The Beer: Will be my calorie intake for the next 24 hours. I'm having "a procedure", one that most over 50 should get, and it requires that I eat no solid food until after. No need to get more graphic than that, but let's just say I'm going to be on camera.
I tested the Red yesterday and it's pretty good. We'll see how it goes with a little age. I plan on starting a Belgian Wit today, after I help my neighbor cut up a tree that came down in yesterdays' storm.
The Bicycle: Has to wait for Tuesday. No sense in revving my metabolism if I can't eat.
The VRWC: I'm what you might call "an ethanol hater". I've always considered ethanol from corn as a fuel substitute to be a bad idea. Energy-wise, it's a wash at best and it uses an awful lot of water just to make a gallon of fuel (I think it's about 400 gallons). It takes food out of the system and starves third-world children. And it burns less effficiently than gasoline (fewer BTU per gallon).
Now I'm seeing this, courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce (DCOMM). It's a quick, easy read. Conclusion? Problems with ethanol will make MTBE look like a good idea.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The Anointed One
Edit: After writing, I found this exceptional piece at Neoneocon. Stop by and read it.
The Beer: I'll be bottling the Irish Red today. The Pale Ale is a big hit. Guess the secret ingredient and I can provide a little more. I'm hoping the price of hops comes down a little so I can brew another batch. The Cherry Wheat has been mostly well received, but some don't care for it. That's ok. I don't brew for everyone. Only those with good taste. ;-)
The Bicycle: I thought going north and west was a good idea yesterday. It means I'd have the wind at my back on the way home. Yeah...no. I found my self due west of Big Cedar Lake. Now, I could have gone south and picked up Pleasant Valley Road in about 1 mile and been home in about an hour and some change. Maybe even made the run over to Port and back home along the Lake. But noooooo...I decided it would be a good idea to head north and pick up 33 over to West Bend and head south from Newburg. It turned out to be 66.5 miles and almost 4 hours in the saddle. Not all that bad except I was unprepared for that distance. Didn't bring enough food and needed more "sports drink" to maintain my electrolytes. I started to cramp up in the shower. Made it to the bed and had my wife bring me a glass of orange juice. Within minutes, the cramping was gone. Just needed a little potassium. A little lunch and a short nap and I was good-to-go. No ride today. It was raining when I got up and now yardwork calls. My faithful steed awaits tomorrow.
The VRWC: Is it just me? Or has the election already happened? It seems Senator Obama has already been anointed as the next President. And for the record, he's running against Senator McCain, not President Bush. Though you'd never know that from the media or the Obama campaign.
A quick Google Search shows twice as many hits for Obama as McCain. Does it mean anything? I don't know. Draw your own conclusions.
I'm giving serious consideration to voting 3rd Party or Write-In this year. Neither candidate is in my best interest. Neither has a (realistic) energy policy. Both plan to tax us to death in support of the Global Warming Hoax....which, incidentally will go down in history as the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the World. Neither has a viable plan to fix (preferably eliminate) the Social Security System that steals from our (arguably less well-off) children to fund our retirement at a golf resort. If you haven't adequately planned for retirement, keep working. Neither has a viable plan for securing the border. The only upside to McCain is his grasp of National Security. There are "bad guys" out there and they don't want to "talk".
I wonder how long the Democrats can make, "It's Bush's fault", the answer to problem.
I see Obama has decided public financing isn't such a great idea. This guy is slicker than Clinton ever thought of being. But since the public and media have no critical thinking skills and certainly not even a rudimentary understanding of economics, he'll continue to be "The Anointed One".
The Beer: I'll be bottling the Irish Red today. The Pale Ale is a big hit. Guess the secret ingredient and I can provide a little more. I'm hoping the price of hops comes down a little so I can brew another batch. The Cherry Wheat has been mostly well received, but some don't care for it. That's ok. I don't brew for everyone. Only those with good taste. ;-)
The Bicycle: I thought going north and west was a good idea yesterday. It means I'd have the wind at my back on the way home. Yeah...no. I found my self due west of Big Cedar Lake. Now, I could have gone south and picked up Pleasant Valley Road in about 1 mile and been home in about an hour and some change. Maybe even made the run over to Port and back home along the Lake. But noooooo...I decided it would be a good idea to head north and pick up 33 over to West Bend and head south from Newburg. It turned out to be 66.5 miles and almost 4 hours in the saddle. Not all that bad except I was unprepared for that distance. Didn't bring enough food and needed more "sports drink" to maintain my electrolytes. I started to cramp up in the shower. Made it to the bed and had my wife bring me a glass of orange juice. Within minutes, the cramping was gone. Just needed a little potassium. A little lunch and a short nap and I was good-to-go. No ride today. It was raining when I got up and now yardwork calls. My faithful steed awaits tomorrow.
