Honking Your Bud

Belgian beer behemoth Inbev through its ownership of Anheuser- Busch has bought out Futon Street Brewery (Honkers) for a reported $38.8 million.

This is sad news news to me, and I hope it isn't the beginning of the beer overlords trying to buy out regional breweries. The state of American beer is strong right now, and I feel it is largely because of the diversity of smaller breweries.

A Man and His Cat - Round 2

If you have tracked my blog at all, you may remember a story I had about a fellow from work who became a little emotional when reflecting on his recently-decease-castrated feline. Today, this man became far more strange to me. If you haven't read that story, it's probably a good prerequisite for reading on. Here is that story if you're bored: A Man and His cat

Around lunch time this afternoon, he payed his usual visit to me.

Over the last two or three months, he's been asking me to visit a local-weekend farmer's market that he sets up at where he sells his "famous" rib rubs. I put famous in the quotations because that is a direct quote from him. He doesn't chuckle (actually, he cackles when he does laugh) or anything afterwards, he's very persistent about his rib rubs being notorious (in fact, he told me that Michigan Governor Rick Snyder is a returning customer...yay).

So he's been asking me for a while and I've actually been trying to get up there and visit him. Unfortunately, I'm usually tied up with work or something else early on Saturdays, so I haven't been able to attend.

Well, I always assumed that he was simply being friendly about him asking for my presence, but today I had a revelation that cut deep into my masculinity. I'm fairly certain two things occurred today:

1) He asked me out on a date.

2) He was wearing perfume.

I think he's gay (it wasn't the perfume that gave me the hint, believe it or not). Now, that's not where the problem lies. The problem is that I'm confident in the fact he thinks I'm gay. I have zero problems with gay people. In fact, I promote the gay lifestyle; it controls the population and they're always so happy. Besides, I do live in a city with a high gay population (which he knows, and he also lives in) and they upkeep their property. I know this is a blanketed statement and somewhat of a stereotype I'm applying, but I don't care.

At any rate, today he asked me to dinner. He didn't say, 'hey, let's get a drink,' or 'man, wanna' catch the game?' No, he said, "you know, lets go out to dinner some time." - Verbatim. I really wasn't sure what was going on when I responded, but I said something along the lines of, 'yeah, we live close, we should catch some drinks or something.' Afterwards when it dawned on me what he said, I was glad I responded with that. It was a very safe response.

Ok, side story (I write like I talk so bare with me): He once asked me to go out for drinks after work on a Friday about four to five months back. I actually needed a drink that day and said, yeah, 'that might work, I could use a beer. Let's get one.' He then responded with, 'I don't drink alcohol.' Seriously! Who the fuck asks anyone out for drinks when they don't drink!?! I can't remember the exact sequence of events, but I escaped that post-work coffee-talk somehow.

Anyways, I'll be honest, this is the first time in my life I've ever gotten the feeling that someone of the same sex has attempted to 'pick me up.' (ok, I'm lying, it's the second). I'm really comfortable with myself, so it doesn't bother me. And actually, I find this all very humorous. Now, if he becomes as persistent with this as he does about his rib rub station at the farmer's market, I might need to find a corrective action plan (an automotive term is appropriate).

There's really no conclusion to this story. I wish I had an epic ending or something more to elaborate on. This, however, is only the second chapter in this ever-growing book of hilarity - to me anyways.

This man is a complete cartoon character. Plant life.

Hodoken

LIttle Zangief (zangief kid) Street Fighter... by shadosw

Song of the Day (3.16.2011)

Warren G featuring Nate Dogg - "Regulate"

RIP Nate Dogg

Song of the Day (3.15.2011)

The Rural Alberta Advantage - "Don't Haunt this Place"



UPDATE: Picked up their newest album Departing and have been really digging the track Stamp.

Song of the Day (3.14.2011)

This Will Destroy You - "Quiet"

ESPN had another great entry in their 30 for 30 series of documentaries last night, The Fab 5. Being a freshman in high school at the time I thought they were the coolest team to ever step onto the hardwood. All that aside I immensely impressed by a song used in the final montage of the film. It sounded familiar- Trans-Am? Mogwai? Sigur Ros? Godspeed? Nope. This Will Destroy You from Texas.

Still cannot believe I'm posting a song I heard first on ESPN. I really thought they had an exclusive deal with Black Eyed Peas, LInkin Park, and Nickelback.

I Finally Have a Hero

This man is my hero. Plain and simple. I learned two things form this video:

1) How to do wicked dance moves.

2) Why not to do blow before a family function.

The Hipster Trap

If there was a tight pair of jeans to compliment the rest, I'd call this perfect.

Video Days

I am typically averse to top-whatever lists. I find them to be cheap and subjective, with many set up just to stir the pot and create fake controversy. I'm going to do one anyhow, but to stay to my principles there won't be any numbering or ranking. Instead I prefer just to state what it is I like about each.

Before hitting the streets in my younger days it became sacred to pop in a video, or part of a video to get ourselves up for what we were about to go do. It was our motivational speech, our Rudy.

Remarkable Chernobyl Video

This six minute video was shot by esteemed Ukranian videographer/journalist. He was one of very few with unfettered access of the facility, and died of exposure related cancer within weeks of the filming.

Perhaps the most chilling images (4:17) are those of the "biorobots" who were shoveling radioactive graphite from the roof of the reactor. The radiation levels at this area was measured at several thousand roentgens. According to the video this exposure would cause their bodies to shut down within an hour, and to add further perspective an exposure of about 500 R in 5 hours is lethal for humans. The intensity of the radiation was so intense in this area that a helicopter pilot flying above is shown becoming radiation sick and crashing.

Another gripping segment (3:09) of the video chronicles the human excavators who had to tunnel below the reactor, where the radioactive elements had melted down to, in effort to pour concrete underneath. This was done in effort to vault the radioactive elements by supporting the hundreds of tons of filler materials the filled in above.



I am relieved that technical advancements in nuclear science in concert with sound engineering has avoided such a situation in Japan.