Idle Sunday
The weekend was a lot of fun, what with Rachel's visit, and I got to meet Nathan's girlfriend, Rebecca, and eat some tasty barbecue and drink some tasty beer. Unfortunately, Fiorella's Jackstack no longer carries Abita Turbodog on tap, so the dotw will have to be something else.
After dinner, I said good-night to Brian and Rachel, and met up with some kcgeek people to see the first public appearance of the full iteration of The Sham, at Bender's. Ryan broke three strings in his guitar, and played on, because he knew that the show must go as such. There were lots of good-looking ladies there, and they all sat by their boyfriends. With this in mind, I gave being sexy a rest, and enjoyed some raw, pantless rock and roll music.
I am spending today relaxing and preparing for a rough week of four-to-five hour workdays.
The weekend was a lot of fun, what with Rachel's visit, and I got to meet Nathan's girlfriend, Rebecca, and eat some tasty barbecue and drink some tasty beer. Unfortunately, Fiorella's Jackstack no longer carries Abita Turbodog on tap, so the dotw will have to be something else.
After dinner, I said good-night to Brian and Rachel, and met up with some kcgeek people to see the first public appearance of the full iteration of The Sham, at Bender's. Ryan broke three strings in his guitar, and played on, because he knew that the show must go as such. There were lots of good-looking ladies there, and they all sat by their boyfriends. With this in mind, I gave being sexy a rest, and enjoyed some raw, pantless rock and roll music.
I am spending today relaxing and preparing for a rough week of four-to-five hour workdays.
Maredsous 8
This beer, which I can only find websites about in French, comes from the tiny island of Belgium, and is produced by magical gnomes with the expressed purpose of making the world a better place. We discovered it yesterday, when my underage sister and I stopped by Charlie Hooper's for some of the best poured beer in Kansas City, from any of their over-35 taps. I liked it so much, I convinced Brian to return to Hooper's with me tonight, and try this startlingly tasty beer.
It comes in a screwy glass, in an attempt by the bar to make you feel special about getting less beer than normal. When poured, it's brown and slightly transparent. These things are difficult to notice, as when it arrives, you can't think of much besides how an empty glass of this stuff must look.
I had already had a glass the previous day, so Brian took the first sip. After seeing his reactions to the magical gnomes' work, I took a sip or three, and spoke my piece.
It's a Belgian Abbey Ale, produced by magical gnomes(otherwise known as Benedictine Monks), and sports an alcohol content of about 9%. It would sneak up on you, if you weren't already rapturously attacking it. My only compaint is that it's over too quickly.
Ratings (out of ten):
Flavor: 9 (Just reminiscent enough of Chimay that you try to pronounce the screwy way that Belgians say Cheers.)
Body: 8 (It reminds me of much more expensive beers, in that it permeates your mouth and throat, and makes you wish you didn't have to go.)
Aroma: 8 (As it teases your nostrils, you feel like there's something you should be remembering right now, like going to the dentist or paying the bills or something. Then, .0045 seconds later, you forget utterly anything besides the beer in front of you.)
Smoothness: 9 (It slides down your throat like a greased scotsman... from Belgium.)
Price: 9 (At four dollars a pour, I definitely cannot complain, for a beer of this magnitude.)
This beer, which I can only find websites about in French, comes from the tiny island of Belgium, and is produced by magical gnomes with the expressed purpose of making the world a better place. We discovered it yesterday, when my underage sister and I stopped by Charlie Hooper's for some of the best poured beer in Kansas City, from any of their over-35 taps. I liked it so much, I convinced Brian to return to Hooper's with me tonight, and try this startlingly tasty beer.
It comes in a screwy glass, in an attempt by the bar to make you feel special about getting less beer than normal. When poured, it's brown and slightly transparent. These things are difficult to notice, as when it arrives, you can't think of much besides how an empty glass of this stuff must look.
I had already had a glass the previous day, so Brian took the first sip. After seeing his reactions to the magical gnomes' work, I took a sip or three, and spoke my piece.
It's a Belgian Abbey Ale, produced by magical gnomes(otherwise known as Benedictine Monks), and sports an alcohol content of about 9%. It would sneak up on you, if you weren't already rapturously attacking it. My only compaint is that it's over too quickly.
Ratings (out of ten):
Flavor: 9 (Just reminiscent enough of Chimay that you try to pronounce the screwy way that Belgians say Cheers.)
Body: 8 (It reminds me of much more expensive beers, in that it permeates your mouth and throat, and makes you wish you didn't have to go.)
