One Guy in Minnesota

I guess I am a Dad now.

2008-08-12T09:34:00.002-05:00

Well, I actually have been for about a year now, her birthday is the 27. But last night, Kelly was at her book club so I put Delia to bed. She usually sits in her crib for like a half hour to an hour just chillin, so I was in the living room watching some Star Trek when I hear "Dad!". Not a cry or a scream just the sound of Delia calling my name. So I went up there, saw her sitting there looking through the sheets trying to find her nuk, I helped, found it, gave it to her and she looked up at me, smiled and then toppled over and proceeded to fall asleep. Too cool.

Scavenger Hunt and Fresh Hop

2008-07-15T20:25:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I volunteered at the Scavenger Hunt Bike race for the Bicycle Film Festival that was held last week. I was an operative. Basically my job was to hand out at St. Anthony Falls. Prior to meeting me the teams of bikers would get a clue from another operative that would say to go to St. Anthony Falls (or actually it was clue but I can't remember what it was) and they were supposed to find the operative whose sleeves are on fire, meaning my tattoos and then they had to ask me ""The bikes are tall and fruitful this season" which I would reply "And yet the Alamo has no basement." And then give them he next clue that was a jumbled sentence that spelled out Gold Medal Flour and they had to take their picture in front of it. It was fun but really hot and there is little shade at St. Anthony Falls. And I have no fire tattoos so I decided to wear my Surly bike cap, which still had some people looking. Sad thing though is I missed the after party race. I thought it was at Varsity bikes but instead it was at the Theater Jeune Lune, which I was right next to. So I bike all the way back to Dinkytown only to find that out, but by then I was already so much closer to my house and still had some shopping to do and get home to the dogs. And I forgot my camera, again. I still am meaning to take it on my commute to let you all know what I do now.

Also this weekend I was lucky enough to get the last bottle of Sierra Nevada's Fresh Hop ale. Last time I was at the Cellar's in Roseville the clerk was raving about it, bun to his surprise it was not there. But being that I am such a great customer he saved one for me, the very last one. It was good. A fresh hop beer none the less. Nothing to outrageous but the hops they use are very good. I guess these ones were flown in from New Zealand in brewed within a week. If you can find it out there go for it. It is not as hoppy as some may like ti but it is very easy on the pallet.

Delia, Commuting and Arizona

2008-06-06T12:36:00.009-05:00

Well well well, lookie who is writing again. Got some stuff to update you all on and work here at the print shop has slowed down due to summer being in session here at the U. Just want you all to know that baby Delia is fantastic. Her personality is showing more and more everyday. I get a big burst of joy when I come home from work and she sees me and starts jumping for joy, well, maybe not jumping but kicking her legs and waving her arms with a great big smile on her face.
Here she is being happy that I came home:

Well folks. I have finally done it. I am now commuting to work directly to home, and vice a versa. Though I still take the bus when needed, like last night when it was down pouring but other than that I bike most of this week. It all started when I did the Tour de Cure for diabetes last weekend. I joined up with a bunch of guys from the Minneapolis Bike Love message board and they all planned on doing the whole 45 while I only thought I could do 25, well, after the 25 I felt fine so I did the rest with them and it was not bad at all, a bit sore here and there but I thought I would be toast, but nope. So then I figured if I could do that then the 12 mile it is from my house to work should be no problem, and it wasn't. Yeah, my wrist and butt/waist was still a bit sore from the 50 mile trek but all in all it was really no big deal. I had to alter my routes slightly but now I think I found the perfect route. Plus there is not as much traffic as I thought there would be, though there is a stretch between 694 and Country Rd H where I bike on the sidewalk, there are a lot of big trucks on that stretch and it seems people use it as a detour and drivers that commute to work in their cars are impatient assholes, sorry if you are one of them but seriously, there are two lanes, is it really necessary to fly by me within inches? Oh, and the best part of the commute is that it takes me right by Barley Johns Brew Pub where I had a delicious IRA which stands for India Red Ale, so it is basically a India Pale Ale and a Red Ale combined. Now I have the best of both worlds, if I bus it I go right by Town Hall Brewery and if I bike it is Barley Johns, too sweet. Plus, I have only filled my gas tank in my truck once in the past two months, and it is full as we speak. Gas prices? Meh, who needs the worry. Though the cost of other things are rising because if that but hey, we wanted our big gas guzzelers when we didn't need them and now the demand is up and supply is down, we get what we deserve. Should have thought about the repercussions but nope, we were having too much fun buying big toys and monstrosities to lug around those big toys with. We get what we deserve.

