Cocktail Confessions

My empty glass next to my growler of Stone IPA

Yesterday was a tough day.  Hell, it’s been a rough past week.  My job has been down right silly on occasion with all the ‘busy work’, trying to keep aging systems alive that are well past their prime that should have been retired a few years back.  But in the mindset of squeezing blood out of a turnip, my employer (in their questionable wisdom) would rather spend more money in labor costs and time farting around jury-rigging limping equipment  than to actually buy something that was built within the last few years.

In one aspect, I shouldn’t get mired down too much in this backwards thinking.  Their continued inefficiency equates to a certain level of personal job security.  The flip side, however, often leads to long days, frustrating moments and colorful metaphor’s aplenty spewing from my pie hole.  I continually cross my fingers to the deities of abandoned tech should that they smile upon me this day and things start up without a hitch.

By the time I got home from work last night to see my step-daughter once again doing absolutely nothing, (par for the course) I couldn’t have craved an ice cold one anymore than I was at that particular moment in time.  I recalled earlier in the week, my neighbor was gracious enough to offer to fill my growler with Stone IPA as he had toured the brewery with some potential clients.  I pulled a pint glass from the cupboard and poured myself 16 ounces of amber elixir.  Like Pavlov’s dog, I began to salivate.

I can’t recall the last time a beer had tasted so good and gave me so much satisfaction. I sat before my 42″ plasma TV, remote in hand and allowed myself to sink into my suede recliner until it seemed my phyiscal form melded to every nook and fold offered up.  My IPA was so cold, that even in the room temperature pint glass, the head seemed to be on the verge of crystallizing into a frothy slush. 

The first sip was pure heaven.  I closed my eyes in anticipation and to help block out all offending distractions, (including my daughter).  As the freshly brewed IPA cascaded over my tongue, the distinctive taste of hops danced across my palette and it seemed as if the stress of the preceding days began to dissipate from my body like the morning fog loses to a rising sun. 

The second and thirds sips were just as good.  Hell, the whole glass was fine.  And what made it even better?  I drank it as I watched the season premiere of Friday Night Lights.  It just happens to be the fifth and final season of the show, and I personally think its one of the best and under rated shows on broadcast television. 

And better yet, it’s actually about something other than the 100+ crime, medical, and legal dramas that saturate our airwaves.  It’s about good old fashioned Texas high school football in the good ‘ole all American town of Dillon.  They are able to keep it fresh by bringing in a partial new cast (as many of the students graduated last year), and the head coach has moved to a rival school on the other side of town, better known as East Dillon and their team, the Lions.  It really is a fabulous show, and I am so bummed to know this is the last season.  I’m not super big into sports, but this show offers up enough action and story to feel like you’re actually rooting for your own home team

But can it get any better that beer and football?  Well, yesterday it couldn’t, and I tell you, once in a blue moon a nice cold hand crafted beer can really turn your mood around.  It did mine.

DJ Hero

Eh, well, not because I’m an advocate of throw away episodes, but once in a while it’s just kinda nice to put something out there to let the masses know you’re still alive and kicking.  It also helps in remembering how to craft and use technology so you don’t forget it so easily if you don’t do it too often.

Like most things that I really get excited and interested in, it appears that putting this podcast together is a bit harder than I first anticipated.  Not so much from a  technical aspect, but more of getting actual content down and getting guests to commit.  It’s been much more difficult than I ever would have surmised to get friends and neighbors to agree on a time to sit and chat, and every time it seems we plan on something it generally gets delayed for one reason or another.

That’s not so much the case in point here.  As I stated in my last post, I’ve been under the weather as of late.  I can’t remember the last time I has such a bad cough or case of bronchitis that has more or less just put me out on my butt.  My throat has been a bit raw and I’m all jacked up on various OTC medicines…none of which seem to be doing me much good by the way.  The nagging and uncontrollable hacking at all hours has been very frustrating to me, and while I’m not 100% right now, it seems I’m finally on the tail end of a good eight day cough fest.

Episode 13 is a bit short, clocking in at just about twenty one minutes and it just informs you up on a few recent things in my life

Stone Smoky Porter

like Christmas goodies such as DJ Hero, my new Blu Ray player, some movies and Netflix we’ve been watching (like season 1 of Dexter), and of course Stone Brewery Smoky Porter (5.9%).  Speaking of DJ Hero, that game is bad ass.  As a child of the 80′s and really into old skool hip-hop/rap and more current euro dance/techno, this game is right up my alley.  Some of my friends have laughed at me spinning a plastic turntable and making up DJ names for me, like DJ Wingman (thanks Chip).  I hope the game does well enough to spawn some additional DLC because I just love it.

Show Notes:

Intro – “Come Again” by Beastie Boys & Daft Punk (as heard on DJ Hero)

2:08 – Cornocopia of OTC drugs I’m taking including Emergen-C bullshit.

6:30 – This & that and a little fluff.

7:15 – Stone Brewery and porter talk.

8:05 – Blu Ray and movie talk (Star Trek, Paranormal Activity)

11:45 – Microsoft + Xbox RROD blues 

12:29 – Dexter: clean versus ‘R’ versions for Showtime and CBS

13:49 – Xmas continued + DJ Hero

18:39 – SkurvyMonekys.com podcast discussed

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (19.3MB)