Crap in my Freezer

Our refrigerator is running out of time -- repairs that mean a new fridge, but don't make it unusable -- so we're taking our time shopping for a new one. It's a welcome luxury, really.

That allows is a reasoned, calm approach to emptying the freezer, rather than just grabbing everything and shoving it willy-nilly into the full-size freezer we have downstairs. That's a chance to get rid of things like blocks of quickly labeled "EMRGNCY BEAN SOUP -- 2/11" and several bags of lima beans I bought on sale in...2013?

Because I'm a whiskey writer, I also found three spherical ice molds, a Corkcicle Whiskey Wedge glass (still full of ice!), a set of Han Solo in carbonite ice cubes, and, inevitably, a bag of Whisky Stones. The one set of smaller sphericals are already on their way to the house in Millheim, the Corkcicle has a fresh charge of ice (waiting for this damned Dry January to be over). The Whiskey Stones? Already in the trash, because DEATH TO WHISKY STONES!!

More Portability

Took Don Russell's advice (because he's got big fingers like mine) and got a netbook, an Acer Aspire One. Gotta say, I'm loving this little thing. Great battery life, keys are big enough (I kept hitting the number keys in the middle of a word at first, but I learned past that pretty quickly), so much lighter than my 16" Dell, good ports, and it fits more places (like on an airliner traytable even when the inconsiderate sonofabitch in the seat ahead insists on reclining the whole way back). I got a little carry case for it (probably should have gotten something a little bigger; the cord doesn't really fit in there...duh).

I'm liking the Windows 7 "Starter" that came with it, too; definitely getting the upgrade for this worthless Vista-install I've got. Then I downloaded Firefox and OpenOffice.org, which is working just fine for all I need.

Fits nice on a bartop, too.

Just too much to do...

So Friday I kind of bumbled through the day, getting caught up on phone calls and e-mail, writing scripts for the interviews I'm conducting this week for a few stories I've got to do. I did platelet donation in the morning, and it went smoothly, and sang a confirmation mass in the afternoon. Thomas was in Harrisburg at a mock trial state final competition, so Cathy and Nora and I went out for Chinese; got Szechuan (or however we're supposed to spell it these days) seafood, which was tasty, and split a bottle of Stone 8th anniversary, the "imperial mild," and it was good (though I probably should have had it when I got it), rich but very drinkable, and imposing enough to handle the spice. Then we went home and watched more of Season 1 of Heroes.

Saturday was crazier. Cathy left for Harrisburg at 8 to visit with an old friend of her family who is in the endgame of a nastily rapid bout of cancer. Thomas left Harrisburg at 8 to return here. Nora and I left at 8 to take her to Drexel for another robotics competition, and I came back and sang another confirmation mass (we had about 250 kids in the parish being confirmed over the weekend). When that was done, I went back to the house, picked up Thomas, and we drove north to Hellertown, to have lunch at the Braveheart Highland Pub. I had a pint of O'Hara's Stout, we split the smoked fish plate (excellent), and I had a caesar salad with grilled shrimp. A very nice lunch; then we hustled him over to Southern Lehigh HS for his final regular season forensics tournament, qualifiers for the national tournament (he made it to the final round today, but didn't quite make the cut). I drove back to Drexel, picked up Nora, drove home, met Cathy, we all changed. Drove to Nora's school, dropped her off with a friend's family for an overnight birthday party, and we drove to the annual fundraiser auction at Holy Ghost Prep.

I had offered a basket of three whiskies (Tomatin 12 Year Old (from John Hansell), a 1994 Knappogue Castle, and a bottle of Rock Hill Farms bourbon) with a sub to Malt Advocate, a book on Islay whisky (Peat Smoke & Spirit), and some other stuff; and also offered an in-house tutored whisky tasting -- 13 whiskies -- with cigars and snacks. That met some brisk bidding and wound up going for $1200; felt pretty good about raising that much for the school! We had dinner with the auction: lobster tail, lump crabmeat, sushi, poached salmon, stone crab claws, huge shrimp, and a crab casserole...all delicious. I shared around a bottle of Bernheim Wheat Whiskey and a bottle of Parker's Golden Anniversary (gave some of each to the two guys who bought the whisky tasting), had a couple beers (Lager...and Weyerbacher Muse). Then we went home and crashed...Only I'd had a big coffee on the way home from Drexel, and wound up reading till about 3!

