Lords of the Universe...

Its a funny pair: Philosophy and Science. The original odd couple. I had an audience that I'm not accustomed to the other day. I sat on a couch facing two cousins, my brother, a good friend, and I began to express an idea so deep routed in science that it philosophically blew my mind. I have decided to allow you this nugget of (could be) truth.

To begin, I want to make it clear that I believe in intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. That's all, I'm no Area 51, UFO chasing crackpot, I just want to clarify.

Right, so I make no excuse that I am a fan of Beer, but I'm not alone. Every culture that has ever existed has fermented alcohol. Usually by accident (breath in that wild yeast,) this act has become sort of mundane. We take for granted what yeast actually do.

Yeast are a fungi. They are a single cell organism used commonly in baking and fermenting. Yeast metabolize carbohydrates(fermentable sugars) and produce ethanol (C2H5OH). That's right, yeast eat sugar and release alcohol. Perfect little helpers.

Alcohol is by no means unique to earth. Astronomers have seen entire clouds of alcohol in the Universe. But think about our little yeast creatures. Millions of years of evolution have produced this creature and anyone who can grasp the idea of evolution knows that it is chaotic at best.

Lets just imagine that yeast are an anomaly, not shared in the universe. Could it be that the aliens that everyone fears for their destructive powers and vast intelligence are not able to make alcohol whenever they want? Natural alcohol would be a scarce resource. That would meant that when it comes to willful fermentation, we are kings.

Its possible. Maybe there is nothing out there which acts the same way. Maybe our schnapps, wine, liquor, liqueurs, beer and of course, Mead are creations that will one day make us the envy of space itself. Its a lot to think about, but I like to think that we could be the downfall of an entire civilization as we have seen throughout history when alcohol is introduced (poor Mexican Indians.)


Think about it.

A Change of Heart...

Every one oppinions. One day, and it mights have already happened, you will have a moment of self insight. You will realize that within your mind lies a belief that you always had but never really thought about it. I had such an insight the other day.

There I was, basking in the semi cool, totally refreshing waters of a friends heated pool. This was one of those days when Lady Luck herself favored me and I was going to meet an old college friend and sure enough, there would be a pool there as well. I do not own a pool, so Me: 1, Universe: 0.

There I was in the heated pool, telling my friend about the afternoon plans, and he shrugged them off. What was his problem? That jerk totally takes for granted that he owns a pool and here I am happy to see two in one day. Then he looked to me and said, "going swimming just isn't a treat for me".

My god. It turns out I'm the jerk. He wasn't taking anything for granted, I was just pinning a label on him so that I could feel better about what I didn't have. This is not to say that there aren't those in the world, and there are, who will lord their things over you like a badge, its just saying that some done mean it. I personally wont change my life with this revelation, but I think I can cut some people a break. Not my friend though, I mean TWO pools in ONE day!

True Heirlooms...

Unfortunately, I have lost a great Uncle. I barely knew him, but in times like these, you always wish you had spoken to them more, or gotten to know them. It was an accident which, so tragically, ended his ripe life at 79, so who knows how much longer he would have lasted.

As I sit and think about him, my mind keeps going back to his stuff. Things. Property of his which is now being handed out, according to his wishes, as keepsakes and heirlooms. I sit and watch the silver and china being sent to nieces across the country, help to move large pieces of furniture, and even box up the small knick knacks of a life lived and cant help but wonder what to me is most important.

Many people have the fortune of one of the most important heirlooms and don't realize it. I'm talking about something that is as valuable as any fancy cabinet, I'm speaking about recipes. paper evidence of your ancestors nourishment and prosperity.

It is something which is more important in some families than others, but the family tradition of cooking is passed down. Ever wonder why, as you sit in a murky funk at your school cafeteria, why they cant seem to make mashed potatoes like your mom? That's your history your comparing to. Your mom is not a magic woman, but she is the keeper of knowledge which you should seek out.

I write this post at home with a dreamy scent filling the air. When I inhale deeply, I can smell the tradition of my family on my dad's side, my child hood, my adolescents, and my future all at the same time. To the casual onlooker or guest, it is just a pot of tomato sauce (they, of course, think theirs is better) but to me its so much more than that. That is MY tomato sauce, and when I have kids, it will be theirs.

I dont want to fight with my brothers over the possessions of other peoples lives. I don't want to be eating off a table hundreds of years old, with silver, handed down generations, trying to remember how my mother made her poppy seed dumplings which I love so much over chicken. I want to receive phone calls from my kids one day saying how they miss my cooking and cant wait to be home, like my mother had from me.

