Tap List 11-12

        1) Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen (Standard Hefe with banana and clove flavors, citric mouth feel, crisp finish, abv 5.3%).........      5.5

 

        2) Two Brothers Prairie Path (This golden ale was tested and certified to be gluten free, good "step up" beer, abv 5.1%)…..    5

 

        3) Ommegang Scythe and Sickle (Harvest Ale with fresh barley, wheat, oats, and rye, a creamy seasonal, abv 5.8%)……….      5

 

        4) Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout (Imperial Stout, tons of flavor, knock your socks off good, year-round offering, abv 11%)….       5

 

        5) Central Waters Glacial Trail IPA (American style IPA from Wisconsin, liberal amount of citrusy hops, abv 5.5%)……..       5

 

        6) Boulevard Collaboration No. 3 Stingo (From the smokestack series, with traditional English ingredients, abv 8.5)……....         5

 

        7) Summit Horizon Red Ale (A hybrid ale with complex floral, dry, hoppy flavors, big on malt sweetness, abv 5.7%)………        4

 

        8) Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale (Red Ale, hopped in a very California way, solid malt, little sweet abv 5%)……………..          5

 

        9) Lost Abbey Witch's Wit (A wheat ale with grapefruit zest, orange peel and coriander, refreshing, abv 4.8%)……………..        6

 

        10) Green Flash / St Feuillien Friendship Brew (Belgian collaboration, old-world Abbey / US craft brewing, abv 9.5%)…..        6

 

        11) Weihenstephaner Weissbier (#1 rated German Hefeweizen, light, floral, very refreshing abv 5.4%) (Newton's Pick)…...       5

 

        12) Summit Extra Pale Ale (This classic, distinctly hoppy brew was designed to be approachable for everyone, abv 5.1%)…    4

 

        13) Two Brothers Dark Mild (Second beer they ever made, dark sessionable ale with an intricate flavor profile, abv 3.2%)...      4

 

        14) Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock (A late year smokebock aged in oak casks, tastes like smoked meats, abv 6.6%)..      5

 

        15) Lindeman's Faro (A blend of old and new Lambic, sweetened with Belgian candy sugar, abv 4.75%) (Paddy's Pick)…..      7

 

        16) North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (On nitrous, full of coffee and caramel flavors, abv 9%)…………...          6

 

        17) Boulder Mojo (Amarillo hops give a huge citrus flavor, balanced with malt, now on nitro, abv 6.8%)……………………          5

 

        18) Boulder Hoopla (This American Pale was made with generous amounts of Glacier hops, festival beer, abv 5.7%)……….       5

 

        19) Weihenstephaner Festbier (Bavarian Oktoberfest, brewed in accordance with German beer purity law, abv 5.8%)…….         5

 

        20) Ayinger Celebrator (One of the truly great German Dopplebocks, full-bodied, velvety, rich and malty, abv 6.7%)……...        5

 

        21) Southern Tier Harvest (Fall seasonal, classic English style Extra Special Bitter, deep ruby in color, abv 6.4%)…………         5

 

        22) Weihenstephaner Pils (Slightly bitter, mild, with a fragrance of hops, a pilsner with character, abv 5.1%)……………….        5

 

        23) O'Fallon Kite Tail Summer Ale (Cream Ale style, has a slight tartness, making it very refreshing, abv 4.5)……………..        4

 

      24) Troubadour Magma (Belgian IPA, fruity aromas balanced with American bitterness,50 IBU, abv 9%)…………………            6

 

        25) Founders Devil Dancer (Triple IPA, dry hopped for 26 days, 10 varieties of hops, 112 IBU, abv 12%)…………………            6

 

        26) Port Old Viscosity (A monster of a beer, tons of complexity and flavor, truly a beer drinkers treat, abv 10%)……………       6

 

        27) PBR (Dubious claims to winning a ribbon in 1893 at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, abv 5%)……………...        2.25

Homily for FUBECCA's wedding

(in case you wanted to read it)

We are all a part of teams. At Radio Maria, Matthew and I often work together as a team. At carle, bridesmaid Sarah and I are a part of a team. I am a member of a softball team with several people here. Families are also a team.

When two people get married they become a team. There are truly only two people on this team. Today, the team that we're making is Matthew and Rebecca. The rest of us, all of us here, are fans of this team. We are not on the team. We can support this team, like we support any other team, but we are not on the team. Even those of us who were there at the earliest meetings of this team, are not on it.

The contract binding this team together is one of love. Yes, we just had a formal signing of a contract, but that piece of paper is not the thing that will keep you together. Only your love for each other will keep this team contract in place.

There will be things that try to break this contract, from arguments about money, arguments over the hours that each of you work, to arguments over the amount of beer and shots that either of you may drink.

Do not ever let these small things come between the love that you have for each other. At the time, an argument may seem like the end, I assure you that your love for each other can be stronger than any outside influence.

