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.

Robin and I Are Going On A Weekend Trip!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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