Just got back from Arizona a couple of weeks ago. Had a great time, didn't really do much. Got to see a good friend and we chilled out, more accurately sweltered it out, it was an average of 110 the whole week we were there. Which wasn't so bad, it is a dry heat, but still very hot, but if you were in the shade then it wasn't so bad. Here is Delia in the shade with her sun hat.

Went to a few brew pubs while I was there. First one was Oggies where Eric and I watched the STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS DETROIT RED WINGS beat the Dallas Stars to go on to the finals, which they won, boo yaa. Most of the beers there were OK, they had a Scottish Ale which was pretty good and a wheat beer that I enjoyed. But they also had a awesome beer called Hop Juice which was hoppy and strong. But it was kinda weird because I didn't get it on tap but I got a couple bottles of it and the label said Left Coast Brewery, not Oggies and they had a bunch of locations in California. Which made sense because I saw the tanks, or more likely tank, and it occured to me that they probably don't brew it there. But a few days later I did go to Four Peaks Brewery which do brew their own beer there and had a Peach Ale which was very tasty, light but I love peaches so this was good. Though I got a feeling that 3 or more would loose it's uniques fast. I wanted their Barley Wine but they just ran out, damn. Other than that we spent most of the time by the pool, Delia is still very young so we couldn't really go too far without her having to sleep and being that temp was astronomical is was best to stay close to our hotel though we did take a walk in the desert early one morning. You can see pics of that in my wife's blog (link is to your right). I survived the plane yet again. I really don't like those things, here is me venting my frustration.

That is it for now. Congratulations to the Red Wings, the last time a team I wanted to win won was the Devils in 2003. Now all we need is the Wild to do it and my life will be complete. And get yourself some Pranqster beer from North Coast Brewery. Good stuff.

Spring is here

2008-04-16T15:08:00.003-05:00

Thought I'd check in to say what lovely day. Just got back from a bike ride to the dentist and it is very nice out. No problems at the dentist except for the usual torture. Why they have to stab my gums over and over is beyond me. Curling has been shelved for this year, I enjoy playing hockey too much and it was either one sport or the other so I chose hockey.

New Tattoo

2008-04-06T10:45:00.010-05:00

Which as you can tell is a cover up. The old tattoo I got when I was fairly young, in fact I was 18. It was my second and it was one of those that young kids get by wanting a tat, but not knowing what they want so they look through a book and find one and jump on it. It took me about 2 years before I realized it was something that really didn't represent me. I am not an evil guy but I was a fan of heavy metal (still am to a point I guess) and I thought this would look bad ass but alas, I am not bad ass. So after years of procrastinating and deciding to get other tattoos instead of fixing this one we are getting that "stimulus" check from the government and after having a beautiful baby daughter I figured now is the time to take of this once and for all. The biggest reason that I decided to jump on this now was because of this picture.

My cute little girl and right next to her a scary demon head. That was it, I had to fix it ASAP. And now I have. True, the tree tat is not all fuzzy and warm but it more represent myself than the evil skull. I decided to pick a tree because of my love for the environment and mother earth. I took pictures of the old tat and cut out my arm in photoshop and made some prints of it so the artist could draw over it and get a good idea of how to maneuver the branches and bark around the skull so it would fit properly. I decided to go to B-Cool Tattoo which was recommended by the great Kattie Flitter (there's your shout out) and the artist there was Sarah, fun gal, really made me feel comfortable and did an awesome job. She traced over the tat and found a good design to fit and then went to town. To be honest I was a bit nervous that it was not going to work out too well and it wasn't until the very end when it all just came together. I love it, we even added some fall leaves and colors to it because fall is my favorite time of year. So now I am at home nursing it as best I can. I am trying not to bend my arm too often so the top branches don't get whited out but if I keep it moist it should be fine being that it is not too much and should heal faster that the base of the tree. Any ways that is it. And I promise I will write more in this blog, I just ran out of things to say during the dead of winter. I played a hockey game in Marriucci, that was awesome. And I drank more fancy beer, go figure! Go get Hop Slam by Bells Brewing Co.