Every team has an opponent. So who or what is the enemy of this team? Honestly, your opponent is the world. The world will do everything it can to tear your team apart. You will be tempted by the world. You will be tempted to fight over those things I mentioned before. You will be tempted to fight over things we don't even know exist today. When you have these fights and arguments, remind yourself that you are a team. Everything you do is for the team. Do not let the world win.

I've heard a friend say before, "I can never win, when I argue with my wife". And that's true. You should never try to win an argument with your love. You two are not adversaries in marriage. You ARE the team. Always try to see the point behind the other's argument. Defend your ideas, do not attack the other person. Soon, (if you aren't already there) you two will know more about each other than anyone else in the world knows about the other person. You will know what things hurt them the most. When you have an argument, and you think you are losing; it's better to lose the argument, than to unleash the thing that you know will hurt the most; just to "win". In marriage, you can never WIN against your spouse. You will only win WITH your spouse.

Never forget the way you feel today. Always remember how beautiful Rebecca looks in her dress. Always remember how awesome FU looks in his kilt. Always remember why you chose each other. These are the things that will get you through tough times. Tough times don't last, strong teams do.

There's already another person who needs this team to be together. In the future, there will probably be (at least) another who needs this team to be together. The team of Matthew and Rebecca, or Fubecca as I call it, needs to be the strongest team around. If the team of just you two is strong, it will support the other family teams that you make.

 

I wish nothing more for you, than to be the best team out there.

(also, there was a slight change while spoken, as it was changed to "we will soon have a formal signing")

time for reflection (oh, you look nice narcissus)

Time for reflection;

Around the birthday, I tend to think about where (in life) I'm at. I'm in no way disappointed in my life, my life is great. But I sometimes wonder, what is it supposed to be like? How is a guy "my age" supposed to act? Am I doing it right?

At this age, (and with facebook making it easy to compare to others my age, in my high school graduating class), where am I supposed to be?

It seems most everyone my age has kids. I don't, that probably explains my ability to do most of the things I do with my free time (not that there's a lot of it). Instead of going to the kids soccer game/lacrosse/hockey/little league, I'm doing it myself. Granted I'm kind of busy with work at Radio Maria on Sunday's but I'm on two softball teams. So, instead of going to the kids games, or being the kids coach, I'm on a team, and I'm the captain. Instead of taking the kids to boy or girl scouts, I'm in the beer club. I'm ok with that.

I do have a mortgage, so I guess I'm somewhat responsible in that manner. I don't rent, I'm not in an apartment, I'm not giving someone else money to make payments, so I'm good on that one.

I've got 2 jobs. Both of which I enjoy. The first time I touched a PC, a real one, not the ones we had in high school in '88; I figured that'd be something I'd want to do (I believe it was Dan Fuss' PC). Now, 20ish years later, I've got a career doing that. It pays well. I'm ok with doing it. Can I see myself doing it for another 20 years until retirement, yeah. My other job is as bartender and beer guy at Radio Maria. The first job pays the bills, the second one gives me my "walking around" money. I do the second one for fun. Whenever it gets busy, or I start to get angry at the other job, I remind myself, that I'm just doing it for fun. That changes my mood. It's like my hobby. I get to play with beer. I get to play with other liquors. I don't "need" to make a certain amount in a weekend to pay my rent. It's my hobby, and it pays damn well. (thank you to everyone who tips me). My buddy jim (in stl) has a hobby with jeeps. Skot is in a motorcycle club. Joy does gardening. Chet goes fishing. I get to make people drinks. I don't spend money at my hobby, I make it, which is pretty cool. That kind of sets me apart from the others that I work with, but not completely. I can go into work happy, because it's my choice to be there, not a necessity to pay for my phone. It doesn't mean I'm not going to take the money that I've earned/been given, you should still tip your bartender appropriately.

I'm not married, I have been. I have no plans to get remarried. I'm happy with where I'm at and what I've got. I don't like being told that I should get married (it really pisses me off). Kridz is fine with what we've got too.

I'm not at a point financially that I actually have extra money at the end of the month. I've still got debt, but after I pay my bills, there's money left over. That's just with the first job, the second job is like a bonus, again, it's walking around money. It feels kind of weird to pay the bills, and have money after. In 5 years or less, I'll be debt free (except for the mortgage), I'm good with that. It's not just going to be a light at the end of the tunnel; it'll be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I've got everything I need: a place to live, a car to get around in, clean clothes, and food to eat. I eat well. I haven't made hamburger helper in over two years. My idea of dinner isn't "what can I do with a pound of ground beef". I think I'm doing ok in that regards. Not that there's anything wrong with hamburger helper, I'd rather have beef tenderloin.

