Comments, Y'all

A certain debonair, mustachioed wandering man has informed me that the comments are not working on this blog. Heads have been scratched and settings have been changed, and I think all is now well in the commenting world, so please feel free to extol the greatness of this fine blog.

What I've Been Doing With My Liver Lately

2010 has been a good year for beer. A sampling of my beer-ventures thus far...

Strong beer month / SF beer week

February is always a good beer month in San Francisco, and this year did not disappoint. With April in the Philippines for most of the month, I tried to make the most of it. By my count (and yes, I tried to keep a tally), I tried 37 different beers while April was gone. Not bad for 3 weeks work.

Included in that total was a Russian River tasting at the Jug Shop, in which Raman, Christie and I had the opportunity to try 13 different RR beers. The vast majority of these were their trademark barrel-aged beers, including a few that aren't even available for purchase any more. I was a little nervous that Christie would curse me for talking her into the tasting, but I dare say we might have converted her into a fan of (some) sour beers, which I consider no mean feat. The tasting was simply jaw-dropping, and naturally we capped the night off at Nob Hill Tavern (RIP).

Of course February is also Strong Beer month, and Spencer and I defied all odds to add another glass to our growing collections. 21st Amendment was conquered with relative ease, and another All-Star weekend Saturday was spent having lunch at Magnolia. But by the time April returned from the Philippines and we went back to Magnolia to knock out the last 3 beers, they had already run out of a few of their beers! The waitress informed us that they were under strict instructions not to give out any glasses unless all 12 beers were punched, and no substitutions would be made. Of course this simply wouldn't do. April worked her considerable charm on the waitress, and Spencer and I were allowed to substitute and were duly rewarded for all of our, um, hard work.

New Orleans

I went to New Orleans in March for a bachelor party. New Orleans might not be known for their microbrews, but I always like to try the local selections when in a new region. Of course, Abita is the craft brew of choice down there and the selection is a lot better than in California. Based on my somewhat hazy tasting of the Abita lineup I could get my hands on, their best beers get wide distribution. Of note were their IPA, for being pretty awful (there's a reason west coast IPAs dominate the market), and Andy Gator, which is technically a doppelbock but was described to me in one bar as a "high alcohol, malt liquor-like beer". The description alone sold me.

I also lunched at the Crescent City Brewhouse my last day in town and got their beer sampler, as I am wont to do. Basically, 4 of their 5 beers were terrible. So thanks New Orleans, for the good times, but feel free to keep your beer.

Brewventure 2010

By far my most massive beer undertaking of 2010, April, Danielle, Spencer and I embarked on Brewventure 2010 just after tax day. Taking Friday off, we started the day with some breakfast at Mama's (you know, just to get a good base). From there we drove up to Anderson Valley Brewery in Boonville, just missed the tour, and did our first tasting of the day slightly after noon. Anderson Valley has a super-impressive set up, complete with a disc golf course on the grounds and a solar-powered brewery. (Aside: I noticed that they canned some of their beers, and inquired about their reasoning, expecting a response about how it was more environmentally friendly, etc, etc. Instead, the woman manning the bar basically intimated that they were only doing it because it was the new hotness.)

Next we hopped over to Hopland, home to California's oldest brewpub, which is run by Mendocino Brewery. Another sampler and a few darts wins later and we were back on the road.

Our third stop was at Bear Republic's brewpub in Healdsburg, where we indulged in lunch and yet another sampler.

We ended the night in Santa Rosa, where we had a hotel a short walk from Russian River Brewery. We ordered, you guessed it, their sampler, which brought our total for different beers tried on the day to a staggering 52. Needless to say, it was completely over the top and completely worth it. There is already talk of an East Coast brewventure in the future...

Hawaii

I was expecting good weather, good relaxation, and good times when we shipped off to Hawaii for April's cousin's wedding. I was not, by any means, expecting good beer. But when our cabbie informed us that there was a brewpub just minutes from our hotel, I immediately started plotting how to make it happen (I mean, we had to check it out, right?). And let me tell you, Maui Brewing Company exceeded all of my expectations. The six of us split a sampler, and they make a bunch quality beers, some of which are available in cans at the local markets (perfect for beach drinking). As if I needed another reason to like Hawaii.

On The Horizon

2010 isn't even half over yet, so there's plenty of beer yet to be had. Things to look forward to include: San Francisco Giants' 1st annual Beerfest, South African beer and of course homebrews (on tap: IPA; on deck: Saison).

