Bad Weekend!

It is really quite astonishing how quickly a weekend can go from great to crappy. This past Saturday, I decided to move the Chimena (an outdoor fireplace thingy) up onto the patio. We hadn't used it so far this year and I decided that since it was one of those coolish days temperature-wise it would be nice to sit out back with a little fire going. Wrong! I moved the thing close to the patio, so I wouldn't have to carry it that far (It is relatively heavy) and then got myself into as perfect a lifting position as I could -back straight, knees bent, feet apart. (all the stuff you are supposed to do when you pick up heavy objects) The next thing I knew my lower back went BWOING! and I knew I was screwed. Yep, you guessed it, I pulled my back all outta whack. It took me about 15 minutes to get INTO bed on Saturday. Don't ask how long it took me to get out to use the facilities! I ended up spending the rest of Saturday, all day Sunday and most of the day on Monday in bed (yes, I called in sick - there was no way I could sit all day day on Monday). I went into work today and managed to make it through. The worst part was getting up out of my chair. After about an hour sitting, my back did not want to change positions. It is a good thing I sit right across from the restrooms - I didn't have far to stumble - er walk, ya, that's it walk.

The one bright spot is that since one of my roomies is home most of the time (he has a seriously bad back), I had gotten him a subscription to Netflix. I figured he had pretty much watched about everything on regular TV. With Netflix, you can watch movies immediately on your computer. So, I spent most of Sunday and Monday watching movies in my room from my computer. Which is way out of character for me. (you can stop laughing now). I am not really a movie person, but there is only so much you can do all by yourself laying flat on your back. (I still hear giggling in the back row) I watched 3 or 4 movies from their Gay and Lesbian selection, most of which were OK. Attempted a couple of Anime movies, which I didn't get at all. I even looked through their Sci-Fi section and didn't see anything that particularly interested me. There are a lot of not-so-good movies out there, many of which are now available from Netflix immediately on your computer! I guess these are the ones that get paid 1/2 a penny in royalties per viewing. It seems like all the good movies are still only available as DVDs. We did get the first DVD today, which is quite amazing since I set up everything on Sunday. I just have to see if my roomie actually uses it or not. At least Netflix is a present you can cancel if it is not liked or used.

Its Official

Yes folks, it is official... I suck at making cider. 2 batches, 2 failures. The first was not a total failure, it was at least drinkable. The second however, is a complete, total, horrid failure. I doubt I could even use it to make apple cider vinegar. Yes, folks, it really is that bad. To say that it is bitter is like saying Freddy Kruger just had long fingernails. I will put my apple cider attempts on hold until next year and go back to beer making. I have, so far, had much better success with beer. I may, however, try some strawberry wine this spring.

Christmas

Well, Christmas is just about over for me. I have just a couple of presents left to get and I'll be done. I have made most of my family Christmas stockings for gifts this year. I've got one more left to finish, but that should not take very much longer. Above is a grand picture of all the stockings so far this year.

Apple Cider

Well, My first attempt at making cider was less than successful. The results ranged from tolerable to horrible, depending on the bottle. It was strange to have such a wide variation between bottles from the same batch, but what can I say. I have managed to drink most of it, more or less, although I think the last few bottles may just get dumped.

I have just bottled a second batch. (yes, hope springs eternal) I started the fermentation on Sunday, so I knew I'd be bottling about this time. I didn't use any fresh apples, just fresh apple juice and some apple concentrate. I couldn't find any high acid concentrate (granny smith type) so I had to settle for regular old concentrate. I tasted some right out of the fermentor and it was OK. I'll let you know in a couple of days how this batch goes.

Hercules Mulligan and DL Token

Last Friday night, the Marquise and I went out to the 'Nog to see Hercules Mulligan during their monthly performance out there. It was good to see them out at full strength! All four of them were out, Julie, Mike, Dave and Chris. Julie on the fiddle and the concertina was great. Actually, I think I liked the concertina a little better than the fiddle. It provided a little "depth" to the 3 or 4 songs she played that was not quite there with the fiddle. Mike did a great job on the banjo, which is usually the case. I'm not sure I've seen him with a bad night. Chris and Dave seemed to enjoy the company up there and were a little more relaxed than the last couple of times I've seen them. It'll be fun to hear them once they have had some more time playing together.

The big surprise of the night was DL Token. They were the "headliners" for the evening. Normally the Marquise and I leave after the Celtic band has done their set. For some reason, we stayed around to hear these guys. I think we were both interested to see what was coming. During their set-up, I only saw the two guys with their guitars. I thought that was a little strange considering the second band of the evening is usually a good sized band (usually 4 or 5) and usually has a full drum set. The Marquise and I were wondering how these 2 guitarists were going to stack up. Well, about 5 minutes before the band was supposed to start in comes a third member with (not sure of the name) lap? drum. A single drum you hold between your knees and play with your hands. Whatever that is called, he had one and he could flat out play it! I kept looking over there because I was expecting at least 2 drums, if not more, for the rhythms he was creating. The 2 guitarists were equally as talented as the drummer. The 3 of them produced a sound that most larger bands can't even match. I think the Marquise and I have found another favourite local band! Our musical dance card is gonna get real full at this rate!

Braces

I haven't updated y'all on my Great Braces adventure in, oh a year or so, I guess. Well, everything that has happened since the last post has been pretty much as expected; I go to the Orthodontist, she changes out the wires to a larger gauge, adds a stronger band, I go home with teeth that hurt. As soon as my teeth get used to the new stuff, I go back and start all over again. But, there is good news and not so good news. The good news is that I have the final wire placed on my lower teeth and the gap in my upper teeth is almost closed (of course, this is the gap that the Orthodontist caused, but who's keeping score?). I'm on the final stretch now! The bad news is that the final wire on my lower teeth feels like it could be used to construct a high-rise! And, if that were not bad enough, I now have rubber bands on the braces to pull the upper teeth back. There is one on each side, stretching from the upper jaw to the lower. It's gonna be interesting to see if I can talk on the phone tomorrow!

Oh, BTW, I changed the color of the band on my upper teeth. It used to be silver, it is now a dark blue. Yippee!

Knitting and Crocheting

It has been awhile since I updated y'all on my latest projects.

Currently I have 2 projects going on right now. A baby blanket for a co-worker's daughter and a pair of kilt hose for myself. The baby blanket is a lace pattern and I am using leftovers from previous projects. It is really amazing how much of a "stash" one accumulates progressing from one project to another. I get half a skein here, a ball there of various yarns left over from completed projects (not to mention the occasional just gotta have it purchase) and the next thing I know, I am almost overrun with yarn! I have odds and ends in drawers, on shelves and in bags. So I have passed a "Rule": for every project with new yarn, I have to complete a project with yarn from my stash. We'll see how long this Rule lasts.

My second project is a pair of kilt hose for myself. This is gonna be interesting. Not only is it the first pair of knitted socks, it is also my first pair of knitted kilt hose. The main difference between kilt hose and socks is that I have to keep in mind that the hose have to come up and over my calves (which are much bigger than my ankles...is there a joke in there?). So along with being much longer, they have to be fitted. And, of course, I am doing this sans pattern. I don't need no bloody pattern! (Yes Virginia, there is some testosterone in Ricky.) I wonder how many times I will have to start over? Anyone wanna place a bet?

Oh, almost forgot. The Marquise and I went to Yarns, Etc this afternoon to visit with Hannah. Unfortunately for us (but fortunately for Hannah) she was fairly busy. Usually at least one or two other customers in the store, so we actually did not get a whole lot of time to visit. We did pick out a really interesting yarn for a scarf for the Marquise. It is still out in the truck, so I'll post the particulars about it later. (I know, this kinda blows the Rule, but it's for her Christmas present... thats a good reason, right? Right?)

