I Called In Sick Today

[YonYonson 156]

i have a doctorate and no one wants to hire me. suck on that loser.

[JubilantLankyLad 1,957]

I think I'm in the market for a new motherboard and graphics card. Hopefully I don't have to spend more than 300, but I'll probably spend at least 4, especially if I decide to get a new chip. I have an i7, but it's several years old and the new ones are out now.

You should get a Mac.

 

Seriously, though - what do you need better than an "old" i7 for? Are you doing earring CADCAM work or something? Surely with all those kids and praying you don't have time for video games.

[Napa Lite 3,278]

I'm going to break something. These inefficiencies and terrible practices I've been railing about for months and trying to come up with solutions for are now starting to make me look bad. Muther bleep. Been an awful day as it was and now this is just piling on. Bleep.

[YonYonson 156]

I'm going to break something. These inefficiencies and terrible practices I've been railing about for months and trying to come up with solutions for are now starting to make me look bad. Muther bleep. Been an awful day as it was and now this is just piling on. Bleep.

 

[DJ Vu 176]

[YonYonson 156]

goddammit thats perfect

[Theraflu 1,035]

My latest in beer ramblings. Ignore at your convenience, you BL 'num fags.

 

With an off day scheduled for the working force of America on Monday, we were able to comfortably delve into whatever delightful drinks we could scrounge up, ABV's be damned. The end of summer has brought on the fall-style beers, and with it, a personal decree from us: No more than one pumpkin beer a week. This shouldn't be too difficult to live by, since neither Brad nor I particularly like pumpkin beers, especially the Shipyard-style ones that are extra sweet and extra terrible. Still, in our quest to try as many different beers as possible, and with breweries eagerness to pump (heh) out seasonal beers that sell, it goes against our nature to avoid the genre completely. So we dove into the first pumpkin beer of the year, as well as a bunch of hop-tastic IPA's that, while not new, were a wonderful reminder of what got us into the beer-tryin' business to begin with.

Harpoon's 100 barrel series has been pretty hit or miss in the iterations I've tried. Their black IPA was one of the first we tried, and was really tasty; the Catamount maple wheat one of the five worst beers I've tried. The new offering is a White IPA, an IPA mixed with a belgian witbier. It poured a golden yellow with a lot of head that dissipated slowly. The smell was a cross between the two styles, with the hops not as strong as most of Harpoon's other IPA's, and a nice soft fruity smell in there too. The ABV is a manageable 6.2%, and the taste has little-to-no alcohol flavor. There are a couple layers to the taste. I don't really know the difference between the hop names and styles yet, but I've paid some attention and know which ones I enjoy. The White IPA employs Simcoe, Cascade, and Citra hops, and I know the latter two produce a nice floral and citrusy taste, and are present in Meadowlawk and some of my other favorite IPA's of the year. The floral taste yields to a slight Belgian flavor, which mostly comes off as refreshing, and finishes nice and clean. Harpoon IPA was my go-to beer for a long-time; the Rich and Dan's Rye IPA impressed me, and now the White IPA can be added to their list of fantastic india pale ales. I don't think the 100 Barrel series stick around for too long, and I'd recommend giving this a go before winter hits.

One of my favorite IPAs that I didn't think was available any more was Magic Hat's H.I.P.A. I first encountered it in a mix pack many years ago, but don't remember seeing it offered at all the last year or two as Magic Hat produced their "IPA on Tour" series with Blind Faith and Encore taking the HIPA's place. Now the HIPA has the "on Tour" label on it, so while I doubt it will be offered full time, it was nice to see what used to be one of the hoppiest and strongest IPA's back in the fridge. I was excited to have it once again, but pretty soon after pouring it, at least one of following things became obvious: 1) My memory and years away embellished the quality of this beer; 2) My tastes have improved/become more cynical; 3) Magic Hat changed the beer in ways I'm not privy to. The smell was not nearly as hoppy as I'd remembered, although the pour looked very similar. Magic Hat tends to be extra crisp and very filtered, and usually manage a lot of flavor. I also thought the ABV used to be over 7%, while this comes in 6.7%. Again, my memory could be off here; romanticizing the past is pretty easy to do. I was really not impressed or blown away by what I'd remembered as one of the hoppiest beers available. It was okay, but I can't say that I'll be buying it again this year, which makes me a sad hophead.

