Monday, February 25, 2008

We Have Returned!

The trip was a fantastic success. A good time was had by all. Nora and Nigel stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Robinson on Saturday through Sunday morning and into the early afternoon. There were happy meals, playlands, desserts, and fun, fun, fun. Nigel did very well for his first sleepover. Our kidos are growing up.

While all this was going on Robin and I made our way to Ikea in Bolingbrook, IL. We had never been to that particular location, and were a little concerned about how to get there. So, since they are all the rage these days I went out and got a TomTom.



I am sold! Our TomTom did a great job getting us to our destination.

Once inside Robin and I had a blast wandering around checking out the various furniture displays, kitchen & bath ideas, and great storage ideas. Man, those Swedes know how to get the most out of every square inch of space. We went there with the intent of picking up a shelving unit or two, a colender, and to look at kitchen counters and drain board sinks. We came away with this.



We know that the love seat and footstool look nothing like like the afore mentioned items, but we were planning on buying new furniture for this room at some point anyway. We just rearranged our re-modeling priority list.

I will tell you all more about the trip tomorrow.

Cheers.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

And Then My Day Took A Nixon.....

For all you Kinky Friedman readers out there you know what I mean. I had it all planned out. The work day was going to start early, 5 a.m. instead of 6, so I would have the opportunity to leave a bit early. I was going to use that early exit to go to my parents house to pick up my new racking cane, and finish the day off with a good yoga session.

What is the saying..."The best laid plans of mice and men"...blah, blah, blah.

The reason for me being at work early did not play out, my boss was in a cranky mood, work just kept pilling up (no early exit), the racking crane was no where to be found, and I got home late. With all this adding together I decided I did not want to scramble to get to yoga. Now mind you I am a bit sore from other exercises and could benefit from a good stretching, not to mention yoga's decompression attributes. Why then did I decide not to go to the one thing that could have helped?

Because while in Morton I picked up a August Schell Brewery sampler pack. I am going to unwind with a nice caramel bock, Robin, Nora and Nigel. Beat that yoga!

Cheers!

P.S. Do not forget to vote for your name!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Has this ever happened to you?

Or am I the only one? A few days ago I noticed that my tongue had a sore spot on the left side. The logical assumption was that I bit it and it would be sore for a day or so and then all would be well. That was not the case. Today was day three and the pain was actually worse. While brushing my teeth at work, (they ridicule me for that as well) I noticed a black spec on my tongue. After closer examination I came to the realization that it was a splinter. Yes, you read correctly, a splinter in my tongue. Seriously, who gets a splinter in their tongue?
I am waiting....
Who gets a splinter in their tongue?
I plucked the little sucker out and low and behold, no pain.

Big news. Nora had her very first piano lesson with Grandma Karen today, and she loved it!

Well, that is all for today. I have to get to bed early today as I have to be in work by 5 a.m. tomorrow.

Cheers.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Random Thoughts

The following is a collection of my thoughts. Things that have been bouncing around in my head for a bit now. I cannot promise that they will be coherent, related or connected in the least. My only hope is that you find them slightly entertaining.

The people at work ridicule me for the following habits:
Eating healthy food brought from home.
Exercising; lifting weights, riding a bike and doing yoga.
Saving money vs. purchasing new cars and flat screen t.v.'s.
Doing more than asked while at work.
I am soooo flawed.

I like the word jackassery.

Has anyone noticed the amount a debauchery on t.v. these days? For example, Fox's "The Moment of Truth".

Watching the bubbles in my air lock makes me happy.

Three year olds get frustrated to the point of tears by the simplest of things. Then when they accomplish the task, they are thrilled to the highest level.

Flat screen, tube t.v.'s weigh a lot!

Professional and collegiate sports has become a microcosm of society. The behavior of the coaches, players, etc. involved is like that of a child who has been raised by throwing money at him/her instead of with attention and love. Spoiled, out of control and not respectful of others. A culture change is in need.

Sandwiches are my favorite food.