Hitting the Rink and Storm King

2008-01-18T12:40:00.000-06:00

Played an actual game of hockey last Saturday, pads and all. Well, let me tell you I was very shakey out there. I fell twice, pulled a muscle on my lower thigh by my knee and bruised my elbow. I did score two goals however. The first was a screen shot and the second was an awesome pass by some 16 year old, that one was all him, I just took the credit. I wont be playing this week due to my in-laws coming over and I got a bit of a cold happening (again) but I will be back out next weekend and hopefully most saturday nights after that.

Got a new beer this week, an imperial stout called Storm King from Victory Brewery. Black as night and strong. It is pretty much a typical imperial stout. A bit of coffee and malt aroma. Kinda hoppy and molasses taste to it. Not bad, not great though. 12 bucks for a 6 pack but it lasted me all week so I guess in the long run it was worth the price.

Also Town Hall Brewery in Minneapolis has a Belgian Triple on tap which is very good. I will be getting a growler of this for the game on Sunday, you know, they one where the Giants beat the Packers and New England proceeds to take over the NFL once and for all.

I leave you with yet another article about our good friend Huckabee.

Second Thoughts On Huckabee

2008-01-11T10:11:00.001-06:00

If you read this blog you probably get the impression I am not a big Huckabee fan. And while I am still not I am starting not fear his presidency lie I used to. Still I think his "quarantine" comments and his religious views are rather strict but that is just the thing, they are strict, as in he actually follows what he preaches. For example, when he was governor of Arkansas he signed legislation that extended coverage of health care to children called ARKids First which cut the number of uninsured kids in his state. While hje was governor he signed a lot of legislation that actually praticed what he preached. I guess I was so used to religious politicians being fakes that when one actually came up I was skeptical. I would have to say this guy has more religious honest in his little pinkey than George Bush could ever wish for.

Now, that being said I am still very much against his election. While he has created decent legislation in Arkansas he also injected his religion into alot of aspects of those bills. While he did signed the Child Welfare Agency Licensing Act in 1997 which included provisions that made sure that the religious organizations preach their faith to the people they are helping. Is this a bad thing? Well, no it is not, but it is also not right, religiously. As the saying goes "Preach the gospel frequently and if necessary, use words." One of the main reasons religion turned me off as a child is because I had a few family members that kept shoving it in my direction. I would come home at times and find a mini bile on my pillow. I would get religious material sent in my name to my house, heck, I am still getting it. My parents were not religious, my late grandma was an atheist so I had to sides in my life that were vastly different. One side preached to me, while the other let me be. As a child there was no question which one I would gravitate my beliefs or non beliefs to. But that is not say I am against religion or even religious people running my country. Now when they inject their faith into their bills to not only do some good but to pad their numbers of people in their faith I find that very uncomfortable. Because if you ever listen to the words of Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and others that have a very prominent influence in many members of our government, and they say things like "Homosexuality cause 9/11" and "We should assassinate Hugo Chavez and take his counties oil" and these are supposedly godly people, it tells me that they are not the game for the betterment of the world but to change money in the temple. Is Huckabee of these guys or politicians? I dont know quite yet. But one look at last night Republican debate and how every candidate went after Huckabee and called him a democrat and not a Reagan republican and Huckabee took it in stride and stuck with his message I started to think a bit differently about him. He is NOT what the GOP wants, he is an outsider and someone like him as the republican candidate for the presidency would get good natured people who are spellbound by the false family values that the current party preaches to think about what their faith is and what this country is doing to the world. We sit back and claim to be a very spiritual land but one look at what out trade agreements and war and we are quite hypocritical.

She Talks!

2008-01-10T15:07:00.000-06:00

Well, it is actually more of a babble but still, only 4 months old and she is already trying to mimic us.

