Neophage

Hmm... Well... I guess I've just been too busy using Facebook. Do miss longer form posts though.

Saw Predators (hence the Topher Grace avatar) tonight. Had high hopes, didn't quite meet them, but I don't think I was overly disappointed. Could have done more with the material and talent. Let's hold out hope for a sweet sequel.

Speaking of which, Ridley Scott is looking good for an Alien prequel or two, which is killer.

The Topher Marohl Show!! will probably be back again soon, though the ChimpCasts and Geek's Guide stuff kinda sputtered.  Looking to do something called Spoiled Movie Reviews - Basically just reviewing older movies that everyone has seen, but that might warrant a second look.

NBC went pretty well, and (despite my better judgment) I'm gaming head once again this year, which will make it the third year in a row, I think.  Going to be at Geek.Kon, too - Running the first Empire of the Locust demo in forever on Friday of con and volunteering all weekend (meet me in the gaming room or, better yet, swing by the NoBrand room party and check out our new banner.

Last year STEAK didn't really happen the way it was supposed to.  It got moved and moved and moved and I didn't get to go, and there was NO MAGIC:THE BRUNCHERING AT ALL.

Which is just plain tragic, now that I think of it.

It eventually did happen.  In February.  And despite all this it had the highest attendance to date.   I'm hoping to top that this year.  STEAK  2010 Gaming Weekend is October 16th and 17th of this year in UWEC Davies Center.  Its free.  I don't know of any reason why you shouldn't go (other than parking - I'm warning you now, parking will SUCK).  I'm going, and I have to travel 100 miles to get there.  You should come too.  (I may have extra space in my hotel room, ask me about it).

Other than that, nothing dorky or super exciting is going down, though mead is fermenting in my basement.  Nic's strike got called off, the house hasn't caught fire, the dog hasn't run away, everybody's car is working, and only a few people are sick.

My dad's dog did die, which sucks.  But hey...

Sometimes, you lift the bottle to your lips to toast to life, sometimes you quietly  take a pull because, even with all this weirdness, your still alive.  You know?

So the first batch of beer is finished, and I've had the opportunity to sample a few bottles.

It's definitely a rich beer, a full body and a healthy head were the first things I noticed. The color is dark. Moreso than I had expected. The grain gives it a subtle nutty flavor, and the hops make it well balanced and bitter, with a somewhat piney aftertaste.
The honey, however, seems to overwhelm the malt, giving the beer an almost overly sweet flavor. Although I don't know the exact alcohol content, one feels this beer after drinking it. I imagine that its on the high end of 5%.

I made some mistakes with this batch, and if I use this recipe again there are going to be changes. Obviously not straining out the hops was a mistake, and it likely affected the flavor of the final product., but I think toning down the honey will also be beneficial. I'm thinking only half the total honey (around a pound and a half) for the next time.

I've gotten mixed reviews from others so far. I gave some bottles to friends. One liked it. One didn't, but stated that he thought it would be sweeter and less beer-like (I had mentioned my belief that the beer ran somewhat sweet, and would be better with less honey). A group of folks also sampled it, and stated that they didn't care for it, but this group of folks also seem to prefer lighter lagers, something that this beer ain't.

I would say it isn't a masterpiece, but still an unqualified success in so-much as I set out to brew a drinkable beer and I certainly did. I look forward to testing the English Bitter sometime in the next few weeks.

PS, as of now I have a few extra bottles. Anyone can drop me a line if they would like to try one.

The raw beer is cooling.  As soon as it hits 80 degrees its going in the fermenter.

Everyone...  Man, I need more friends...
Plus, why hell can't I type after I'm done with work?

And why can't I write like a normal person?

Its so strange, to be isolated, stuck in such a forced routine that the only things that break the silence are video games and TV.

I want to beat my head against this damned keyboard.  Find a use of the stupid thing.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, that there is a process to this stuff that I want to do, but I can't find the time or energy for the process.  In the meantime, while I grate away my time like bad cheese, the instrument dulls.

Amazing thing: I don't really know what the hell I'm doing sometimes.  Seriously.  Really true.
See, my confidence can get me far enough to consider faking competence, but my modesty comes out from 'round back to stop slouching.  Stop making big words and come down a peg.

True story: My friends got me this job.  Still have the job, at least for a bit.  Its a tough job for the pay and I think I screw up more than people notice.  Got the terror they will notice.  Got that fear.  I'm just nice enough to get by.  Just nice enough to avoid getting thrown out into the parking lot.  I'm told we can't smoke there anymore.  There were fires.

Back to the story.  Friends got me this job.  And I still have it, but I would say if competence were a totem pole...terrible metaphor, but stay with me...  If competence were a totem pole I would be some sort of beaver thing near the bottom.  Other people are eagles or bears or ravens.  Wolves even.  Me, I got enough fake charm and a quick enough wit that most folks don't notice till after words how nervous I am.

Now see, and this is important, I guess a lot.  More than I should?  Any way I need other people.  I need to ask.  To get a second opinion.  Mainly because people are asking me.  That's what I'm supposed to do.  Answer questions.  And I'm asking more than them!  Do I know what the hell I'm talking about?  Not really.  But see, I could fake it.  I could get someone else to answer the questions.

Not any more.  Nope.  As of the end of this month I'll be the one people are asking questions of and their won't be anyone for me to ask questions.  I'm getting a promotion.  A whopping .25 more an hour and a mess ton more responsibility.  Not that I applied for this job.

See:  Old job gone.  Bye-bye.  Gone.  It will cease to exist, vanish like Verbal Kint.  Whoop.  Great times.  And the kicker.  Remember those friends.  One has since been fired and I got promoted past the other.  Both were way more competent than me.

Go team.

I feel like such a tool.

So I have to wait for yet another court date to get my traffic ticket to go away, so Brett Favre wants to play for the Vikings, so I have yet another offer on a house turned down?  So what?

So what....

I haven't really enjoyed any of my days off in weeks.  I think that yesterday and today are pretty different though.  Today, I'm hanging out, watching an episode of Enterprise that was pretty clearly cribbed from Enemy Mine.  I've got a pot of coffee brewing, and the sun is shining.

I can't believe I actually feel relaxed.

Its too late at night for me to be up.  And when did that happen?  When did 10 pm become to late at night?  Seriously...

Been updating on EC.  Man, I wish people would actually visit there.  Working on a new surrealist play-by-post game called Boundries.  Working on a D6 Star Wars campaign.  Maybe I'll buy a house.  Still gotta organize my magic.  Gotta find a new dentist.  Gotta work on Gold some more.

Wish I had more free time.  At least I gotta job, right?

I can't say more, they might see this.