Guys' Night Out

I got together with Jeff & Jim, Darren (who drove up from NY just for the evening), and Mike at Keith's house tonight. We had a couple of beers (I brought a growler of the so-so Opa Opa Winter Warmer) at the house, and then went down to Blueprint in the center of town for supper and more beer (I had the house lager, which was also just so-so).

Left: Darren & Jeff. Right: Keith & Mike.

L to R: Darren, Jeff, Jim, Keith, Mike, me.

Jeff & Jim headed back to Boston, and the rest of us hit the liquor store in town, then went back to Keith's for more beer (Samuel Adams Irish Red - 3 for 3 on the so-so beers - very unusual!). After hanging around and catching up with Keith, I was "last man standing", and left around midnight. What a fun night. Keith & I are going to hang out at Mike's Wednesday night with old high school chum Pete (and others, most likely).

Yesterday

I spent yesterday (Saturday, December 10th):

• Watching "Smokin' Aces"
• Eating pizza
• Watching "King Kong" (original 1933 version)
• Drinking a 22 oz. Lefty's Brewing Company Oktoberfest
• Watching "Superbad" and "Saturday Night Live".

Birthday

Yesterday (the 24th) was my birthday (it was also Thanksgiving).

I had Starbucks Sumatra coffee & an apple spice muffin for breakfast. And I drew this:

"Revenge!"

Then at noon it was off to Dad & Ma's for Thanksgiving. Kevin's family (minus Holly, flu) and Sarah's family were there too. Dinner was awesome. We watched the Lions beat the Vikings, and had the birthday stuff for me and Jackie (I gave her $15 in a card). I received handmade cards from all 4 nieces (Georgia even gave me $5!), and $50 & a bag of Starbucks Anniversary Blend beans (plus a mug).

Everyone else left around 4:00, but I stayed and watched the Cowboys beat Washington with Dad, before I left at 8. Home, a giant Kit Kat, and several episodes of "Party Down" on the Starz network. It was a great day.

Lake Time

It was sunny, dry and in the 70's today so I went down to the lake!

I forgot my backpack though, which contained my sketchpad, pens, novel and iPod, so it was a very quiet and sedate day (3:30 - 6:00). I sat and ate my ham & provolone & pickle sub, with the awesome Great Pumpkin Ale from Cambridge Brewing Company. I took some photos. And I laid in the sun on the dock. The air smelled amazing, and the blue sky & red/orange/yellow autumn leaves were captivating. I streamed music from WXGR, WZBC, and WICN for about ten minutes, but then I went back to the sounds of nature (and outboard motors).

What a great afternoon.

October Goals

A list of the things I'd like to accomplish in October:

• A day trip to Boston, and hopefully hang out with a friend or two.
• Visit a museum.
• Go to a beach.
• Spend an overnight in the Portsmouth, NH area, and hang out with old friends.
• Spend a day or an overnight on Martha's Vineyard.
• Attend two concerts (1: xxxxxxxxxxx @ xxxxxxxx. 2: xxxxxxxxxxxx @ xxxxxxxxx).
• Go on three hikes (1: Crow Hills 2: Mt. Wachusett 3: xxx).
• Work out ten times (I.I.I.I.I.I.I. ).
• Draw ten things (Jack O'Lantern, Jack O'Lantern, Headless 'Ken' zombie, wild pumpkin )

• Practice with my guitar ten times ( ).
• Go to a Halloween party!
• Find a new, better job.

All items accomplished will be changed to RED as they are completed!

Long Lake Day

I usually go down to the lake around 5 pm and sit around 'til sunset. Today I went down there at 2. I had a ham, provolone and pickle sub with a couple of Wachusett Octoberfest beers and some Wachusett chips. I read about 100 pages of "High Stakes" ('Wild Cards'). I swam for awhile, and I laid on the dock (more reading). I've had a head cold the last two days, but today made me feel WAY better.

3 Days Off.3

A lazy morning.

Later I went to the lake (4 pm - 8 pm or so) and had some beer (Ballast Point Brewing Co. Sea Monster Imperial Stout and a couple of Long Trail IPAs), floated & paddled in the water, read on the dock, and took some cool photos. I sat and listened to my iPod until after dark when the bugs got to be a little too much to endure. A great afternoon.

3 Days Off.1

The morning was quiet.

In the afternoon/evening:

1. Bought beer (Long Trail).
2. Snagged a steak & cheese from Town House Pizza.
3. Dropped off Hayden's b'day gift ($25 to Applebee's) at his workplace.
4. Went to the lake from 6 - 8.
5. Hung out with Ma & Dad until 11 pm.

Days Off 2 of 2

I slept in til 9:30 or so. I had a banana, generic brand cinnamon toast crunch cereal and a giant mug of coffee as I built a Lego kit (Rey's Speeder) and watched "Side Effects" (Rooney Mara & Jude Law).

