time for lunch and on a Monday evening. Hopefully, that is not a sign of things to come for this place. Soon, I hope to try the place some weekend evening. Perhaps, it does have the spark of the old Lynnwood.
This was actually my second trip to the Flying Burrito. My first was on a Saturday for lunch, and I enjoyed their flagship entree, the Flying Burrito. My second visit started at the bar. I asked the bartender about their specials, and she informed me that they had mystery beers for a dollar. Those of you that are familiar with my Twitter posts know that I enjoy mystery beers. There is usually a big drum filled with ice and random bottles of beer. My understanding is that the mystery beers are bottles which the distributor is looking to get rid of. They could be from a broken case or seasonal brews that are out of season, a Christmas ale or a winter warmer in the heat of summer for instance. In this case, the one-dollar mystery beer was a Budweiser. As I posted on Twitter, I had the least mysterious mystery beer in history. It might just be me, but a Bud just does not live up to my expectation of a mystery beer.
For food during this occasion, I ordered their shrimp burrito which came smothered in buffalo sauce. The buffalo sauce was also not mysterious since it seemed to be Texas Pete. Discounting the tortilla, rice and black beans, I essentially had grilled shrimp covered in Texas Pete along with a bottle of Bud to wash it down. The whole experience seemed to be more Southern than Southwestern.
My two trips to the Flying Burrito had one thing in common, and that was very good service which bordered on annoying. Unfortunately, this good service seemed to be primarily due to the lack of customers in the place. Granted, I visited on a Saturday afternoon past the primary time for lunch and on a Monday evening. Hopefully, that is not a sign of things to come for this place. Soon, I hope to try the place some weekend evening. Perhaps, it does have the spark of the old Lynnwood.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The Great Lakes Family
This post is just an excuse to show the photos to the right. Last week, I traveled to Las Vegas for a conference. On my trip to Sin City, I had a layover in Cleveland. My layover happen to coincide with lunchtime. While walking through Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, 
I found that the Great Lakes Brewing Company has a brewpub located in Terminal C. I saddled up to the bar with the intent of trying a new beer to go along with my lunch. Instead, I elected to sample five of their brews.
The Great Lakes family sampler includes samples of five of their popular year-round beers. The five sampler glasses were served in paddle intended for only four glasses. The fifth glass was squeezed on the handle. As seen in the top photo, I had already tried the first beer when I decided to take the picture. That first beer was their Dortmunder Gold Lager. The bartender told me that the golden lager was their most popular brew. It was also my favorite of the five.
My second sample was the Eliot Ness Amber Lager which was my second favorite of the bunch. The third and fourth were the Burning River Pale Ale and Commodore Perry IPA. Despite not being a big pale ale fan, I found these brews to be tasty.
The final beer and the dark glass on the right side of the photo was the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. It was a good finish to the sampler.
For food, I went with the bratwurst and pierogi as seen in the bottom picture. I had been craving German food, so this hit the spot. While it was nowhere near as good as J. Betski's, it was a very enjoyable lunch.
I found that the Great Lakes Brewing Company has a brewpub located in Terminal C. I saddled up to the bar with the intent of trying a new beer to go along with my lunch. Instead, I elected to sample five of their brews.The Great Lakes family sampler includes samples of five of their popular year-round beers. The five sampler glasses were served in paddle intended for only four glasses. The fifth glass was squeezed on the handle. As seen in the top photo, I had already tried the first beer when I decided to take the picture. That first beer was their Dortmunder Gold Lager. The bartender told me that the golden lager was their most popular brew. It was also my favorite of the five.
My second sample was the Eliot Ness Amber Lager which was my second favorite of the bunch. The third and fourth were the Burning River Pale Ale and Commodore Perry IPA. Despite not being a big pale ale fan, I found these brews to be tasty.