Yeah, I drink. Some might say I drink a lot. I don't feel I have a problem. It hasn't caused any problems with my relationships, and isn't hurting me monetarily. I'm not drunk every night. I don't drink every night. Last night, I had a beer at the Stube, and had a couple of ounces of something Skot brought over. Wednesday night, I was hammered, but I was at a concert. Tuesday I was pleasantly buzzed. Monday had a beer at my meeting at Radio. Sunday, didn't drink. Saturday, didn't drink. Friday, had a couple of beers after working. I don't drink everyday, and I don't get hammered every time I drink. When I do get drunk, I have a driver. I'm actually somewhat responsible. Yes, there are times when I've driven when I shouldn't have. I don't like to do that. I'm pretty sure most people who are drunk don't want to drive. But there are probably those that do. My girlfriend drives me to drink, then she drives me home. So, I guess this paragraph is, NO, I don't think I have a drinking problem (I don't think I'm an alcoholic).On nights when I don't go out, I don't stay at home and drink a case of beer, I don't drink a fifth of cheap whiskey/vodka/gin. If I have a beer at the house, it's probably something to go with what I'm eating. Or it's something I'm sharing with friends that are over to the house.

Speaking of friends, I have a very diverse group of friends. I think my group of close friends is an amazing bunch. (Who isn't glad that they are friends with who they are friends with?)Everyone who is with me most of the time is into craft beer (they didn't all start that way though). My softball teams are all people who I'd hang out with, and have hung out with. It's not just a collection of who's new and best and biggest. Some of the teams we play against, I can't fathom sitting down with them at a bar and having a beer. If all you are playing for is to be on the best team and only win, as opposed to having a good time with people who are your friends, I feel bad for you. I'd rather lose with people I care about, than win with people who I don't necessarily like. Of course, I'd rather win with my friends.

I have a Mohawk, I've had it for 5 years. I guess that's something that people my age aren't supposed to have/do. I'm not trying to fake being young, I just like it. I think it suits me. Yeah, I get it dyed every now and then, but that's because it looks better darker than with white. Sometimes, it does look good with a white streak, but then I want it to look different. The white in my mustache/beard… that's what makes me look old (I pluck that, or shave it off for vanity, because I don't want to look old and gray).

So, I think I'm pretty average for people my age. Yeah there are things I do that others my age don't, but that's because I don't have to have the kids in bed by 9. I've got more in common with people my age than with some of the younger… kids… that I am friends with. But, I just think I'm experienced… not old. I don't feel any different today than I did at 29 (when I got out of the army). I didn't feel different at 29 than I did at 25. I still think of myself as 25ish. Granted, I'm going to be 25 with 16 years of experience at it.

hearts and minds

Joshua 6:21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

 

1 Samuel 15:14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

 

War used to be a complete destruction of those that opposed you. If you went to war, you fought until everyone on the other side was dead. If they ran away, you chased them and killed them. When you killed them all, you won. War was for one purpose, land acquisition (and the resources that came with it). If you were there, in the place that I wanted, you (or I) died. That was war. There were no insurgents afterwards, they were all dead.

Gradually, the process went from killing absolutely everything, to killing only the men (keep the women, and everything else).

The US Civil War was a gentlemanly battle (mostly). There were distinct places where people fought. It wasn't that big an area, have you been to Gettysburg? Thousands of men died on a field, just walking towards each other shooting. There's a town right next to it, but they fought in a field. (fuck that). The ground gained was a field. Except the battle wasn't for ground (well not that land), it was for a REASON (well, several reasons). The actual place of the battle didn't matter, it could have been a field anywhere, that's just where the two armies happened to meet up at the time.

In WW1, there were set battle lines, everyone knew where the front was, there was a trench, there was no man's land, then there was the other trench. Guys would jump over the top, run towards the other side, and try to kill someone before they died. No civilians were on the battle field, it was evident where it was.

In WW2, things changed a bit more (this war evolution happened quickly), the advent of better tanks, and aircraft changed things drastically. Instead of fighting for a few feet, armies fought for miles in a day.

Next came Korea, the communist north wanted (and still wants) to take the south. We went there to help some buddies.

Vietnam changed almost everything. The troops didn't know what they were fighting for, (communist expansion, right?) They didn't care, losing Vietnam didn't mean anything to them. The Vietnamese don't look like them, don't talk like them, and are just different.

The last time the US fought a war for actual territory was the original 91 Desert Storm. Saddam took land, we took it back.

Modern wars are totally different, we aren't fighting for ground. We kill people for reasons, not for property. It's ideology. We are right, you are wrong. We don't like how you are behaving. It's a little more violent than just misbehaving, but basically, you are doing something so bad, that we have to kill you.

Because war has changed from killing everything, to just simply trying to kill the people who don't like you, it's allowed people to become sensitive. Since we are pretty good at just killing the bad guy while leaving everyone else intact, we become outraged about civilian casualties.

Here's why I'm writing this.

Modern society wants us to treat the enemies with respect. The current scandal with the military is of US troops posing with dead bodies of insurgents.