I hung out online for awhile, and then hung out with Kevin. He got his license back finally! He's so psyched. And his new truck is awesome too. I'm so happy for him.

At 5:00 I showered, packed some stuff, and headed down to the lake, after a quick stop at Mike & T's for a steak/cheese/mushroom grinder. I ate it with an Otter Creek Brewing Co Backseat Berner IPA and some Wachusett chips (best potato chips on earth), and then read some of the latest Sports Illustrated. Then it was into the water with my other beer, and a nice hour of floating/paddling/swimming in Wyman Pond. I took a few photos, and dried off, eating an apple and reading some of "1634". Home at 8:30 pm.

I Feel Good

...right now.

They say writers get a lot more out of their brain if they write drunk. Maybe I should try it sometime.

Anyway, tonight after my 3rd closing shift of high-intensity effort in a row, I decided to have a beer when I got home from work (I haven't had any beer since my trip to VT, and none at home for even longer). I had the Gnomad Farmhouse Ale from the Riverwalk Brewing Company in Newburyport, MA. It smelled fantastic, and tasted even better.

I followed it with recent favorite Backseat Berner IPA from the Otter Creek Brewing Company in Middlebury, VT.

I have tomorrow off, so beer seemed like a nice alternative to night coffee for a change...

Rainy Day Drive

I wanted to do something outdoors today despite the rain, so I packed my car with hiking gear and other stuff, and headed down Rt. 2 W and up 63 N to New Hampshire to hit the Pisgah National Park, with plans to eat dinner in Brattleboro, VT.

I never came across the entrance to the park, and it was raining and grey anyway, so I continued on to Brattleboro, and the Whetstone Station Brewery. The staff was very friendly (and all three bartenders were cute - bonus!), and the view of the Connecticut River from my seat at the bar was amazing. I had the Brewery Burger ("Fully Loaded": with maple bacon & sauteed mushrooms, hold the onions please!), which was awesome. And the fries were good too. They were out of their signature IPA, so I had a Brown Bear ale, which was good, but not spectacular. I'd go back with friends on a sunny day in a heartbeat. Also, I took a bunch of photos from inside and outside of the place.

Then it was off to downtown Brattleboro to get coffee and walk around for a bit. I popped into a building that looked like a museum, but was actually a high-end vintage furniture & art showplace. There were many cool chairs, cabinets, and carvings inside, which made it a great place to get out of the rain for a few minutes before heading off to Mocha Joe's.

I walked down the stairs into the basement coffee shop, and was warmly greeted by the cute brunette behind the counter. I ordered a large dark roast from Cameroon and a dried raspberry-encrusted chocolate bar (I snagged a logo sticker too), chatted with her for a minute (her dad is totally against fruit/chocolate pairings - "He's truly missing out!" she said, and I agreed), and then headed back out into the rain...

I stopped on the way back at the Connecticut River Paddlers Trail to walk around for a bit, took a few photos, and then headed back home. It was a great 4½ hour adventure, and I am glad I got out of the house on my day off.

Lake Day

I packed a few things and went down to the lake today from around 4 to 8 pm.

I had a nice Otter Creek Brewing Co. Backseat Berner IPA and steak, cheese & mushroom sub from D'Angelo for an early supper. I read some of Cibola Burn. I cleaned out the fire pit (someone had thrown a bunch of cans, tin foil and nails into it) and built a fire. And around 5:30 Hayden & Jon came down, and we all hung out til a little after 8 (Hayden & I ran up to Depot Package with money from Jon to buy a 6-pack of Wachusett IPA, Wzachusett chips, and beef jerky). Hayden's new car (Subaru WRX) kicks ass.

A great day.

Lonnnnng Day

Because the truck didn't show up on Sunday, we had to unload it and shelve most of it yesterday (Tuesday). I worked 9 am to 9 pm, with a lunch break at 2 pm and a coffee & donut break at 7 pm.

Even though I was on my feet all day, and doing a ton of heavy lifting and stuff, it was a net loss, I think: Breakfast at home was cereal. While unloading the truck I had a large coffee, Slim Jims, a granola bar, and an apple (so far, not bad). However, lunch was KFC (3 small pieces of chicken, a biscuit, a bit of mac & cheese, and a lot of potato wedges). I had a Starbucks bottled coffee drink around 5. And then my second break was another large coffee and two big donuts from Doughnutty's.

When I got home I had some popcorn, and then later I drank three of this amazing beer:

Backyard Berner by Otter Creek Brewing Co.

It is a seriously hoppy IPA with a strong citrus component. It tastes SOOO good. I unconsciously inhaled a bag of malted milk eggs as I drank it. BAD!

When I woke up today, I weighed in at 225, a backslide with which I am not happy. Poor work eating and the carryover of California's penchant for 'night coffee' need to go!

So my changes for March:

1. No night coffee.
2. No Chinese food (I had it twice in the last 2 weeks).
3. No donuts, just coffee from Doughnutty's.