Guess who's back....

...back again. Guess who's back, tell your friends! Guess who's back...okay, you get it.

Been a long time! My apologies. No excuses...just 100% plain ol' busy (wait, that's an excuse). My punishment is your enjoyment (maybe). The world's longest blog submission. Here goes:

Biking

I have been on the Rig sporadically during the holiday season. Hoppe tries his damndest to get me out on the sloppy trails, but I refuse. I did enjoy our iced singletrack session though. This was our pre-Christmas ride which included a bottle of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and a little Beam. Those two definitely warmed our innards.

I am enjoying the hell out of the rig. It is definitely a beast on the trail. I think once I get my strong cycling base back...I will be a force on the trail :)

Other than my minimal outdoor antics, I have been doing some indoor training. Fun stuff.

Brew

My new found love of all things brew was given a shot of adrenaline during the holidays. I received a couple gifts relating to the glorious hobby:

Books
Ultimate Beer by Michael Jackson
Homebrewing for Dummies
Beers of the World- a gift from my riding buddy Hop.

Gear
Hop Holster - My bro-in-law and I received these from my wife. BIG HIT at the family party.
A cool bottle opener.

Knowledge is Power!
However, the cream of the crop (though not so much a Christmas present) is the class my dad and I are taking in February through the local homebrew store. We are going to learn the ins and outs of homebrewing. I was going to take a class at some point, but it's great to take it with my pops. After reading copius amounts of info on the process, I believe his analytical/scientific brain will be a wonderful asset to my learning process. My scientific brain is likened to a bull in a china shop...I like beginning projects and ending them...it's that in between stuff that I'm not a fan of :)

Bottles
My neighbor is a huge brew afficianado, whom I give beers to every time I see him. Most of the time he has quaffed my selection, but I throw some newbies his way to. Well, one day during the holidays he stopped by mt house and handed me three new selections (Bezelbuth, Lion Stout and another I can not recall). Anywho, we were talking and he mentioned his "cellar" and I told him I'd be interested in seeing it one day. And off we went. He literally has dozens of "laid down" brews. He treated each one with kid gloves and he new the ins-and-outs of every last one. His excitement sparked mine and we talked for a few hours about beers, brewpubs, etc. I ended up leaving his house with about a dozen different brew, my favorite being a 2003 DuClaw Devils Milk wax-dipped growler, which apparently DuClaw no longer does. What a treat! I now have started a mini cellar in the back of my refrigerator. My finished basement doesn't stay cool enough...fortunately and unfortunately. My plan is to start having tasting parties with my drinking buddies...price of admission: a bottle to lay down for a future party.

Family

I hope the readers understand that these blogs are a stream of consciousness and no, my family ranks numero uno in my heart. They do not rank below bikes and booze...my dumb brain is just a little slower than my big heart.

We had a wonderful holiday. Not too much rushing around. We were able to enjoy each other's company...something I haven't had the opportunity to truly do for a while. My eyes have definitely opened up to spending time to the people I truly care about, including family and friends.

While I like getting gussied up to party on New Year's, I really, really enjoyed grabbing a bite, enjoying libations and camping out with my wife and pup in my basement, watching movies and the ball drop. I assume we'll probably do something different next year, but if we don't...that's cool too.

I already talked about the upcoming class with my dad. And I am also eagerly awaiting the addition to my parents house which will also include a workshop. We are in a huge d0-it-yourself mode. Brew and Furniture...watch out crafting world!

Big Plans for 2006...forthcoming!!!!