 

Top U.S. military and civilian officials rushed to condemn the soldiers' actions Wednesday, calling them repugnant and a dishonor to others who have served in the conflict. The Army said an investigation is under way.

 

When people in the military kill, they are either killing one of two things, an enemy (who is a thing), or an actual person.

Why is there so much post traumatic stress disorder? Because most people have an aversion to actually killing a person. Killing an enemy, who is a thing, them, the bad guys, something less than us; is much easier to do, than actually having to kill a living breathing human.

When does the enemy who is hated and deserves to die, switch to something that must be treated with respect? At the point of death?

Soldiers used to take trophies of their kill. This gruesome prospect has been outlawed. With modern phones, and cameras, it's much easier to just take a picture.

If I had to go from just killing a thing that was beneath me, to suddenly respecting the corpse, that might be a difficult transition to make, especially if that thing was trying to kill me (and had probably killed one or more of my buddies). Fuck that guy.

Do you think the German soldiers who had to kill Jews had difficulty at first? They were taught to think of them as less than human. The first few would have been tough, but after a while, they are just a thing… Jews. They had to have felt they were beneath them. Killing millions of people would be difficult to do. If they are nothing more than ants that need to be exterminated, that makes it easier to do.

So, now we've got a bunch of people in the armed forces who have spent multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan killing our enemy (and they are called all sorts of things, just so that they aren't identified as HUMAN) and we back home get outraged when our guys do something that we don't like.

There are rules to war, but it is bullshit. Short of killing everyone we can never win over there. Anyone over there who sympathizes with the way an enemy combatant is treated after death is a sympathizer with their cause. For us to win a war, those people must be killed. Anyone over here who thinks that the troops did something bad, needs to stop thinking of the recently killed enemy as a human; and needs to think of them as a thing. Something like a used pizza box that deserves to be thrown out with the trash.

Do you think our enemy will treat our casualties with anymore respect? Do you think they would hesitate to "desecrate" a corpse of one of our guys?  Do you think our enemy thinks of us as humans? (If we are not Muslim then we are less of people and deserve death anyway).

I have a friend who had several kills in Afghanistan, including stabbing an enemy. He was a normal kid who played the drums in high school. He joined the National Guard (probably for the tuition benefits), then he got sent to Afghanistan. Look at any high school yearbook from 2000. Most likely, there's someone in it, who has killed someone in a war. Which one from that yearbook do you think it is?

Killing people isn't normal. Was that person normal? If you talk to them about that, did they think of the person they killed as an actual human or as something else. (Don't bring it up unless you are willing to resurrect some old memories that they probably don't want to deal with and have difficulty dealing with).

Is posing with a dead enemy any different than posing with a deer that you killed? Be thankful that they are just taking a picture, and not doing like hunters and having the thing mounted in their living room.

We've created nearly a generation of killers. We can either let them behave like people who killed a thing and let them sleep at night. Or we can try to get them to believe that they killed a human, who had dreams when they were growing up, probably wanted to have a wife and kids, probably wanted to have a house, wanted an education… and turn our guys into serial killers.

Which would you rather deal with? Your friend who killed 13 humans, or your friend who killed 13 baddies (or whatever other word they used to describe them)

Since we aren't just going to level the whole place, that is why we are going to lose Afghanistan. We are too concerned about the "hearts and minds" of people who live there. In order to win a war, you have to go back to Jericho. Kill them all. Let them be less than human in the eyes of our boys. If you don't, and get outraged when our guys do something that you wouldn't expect (like treat enemy as less than human)then we are creating serial killers.

Iowa Caucus

According to http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpolitics/buzzfeed-exclusive-how-much-did-the-republicans-w

Rick Perry spent $6,035,705 on tv ads in Iowa. He received 12,604 votes, that's $478.87 per vote. Even if he won with Romney's total of 30,015 votes, he would have paid $201.09 per vote.

Romney spent $4,665,342 and got the above 30,015 votes, for $ 155.43 per vote.

 

It's a crazy amount of money spent on tv ads in Iowa, for almost no votes. There were just over 120,000 voters (caucus goers) and a whole lot of cash thrown at them. Looking at the chart, it looks like over 15 million was spent in Iowa by the candidates on it. That's $125 per voter. Wouldn't it be more effective to just hand a person $125 and say vote for me, than to give the money to tv stations?

If Iowa didn't have one of the lowest unemployment rates, I'd think this money could have done something better to boost their economy.

How to become President of the United States (a guide)

How to become president of the United States (a guide)

 

There are two phases to becoming president, step 1, you must win your primary. How do you do that? In order to win your primary, you have to be the "cleanest" person in your party. Why the "cleanest"? It's because everyone you are going up against is pretty much the exact same as you. You all (mostly) share the same ideals, values, and norms. Any person who is an outlier in the primary will be quickly discarded, even if they have good ideas (see Ron Paul). You must be the person with the least amount of skeletons in your closet. If the stuff is already known about you, you will be fine (see Newt Gingrich). You can not be the target of any new allegations (see Herman Cain). Any new allegations must be either discarded as irrelevant, or as youthful indiscretions (even in your 40's, see George W. Bush).