Aroma: 8 (As it teases your nostrils, you feel like there's something you should be remembering right now, like going to the dentist or paying the bills or something. Then, .0045 seconds later, you forget utterly anything besides the beer in front of you.)
Smoothness: 9 (It slides down your throat like a greased scotsman... from Belgium.)
Price: 9 (At four dollars a pour, I definitely cannot complain, for a beer of this magnitude.)
Blind Faith
I just picked this up yesterday, and have been listening to the four extremely long tracks on the second CD. The whole thing took a while to rip, encode, and tag, but it was all well worth it. I had the original Blind Faith CD, mastered from the only album they ever released, in 1969, but heard the extra tracks one time while browsing at Gomer's for a tasty new sixpack and decided that I needed to get a hold of this CD. Anyway, I recommend that you do the same.
I just picked this up yesterday, and have been listening to the four extremely long tracks on the second CD. The whole thing took a while to rip, encode, and tag, but it was all well worth it. I had the original Blind Faith CD, mastered from the only album they ever released, in 1969, but heard the extra tracks one time while browsing at Gomer's for a tasty new sixpack and decided that I needed to get a hold of this CD. Anyway, I recommend that you do the same.
1:54 PM, May 5, 2004 
Fun in LALA Land?
I'm going to California this weekend for work, and I'll have a free night, by myself in Los Angeles. Can anyone think of anything fun to do, or things that I should see, while there? Anybody know any neighborhoods where I should stay? West Hollywood is looking nice, if I can manage a government rate at a hotel there. Let me know what you think.
1:38 PM, May 7, 2004
PA Pics Up
I have finally finished putting the page together for the trip I took to Pennsylvania, three weeks ago. Let me know what you think. You can find it on the page I created for it. Enjoy. I'm leaving for California in the morning, so it'll be a while before I'll manage any site updates.
8:29 PM, May 8, 2004
Paso Robles
Greetings from California! I am sitting in my well-apportioned hotel room at the Hampton Inn, digesting some In-n-Out Burger, and enjoying the effects of some locally-produced beer. At first glance, Paso Robles seems like a really fun town, especially to cure the weariness one gets from flying 4 hours from KC to LA, laying over for 2 hours, flying from LA to San Jose, and driving 150 miles to Paso Robles from there, all the while enjoying the utter absence of the effects of the deodorant one so optimistically applied at 7AM Central time. The trip was long and... long, but this town has the cure for what ails ya.
I suppose I'll start working tomorrow.
San Luis Obispo
The work has been a bit of a mess, with the software screwing up all over the place, in completely unexpected and unprecedented ways. I spent a good deal of my twelve hours yesterday banging on keyboards, and listening to people talk about how they've never seen anything like this before. We got out the door at about 8:30, about an hour and a half later than is normal. With all this in mind, I am still in good spirits. The people with whom I'm working are really cool, and know their stuff, which is a breath of fresh air after Sprint. Also, this place is beautiful, and in only twenty-four hours, I'll be off on my own in California, to populate the website with pictures, and enjoy the ridiculously beautiful weather, as I drive down the coast to LA.
The work has been a bit of a mess, with the software screwing up all over the place, in completely unexpected and unprecedented ways. I spent a good deal of my twelve hours yesterday banging on keyboards, and listening to people talk about how they've never seen anything like this before. We got out the door at about 8:30, about an hour and a half later than is normal. With all this in mind, I am still in good spirits. The people with whom I'm working are really cool, and know their stuff, which is a breath of fresh air after Sprint. Also, this place is beautiful, and in only twenty-four hours, I'll be off on my own in California, to populate the website with pictures, and enjoy the ridiculously beautiful weather, as I drive down the coast to LA.
7:00 PM, May 12, 2004
The Morrison Suite
I have arrived in Los Angeles, and am staying at the Alta Cienega Motel in West Hollywood. In fact, I am in the room where Jim Morrison lived for a good bit of his formative years, making all kinds of stains, and raising a general ruckus. I am now going to a bar on Santa Monica.
11:01 AM, May 15, 2004
Mexico
I arrived in San Diego yesterday morning, and met up with Toby, Curt, Carl, Justin, and Vince soon afterward. We enjoyed a small galavant around the city, with some lunch at some "fancy" pizza place, followed by an accentuation of the horrible sunburn I got for my left arm, sitting and talking by the channel. The ballgame was a blast. Jose Macias hit two straight triples, and Sosa hit one out, in front a shockingly high number of Cub fans.
