Making our Mark

Was chatting with King this past weekend and he mentioned that Maker’s Mark whiskey has a distillery that’s only 13 miles away from where we’ll be staying when we’re in Kentucky this summer. A distillery? Gee, that’s terrible. Looks like we’ll be doin’ some whiskey samplin’!!

Holy crap! The website says you can buy and dip your own bottle!!! Are you kidding me? We get to sink a bottle into one of the vats and fill it up on our own? They’d actually let us get that close to an open vat of whiskey!? Are they aware of the repercussions of such reckless endangerment!?!?!?

Oh…yes, I guess they are aware. Because upon further investigation, we would not be dipping a bottle into an open vat of whiskey. We’d be dipping an already-filled-and-capped bottle into a tiny pot of melted red wax, to attain our own signature wax seal. (Maybe not as exciting as dipping into a whiskey vat, but certainly wiser.) But all is not lost, for apparently they give samples of both; their famous whiskey, as well as what looks to be a near-moonshine-type of liquid they call; White Dog. Nice!

Let’s see what else the website offers us…hey check it out; we can be ambassadors! (I’m not sure who or what we’d be ambassadors to, but I signed up.) And get this; we can have our names put onto a barrell!! (Which I did, of course, and which I can ask to see when we visit this summer.) I even have the option of buying a bottle of the whiskey that comes from this, “my” own barrel…in 6 or 7 years when it’s ready. No problem; just means another road trip to plan for!

Not that we needed anything more to increase the excitement of a great summer road trip, but throwing something like this into the mix doesn’t hurt anything!

Dippin’ and sippin’, all while open-road trippin’!

'Vous Visions

It's Friday morning and I'm on the clock. However, I just kicked off a computer process so I've got a couple of minutes to post a quick entry. (Besides, I put in almost 13 hours this past Tuesday so The Man is certainly getting his time out of me.)

I got home last night to find a package waiting for me. It's from King! I wonder what it...wait, I bet I know what it is! It's about that time of year...that time of year when one last Christmas gift makes its way to Walpole for us Massholes...

It's our Rendezvous videos! Thanks King! And Baire! And whoever else helps out with this wonderful task! Videos! Videos of that most excellent time had by all, last June. Sweet!!

I didn't have a chance to pop it in and check it out last night but you can be sure that's on the list for this weekend. I sent out an email to the crew this morning to let them know the vids are in and to come on by and grab theirs.

Ahhh, fun memories of fun times with fun friends. And only 124 days until we get to do it all over again!

'VOUS!!

Ok, back to work...

Beer, Beer, Beer, Beer!

I'd had enough of the whole "on the wagon" thing. Hell, it'd been over a month! I'd been kicking around the idea of ending the madness for about a week now, and then at work yesterday, a couple of buds swung by to see if I was up for heading out for lunch. The plan was to check out a favorite haunt (read: "dive bar") in the area, so I said; "absolutely". And just like that, the deal was done; I was off the wagon! (Loud applause is heard in the background.)


And here it is, Saturday night, and what should be spotted while out food shopping just now? Why...a delectable looking bottle of wondrous refreshment!

Mmmmmmmmm...a nice double chocolate stout! I popped the cap off, being careful not to dent or deform it in any way (the bottle cap bar-top is about to be worked on, but that's a post for a different day).

Nice aroma, smooth taste. A lot drier than I was expecting, what with the promise of 'double chocolate' all over the label. Still, it was a good find (and didn't last long at all).

Mmmmmmm, BEER! :-D

Passing the Time

The salt and ice have returned with a vengeance, basically rendering riding impossible for the moment. So what does one do when one cannot ride? Why, one finds projects around the house to occupy one’s time with. And what better project to occupy one’s time with, than the ongoing basement project?

That’s right, it’s the return of the basement project (saga)! I’m happy to report that once again, things are moving along rather well, due in no small part to having some experienced folks working down there. Nothing like having motivated, knowledgeable people on hand to get things moving again. Lord knows where this project would be if it was left up to me to complete.

Here are a few quick snapshots of the ongoing progress…

The bathroom is coming along nicely, here are a couple of shots of what will be the shower (the wire hanging down from the ceiling is just an extension cord/bulb for the light being used, as there isn’t power in here yet).
Here’s the floor – it’s a kind of beach stone style. Not bumpy, but not entirely smooth, either. It’ll feel good on the feet after a long day on the road.
Here’s by the back door, and what will be a coat closet next to it. I decided it would be a good idea to slap some tiles down in this area to help ward off the mud and dirt being tracked in. (The plan for the rest of the floor will probably wind up being carpet – all the more reason to have a bit of a buffer zone, where shoes and boots can come off.)
Here’s the mini-platform over in the far corner where the pellet stove will wind up.
And look! A pellet stove, ready and waiting to be installed!
And here…Ahhhhh, here is the main event. The beginnings of a BAR!! Oh happy day – a bar in my basement! Will the marvels never cease!?!?
Some of you may recognize that slab of wood that comprises the top of the bar – that’s my old kitchen countertop. I made that out of red oak and it served me well for many years. When I upgraded my countertop to tile, I knew I couldn’t get rid of this beautiful piece of hardwood, and that one day it would find itself atop a bar. I’m happy to say that that day is at hand!

