Go Off the Path OR Why I Read, "All About Beer"





Somewhere along the way I stumbled upon The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. While I started with the newsletter and blog, I purchased the book on something of a whim. The book is an account of Rubin's twelve month long adventure that she spent, "test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier."

Perhaps once I finish the book, which will be soon, I will embark on my own version as there is a guide inside on how to start my own. How handy!

In the interim period though, I was struck by one of her endeavors in the month of May which fell under the category of, Be Serious About Play. Her four goals: Find more fun; take time to be silly; Go off the path; Start a Collection.

Here is an excerpt:

Diane Vreeland said, "The eye must travel." One of the things I admire most about my mother is her adventerousness - she's always eager to go new places and have new experiences; she's not intimidated by new situations; she's constantly developing new areas of mini-expertise just because she's interested in something. I wanted to be more like that, and my resolution to "Go off the Path" was meant to push me to encounter the unexpected thoughts, unfamiliar scenes, new people, and unconventional juxtapositions that are key sources of creative energy - and happiness. ...

Each Monday in the month of May, I bought three new magazines - ones that I would never have read otherwise. The first Monday, I wandered into a magazine shop near my gym that I'd walked by a thousand times, and I discovered a magazine gold mine. Racks lined the room from floor to ceiling and more piles fanned out across the floor. Three times, I walked up to an unfamiliar subject area, shut my eyes, and pulled a magazine at random. After making sure I hadn't accidentally picked up a porn magazine, I headed for the cash register...

I decided to start my magazine quest on a smaller scale (girl on a budget here, something about buying a house). I went to the magazine section of Barnes and Noble. Then I froze unsure how to pick a magazine at random, since I still found myself being gravitated to certain genres. Then a random person showed up, and picked up a beer related magazine. I took this as a sign that I could purchase a beer magazine since it would not be something I would normally read, and Danny could enjoy it too (bonus!). He bought the last copy of his publication, so I settled for All about Beer: Celebrating the World of Beer Culture.

Here is what I learned:

• I love beer labels/graphics. While you should probably not judge a beer (or a book) by it's label/cover, they sure are fun to look at!
• The publisher and editor, Daniel Bradford has an annual run through holiday beers at his house - Danny and I hope to host something like that come Christmas.
• Dayton, Ohio will soon be home to the Carillon Historical Park, which will house the first brewery in an American Museum. They will demonstrate the process using period tools and techniques. Yes, that will be on the agenda for the next visit to Dayton.
• Colorado did NOT make the list for the top ten beer-consuming states per year, by individuals and total volume. I am shocked, although there were some states that were not terribly surprising (North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana - probably not a whole lot else going on).
• A chemical engineering degree is the perfect background to get into brewing beer.
• There is a Master Brewers Association of the Americas AND an American Homebrewers Assocation.
• Cisco Brewers have seen tremendous sales with its jalapeno pineapple-flavored vodka. I am not sure that would be an improvement over the standard "rubbing alcohol" flavor, but hey, to each his own.
• No one is loyal to any one beer anymore.
• In the 30 Brewers under Thirty there were some women - love it!
• Also in this segment was a young man now living in Vail, Colorado working as the President/Brewmaster of Crazy Mountain Brewing Company who quit his finance job at the age of 22 to start brewing beer.
• I was way too far over my head in the "Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers" section - so I just skimmed. Although I did like the ad for Rahr & Sons, Pecker Wrecker an Imperial Pilsner.
• There is a "Pints for Prostates" campaign that is "Reaching men through the universal language of beer. Cheers to the best mate. Cheer to bedmates. Cheers to your prostate!
• Danny and I could buy a turn key hop farm operation in New York for $145,000 or our best offer.
• I really liked the Beer Traveler section, which this time focused on going South for the Winter. Apparently Atlanta, Charlotte, and Knoxville are quite the bustling brewery areas. I am kind of glad Danny did not see all this before we went to Atlanta, although I would like to work some of this information into finagling a trip to Charlotte. Perhaps in March  since that is their beer week. Maybe skip Knoxville, since it is, "not the brightest star on the American beer map" (that made me laugh). Although one of the breweries offers a Double Chocolate Porter that is entirely satisfying without being too sweet or gooey. Now I may be able to get on board if it was too sweet and extra gooey.
• I learned a new term for Danny, "beercation." Yes, he has taken me on more than one of those).
• The last content page of the magazine is called, "It's my Round," which I equate to the "Point After" in my Sports Illustrated. Although in this magazine, readers can contribute their own stories. Now if only SI would open it up... Anyway, this particular article was written by Dennis Dunham who grew up in Ohio on 3:2 beer, but now lives in Duluth, Minnesota and travels A LOT for work (and in search of beer). His other current collection is baseball stadiums, "he has been to 19 major league stadiums (some now retired) and seven minor league parks." FINALLY, something I can get on board with; but back to the beer.
• Before every trip he searches, "for at least one new outlet to explore with porters and good food. And find them he has in 27 states and 80 cities, in towns with fewer than 2,000 people, and in places like Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, and Seattle."
• Danny note: he finds them on ratebeer.com and beer100.com and in The Brewing News (which I am pretty sure is the magazine that gentleman picked up) and All About Beer, or through Google and word of mouth.