After the game was over, we all decided it was time to leave the country, and enjoy a strange night out, in Tijuana. We took the train down to San Ysidro, and walked over the skyway border into Mexico. There is no security checkpoint, and the shocking difference between the north and south side of the wall is immediately apparent.
As soon as you pass the ballpark-type turnstyle, you come to a taxicab station, where dozens of cab drivers are waiting to take you into town. We all six piled into a cab, and watched the derelict streets pass our windows, until the driver stopped in front of some strip club, and beckoned to us, to follow him inside. We walked in the opposite direction, and made our way down Avenue Revolucion, where people standing in front of clubs and bars would all try to get our attention and come into their club.
We settled on some odd second-story place, that specialized in polka-type Mexican music, and very cheap drinks. After a round and a half of beers, and two rounds of tequila shots, we inquired to our waiter where we can go to see something that Toby signified by cupping his hands. Instead of telling us about a place, Jorge told us to follow him, but not stand with him. He took us a couple blocks off Revolucion, into an obviously seedier part of town, where the frequency of hookers increased to about one every ten feet. This was probably the part of town that we have all been warned against entering, but we figured that since we are six, and all pretty large, we would be okay.
We did turn out to be okay, but man, that was the most amazing strip club I have ever seen! I will not go into the details, but it was also the only brothel I had ever been in, as well. We called it a night at about 3 AM, and took a $37 cab ride back to downtown, after taking a $7 cab ride back to the frontiera. I awake, this morning, to find that I have spent pretty much all of my money.
CA Pics up
I have completed the picture page from my trip to California, last week, and the pictures are all up, right here, boss.
I have completed the picture page from my trip to California, last week, and the pictures are all up, right here, boss.
Alaskan Amber
First off, I'd like to apologize for my tardiness in getting an entry in. I was in California for over a week, and unable to get anything done, as picture upload is concerned. While I was there, I tasted some delicious beers on tap, including Stone IPA, Arrogant Bastard Ale, Karl Strauss Red Trolley, and Firestone IPA, among many others. Unfortunately, the only one for which I had a camera ready was Alaskan Brewing Company's Amber.
It looks pretty tasty, actually, but as with many things, looks can be deceiving. It's a bland, yellow-tasting, time-wasting disappointment. The flavor is just a hair north of average, and I actually forgot I had a beer in front of me while I had it, and had to be reminded to finish it. That was the clincher for me.
Ratings (out of ten):
Flavor: 6 (It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It was actually a little tiring.)
Body: 3 (If by "body," you mean "yellow fizziness," then in conclusion, I don't know.)
Aroma: 5 (It didn't really smell like anything.)
Smoothness: 4 (It made me look at the menu, to see what else they had on tap.)
Price: 3 (At $5, I should at least enjoy it.)
So, to make up for this poor showing, and inconsistency in updating, I present you with pictures of pretty girls in California.
First off, I'd like to apologize for my tardiness in getting an entry in. I was in California for over a week, and unable to get anything done, as picture upload is concerned. While I was there, I tasted some delicious beers on tap, including Stone IPA, Arrogant Bastard Ale, Karl Strauss Red Trolley, and Firestone IPA, among many others. Unfortunately, the only one for which I had a camera ready was Alaskan Brewing Company's Amber.
It looks pretty tasty, actually, but as with many things, looks can be deceiving. It's a bland, yellow-tasting, time-wasting disappointment. The flavor is just a hair north of average, and I actually forgot I had a beer in front of me while I had it, and had to be reminded to finish it. That was the clincher for me.
Ratings (out of ten):
Flavor: 6 (It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It was actually a little tiring.)
Body: 3 (If by "body," you mean "yellow fizziness," then in conclusion, I don't know.)
Aroma: 5 (It didn't really smell like anything.)
Smoothness: 4 (It made me look at the menu, to see what else they had on tap.)
Price: 3 (At $5, I should at least enjoy it.)
So, to make up for this poor showing, and inconsistency in updating, I present you with pictures of pretty girls in California.
7:39 PM, May 19, 2004
htop is cool
I know that this will appeal to only about four people, but I just installed a modified real-time process viewer for linux 2.4/2.6, called htop. Its interface is powered by ncurses, and allows for easy sorting, nicing, killing, and following of processes, without ever having to type a pid number, though you still can, if you absolutely insist on doing so. Yeah, I know. Very exciting, but I happen to think it's really cool.