It is nothing short of amazing. You would not believe the joy I get when I come home and she smiles at me. Makes a bad day bright. She is also starting to play with toys, sort of, she mostly just holds them and tries to shove them in her mouth, but still. We still need to work on her tummy time and try to get her to sit, she already has a very strong neck and she can stand with minimal support but i guess for developmental reasons they should actually crawl before they stand, don't ask me why.

In beer news I have recently began to try Barley Wines. It was something that I never tried because I was under the impression that it was a fruity lambic "wine" type of thing. But when Flat Earth Brewery said they were coming out with one and gave it a small description it did not sound like I imagined (imagine that). So I got a small bottle of Victory Brewery's Old Horizontal and I was very happy with it. Malty, some hops, nothing too strong though but what is strong is the ABV. 11 for the Old Horizontal but I guess that can be on the low end. The clerk at the store said that this is a good beer have on a cold winter night next to the stove. Which I did not do, I drank it outside in 10 degree weather grilling a steak and I drank it fast so I really didnt get to enjoy it like I should have but it was still very good. I thin I may have to swing by the old Liq tonight and pick me up a 6'er of some Barley Wine.

Unbelievable!

2008-01-03T20:48:00.000-06:00

Well, it appears a blatant push for a theocracy is a good thing to win the G.O.P. nomination. Huckabee blows away the competition. A ten percent lead... damn! Obama won with a good 7, which I am glad, he may not be what I hope but I think he will be a breath of fresh air. But Huckabee? I really don't think he stands a chance in the national election, that is if it is still Obama. Obama would be able to bring together voters from all over the spectrum. Hillary is too polarizing, which is not her fault, but she is and if she is the candidate I fear a Huckabee presidency, which I cant fathom but then again, they guy who started the greatest military blunder and presided over the greatest attack on the U.S. won against an actual war hero, so anything is possible.

New Years

2008-01-01T15:04:00.000-06:00

Welcome 2008. Not really much to say on this end. Just got over a cold and a stomach flu which pretty much incapacitated me for the past two weeks. Though I did have some good days mostly they have been rather blah. Been skating more and biking less, which I guess is a good trade off but hopefully some of this snow will melt and I can get back out there.

Today I will leave you all with a link of my friend Luke's yearly wrap up, enjoy.

http://www.specialexport.net/pages/12302007.htm

War on Christmas

2007-12-20T15:41:00.000-06:00

Why is it that every year I have to put up with hearing people get so upset that stores and companies have "holiday" parties and greet you with "happy holidays?" I was always under the impression people were asked to say that because, and this may come as a shock, not everybody celebrates Christmas. OH MY! Yes, it is true. Of course a lot people in this country do celebrate something this season so why no include everybody with your greeting and wrap it up with happy holiday? And of course New Years is in there as well. I have my opinions on why this is such a big deal. Mainly it is the pundits and spiritual leaders ruffling the feathers of their flock because if you feel you, or your faith in this matter, is threatened you will become more vigilant to stand up and fight for it. Or maybe they really do feel or believe that it is under attack. I mean the recent events of Nativity scenes and Ten Commandments being taken out of public places would be seen as something they are not pleased with. But they are not meant to exclude them but to include other faiths in our country. But it is probably a mixture of both. It took an event like 9/11 to get a lot of people back into the churches. Maybe a whole slew of mini "crisis" would help galvanize them into place so they don't stray too far.

Whatever the case is, christians should not at all feel threatened. Because, after all, christianity is the number 1 religion in this country. Probably 90% of its leaders are of some demonation of that faith and there is no way in this modern time that a person can become president without believing in god. This country is run by rich, white and christian conservatives.

Christmas time is many things to many different people. I remember, as I kid growing up in a agnostic, secular household me and my mom and grandma went christmas lights searching up in my hometown of Duluth. We had a map of the best place to look at lights and there was this one street where every house was lit except for one. My mom and grandma said they must be jewish and I asked why does that make a difference and they said because jewish people don't celebrate christmas. I felt sorry for them but then I came to learn that they celebrate hanukkah and they still got presents (remember I was still a kid then). And now I look back at that moment and wonder, if we were not christian or faithful for that matter, why did we celebrate christmas? Well, I think this time of year is different for a lot of people, yet almost identical. It's a time for families to get together. It is a time for giving. A time to reflect on the year and welcome the new one. A time for feast. A time for presents. A time for children getting that school break. It is a time for everybody to cherish this time of year. Nobody wants to take that away from anybody, but then again, nobody want to feel like this time of year is strictly for those who worship the same as them either.