I feel like I just wrote a book report, but I had a lot of fun reading something new. Who knows what the magazine will be next week, but Danny is going with me to The Tattered Cover tonight to help me pick something out.

Proud to be a Part of the 58%

I am not a person who seeks out confrontation or looks for ways to offend people. While I know this is a controversial topic, I am proud to be a member of the 58%! I shared this picture on Facebook, but I have more to say about it.

 

As a student of American History/Government I find it sad that in the year 2013 there are still forms of discrimination that are being heard by the Supreme Court of the United States. I have a strong love for the television series, The West Wing. In fact it is a source of great comfort to me when everything around me is falling apart. Perhaps it is because I like their brand of governing better than the world we currently live in. I mean peace between Israel and Palestine; a solution to Social Security; a female Chief Justice of the United States...

 

As the internet is flooded with support for the amicus brief that has been filed on behalf of two same sex couples before the Supreme Court I find myself thinking of one of my favorite episodes from the show, "The Supremes."

In this episode, Owen Brady, the conservative anchor of the Supreme Court, has died. Evelyn Baker Lang (Glenn Close), a federal judge, is brought in by the President's senior staff to appease the left and frighten the right and hence make the confirmation of their real choice, moderate Judge Brad Shelton easier. In the process, the brilliance of Justice Lang becomes clear. An andecote about a married couple who have long since given up compromise decide to get two cats rather than picking one or the other leads to a controversial but brilliant solution; the White House will ask ailing Chief Justice Roy Ashland to resign (since the Supreme Court is a life-time appointment) to be replaced by Lang. In return for her confirmation they will give Republicans the opportunity to name a conservative to replace Brady. Josh's argument is based on the belief that the court would be better served by the maintenance of the status quo (a staunch liberal chief justice and a staunch conservative associate justice) rather than the nomination of a moderate. 
 -Wikipedia

Although I consider myself a moderate with a liberal leaning tendency, I am not the type who would tend to make history.

 

So what does this have to do with Prop 8 or Defensive of Marriage Act (DOMA) When the staunch conservative is brought into the White House to meet with senior staff, an argument over DOMA quickly ensues. It is only when Justice Lang happens upon the meeting that she explains that Christopher Mulready (the extremely conservative nominee) is simply yanking everyone's chain. While he does not love the idea of gay marriage, he takes more issue with federal over-reaching. Where in the Constitution does it give our legislators a right to determine the definition of marriage?

 

Now, I also understand that there is a religious argument to be made here. I do not know all the specifics, but I know that I believe in a God who loves all his children. I am of the opinion that being gay is  not a choice, nor do I think that it is something wrong that should/could be cured. Even if one does have a moral opposition, and one is entitled to such an opinion, how is that aspect of the argument allowed in the legislative debate? Where is the separation of church and state? I cannot delve too far here since I am not scholarly enough in my biblical interpretation. I just know that my studies on constitutional intepretation have not yielded an understanding of the government's ability and/or right to define marriage!