Final Update

OK Folks, here is the final update on my Great Celtoberfest extravaganza.....

The final event of the month was Great Big Sea at the Fletcher Auditorium on 29 Oct. I knew that GBS had a devoted following, but I did not expect an almost sell out crowd. Especially on a Wednesday night. The concert was fantastic. GBS put on a lively and extremely entertaining show. Normally, I am not a big fan of the "talk" section of any concert, however, that night was an exception. There were a some good stories, one or two hilarious stories and a whole slew of one-liners. They played most of the current CD, Fortune's Favour, and a bunch of their favorites. Most of which I had actually heard before (Which is pretty good since I only heard about them, oh, about 8 - 9 months ago.). There were a couple of songs in there that I had not heard before, but the rest of the crowd knew them so I'll have to go look them up.

The only down side to the night was the venue. Fletcher auditorium is a wonderful facility; however, it is not the best place for this type of band. It is really, REALLY, hard to dance when you only have the space right in front of your seat. It is really hard NOT to dance to GBS. Do you see the problem? There was a lot of modified white-boy dancing going on there that night. Very humorous, except if you were one of those white boys trying to dance.

Just to recap.... band - perfect, vocals - supreme, acoustics/sound - wonderful, dance room - sucked.

Sorry for the delay

Sorry for the delay folks, but I've been busy at work and under the weather. I've had a cold for about 2 weeks now and it is getting really annoying. Every time I think I'm just about over it, it migrates somewhere else and starts all over again. So far it has gone from my chest to my head and is now stuck somewhere in between!

But, here are the updates from my Celtoberfest celebration.

The My Three Kilts extravaganza weekend was great. They were at Tir Na Nog on Friday night. There was an unusually large crowd that night. Usually the place is about 1/4 full on Fridays, but, the place was easily 1/2 to 3/4 full. Not only were there a lot of folks, but everyone was in a good mood and quite a few were aware of the appropriate crowd responses! It always makes things so much more fun when the crowd gets into it. The boys did a good job entertaining everyone. There was one song there where I'm pretty sure they were all playing at different speeds. It was quite humorous.
The following night, Saturday, the Marquise and I went out to the great metropolis that is Elroy, NC to see the Kilts on there home turf, The Nutless Hound. The Nutless Hound is a private establishment (actually, it's Shane's converted garage) that has all the facilities of some of the best bars around. There is a flat screen TV, a really nice bar, beer taps, a liquor shelf to die for, I believe I saw a dart board somewhere and a stage for the Kilts to play on. I have heard quite a bit about the place, but didn't quite imagine it correctly. The place is phenomenal. There was food, alcohol and friends (new and old) everywhere. The Guys did a great job on their show that night, especially considering how much some of them had to drink before the show! I was impressed.

(I hope I get this right) I was told I had to give a shout out to the best Godfather around, Nick (Nicky? I was tired and it was loud when this discussion occurred). Will has got it made.

First try at cider

I have started my first batch of cider. I got the apple juice from the Farmer's market here in Raleigh and made a trip up to American Brewmaster for the yeast and some other supplies. The recipe originally called for apple juice concentrate, but I substituted some fresh granny smith apples instead. Normally, you would juice the apples first, but since I don't have an apple press, I boiled them in a little water to soften them and then mashed them. I added that directly to the mix. We'll see if it turns out good or just a great big mess.

Arrogant SOB

Some days people really piss me off at work. I work in customer service at a call center. Most of the time people are nice and pleasant. occasionally, they can be real asses. Every once in a while someone comes around who is just a real SOB. My last call of the day was a fine example. I was trying to explain our policies and what this gentleman needed to do to accomplish what he wanted. Everything seemed to be going well for a call that came in at 4:55p (we close at 5p). This gentleman was a bit long winded; I found out he was lawyer at one time and worked for a church organization. Absolutely nothing I was concerned with, but the usual BS you have to put up with in a call center. All of a sudden, from out of the blue, this gentleman says that I should contact my Congressman to have him check to make sure that Obama is registered (those who know exactly where I work are now laughing). The statement at first took me off guard, mostly because it had nothing to do with our discussion, and then the gentleman began a discussion on immigration control (ohh, I get it now....). I politely and firmly advised him that such statements were inappropriate for our discussion. I thought we had an agreement and continued on with our discussion. We were getting ready to finish up and he brings up the same topic AGAIN! I inform him that it has nothing to do with our discussion and asked him if there was anything else I could do for him. His reply was "Oh yes it does apply to our discussion...." At that point I told him I was disconnecting the call and hung up on him.

Now by this time it was well after 5p and everyone left was intently listening in on my end of the discussion wondering what in the world was going on. I rarely lose my cool over a call, so everyone knew it was "special". I was so mad at this guy that I couldn't even speak for a couple of minutes after I hung up on him. My supervisor gave me a roll of paper towels and told me to strangle them! Which I promptly did. My supervisor asked me why I didn't transfer the call to her. I told her that the discussion had nothing to do with our job and that no-one should have had to put up with that call. She knows that I have no problem with a supervisor call, but I'm not transferring a call just because the guy's an ass.

Why does anyone think it is OK to make a business call and bring up politics? I know this a heavily charged election and I get an occasional remark from time to time. I don't have a problem with that, much. A quick non committal grunt usually suffices. But this was absolutely ridiculous, hateful and insane! Did this guy think that just because he called a customer service center that I had to put up with his BS? Why? WHY?????

#3 and a Bonus

Last Friday night was Hercules Mulligan's monthly gig at Tir Na Nog. The Marquise and I were in attendance ( as usual). It was also the third event in what has turned into a full blown month long Celtic extravaganza for me. The guys (and gal now) have undergone some membership changes and they have been in flux for a couple of months now. Hopefully with the addition of a fiddle/concertina player, Julie Ross and (hopefully) a banjo player TBA, they can start getting all the Little kinks ironed out and begin to create a really neat sound for themselves. All the parts are there, they just need experience as a group. It takes a little while when you only play once a month.

The bonus was I went to see Seven Nations (again at Tir Na Nog) last night. The Marquise and I saw them there about a year ago and we were not impressed. They took forever to do their sound check (about an hour), the volume was way to high and the music all became jumbled into one big, distorted mush of sound. Well, I figured with the new sound system at the 'Nog that I'd give them another listen. I was much more impressed this time (even though the ads said they started at 8p and they didn't start 'til 9p). Their sound check was a reasonable amount of time. They still had the volume up to high, but the new speakers could handle it. They got a new piper since last time and he looks all of about 16, but I'm sure that is just my age talking. Their fiddler is phenomenal. He has developed into a much more central figure in the group than he was last time. Probably their biggest problem was the small crowd out there. It is always much harder performing to a small group. (although, as a member of said small crowd, we did our best to keep things going on our side). I ended up leaving at the break. It was already 10p and it was a school night, after all. I will see them again, next time they are in town.

