Axiom #2

The meaning of life is to find the very best of whatever your into and surround yourself with it at all times

Since the beginning of time itself, life has existed. This can mean the life of a split second, crying out with its moment in the grand spectrum of time as it dies away just as quickly, the life of the universe, post big bang, an awe inspiring clock work of sophisticated and powerful forces colliding in the most dazzling and violent ballet ever written, or even the life of simple bacteria which one day will grow and evolve into a race of beings that can one day type their thoughts of their one celled ancestors upon their personal keyboards. Yes, life is not just how we know it and it is everywhere. The real question is, why? What is the meaning of it all? Well I don't know the answer to that. The lesser famous, but just as important question is more explicit. What is the meaning of our lives?

Day after day, we humans wake up and proceed upon our lives with an almost animal instinct to remain active. But why? What is the point of it all. Most people will interrupt their one of their days for at least one moment during their cosmically insignificant time and wonder why they are on this earth and why they must toil endlessly. Why is their life significant?

I'm here to tell you why. Of course I could preface this with many, "in my opinions...", and "maybes", but that's not the case, this is what I believe so I will proceed with my facts.

Your life is significant because it is yours. Its the only thing that can never be taken from you. Your past, present, and future, are a book which you are writing. You may be helpless to change events or location, but your attitude, your thoughts, these are all yours and no one can touch them.

That is why, as Ive stated, the meaning of life is to make this story as personal as you can. If you love beer, then try every last one until you have found your favorites, then drink them. If you like skiing, go to as many mountains as you can and find the one you enjoy most and love it. If you love God, then love him for ever, if you love sin, then go out and fill yourself to the top. This is not however an invitation to impede the life of another. Your purpose is not to convert, to harm, or change. Just be open and share. Smile when they say no, and be helpful when they say yes.

If you cant afford these things, then work to get them. Dream of how to make your perfect toy, food, boat, car, your perfect life is not far. Make a plan, earn them. I bet its even better that way. Take the first step towards a life you can be proud of.

Life is here for your enjoyment, if you are upset, mad, sad, or in general displeased, then you are playing the game wrong. The rules are simple, the odds in your favor. Your favorite thing is waiting. Go enjoy it.

Axiom #1

Beer is at the same time, as complicated, as sophisticated,
and a better product in general than wine.

This is, I know, a bold statement to make. But hear me out. First of all, I want to admit that I am slightly biased. Three years moving cases of beer for a living gives you a lot to think about. There are so many styles and brands, names and pictures, walls upon walls to look upon and dream. Every case a new world, every bottle story. but hey, that's just me.

Beer begins at the boil. You take the grains you want and you, in essence, make tea. Grains range from very light to very dark (dark grains make dark beer.) You can, if you wanted, make a beer dark in color with less flavor than Coors Light (so please give dark beer a break, it just looks scary.) Malt is the primary flavor of the beer. It gives it its main body and mouth feel and makes the beer sweet. The hops are added to balance the sweet with bitterness and give the beer its flowery aroma. You can also add spices to the boil or during fermentation to change the flavor.

As you can see, the beer process is more complicated than that for wine and the combinations are more vast. Have you ever heard of a coffee or a chili pepper wine? These are very real and very tasty beer flavors. Beer has so many different grains to chose from, sure you have many varieties of grapes, but there are so many more types of grain and any number of varieties for these types.

The original beer was lumpy, bitter, and cheap. Its no wonder that it took second chair to wine in history. That does not make the beverage worthless, though. Mesopotamian culture had a god for beer. Industrial England built itself on the backs of workers who drank beer primarily. Even our president, poor taste aside, chose beer over wine.

It's no mistake that, "He who invented beer was a wise man", was a true Socrates quote. This beverage has survived throughout the course of man, built cities, and has only gotten better. With micro-breweries growing, we find ourselves in a beer revolution. Beer is gathering power and we are very good at making it. Don't kid yourself that the stuff of frat parties is an indication of the industry on whole. Would a wine drinker curse his beverage because Franzia exists? There is a world out there waiting to be discovered. Go down to your local bar with even a half decent selection and order yourself a bottle of human history. Tell them Geoff sent you.

