I'm...a Beer Man

Some guys are butt men and some guys are breast men. I am a beer man. We have a secret, yet not so secret, love affair together. Like all relationships we have our good moments and our not so good moments, but the good outweighs the bad. I like to experiment and try new things, and the beer does too. We like to extend our palette beyond the mundane and generic brews. The usual suspects have run their course and we’re getting into a deeper relationship. We’ve even talked about taking the next step and making little brews of our own. I want more than just a six-pack or a full suitcase; I want my own micro-brewery. But we have a long way to go in our relationship to get there. So much more to try, so much more living to do together before we tie ourselves down to such a large commitment. You could say we’re still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship, neither can do any wrong; well, some wrong (i.e. Natty). But we won’t go there. We both want to travel and taste what the world has to offer. I’m not sure if we’ll ever settle down in a particular country. I want to stay true to my German roots, but Beer likes to get me out of my comfort zone when I get complacent. Instead of going to the movie store and bringing back a few different movies, we talk about going to Total Wine and bringing back a variety six-pack. When we go out to eat we try a different beer each time. Recently we’ve fallen in love with Blue Moon and Stella Artois, but I think it’s time to move on—there’s so much more out there. We are limited financially and therefore limited in our selection, but every so often we splurge and go exotic. If I drink wine I feel like I’m cheating on Beer. I don’t drink liquor because there’s nothing to savor, no real flavor. I stay true to my first love, Beer.

I want to start brewing my own beer and eventually develop my own line. I’m trying to think of new and interesting combinations that I can perfect and make into my own brand. Give me some suggestions of beers I should try or your top echelon of brew. If you inspire me enough, I might just name a beer after you.

The Olympic Spirit

The Olympics, be it Summer or Winter, are a time for the country to come together. The Summer more so, because not everyone gets a winter. These events allow the host nation to “welcome” in “friends” and share their hospitality with them. It gives them the chance to showcase their culture, what a great way to educate the world! It’s almost an excuse for world leaders to show support for each other by sending normal citizens to represent their country in front of the world. Every summit the “Big 5”, the “Big 5 plus 1”, or the G-20 attend there are protestors. Don’t get me wrong, protestors are good, they force those in the summit to address issues to a certain extent, but they also tend to mar the proceedings through their actions. So why not use the Summer Olympics or the Winter Olympics to normalize relations with one another? As I watch the events I notice that at the end of a race/run the competitor that lost, had a slower run or that was bumped out of contention congratulates the winner or the person that bested them—that’s the epitome of sportsmanship. Why can’t our leaders conduct themselves with sportsmanship? Every country has pride, every country wants what is best for their people (or their leader), and every country wants to be the best; just like every competitor wants to win, wants to beat their rival and wants their place atop their respective sport. But at the end of the race, event, or season they congratulate the better man and rededicate themselves for the next go-around. Competitors need each other to make themselves better. They need someone to push them to their limits, to be the best they can be. We need our leaders to push each other to be better leaders. We don’t need our leaders to call others bluffs or force their hand, i.e. repeatedly call for sanctions. We did it to Saddam in the 90’s and 00’s. We kept calling for him to reveal his WMD’s when he probably didn’t have them, he was just trying to show possible threats that Iraq wasn’t as weak as it really was. We don’t need to repeat that with Iran or North Korea, because what if we force their hand, what if they are further along militarily than we think. We need our leaders to show sportsmanship. We need them to cooperate and work together to make this world better. They need to recognize that every side has pride in their country and that every side wants a piece of the pie. Only when the leaders of the world have the same understanding can they work towards progress, otherwise they are working to someone’s gain, not everyone’s.

The Best Offense is a Strong Defense

The US government is currently developing an anti-missile program. Earlier this week they tested the system in the Pacific Ocean, but due to electronic troubles the test failed. The US also just agreed to establish another system in Romania designed to shoot down short and mid-range missiles from rogue nations like Iran. Poland has also signed on to the same program. By establishing this system the US has agreed to dismantle another system in Eastern Europe designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles. That system caused much unrest in Russia because they believed it to be pointed at them. The US is doing this to try and improve relations with Russia and to insure the protection of its allies from “rogue nations”.

I personally think it’s a brilliant idea to try and work together with other nations. Especially at the present time when Iran is determined to go forward with their nuclear facilities. Iran claims that they are merely trying to create nuclear power for their country, but many are wary of their “intentions”. Reagan’s idea of Star Wars isn’t going to happen, but it has been adapted to a realistic and rational level of implementation. They say defense wins championships, but can it win wars?

Preparation

There are always stories about how much athletes prepare for games and how much time they spend watching film on their opponents, but who prepares the most for what they have to face? Certainly not city government officials! We just had a, for a better term, blizzard in southeastern Virginia. For the area it was a blizzard. Everyone was watching its progress across the country. Every one heard stories about how much snow it was dumping on its way east—except for Hampton Roads city governments/VDOT. Everyone prepared for it except them. They didn’t prepare for it by spreading salt or even sand—which we have an abundance of. When the snow fell it stuck and no snow plows were in sight. No evidence of them on any streets, highways or even the interstate. You’d think if they would plow anything it would be the major veins of transportation in and out of the area, but no. My wife and I drove over to Chesapeake (20-30 minute drive), but this Saturday it took over an hour. The roads were covered and people were forced to drive very carefully so as not to fishtail and wreck. There was no clear indication of lanes. There was one lane where there should have been three, and that one lane didn’t reside within its designated lines—it weaved slowly over the entire space of the highway. The snow stayed on the highways through Saturday and Sunday and schools closed, business closed and the government closed down Monday. They could have gotten it cleared by Monday easily. I enjoyed having the day off, but schools are still out today. Why, because VDOT does not know how to prepare. They could have called in trucks from other areas, they could have contracted out to local companies, but no they decided to let us risk our own lives to try and get anywhere—that is a bit drastic, but they didn’t do much to help out the people they are paid to service. Maybe in the future they’ll learn from their mistakes—but I doubt that.