There was a hole on the beer shelf where Boulder's Hazed and Infused should have been, so picking it up at the package store this week was an easy choice. It's been a couple years since I last had one of these as well, back when Boulder mix packs used to be a steal at $13, while a sixer of Hazed would go for over $10. My last memory of Hazed was a bomber I'd purchased that had something wrong with it, and is the only beer I've ever returned after it was opened, because of how undrinkable it was. I was confident that was a one-time error, and looked forward to re-trying the IPA that introduced me to punny hop nicknames. Happily, the Hazes poured out like a normal IPA, more head and body than the HIPA from a little while before, and with a lot more floral take on the hops. Apparently, it's only 4.9%, which frankly amazes me. I just learned something new! Still it's a great beer, and remains a favorite IPA of mine.

The next original beer we tried was Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar, a 6.2% brown ale. The bomber poured an amberish brown with minimal head, and an abundance of hazelnut aromas. Had the dessert beer kind of smell, with a lot of sweetness, and there's a nice thick, malty taste to go with the nutty scents wafting into your nostrils. Brad and I had an equal dislike for almost any brown ale up until a few weeks ago, and now I think we've had four great ones in the last five we've tried. This isn't a beer you can drink a bunch of, but really would be perfect after dinner, relaxing on the couch with a plate of pie.

The biggest surprise of the afternoon-turned-evening turned out to be the Long Trail Double White, part of their Brewmaster Series (distinguishable because each one has the same grey/black label with white writing), a 7.9% double white ale. This ale is a wonderfully unfiltered, very white, very heady beer that looked quite glorious in the pint glass, even for a style I don't generally love. After my first sip, I uttered the following: "It's like a drinking a pillow!" We really, really liked this beer. A ridiculously full body, no alcohol taste to notice, lots of orange (and coriander, according to the label) and other witbier flavors...Just a really refreshing summer beer.

And now we come to the pumpkin beer of the day, Sam Adams Fat Jack, their new double pumpkin available in bombers that clocks in at a hefty 8.5% ABV. Again, I really don't like pumpkin, pumpkin pie, or pumpkin beer. However, this beer certainly has its appeal if you like pumpkin flavor. I'd read somewhere that it's brewed with like 200 pumpkins (where they get these pumpkins in beginning of summer to put a beer out in August is beyond me) and the pumpkin taste is very strong, with a bit of cinnamon and other spice finish at the end. It's a very hearty drink, but the alcohol never really pushes its way past the double dosing of jack-o-lanterns, so the taste stays pretty true to pumpkins and spices the whole way through the pint. It's a definitely different than other pumpkin beers I've tried, much heavier and full-bodied, and would probably play better once the temperature starts dropping. Fat Jack didn't convert me to a full-fledged fan of the style, but I might try it again later on in the season, and see how it goes with a Thanksgiving style meal.

I seem to be running long on words, so I'll just sum up the other beers quickly, since we'd had them all before: Backlash Declaration, the Belgian-IPA with the brass knuckle bottle, was once again very tasty, and much better than Backlash's other offering. A nice summer beer I hope to purchase next year. A bomber of Arrogant Bastard was predictably awesome, and a dogfishead 90 minute IPA was good. It's a different style IPA, with a strong alcohol taste while also being very hoppy, but I find it pretty damn refreshing.

[The Ocho 970]

You could start a blog. Or, should, should start a blog.

 

When I was out there last year I went to Long Trail brewery and had their Triple Bag. somewhere between 10 and 12% It was probably the best beer I have ever had.

 

I am going to have some racer 5 tonight to start of the NFL season. I really wish we had a local beer store with unique beers. I'm already bored with the ones I have available. I have also turned into a complete beer snob, which is bizarre. It's not that I wont drink lesser beers, it's just, that I wont buy them.

[Theraflu 1,035]

I've been looking into a couple places on where to post some stuff. I've started blogs before, but always quit on them after a month, which makes me hesitant to start another one. Then again, I don't think I'm quitting drinkin' anytime soon.

