Early May Mutterings (Musing, Thoughts and Guffaws)

Don't really have enough for a dedicated post, so here are some random snippets...

• Watched an old man attempt to kill his wife at the grocery store today. It may have not been on purpose but it was a good attempt. He pulled the car around to pick her up at the entrance, as she was getting in, his foot may or may not have slipped off the brake, allowing for the car to move forward and spinning her out the door and onto the ground. She was not hurt and was able to get up and into the car. If I was him, I would cook my own meals for the next couple of days just for safeties sake.
• Patriot nation is all quiet right now. Starting to see a pattern at least with the team, cheat and win a title, happened earlier with Spygate and now with Deflatgate. Wonder what their next "bending" of the rules will be?
• I brewed a LARGE batch of beer earlier this week, first time I have ever done a pale wheat style and with very little hops. Did have fun adding honey, maple sap, and some grapefruit bitters. Will know in a couple of weeks how it is.
• The weather has suddenly gotten nice and is almost too warm, the extreme jumps leave no one prepared for the warmer days. So much for any spring-like days, we just go from winter to summer.

That is all...

College Hijinks at 50

I am always up for an adventure and sometimes the unexpected ones are the most memorable.

Since the start of, now 4 days ago, I have had about 10 hours of total sleep. The rest has been work and ok, an event with the chance to have some social time. So here is a short list of the antics that have played out...

• Thursday was a successful pipe sales event and a gathering of some great people that share a common interest. 
• Friday was a double work shift day, but if you like what you do, it ain't bad.
• Friday ended a little rough, not being able to get the numbers to balance and that adds stress that is not needed nor wanted. (I am not OCD with the exception of getting the books to balance. So this was a cause to come home and play the whole night out trying to figure where the issue was, not allowing me to sleep but a mere three hours.)
• Quick turn around and I am back at work, still could not find the discrepancy, but after some keen detective work the snafu was uncovered before lunch and the rest of the day was saved and the worries erased.
• Home for a few hours to watch the Derby (I had no idea about which horse to root for, but it looked like a good race) and try for a nap, but only got an hour before heading back to work; but not to work, but to socialize.
• Friend picks me up in his Jeep without the top and doors. Me, unprepared with only a light sweatshirt, no hat or gloves. It was 48 degrees, but going 60-65 mph makes the wind chill at around 35 and me not so warm.
  
• Arrive in time to see one of the lamest, over hyped, boring boxing matches of all time. This fight made some of Mike Tyson's 1st round knock outs better spend money. It was a love fest with Mayweather cuddling his way to a win. Fight of the century? Not in life time and I have lived a half century now.
• Thankfully it was spent with a great group of people....

Now this is where the hijinks start...we decided to park in a parking garage. We stayed and hung with my boss and had some fantastic laughs. It is great working with people that you can enjoy life with. Before we know it it is 3:30 AM. We lock up and head to the Jeep for another 40 minute popsicle toes (inside joke) ride home. Arrive at the garage and the elevator is shut off....make for the door of the stairs and it is locked....around the corner to the ramp into the structure and the gate is down and locked. Now what?

 A phone call and a regrouping back at the shop, and it looks like we are crashing in the lounge. Thankfully the leather couches are plush. Since we are not driving, lets finish the bottle and grab a nap. A quick three hour snooze....find someone to open the garage....and it is back the Iditarod-like ride home, it was 51 degrees, so the windchill must have been up to a balmy 38 degrees...

I hadn't done anything like this since my college days...keeping me young at heart I guess. Not sure the body agrees....

The Price of Grass

I recently purchased 6 pounds of grass seed to repair the lawn from the severe winter. The 6 pounds cost me $30. Thirty dollars for grass seed? Are you kidding me...that is $5 a pound.

When did grass seed get so expensive and why?

You would figure if you were paying $5 a pound it would be pretty clean, but reading the bag, it has 6% inert material. That means almost an ounce of that pound is not even grass seed. So much for purity.

Now how much area will a pound of grass seed cover for growing in the northeast? About 200 square feet. So not much when you consider that an acre is 43,560 square feet. So to seed a 1 acre lot is about 217 pounds of seed or a little over $1000. All to have a nice green lawn...

So now to compare the cost per pound to other things we purchase. Gas is current $2.60 a gallon, but a gallon of gas weighs 6.25 pounds or about 42 cents a pound (remember that gas is lighter than water). Flour cost about 3.25 for five pounds, breaking down to around 65 cents a pound. Beer weighs about 8.75 pounds per gallon, so lets do some math here...a half keg is 8 gallons and for a decent micro brew is about $175...so 8 times 8.75, divide 175 by 70 equals about $2.50 a pound, still half the price of grass seed. And the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, limits what can be in beer.

So why is grass seed so expensive....

Libations

One of the hazards of working in a fine tobacco shop is that cigars are quite often paired with alcohol. Those drinks are usually high-end due to the clientele the shop attracts. In order to suggest a proper pairing of cigars and libations, you have to know both products. This has exposed me to some quality liqueurs.

Because of that, my personal tastes have gotten exclusive. Long gone are the days of a six pack of Budweiser or a bottle of Jim Beam or Jose Cuervo. Well, to be honest, I was over the Bud for a while anyway, but now even a nice premium beer like a Stella or Sam Adams can seem maudlin. I now like and enjoy limited reserve, small batch, and/or rare stuff, the problem with this is the cost. We are starting to get into ales that are $9 a bottle, yes you read that right; $9 a bottle. I know what you are thinking, that is expensive for a 12 oz. bottle, but in my defense, at least I am past the days of having to drink to get drunk or even buzzed. I now drink just for the pleasure and to enjoy the taste.

I was at a friend's party a few months ago, and his guests were all hard working and make more then enough to pay the bills. I was offered a pour of Johnny Walker Black, before I could think, out of mouth comes, "You don't have any Double Black or Gold?" Sounding like a complete pretentious asshole, which I most likely am not, I just like what I like.

Not everything I drink is expensive, I have discovered a few, that are cost effective for most budgets.

So with all that said, I have developed two short lists of the libations I like, and with a milestone birth anniversary coming up......

First the hard stuff....

• Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
• Glenlevit Nadurra
• Johnny Walker Blue
• Ron Zacapa Solera Rum
• Belvenie Caribbean Cask
• The Glenrothes Select Reserve
• Elmer T. Lee Bourbon
• Blanton's Kentucky Bourbon
• Paddy's Devil's Apple
• Jameson Black Reserve
• Powers Irish
• Espolon Blanc

Next onto the ales....

• Anything by Lagunitas (Especially; Undercover and Lil'sumpin')
• Anything by Goose Island (Esp.; IPA and Bourbon County Porter)
• Guinness (of course)
• Smithwick's
• Anything by Saranac
• Local Brewpubs/Breweries (Willibrew, City Steam, Two Roads, Hooker)
• Three Floyds Alpha King
• Victory Hop Devil
• Farmington River Mahogany 
• Magic Hat Humble Patience
• Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter
• ...and of course stuff my friends or I brew.

Contact me for delivery....