If a new allegation comes up, or you have something in your past that no one knows about, you need to get that out in the open right away. You should already have everything that you've ever done out in the public record, when someone finds out that you did something "bad" before, and you try to hide it; you are screwed.

Since you are pretty much exactly like the others that you are running with, there are several things that will help you win your parties nomination.

Be tall. People expect tall people to be leaders, even if they aren't. If you aren't 6 foot tall, you are probably screwed. When standing on the stage with your opponent, you will look less impressive, if the person towers over you and looks down upon you.

Have a position that is just a little different than the others. Don't be radically different, just a bit different. This is why Ron Paul can't win the election. He may be in second or third in the polls, but the fans of the others aren't going to back him if their candidate quits the race. He is stuck with the number of people who want him to win. The only way he can win, is if some new scandal finds the others that are running.

Look presidential. Even though Barack Obama is black, television shows and movies with black presidents have already softened people to think that maybe a black president is ok. Obama kind of looks like the black presidents in movies, that's why he's presidential looking. You can't look unfit or unhealthy for the times. Taft could never be elected today. Back in the early 1900's a fat person wouldn't have the stigma that a fat person has now. (Taft was the last truly hefty president). Everyone now, is relatively long and lean.

If you are just running to enhance your book sales, then it doesn't really matter what you look like, or how tall you are, or what your positions are, or what you plans are (no matter how dumb or smart they are); you will lose the election.

Have a book published. Your job as congressman, or as a spokesman, or as whatever else it is that is your normal salary, isn't enough. You need to get royalty checks. Everyone who supports you must purchase this book. They may not make a donation to your PAC, but they can give the money directly to you, in the form of your book.

Have a family. Actually, have a daughter or two. Bush 1 was the last president with sons. If you have sons, they must be politically active and be of the same party. If you have daughters, you must say that "your family is off limits" even though you are using them as props to get you elected.

Remember, you are a rock star. You may think you are an everyman who just somehow fell into all this stuff, but you spent your whole life manipulating people into getting your way. You aren't some schlub off the street who wants to shake the hand of someone, you are the guy who's germs are going to be on someone for a month because after they shook your hand, they didn't wash it. Accept your rockstardom. It you will need it.

So, to sum up: you must be just like everyone else in your party; you must not have anything hidden in your past (since you have a book, you need to put a chapter of everything bad that you've ever done, that way no one can surprise you with it, and the fact that you've admitted a "mistake" will earn you forgiveness… even if you killed someone); have a couple of daughters (2 seems to be the perfect number); have a book (or 2); be tall; be somewhat fit.

So, now that you've won your party's nomination, how do you guarantee that you are the person elected president.

Let's look at the past winners and who they were up against.

2008 Obama, McCain

2004 Bush, Kerry

2000 Bush, Gore

1996 Clinton, Dole

1992 Clinton, Bush 1

1988 Bush1, Dukakis

1984 Reagan, Mondale

1980 Reagan, Carter

1976 Carter, Ford

1972 Nixon, McGovern

Winners on the left, losers on the right… what do all the winners have?

They are more charismatic than the people they beat. Clinton was definitely more charismatic than Bush, but Bush was more than Dukakis.

During the early 2000's George W Bush wasn't unbeatable, the democrats were just really stupid. Half the country hated Bush, and all the democrats could put up were guys who had less personality than a wet towel.

Based on the charisma factor, the two people you wouldn't want to run against are Reagan and Obama (Clinton is a close third).

The actual election has little to do with politics, and so much to do with who's the person who can captivate the crowd.

Winning is all about charisma (and no skeletons). Gary Hart wouldn't have beaten Reagan in 1984 (lost to Mondale in the primary), but he would have beaten Dukakis if it wasn't for his affair. Had he beaten Dukakis, he would have beaten Bush based on the charisma factor.

The vice presidential choice makes little difference in the ability to win. You cannot select someone who is more charismatic than you to be your VP though. It won't help. Sarah Palin may be polarizing, she has enough charisma to win the general election, but wouldn't make it through the primary. Dukakis selection of Lloyd Bentsen didn't provide enough boost to overcome his looking like a midget when he was in the tank.

Jack Kemp may have been the best non-winning vp candidate, but he had more charisma than Dole. Kemp vs Clinton in 96 with Gore and Dole as the vp's would have been a tighter race. (Clinton would still have won).

So, to sum up: after you have won your primary, you need to have the stage presence to beat the other person. You may be good in one year, but you might not be the next time (see Bush). For this reason, there isn't a republican who can beat Obama this year. The only candidate who could have, would have been Herman Cain, but his affairs cost him that chance.

