Over the years I had heard different people mention a gnar-gnar brewery in Northern California (the real middle-of-nowhere Norcal, not the Bay Area) called Anderson Valley. When I found myself in a place with varied and rare beers here on the east coast I would occasionally look for AVBC but never found it. A couple of months ago the NYTimes travel section did a piece on the winerias in the region and included some stuff about Anderson Valley and my curiosity was renewed. I was on a quest to find their beer in general, but in particular the Hop Ottin IPA, which in my understanding is the hot shit as far as AVBC goes. A few weeks ago I came across it, completely by accident, in a store I had never been to before and added it to my shopping cart. I was pretty stoked to finally have found this beer and eager to give it a try. So imagine my bum-0ut level when I got to a get-together at my friend's house, cracked my first AVBC brew-dog, took a sip that didn't taste very IPA-ish at all, and looked down to find I was holding their Amber Ale instead. I checked the rest of the sixer, thinking maybe I had grabbed a sampler pack, and found that someone (to be fair I have no idea if it was a mistake on the part of the brewery, the distro, or the store) had slid 6 Amber Ales into the slots of the Hop Ottin' box. It wound up not being too bad because A) the Amber Ale was pretty good and B) I noticed the label has a bear... with fucking antlers!!! which is hesh in an awesome way.
Fast forward to last Wednesday... I decide to try again. At the same store I found the IPA, checked each and every bottle in the sixer to make sure, and eagerly made my way to the cash register... where I paid $14 for a six pack. The beer itself was pretty good. Very strong IPA which I dig, with a distinctive dryness. One of the better IPAs I've had for sure, but probably not $14 level tight.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
2 Seinfeld Observations
Over the weekend I was flipping channels and came across Seinfeld, and as usually happens, I wound up watching a few episodes in a row and wondering where the 2 hours went. Two things jumped out at me during this mini-marathon.
1. The Denise Richards appearance was very strange. She is supposed to play an NBC exec's 15 year old daughter but clearly looks way older. According to IMDB she was 23 at the time this episode aired. I know actors usually play younger characters but that was really a stretch. But more than that was just the sheer number of people who went on to become well known had little bits on Seinfeld. There is one in almost every episode.
2. When Jerry accidentally gets two women to agree to a threesome (and bails) George screams, "Do you ever get on your knees and thank God that you know me, and have access to my dementia!?" I hadn't seen that one in a while and as soon as I heard those words I had the crushing realization that someone other than me spoke those words first.
1. The Denise Richards appearance was very strange. She is supposed to play an NBC exec's 15 year old daughter but clearly looks way older. According to IMDB she was 23 at the time this episode aired. I know actors usually play younger characters but that was really a stretch. But more than that was just the sheer number of people who went on to become well known had little bits on Seinfeld. There is one in almost every episode.
2. When Jerry accidentally gets two women to agree to a threesome (and bails) George screams, "Do you ever get on your knees and thank God that you know me, and have access to my dementia!?" I hadn't seen that one in a while and as soon as I heard those words I had the crushing realization that someone other than me spoke those words first.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
RETURN
It has been just shy of a year since the last time I posted on this blog and I am back because why not?! My return to Don't F This UP coincides with that of Conando on the late night scene and that is more the kind of stuff I think I am going to be blogging about. BUT YOU NEVER KNOW!!!!
Although I am a Conan fan and was bummed about what happened at NBC I think the TBS experiment is doomed to fail. Going to cable is a different arena plus he is up against The Daily Show and the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, shows I suspect had a large cross over with his when he was on network TV. Add to that people that were Conan fans but don't tune in until later and I think he is going to have a hard time.
It would have made more sense (I think) for George Lopez to stay in the spot and continue to build on the succces he has had and let Conando come on at midnight. He would benefit from the lead in and probably bring in some of the Comedy Central viewers. Plus the later slot feels like it suits him more.
What I caught of the show last night was okay. I don't like Glee and that chick didn't change my mind. I will give it another try tonight though.
Although I am a Conan fan and was bummed about what happened at NBC I think the TBS experiment is doomed to fail. Going to cable is a different arena plus he is up against The Daily Show and the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, shows I suspect had a large cross over with his when he was on network TV. Add to that people that were Conan fans but don't tune in until later and I think he is going to have a hard time.
It would have made more sense (I think) for George Lopez to stay in the spot and continue to build on the succces he has had and let Conando come on at midnight. He would benefit from the lead in and probably bring in some of the Comedy Central viewers. Plus the later slot feels like it suits him more.