 

I haven't had the Triple Bag. The Double Bag is available year round, and is a very good beer. I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

There's gotta be a good store near you somewhere. California has so many great breweries. MA has miserable distribution laws, and we've managed to get stuff in from all over the country. The last two years is really when craft beer became readily available...you just need an owner who is a beer snob as well, and willing to purchase the more expensive stuff in the belief that it will sell.

[Ron_Mexico 4,219]

Christ, that guy needs...I don't know what he needs, but that post was a love letter to beer. I didn't even read it all but god damn, I don't even know what to write. I like beer, and in the last year since I developed this new fondness for variety, I'd guess I've tried 50-75 new beers, possibly more, some in large quantities, but Thera is scaring me a little.

 

 

I've "Liked" the posts I've liked. I've learned it's pointless to write to Beansey, at least on twitter, but I saw the car and almost want him to do that to my car. BEANS, could you do that to my rims? I've seen videos on painting rims black but not sure about the wear and tear/longevity of it all.

 

Next door neighbor, with whom I've said hi to and exchanged small talk on the way into the house, also with whom my g/f has lived next door for 12 years, invited me and some other neighbors over for football tonight. He made sure to point out that no women were invited, so I'm not sure if it's a fag party or there will be hookers there, but I have zero urge to get off the couch and go do that. I mean, very sweet offer but I don't watch much football unless it's my Dolphins. I have no urge to be out or drink on a Wednesday and I kinda get bored meeting new people, especially if I'm sober and have no other conversation outlet. I'm sure it would be ok because I'm pretty awesome and amusing (confidence) but I'm not up for it.

 

Been going to the gym off and on for 25 years now, give or take. Since 23 or so, it's always involved cardio of some sort. Well, I went with the lady on Friday and it was her first time in this gym and she saw the stairmaster. I never noticed them and never have done it. I'm a bike/elliptical/row machine/treadmill guy, in that order. Holy balls, I did 5 minutes on level 5 and nearly died. Today, I did 30 mins on the bike, then rowed for 5, then ellip for 5 and finished off with stairmaster for 6 (I had to do more than last time) and that thing kicked my ass again. But I love it.

I do that cardio back to back to back and keep it rolling. No breaks, not even for water. Gotta burn some serious fat off

 

That's all I got

[Theraflu 1,035]

Here's the updated beer list, of the bottles currently adorning the shelves in my friend's basement:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Alx8m_f3LgKTdDNmbHhKOG44MWhGRDBGUENmSkk0ZlE

Up to 550+ now. I do love beer. Ocho said he can't make himself by shitty beer anymore...I have trouble even buying stuff I've simply had before, even if I loved it. It's ****ing expensive, unfortunately. That beer we drank Sunday probably cost $60.

[Theraflu 1,035]

My birthday is next Wednesday, and I get it off from work because union contract says I do, and so I took the rest of the week off as well. I'm heading to New York on Wednesday to see the Mets/Nationals game with the wife, A)because I want to see Citi Field, and B)because it's Strasburg's last start of the year. It will be my second baseball game of the year, and both of them had Strasburg pitch. I'm looking forward to it. Only staying in NY the one night though. The cheapest tix are currently $6 for the LOLmets.

[Sickinfo2 291]

I've "Liked" the posts I've liked.

 

 

I've learned it's pointless to write to Beansey, at least on twitter, but I saw the car and almost want him to do that to my car. BEANS, could you do that to my rims? I've seen videos on painting rims black but not sure about the wear and tear/longevity of it all.

 

 

 

 

Ya know, Ive read about liking post here a few times but figured it was something to do with facebook or something. Looked around and found the tab....what exactly does it do anyway?