Endorsements don't matter, newspapers don't matter, all that matters is that you can carry yourself better than the other guy.

 

Standing Up

 

I'm going to try something.

I'm going to see the effects of standing. I'm not going to change pretty much anything else that I do. I'm not going to eat less, I'm not going to drink less, I'm not going to exercise more. I'm just going to stand up more.

I'm going to do this for 30 days (ish) just to see what happens.

I'm under the impression that I sit and relax too much. I think we all probably do.

Looking at my current routine, about the only time where I'm on my feet for a long period of time is when I'm bartending (Saturday at Radio Maria from 3 until 2; and Sunday from 3 until 9, come see me). The rest of the week, I'm pretty much seated.

I wake up from sleep (laying down), get dressed, get in the car (seated), go to work from 8-5 (about 95% seated), drive home, then watch tv (seated). The evenings are a bit different, Monday at 10 is beer class; Tuesday is off;  Wednesday is some work at Radio, then drinking; Thursday is off; Friday is happy hour, but I'm not going to change any of my routine. The only thing I'm going to do is stand more.

So, when it's not needed for me to sit at my desk and do something (bent over doesn't seem like a good way to spend the day) I'm going to be standing.

I'm not sure what I weigh now, but I know that my belt fluctuates between the second and third notch. So, about the only proof we'll have for results is where I fasten my belt, and how my clothes look on me (although I will probably go to the scale and see what I weigh with my clothes on).

So, let's see what happens. Can standing up really make a difference. If it makes a difference in me, will it make a difference in you?

Here we go.

 

The End of the World

Then End of the World

I assume Harold Camping is quite pissed right now. It’s deservedly so. He thought the world was going to end today. He thought the rapture was going to be back in May. We are all still here. So, today/tomorrow, he’s going to have to come up with an excuse as to why the world is not destroyed. (I’ve got several theories, including that it’s all bullshit, but I’ll leave that out)

So, why is the world here? I think the best story for comparison is that of Jonah. You probably know the Jonah and the Whale story, but do you know the back story. Do you know how it applies to Harold Camping and the End of the World?

Jonah was told by God to go to Nineveh, to tell them that God was going to destroy them.

Jonah 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

But Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh, so he took a ship to Tarshish. This angered God, so he sent a storm at the boat. The mariners were angry with Jonah because it was his god that caused the storm, so they threw him overboard. Jonah was then eaten by a fish. After three days, the fish puked Jonah up on the land.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh again, and tell the people they were going to be destroyed. So this time, Jonah went.

Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

So the people actually repented.

10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

God didn’t destroy Nineveh that day. So everyone rejoiced, including Jonah…

It goes Jonah 3:10 to Jonah 4:1. Here is Jonah 4:1

Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

Jonah was pissed that the place wasn’t destroyed. God then gives Jonah a show, with a worm and a gourd, and tells him some advice.

And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

God says, Hey, there was a lot of people in there to be saved. Don’t be mad that I spared them… today.

Harold Camping believes the world is going to end today. He has made lots of people believe the world is going to end today. He will come up with an excuse for why the world didn’t end today. He’ll claim his calculations are off. He’ll claim that he missed a piece. He’ll claim that the math was wrong… (He won’t claim the 930 years of Adam’s life, AS thing as I’ve mentioned in other places, but that’s a different story). The thing he won’t mention is that maybe, God didn’t destroy the world, because it repented.

Are we living in the modern version of Nineveh? Did we repent? Did you repent?

Is Camping going to act like Jonah in 4:1 and be pissed that the earth wasn’t destroyed, like he was told/figured/calculated it to be? Probably. The best thing that Camping can do is to say that the earth repented, and God spared us, just like he did Nineveh. Then never make a stupid prediction again.

Christians seem to really look forward to the end of the world. It’s rather discomforting.

 

 

 

Getting Personal

Name, age, town of residence

Virgil, 40, Urbana

 

Profession: Explain in one sentence what it is you do.

I make printing work, along with server administration; and I buy beer, bartend, and drink beer.

 

What time do you typically get up? What do you do the first hour of the morning?

My alarm is set for 7:02, I love multiples of 9. I drink a Diet Mountain Dew, smoke a cigarette and get ready for work.

What did you have for lunch today? Where? With whom?

I skipped lunch (so far) today, yesterday I had bbq chicken quarter (white meat), with mashed potatoes (no gravy), and southwest corn, in the Carle cafeteria, by myself.

Best high school memory.

Getting arrested for illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor. It created the best story to tell, and (to me) bad decisions make the best stories.

Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.

I have a red suede pair of casket creepers. They have 1 inch soles, and in the middle of the sole, there’s a casket that covers a compartment, where you could put… um… things… mine has a dollar bill in it.

What does a perfect Sunday afternoon include?

I bartend on Sunday afternoon, so, it wouldn’t be too busy, several of my friends, people drinking beer, and me having time to talk to them about beer. Also, the Packers would win a game, and my fantasy football team would score lots of points.