My mission to you: You know that simple side dish you had growing up? That rice, noodle, potato, or soup that you loved so much? Get that recipe and make it this week.

The thing with friends...

What is it with friends these days? It seems to me that sites like Facebook and Myspace and the such put such emphasis on expanding your "friend lists" and less emphasis on friendship.

I can remember when I was a lad of elementary age, I got into a school boy quarrel with my baby brother, Matt(Baby being relative, he is only a year younger than me). This particular exchange was me showing my dominance by boasting that I could name 100 friends. That's right, 100! I began to name, much to the chagrin of my mother who had to listen to me, 100 people which I was friendly with.

Good thing I grew up! Oh wait... My facebook is currently friends with 301 people (oh yeah). But what really makes a friend? I graduated high school with around 150 people. We have all met. I was friendly with them all, but the truth is that when I graduated, I kept a handful of people close and they are all still my friends to this day. for the sake of future posts, they are: Olsen, Chris #1, James, Ian, O'malley, Kessler, and... well lets just call him Colin. 7 Friends. Man, I'm popular.

I see that friend lists now are back to pissing contests and "Anything you can do, I can..." arguments. I'm all for a connection between past and present, but in the end, its best to know whats most important in life. I know who gets my fullest attention when they are in town, The people Ive known longer than Ive had my old dog. Just keep it in mind.

Better with age...

I was thinking about one of my life's finest moments. I am talking of course about the time that I gave to my tongue the taste of a truly amazing beverage. I am referring to the Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.

This is certainly an amazing brew. It was almost fate that I was sitting with my two good friends, Brad and Calen, when Calen brought out this beauty. The date brewed, (seemingly meaning less to some) a year to the day we decided to drink it. I don't believe in "Signs", but come on. That's pretty cool.

We poured this gem out into three anxious glasses and shared a moment of silence. This beer is famous for its complexity and its power. The Dogfish profile forming the exclamation point on the cap says it all: "This beer is not for Children". The color was a gold amber, slightly cloudy with the lively yeast. We inhaled a scent that screamed hops and was as fresh as the plant itself. We drew the amber liquid past our lips and into our hearts. The mouth-feel was commanding and full bodied, the taste was fresh and complex. At first you had an amazing sweetness from the Malt, but the linger was a pleasant bitter from a perfect choice of hops. Simply put, amazing.

This life changing moment stayed with me for many months. I later found myself in a bar, my last night before 6 months abroad. I decided, "To hell with cost, I want a 120!". The bottle arrived, only a few months from date of brew, I poured it slowly, aching for the perfect head. Smelled the ambrosia, brought it to my lips, chewed, and swallowed. terrible.

You see, I learned a lot that day. It turns out that the difference between 3 months and 12 was all the world. That extra time was enough to let the yeast grow and thrive. They feasted on the sugars within and produced a totally complex, magical experience, which must be enjoyed before you leave this world (Space ship?)

"All things come to him who waits - provided he knows what he is waiting for"
- Woodrow Wilson.

Conclusion: I have learned much from beer that I can put to my life. For example, you always save the good beer for your good friends, just as in life you never hold back when you have the opportunity to help a friend. But now I realize that with time and patience I can, like my coveted 120 become better with age.

In the Beginning...

I would like to begin this blog with a brief, "Thank you". This is for all of you who have, if only for this short moment, decided that my opinions are worth viewing. With that said, enough about you, lets talk about me.

I have often found myself thinking about the three subjects that I feel the most connected. Those being, quite obviously, Beer, Food, and Philosophy (I am not liberal, I don't drink coffee, and I hate hippies. Go figure these are my three). With Philosophy in mind I thought that it was important for me to lay down the ground rules. In Philosophy, all thought has to be based off basics of logic called Axioms (i.e. an object cannot be not the object, a = a, a /= ~a). That being said, I thought that I would state the rules followed by my blog.

1. Beer is at the same time, as complicated, as sophisticated, and a better product in general than wine.
2. The meaning of life is to find the very best of whatever your into and surround yourself with it at all times
3. Philosophy is a vital way of exploring the universe from the birth of a star, to a single chew of your favorite food.

That being said, I will now dedicate the space here to examining my life as I see it. My thoughts and opinions have a home now and I invite you to follow along. I hope it makes you think, but above all I hope you can laugh. I offer no apologies to what will follow and look foreword to what Ill say next...