Two Down

A great time was had by all over at Tir Na Nog last night. They had one of their kilt nights and a banner line-up of entertainers. The evening started off with My Three Kilts, a Goldsboro NC based (OK, Elroy based) band. They did a fantastic job. Since they knew they'd only have about an hour to perform, the picked all their top notch, up tempo numbers. There were a couple of times when they were actually going to fast. Rob (lead singer) must have been an auctioneer in a previous life. All three of them played great and Rob's vocals we some of his best I've heard. the next group up was the Wake and District Public Safety Pipe and Drums. They have improved dramatically since I last heard them. The last time I had heard them was shortly after they had formed. The difference between then and now is dramatic. If I remember right, they did 4 tunes; not a very long set but it certainly fit right in with the evening. The last band was Albannach. I saw them last weekend up in Virginia and was looking forward to seeing them again. Especially since they did so well up there. They performed superbly. I am still debating whether I like them more at outdoor venues or inside. When they are inside, it definitely gets a tad loud. When they are outside, the "quieter" tunes/songs get lost easily. The crowd grew dramatically throughout the night and the bar was packed for Albannach. Not a whole lotta room for dancing, but I kinda cleared a space for myself.

I have to give Tir Na Nog some time here. The staff did a great job last night. It is difficult for the waitstaff to be at the top of their game when the bar gets extremely crowded like last night, but the staff did a great job none-the-less. There was the expected wait to get drinks, but it was a lot shorter than I was actually prepared for. I also need to mention that the new sound equipment out there is much, much better than the old stuff. I know they have had it for several weeks now, but I think it took a little while for the sound guys to fine tune it. Last night sounded great.

(I think I got all the bands right in this post, unlike the previous post where I mixed up the Kildairs with Rathkeltair!)

One Down

Well, the Marquise and I made it to the Williamsburg Scottish festival. This year it was held at the Rockahock campground. I was a little concerned at first when they moved the venue, but I must admit, it was a great move. The facilities they have there are almost perfect for a Scottish/Celtic festival. They have a great stage. It is jut about the right size for the kinds a bands that play these festivals. Large enough to hold 6 or 7 band members, but small enough so that bands with 2 or 3 members don't get lost. The had several places to buy beer and mixed drinks. Heck, they even had a full blown bar (pool tables, restaurant, tv screens, the whole nine yards). The one thing I would suggest in the future is more bathroom facilities. When there is a line for the men's room, you know there is not enough bathrooms.

We got there just a tad bit late (not very suprising for us) and missed the first couple of tunes from the first band, Poisoned Dwarf. I had not heard them before and I was really please with their performance. I am not a big fan of no-vocal bands, but they did a really good job. Their tunes were varied enough that it didn't even come close to sounding repetitive. You could actually tell the difference between a jig and a reel with them! The second band was Rathkeltair. The Marquise and I both thought there were more of them last year. There were only three of them here this year and I could have sworn there were at least 5 last year. We do know that they were pursuaded to leave vacation early (or cancel entirely) to attend, so that could have been part of the situation. I just don't know. I enjoyed their performance. The Marquise was not as pleased as I with some of their numbers, but we both agree that the bag piper/ flutist/ whistler player/lead singer was phenominal. Anyone that can play an arm bagpipe and a whistle AT THE SAME TIME is impressive. Anyone that can play 2 flutes AT THE SAME TIME is phenominal. The third band up was BarleyJuice and they cranked it out this time around. I heard them at Grandfather Mountain this past July and was impressed with them there. I was blown away by there performance here. Even though this was their third set on Saturday (there were 2 others during the day) and they also performed Friday Night, they gave a great performance. They had the crowd up and dancing for most of their set. The final act of the nit was Albannach. I have seen them now about 5 or 6 times. Outside of my first experience at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh, this was by far their best performance. Everyone was spot on with everything. The energy was higher and more intense than anyother time I've seen them. Everythng was perfect for them.

All in all, this was what a celtic music festival is all about.

Correction. I listed the Kildairs as the second band in the line up. It as actually Rathkeltair that was there. Don't know what I was thinking. My bad.

Celtoberfest!!!!!

Yeah, the great Celtoberfest starts this weekend! The Marquise and I are heading out to Williamsburg Va for the Williamsburg Scottish Festival. We will be there most of the day on Saturday. (at least that is the plan right now). They have a great music lineup with Albannach, Barleyjuice and Rathkeltair. The boys from My Three Kilts will be there, so it will be fun to drink with them again.

Speaking of M3K, they are going to be playing out at Tir Na Nog on Wednesday, Oct 8 for their kilt night. What is REALLY cool is that Albannach will be there also! It is pretty cool that they are opening for such a great band (YIPPEE!)

Speaking of Tir Na Nog, Hercules Mulligan should be playing the following Friday out at the Nog. It is always a treat to see them play. They are all such great entertainers.

I don't have a "speaking of" segue for the next events. Great Big Sea will be here the end of October (the 29th, I believe, it should be a Wednesday) and somewhere near the end of October (think it is the Saturday after Halloween, M3K will be at their annual festival at the Nutless Hound Pub in Goldsboro.

It's a good thing there are 3 pay periods this month! I'm gonna need the extra money!

Yippee!! New Computer

I decided to get a new computer this past weekend. My old laptop was beginning to show its age (not enough power for the new games :)) So I decided to get a new one. My first thought was to get another laptop. I looked online and found a couple of good deals. I settled on another Toshiba from Best Buy. Well, while I was there, I looked at the desk tops and realized that I could get a much better system for a lot less. I wandered around the store for a while and came to the conclusion that I have actually only moved my laptop outside of my bedroom about 5 times in the past year! I decided that I really did not need a laptop as much as I thought. So I went with a Compaq Presario and an HP monitor ( really, really cool monitor!). I talked with one of my friends and she is gonna buy my old laptop, which is fine for anything that doesn't require a lot of video graphics. So the whole set up is gonna cost me about 350.00. This one should last me a few years. Still working on the wireless, though. The new computer doesn't recognize the wireless router that I have. I think I just have to find an updated driver for it. I'll need to spend some time on my roomie's computer downstairs. I am currently piggy backing on the neighbor's system.

Bad Day

Yesterday was a bad day. There was a supervisor's position that opened up and I had interviewed for it. As you can guess, I did not get the position. There were several other people who applied and I told one of my co-workers that there was only one that I would not want to see get the position. In fact, I would be quite upset if she did get the position. Well, guess what? The one person I didn't want to get the position did. The reason that I did not want her to get the position is because I don't trust her. That simple. She is smart and talented, but I just don't trust her.

Well, I managed through the day yesterday with the knowledge that I had 1 bottle of Irish Stout left from the last batch of beer I made. I was really looking forward to that beer. I got home and popped the cap and ...... nothing. No fizz. No "pop". No carbonation. Somehow the beer either didn't finish the fermentation in the bottle or the cap was not on quite tight enough. I ended up dumping the beer down the drain.

As I said, yesterday was a Bad Day.

People are Crazy and Open Letter to Atheists

You should have been around RDU, or any part of NC, yesterday. To say that we had an epidemic of mass hysteria would be an understatement. All day long, the only thing people could talk about was the increase in gas prices. It started out in the morning with the rumor that there would be mandatory 10 gallon restrictions on purchases and went downhill quickly from there. Now, just so that everyone understands the situation...On Wednesday, I filled up my truck at 3.60-ish a gallon, Yesterday and today, gas is going anywhere from 3.60 to 4.99 a gallon (regular of course)! That is a 1.39 price difference, sometimes for stations right across the street from each other. There were lines at gas stations that were 10 - 15 cars deep. Wait times were over 30 minutes! The Governor even implemented the "price gouging" law! Gas stations ran out of gas. I suspect some closed down just to avoid all the hysteria.

Yes, I realize that Ike was bearing down on the gulf coast, and I realize that several of the major pipelines shut down. However, this IS NOT A NEW SITUATION. This stuff happens anytime a hurricane bears down on the gulf coast. There is a short disruption in supplies and then everything gets back to "normal".

