But not in July. I took a well deserved break from the interwebs and focused on work and my family.

August 2011
I sat down with Pitt Girl… err Jane Pitt… err Ginny and gave her a quick education on craft beer while we mocked each other for 2 hours at Bocktown. It appeared in her August column in Pittsburgh Magazine.

September 2011
I drank a box of Franzia. I provided, served the beer and attended Podcamp Pittsburgh 6 briefly and made the most out of the after party in true SIDT fashion which included tailgating the party. The Teaspoon Project took shape and also forced me to buy a new digital camera. Craft Pittsburgh had a nice spot of us in their latest issue. I had Dave’s Hot n Juicy in my mouth. Yes, I’m still giggling over it.

October 2011
I planned and executed the perfect homecoming concert with the help of 76F weather and Scott Blasey playing a standing room only show. Hockey season started which lead me to eating a $12.50 burger. The infamous (That means more than famous, Dusty) Jim Lokay said farewell and left Pittsburgh for Bawwwstun. Yinzer traffic hasnt been the same since and Beantown got classy. Kadhafi was finally held accountable for Doc Brown’s death while his people shoved many things up his ass. I really don’t understand my kids some days.

November 2011
I finally learned how to home brew. I’m proud to say that as I’m typing this that my stash is just about gone. Google Plus proved it’s absolutely insane.  My ongoing battle with a root canal started and still isn’t  finished.

December 2011
Chris Cornell played one of the best solo shows of any artist in the history of music. I fell in love with LuLu’s Noodles. Dealt with a very emotional day as I celebrated the 5th anniversary of my dad’s passing by cracking open my very first bottle of homebrew with him. I visited the Golden Corral for the first time and was left speechless. The kids took down Santa and O-man turned 1.

So there is 2011 in a nutshell. 2012 the world is supposed to end of the world so I’m debating if I should plan to do things or kick back and take it easy. Who am I kidding, I’ll be running between work and kids activities while bitching my basement still isn’t clean.

Stay thirsty my friends…

Winter is starting to creep up which means their outside toys will be coming in and i need to find room in a basement that still has boxes we haven’t touched since moving.

I’ve been saying since the day we moved that I would work on the basement to throw out what I didn’t want or need. Problem now is that we keep accumulating stuff and just put it down there to look at later.

First thing I need to do is invest in more plastic totes since the cardboard boxes are falling apart. We don’t really have junk ourselves but the mess that Captain Obvious left us in the house is still there. I really would like to rip out the workbench to build an area for my recording equipment or I can wait about 6-12mo for Baby O to move into Teaspoon’s room. Realistically I know I’m never getting that room because Lushie will find some use for it.

I’d like to sat that if I had a week off of work I could get everything done but I know with the kids and wife here that can’t happen without someone having a meltdown.

For those of you that own houses and have kids, how do you make more room  or find time to go through the boxes already there?

Once the puck drops tonight at 10pm nothing else matters.

Steelers season is over.

Did the NBA ever really exist?

Baseball is… come on its been 19 years since I’ve cared about games in October. Next year, right Pirates?

Tonight the Penguins season starts in Vancouver and with it 8 months of non stop hockey coverage in my house. Trash talking has already with my cousin Heather whom happens to live in Vancouver and is a season ticket holder. I’ve got my jersey and caffeine ready to stay up for the lat night west coast session all in anticipation for the home opener next Tuesday, which for me, is better than Christmas morning.

Strap in Penguins fans, this is already shaping up to be the most interesting season ever and when you mix in some college hockey with the Colonials I’ll be impossible to be around until mid 2012.

Enough already, lets get this started!

OK maybe not. In fact if I ever did act like that I wish one of you would have kicked my ass.

Podcamp is coming up which means summer is over and I’m getting all juiced (non-Bonds style) to talk social media and craft beer.

I just posted a piece about what will be happening for Big Pour Week in Pittsburgh and quite honestly it sends chills to think about what will happen when Pittsburgh hosts a full blown balls to the wall Craft Beer Week someday.

Its been a long summer and I have much to share. Alright September, let’s do this!

55 years ago today time travel was invented

hi. i’m still here but its the busiest i have ever been.

closing on the house is close.

I can’t wait to leave this current place. The pincher bugs are back and so is the water in the basement… which we reported a full year ago now. I know you cant wait to find out where I rent.

class is wrapping up for the summer and I can’t wait to stick a fork in this class.

