July 1st is the perfect time to begin something new. Half of the year is over, so even the most committed and focused people have long since lost their enthusiasm for the resolutions born on January 1. Looking back through the posts on this blog, I am reminded that my inner fire was squelched on January 5. Perhaps this is why of the five goals I laid out for the year, only one has been accomplished. As for the remaining goals, one is not now, nor was it ever, realistic. The other three I suppose are still possible but they seem pretty unlikely, plus, I am feeling distracted and unsettled so it seems like now would be a good time to start something new. Otherwise, I’m going to lose my freakin’ mind.

Idea
July to June

Objective
Keep a log of 4 different activities in my life for one year (July 1, 2010- June 30, 2011)

Trackables

1. Miles pedaled on my bike

2. Beers consumed
3. Words written
4. Miles run on my own two feet

Point
None

Well, maybe there’s a point. I either currently spend or would like to spend a lot of my time doing the four things listed above. These are things, I believe, that make me happy. So why not see how much I really get to do them in a given year? Seems like it could be a tool to give me some perspective on just what I am doing with this life of mine. And right now, perspective seems like a very good thing.

I’ll be keeping track of my totals on a separate blog. Because if there’s one thing the internet has taught me, it’s that you can never have too many half-ass, poorly designed, self-indulgent blogs floating around cyber space. If you want to follow along, you can view the results here, or access the site in the right sidebar at any time.

Tags: july to june

One of my life’s dreams was fulfilled yesterday- I finally got to try Russian River Brewing Co’s Pliny the Younger triple IPA. Kabluey and I went to the special tasting at Belmont Station and we were able to try Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder side by side.

The Younger was tasty. It was a tiny bit too sweet for my liking, but it had a pretty dry finish and the vast amount of hops dutifully made their presence known. And at 11% ABV, you could definitely taste the alcohol. While I’m glad I finally got to try this beer, I can confidently say I prefer The Elder, which is convenient because that beer is brewed year round and is definitely easier to get my hands on.

As with every single beer event that I attend in this town, I saw Ken The Taplister Guy. He told me about some new features they are working on for Taplister, and in a rare but amazing bit of social perfection, my beer glass ran dry right about the time our conversation topics dwindled. Some days are just awesome like that.

To balance out the exclusiveness of the Pliny tasting yesterday, today I joined millions of people for a time-honored, Green Dye No. 3-filled tradition. St Paddy’s day wouldn’t be complete without it.

As I typed the title of this post, it occurred to me that it could actually be the name of an ongoing series. I’m somewhat shameless when it comes to leaving the house in my PJs. This basic lack of dignity hit an all-time low during the year-and-a-half that I worked from home, when it eventually deteriorated to Things I’ll Do Without Pants On. But this entry isn’t about my long history of public pajama wearing. It’s about one specific incident that occurred tonight.

I had just settled down on the couch with my laptop and opened up my email. My co-worker had sent me an instructional document that was going to teach me how to program iPhone Apps. It seems a little far-fetched, but in the absence of anything else even remotely meaningful on the employment horizon, we suddenly felt mobile application development was our best bet for new careers. Clearly, I can be talked into anything at this point. But in addition to the message from my co-worker, I also received an email with the following subject: Important Draft Beer Notice.

Obviously, I opened the beer email immediately and that is when I found out that Belmont Station had announced a special event featuring two Russian River Brewing Company beers- Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger. Pliny the Elder is one of my very favorite beers. It’s available on draft and in 22oz bottles in Portland, but it can be hard to find regularly. Pliny the Younger is a limited release beer that is distributed in small batches in February and early March. I have been waiting over a year to try it, and next Tuesday, Kabluey and I will get our chance.

There was a keg of Pliny the Younger available at the Horse Brass over the weekend, and it ran out in 25 minutes. Belmont Station is getting a keg next Tuesday, and in order to allow as many people as possible to try it, they are pre-selling tickets to a special tasting. I was in my car within 15 seconds of reading the email, sporting pajama bottoms, a dog-fur-covered bright green fleece, and my slippers. I suppose I could have taken two minutes to throw on a pair of jeans and some sneakers, but at the time I really felt like I couldn’t take any chances. There was a brief moment in the bier cafe at Belmont Station when I was surrounded by people who apparently don’t get ready for bed at 8:30pm and I felt a little sheepish. But, I got my tickets, and I know it will be worth it.

Tags: Belmont Station, Pliny the Younger

I’m currently experiencing one of those rare (and probably fleeting) times when I feel like I am not in financial ruin. This unfamiliar sensation started on Thursday, when I found out from my loan officer that my appraisal had been revised and now shows a higher value for my home. This change means my refinance can go through as planned, and a $200 monthly savings is in my near future. (Take that, bitch-cow appraiser!)

To make a good situation even better, when the loan officer was updating my loan, she made what appears to be a clerical error and now, for reasons that are slightly fuzzy to me, I’ll be getting $1200 back at closing. I probably should look into this a little more, but at the moment I am content to keep my mouth shut, pay $6 more a month for my loan, and pocket the cash. And speaking of cash, it also appears that when the loan closes that magical thing will happen where I somehow don’t have to make a mortgage payment for one month. Add to all of this the fact that I got my tax refund on Friday, and I’m basically rolling in money.

Historically, I am not good at rolling in money. The urge to spend becomes overwhelming, and while I haven’t done anything too rash (yet) the desire is certainly there. For example, I suddenly feel like I can’t go another minute without an iPhone.

Side note: Interestingly, an iPhone wouldn’t be the worst thing for me to buy. I get a reimbursement from work for my cell phone bill and, because of some administrative screw up by AT&T that I have tried in vain to sort out, every month I pay my bill, and every month they send me a check refunding it. So, between the reimbursement and the refund, I am actually making money each month on my cell phone.

(The above side note is clearly the groundwork of an elaborate effort to ultimately justify the purchase of an iPhone).

What I really should, and hopefully will, use this money for is to deal with the issues in the main bathroom of my house. A full remodel would be great. Fixing the gaping hole in the wall and repairing the broken pipe so I could, I don’t know, actually shower in it is pretty much a necessity.

Even knowing that I must use my money for this bathroom project, I couldn’t help but sign Kabluey and I up for an year-long membership to the Hopworks Mug Club. We go to Hopworks pretty frequently, and will probably increase our appearances there over the summer, when we can walk the pups there and sit outside while we drink a beer. There are assorted perks to the club, including 21oz beers for the price of 16oz, special parties and exclusive beers. But best of all, we both got free (loose interpretation of that word) t-shirts! And anyone who knows me knows that I will do just about anything for a t-shirt.

Tags: Home refinance, Hopworks, tax refund