What I caught of the show last night was okay. I don't like Glee and that chick didn't change my mind. I will give it another try tonight though.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
JJ on SNL
Pretty much everyone has been trashing January Jones' stint hosting SNL. Through the Hulu magic I finally caught the episode. It is pretty bad but I didn't think quite the disaster people made it out to be. Or maybe it is, but I am not sure it is her fault really. Thinking back there have been plenty of hosts that stumbled through the episode or were semi-invisible. I think flops like that happen once or twice a season. But the show as a whole was terrible.
The insufferable Black Eyed Peas were bad enough to ruin it on their own. I am not sure if there is a more annoying band with that level of platform. There probably is but they are eye-gouging level bad.
And why was everything about taking dumps? The Rear Window sketch was stupid and dumb. And the digital short which is usually one of the worst parts of the show was all about Andy Samberg power blasting every time his roommate went somewhere. The dinner party psa thing also talked about pooping. I am just guessing, but probably wasn't January Jones' fault as much as the writers.
The insufferable Black Eyed Peas were bad enough to ruin it on their own. I am not sure if there is a more annoying band with that level of platform. There probably is but they are eye-gouging level bad.
And why was everything about taking dumps? The Rear Window sketch was stupid and dumb. And the digital short which is usually one of the worst parts of the show was all about Andy Samberg power blasting every time his roommate went somewhere. The dinner party psa thing also talked about pooping. I am just guessing, but probably wasn't January Jones' fault as much as the writers.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Election Reflection
Looking over my post from Tuesday morning I got a lot wrong, but a few days later I feel the political mood in America is not drastically different. There are some interesting things developing though.
Corzine losing was a bit of a surprise but it was going to be a tight race anyway. The difference was probably largely the new/young/urban set who never voted before but came out for Obama. They mostly stayed home this time.
NY-23 really surprised me. I know Dede Scozz endo'd Bill Owens but she was not an incumbent and in a large district like that I didn't think she had a huge personal appeal that would sway voters against the conservative candidate. Maybe that wasn't the deciding factor, but it may have been. That Owens is the first Democrat to hold the seat in over a hundred years is as remarkable or more than the fact Christie ended 8 years of Democrats in Trenton.
Maybe the biggest surprise, for me anyway, was how close BIll Thompson came in the NYC Mayor's race. I guess on Tuesday night I got my answer to why Bloomberg spent so much money. It still does not cease to amaze me. I think he has done a good job these past 8 years, is a likeable or at least neutral personality, and Bill Thompson is more or less a generic run of the mill candidate. And Bloomberg had to spend a mindblowing amount of money to squeak out a victory. Very strange.
Tuesday gave us two clues to the state of American political life as we head into a midterm year.
1, the center of gravity has not shot to the right as a backlash to the Obama administration as some have suggested. A Republican won the southern state of Virginia, a moderate Republican won in NJ, Republicans lost control of a congressional district they had held for over a century, the supposed fast closing candidate in northern California turned out to be a flop, and perhaps most significant of all conservative ballot measures in Maine and Washington both failed.
2, the struggle for the soul of the Republican party is in full swing. There is no denying the momentum and energy is with the right. From mouthpiece conservatives like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh to the more vocal members of Congress to the de facto presidential candidates like Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty, the more abrasive and ideological figures are exciting Republicans. BUT... it appears we are in an era where moderates will do better at the polls. Chris Christie used a campaign strategy of aligning himself with Obama that would have most Republicans foaming at the mouth had he not knocked off Jon Corzine. He co-opted some of the broad themes of the Obama campaign but beyond that went out of his way to point out where he agreed with the president. The power struggle in upstate NY is well chronicled and what it comes down to is that the right wing (mostly from outside the district and state) pushed a reasonably mainstream Republican out of the race in favor of an ideologically pure alternative... and in so doing lost what should have been a solid and safe seat in Congress. One that the coattails of Obama, Clinton, Johnson, Kennedy, and FDR could not swing Democrat was pushed over by the fervor of the Palins of the world.
In concrete terms I am not sure what this means for 2010 but here is my guess:
1, Democrats will lose 10-15 seats in the House but retain their majority. In the Senate Democrats will do better, in large part due to the specific seats in play this time. Republicans will probably pick up some governorships.
2, 2010 will be the best indicator of the tone of the 2012 Republican primary. As I mentioned above the conservative zeitgeist says one thing, but election realities say another. There are some who are staking out ground as far to the right as possible already but I think a lot of the people who will run in 2012 (Romney, Huckabee, etc) are going to wait and see what happens next November before they calibrate their message.