The final beer and the dark glass on the right side of the photo was the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. It was a good finish to the sampler.For food, I went with the bratwurst and pierogi as seen in the bottom picture. I had been craving German food, so this hit the spot. While it was nowhere near as good as J. Betski's, it was a very enjoyable lunch.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
The Great Prognosticator
This year's NFL Draft started on Thursday and finishes today. The draft reminded me that I forgot to crow about my ability to accurately predict the sports-related future. In two posts from last year, I discussed the prospects of my favorite NFL team, the Carolina Panthers, in Ron Rivera's first season as the team's head coach. My first attempt was based on the records of Rivera's three predecessors. In that post, I predicted a 7-9 record for the Panthers based on the same record in the first seasons for previous coaches Dom Capers and John Fox. Honestly, the whole idea was ridiculous since previous results would have no affect on future results.
My second attempt was based on last season's opponents for the Panthers, and I correctly predicted a 6-10 record for the team. I guessed the Panthers would win two and lose four games against their divisional rivals in the NFC South. They were swept by the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints but were able to sweep the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who limped to a worse-than-expected 4-12 season.
I thought the Panthers would go 1-3 against the four teams from the NFC North but were actually swept by that division. That incorrect prediction was balanced by my prediction for the Panthers against the four teams from the AFC South. I thought the team would go 2-2 against that division. Instead, they went 3-1 including a win in week 12 over the Indianapolis Colts who were without All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning. Finally, I gave the team one win against their remaining two opponents, either Arizona or Washington. The Panthers lost their first game of the season against the Cardinals but tallied their second win of the season in week seven against Washington.
Should I make another attempt at prognosticating? In my first prediction post from last year, I gave the Panthers a 11-5 record and first place in the NFC South in the second season under their new head coach. Do I still think that is possible? With Rookie of the Year Cam Newton at quarterback, I do not think that is out of the realm of possibility. I think the NFL South will have a down year. Tampa Bay has a new head coach and is in rebuilding mode. Atlanta had another disappointing postseason with a 24-2 loss to eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Then there is New Orleans which is dealing with multiple issues including the contract status of their All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees. I think the Panthers can go 4-2 in their division.
This season, the Panthers will play the teams from the NFC East and AFC West. I think they can split with the NFC East teams and go 3-1 against the AFC West. I also think they should be able to win their remaining two games against the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. Add all those together, and yes, I think the Panthers can go 11-5 this season and win the NFC South.
My second attempt was based on last season's opponents for the Panthers, and I correctly predicted a 6-10 record for the team. I guessed the Panthers would win two and lose four games against their divisional rivals in the NFC South. They were swept by the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints but were able to sweep the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who limped to a worse-than-expected 4-12 season.
I thought the Panthers would go 1-3 against the four teams from the NFC North but were actually swept by that division. That incorrect prediction was balanced by my prediction for the Panthers against the four teams from the AFC South. I thought the team would go 2-2 against that division. Instead, they went 3-1 including a win in week 12 over the Indianapolis Colts who were without All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning. Finally, I gave the team one win against their remaining two opponents, either Arizona or Washington. The Panthers lost their first game of the season against the Cardinals but tallied their second win of the season in week seven against Washington.
Should I make another attempt at prognosticating? In my first prediction post from last year, I gave the Panthers a 11-5 record and first place in the NFC South in the second season under their new head coach. Do I still think that is possible? With Rookie of the Year Cam Newton at quarterback, I do not think that is out of the realm of possibility. I think the NFL South will have a down year. Tampa Bay has a new head coach and is in rebuilding mode. Atlanta had another disappointing postseason with a 24-2 loss to eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Then there is New Orleans which is dealing with multiple issues including the contract status of their All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees. I think the Panthers can go 4-2 in their division.