Was there one book you read as a child that you still cherish? Own? Read?

I don’t remember reading much as a child. As a teen, I read a lot of Clive Barker, I still own all those books. More recently I’ve read the Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom, and Global Brain (also by Bloom), those are good non-fiction works. I also read the Bible, but don’t believe it. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, and Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite fiction works.

Where on earth are you dying to go? Why?

If I could go anywhere, right now… it’d be Three Floyds Brewery on November 12, for their 15^th anniversary party. There will be some great beers and brewers there.

Tell me about your favorite pet.

Peggy, my mutt dog. The ex-wife picked her up at a shelter. She always ran way, but we always got her back. She seemed to genuinely love me, and I loved her back.

Have you discovered as you matured that you are becoming like one of your parents? Which one and how?

I notice that I’m developing traits of my father. I tend to compartmentalize, and can get angry/frustrated when things don’t go exactly the way I think they should go.

What would you order for your last meal?

A pound of beef tenderloin (rare), risotto with wild mushrooms, asparagus, a balsamic reduction on the beef, a cheese sauce on the asparagus, for desert, crème brulee. To drink, Westvletereen 12 with the asparagus, St. Bernardus dubbel with the meat, Two Brothers Domaine du Page with the rice, and Three Floyds Dark Lord with the desert.

What can you NOT live without?

Music, beer, diet mountain dew.

Who do you have on your iPod?

All the music I own, mostly industrial (Ministry, KMFDM, NIN, PIG), however there’s some other stuff (Cure, Depeche Mode, Chemlab).

What’s the happiest memory of your life?

Probably the first time I saw Ministry. I went down to Louisville, and picked up my brother, and we went to Jillians (they had one there too) and I saw them for the first time. It had been something I wanted to do for many years (dozen? Twenty?) and finally got to do it. I made a gesture to my brother symbolizing “I can die happy now” then the show ended. We drove back to his place, listening to the radio at what we thought was a normal volume, later fell asleep with ears ringing.  When we got into the truck the next morning, the radio was at its highest volume and it scared us, it was so loud when it came on.

Otherwise, I don’t have any kids, and I’m not planning on getting remarried. I have a bottle of beer (yes, Three Floyds) that we picked up at this past years Dark Lord Day. The purchase price was $50. Later that day, other bottles of it were on Ebay for $500 (it is very limited, only done once, in numbered bottles), and me and the girlfriend were wondering when we could drink a $500 (value) bottle of beer? We aren’t going to have kids, and we aren’t going to get married, so when is the appropriate time to drink that… we still haven’t figured it out.

If you could host a dinner party with any three living people in the world, whom would you invite?

If I’m hosting a dinner party, then all my friends are invited; the other 3 people in the world who I would invite would be: Mikkel (a Danish brewer), Al Jourgenson (the man behind Ministry), and Niel Degrasse Tyson (from NOVA, he’s soooo cool and smart).

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

On Duckman (an old cartoon) Duckman once told the kids,  “Remember kids, when you get to prison attach yourself to the biggest, toughest, meanest looking goon you can find. You don't wanna wind up as just anyone's bitch.“

More seriously…

Not sure if it was advice, but the instructor at airborne school once told me to “go! Go! Go!” and so I jumped out of a plane. Go, you might as well do something. When told to jump, don’t waste time asking how high, just do what you are told.

What’s your best piece of advice?

Accept happiness.

What was your first job, and how much did you make an hour?

Newspaper delivery, I think I operated at a loss. Otherwise, lifeguard, minimum wage, whatever that was in ’88.

What was a pivotal decision in your career, and how did you arrive at that decision?

In ’99 I was in the Army, and the army decided to send me to Korea for a year. I was in this rare window, that I would have to re-enlist in order to go, or I could get out of the army. It would have been a year separation from my wife (at the time) and I knew that a year separation, had hurt stronger marriages than I had; so I chose to get out (later the wife was sent to Iraq for a year, and that pretty much ended that marriage, so I was right). I then got a job doing server administration, and the rest is history.

Do you have a bad habit? What is it?

Some would consider smoking to be a bad habit. Some would consider drinking to be a bad habit. Some would consider that I’m an atheist to be a bad habit. Some would consider that I don’t look like I conform (Mohawk, facial hair, tattoos) to be a bad habit. I don’t think I have a bad habit, I just do things that others don’t like.

How do you handle a stressful situation?

I fix the problem. Then it isn’t a problem anymore.

 

don't be bullied

So, yesterday I had to attend Horizontal Violence (incivility) training, it’s mandatory for the place I work. Basically, there’s about a 10% turnover in new staff each year, and one of the main reasons was something like a hostile work environment. The people either didn’t fit in, or felt they were bullied.

Bullying is the new big thing (Just did a google news search and there are 8,840 stories in the past hour). It’s now why kids kill themselves. It’s why people quit jobs. It’s why people go home unhappy. It’s why they then take their work life out on their families.