The Sorry Price of Left Brain Use...

I get to have a treat soon. There is a particular item which at the same time arouses many emotions in me; nostalgia, delight, giddiness, and of course... hunger. I am talking of course about meatloaf. the meal everyone knows and only a few fear (I'm guessing they eat the wrong meatloaf.) But this is a journey I had to come to on my own. A trip around my own head and back to where the heart is.

This story begins about the time I was 10 when my father told my mother that her meatloaf reminded him of dog food. Don't jump to conclusions, my father is the hardest eater to please. He wont eat anything complicated. He wont even eat chicken. Enough about him; fast foreword in time to my college years when a scent, being the strongest memory activator, reminded me of a dinner we hadn't had in years. I asked my mom why she stopped making her meatloaf that I remember so well and you can see why.

A rebirth, nay, a renaissance if you will, took place in those weeks to come. However, I am no ordinary lover of the kitchen, I am one to experiment. I will get into that later but even when I brewed beer, the style was not as important as the ingredient. The twist to make it unique, to bring out its essence. I turned this murderous eye on my poor mothers meatloaf. I made creativity upon it.

I began with the meat itself, I used pork for flavor and turkey for health. I then removed the mouthwatering sauce in favor for a bacon shell. I shrieked and laughed into the night as I made my monster and it lived... oh, it lived. But some beasts are not meant for this earth. The meat, lacking proper fat was dry, the edges thick with rendered bacon grease. Not even mashed potatoes could save this feast.

I learned a lesson that day. There are any number of ways to prepare a dish but there is only one way to do it right. Soon I will make the meatloaf as it was made by mother, with the same meat, and the same sauce. I will love it, and I will mourn the empty pan.

"If it aint broke, don't fix it." It goes to show you, that creativity is fun and all, but within reason. Ill try to keep mine under control.

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!

The true super food...

This one time, I had a craving. No, I wasn't pregnant, but I couldn't help myself. I could barely consider having a sandwich without first pulling out the large jar that I get from my grandfather. They are just so tasty; salty, full of flavor, and a mouth watering spice. I guess I should just admit it; my name is Geoff and I'm addicted to pickles.

As I said, its my grandfathers fault. He buys 5 gallon buckets of pickles from an Italian market, sorts them into jars that he has and tops them off with pickled cherry peppers. The result is one of the finest dining experience that you could ever have from a jar.

This is what was on my mind when we were almost empty in one of our jars, and a fine dinner idea came to me. I had heard a rumor that a restaurant chain, lets just refer to them as C-fil-A, gets their signature chicken sandwich by first marinating them in pickle juice. This would explain why when you order a sandwich from them, it is only topped with pickles unless otherwise requested.

So there I was with a jar of juice and some chicken breast. Why not? I cut the breasts thin and covered them in pickle juice. For those that don't know how a brine works, it is as follows:

1. Meat is placed in a seasoned liquid that is very salty.
2. The salt enters and seasons the meat
3. The added salt causes the meat to swell with extra juice, making the cooked product more juicy.

Eureka! obviously pickle juice is just a celebrated brine! This makes things interesting. I move the meat from it's container, to beaten egg, to seasoned flower, back to egg, then to bread crumbs, I finish the prep work for my sandwiches. Fyi, the double breading makes a difference, more crunch and the breading will stick to the meat better. I fry them to a dark brown, not burnt, because I love the crunch, then I move to the sandwich. I take the very pickles who's juices made this meal possible and line a hearty roll.

I love fried chicken, but I have never had an experience like this. The meat was juicy, spicy, and flavorful. The pickles had their usual kick, making the whole sandwich pop. All in all, I would say that is was, by sandwich standards, Too Fine. So go, take with you a proven restaurant secret and next time you want to surprise someone, brine the meat and double bread. I know Ill love it and you'll look like a miracle worker.

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...