Chuck Norris owns the greatest Poker Face of all-time. It helped him win the 1983 World Series of Poker despite him holding just a Joker, a Get out of Jail Free Monopoly card, a 2 of clubs, 7 of spades and a green #4 card from the game Uno.

Cheers

P.S. Do not forget to vote.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

BUBBLES!!!

This morning I was greeted by the spectacular sight of bubbles in the air lock of my primary fermenter. What does that mean you might ask? Well let me tell ya. It means the magical and mystical process of fermentation has begun. Yeast cells are consuming the sugars in my newly brewed stout, and in turn, excreting glorious alcohol and carbon dioxide. A what a wonderful way to start the day. What could possibly top that?



Why bottling my red ale, of course. After church Nora and I worked together to transfer my ale from my secondary fermenter into my bottling bucket. After which she assisted me by lining up the bottles for me to fill and then placing the caps on top for me to seal. The family that brews together stays together. That is the age old saying, right?

We now have a few new highly anticipated dates.
February 24th: Secondary ferment stout
March 9th: Bottle stout; DRINK RED ALE!!!

If I had done a better job of planning I would have had my Stout ready for Kiernan's Birthday (St. Patrick's Day), but i am just happy my beer-a-thon weekend has been a success. What a great hobby.

Speaking of hobbies...my Mom needs one. Apparently she was kept awake last night by this thought:
You know the diced hard boiled eggs on the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday? Well do they make them at the restaurant themselves, or do they buy them in bags already boiled? Hey Mom, wanna learn to brew?

Cheers

P.S. Do not forget to vote for your name o' faithful readers.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Satur...oops, I Mean Beerday

So far Beerday has been a great success. Today I brewed my Irish Stout. It smelled fantastic. Waiting the next month or so to drink it is going to be tough. Fortunately I have my buddy Sam Adams to help get me through. In fact, he chipped in today as I was brewing with a Black Lager. What a guy! Tomorrow will be the climax of my beer-a-thon weekend with the bottling of my Red Ale.

I have some relatively disturbing news to follow. If you have not yet eaten, I suggest you read no further. Yesterday at work, I cleaned the employee refrigerator. I almost feel like I should not recount the story as mere words cannot do the carnage I witnessed justice. Man I wish I had had my digital camera with me. It all started with a kielbasa. I opened the fridge to find a 9" kielbasa, out of its wrapper, and lying on the dirty shelf. The only thing protecting the smoked sausage from dried katchup, 5-6 different soda spills, sweet and sour sauce, pickle relish, and various other former foods, was a 3" tall paper cup. Now before you judge me for using this very same fridge in this condition, I only use it to hold my sealed lunch cooler. As I said, the sight of the kielbasa was more than I could handle. I scrubbed that beast from top to bottom. There were sights and smells in there I shall not soon forget.

Keep the positive thoughts flowing for my brew.

Cheers

Friday, February 15, 2008

Update

Fear not, for now I have beer!

Beer-a-thon

If all goes well this shall be forever known as the weekend of beer. My plan is to brew my Irish stout on Saturday and bottle my Red ale on Sunday. It is kind of a big deal for me as I have never had two batches going so close together. I am still a bit of an amateur. Additionally I have two wild cards named Nora and Nigel that usually add a bit of excitement to the process. Keep your fingers crossed. Something has just occurred to me. For a guy who brews his own beer, I am shockingly low on said product. Once bottled, my brew will not be ready for two or three more weeks. Oh the torture. It is true what they say, you always want what you cannot have.

The voting is under way for my readers name. If you have not made a choice, do not worry, you have plenty of time. The voting is not nearly as heavy as the great beard debate. You all were more concerned about the future of my face than your own names. I am touched.

Have a great weekend.

Cheers.

Valentine's Day

I meant to post this yesterday, but yoga got the best of me. So, we are going to pretend that it is still February the 14th. OK. Besides, no one is up at 4:00 am to argue with me anyway.

Here is a Valentine's Day hug from me to my faithful readers.