Got up at 7:15. Cathy drove up to Southern Lehigh to help judge the tournament, and I did two Palm Sunday masses, then went to Roxborough to pick up Nora. Came back home, had some Prima Donna and sourdough for lunch...and haven't done much else, to tell the truth. We're all napping a bit today. Might have another beer tonight, though...

A bad hair day, and a good whiskey day

I'm in Manhattan for WhiskyFest New York (it's tonight, and it's sold out!). But things could be better. For one thing, I got a haircut this morning, and I'm seriously unhappy about it, especially the way-too-tight beard trim. I feel nekked. Second, about six hours after I took this death-mask shot, I broke the templepiece on my glasses, so I'm in NY, working WhiskyFest in my old glasses, which really sucks, for reasons I explained here.

Whiny bitch. I'm still in Manhattan for WhiskyFest, after all. And I think I may go out for a pint after lunch. The options are staggering...but I only have 90 minutes. Decisions!

A few random thoughts

I woke up this morning with my brain buzzing, and coffee hasn't stopped it. Some random thoughts.

• October is my favorite month, has been for most of my life. It probably has a lot to do with living in Pennsylvania; the leaves change, fall crispness is in the air, the light changes. It's also a great month for beer festivals...like the upcoming Kennett Square Brewfest with the Conn-o-Session session beer event!
• Glad to see more fresh hop beers every year.
• Why is it that every time a western journalist interviews Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, they feel that they have to ask him about the Holocaust? Stop asking him, and he won't be able to keep talking about his ridiculous views.
• The Phils are in the playoffs, albeit wounded, after a pretty damned dominant season.
• I've got some great beers and whiskeys lined up to sample.
• Donating blood and platelets is a lot more satisfying than writing a check; even Bill Gates can only give one pint at a time.
• WhiskyFest San Francisco is only two weeks away!
• Pennsylvania Breweries 4 is moving into high gear; time to hit the road in earnest.
• In a year of personal milestones -- my 50th, my dad's 80th so far -- the most happy one is coming up: Cathy and I celebrate 20 years of marriage in December. I am a lucky man.
• The first "Lunch with Lew" at Isaac Newton's went well, and we're setting up the next: a beer and cheese tasting. Look for more info soon.

Okay. More coffee!

A New Look

I wanted to let the local folks know that I have a new look. I got new glasses on Saturday, with my first non-wireframes in about 15 years. Aside from the new frames, the new lenses are wonderful. I no longer have to take my glasses off to read or do fine work, and looking at things in the middle-distance doesn't give me a headache. I like it.

Penderyn, well, he's not so sure. Maybe he thinks I'm hypnotizing him into never jumping up on the new couch again. I would, if I thought it would work.

No World Series tonight, I'm thinking

That's the view out my dining room window just now. Actually, in the five minutes since I took that, the deck is even whiter. It's coming down steadily and the temperature is dropping (it's currently 34F). Wherever you may be reading this, believe me: snow on October 28 is not normal around here.

Might be a good afternoon for whiskey in the coffee.

Harvest Time

I drove over to Honey Brook Farm to pick up our CSA share today. It was a great morning, cool like September or even October, and the bounty was huge. Here it is, spread out on the counter: 18 lbs. of heritage, cherry, and slicing tomatoes; four eggplants, four peppers, two bunches of beets, two bunches of basil, a bunch of dill, two heads of garlic, four hot peppers, and the pint of blackberries in front that I went out in the fields and picked myself. And what a joy that was, just strolling down the lanes of blackberry bushes, hanging with fruit, so much that I could be as picky as I liked and only take the fullest, darkest, sweetest berries.

There are weeks when we get a lot of kale and chard, and I sigh, and long for spinach and strawberries and radishes. Then there are weeks like this when I can eat tomatoes to my heart's content (I had two huge ones sliced up with a can of tuna for lunch), and bless the good earth. This weather rules: bring on the Fall.

Wow. My world is expanded

I know you guys don't really care -- I hope you don't! -- but I just hooked up a new monitor, a 22" flat-screen. Wow. It's not quite as 'wow' as the 19" I got two years ago, which seriously changed how I worked (I was on a 15" before that, and editing got a lot easier), but this is pretty damned great.

Wow. Back to work.