The VRWC: Is it just me? Or has the election already happened? It seems Senator Obama has already been anointed as the next President. And for the record, he's running against Senator McCain, not President Bush. Though you'd never know that from the media or the Obama campaign.
A quick Google Search shows twice as many hits for Obama as McCain. Does it mean anything? I don't know. Draw your own conclusions.
I'm giving serious consideration to voting 3rd Party or Write-In this year. Neither candidate is in my best interest. Neither has a (realistic) energy policy. Both plan to tax us to death in support of the Global Warming Hoax....which, incidentally will go down in history as the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the World. Neither has a viable plan to fix (preferably eliminate) the Social Security System that steals from our (arguably less well-off) children to fund our retirement at a golf resort. If you haven't adequately planned for retirement, keep working. Neither has a viable plan for securing the border. The only upside to McCain is his grasp of National Security. There are "bad guys" out there and they don't want to "talk".
I wonder how long the Democrats can make, "It's Bush's fault", the answer to problem.
I see Obama has decided public financing isn't such a great idea. This guy is slicker than Clinton ever thought of being. But since the public and media have no critical thinking skills and certainly not even a rudimentary understanding of economics, he'll continue to be "The Anointed One".
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
What?
The Beer: The Irish Red is ready to bottle. My protege provided me with an IPA that was quite good. Advice: Don't drink while staining the deck.
The Bicycle: All cleaned up and ready to go. Made it all pretty, but don't have time to ride until this weekend.
The VRWC: Why is the United States the only country that has legislation in place that makes it illegal to access vast quantities of petroleum? The argument seeems to be that it will take 5-10 years before we see any of it. How long will it be if we don't drill? And at the same time, the same people are telling us that "new technologies" may only be 5-10 years away. Does anyone else reach a cognitive dissonance over that?
The Bicycle: All cleaned up and ready to go. Made it all pretty, but don't have time to ride until this weekend.
The VRWC: Why is the United States the only country that has legislation in place that makes it illegal to access vast quantities of petroleum? The argument seeems to be that it will take 5-10 years before we see any of it. How long will it be if we don't drill? And at the same time, the same people are telling us that "new technologies" may only be 5-10 years away. Does anyone else reach a cognitive dissonance over that?
Saturday, June 14, 2008
0430 is Too Early to Ride
The Beer: An Irish Red awaits bottling.
The Bicycle: Woke up Wednesday morning at about 4 am. As it started to brighten up around 430, I thought, " I can get a ride in today if I go now". Since we had plans with my brother and his wife, I wasn't going top get a ride in later anyway. Get out, get back, get showered and dressed and off to work. I did't count on the flood detours....or how I'd feel at work. But I'll probably do it again. We're almost to the solstice, so it's plenty light.
The VRWC: Tim Russert is gone. As big a pain in the @$$ as he could be to Republicans, he was often that way toward Democrats as well. No dancing on his grave. He was a good man.
The Bicycle: Woke up Wednesday morning at about 4 am. As it started to brighten up around 430, I thought, " I can get a ride in today if I go now". Since we had plans with my brother and his wife, I wasn't going top get a ride in later anyway. Get out, get back, get showered and dressed and off to work. I did't count on the flood detours....or how I'd feel at work. But I'll probably do it again. We're almost to the solstice, so it's plenty light.
The VRWC: Tim Russert is gone. As big a pain in the @$$ as he could be to Republicans, he was often that way toward Democrats as well. No dancing on his grave. He was a good man.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Rain, Rain, Go Away
The Beer: I brewed up a nice Irish Red Friday night. It's in the fermenter. As always, I'm expecting a good batch. The Cherry Wheat has gone over very well. I'm expecting good reviews on the Pale Ale as well. I had a pretty good giveaway last week. I brew because I enjoy the process, but I can't drink it all, so I give a good bit of it away or barter it (beer-for-deer).