There are more pics to be taken, as more progress has happened this week. The tiling is just about done, the wainscoting is up, and most of the heavy equipment has been removed. The bar is very close - there's just the matter of my BOTTLE CAP BAR TOP!! to create, as well as cleanup and painting. The pellet stove needs to be installed, too, but that will require some finessing in its own right. I’ll get more pics taken this weekend and get ‘em posted up here hopefully next week.


Who knows, I might have to fall off the wagon and have a beer to celebrate!!! :-D

Quick Fix

The massive storms that pounded much of the country had slowly marched their way Eastwards. Our forecasts called for torrents of rain to hit us on Monday, with some follow-up showers on Tuesday. And for once; the forecasters were right!

Sitting in a big meeting on Monday, it was all I could do not to stare out the window at all the glorious rain hammering down, washing all the bad stuff away. Dried riverbeds of salt met their maker as the precipitation soaked and sloshed them off to sewer basins and runoffs everywhere. The first half of Tuesday followed with a much lighter cleansing from the skies, but combined with Monday's events, resulted in some salt-free roadways. And that can only mean one thing;

Time To Ride!

I got home from work last night and hopped on the bike for some quick jaunts around the area. I had errands to run which took up most of my free time, so I wasn't able to stack up many miles, but the feeling of elation was still there.

Of course, I brought the bike in to work this morning and there's been a bit of a smile on my face all day long, for I know the end of the day will bring another sweet bit of sanity, otherwise known as "The ride home".

And despite having commuted to and from this job for over 11 years, would you believe it's still possible to get lost on the way home? It's true! There have been instances where it's taken me hours to get home!!

I have a funny feeling it might happen again tonight...

Ride Hard, Take Chances

Californ…er…Kentucky Dreamin’!!

Winter has us tight in its grasp. Even when the weather gods grant us a bit of a reprieve (temps are forecast to be mid 40’s tomorrow) we’re still screwed. The roads are their usual pastel white, due to the layers of corrosive salt just lying in wait for any poor soul that cares to deliver some fresh and tasty chrome into it’s hungry maw.

What is one to do to maintain sanity? Why, road trip planning, of course!

Sure, we have the usual pig roast in May to look forward to. And there’s the Rendezvous in June. August will find us on the road to Olean once again for the annual mad dash to Maine. As you can see; there are lots of miles to look forward to. However, those of you paying close attention may have noticed a gap in the aforementioned sequence. Let’s recap…

A trip/event in May? Check (pig roast)
A trip/event in June? Check (Rendezvous)
A trip/event in July? Chec..er…no! No, July is open! We cannot have this! We must set something up! We must plan!

Thankfully, Coose and Mary have come to the rescue. They have family that owns a farmstead in Kentucky. Kentucky! This same family has (foolishly?) seen fit to invite us all to spend a weekend with them, camping, cooking, and basically just enjoying life. Sounds sweet!

I put the question to Coose the other day; would it be OK to extend the invite to others? His reply was classic;

Of course it's O.K. If we're letting Ziggy go it's hard to imagine excluding someone else.
Looks like John Baire is going. Also, Garv is talking about it.
Also, Hurl and his wife.
Any chance of Flex or Thirsty or any of the others going along? We might as well make it a full scale invasion.
Kentucky may never be the same.

“Kentucky may never be the same.” I don’t think I could have worded it any better.

Ahhh, another plan in place. That certainly helps the sanity level during the cold and blustery months.

Now if only I could hibernate the rest of winter away, I’d be ecstatic…

Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

Dean Wormer’s famous words from so long ago have never applied more aptly.

My company was shut down last week, giving me plenty of opportunity to hit the gym and really get the body back into shape from all the holiday splurging. So of course I ate more, I drank more, I stayed up later, and I slept in each morning. Gym? “F” the gym!! But alas; my choices have caught up to me. (This couldn’t have been very difficult, as I am now so out of shape that I couldn’t outrun a snail that was moving backwards across a sandy floor. Hell, I get winded by merely sitting down now.)

So some changes are in order. The “Official New Year’s Resolution” diet has been put into place! Gone will be the breakfasts of Hershey bars and butter-covered coffee cake. No more lunches of cheese-smothered nachos and Captain Crunch cereal. Dinners consisting of Bud Light and Doritos have been scrapped as well. It’ll be whole wheat, grains, salads and plain chicken from here on out!

Along with this massive reduction in caloric intake, I shall now endeavor to attend the gym multiple times a week. Mornings will consist of abdominals, free weights, and cardio. When the schedule allows, evenings will garner more cardio.

Lastly, and perhaps most drastic, I am going on the wagon again. Liquids to be consumed will now consist of water, milk, green tea, etc. No more beer. No more wine. No more margaritas. No more vodka gimlets! No more rum concoctions! No more tequila shooters, homemade Kahlua, or champagne and ice wine toasts! Nada! My liver sat me down and we had a long discussion about things, and he said that if I didn’t give him a break, then we would just have to see how well I got along without him. And as much of a pain in the ass as he is, I have found that I’m kind of dependent upon him. So I’ll do things his way…for now.

How long will this travesty of a lifestyle-change last for? Hard to say, but in years past when I’ve ventured down this path, the trip usually lasts for two or three months, so that’s about where I’m setting my goals at for this time around as well. Gotta get this fat, drunk and stupid ass back into shape!

I'll bet you a 4-day, junk-food-and-beer bender that I make it...