People of the "great" State of North Carolina, you should know this by now. We have been through this exact same scenario several times already in the past several years. GET A FUCKING GRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!........... gasp.... (I can't yell any louder)

Now, This is an open message for the leaders of the Atheist Movement, whoever you are:

You are moving to slowly in your bid to take over the US. I have a plan that will assist you in your endeavor.
1) Anyone that paid over 5.00 a gallon in gas should be neutered and incarcerated. They are way to stupid to be allowed to continue living with the general public
2)Anyone who paid 4.00 - 5.00 a gallon should be neutered. They can continue to live with the general public, but they should be restricted in the type of jobs they can hold. They should not be allowed to hold any position in which they have to make any serious decisions. Nothing beyond a first level supervisor's position, at best.

If you use this as guide to social reform, I am sure the US will be much, much better off.

Thank You.

20th Century here I come!

Brace yourselves folks, this is gonna come as a surprise, but I just now bought my first song over the internet! Not only one song, but the whole darned CD (album? what is it called when there is no physical thing?)! Yippee! doing my little happy dance. No, there will not be a video. That would be too scary. My first is Fortune's Favour by Great Big Sea. (stop laughing Marquise) They are coming to town in October and I already have tickets for me and the Marquise. I first heard them while listening to Highlander Radio on Live365. They have quickly become a fav of mine.

Give me another couple of years and I'll be ready for the Millennium. I still have to prepare for Y2K.

Christmas Stockings and TS Hanna Knitting

Just a quick note to let y'all know how things are going with the great 2008 Christmas Stocking crochet-a-thon. (I know everyone out there is on the edge of there seats right now!) I have finished 3 more of the stockings, so I am now up to 7. I only have 5 more to finish before Thanksgiving. I should be able to do that, as long as I don't get to caught up in new knitting projects. I am really happy with these last 3. I found some really interesting cable stitches and have managed top work them into the stockings. I usually have to start the stocking 2 or 3 times before I get the pattern down right. Which is probably why I can only get 2 or 3 done at a time before I have to take a break and work on something else.





Since Hanna came through last night and this morning, I decided to start another knitting project (that and I was tired of the stockings). I am working on a knit scarf for a co-worker's girlfriend who is going through chemo/radiation treatments for breast cancer. She has been going through this most of the summer, so I figured she could use a bright yellow, pick-me-up scarf. I had some baby-yellow yarn from an aborted (bad choice of words? correct meaning though) baby blanket and decided to use that. I had started 2 or 3 blankets with this yarn and could not get any of the patterns to "work" with it. Y'all know what I mean, sometimes the yarn and the pattern just don't work out. So I am now happily knitting away on the scarf. It should be completed in a couple of days. I already have a couple of new "architectural" elements added due to a few boo-boos on my part!

Hats Off!

Well, I finished my hat. Yes I know, I only started it a couple of days ago. Well, I was not feeling well yesterday (co-worker had some REALLY powerful perfume on, which gave me one heck of a headache) and the weather was bad here today so I couldn't take the dogs out for their walk (thunder bumpers rolling through). Which all boils down to lots-o-time to knit. Everything was going fine until I got to the decreases and had to switch to the DPNs. I am not exactly sure how those damn things are supposed to operate. I was always poking myself with one end or the other of one of 4 needles! I managed to mangle my way through the last 4 or 5 rows (I lost count at the end) and finish the thing.

I may have to get someone to show me how the DPNs are actually supposed to work. There is some trick there that I wasn't able to deduce.

New Projects and Beer

Well, I've started my next knitting project. It's a hat. I found a relatively simple pattern online and I am giving it a try. It's the first time I've knitted with circular needles and eventually will be the first time with DPNs (Double Pointed Needles for the uninitiated). So far I've only had to start over once. A pretty good start for me. Oh yeah, I also "discovered" stitch markers. Whoever invented those little round thingys should be sainted. I figure more is better, so I have them strewn throughout the project (every ten stitches, actually). It is so nice that I only have to count to 10 at a time!

I've got another project started. I decided to start some more strenuous exercising. I've always done a lot of walking, which has really pleased the dogs to no end, but I figured I needed to do a little more for my own good. One of my roommates has an old Bowflex machine and I decided to try it out and see how I do with it. I set a simple goal, just 3 times a week for 6 weeks. That's all. No goals as far as weight loss, muscle gain, endurance, etc. Just 3 times a week for 6 weeks. We'll see what happens after that.

And finally for this blog, beer. I have a couple bottles of the Irish Stout left. I took a bunch on vacation and no one in my family liked it. No ONE! My family, the Philistines. I just gotta love them. I had a good time with the beer all by myself! It is time, however, for the next batch. Probably another Coopers since everyone seems to like it. I may try a batch from scratch - no kit at all. I gotta find a good (simple) recipe. I may talk to the guys at American Brewmaster and see what they have to say.

Vacation!!!

One week of eating, drinking, reading, swimming, knitting and long walks on the beach (Nags Head NC). How better can life get?


The cottage..... We had to change cottages this year. The one we normally get is no longer available. A victim of beach erosion. The septic system was washed away and the town won't let the owner replace it. We had to scramble for this cottage and were really lucky to get it. It's hard to get cottages on the ocean.



One of the coolest kites ever! The next door neighbors had it. The only flew it one day. After that, it was to windy.

The ocean. We had 3 amazing days were the water was warm and the surf was low. Perfect for spending a couple of hours bobbing around in the water. We decided that bobbing is the correct term to use. We started out with floating, but decided that the connotation was to purposeful, to active. Bobbing was a much better description.


The next 2 pictures are of the yearly sand castle. This year's was not quite as involved as previous years, but it made up for it in shear size. It was probably about 20 feet long and 1o feet deep. Our old cottage is in the bottom picture. It is the one in the far background that looks like it is about 10 feet from the ocean. (which it is)

What The F@#$

OK folks, what gives? I had three responses to my last post. Pretty good for me, except.... There is always an "except" isn't there? The 3 comments consisted of 1 stock pick and 2 gambling sites. Is this some new form of spam? Is it actually called spam or does it have it's own new nifty name? Why does anyone think this will have a positive result? I could see if the sites were somehow related to the post or to the blog as whole. That would at least have a chance of getting a positive result. All this does is piss me off.

Anyone have any ideas how to stop this annoying crap before it starts to get outta hand?

My First One

I finally finished my first knitted project. No, it is not the scarf that I started a couple of months ago. That is still sitting half finished in its bag. It will probably be ripped apart and reinvented as something else. My first project is a dishcloth. I know, it's not much, but it is something relatively small. I finished it in a couple of days. Most importantly, it is something I can actually use. I need a scarf like I need another hole in my head! I bought a pattern book of 16 or so different dishcloth patterns. I figure doing 5-10 of them would give me a lot of good practice in knitting. I can then move onto something different.

I'll post a picture as soon as I find the connector for the camera. This is what happens when I clean. I lose stuff......

Oh, by the way.....

I tried some of the latest batch of beer. This one is an irish stout. It's about 2 weeks old now and is turning into a really good beer. It's really smooth and has the best chocolate brown color. It keeps that full, foamy head that is so visually appealing. It is, however, just a little on the sweet side. All in all, I'm really impressed with it. It's actually the first batch I really don't want to share with anyone!