I’m done early 2011. thank god

work is crazy busy right now and I wish I had a day to organize everything or at least another machine to work on.

this fall will be epic with the current schedule. I geek thinking about it. god i love my group.

sidt is 4yrs old and just passed the 800k download mark. our popularity is at its highest and I have to spend my summer packing up to move. figures eh?

think that will stop me from going to events? ha!  OK, ask Lushie first
because of the show…

i picked up a side gig doing something with craft beer.

no I’m not a bartending. no its not at a brewery but can involve one. yes it pays.

if you look close enough you’ll see those glasses are held together with gorilla glue. I’m a resourceful mofo!

so, how are you doing?

Think I could make that any bigger?  Of course but I won’t.

I have had very little free time the last 12 days and that calendar which I have at my desk shows why. Layoff day comes Friday morning and I’ve been busier in the last 2 weeks than I have in years. There’s getting ready for the baby, replacing the hardware that I have to return on Friday, finals for school, getting financials in order to transfer from my company.

The end all be all of the past week was when Lushie’s car blew a head gasket on 279 Friday afternoon. Seriously, who did I piss off to get this kinda hex? We won’t get that back until next week some time so we’re carpooling for a couple more days.

That is all. I promise more quality posts coming soon, I just need to catch my breath.

random thoughts over the next 10 minutes

• I plan on watching A Christmas Story at least 5 time between tomorrow night and Christmas night.
• Side note to the previous, I once hung out with Flick after a Pirates playoff game. He got in front of me for a foul ball. Told him he sucked in The Toy.
• Finished the winter semester with all A’s so I’m pretty stoked about that.
• Lushie had a doc appointment this morning and reports that Teaspoon is in great shape. Measurements are all on course. When she did try to get a picture for us though he turned his back. 22 weeks and already giving attitude.
• I’m not a fan of Christmas (most holidays in general actually) but Lushie is working on me about it.
• For some reason my business thinks it’s OK to run the AC when it’s 10F outside. The vent for said system is directly above me.
• I’m getting back in touch with a lot of friends from pre-Pittsburgh days thanks to social networking.
• Someone I know still thinks new media and podcasting is a fad. Their kids getting into it now makes it hip and someone won’t stop asking me about it. Time to start making shit up.
• Listening to NIN’s Fixed CD (That would be halo 6 to us fans). It is the bad ass. Yes, you read that correctly. 9:09 minute version of Wish.
• I think my feet are frozen. I just dropped a router on it and nothing. Trying to find Dick Hammer and have him stomp on it.
• HP laptops are not waterproof nor lightsabreproof… just sayin.
• The floor above me is being remodeled and the drilling is above my head. jagoffs
• We’re shopping tonight for Christmas dinner between Lushie and myself. We’ll be feasting like rockstars!
• My hands are cold and I need to nuke leftovers.
• Christmas shopping is done. Time to buy the beverages.

cheers!

That is hands down my favorite picture from the night.

Along with myself and sickpuppy, celebrity judges for the beer festival were Jim Lokay (KDKA), Demetrius Ivory (WTAE), Ron Man (B94) and Zeke (Y108). These guys could all be future professional beer judges! just sayin… Very cool to find out Zeke homebrews also. I’m sure sickpuppy will be after him about samples.

We had 20 beers total on each of our lists and we were split up over different brewers along with the people who attended had their chance to vote on favorite beer. Out of the beverages that SIDT judged, we had a tie for best beer. It was the Oskar Blues Old Chub and Ommegang Hennepin. Overall best beer of the night was hands down the Snow Melt Winter Ale from Scott at East End Brewing.

This was my first time visiting Saddle Ridge and Bar Room down in Station Square. I could see myself going to Saddle Ridge to enjoy a band but it’s a little too country for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice place, just not me. Bar Room was more my speed these days. Granted that it was packed with people it seemed like someplace I could get a decent martini. Yes, I drink martinis. Hendricks Gin, not vodka. 2-3 olives.

The event was very well organized and I applaud Claire and her Angels for a job well done representing the Pittsburgh Rugby Football Club and helping out The PLEA Agency

Following the fest a group of us went to Ruggers Pub to hang out with the rest of the rugby folk. It’s 2 blocks off Carson so unless you know where it’s located you’d probably never go there unless you’re lost. Kinda like most great places on the South Side.

This was my first time in a rugby bar so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Instead of bar fights with drunken English and Irish thugs I found a haven filled with great people who are passionate for the sport. I shared a few pints with players and fans while being educated on the game and it’s history in the area. Would I ever play? I’d entertain the idea but I’m sure Lushie would take out extra insurance on me. I do have a new respect for these players and the sport. I may even have to go down and catch a few matches.

Next year I expect to see you at this event! no excuses!