This season, the Panthers will play the teams from the NFC East and AFC West. I think they can split with the NFC East teams and go 3-1 against the AFC West. I also think they should be able to win their remaining two games against the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks. Add all those together, and yes, I think the Panthers can go 11-5 this season and win the NFC South.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
NHL Realignment Proposal Take Three
Back in August of last year, I did two posts on the topic of realigning the NHL in the wake of the Atlanta franchise moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba. In December, the league released its realignment proposal which was subsequently rejected by the players' union. The players claimed that the new plan would result in increased travel and thus more time away from their families.
My proposed solution to reduce travel is to have three 10-team conferences based on geography. The three conferences would be named Western, Central and Eastern. Each conference would be further divided into two 5-team divisions. The divisions would separate northern and southern teams. Below is a strict geographically-based alignment. The Western Conference would closely match the current Northwest and Pacific Divisions with the Winnipeg Jets replacing the Minnesota Wild in the Northern Division. The other conferences and divisions are vastly different from the current alignment.
This is a start, but there are several improvements to be made. One adjustment that is obvious to me is swapping the Tampa Bay Lightning who ended up in the Southern Division of the Central Conference with the Philadelphia Flyers who were in the Southern Division of the Eastern Conference. This change maintains intrastate rivalries by matching the Flyers with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Lightning with the Florida Panthers.
That alignment still seems odd. The alignment below has four team revolving divisions. The New Jersey Devils move from the Southern Division in the Eastern Conference to the Northern Division. The Ottawa Senators get bumped from the Eastern Conference to the Northern Division of the Central Conference. The Chicago Blackhawks move to the Southern Division of the Central Conference, and the Nashville Predators move to the Southern Division of the Eastern Conference.
That alignment is almost there, but I think one last tweak is needed. In order to have the three eastern Canadian teams in the same division, I swapped the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres. All three teams in the state of New York plus the New Jersey Devils would also share the same division.
Based on this alignment, the NHL would maintain a 82-game schedule. Teams would play eight games against each divisional opponent for a total of 32 games and six games against each team in the other division in the same conference for a total of 30 games. The remaining 20 games of the schedule would be one game against each team in the other two conferences.
I think establishing and agreeing on a postseason structure based on this alignment would be a bit of a challenge. I believe a 16-team playoff tournament should be maintained to decide the winner of the Stanley Cup. Obviously, the team with the best record in each division should make the playoffs and get one of the top six seeds. I also think the top team from each conference should be guaranteed one of the top three seeds. The remaining ten spots would be seeded by record.
Deciding which teams to select for the remaining ten seeds might be a more difficult matter. Simply picking the remaining ten teams with the best records would be the most straightforward method, and I would not disagree with that solution. However, it might be desirable to ensure that three or four teams from each conference or at least two teams from each division make the playoffs. I would even suggest that the top two teams in each division make the playoffs along with the best of the two third-place teams in each conference. That would result in five teams in the playoffs from each conference for a total of fifteen teams. The sixteenth team would simply be the remaining team with the best record.
My proposed solution to reduce travel is to have three 10-team conferences based on geography. The three conferences would be named Western, Central and Eastern. Each conference would be further divided into two 5-team divisions. The divisions would separate northern and southern teams. Below is a strict geographically-based alignment. The Western Conference would closely match the current Northwest and Pacific Divisions with the Winnipeg Jets replacing the Minnesota Wild in the Northern Division. The other conferences and divisions are vastly different from the current alignment.
| Western Conference | |
|---|---|
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Vancouver Canucks Winnipeg Jets | Anaheim Ducks Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks Phoenix Coyotes |
| Central Conference | |
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Buffalo Sabres Chicago Blackhawks Detroit Red Wings Minnesota Wild Toronto Maple Leafs | Columbus Blue Jackets Nashville Predators Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Eastern Conference | |
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Boston Bruins Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators New York Islanders New York Rangers | Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers New Jersey Devils Philadelphia Flyers Washington Capitals |
This is a start, but there are several improvements to be made. One adjustment that is obvious to me is swapping the Tampa Bay Lightning who ended up in the Southern Division of the Central Conference with the Philadelphia Flyers who were in the Southern Division of the Eastern Conference. This change maintains intrastate rivalries by matching the Flyers with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Lightning with the Florida Panthers.