Mission Accomplished

Well, I watched all 3 parts of the Lord of the Rings yesterday. I started at about 130p and ended about 1045p. A very enjoyable day. There are a couple of things about the movies I hadn't noticed before. The biggest being how many filler scenes there are in the second movie. There are flash- backs and disembodied "telepathic help" all over the place. The Lady Galadriel is a nosy little witch, always popping into someone's thoughts or mind at exactly the right time. She needs to get a life. She was much better in the books. I think it was a relatively cheap ploy to keep the story going along. There was less reliance on such esoteric help in the books. The main characters were much more on their own. The second is how amazing the dialogues between "Smeagol" and "Gollum" are (the third movie). The whole series of discussions are really masterfully done. Actually they were some of the most disturbing and frightening parts of the story. They give a whole new meaning to split personality. This aspect of Gollum was not really present in the books. The movie really expands on this and actually does a much better job. They also give a really interesting insight into what was happening with Frodo during this time.

The first and third movies were definitely better than the second. I think the first was actually the best of them. Despite everything that happens to Frodo in the third movie, I actually think that most of his really cathartic scenes were in the first movie.

And no, I am not going to mention the Frodo/Sam or Merry/Pippin relationships.

Inner Child and Inner Geek

I'm not quite sure what's going on with me the last couple of days, but in addition to the Lord of the Rings trilogy I am also watching Avatar, the Last Airbender series. I managed to watch an episode here and there on TV, but didn't catch the whole series. I am now watching it, start to finish online. Yippee!

My Inner Geekiness

Contrary to popular belief, I have a fairly wide geek streak going through me. I know, I know it is almost impossible to believe that someone as incredible cool as I am would have any geekiness in them, but.... what can I say. One example just occurred today. I went out to Target today during lunch and was wandering around the DVD section and found the Lord of the Rings trilogy on sale for a good price. I had been wanting to get the set for a while, but never really got around to it. Well, I have it now and I see an all day marathon in the very near future for me. Just me and a big bowl of popcorn; the Orthodontist be damned! I think it is only fair since I have read the books about 6 or 7 times already. I need to give the movies a fair shake, I've only seen them once. I'll probably end up banishing my roommates to their room that day and confiscating the living room since it has surround sound. They are not to interested in the whole Ring trilogy thing so I doubt they'd be interested in watching the entire series. Oh well, they'll get over it.

The only question now is Saturday, Sunday, or BOTH? Am I that ambitious? Hmmm.

Christmas Stockings part 2

Below is a picture of the next two stockings in my project. I am much, MUCH happier with these.

One project done and Christmas comes early

Here is a picture of the socks I just finished. They are currently happily residing on my feet.


I have decided to make Christmas stockings for the family this year. I figured I'd better get started early or I'd be in big, BIG trouble. I have to have all the family presents done by Thanksgiving. One of the drawbacks with making your own Christmas gifts is you have to start the middle of summer. By the time Christmas actually gets here, I am so over it.

Below is my first attempt. It did not turn out quite as well as I wanted, so I have fiddled with my basic toe-up sock pattern to make the next one look more Christmas-stockingey. (the white really is not that blindingly white, it is actually a soft "winter white".) My local AC Moore store had a clearance on the Moda-Dea Jai Alai yarn (the furry stuff at the top of the stocking, for y'all non-yarn people). At 1.00 a skein, I couldn't pass it up; I bought 6 skeins. I may go back and get some more. The great part is that I actually went in there looking for materials for Christmas stockings. Normally when they have stuff on clearance, it's not anything I'm interested in. I'm thinking of making regular sized stockings for my family and then a bunch of mini stockings as Christmas ornaments for everyone else. I'll have to see how everything goes.

Beer and Socks

Beer

We (the Marquise and I) just finished bottling our latest batch of beer today. Its an Irish stout, kinda, sorta Guinness-y. The Marquise wasn't to convinced last week when we started. The wort looked like tar and smelled almost as bad. We had some minor problems during fermentation again. There was a blow-out during the first 24 hours of the fermentation. Lucky for me, we do everything over at the Marquise's place, so I don't have to clean up any messes. I wonder if I'm pitching the yeast to early and the wort is just a tad bit to warm. The yeast gets a big, quick start and clogs up the air-lock. I may wait a little longer next time and let the wort cool a little more before I pitch the yeast. Maybe that will slow the process down just a tad. The bottling went fairly smoothly, however. The beer is a wonderful chocolate color and already has a nice smooth finish to it. It looks like a stout we had at Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem last weekend on our way home from Grandfather Mountain. However, it tastes much better. I'm not a big fan of traditional stout beer. (They did however have some other beers that were more to my liking. They have a great Hefe and Bock!) It will be interesting to see how this batch ages.





Socks

I got tired of working on the black and white sweater and went out to the corner LYS to see what they had available for socks. I figured I should try again since my last endeavor ended with less than stellar results. (the ribbing along the top of the sock relaxed something fierce. I now have socks that resemble elf boots!) I found a fantastic hand painted yarn.... Heritage yarn by Cascade Yarns. Picture below. Cheap it was not, but it is a wonderful yarn to work with; good color and great feel. (probably why I got tired of the sweater, not fond of black/white and using acrylic yarn.) I am working on a toe-up pattern I got off the net. I actually got much further than this, but realized I had made a fundamental error at about this spot and had to rip it apart. Don't ask, it was one of those Duh! errors. Oh, well,

Baby Blanket Goose Bumps

The office had the surprise baby show for the grandmother-to-be today. Everyone was impressed with the blanket I made. What was really strange, however, was that the colors I selected were the exact colors that "mom" had set up in the nursery! Everyone wanted to know how I had figured that one out! I had to explain several times that it was just luck.

Just a bit strange.

Baby Blanket

I just finished my latest project. A baby blanket for a grandmother-to-be at work. Its a simple granny square blanket in blue, green and white. It turned out pretty well. However, I doubt that I will get the same yarn again. I have learned that not all acrylic yarn is the same. There are good brands and not so good brands. TLC Baby by Red Heart is a not so good brand. The yarn splits easily and it is not as soft and snuggly as some of the other brands. After a couple of washings and some fabric softener, it should become a lot more comfy, hopefully.

My next project is a sweater for one of my roommates. It's gonna be black with some white vertical strips. Horizontal strips are a lot easier. This will be the largest project I've done with vertical strips. Hopefully, I can get the strips on the front and the back pieces to match up when I put it all together!

My Blogiversary

Happy Blogiversary to me!
Happy Blogiversary to me!
Happy Blogiversary To MEEEEEEEEE!

Well, it's actually about 2 weeks late. The actual anniversary was June 21. But who's actually counting?

Muscle Spasm!

Well, there I was sleeping quite soundly last night and out of the blue..... ZOWIE... my lower back decides to go haywire on me. wtf? I was just sleeping, maybe rolling over to a new position, but nothing that should have caused any problems what-so-ever. But suddenly, I was in intense pain and could barely move. I spent several minutes trying to figure what happened and really could not come up with any plausible excuse. So I resigned myself to sleeping on my back for the rest of the night. It should be better by the morning, I thought. I couldn't have done that much damage. WRONG. I almost couldn't get outta bed this morning. The whole swing your legs around and sit up in bed was beyond my abilities. The only reason I actually got out of bed is because I had a chair next to the bed and I used that to brace myself. I knew right away that I was not going to take the bus this morning. The thought of bouncing around on those hard seats with a sore back was more than I could stand. Luckily, after a couple Tylenol and about 2 hours, my back started to feel OK and by the end of the day, it was almost normal. Hopefully, there will not be a repeat again tonight.

latest projects

I've been working on some odds and ends this past week. I finished up some wash cloths and dish towels. They are bright sunny yellow and blue. However, I'm getting tired of working with cotton. after a cotton sweater, and a bunch of wash cloths and towels, I'm cottoned out. Its nice to work with cotton during the summer, but its not the easiest yarn for me to work with.