Have a good time.

Hockey and a Head Cold

2007-12-16T15:40:00.000-06:00

After years of not dropping the puck my cousin Joel and I hit the rink on Saturday. Of course when I woke up that morning I was feeling rather ill, but I went out anyways and now I feel even worse so tis will be a short post because my thinking is not very sharp. You would think my legs would be in great condition due to my daily commute but biking uses different muscles that skating I am rather sore today. Personally I dont think I did too bad seeing that I have not played hockey since I was 13. Of course we were playing with a bunch of kids and they took us to the shed. But it was fun anyways. Here is Joel.

I also have to throw in a couple of beer updates. St. Paul's own Flat Earth Brewery has a few of their beers in store. Element 115 and Belgian Style Pale Ale. Both are great but I prefer the Element. Of course due to my cold I wont be drinking either any time soon. So have one in my name.

The Commute

2007-12-12T19:52:00.001-06:00

Here I am after my day. Lets see, it was about 8 degrees when I woke up, about 5 when I left for work. I bike about 3 miles to my Park and Ride, which is not so bad but they dont reallt clear off the shoulders on the road so I either ride on the white line or I trudge through the snow, which I dont really like to do being that it is rather compacted and a bit glazed. But once I get to the park and ride and put my bike on the bus rack that is in the front of the bus (I will take pictures of that soon). People always ask me if that is safe and so far, no problems (knock on wood). It's about a 15 minute drive to downtown Minneapolis where I get off there and about another 3 or 5 miles till I get to the U of M where I work. I used to get off alot closer to my job but since the bridge collapsed we have to go about 10 or so miles around, but it is still not too bad, I like to read and it is the perfect time to do so.

I usually dont bike when it snows. I find it to be too dangerous, especially in downtown Mpls, and the snow is too much of a pain to see through. Plus my bike, as you can see, is not much of a rugged truckster. My bike is a Redline 9.2.5 single speed and fixed gear (fliphub). I have big plans for it so I will keep you all updated on when I retool it.

So far I still go just about everyday. I missed all last week due to the daily snow dumps we got but other than that the only times I miss are when it pours or snows. This spring I plan to just bike straight to work, it is about 10 miles one way, I know I can do it, I just have to do it, know what I mean.

Old School Gift

2007-12-11T09:42:00.000-06:00

Remember back in the day when you were a child and you made your presents from scratch. Usually the macaroni christmas tree or a dradle. Not that I am pining for the days of old but last spring I painted this and my mother in law really liked it.

Of course I like it very much (the camera doesnt do it justice) so I decided that, being the great son in law that I am, that I would paint her one quite like it. I went with a bigger canvas for this one, about 36 x 48, because she has a huge wall and I never painted a picture this big before, I plan to go bigger in the near future. I used colors that would match the room it will be placed in and went to town. First try I did not like, I tried to match the style of the one above but to my dismay it was not working out so I brought it back into the studio and tried a second time, this time, perfection.

Again, the photograph doesn't do it justice. I need to find a way to get better photos of my paintings. With these painting I use a mixture of acrylic paints, some glossy varnish, lots of water and some coarse pumice. I first lay a coat of white over the whole thing then I lay the pumice down in random spots. When that is dry I dump on the colors that are really diluted near the other colors so they blend psychedelically. The first draft of this had the green go up to the top left corner but the color of the green didn't work well for me and the placement of it seemed forced. It had the look of a land and sea so I brought it back in the studio and layed some more blue, a different shade of green and some brown in the middle to act as a separator, and give it kind of a beach look for the sea. When the colors are still wet I use a straw to move it around or I pick it up and let it flow off the canvas. The pumice gives it a texture that the colors form around and makes it look sort of mountainish Of course with abstract art like this it is almost a crap shoot and trying to get it the way you want doesn't always work. But I find that once I start painting the image forms in my mind with the paint, like it is not just me painting but the paint and canvas as well. Part of me wishes that it stayed in my home but after all I am a great son in law and I have to keep up the position.

