BrewBlog

Warning Label

Warning labels are often silly and can sometimes make you think about the dumb things people do.  I recently discovered a warning label in my garage I thought I would share.  The label is on the inside cover of a storage container I use to store my fertilizer and potting soil.  It's not especially absurd or anything but the picture on it made me chuckle, even though it is a little sad.   This warning lable is likely targeted at siblings that want to stuff their little brother or sister somewhere. 

Would you please just mow the damn lawn

Our neighbor next door tends to let his front yard go many weeks without mowing.  Now admittedly, I slack a little and by no means have near the best lawn on the street.  But my neighbor's lawn is the worst on the street and it looks really bad.  Not only is it overgrown, which is no big deal, but it has lots of weeds because they never tend to their weeds.  So an overgrown lawn with lots of weeds makes the front look like hell.  Why can't they just take care of their yard?  Then when my other next door neighbor moved suddenly, their lawn and weeds got out of control as well.  Just our luck.  Arguably the two worst front yards on either side of us.  Fortunately a landscaping service has been tending to the vacant house now so at least only one side looks bad now.  Am I whining too much here?  I just expect a little pride.

Tom Jones would kick that guy's ass

We watched the American Idol finale last night.  Don't hate me for watching, it's just a television show.  What stood out for me, other than that the right person won, was that mouse boy (a.k.a.  Kevin Covais) did a little bit of "What's New Pussycat?".  I'm not a fan of mouse boy; he's been annoying and difficult to watch (thank God for Tivo).  For him to do a song that I know of through Tom Jones made him more annoying.  I was hoping Tom Jones would have come out and kicked his ass in from of millions.  He could incorporate his famous dance moves from "Delilah" while laying the smack down.  Mouse boy would lose his glasses and the crowd would explode.  South Wales would be proud!  Now that would be huge ratings!!

Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat

Grandaddy is one of my favorite bands and I was so looking forward to this.  Not at all surprising to me, this is a very good CD.  Their unique sound drew me in a few years ago and since then, I've grown to appreciate Grandaddy a great deal.  Jason Lytle is the front man and is by far the biggest influence.  Really, it's his band.  The fuzzy guitar, synth and drums seem simple in their respective parts but blend together very well, forming their unique sound.  It's very moody too, often times quite a downer but their music makes me feel good anyway.  First glance at lyrics look a bit silly at times but the vocals and tone work very well with them and I've found that it's easy to get sucked in. 

There is good news and bad news with "Fambly Cat".  The good news is that it's a very good CD.  the bad news is that this will be there last.  Grandaddy called it quits prior to the completion of "Fambly Cat".  I was worried that it would never come out but was happy it did and even happier that it's so good.  It's too bad when a favorite throws in a towel or goes off to do something else or whatever.  From what I understand, Jason Lytle moved out (or is moving) out of Modesto to go south.  He's got a lot of talent and I'll be looking for music from whatever his new project is. 

Great Cook

My wife is a great cook.  Cooking is one of the many qualities that I love about Allison.  My appreciation is mostly twofold.  First, I get to enjoy a very good and healthy meal ever night.  Cooking healthy and having it taste good is not easy and I definitely need the healthy aspect and much appreciate the variety of good flavors.  Second, I suck at cooking.  Sure, I can grill like any man.  But in the kitchen, I'm pretty bad.  Prior to sharing meals with Allison my M.O. was always figuring out what I could wrap in a tortilla or what I could prepare with as few steps as possible.  Getting something out of the refrigerator is a step.  Opening the package is another step.  That's almost two steps too many for me. 

I'm always amazed at what she can whip up!  Cooking isn't just about following instructions either because Allison can make big substitutions to either make it taste better, make it healthier or else replace an ingredient we don't have.  It's amazing to me.  This is a picture I took of a salad she "threw together" (notice the vitamins on my TV tray).  We keep the camera handy in case the cat or baby do something adorable (or sometimes stupid in the case of the cat) and I felt compelled to photograph the salad so I would remember to blog about Allison's cooking.  I always try to remember to thank her after each meal too because it isn't easy cooking and so much goes into it.

We make a lot of cereal here!!!!

Just a quick comment on what I must consider my personal most disliked commercial...ever.  It's that Honey Bunches of Oats commercial where that stupid lady with a ridiculous looking shower cap on her head is shouting and for no good reason.  It's her voice, the look on her face, everything.  It bugs the crap out of me.  "We make a lot of cereal here", she screams at me while I'm trying to relax in my living room.  Allison has to listen to me complain whenever that lady invades my television.