I've been practicing my knitting during my bus ride to/from work. I was working on a scarf. I figured "how hard can a scarf be?" It should be something I can work on easily on a bouncing bus. Well, I have ripped it apart and will be starting over. I've got the stitches down OK. My problem is with the end of the rows. The last stitches are always WAY to loose/big. I read somewhere that you can slip the first stitch in the row and that will solve the problem. Unfortunately, I went in the opposite direction. My end stitches became to tight. My scarf started looking decidedly "boatish". I may try slipping every other row. Hopefully, I'll find a happy medium. I was also using needles that were way to small, a problem I have with crochet also. I really need to learn to automatically go to the next size up whenever I start a project.

socks!

My socks that I just finished. This is my first pair of "normal" socks. The others I've made have all been kilt hose.

New Beer

I get excited about 3 weeks after bottling a new batch of beer. It is about this time that the beer undergoes its almost magical transformation. What started off barely drinkable turns into this wonderful, carbonatey elixir that the world calls beer. At least it is supposed to, sometimes really BAD magic happens during the 3 weeks. Fortunately for us (the Marquise and I) the beer gods have smiled upon our efforts. The latest batch is really maturing into a tasty drink. It is actually rather quite sweet, which is surprising because this is the first batch we have not added any sugar to. This batch is all malt extract. It should be really good when we head off for the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in about 3 weeks or so. We will be prepared this time and bring our own beer. We are not going to have another repeat of last year when we couldn't find a beer to save our souls. (for those of you that don't know, the games are held in a "dry" county - no alcohol available for sale in the county) So far I've only had the beer warm (it kinda grows on you - warm beer that is). It should be really good cold. Somehow, I've gotta make the beer last another 3 weeks. It's a good thing that the Marquise doesn't drink as much as I do. At least there's a really good chance she'll have a lot available if I succumb to the temptation.

Next batch - - An Irish Stout!

Commute Debriefing

This will be a short posting today. Just wanted to let everyone know how my first week of commuting went. The bottom line is that at this time last week, I had use 3/4 of a tank of gas. (I did have a trip out to the Marquise's place last week, so that added some extra mileage.) This week, I haven't even used 1/4 of a tank. Savings this week, about 45.00.

Now, my commute is not all roses. There are still quite a few thorns. I am spending a lot more time getting to and from work. However, as I told my momma, I have a lot more time than money!

That and I am getting tons of crocheting done! So far I've gotten a couple of washcloths and dishtowels done. I'm going to work on a pair of socks now. (No kilt hose this time around, just regular ol' socks.) For those of you that just have to know, they are dark grey and deep red. The yarn is Moda-Dea bamboo wool, 45% wool and 55% rayon from bamboo. I'm not sure what rayon from bamboo is or how its made. I'll have to search it out and see what I find.

Houston, we have a commute.

Well, I don't think Houston really cares, but I was able to successfully use public transportation to get to work today. All in all, it went pretty well. The connection out was quick and easy. The return, however, needs a little fine tuning. I misjudged the bus time for my particular stop (all right, I got it all wrong) and ended up standing outside for about 1/2 an hour. Normally that would not be bad, but it was about 100 here in Raleigh today! Of course, since it is a new office park, there are no mature trees anywhere close by the bus stop. I did however, have my trusty umbrella, which works quite well as a sun shade.

The time involved is a lot more than it would be driving (not unusual) so I have some more "lifestyle readjusting" to work out so that I'm not wasting all that time on a bus. I already started packing my breakfast to eat once I get to work since I get there early. I may start packing my dinner also since I have about 1/2 hour after work before my bus leaves. I'm thinking about doing the once a week cooking thing and having the meals already packaged and ready to go. I've almost always got some crochet (and hopefully knit) project going that I can do on the bus. I already know from today's experience that I'm gonna have to keep the projects simple on the bus. There is a lot of shake, rattling and rolling going on with those buses.

My goal this week is to use the bus thru Thursday (I can't take it Friday, because Hercules Mulligan is playing Friday night at Tir Na Nog.) and then re-evaluate over the weekend to see what I wanna do in the future.

Just so that everyone knows, I am still not particularly happy with CAT, but I have to work with what I'm given. At least I'm using more of our tax money.

Pictures!

After a short stay with the Marquise, the camera is back home safe and sound. I can now show some of the truly amazing pictures I have recently taken.


A Rainbow after a HUGE thunderstorm a couple of weeks ago.

Diane the Brit and me at Tir Na Nog

The Marquise and the Brit

Super Carbonated beer. Not quite a "beer bomb" yet, but pretty close.

Do NOT try this unless you are a trained professional or an inexperienced homebrewer.

Shane from My Three Kilts at their home pub, The Flying Shamrock in Goldsboro, NC

Rob and Shane

Rob and ... Oh no! Brain Fart, I forgot his name. It'll come to me.... SCOTT!!!!!

Scot(t) (what's the correct spelling?)

Rob and Shane

My first crocheted sweater!

No Commute

I felt adventurous this morning. I decided to take the bus in to work. I had been looking to see if I could use the bus, but to say that it is inconvenient would be a stretch. While there are a couple of bus stops around my house, none of them go even remotely in the direction. (I have bus stops for 3 different bus systems within 0.5 mile of my house!) The best I could come up with is a 5 mile drive and then take a bus and a connecting bus to get to work. Total time around 1.5 hours. It looked plausible on paper, so I decided to give it a try. I got up early, got ready quickly and headed out to the bus stop I had selected. There was a small shopping center (grocery store, restaurants, etc) across the street from my a.m. stop (corner of Edwards Mill Rd and Duraleigh), so I would be in a good position when I left in the evening (easy right turn). I turned into the parking lot and what did I see, but a whole forest of signs stating "NO PARK AND RIDE TOWING ENFORCED". Not one sign, but signs on every single green area in the parking lot! I was not happy. Now I realize that the parking lot is private property and they can put whatever restrictions they want on it, but I would think that the grocery store would welcome park and ride folks. I mean, if you have to go to the grocery store after work, what better place than than one where you are? It's about as close to a captive audience as a grocery story is ever gonna get!

So here is the assignment students. Find a way to get from Buck Jones Rd in Raleigh to Brier Creek shopping center out by the airport using public transportation. You can find all the area's public transport schedules at GoTriangle.org . If anyone from Capital Area Transit (CAT), Cary Transit (C-Tran) or Triangle Transit (TTA) has an idea, I'd love to hear it.

Even if I had a much wider audience, I doubt I'd hear from them.........

ROAD TRIP!!!!!

Well, sort of.... The Marquise and I are heading out to Goldsboro to see My Three Kilts this Friday night (see link on the left). They are going to be playing at the Flying Shamrock on N John St. (It almost sounds like I know where I'm going. Isn't MapQuest wonderful?) Not to long ago, a trip to Goldsboro would not have been considered a road trip at all because it's only about an hour away. However, with gas the way it is, it is now a bona fide road trip. It'll be fun to see the Kilters in their home bar. Hopefully, I won't have to teach everyone in the audience the correct responses for the songs.