| Western Conference | |
|---|---|
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Vancouver Canucks Winnipeg Jets | Anaheim Ducks Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks Phoenix Coyotes |
| Central Conference | |
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Buffalo Sabres Chicago Blackhawks Detroit Red Wings Minnesota Wild Toronto Maple Leafs | Columbus Blue Jackets Nashville Predators Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues |
| Eastern Conference | |
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Boston Bruins Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators New York Islanders New York Rangers | Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers New Jersey Devils Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals |
That alignment still seems odd. The alignment below has four team revolving divisions. The New Jersey Devils move from the Southern Division in the Eastern Conference to the Northern Division. The Ottawa Senators get bumped from the Eastern Conference to the Northern Division of the Central Conference. The Chicago Blackhawks move to the Southern Division of the Central Conference, and the Nashville Predators move to the Southern Division of the Eastern Conference.
| Western Conference | |
|---|---|
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Vancouver Canucks Winnipeg Jets | Anaheim Ducks Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks Phoenix Coyotes |
| Central Conference | |
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Buffalo Sabres Detroit Red Wings Minnesota Wild Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues |
| Eastern Conference | |
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Boston Bruins Montreal Canadiens New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers | Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers Nashville Predators Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals |
That alignment is almost there, but I think one last tweak is needed. In order to have the three eastern Canadian teams in the same division, I swapped the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres. All three teams in the state of New York plus the New Jersey Devils would also share the same division.
| Western Conference | |
|---|---|
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Vancouver Canucks Winnipeg Jets | Anaheim Ducks Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings San Jose Sharks Phoenix Coyotes |
| Central Conference | |
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Detroit Red Wings Minnesota Wild Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs | Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues |
| Eastern Conference | |
| Northern Division | Southern Division |
| Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers | Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers Nashville Predators Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals |
Based on this alignment, the NHL would maintain a 82-game schedule. Teams would play eight games against each divisional opponent for a total of 32 games and six games against each team in the other division in the same conference for a total of 30 games. The remaining 20 games of the schedule would be one game against each team in the other two conferences.
I think establishing and agreeing on a postseason structure based on this alignment would be a bit of a challenge. I believe a 16-team playoff tournament should be maintained to decide the winner of the Stanley Cup. Obviously, the team with the best record in each division should make the playoffs and get one of the top six seeds. I also think the top team from each conference should be guaranteed one of the top three seeds. The remaining ten spots would be seeded by record.
Deciding which teams to select for the remaining ten seeds might be a more difficult matter. Simply picking the remaining ten teams with the best records would be the most straightforward method, and I would not disagree with that solution. However, it might be desirable to ensure that three or four teams from each conference or at least two teams from each division make the playoffs. I would even suggest that the top two teams in each division make the playoffs along with the best of the two third-place teams in each conference. That would result in five teams in the playoffs from each conference for a total of fifteen teams. The sixteenth team would simply be the remaining team with the best record.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Goodbye...Hello!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I was not quite done with my recent spending spree, and my new purchases have increased by an order of magnitude. Back in December, I bought a new pair of running shoes which were in the $100 range. Later that month, I bought a mattress and box springs set that was around $1,000. My next purchase would be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
I have been searching for several months for a car to replace my 1998 Honda Accord EX coupe. The Accord was a great car, but it had racked up over 180,000 miles on the odometer. Plus, it had a few issues. The paint has large oxidization spots on the roof and rear deck lid. Actually, there might have been more paint missing than remaining. Also, the transmission had started slipping. Finally, the last time I took the car to local shop for an oil change, I was told that it was time for new tires. The car was getting close to the too-unsafe-to-drive zone. I knew it was time to get a different car.