 

I just want all my friends/loved ones to have the right and opportunity to stand before their friends, families, and God (if they see it that way), and marry their love/best friend as I did last September.

 

*Stepping down from my soap box*

 

 

 

 

How to Create a Winning Bracket - Help, Do you Know?

Each year, along with a million-gazillion of my closest friends, I fill out a bracket for the Men's NCAA Tournament. This exercise is usually followed by extreme exasperation as my bracket that was once filled with hope and promise falls apart before my eyes. It is especially painful when a team that I am truly rooting for (Duke or IU) is the one that it because that is personal. Ironically my best bracket ever was not submitted into a pool of any kind, so I do not have proof of my domination. Oh well it will live on forever, even if it is only in my own mind.

 

In my humble opinion, this year's tournament is going to be especially hard to predict. Throughout this whole season there has never been that team who has come out as a clear favorite to cut down the nets in Atlanta on April 8. For me, this tournament is filled with teams who have wreaked havoc on my brackets in the past (e.g. Georgetown, Kansas, Gonzaga, VCU, among others). After a lifetime (sadly, soon to be 31 years) of watching college basketball, one would think I would have a solid strategy by now. Not even remotely the case. While I like to think I have "grown" in my strategy by being more realistic, such as no longer picking Duke to win the championship every year just because that is what I want to happen, I still have no idea what I am doing half the time. At times I think my knowledge (or lack thereof on a given team or a whole conference) can cause me to over think a game. I can talk myself into or out of just about any scenario. I wish I could be one of "those" people who picks a team because they like the mascot or the team colors or the coach wears too much gel in his hair thereby making him appear slick and sly (Rick Pitino, I am talking to you bud).

 

Then there are those sleeper teams that scare me, the teams that get hot at just the right time and cause just enough doubt in your mind... Those teams seem to be on the number two line this year - Miami and Ohio State are jumping out in that category, although the evil UNC could cause some trouble this year as they came on strong at the finish, especially in the ACC Tournament.

 

Then there are my personal, often unfounded biases that may cause me to make an errant decision. For instance, I am still angry at Missouri for blowing up my bracket last year; thus, I will not give them too much power this season. Or the fact that I think Billy Donovan (Florida head coach) is sly, and Joakim Noah (of their back-to-back championships) was incorrigible, so I cannot allow Florida to advance too far in my tournament scenario. Even sillier than that - I struggle with the consistently, dirty play of the University of Cincinnati and their poor graduation rates; so they are hard to root for, regardless of their play in a given year. One more example, this past off-season I lost all respect for Bo Ryan the head coach for the University of Wisconsin after he created a list of schools in which a recruit could not transfer to because he did not want to have him be a threat for his opponent - therefore Wisconsin, you will see an early exit from my bracket. Plus the Badgers seem to have Indiana's number when they face off - so let's just eliminate that threat.

 

Finally, this year an especially big struggle is picking "when, not if" my beloved Duke Blue Devils are going out this year. I trust they can get past Albany, but Creighton or Cincinnati (grrr, see above) could be a tough match-up, especially since the Blue Devils looked exhausted in the ACC Tournament. Let's hope this is not another Lehigh situation of 2012. While it is bad enough that Duke went out in the second round, but for the life of me I still do not even know where Lehigh is located!

 

Enough talking, time to fill out my bracket. After which, I will go home and watch the selection show so I do not let the talking heads confuse me. I want to try a new approach of picking my bracket all on my own then seeing how it matches up with the "experts." Except Digger Phelps, he drives me bonkers and wears bad ties, yep there are those unfounded biases again.

All I do know is that I am standing with President Obama -

INDIANA HOOSIERS, 2013 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

If you have any tips, please feel free to send them along...