What Not to Have for Breakfast

OK folks, whatever happens, do NOT have a Cinnabon cinnamon roll for breakfast. It will destroy your entire day. I was fine for about 2 hours and then everything went to hell in a handbasket. My sugar levels went up, then they went down. I ate some fruit, they went up. Lunch time came around and I had a massive Big Mac Attack. After lunch was nap time, only I couldn't nap because I still had to work. I made it home and fixed dinner. Safe and sound, right. Wrong. I am now trying to stay awake long enough so that I can go to bed at a time when I won't wake up at 4 am. And it is not like I have enough energy to do anything even remotely productive. No walk for me (or the dogs) today. It all started, or didn't start, with breakfast!

Add my name to the list of people who say "breakfast is the most important meal of the day". I'm staying with my oatmeal or Cheerios from now on. Or at least a good protein packed serving of bacon and eggs. I'll keep the sugary mess that is Cinnabon for a rare treat; when I can sleep the rest of the day.

Done!

Done! Finished! The End! I have finally finished my first crocheted sweater. It's a v-neck cardigan (well, sort of v-neck). It took me about 5 weeks to finish it. Not bad for a first timer. My original plan was that I could wear it at work. (I'm always cold at work) However, it's gonna be to heavy/warm to wear at work. I'll take it with me to Grandfather Mountain in July. It is usually cool enough in the evenings there. I guess I'll have to start planning my next one!

It's in the washer right now, I'll post pictures of it soon.

btw, this was my third "first attempt". I got so pissed at the first two and the yarn I was using for those that I stuffed it all into the back of my closet and am refusing to even look at it. One of these days I'll throw the whole damned mess out. Never, ever use crappy yarn!

I'm in a kind of weird mood right now. One of my nephews signed up for the Army National Guard about a year and a half ago. We all knew when he signed up that he would be shipped out relatively quickly and most likely to Iraq. His training took a lot of time (field medic and occupational therapy) so he stayed in the States a lot longer than most of us thought he would. Well, he is now in Iraq. He's probably been there a little over a week. You know the military, no firm answers on when's and where's. Now, I'm not a big fan of the war in Iraq and haven't been since about 2 weeks after the invasion. I have enough background in analytical chemical analysis to know how chemicals are detected in the environment. I knew relatively quickly that if we weren't finding traces of weapons of mass destruction by then, that they probably never existed. I know how easily modern instruments can detect concentrations in the parts per trillion (not million, not even billion, but trillion!).

So, I now have a nephew who is very motivated and pretty much pleased as punch to be going to another country to take part in a "war" (what do we call it now, since the Pres has declared it won?) that we never should have started, but we can't really abandon without causing more chaos, misery and destruction than we already have. How do I react? I want to be supportive of my nephew. He knew what he was getting into. He was not steered, cajoled or coaxed into it. He firmly believes in what is going on and that we (the US) are making a positive impact there.

All of this was different when it was "someone else's" family member. It is quite different when it is one of your own. Up until now, it has been fairly easy to listen to other people dissect the should have's and the could have's. The why's and the why not's. Now, however, those discussions have a lot more personal meaning. We are no longer talking about strangers or faces in someone else's pictures. We are talking about the little boy afraid of the water at the beach. We are talking about faces in my pictures.

I realize that my nephew chose this career. I am extremely proud of his choice and the man he has become. However, this whole situation sucks.

I Love Spring

Spring is the best time of year. The days are getting longer, the temps are getting warmer (except for this week. Cold front came through), the flowers are blooming and my very favorite plant is growing like the despicable weed that it is: poison ivy. Ever since my first encounter with PI one summer a long time ago down in South Carolina, I have had a hate/hate relationship with PI. I really, really hate it and it, being the damn plant that it is has absolutely no feelings at all. Now, I am a veteran; a skilled spotter of all things PI. I can spot the stuff in the dead of winter. I don't need any leaves to warn me. Unfortunately, at least once a year, I miss it and it is all over but the weeping and the itching. I don't quite know why, but the first bout with PI each spring is always the worst of the year. And this year is no exception. I have had PI somewhere on my body for almost 2 weeks now. The original spots are still going strong and they have recruited others. A couple of them I know where I got them. The others are a complete mystery. Sometimes, I think they just materialized outta thin air. My own demonic version of spontaneous generation. Now, I realize that once the oil has been washed away that you cannot transfer the stuff around. However, it seems like the oil is a lot more difficult to get rid of this year. I am fairly certain that some of the blisters are the results of transference from a pair of shorts (the oil was on the seam around the bottom of the shorts; blisters right behind the knee, oh what joy.). I got a couple of small spots just by walking underneath a huge branch that had just been pruned from a tree. The remaining stalk was about 20 feet up. Those weren't bad and were gone quickly. One of the places I haven't gotten it yet, strangely enough is on my hands. Usually they are the first to go.

And yes, I have tried just about everything there is out there. The best I've come up with so far is Benadryl at night to help me sleep and just leave the stuff alone the rest of the time. Time will eventually take care of it. That and some Roundup!

It Finally Happened part Deux

Well, it has happened. The sad state of affairs that I knew would someday arrive. The good folks over at Beginner's Luck Brewing have finally hit a couple of potholes on the road thru brewing experience. That's right folks, the Marquise and I have hit a rough patch these past two batches. The bloom is off the lily. We have shot our wad. I have already elucidated the problems with the previous batch (waaay to sweet), so here goes with batch number 5. We think it died. We had a blow out a day or so after we pitched the yeast. The wort blew the cap off the airlock and gummed everything up. I advised the Marquise to remove the airlock, cover the hole and hope for the best. She put another airlock on Friday and there was no sign of activity. I went out to her place on Sunday to see what we could do. I was thinking that maybe the fermentation finished up earlier than we had anticipated. Well, when I looked at the mix, there were no green thingies growing in it, which I considered a good sign. We did taste the mix and it tasted bad. I could tell that the fermentation had at least started (there was some alcohol in there). We decided to add some sugar, for priming and to sweeten it a little (the mix was really bitter) and bottle it. I thought the yest might have bit the big one, so I added another pack of yeast before we bottled. This is gonna be one interesting batch.

Wish us luck.

Bad Beer

It was bound to happen.

I had hoped it would have been much much later but, sadly, no.

The Marquise and I produced our first batch of really, really bad beer. I'm not talking about "I can only manage one beer a day" bad. I'm talking about "I can't finish one beer a day" bad. Horrible. Yech! Somehow, we managed to make syrup sweet hefeweizen beer. Sweet beer in general is not preferred. Some can be OK for one drink, kind of a special occasion moment. But that is about it. Hefe beers are definitely NOT supposed to be sweet. They are supposed to be, as wine enthusiasts would say, dry. Not bitter, just not sweet. However, we concocted some super duper sweet obnoxious beer and I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to drink it. I may have to use it in the slug traps out in the garden. At least I wouldn't have to pour it down the drain. Hmmmmm.

Something tells me the beer is gonna get dumped.

Bark Around the Park

Last Saturday, Raleigh parks and Rec held their 19th annual Bark Around the Park festival over at the Exchange Park next to Millbrook High School. I was out there last year. The AKC had a booth and I helped out with it, and it was good, but this year was much better. The good folks at parks and Rec really outdid themselves this year. The place was packed with vendors and sponsors, they had a variety of events and demos, and there were lots of people that showed up. The AKC volunteered to do some demos of some of the events that we sponsor. We set up a small agility course (think doggie obstacle course) and we did a Rally demo also (think doggie obedience, light). The agility demos were a great crowd pleaser. We had a good group of spectators for every demo we did, right on up until the end. I volunteered the use of my truck to move the agility equipment, so it was a long day for me, but I had a good time. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend as much time talking with people since I was "the equipment dude" this year. Oh well. I've got a couple of pictures below.

blogger is not cooperating right now. I'll post pictures later

Yes, I'm Still Here

I have not dropped of the face of the world or anything dramatic. I've just been busy crocheting away. I've finished a new pair of kilt hose. They are a dark blue, light weight wool/silk blend. It was so much fun to crochet those. I love that yarn! I am now working a sweater. This is my second attempt at making a sweater. The first was a dismal failure. I ripped it apart and set the yarn aside. I am now working on it again. The yarn I'm using sucks, but since I don't have high hopes for the result, it really doesn't matter. I don't really think it is gonna be wearable anyway, so...... This is just a learning exercise. Yes, I know it is a lot of work to put into something I don't expect to be able to use, but I have to start somewhere. At least this way, I haven't lost a lot of money on yarn.