Is it because people are too sensitive? In the corporate world, we aren’t talking about physical violence, that will get you fired, we are talking about (basically) hurting someone’s feelings. I don’t like the way you rolled your eyes at me. I don’t like you talking behind my back. I don’t like you giving me the silent treatment. I don’t like you blaming me. I don’t like you backstabbing me. I don’t like… Jeebus. Grow a spine.

In modern society, it seems the goal is to do one thing, fit in. Look around next time you go out, how many people drive the same car, wear the same jacket, have the same haircut, wear the same perfume. People do almost everything they can to be the most … um… GENERIC. It’s not cheap to be generic, some of the things they have are really expensive, but EVERYONE has it. (North Face Jackets for example) People fight as hard as they can to NOT be unique. They think they are “different” and “special”, but deep down, they just want to blend in.

When I went to basic training, I received some of the worst advice ever from my cousin; he said something like “don’t let the drill sergeants know who you are”. I think when he graduated from Basic Training, the drills were like, wait, who are you? This is most people. Their goal is not to be noticed. They want to be wall flowers. You’d think that’d be easy to do in camouflage. But, it’s the people that try to blend in and not be noticed who are the ones who are yelled at, dropped for pushups, and singled out. Why? Because, the army needs people who can be yelled at, and can do their job; and not start crying and worry about their feelings and not accomplish their mission. If you can do your job correctly under pressure, then you can do it. There is pressure in war.

So why is bullying a problem for people who want to blend in? It means that someone has determined that you are special. You have gotten me to choose you (out of EVERYONE else) to pick on. You are no longer a faceless drone, you are now… UNIQUE! It’s the last thing you want. You just want to go about your day, do your job, maybe have someone say “good job” or “thank you” but most likely you would prefer no recognition at all. If someone is yelling at you, talking about you, rolling their eyes at you, well… you have become special. You are no longer faceless person #2, you are SOMEONE. You are suddenly unique. You don’t know what to do with yourself.

Modern society almost demands that you be a drone. Children’s games are outlawed because someone might get hurt. Score isn’t kept at kids sporting events because “everyone is a winner”; well everyone is also a loser. Everyone is the same, and that’s the way society wants it. Getting hurt is an easy way to learn. Losing, and not liking losing, is a reason to get better. Why get better if it doesn’t matter what you do, since there is no score? Kids are all treated the same. Which is bullshit. Everyone needs to be treated differently. I am different than you, you are different than her, she is different than him. If they are all treated the same, how will we know who does what good?

That’s the first factor about bullying (probably the most overlooked one) that people don’t want to stand out in a crowd. People look at the different people … differently. They actually notice them. I was the guy with the Mohawk in the class… I was the one with a different opinion. Why? I don’t mind being noticed.

The other factor in modern bullying goes to people’s inability to accept happiness. Happiness is all around, you just have to accept it. Trust me, there are great things out there. If you look for something, you will find it. If you are unhappy, look for a reason to be happy. I’m not saying ignore your problems and they will go away, I’m saying, there’s no reason to be permanently unhappy. If you have massive problems with money or a job, or … whatever, that’s different. If you are on the internet reading this, you have a computer (or access to one) or a smart phone… how many people in the world don’t have those things.

Heck, if you are here, you probably like beer. Hurray beer! Don’t drink to drown your problems, drink because beer is great! How can you be unhappy if there’s a beer in front of you? Why would you be unhappy if there’s a beer? Find a thing you like, and be happy about that.

Don’t hate Monday. Love your weekend. It’s only 5 days till the next one. I see some people ruining their weekend because they hate Monday. Screw that, I’m going to enjoy the time I have when I have it, instead of waiting for something bad.

If little things piss you off, you need to relax and not worry about it. If your day is ruined because someone cut you off in traffic, then you really need to learn to enjoy what you have. If you are cut off in traffic, you are going somewhere (hurray, you have a place to go), you have a vehicle (hurray, you have a car), you have money to put gas in the car (hurray, you have some gas), you have many many things. Why would you let something like… someone not using a turn signal… even put you in a bad mood for a split second?

Anyone who makes you lose your cool, isn’t worth losing your cool over. If you think someone is worth losing your cool over, they shouldn’t make you lose your cool. Don’t let someone else affect your mood. A person who cuts you off on the road, isn’t worth your time to flip them off. You won’t feel better about doing it. They won’t care, even if it does. Just be happy.

If you dwell on the things that make you unhappy, you won’t be able to experience all the joy that comes from the things that can make you happy.

If you dread mowing the lawn, be thankful you have a yard. If you have to paint the house, congrats, you have a house. If your kid is crying, then someone has found you to be an acceptable mate and has procreated with you, that’s probably something to write about.

So, in order to not be bullied, you have to accept happiness, and not care that you are no longer a faceless drone.

Good luck