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  • Planes, Trains, and Swimming Pools…

    Planes, Trains, and Swimming Pools…

    …in which I talk about a fantastic Saturday out with the family.

    So, this post is a day late, and if I ever received any money from my single Google Ad over there, it would be a dollar short. Nevertheless, here is my weekly update.

    This past Saturday, the city of Denton offered innumerable activities that laid before us great temptation. The first and foremost of these was the annual Denton Air Show, followed very closely by the inaugural celebrations for the DCTA A-Train, and lastly an invitation to go to the Denton Water Works. With all these choices, we weren’t sure how to make the most of our Saturday, so we started off trying to do just about everything!


  • Father’s Day is Brewing Day

    I’ve been really lazy about home brewing lately. Not only do I have a pretty good stock of beer in the fridge and “on deck,” but I’ve been drinking a lot more mixed drinks lately. I tend to do that in the summer months, I don’t know why. At any rate, I’ve been lax on my duties and made up for it today. I’ve got a couple of beers to report on, and an update on what’s in the kegs right now.


  • My Modular Life…

    My Modular Life…

    …in which I talk about the hot swappable, interchangeable nature of modern world living.

    If my memory of American and industrial history serves me well, it was Colt that developed the first true interchangeable design, wherein every part is fully replaceable. As I look at my life in the 21st century, I can think about how far that concept of fully compatible individual components has come. There is almost nothing in my world around me that can’t be altered, changed, upgraded  (or downgraded) by the simple removal and replacement of key components.

    Of course the more this kind of philosophy integrates with our modern lives, the more I wish there were things in my habitual lifestyle that could be modularly replaced or exchanged.


  • That New Bike Smell…

    …in which I talk about how sometimes good enough just isn’t good enough.

    Even though I may regret it, I am somewhat of a “grass is always greener” kind of person. I know how to be happy with what I have, but I’m always looking at what I could have, instead. A year ago, I bought a new bike. I fretted and waffled over several options and finally settled on the Trek PDX. In all honesty, it was my second choice bike. My first choice bike was the Trek Portland but at nearly $1,100 difference, I couldn’t conceivably go with the Portland. I settled for the PDX as a kind of “builder” with the intent to either adapt to it, or make it adapt to me.


  • As the Years Churn By…

    As the Years Churn By…

    …in which I talk about Memorial Day and the havoc it wreaked on me.

    I’ve never really been a “Party Person.” I’m far from what you would call a heavy drinker. I had my first real drink of alcohol well after my twenty-first birthday. I only drink to excess on rare occasion and even then, only in the company of particular people. As a result, I rarely get sick from drinking – though it has happened – and I’ve with rare occasion, I never get hungover. That being said, I do, on occasion, get silly.


  • Beyond the Black Gate…

    Beyond the Black Gate…

    …in which I talk about writing, gaming, and the new-found service that brings those two together.

    I am not one to choose favorites, whims and moods are far too fickle to pick one thing above all others for all time. But, were I to be forced to pick a favorite pass time, gaming would be in the top three choices. I game often and avidly, I dedicate more time and effort to it that nearly anything else (and probably more than I really should). A part of this obsession may be my deep seated desire to be a writer, but without the dedication to the craft, I’ve never really gotten anywhere with it. You see, writing is something I would much like to do, if not as a profession, than as an artist. The problem is, I don’t have the dedication to myself, or writing in general to maintain it – though this blog is an attempt to make that change.

    But, as I was saying, gaming is my primary creative outlet and it has often filled the void of writing, as it shares a lot with creative writing. And to that effect, I didn’t realize what I had stepped into when I discovered the Obsidian Portal.


  • The Grand Family Summer Swap…

    The Grand Family Summer Swap…

    …in which I talk about the upcoming family gathering and how I think we may need a new strategy.

    We don’t really take a vacation in our house. We travel a fair amount, maybe three times a year, but it’s never really a vacation. We go to visit family for the big holidays, of course, and then once a year, in the summer, either we (Heather, Ansel and I) go up to see my brother and his little family, or they come down to see us. And, since we have the two cousins together for this one week of the year, my parents make a special trip to visit whichever is the hosting house for a few days, as well. It’s a great time and we always love the visit, but it still isn’t truly a vacation.


  • What is Occurring…

    What is Occurring…

    …in which I talk about random stuff because I don’t have a specific topic.

    There’s no way that I’m going to let a simple lack of topic keep me from continuing my streak. I’ve been posting regular now for six weeks, and just because I couldn’t think of something specific to write about, doesn’t mean I’m going to skip a week. On the bike ride home, today, I was wracking my brain searching for a topic, and while I came up with some ideas, none of them had the breadth and magnitude of a full post. Then I remembered my old LiveJournal days, when I would write on several little topics in each post. There’s nothing wrong with that, I say.


  • Fifteen Bags of Gravel, and Counting…

    Fifteen Bags of Gravel, and Counting…

    …in which I talk about landscaping, or at least making the yard look a little better.

    I’m not a person avidly dedicated to yard work, or the outward appearance of my home. Truth be told, I”m not that dedicated to the inward appearance of my home, which is evident in the layers of dust on the computer desk I’m sitting at. Now, to be honest, that dust is pretty new, since the last warm spell we had lined up perfectly with a pollen explosion. At any rate, I do my best to keep the lawn in check, and beyond that, I’m pretty content to let the rest of it all grow wild. But recently, be it the impending family visit, or just a more mature outlook on curb appeal, I’ve gone above and beyond my traditional minimal efforts.


  • Two Beers, In the Keg

    Late Friday night, I set to mixing up two more beers, in preparation for family coming to visit next month.

    My brother specifically requested the Mr. Beer Honey Brown Ale and I had ordered in everything to make it. I also had another Whispering Wheat Weizenbier that I was going to make into my Honey Wheat Meadbeer. I should have taken better stock of my pantry before I started.I sanitized both kegs, planning on doing the to beers immediately back to back. While the kegs were sanitizing, I started prepping for the Honey Brown. I got the hop sack ready and started to measure out the honey. I thought I had more. The Honey Brown calls for a 1½ cups of honey, but I only had a cup. I’d even read a review suggesting that you put as much as 2 cups of honey in. I was already short, and if I was planning on making the meadbeer, I would need at least another cup or two of honey. Rather than scrap it all, I just decided to improvise.


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