8:53 PM, May 21, 2004
Draft Raft
I just spotted this on Boulevard's seldom-updated website.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 10, 2004 : Boulevard Brewing Company today announced its intention to float the soon-to-be-infamous "Boulevard Draft Raft" down the Missouri River this summer. Built in Oklahoma to Boulevard's specifications, the 28 foot craft is buoyed by pontoons constructed of dozens of stainless steel beer kegs. The vessel is currently in dry dock at the company's Kansas City brewery, where it is being painstakingly outfitted for its maiden voyage.
The upcoming float is a backhanded(and backwards)toast to the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark expedition, and an extension of Boulevard's summer-long "Pale Ale Adventure" promotion. Plans call for the raft to be launched at Yankton, South Dakota on June 22nd, arriving in Kansas City in time for the Lewis & Clark National Signature Event, "Heart of America: A Journey Fourth" over the 4th of July weekend. The epic journey is to conclude on July 13th at Laclede's Landing in St. Louis, after a trip of some 820 miles.
"We're putting on our coonskin caps and preparing to rough it for a month on the river," said John McDonald, Boulevard's president. "Somebody had better remember the bug spray."
The current will carry the raft and its rotating four-person crew of Boulevard employees through the heart of the brewery's 10-state distribution territory. Along the way, the Draft Raft will make frequent port calls to visit with distributors, retailers and Boulevard fans.
I, unfortunately(for the purposes of this event), will be in Massachusetts over the weekend the raft makes it to Kansas City, but I might try to catch it along its route somewhere. If not, someone here has to.
In other, related news, the Tour de Fat is happening much later than it happened last year. Last year, it came to Kansas City on a pleasant Saturday in early May. This year, it's starting in July, and isn't even coming to Kansas City. Boo!
Weird Picture
I just found this little gem, on a random websearch. The internet is an odd place, to be certain.
I just found this little gem, on a random websearch. The internet is an odd place, to be certain.
9:55 PM, May 22, 2004
Truck Dismount
I think I've mentioned this before, but after a bunch of replaying, I say it bears rementioning. Go and install Truck Dismount, from this address. It's just horrible, yet irresistible, at the same time. For fun, don't go for high scores, because it just seems to be a contest, then, at who can keep the guy's head stuck in the grill of the truck for the longest. I say try the most painful looking stunts possible, and watch them over and over again.
1:07 PM, May 23, 2004
Speed!
I just made some improvements to the site, behind the scenes, that should make the front page load much more quickly than it used to. I found that it was taking about four seconds, give or take, for the front page of bahua dot com to come up. Dismayed, but not put off, I set to work speeding it up. Expect to soon see speed improvements elsewhere on the site, as well.
Chimay White
I have arrived in Boise, ID, for a conference, about nine hours earlier than any of my coworkers, which gave me plenty of time for what-have-you. I found that the company set us up with accomodations out in the middle of nowhere, with no real internet access available. In addition to that, I have found that we are about a three-mile cab ride to downtown. I took a cab first to Table Rock Brewpub & Grill, where I tried some delicious brown ale and an even more delicious IPA called, "Hopzilla."
However, that is neither here nor there. The main point of this post is to point out that the greatest thing ever to come out of Belgium is, in fact, available on tap, and not just in bottles, and that tap is available in Boise, Idaho.
In all fairness, I have seen Chimay on tap before, but it was in Aspen, where they may as well have liquefied cocaine on tap. Today, I found it on tap in a more human place, and drank it, to celebrate. Actually, I had a glass of Rogue Dead Guy first, and that was also delicious. But, there's not much competition that can be taken seriously, when Chimay is on the table. I made a couple of phone calls, including one to my friend Renae, who never drank a drop of beer in her wedding dress, and told her that she would have to choose my next draw, and she chose wisely, when she informed the bartender with my phone.
Anyway, it pours a deep orange, into the custom glass, reassuring you of your investment.
Oh, and if you are still doubting(Nathan), here is undoctored, photographic proof that this comically delicious beer is available on tap.
The time between starting the beer and ending it is too holy an experience to insult by attempting to capture with feeble language. I can only order you, on pain of death, to make sure to get yourself a glass, if you ever see it on tap.
Ratings (out of ten):
Flavor: 10 (There's not much one can say about the best there is, especially when you manage to find it on tap.)
Body: 8 (Body's not its thing, but without really trying, Chimay delivers.)
Aroma: 9 (It smells like everything is right with the world.)
Smoothness: 9 (It goes down as if it was meant to. Fortunately, it was.)
Price: 9 (Perhaps it's just something about boise, but I find $4 to be an excellent price for Chimay.)
