1554

For some reason New Belgium Brewery doesn't distribute in Wisconsin yet, which is a shame because they brew one of my favorite beers: 1554 Black Ale. This past weekend I had the chance to savor some in Seattle, and thought my contact with the stuff would end there until my next trip to the west.

When I arrived to work this morning, however, I was surprised to find a nice long sleeve 1554 shirt from the New Belgium Brewery on my desk, courtesy of my dad who had been out in Colorado for the college hockey tourney. Sweet!

Kraftwerk

Last Sunday I drove over to Milwaukee with some buddies to ride bikes around and check out the Kraftwerk show. I never realized it until this visit, but there is a magical road that bisects the giant Miller Brewing Company and Harley Davidson HQ. Both complexes look like old brick and mortar castles. Pretty cool.

Kraftwerk was as one would expect: four old German guys with weird retro computer graphics oscillating in the background. It was great. After their set break the curtain went up and robot versions of themselves played a couple tunes. The picture below is during the encore, when they exchanged their black suits for lighted Tron suits.


We also visited with Mr Sanchez, who is converting part of an old funeral home into a custom bicycle frame painting studio. Highlights include a casket elevator and an embalming room that houses a pipe organ and a baby casket. Sanchez kept repeating he couldn't get the smell out of the embalming room. There was indeed a smell.

Wish I had some pictures but I managed to smash my camera. I'd like to fix it rather than buy a new one but I don't think anyone fixes consumer electronics anymore.

Rumplestiltzfish

We got a new pet yesterday and his name is Rumpelstiltzfish. He's a pretty lively guy, and has taken to attacking the plastic toy we put in there with him. Perhaps we should try a different toy?

Swobo Folsom

I got a new bike that isn't much different from the first bike I ever had; with a coaster brake and one speed. Tested it out yesterday in the warehouse... check out the skids in turn #2:

H8TR 100

Saturday was the second annual H8TR 100 bike race. Last year it was a small affair, with a lean field of 16 racers duking it out both on and off road. This year the word got around and some 65 racers showed up in snowy, wet conditions to prove they could survive the Trail of Hate.

Here we see the Polish contingent, Team Polska, suiting up in the snow:

The front of the race whipped the pace up to top speed just as yours truly had stopped for a pee break:

Here I come, slowly working my way up towards the lead group of riders, Miller High Life cape flapping in the faces of anyone trying to get in my draft...

Pained looks after about 50 miles of racing...

The magic cape saps the strength of my nearest competitors:

I ended up in a respectable fourth place, but more importantly there was a keg of beer to greet all the finishers. Some folks may have overindulged:

Ogg Hall

Noble Ogg Hall, what have they done to you? Each week I bike past my old freshman residence hall on my way to class, and each a week there is less of it there than the previous week. It is being dismantled.

Oh, the good times my good friend Andy and I had in our filthy room, so often alienating visitors with our choice of decor: posters either homemade or altered in our slightly confusing attempts at humor, a record player that for some reason had a heavy Fleetwood Mac and Santana rotation, a pair of hermit crabs left too close to the drafty window, and a life-size mannequin we begged off a store in a condemned shopping mall.

It was only ten years ago, but back then half of Ogg was a smoking dorm. Now that I think about it, with all of the boozing and smoking going on every night it's a real miracle it didn't burn down many times over. It was not for lack of trying. Our residence hall assistant, a troubled young man by the name of Thor, actually did try to burn it down once by lighting some doors on fire. His residence hall assistant stint was brief.

I raise a glass to old Ogg Hall. Perhaps you will not be missed, but you will be remembered fondly.

Sans Garfield

I saw an entertaining page linked on How to Avoid the Bummer Life today. It's a collection of Garfield comics with Garfield removed. Appropriately titled "Garfield minus Garfield," it is described by the website's creator as follows:

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?"

Enjoy: http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/

April

April showers means plastic bags on the 'ol feet.