Here is a humorous story about my old car. On New Year's Day, I was a bit hung over. Around lunchtime, I ventured out to find some food. I was running short on fuel, so I stopped by a gas station. I popped open the gas door and starting turning the gas cap, but nothing happened. I vaguely remembered the cap not clicking when I tightened it the last time I filled the tank. Now, the cap was spinning freely, but not coming off.
I called my local garage which was also the place that told me the Honda needed new tires. Lucky for me, they were open on New Year's. The guy that answered the phone told me that they did not carry gas caps, but if I could find one and bring it by they should be able to help me. I swung by a nearby auto parts store and bought a gas cap. I proceeded to garage. One of the mechanics was able to pop off the old gas cap with a big-ass pair of pliers. The cap actually broke off, but once the outside part was removed, the inside part could simply be unscrewed. After putting on the new cap, I was able to make it to the gas station to fill the tank.
Getting back to my car shopping, I had been searching for the right car for several months. I visited several local car dealerships including multiple visits to the local Carmax and Auction Direct locations. After months of research and driving tons of cars, I decided that an Infiniti G37 convertible was the car for me. My nonexistent readers who also follow me on Twitter would know that I was close to purchasing an Infiniti near the end of December. I have a buddy that works at a local used car dealership. He found a white G37 convertible in Alabama. I stopped by the dealership where he works one evening to complete the transaction. I filled out the paperwork and even wrote a check for a deposit. Unfortunately, we learned that the dealer down in Alabama had sold the car around noon the same day.
The search continued. I had previously test drove a G37 convertible at a local Chrysler Jeep dealership. The story was that a couple had traded in the convertible for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. That car was dented and scratched, so I passed on it. The salesman said he would give me a call if another one appeared at their dealership, but I doubted that I would be back. To my surprise, I received a call from that salesman a few weeks later. It turned out they had recently received another G37 convertible. It had also been traded for a Grand Cherokee. I do hope that is not an omen for my future car purchase prospects.
I stopped by the Chrysler Jeep dealership the following weekend. This G37 turned out to be an exact duplicate of the previous car minus the dents and scratches. It was a cold and rainy day (I ended up with a cold the following week.), so I did not get to drop the roof. However, the car looked to be in great condition and drove fantastically. After my long and frustrating search, I was ready to buy. The negotiations took longer than I expected with several back and forth offers between me and various salesmen and sales managers. Eventually, we were able to settle on a price for the Infiniti plus a trade-in value for the Accord. I drove the convertible home that same day.
I have been searching for several months for a car to replace my 1998 Honda Accord EX coupe. The Accord was a great car, but it had racked up over 180,000 miles on the odometer. Plus, it had a few issues. The paint has large oxidization spots on the roof and rear deck lid. Actually, there might have been more paint missing than remaining. Also, the transmission had started slipping. Finally, the last time I took the car to local shop for an oil change, I was told that it was time for new tires. The car was getting close to the too-unsafe-to-drive zone. I knew it was time to get a different car.
Here is a humorous story about my old car. On New Year's Day, I was a bit hung over. Around lunchtime, I ventured out to find some food. I was running short on fuel, so I stopped by a gas station. I popped open the gas door and starting turning the gas cap, but nothing happened. I vaguely remembered the cap not clicking when I tightened it the last time I filled the tank. Now, the cap was spinning freely, but not coming off.
I called my local garage which was also the place that told me the Honda needed new tires. Lucky for me, they were open on New Year's. The guy that answered the phone told me that they did not carry gas caps, but if I could find one and bring it by they should be able to help me. I swung by a nearby auto parts store and bought a gas cap. I proceeded to garage. One of the mechanics was able to pop off the old gas cap with a big-ass pair of pliers. The cap actually broke off, but once the outside part was removed, the inside part could simply be unscrewed. After putting on the new cap, I was able to make it to the gas station to fill the tank.