 

 

Home Sweet Duplex

Danny and I met on the porch of a duplex, and it looks like our first house together is going to be the left side of a duplex in Lakewood, a western suburb of Denver. This whole process has been a real whirlwind; so I take real comfort in the fact that once we move in we plan to stay for at least  five to seven years. As one who has moved every two years since arriving in Denver nearly six years ago, I am not sure how I will feel going in to year three. I am willing to risk it though because I really like this home.

The plan when Danny and I renewed our apartment lease last year was to move into a house at the end of it since the idea of planning a wedding and moving freaked me out! If only we had known that in late 2012 the Denver housing market truly shifted back to a seller's market. While I cannot speak from a national perspective, I can assure you that the housing market is strong in Denver. Here are a few highlights (read: stressors) from our search for our first place:

The first house we fell in love with in pictures had a bomb-maker living next door (no joke).

The first house we actually viewed must have had a Photoshop expert as a listing agent because the pictures did not actually represent the house itself. My favorite feature: a garage that was connected to the house, but one still had to go outside to get in the house.

A house in Highlands Ranch (southern suburb) caught our attention to the point that we made an offer even after being locked out by the sellers the first time we tried to view it - which should have been our cue to run screaming... Yet we persevered and managed to go under contract. Despite the poor showing condition of the house (trash everywhere and a deep-fat fryer on the counter were among the highlights), Danny could see the good bones of the house. As a person who does not have this type of vision, I trust him and his abilities to fix things. Thankfully, the deal fell apart for good after the house miserably failed the inspection and the sellers would not do anything to help defray the costs. That home proved to be an expensive lesson, but really did save us a lot of money in the long-run.

Even though we were under contract, no one had any real faith this deal was going to go through based on the interactions with the sellers and their ridiculous agent. So we kept looking, and found a house that was in wonderful condition. Danny and I liked it so much that we offered $7,000 over the list price without any concessions (eg closing costs) - well it ended up going for $15,000 over list price!

Cue the background music as I go through a number of other houses in my head that we looked at while also seriously questioning what our next move should be... We talked about continuing to rent, and I really started to wonder whether this was a sign we should be living somewhere else entirely.

Last weekend, Danny and I agreed we would give the house search a few more days (literally) as our deadline to give notice at the apartment was quickly approaching. Denver got hit with a snowstorm on Saturday, and I was fighting a nasty virus; so we set appointments to view two homes on Sunday. The first was the one we chose, but the second one we saw was also a viable contender. Although there was a funny moment in that house that I call a – “Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” experience," when you enter that house there was a door in the "foyer space" immediately to your left. One would think this would be a coat closet; right? It took me a moment to figure out where Danny and our realtor had gone. I really thought perhaps the door led to Narnia. Nope, it led to the basement... I digress.

Danny and I put in our bid, and hoped for the best. About three hours after the bid was submitted our realtor called to say we were under contract! Danny and I were so stunned we did not know what to think, other than perhaps we overpaid. Honestly we only offered $1,000 over list price, and from experience I can attest to the fact that this is just how quickly the good houses are moving in Denver.

The inspection was done earlier this week. One has not lived through an inspection until you do it with two devout Catholics as the new pope is being announced, just saying... The house passed with flying colors, as we had hoped, since one could tell this home was well cared for - I have come to appreciate people who display a pride of ownership.

The closing will take place sometime in April, and we will be able to move directly from our apartment to the house. Although Danny did offer to move us into temporary housing if needed. Let me just say, he would have been doing that on his own. I love my husband, but sometimes I think he is trying to kill me.

Phew! It is kind of crazy when I spell it all out, especially when I stop to think this whole process has only been about two months long. Two months and a lot of houses. I will never watch HGTV the same way again.

I am excited to begin this next chapter in our married life in a house we picked out together (and actually agreed on!). I assure you that is no small feat!

We will soon be looking for painters if anyone is interested - pizza and beer will be provided. Plus there is a spare bedroom if anyone wants to take a trip to Denver, just think how exciting a painting trip could be! Danny and I are grateful for the love and support we have received through this whole process, with the exception of our dear friend who said we were dead to her if we moved to Highlands Ranch...