Ok, that's documented, so I feel better.

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam

Finally, Pearl Jam has brought it.  For the first time since "No Code", Pearl Jam has a release that I really like.  I was beginning to think they were finished since several previous efforts were fairly weak, in my opinion.  Now, big time Pearl Jam fans can probably find plenty to like about everything they do, which I can understand but I've been pretty critical of them in recent years.  Anyway, this S/T release rocks.  Pearl Jam has the elements of a good band and their sound seems to have been revived this time around.  I've only listened to it four or five times thus far and I am enjoying it more with each listen, as I would hope and expect.  The greater presence of up tempo songs appeals to me.  The drums, guitar and vocals are all solid.  It remains to be seen how this CD will wear after a while but the good news is that I want to listen to it more.  So, I'd say to definitely get it if you like or liked Pearl Jam but are weary of new material.  I don't think you'd be disappointed with this one.  One complaint I have, and it's a small one, is that I very much tire of Bush bashing and dominant political themes.  It is their freedom and choice to write about whatever they want but it's a turn off for me.  Fortunately, it's easy for me to ignore. 

Baby Time

Jackson and I have been hanging out together for over two weeks now.  I opted for "bonding leave" to spend time with him.  I'm grateful for the opportunity and benefit to quit working for a while so I can really focus on getting to know my baby.  At first, the appeal of not working and staying home was a big part of the attraction.  And even though being away from work is really nice, the real benefit is being home with Jackson. 

First off, being away from work and being home may seem like a vacation and let me tell you, it's not a vacation at all.  In fact it's hard work.  I'd even go as far as to say in a lot of ways it's harder than going to work.  Many of you reading this (assuming anyone is reading) may already know this and are chuckling at my realization.  I knew it was hard because Allison did it for months prior to my tour of duty beginning.  But, it's hard to fully fathom until you're actually doing it.  Don't get me wrong, purging my brain of all the nonsense that happens at work is very refreshing.  It is just that taking care of a baby, while being simple in all reality, takes a lot of energy and patience.  I would say it's not for everybody even though everyone I know would happily take some time off work. 

The bigger lesson though, isn't so much how difficult it is, but how great it is too.  I'm so glad I made  the decision to take this time.  I was very nervous about and I'll admit that I had second thoughts after the first week.  But, now that I'm gaining experience and Jackson is used to the change, I'm becoming a pro.  Yeah, it's still difficult, but there is so much more intrinsic value in taking care of your baby than with working.  Some may disagree but for me, it's a no brainer.  He pushes me and together we are developing a relationship that is certainly closer than if I had not taken this time.  I'm truly convinced that this will make us closer and I wholeheartedly recommend it for any dad.  Unfortunately, not everyone can do it, but those that can and have would likely attest to some of what I've expressed.  I still have another month to go and I'm looking forward to it more than ever now that my initiation is over.  Jackson is a good baby and I'm a proud papa. 

100 Posts!

I hit my 100th post with this post.  It's sort of cheating since this is only a post to celebrate getting to 100 posts.  I really like blogging.  I like the freedom to write about whatever and have it not matter at all.  It's not for work or school, just writing for fun.  It doesn't matter if it sucks either.  The lack of responsibility with blogging is appealing too, even if the control freak  inside wants to do this or that.  Initially, I did stress over how often I posted, the content, etc.  But it just doesn't matter. 

My posts have slowed down recently because I'm staying home with my baby boy for seven weeks.  Being home with Jackson means my attention is on him and everything else lowers in priority.  We're so busy just getting through each day's responsibility that it's hard to find the time.  Once I get back to a routine that allows it, I'll be able to blog more.  I'm two weeks in to my leave from work and I'm managing about a post a week.  I'm hoping to do better but either way, my blog is there waiting for me to write.   Everyone should blog! 

Eagles of Death Metal - Death by Sexy

So much new music to absorb and attempt to review!  My reviews are already short and they are going to get shorter, starting with this one.  Eagles of Death Metal is a fun band with catchy cool tunes that you will enjoy.  At the same time, it's not amazing or anything.  I will say, this band has a unique sound when soooooo much music today  is blah, formula, and seemingly stamped out.  Death by Sexy is fun.  They have several special guests I was intrigued by but they didn't really stand out to me and I didn't notice during the first listen.  Like their debut, their new one will get your feet tapping and will make you want to party...or something.  Bottom line, and I overuse this statement, if you liked their first one, you will like this one as well.