Cheers!

how long does it take a person to figure out how to post a blog....

Apparently, almost a month because it was about a month ago, i was called out for not posting (then subsequently received weekly verbal reminders). So after long adue i've figured it out!

I hear through the grapevine that Top 10 lists were the way to go, so here's my Top 10 as to what's going on with me!

10) Folsoma has been deemed to exist by the Bold Itatic in a "Meet the Microhood" event that was hosted last evening on our street. We've got a pretty solid street, if i do say so myself. The Whip, Ram-Bomb and I were able to make it out for a delicious seasonal flights of beer ($5) at city beer store, free beer at TripTych, and some delicious oysters and wine at Radius.

9) Got my shots for South Africa yesterday and yes, my arm hurts like a b***h.

8) The neighbhorhood raised enough money to get all of the graffii on the mural across the street removed! The Eagle now looks so prestine and confident. His eye that stares at us through the living room window screams "don't mess with me taggers or else i'll just sit here and continue staring into their living room"....

7) Uncorked wine event at ghiradelli square with Zapril & Ram-Bomb. There's nothing like a 5 hour wine tasting event to be followed up demolishing an earthquake (10 ice scoops, 8 sauces, cherries, whip cream) between 7 people. Next time you think "what should I pair with my wine", think dairy.......

6) We have spiders and ladybugs. Spiders because apparently there's only one neighborhood in all of SF that has spiders and that's ours and ladybugs because apparently you can buy them in bulk (1,500) on amazon and Ram-bomb thought that would be a good idea.... i'm just glad he didn't decide to purchase the pary mantis (500 for $15) as well. Creepy

5) Let's talk season/series finales: Grey's - amazing & thought provoking (while maybe just amazing), Lost - why did i waste over 120 hours on you, Gossip Girl - was i expecting anything less, probably not, The Office - being replaced by How I meant your Mom and Modern Family, 30 Rock - never lets me down even when i haven't watch any episodes except the finale.

4) The Whip's Birthday dinner at R&G Lounge. What can i say, the largest lazy susan i've ever seen, Shark fin soup, salt and pepper crab, peking duck, the list goes on. Delicious!

3) Did someone say Something Corporate Reunion concert in August.... tickets purchased! Done!

2) The Whip's Birthday gets a 2nd nod on the top 10 list. Chinese Food Olympics, a dueling game of chubby bunny between the Whip and Yingster with Red bean curd buns. The Whip 2, Yingster 4. Ying wins.

1) Last but not least, I haven't slept solid in over a week now, as that is how long we have been watching Roxy (Rani's dog). While Roxy is cute and endearing, Chester looks like he is one a continious IV drip of valume in comparison. Thus far, Roxy has chewed up two pens and one highlight (on the bed), proceeds to hide my shoes under my bed, and has absolutely no sense of bladder control. To top it off, she weighs about 7 pounds and has the belief that if she is awake, you should be too......


I think that's pretty much it with me. Peace out!

Mookalakaheeki. Come on, you wanna lei me. Pass the poi, Mahalo.

(The beach in front of our hotel. Suh-weet.)

Instead of being sad and jealous in cold, rainy San Francisco that a certain two so-and-so's were having the most epic trip of their lives, I decided to do something about it and get my pale extremities to a place warm and sunny... Hawaii. (If we are looking for accuracy, the reason that I really went to Hawaii was to be a bridesmaid in a wedding... details, details). So, without further ado, the top ten reasons why this Maui trip was radical, tubular, and righteous, brah.

10. A five day weekend. Any weekend that is longer than your weekday is pretty epic in my books. The joy of this weekend was only compounded by the fact that much of it was spent lounging on the beach, or floating in crystal clear waters.

9. Paddle boarding. This was my first attempt at paddle boarding, and even though it is tough, it is pretty, pretty, pretty fun. I highly recommend giving it a whirl. Highlights of paddle boarding included (uh oh, mini list, get ready!)

• Watching Zach try and fail to get up on the board during gale force winds about a quarter mile away from shore. I wasn't sure if he was going to make it back to land, and was trying to remember what his life insurance policy was like. Don't worry, he made it and I'm still broke.
  