I have arrived in Boise, ID, for a conference, about nine hours earlier than any of my coworkers, which gave me plenty of time for what-have-you. I found that the company set us up with accomodations out in the middle of nowhere, with no real internet access available. In addition to that, I have found that we are about a three-mile cab ride to downtown. I took a cab first to Table Rock Brewpub & Grill, where I tried some delicious brown ale and an even more delicious IPA called, "Hopzilla."
However, that is neither here nor there. The main point of this post is to point out that the greatest thing ever to come out of Belgium is, in fact, available on tap, and not just in bottles, and that tap is available in Boise, Idaho.
In all fairness, I have seen Chimay on tap before, but it was in Aspen, where they may as well have liquefied cocaine on tap. Today, I found it on tap in a more human place, and drank it, to celebrate. Actually, I had a glass of Rogue Dead Guy first, and that was also delicious. But, there's not much competition that can be taken seriously, when Chimay is on the table. I made a couple of phone calls, including one to my friend Renae, who never drank a drop of beer in her wedding dress, and told her that she would have to choose my next draw, and she chose wisely, when she informed the bartender with my phone.
Anyway, it pours a deep orange, into the custom glass, reassuring you of your investment.
Oh, and if you are still doubting(Nathan), here is undoctored, photographic proof that this comically delicious beer is available on tap.
The time between starting the beer and ending it is too holy an experience to insult by attempting to capture with feeble language. I can only order you, on pain of death, to make sure to get yourself a glass, if you ever see it on tap.
Ratings (out of ten):
Flavor: 10 (There's not much one can say about the best there is, especially when you manage to find it on tap.)
Body: 8 (Body's not its thing, but without really trying, Chimay delivers.)
Aroma: 9 (It smells like everything is right with the world.)
Smoothness: 9 (It goes down as if it was meant to. Fortunately, it was.)
Price: 9 (Perhaps it's just something about boise, but I find $4 to be an excellent price for Chimay.)
8:02 PM, May 24, 2004
Idaho is cool
Don't you disagree with me. I'll tase you. It's so cool that I've only been here eight hours, and there's already a new DOTW done.
Belhaven Scottish Ale
Julia came to visit, this weekend, and with her came the chance to spend some spare time in some Kansas City's many many excellent bars. Predictably, though, we went to Charlie Hooper's, and on her suggestion, we made this beer the Memorial Day DOTW.
It pours a vivid copper color, which I didn't expect at all. I was expecting this to be a fizzy, yellow, ureal ferment. Perhaps that's how i need to go into these things: doubtful, so I can be even more impressed.
The flavor was sweet and full, yet strongly robust. I found that if I hadn't driven, I'd have happily finished the night drinking these beers. It was very drinkable. You'll notice by the lingering thick head in this picture how quickly I drank this delicious beer.
Ratings (out of ten):
Flavor: 7 (Solid. Consistent.)
Body: 9 (Powerful, but not oevrwhelming. Almost perfect.)
Aroma: 6 (I'm thinking about getting rid of the aroma category. Many very tasty beers are being undercut by the fact that they are light on aroma. This beer doesn't have much aroma, but it really doesn't matter.)
Smoothness: 9 (One moment, you're ordering your first one, the next, you've peed four times already, and that girl is finally looking attractive.)
Price: 7 (At 3.75, it wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. An excellent value, in my opinion.)
Julia came to visit, this weekend, and with her came the chance to spend some spare time in some Kansas City's many many excellent bars. Predictably, though, we went to Charlie Hooper's, and on her suggestion, we made this beer the Memorial Day DOTW.
It pours a vivid copper color, which I didn't expect at all. I was expecting this to be a fizzy, yellow, ureal ferment. Perhaps that's how i need to go into these things: doubtful, so I can be even more impressed.
The flavor was sweet and full, yet strongly robust. I found that if I hadn't driven, I'd have happily finished the night drinking these beers. It was very drinkable. You'll notice by the lingering thick head in this picture how quickly I drank this delicious beer.
Ratings (out of ten):
Flavor: 7 (Solid. Consistent.)
Body: 9 (Powerful, but not oevrwhelming. Almost perfect.)
Aroma: 6 (I'm thinking about getting rid of the aroma category. Many very tasty beers are being undercut by the fact that they are light on aroma. This beer doesn't have much aroma, but it really doesn't matter.)
Smoothness: 9 (One moment, you're ordering your first one, the next, you've peed four times already, and that girl is finally looking attractive.)
Price: 7 (At 3.75, it wasn't expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. An excellent value, in my opinion.)
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