Odds and Ends

Just a little bit of this and that.

First off... Beer.

The second batch of beer is actually getting much, much better as it ages. It is probably about 1.5 months old now and it is quite different than when it was new. It is mellowing out nicely. Of course, since I have no patience what so ever when it come to my home brew, I have just about finished my part of the batch. Maybe I can swipe some from the Marquise; she's on a low carb diet now.

We have the third batch bottled and it has been aging for about 2 weeks now. We tried some of it last week and it was much better than anticipated. If you had tasted it when we were bottling, you would have dumped it out right then and there. It was incredibly sweet. The bottle we tried was still a little on the sweet side but was still very drinkable. I think I'll leave that at the Marquise's until it's ready. One because we didn't make that much and two, if it is way over at her place there is no temptation for me here.

Second.... Hercules Mulligan

I have not made mention of our good friends HM since St Paddy's day because they haven't been doing a whole lot lately. I'm gonna have to get on them and find out what's going on.

Third......Wine

We made a quick wine trip last weekend to Silk Hope and Benjamin Wineries. We had hoped that Silk Hope would have had their white wine ready. They did not. Bummer. Since we were in the area, we stopped by Benjamin and I got another bottle of their Carlos wine. A very good semi-sweet muscadine wine.

We also swung by Saxapahaw to see if the meadery was open. It was not. Another bummer.

Now that I write it out, that little trip was not particularly productive. Oh well.

Loki in Spring

The pollen falls,
Yellow-green powdered sugar,
sprinkled on by Loki from above.

He decorates the world,
The grass, the cars, the road
To suit his moods and joys.

He spreads his mischief
For all to breathe,
To choke, to gasp, to sneeze.

We know his fun
Will last a little while;
The rain will come.

We Hope.

Heaven, I found Heaven

Well, I did not find heaven so much as someone found it for me. The inestimable Marquise finally decided she had enough of me hemming and hawing around and almost demanded that I appear in Hillsborough for my birthday present. (my b-day was in January BTW) She said it had some connection to a local coach celebrity. I thought I was in for BIG trouble. Much to my great and wonderful surprise, she took me to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. My reaction:

Kid In A Candy Shop

I know the people there were wondering who this crazy man was that came running into the store and started ohing and ahing over everything. The colors were absolutely amazing. Pretty much every color imaginable. And the yarn, oh the yarn. They had some of the best yarns I have ever seen. Cotton, check. Silk, yuppers. Wool, definitely. Stuff I had never even heard of, all right there. They had just about every combination of yarns you could possible want. The only problem was that I didn't have any particular project in mind (which, as any knitter/crocheter can agree with, is VERY rare) At one point I was ready to hit the Marquise; she did not understand what she had done. She set me loose in crochet paradise, told me to get whatever yarn I wanted and I DID NOT HAVE A PROJECT IN MIND to work on. I didn't know whether to cry in joy or frustration.

I finally settled on a wool blend for another set of kilt hose. I had just made the fatal error of drying my other pair of wool hose that I had finished a couple of months ago (can you say shrink, shrank, shrunk). So It seemed like a good time to start another pair. I started on Saturday and I have to say that the yarn almost crochets itself. Sometimes it is real easy to forget what it is like to use really good yarn.

One happy camper Marquise, you did good.

SALVATION!

The great and powerful Rain Goddess has smiled upon us all here in central North Carolina. She has, in all her wisdom and beneficence, graciously deemed it time for a nice light rain to fall in this area and banish the wicked and noisome godling, Pollen, to his rightful place in our world. Pollen, may his wickedness be ever banished, has been forced back into his appropriate place; fertilizing the seeds of the next generation of plants. She has heard the wailing, weeping, wheezing, and sneezing of her devoted followers and acted! No longer do we have to fear walking out our front door, no longer do we have to race to our pollen covered cars and rush to open the door; only to be greeted with a cloud of yellow pollen swirling around us as we get into our cars. There is rain in the land and the air is fresh and clean.

All hail the Rain Goddess!

The Worst Time to Have a Cold

Do you know the worst time to have a cold? Winter? Summer? NOOOOOOO!

The absolute, positively worst time to have a cold is right at the beginning of pollen season in central North Carolina. Not only is your head stuffy, your nose running like a faucet and your eyes watering from the cold, but the pollen compounds those same problems ten-fold AND adds some extras on, just for kicks. Extras like itchy, burning eyes, sinus pressure that makes you want to take an ice pick and........, chest congestion that makes you feel like you are breathing water. Do I really need to go on? Your body gets so screwed up that no medicines work. Sudafed....don't make me laugh. Benadryl....makes the misery almost tolerable. Claritin....Ha! That new medicine that just went over the counter (the memory is the first to go).......not even a dent. All the really good stuff has been pulled off the market because of negative side affects. Right now I would gladly accept the side effects if I could just breath.

Oh, did I forget the sneezing? Can't forget that one!

I am NOT AMUSED!!

Poetry

Yes, poetry. I have decided to work on one of my "Things To Do". Especially since learning Latin is not going very well. So I settled on poetry as my next attempt. I figured "how hard can it really be"? Come on folks, they are only words.

Oh how wrong I was. I should have known that since I am not the best writer to begin with that it would be a lot more difficult than I thought. I did figure that one of my strong points would be my vocabulary. Mine is slightly larger than a lot of other people's. It is still not great, but I do know what copacetic means. Unfortunately, all those 50 cent words don't seem to come to mind when I could really use them. It doesn't help that, like most people my age, I was so traumatized by High School English classes, that it is a wonder I enjoy reading anything at all and even more amazing that I am willing to try writing something. That, however, is a subject for some other posting. It is amazing how I can have all of these thoughts racing around my head until I pick up a pen. Once that pen is in my hand, all the wonderful ideas I had dive for cover in the deepest, darkest corners of my brain and refuse to come back out and play. I end up having to grope through all the dusty crevices in my gray matter to find those @#^&%$$# ideas.

So, I have been working on this for about 2 weeks now. I've done some research on writing poetry. I've been reading bits and pieces. I scribbled down nonsense lines, I've even come up with a few that may even be tolerable. So, folks, y'all get to be my guinea pigs. I've included my first poem below. Let me know what ya think about it. Keep in mind, I'm a newbie.......

The Beach House

A Saturday drive.
Quickly,
Unpack the car.
To reach the prize,
The first Corona!

The sand, sun, shade and heat,
A porch around the house,
A racetrack made for little feet,
A path to our paradise.

The Matriarch sitting on her throne,
Watches her domain.
Dolphins and pelicans bring the news
Of children below.

Alex, raging, held at bay,
Wind harnessed by towels and skateboards,
Power transmuted to race around the deck,
An afternoon reading and playing games.

Dolphins during the day,
Fireworks at night,
Waterfights in the dinning room:
The kids better behaved than us.

St Paddy's Day Weekend

Just a few photos...........