• Watching my almost 60 year old aunt hop up, never fall, and paddle around like she was born to do it (and having Mandy follow her around like a little sea puppy just in case she does go over).
• Attempting to go double on the board. Trust me, it doesn't work.

8. Learning a new Slovenian drinking game. Basically, you put a deck of cards on a can or shot glass and try to blow the cards off. The person to blow the last card off has to drink whatever is in the can/shot glass. Hilarity ensues. This quickly became the most popular game of the weekend.

7. Lava Flows all weekend. Basically a Pina Colada with strawberry puree in it. Delicious, $5, and served right next to the pool What could go wrong?

6. Flatbread Pizza Co. Amazing flatbread pizza using local ingredients. Hurley (from Lost! Is anyone watching the season finale?) recommended it on his blog, so we went to check it out. Any pizza good enough for Hurley is good enough for me! Believe it or not, my fave was the veggie (can you believe it Beth?), with potatoes and goat cheese, although the sausage pizza was nothing to sneeze at.

5. Pterodactyl flip cup. You may have had to be there, but this almost killed my cousin. Seriously, she disappeared and we didn't see her for most the next day, we were worried. Basically, you have to drink and flip with your hand backwards (I know this makes no sense, don't worry, I'll show it to you). Quick, right now reach behind you and pretend you are picking up a cup from a shelf without looking. Now, with your arm like that, reach around in front of you and try to drink like that, with your elbow out all wonky. That is Pterodactyl flip cup.

4. Beer flights at Maui Brew co. I highly recommend that you try all of their beer. Some of it it weird and rum flavored, but all of them are worth a taste. Bonus points if you get a pulled pork slider to chase the beer with.

3. Safeway. Weird but true, Safeway came through for us time and time again. The main highlight was the ability to order ahi tuna poke by the container at the seafood counter. $8 a pound and the freshest ahi I have ever had. Mmmmm, delicious, especially on a cracker with some brie.

2. Hanging out with the Bible clan. As crazy as they all are, the Bibles are a good group of people. It was a blast seeing cousins, uncles and aunts that I rarely get to see. They are always up for a good time, and what is a better family reunion than Maui?

1. The Bible-Mathy wedding (as if you didn't know this was coming). It was awesome to see my favorite cousin get married to a good guy, with a great group of people showing them love and support. Get ready for another mini list, becuase there were several highlights within the wedding and reception:

• A rainbow broke out right as the groom kissed the bride and they walked back up the aisle. It was so Disney that I almost broke out into "Hakuna Matata"
• The bride getting down on the dance floor. She dances just like me, so you can close your eyes and get a visual.
  
• Getting several people to do the crab dance, its sweeping the nation!
• Taking cactus cooler shots at the bar during the after party. When the red bull ran out, we did vodka/peach schnapps shots. When the vodka ran out, we did beer/schnapps shots. I'll let you guess how I'd rank them in terms of deliciousness. The best part was chanting someones name until they were forced into taking a shot. I love peer pressure!

And that, my amigos, was my mini vacay to Maui. We managed to simultaneously pack a lot in and relax. And while I'm still sad and jealous that you are off gallivanting in exotic lands, at least I have a hint of a tan to console me through the cold San Francisco summer.

(Two people that are not me, but who I hung out with a lot over the course of the trip)

Livin' for the City

I have NEVER followed a blog before Manifest Destino and much like my good friend, JoeBen, I never thought I would. Somehow someway I am writing my first blog post.

When thinking of ideas on how to "update" the two of you with the latest things going on in SF (the city not my initials) I didn't have many ideas. After some deep searching I decided to let you know the most significant thing to happen to me. My work recently moved me from San Bruno (where I rode the shuttle daily for about 4 years and took at least two hours total a day) to the great city of San Francisco. So here is a top ten list of advantages to livin' in the city:

10. Getting to enjoy the great San Francisco summer weather.

9. Having a mini cube at my new location that isn't big enough for a filing cabinet let alone a person.

8. Crossing off the 7x7 top 100 things to eat/drink before you die during my lunch break.

7. Not having to deal with horrible Giants day/night game traffic.

6. Only riding one bus before 9 AM.

5. Actually making it to a bar during happy hour.

4. The daily chance to meet all of my bidness savvy friends for lunch.

3. Spending 20 dollars a pop on those lunches.

2. Getting home or a bar at a reasonable hour to watch sports (namely the East Coast early start games)

1. After 4 year finally having a better work location than Raman. Wear it.

PS I have no idea why my name appears as "big spence"

Thats right... I'm calling you out

(Whaaa? You talkin' bout me???)