 

 

 

Although I "like" like ninety percent of what you guys post I probably wont ever use the feature. Wouldnt wanna hurt any feelins ya know

 

 

 

Now heres another problem I have.... somehow you guys are able to message me through twitter and it pops up as a text message on my phone. Pretty cool and all but I dont know how to respond back. They all come from something like four four zero four according to the sender info. I tried sending guap a response once and it just popped up on the timeline as a statement that Im sure nobody else understood....well...that goes for the majority of my rambles but whatever. I guess I need to sit down and sipher out how to fully use the site. At the moment I just snap a pic, select my twitpic addy, add a wildly hilarious comment, and hit send. I figure for a Grant the kid will figure it out for me

 

 

 

Ocho.... the rims are the next order of bidness

 

 

Oucho... excellent lyrics. Reminds me of my first car...actually the first half dozen or so

 

 

Mexi... I gave up painting wheels a while back. To make them last like factory units you have to dismount the tires, chemically strip or bead blast them to bare metal, then paint with a base/clear. Short of using a super fast activator, that means they also need to dry for a couple days. Then the monkeys at the tire shop will scratch the living shit outta them mounting the tires back anyway because the paint is still pretty soft. If they do somehow pull it off without damage they will hammer lead balance weights around the lip and peel the paint down to bare metal. With steel that means rust will begin eating away under the paint. Aluminum will also corrode at those points. Stick on weights fly off at high speeds

 

 

 

Anyhoo....thats why I bought a powdercoating setup and finish them that way. Thousands of colors at your disposal and now that Ive started mixing them I can now match damn near any shade I need. Can even bake on a clear coat over top

 

 

 

Back to your wheels.... call around the local powdercoaters and get an estimate. Odds are they will do them for forty or fifty bucks each. Maybe less since so many businesses do that stuff now. Mounting and dismounting will be around twenty each. Youll have to get in a major wreck or curb the hell out of them to damage the finish. Wont fade or crack either. Car will be down at least a day unless you have them do one at a time and use the spare. Runflats nix that option

 

 

 

At the last car show I met a guy who sprays his wheels with plastidip. Its a rubber compound used on handles of pliers and stuff. He claimed it lasted a long time and when it did start looking tired he just peeled it off and resprayed it. Ive used the stuff on the front bumper and along the rocker panels on my nicer rides before doing an autocross to protect against rock chips. It does pull off like a sticker without leaving a residue

 

 

 

Ill research the stuff on wheels and get back to ya. Probably not a bad option since if you get tired of the look they can go back to stock in a few minutes...

[Napa_Don 688]

I am the 10%.

[Sickinfo2 291]

I am the 10%.

 

 

 

Nah... the ones I really dislike are the asinocay updatesway

 

 

 

Just too many and overly detailed, ya know?

[Ron_Mexico 4,219]

You sir, are a wealth of knowledge. Stunning really.

 

And all the like feature does on here is let people know what you liked. I do it for posts that actually generate a chuckle. That's pretty much my rule of thumb for it.

 

I always figured on twitter, I just reply to tweets and the people I'm replying to will see it in their feed. Although, if you have thousands of followers like a celeb does, and people reply to them all day, it can't go into their newsfeed. It would be flooded.

 

Who knows? I've never been retweeted by anyone but people I know. And I keep hitting on Kristen Bell, to no avail.

[brvheart 1,752]

Yeah, in economics. *brvheart eyeroll*

 

BOOM!

 

Seriously, though - what do you need better than an "old" i7 for? Are you doing earring CADCAM work or something? Surely with all those kids and praying you don't have time for video games.

 

The issue is that I actually have a problem with my motherboard or graphics card. ( I assume)

 

I get the blue screen of death at least once a day, and it's usually when video or flash is being used. I've tried a lot of stuff and can't figure it out. I'm sick of it, and I just want to replace the shit.

[InternetExplorer 2,609]

yeah I pretty much want to just get something prebuilt for that reason alone. when it breaks, it's either someone else's problem or an easy decision to just replace the whole thing.

[The Ocho 970]

Here's the updated beer list, of the bottles currently adorning the shelves in my friend's basement:

https://docs.google....RDBGUENmSkk0ZlE

Up to 550+ now. I do love beer. Ocho said he can't make himself by shitty beer anymore...I have trouble even buying stuff I've simply had before, even if I loved it. It's ****ing expensive, unfortunately. That beer we drank Sunday probably cost $60.

 

 

So at quick glance I have probably tried 20% of those beers. And what you are saying is my problem, the two grocery stores close to me actually have a decent selection, But I have had 80% of what is on their shelf, and the other 20% I will never try. So I keep buying the 5-10 different varieties I really enjoy, usually by order of ABV and then what's on sale. I would try different beer almost every time if I had that option.