Corzine losing was a bit of a surprise but it was going to be a tight race anyway. The difference was probably largely the new/young/urban set who never voted before but came out for Obama. They mostly stayed home this time.
NY-23 really surprised me. I know Dede Scozz endo'd Bill Owens but she was not an incumbent and in a large district like that I didn't think she had a huge personal appeal that would sway voters against the conservative candidate. Maybe that wasn't the deciding factor, but it may have been. That Owens is the first Democrat to hold the seat in over a hundred years is as remarkable or more than the fact Christie ended 8 years of Democrats in Trenton.
Maybe the biggest surprise, for me anyway, was how close BIll Thompson came in the NYC Mayor's race. I guess on Tuesday night I got my answer to why Bloomberg spent so much money. It still does not cease to amaze me. I think he has done a good job these past 8 years, is a likeable or at least neutral personality, and Bill Thompson is more or less a generic run of the mill candidate. And Bloomberg had to spend a mindblowing amount of money to squeak out a victory. Very strange.
Tuesday gave us two clues to the state of American political life as we head into a midterm year.
1, the center of gravity has not shot to the right as a backlash to the Obama administration as some have suggested. A Republican won the southern state of Virginia, a moderate Republican won in NJ, Republicans lost control of a congressional district they had held for over a century, the supposed fast closing candidate in northern California turned out to be a flop, and perhaps most significant of all conservative ballot measures in Maine and Washington both failed.
2, the struggle for the soul of the Republican party is in full swing. There is no denying the momentum and energy is with the right. From mouthpiece conservatives like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh to the more vocal members of Congress to the de facto presidential candidates like Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty, the more abrasive and ideological figures are exciting Republicans. BUT... it appears we are in an era where moderates will do better at the polls. Chris Christie used a campaign strategy of aligning himself with Obama that would have most Republicans foaming at the mouth had he not knocked off Jon Corzine. He co-opted some of the broad themes of the Obama campaign but beyond that went out of his way to point out where he agreed with the president. The power struggle in upstate NY is well chronicled and what it comes down to is that the right wing (mostly from outside the district and state) pushed a reasonably mainstream Republican out of the race in favor of an ideologically pure alternative... and in so doing lost what should have been a solid and safe seat in Congress. One that the coattails of Obama, Clinton, Johnson, Kennedy, and FDR could not swing Democrat was pushed over by the fervor of the Palins of the world.
In concrete terms I am not sure what this means for 2010 but here is my guess:
1, Democrats will lose 10-15 seats in the House but retain their majority. In the Senate Democrats will do better, in large part due to the specific seats in play this time. Republicans will probably pick up some governorships.
2, 2010 will be the best indicator of the tone of the 2012 Republican primary. As I mentioned above the conservative zeitgeist says one thing, but election realities say another. There are some who are staking out ground as far to the right as possible already but I think a lot of the people who will run in 2012 (Romney, Huckabee, etc) are going to wait and see what happens next November before they calibrate their message.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Election Day!
It is hard to believe a full year has passed since the McCain-Obama showdown. Here we are on the first Tuesday of November and there is a handful of interesting races taking place today. Of course it doesn't have a micro-fraction of the drama or expectation or sense of history this day had last year but if you are interested in politics there is some things to look at. Here are some quick thoughts on a few of the more visible races:
Virginia Gov
It looks all but certain that Creigh Deeds will be slaughtered by Republican Bob McDonnell. This is a race some national conservative voices will point to as proof the White House is losing the trust of the American people but it will probably be an aberration. Virginia is quirky and weird and does not allow consecutive terms in the Governor's mansion so each race is much more a self-containing occurrence than in other states. It really is Democratic candidate versus Republican and Deeds does not seem to have connected with voters. There are plenty of numbers to suggest Virginia is a state turning (a light shade of) blue but it is not that simple. Yes Obama was the first Democrat to carry the state since the 1960s and it is represented in the US Senate by two Democrats. But those victories owed much to conditions specific to that election. Both Jim Webb and Mark Warner have long and sturdy connections to the people of the state of Virginia and made the race more about them about being a Democrat. Obama benefited from the most tuned-in electorate of all time in a state with a rapidly growing suburban core in the north that also happens to be mostly on the center-left. Casual voters in the DC suburbs who showed up for Obama are less likely to do the same for Deeds. And the tremendous fervor in the state's sizable African American community gave Obama's numbers an extra push. I think Deeds will lose but the loss will have minimal implications beyond who sits in the Governor's Mansion next year.