Time out!!! Wow, this blog is going downhill fast. I think we need some new blood all up in this hizzy. So, to continue with my never ending lists, here are some people that I think should post asap. Yeah, you saw it, I'm a callin' you out suckas.

1. Zach Morris (obviously he is first), so he can tell you why his new nickname is Manu Ginobli. P.S. He loves the new nickname, so everyone should call him this for the rest of his life.

2. The Big Deuce Deuce, so he can tell you why playing the drinking game hockey is always a good idea. He may also provide insight on why Steve Nash gets better at basketball the uglier he is (how can someone even play with their eye sewn shut? He must have made a deal with the devil, or at the very least, David Stern).

3. The Whip has an epic story about losing a half completed dining room table, and needs to detail and plot out the mission on how to get that table back. My ninja skills are negligible, but I'm still going to put my name on the sign up sheet so that I can be in on Operation Free Bird.

4. Big D little g needs to provide a hard hitting social commentary on how the quality of the fake hair that the gossip girl actors wear is directly proportionate to peace in the Middle East. She can put Cher Horowitz to shame.

5. E-Ro needs to provide an early season update on the hotness level of Dodger players, compared to the hotness level of other baseball teams (please use the Diamondbacks as your standard).

6. C-Town (I don't know another nickname, and sorry, I am not using B**** Taylor) has the pulse of the nation, and can be relied on posting food and culture updates on New York City, Phoenix, Tuscon and Salt Lake City, among others (just to give you a taste of what you are missing by not being in the good ol' U.S. of A.)

7. Ram-Bomb, the King of Pop-ups, can scintillate you by recapping our highly mediocre kickball and flip cup season, and our impending reign of glory as a bowling team (that is too-be-formed). If he has additional time, he can regal you with stories of dancing for screaming bachelorette parties.

Well, that is all the hating I have in me for the moment. See you guys at the Max!

Another Day, Another Dollar

(Homework is not my friend)

I am supposed to be writing a paper, so I thought that I'd detail my top ten time-wasting websites that I peruse when I should be working, just in case you have a few extra pesos/solas/bolivianos/reals/fuertes/guaranis/dollars to spare at the internet cafe. Enjoy!

10. Friend's websites (although obviously not a waste of time), such as the always witty Manifest Destino, the seldom updated Plebisite and the quirky Europe Woo.

9. My favorite Lostie Jorge Garcia's blog. Short and sweet entries, just like I like my drinks and my men (whaaaaa, that doesn't make sense???) http://dispatchesfromtheisland.blogspot.com/

8. Best Week Ever, the most nonsensical pop culture blog out there. If Perez Hilton and Dickers had a baby that was a blog, it would be this one. http://www.bestweekever.tv/

7. Smitten Kitchen, to determine what I am going to eat for dinner (or most likely, dessert). http://smittenkitchen.com/

6. Apartment Therapy, so I can feel bad about how after three years my house still isn't totally decorated. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

5. Wikipedia. In the past week, thanks to wikipedia, I have learned these three things: 1) Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican Independence Day, and most of Mexico doesn't actually celebrate Cinco de Mayo; 2) Tim Duncan enjoys Renaissance Fairs and Dungeons and Dragons, and; 3) Keanu Reeves (dude) is Canadian (sweet).

4. Tom Selleck Waterfall Sandwich. An oldie but goody, cheers me up no matter how bad my case of the Mondays is. http://selleckwaterfallsandwich.tumblr.com/

3. New York Magazine Daily Intel, but only for these three things: 1) Weekly sex diaries (whoa, weirdo); 2) Recap of Gossip Girl, and the recap of the recap, and; 3) Recap of The Real Housewives of New York. I'm sure you are watching both of those shows abroad, I expect a bullet point list of why you are on Team Bethanny or Team Jill, and why Jenny Humphrey is an evil robot.

2. Craigslist. Sometimes, I may or may not buy steamer trunks while Zach is at conferences (score). The goal is to have a steamer trunk/liquor cart by the time you two booze hounds get back. I can't wait to see what else I acquire before you return.

1. Facebook (duh). Because of this brilliant time suck, I no longer feel the need to go to my high school reunion!

(The liquor cabinet to be)