Nora had her first Valentine's Day party at school. Many valentines were exchanged and much candy was consumed. Prior to the big day Nora and I decorated her Valentine's mail box. A shoe box with red and pink paper, and tons of hearts drawn, colored, cut out, and pasted on by Nora. It was awesome. An other first. Nora has her first boyfriend, Thomas. He gave her a hand made card, the day before. It said, "I love Nora. Happy Valentine's Day. Love Thomas". When I told her she had a boyfriend, she said "ewww, No!" Made her Daddy proud.

Big weekend up coming. I am bottling my Red ale, and possibly brewing an Irish stout.

Cheers

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Name Yourselves

The time has come for a decision to be made. I have had some good responses to my call to name my readers, not many, but good none the less. Thanks to Andrew and my Mother-in-law Karen. After careful consideration and brainstorming with Robin, I have come up with a list from which to choose. Make sure you make your voices heard and click the poll to the right.

Cheers

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Come On People!

So far the grand total of nickname suggestions for my readers is up to...Zero! You all are a creative bunch. What gives? It is getting a bit awkward not knowing what to call you. I cannot go through life staring at you until we make eye contact. A name is needed.

Have you all heard of the new super hero, Captain Flamingo?



'Nuff said.

It has been a pretty quiet day around here, and that is just fine. You need days like this every now and again.

Quote of the day...

Just because you know how to act stupid does not mean you have to.

Cheers

Monday, February 11, 2008

Changes

I made a few alterations to the blog. What do you think? Hopefully it is a bit easier on the eyes while reading. A black background and white print tends to wreak havoc on the ole peepers. I also have added a link to the 1925 Pottsville Maroons. They were one of the early NFL teams and have a pretty interesting story. I have been following it for a couple of years now and thought I would share it with you. Enjoy.

I am proud to report that there were no coffee issues this morning. I was able to transport and drink my cup in its entirety.

However, there were other issues. I could not seem to figure out the date. I had moments when I thought it was 2009. Other times during which I thought we had not yet made it to the middle of January. This causes a bit of a problem when a key part of your day involves tracking use by dates for food. Worry not, I made it through the day.

I have a new assignment for you. We need a nick name for my readers. Something catchy that I can call you. I will take your ideas and then put the up for a vote in a poll.

Word of the day...

My very own word, see blog entry from Friday the 8th.

non-truth-a-tude, adj. Contrary to fact or truth...a falsity.

Cheers.

Friday, February 8, 2008

The Best Part Of Waking Up....

...Is Folgers in your cup. However, due to the morning I had, I was not able to enjoy that little morning ritual. On my the out of the house to my truck, my thermal mug filled to the brim with hot, delicious java, jumped out of my hand. It then crashed to the floor of our breezway, spilling its contents all over. No Worries, I padded time into my departure (see yesterdays entry for driving adventures), and had plenty of time to stop off for a cup o' joe.

I set off for work eagerly anticipating the giant cup of coffee I was going to purchase. I pulled into the local FastStop, a gourmet coffee heaven, and rushed to the coffee counter. Since I was understandably traumatized from the earlier spill I decided to treat myself with a flavored coffee. That's right, I poured not one, but two little green tubs of Irish Cream creamer into my 20 oz insulated paper cup. Pleasantries and monies were exchanged with the cashier, and I was on my way. The day was saved, or so I thought.

While carrying my cup in my right hand I pushed the door open with my left. Without warning the door snapped back, struck my right elbow, and sent my newly purchased coffee plummeting to the sidewalk. At this point I figured I might as well cash it in and go home. Nothing good could come of this day. Then fate smiled on me. The cashier witnessed the tragedy that had befallen me, and invited me back in for a cup on him. I thanked him profusely and relayed my previous misadventure to him. He was shocked that I was holding up as well as I was. In order to avoid further mishaps, he opened and held the door for me on the way out.

Man I love coffee.

I would like to say the remainder of the day went without incident, but that would be a non-truth-a-tude. I will not bore you with the details as it has to do with chicken, cheese, fuel hoses and annoying customer service reps. I will tell you that the day has a happy ending. Bonus overtime, two cute kids and a lovely wife at home, plus a variety pack.

"Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy", Ben Franklin.

Thanks to all my readers who have left me some comments. It is great to get the feed back.
Andrew, I am glad you get as much humor out of "crazy poop" as I do.
Dad and Karen, thanks for thinking I am nice and being proud of me.
As for Anonymous...how dare you crack on my beloved Samuel Adams in favor of Miller Lite. Why drink water when you can have flavor. I will forgive you however, as you are open to trying my homebrew.

That's all for tonight. A tall, frosty Honey Porter is calling my name.

Cheers!

Superman owns a pair of Chuck Norris pajamas.

P.S. Keep those comments coming

Great Googly Moogly

That is all I have to say about yoga tonight. They had me stretched, pulled and contorted in all kinds of positions. I am in a beginners class as I am not very flexible, but I am the most physically fit in the class so the instructor pushes me a bit more. Ouch!

I had an uneventful drive home from work tonight. Two out of four isn't bad, right? Monday we had thick fog that allowed 20 ft of visibility. There was a T-bone accident at an intersection that flipped a SUV on its side. The road ended up closed for a period of time. Fortunately I had already got past that point. Wednesday brought another snow storm and icy roads. A pick-up spun out in front of me and was hit by the car following behind it. I made it around that one as well. I am looking forward to a calm drive home on Friday.

After yoga I went up to the local liquor store and was starred down by a Sam Adams variety pack. I have no ability to pass by a variety pack. Plus, Sam Adams bottles are great for my home brew. So it's really more of an investment purchase, right? Well an Irish Red is calling my name...gotta continue the relaxing portion of my yoga!

Cheers

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Snow

It came back with a vengeance. I am unlike most people in this part of the country as I was very happy to see it return. However, I could have done without the two day melt we had in between. It has created a big mess, not to mention the demise of our snowman. Oh the humanity!

In other snow related news, I heard one of those statements that conjures up memories of that horse and a year in college. A girl in the office was checking out the weather report, and commented on the flood warning we were under. The statement..."How are we under a flood warning? It's snowing, not raining!" I politely reminded her that snow was rain in a solid state, and will still raise the river level.

Speaking of being polite, it turns out fatherhood has made me into a gentler, kinder version of me. I was always quick with a biting sarcastic comment. Now, I actually avoid them and try to find something nice to say. When people gather around the water cooler to make fun of and/or bring others down, I walk away. I must admit that this new behavior has shocked me at times, but I like it. I am a great guy! Just ask me. Hey, I never said I was not still conceited, no...confident.

I am now giving you, the readers of No Worries, a homework assignment. Once you complete this reading, scroll to the bottom of this blog, click on the comments link, enter some nice words about me (or my family), choose your identity, (blogger/google if you have one, or anonymous), and then hit publish your comment. It is that easy.

Word of the day...

soporose (SOP-uh-ros) adjective
Sleepy; in an unusually deep sleep.

Time to sign off...anyone to join me in a martini?
I have garlic stuffed olives that have marinated in chardonnay.

Cheers

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

I'm Back!

First things first...

Nora is 6 today!!!!
The big bash is on Saturday. Tonight was just a quiet night with the four of us. Nora was very happy with the gifts from us and Grandma Karen and Branta (Robin's parents). We got her clothes and an Our Generation doll. Grandma Karen and Branta got her an art set. Currently she is busy creating masterpieces.

Speaking of masterpieces, check this out...

The real life image




Nora's rendition




Pretty darn cool if you ask me.

Last week we got a good amount of snow. Nora and Nigel were very excited, and Nora even had a snow day. All this generated the need to build a snowman. We had several aborted attempts thoughout the week and finally succeeded on Saturday.




A big thank you goes out to my No Worries faithful for being so patient during my time off. I was starting to complain a bit too much for my liking about work and and the work ethic of "kids today". This is the No Worries blog. Complaints are too close to being worries, so therefore, no more complaints in the No Worries blog.