The Bicycle: Short ride Friday and a 40-miler early yesterday before it rained. It rained something terrible here. We were napping when we heard the sirens. Off to the basement. A few minutes into the heavy rain, we heard something that sounded like water running....hard. Water had flooded out a window-well (those of you here in WI know what I'm talking about) and it was pouring in. Fortunately, it headed right for the floor drain, with little damage. The problem was "helicopters"....you know....those little seeds from the trees that twirl down. They had clogged the downspout and it blew off right at the window well and the water dumped right there from the roof. Helicopters just started falling Friday and I haven't been able to clean them up with the lousy weather. More today. Glad I got the ride, mowing and weeding in before noon yesterday. Cue the sump pump.
The VRWC: Hillary's out, Barak is in. Hillary claims to be in Barak's corner, but I guarantee that her minions are out to undermine his campaign. If he wins, she can't run until 2016. She'll be too old. Window's closing on her ambitions quickly. The only thing to save her now is the Reezko scandal. If the MSM will move it farther up than page 40 of section ZZZZ.
McCain in a landslide. I'm holding my nose and pulling the lever.
The Bicycle: Short ride Friday and a 40-miler early yesterday before it rained. It rained something terrible here. We were napping when we heard the sirens. Off to the basement. A few minutes into the heavy rain, we heard something that sounded like water running....hard. Water had flooded out a window-well (those of you here in WI know what I'm talking about) and it was pouring in. Fortunately, it headed right for the floor drain, with little damage. The problem was "helicopters"....you know....those little seeds from the trees that twirl down. They had clogged the downspout and it blew off right at the window well and the water dumped right there from the roof. Helicopters just started falling Friday and I haven't been able to clean them up with the lousy weather. More today. Glad I got the ride, mowing and weeding in before noon yesterday. Cue the sump pump.
The VRWC: Hillary's out, Barak is in. Hillary claims to be in Barak's corner, but I guarantee that her minions are out to undermine his campaign. If he wins, she can't run until 2016. She'll be too old. Window's closing on her ambitions quickly. The only thing to save her now is the Reezko scandal. If the MSM will move it farther up than page 40 of section ZZZZ.
McCain in a landslide. I'm holding my nose and pulling the lever.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Murphy's Law
The Beer: The Pale Ale is now bottled and should be ready to drink in a couple weeks (I cheat and try it sooner....quality control and all that). On deck: Irish Red
The Bicycle: A beautiful day for a ride in the greater Milwaukee area. North and west, then over to the lake (where it's much cooler) and south to home. This makes the winter (but not the taxes) easier to bear.
The VRWC: When the coronation of Hillary appeared to be a done deal, Michigan and Florida did not really seem to be much of a big deal. Punish them for making a "choice" (catch the reference here - no one should be punished for a choice in Lefty-world), but it won't affect the outcome.
Yeah...not so much. The worst possible decision was made here. Seat all the delegates, but give them all 1/2 vote? In the usual Lefty effort to make everyone happy, no one is. This is more fun than I could have expected. Regardless of how the general election comes out, we have been treated to a display of Lefty-ism that is better than any TV comedy.
What's wrong with this picture: I saw a car yeasterday with two bumper stickers, one saying, "I Support Fiscally Responsible, Non-Invasive Government" and the other saying, "Healthcare for All". Seems to me those are mutually exclusive goals. Or maybe I'm just....not a Lefty?
The Bicycle: A beautiful day for a ride in the greater Milwaukee area. North and west, then over to the lake (where it's much cooler) and south to home. This makes the winter (but not the taxes) easier to bear.
The VRWC: When the coronation of Hillary appeared to be a done deal, Michigan and Florida did not really seem to be much of a big deal. Punish them for making a "choice" (catch the reference here - no one should be punished for a choice in Lefty-world), but it won't affect the outcome.
Yeah...not so much. The worst possible decision was made here. Seat all the delegates, but give them all 1/2 vote? In the usual Lefty effort to make everyone happy, no one is. This is more fun than I could have expected. Regardless of how the general election comes out, we have been treated to a display of Lefty-ism that is better than any TV comedy.
What's wrong with this picture: I saw a car yeasterday with two bumper stickers, one saying, "I Support Fiscally Responsible, Non-Invasive Government" and the other saying, "Healthcare for All". Seems to me those are mutually exclusive goals. Or maybe I'm just....not a Lefty?
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