New Jersey Gov
I find this one particularly interesting because I grew up in New Jersey. If Chris Christie does not win, and that appears to be a real possibility, he will have redefined failure in modern American politics. Over the summer Christie enjoyed a double digit lead over incumbent Jon Corzine and seemed to be cruising as he hammered his rivals low approval ratings, the state's high taxes, and general discontent with the perception of corruption in the state. It is tough to say exactly what caused the race to tighten to the point where it is neck and neck on election day but I suspect it was a mix of two things. 1, Christie's naked ambition was a little too much for some voters. Every politician has a healthy dose of ambition but most do a better job of handling their public image. With his string of investigations focusing on Democrats which buzzed right around election day for most of this past decade people who follow the politics of the state so a man who simply could not wait to run for a big office. 2, Christie attacked Corzine too early. There is no way to deny he damaged the current Governor, but he gave Corzine months and months to respond. And he did just that. After absorbing the blows from the Christie campaign Corzine picked himself up and counter-attacked. Painting Christie as a Bush sycophant and not-so-subtly pointing out that he is really fat may not be the most sophisticated political strategy but Christie proved so utterly inept at defending himself that I suspect it will keep Corzine in the job for another four years. By two points or less, but I believe Corzine will win.
An interesting note: For the most part polls done by local in-state outfits give Corzine a slight edge while most national polls give Christie a small advantage. Third party candidate Chris Daggett ranges from 8% on the low end up to 15%. Personally I would be shocked to see him in double digits.
One of the possible after-effects to look for here is what it says about the viability of moderate (in message/tone) Republicans going forward. Christie knows he is running in a state that has only elected two Republicans to state-wide office in three decades and is acting accordingly. He is cuddling up to Obama in a way that may soften his rough edges with New Jerseyans but is sure to drive movement conservatives insane. TPM has a great clip of a Christie ad that tries to tie him to the president. If Christie wins it will probably blow over and be seen as a one time thing that helped him win an off-year election in a liberal state. But if he loses, there will be thunder in the right-wing echo chamber. The same way rank and file Democrats rejected "Bush/Republican lite" early in this decade Republicans will insist the only way to beat Democrats is to move as far to the right as possible. Given the national realities of the moment we live in that will only strengthen Democrats' hand.
New York 23rd Congressional District
This race is almost in Canada! It has been intriguing because of national Republicans' willingness to back the third party candidate over an establishment Republican picked by local leaders. Dede Scozzafava may be pro-choice but she wasn't a Lincoln Chafee/Jim Jeffords type. When people like Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty threw their muscle behind Hoffman it really signaled a desire to run to the right across the board instead of the "candidate to fit the district" approach.
NY-23 is similar to the New Jersey race in that it may point to a way forward for Republicans. Despite Scozzafava endorsing Democrat Bill Owens, the seat is likely to remain Republican. A Hoffman victory will allow the Glen Beck's and Rush Limbaugh's to validate their belief in the most conservative candidate is always the right one. With midterms a year away they will surely push for conservative challengers to moderate Republicans in primaries across the nation. This differs from the NJ race in that the Republican is likely to win and that will allow ramifications to flow, while if he loses they can easily blame it on the "turn-coat" Scozzafava for endorsing the Democrat.
New York City Mayor
I would be absolutely flabbergasted if Mike Bloomberg didn't win a third term today. Bill Thompson is not ready for prime time and New Yorkers are more or less happy with the job Bloomberg has done. What surprises me is the volume and tone of Bloomberg's ads. Some are vicious attacks against Thompson and blur some facts. There are other positive Bloomberg ads that focus on endorsements from people like Colin Powell and Al Gore. Living 45 minutes to an hour from the city I have been bombarded by Bloomberg ads in a race that really appears to have been won months ago. The only thing I can think of is that he wants to win in a landslide to marginalize those who oppose his scrapping of term limits to run again.
If you are a polinerd, tonight won't be the Superbowl but it will be fun.
Virginia Gov
It looks all but certain that Creigh Deeds will be slaughtered by Republican Bob McDonnell. This is a race some national conservative voices will point to as proof the White House is losing the trust of the American people but it will probably be an aberration. Virginia is quirky and weird and does not allow consecutive terms in the Governor's mansion so each race is much more a self-containing occurrence than in other states. It really is Democratic candidate versus Republican and Deeds does not seem to have connected with voters. There are plenty of numbers to suggest Virginia is a state turning (a light shade of) blue but it is not that simple. Yes Obama was the first Democrat to carry the state since the 1960s and it is represented in the US Senate by two Democrats. But those victories owed much to conditions specific to that election. Both Jim Webb and Mark Warner have long and sturdy connections to the people of the state of Virginia and made the race more about them about being a Democrat. Obama benefited from the most tuned-in electorate of all time in a state with a rapidly growing suburban core in the north that also happens to be mostly on the center-left. Casual voters in the DC suburbs who showed up for Obama are less likely to do the same for Deeds. And the tremendous fervor in the state's sizable African American community gave Obama's numbers an extra push. I think Deeds will lose but the loss will have minimal implications beyond who sits in the Governor's Mansion next year.