Huckabee Hearts Quarantine

2007-12-10T10:59:00.000-06:00

Ah yes, the Arkansas governor was confronted this weekend about comments he made way back when about AIDS, way back to 1992 where he said about AIDS "we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague." He also said that celebrities like Liz Taylor and Madonna pony up their millions to fund AIDS projects, I am assuming because celebrities push the homosexual agenda and force out children to have sex. Now of course he tries to spin this to clear himself of any wrong doing because he says at the time "There was still to much confusion about HIV transmission in those early years." Of course my favorite quote in this link is "My concern was for safety first and political correctness last." PC, that little thing that prevents movement conservatives from calling minorities, homosexuals and other people they don't like what they really want to, but I will get on that in another post. Too much confusion? In 1992? What's the confusion? I also find it frightening that in the same questionnaire he said about homosexuality that he felt it's an "aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle and we no know it can pose a dangerous health risk." A bit of a connection here? a few years before '92 lots of social conservatives felt that AIDS was strictly a gay disease, hence Ronald Reagans refusal to do anything about while he was in office and alot of social conservative politicians used, as they do today, homosexuality as vote grabber. I suspect that what ole Huckabee was doing was using hardline tactics to do something about the homosexual agenda.

And I came across this today. An old article about Huckabbe from '98 while he was governor responding to a school shooting in a baptist church. Here he blends anti-government and religion into something he wants this country to be, a theocracy.

This Weekends Beer

2007-12-08T16:30:00.000-06:00

Friday night I usually have a tradition of getting a six pack and grilling a steak and I usually get something different. Last night I got a six pack of Victory Breweries Hop Wallop. And hoppy it is, I guess it has like 5 different hops and the ABV is 8.5% and this morning I could tell that it was, a bit foggy my head was. I am not sure of the IBU but I am guessing it is around 100.

I also today tried out Scaldis Noel. I Belgian seasonal ale, very dark but not too thick. Carmel malts with a hint of berries. ABV is 12%. I only got a 12 oz bottle of this but that was all I needed. There are 750's still at the store but for 15 dollars. It didnt have too much sediment which I kinda like, if anything for its appearance, it make me feel like I am drinking something organic. I will probably have to get a big bottle fothis before the season is over.

Also I had some Corsendock Winter Ale (sorry, cant find a picture online). Alright, along the lines of the Scaldis but cheaper. I would say boney up the extra 5 dollars for the Scaldis.

First Post

2007-12-08T15:09:00.000-06:00

Well, I finally went and done it, started a blog. I t took me all day to decide what I should call it. I wasn't going to talk on one specific topic so I decided to simplify it as much as possible because I am, after all, a guy in Minnesota. This blog is going to reflect my everyday life. In this you will read about my days as a bike commuter, beer connoisseur, hockey fan, artist, leftist political junkie and best of all, father of one baby who currently is 3 months old. In Minnesota I live in Mounds View which is a suburb of the Twin Cities, close to Minneapolis but considered St. Paul so I guess I get the best of both cities. I work at the University of Minnesota running a print shop at the Coffman Union. I am happily married to a great wife who I have been married to for 5 years. I bike practically everyday except this week because it snowed almost everyday. I love beer but not your typical corporate swill but micro and Belgian stuff which I will be posting every so often what I get (you'll be getting a post tomorrow about the ones I drank this weekend). I have Center Ice and watch lots of hockey, of course I am a Wild and Gopher fan but I enjoy the sport and dont try to get too down on every other team. I paint abstract pictures and take photographs which I will be showing off (yeah, you'll get baby pics). And of course I am sure when things in the world happen you'll get my lefty rants. Some say I am a liberal but I would like to think I am a social progressive, or a blood red communist ;). And of course my darling little girl Delia. Still very young but the personality and smiles are coming out.

So there we have it. I hope you all enjoy it and frequent it. I will try to make my life more interesting than it actually is.