Getting back to my car shopping, I had been searching for the right car for several months. I visited several local car dealerships including multiple visits to the local Carmax and Auction Direct locations. After months of research and driving tons of cars, I decided that an Infiniti G37 convertible was the car for me. My nonexistent readers who also follow me on Twitter would know that I was close to purchasing an Infiniti near the end of December. I have a buddy that works at a local used car dealership. He found a white G37 convertible in Alabama. I stopped by the dealership where he works one evening to complete the transaction. I filled out the paperwork and even wrote a check for a deposit. Unfortunately, we learned that the dealer down in Alabama had sold the car around noon the same day.
The search continued. I had previously test drove a G37 convertible at a local Chrysler Jeep dealership. The story was that a couple had traded in the convertible for a Jeep Grand Cherokee. That car was dented and scratched, so I passed on it. The salesman said he would give me a call if another one appeared at their dealership, but I doubted that I would be back. To my surprise, I received a call from that salesman a few weeks later. It turned out they had recently received another G37 convertible. It had also been traded for a Grand Cherokee. I do hope that is not an omen for my future car purchase prospects.
I stopped by the Chrysler Jeep dealership the following weekend. This G37 turned out to be an exact duplicate of the previous car minus the dents and scratches. It was a cold and rainy day (I ended up with a cold the following week.), so I did not get to drop the roof. However, the car looked to be in great condition and drove fantastically. After my long and frustrating search, I was ready to buy. The negotiations took longer than I expected with several back and forth offers between me and various salesmen and sales managers. Eventually, we were able to settle on a price for the Infiniti plus a trade-in value for the Accord. I drove the convertible home that same day.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
An African Beer
It has been almost two months since I published a post. It has been even longer since I posted on the topic of beer with the exception of the Beer List at the end of 2011. My regular imaginary readers may have noticed a new link at the top left of the home page to "Jim's Beer List." On that page, I combined the beer lists from 2011 and 2010 into a single list. Instead of having a running beer list specifically for the year 2012, I have just been adding beers that I have consumed in 2012 to the list on that page.
One of the new additions to my super-sized beer list is Ndovu Special Malt Premium Lager from Tanzania Breweries which is a subsidiary of the giant global brewing conglomerate SABMiller. One of my coworkers is originally from Tanzania, and he brought back some cans of Ndovu with him from a recent visit to share with us.
My coworker told me that the word "ndovu" means "tusk" in Swahili. Google Translate tells me that the word means "elephant" however, and that "tusk" translates to "pembe" in Swahili. My coworker also told me that a very similar brew called Tusker is sold in Kenya. Tusker is produced by East Africa Breweries which is related to Tanzania Breweries. As far as Ndovu goes, I expected the beer to be a standard run-of-the-mill lager. While my expectation was not too far off the mark, I would say the taste was slightly better than the average piss beer.
While I hope to continue posting about beer, I have transitioned somewhat to drinking more wine. Recent posts to my Twitter account have reflected this change. Perhaps there will be some posts on wine in the future.
One of the new additions to my super-sized beer list is Ndovu Special Malt Premium Lager from Tanzania Breweries which is a subsidiary of the giant global brewing conglomerate SABMiller. One of my coworkers is originally from Tanzania, and he brought back some cans of Ndovu with him from a recent visit to share with us.
My coworker told me that the word "ndovu" means "tusk" in Swahili. Google Translate tells me that the word means "elephant" however, and that "tusk" translates to "pembe" in Swahili. My coworker also told me that a very similar brew called Tusker is sold in Kenya. Tusker is produced by East Africa Breweries which is related to Tanzania Breweries. As far as Ndovu goes, I expected the beer to be a standard run-of-the-mill lager. While my expectation was not too far off the mark, I would say the taste was slightly better than the average piss beer.
While I hope to continue posting about beer, I have transitioned somewhat to drinking more wine. Recent posts to my Twitter account have reflected this change. Perhaps there will be some posts on wine in the future.
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