New Jersey Gov
I find this one particularly interesting because I grew up in New Jersey. If Chris Christie does not win, and that appears to be a real possibility, he will have redefined failure in modern American politics. Over the summer Christie enjoyed a double digit lead over incumbent Jon Corzine and seemed to be cruising as he hammered his rivals low approval ratings, the state's high taxes, and general discontent with the perception of corruption in the state. It is tough to say exactly what caused the race to tighten to the point where it is neck and neck on election day but I suspect it was a mix of two things. 1, Christie's naked ambition was a little too much for some voters. Every politician has a healthy dose of ambition but most do a better job of handling their public image. With his string of investigations focusing on Democrats which buzzed right around election day for most of this past decade people who follow the politics of the state so a man who simply could not wait to run for a big office. 2, Christie attacked Corzine too early. There is no way to deny he damaged the current Governor, but he gave Corzine months and months to respond. And he did just that. After absorbing the blows from the Christie campaign Corzine picked himself up and counter-attacked. Painting Christie as a Bush sycophant and not-so-subtly pointing out that he is really fat may not be the most sophisticated political strategy but Christie proved so utterly inept at defending himself that I suspect it will keep Corzine in the job for another four years. By two points or less, but I believe Corzine will win.
An interesting note: For the most part polls done by local in-state outfits give Corzine a slight edge while most national polls give Christie a small advantage. Third party candidate Chris Daggett ranges from 8% on the low end up to 15%. Personally I would be shocked to see him in double digits.
One of the possible after-effects to look for here is what it says about the viability of moderate (in message/tone) Republicans going forward. Christie knows he is running in a state that has only elected two Republicans to state-wide office in three decades and is acting accordingly. He is cuddling up to Obama in a way that may soften his rough edges with New Jerseyans but is sure to drive movement conservatives insane. TPM has a great clip of a Christie ad that tries to tie him to the president. If Christie wins it will probably blow over and be seen as a one time thing that helped him win an off-year election in a liberal state. But if he loses, there will be thunder in the right-wing echo chamber. The same way rank and file Democrats rejected "Bush/Republican lite" early in this decade Republicans will insist the only way to beat Democrats is to move as far to the right as possible. Given the national realities of the moment we live in that will only strengthen Democrats' hand.
New York 23rd Congressional District
This race is almost in Canada! It has been intriguing because of national Republicans' willingness to back the third party candidate over an establishment Republican picked by local leaders. Dede Scozzafava may be pro-choice but she wasn't a Lincoln Chafee/Jim Jeffords type. When people like Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty threw their muscle behind Hoffman it really signaled a desire to run to the right across the board instead of the "candidate to fit the district" approach.
NY-23 is similar to the New Jersey race in that it may point to a way forward for Republicans. Despite Scozzafava endorsing Democrat Bill Owens, the seat is likely to remain Republican. A Hoffman victory will allow the Glen Beck's and Rush Limbaugh's to validate their belief in the most conservative candidate is always the right one. With midterms a year away they will surely push for conservative challengers to moderate Republicans in primaries across the nation. This differs from the NJ race in that the Republican is likely to win and that will allow ramifications to flow, while if he loses they can easily blame it on the "turn-coat" Scozzafava for endorsing the Democrat.
New York City Mayor
I would be absolutely flabbergasted if Mike Bloomberg didn't win a third term today. Bill Thompson is not ready for prime time and New Yorkers are more or less happy with the job Bloomberg has done. What surprises me is the volume and tone of Bloomberg's ads. Some are vicious attacks against Thompson and blur some facts. There are other positive Bloomberg ads that focus on endorsements from people like Colin Powell and Al Gore. Living 45 minutes to an hour from the city I have been bombarded by Bloomberg ads in a race that really appears to have been won months ago. The only thing I can think of is that he wants to win in a landslide to marginalize those who oppose his scrapping of term limits to run again.
If you are a polinerd, tonight won't be the Superbowl but it will be fun.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Don't F This Up
Hello. I have a football (soccer) blog but lately have found myself wanting to blog about other things too, so I set this up. Mostly politics, movies, television, music on here I think. Not sure how often. Stop by when you get a chance.
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