 

Time to do some research.

 

Ya know, Ive read about liking post here a few times but figured it was something to do with facebook or something. Looked around and found the tab....what exactly does it do anyway?

 

 

 

Although I "like" like ninety percent of what you guys post I probably wont ever use the feature. Wouldnt wanna hurt any feelins ya know

 

 

 

Now heres another problem I have.... somehow you guys are able to message me through twitter and it pops up as a text message on my phone. Pretty cool and all but I dont know how to respond back. They all come from something like four four zero four according to the sender info. I tried sending guap a response once and it just popped up on the timeline as a statement that Im sure nobody else understood....well...that goes for the majority of my rambles but whatever. I guess I need to sit down and sipher out how to fully use the site. At the moment I just snap a pic, select my twitpic addy, add a wildly hilarious comment, and hit send. I figure for a Grant the kid will figure it out for me

 

 

 

Ocho.... the rims are the next order of bidness

 

 

Oucho... excellent lyrics. Reminds me of my first car...actually the first half dozen or so

 

 

Mexi... I gave up painting wheels a while back. To make them last like factory units you have to dismount the tires, chemically strip or bead blast them to bare metal, then paint with a base/clear. Short of using a super fast activator, that means they also need to dry for a couple days. Then the monkeys at the tire shop will scratch the living shit outta them mounting the tires back anyway because the paint is still pretty soft. If they do somehow pull it off without damage they will hammer lead balance weights around the lip and peel the paint down to bare metal. With steel that means rust will begin eating away under the paint. Aluminum will also corrode at those points. Stick on weights fly off at high speeds

 

 

 

Anyhoo....thats why I bought a powdercoating setup and finish them that way. Thousands of colors at your disposal and now that Ive started mixing them I can now match damn near any shade I need. Can even bake on a clear coat over top

 

 

 

Back to your wheels.... call around the local powdercoaters and get an estimate. Odds are they will do them for forty or fifty bucks each. Maybe less since so many businesses do that stuff now. Mounting and dismounting will be around twenty each. Youll have to get in a major wreck or curb the hell out of them to damage the finish. Wont fade or crack either. Car will be down at least a day unless you have them do one at a time and use the spare. Runflats nix that option

 

 

 

At the last car show I met a guy who sprays his wheels with plastidip. Its a rubber compound used on handles of pliers and stuff. He claimed it lasted a long time and when it did start looking tired he just peeled it off and resprayed it. Ive used the stuff on the front bumper and along the rocker panels on my nicer rides before doing an autocross to protect against rock chips. It does pull off like a sticker without leaving a residue

 

 

 

Ill research the stuff on wheels and get back to ya. Probably not a bad option since if you get tired of the look they can go back to stock in a few minutes...

 

FYI, back when you first started twitter you sent me a direct message or two. I don't really know how, but I got them. In fact, I didn't even know they were direct until i realized they were not on my timeline.

 

As for regular tweets, you can just hit reply and you can respond directly to the tweet. That is the extent of my twitter knowledge.

[iZuma 764]

so walking into work this morning I look on the wall outside the bathrooms and see a rather large brown recluse. killed it, sent an email about it, then walked back five minutes later and about ten feet down was a black widow on the same wall.

[Napa Lite 3,278]

AAAaaaawwww?

[iQuack 128]

so walking into work this morning I look on the wall outside the bathrooms and see a rather large brown recluse. killed it, sent an email about it, then walked back five minutes later and about ten feet down was a black widow on the same wall.

 

Black widows aren't email worthy?

[iZuma 764]

nah, **** 'em

[Iphonenkinder 558]

For Labor Day this year, I went to a neighborhood party, band set up, multi generational, etc.

 

It was on a lawn, and pretty cool and laid back. People kept doing versions of the electric slide. At one point I looked up, and there's a guy with two crutches up, and doing the slide. Nice moment.

 

 

[YonYonson 156]

people on crutches are annoying to me. i don't know why, but i feel like they shouldn't be up doing things if they need that kind of help. goddamn cheaters.

 

so tired. after this next class i'm going to nap it up so hard.