Photo of the week (April 14th)

Good-bye Joey ... Good-bye Joey ...


My flight is confirmed, I am off to Europe and Munich, more specifically where I can see the Glockenspiel in action. Coverage continues at http://whereisjoeytoday.blogspot.com

--Joey

PS The telegraph has a funny article on the government trying to help Americans improve their image overseas. This will be my final entry on this blog until I return from London. All blogs will be at the travel blog linked above.

Beer of the week (April 12th)

I teased with the possibility of Aprihop, but decided to go with Rare Vos since we had Chicken Parmesan.

The beer is from Ommegang in Coopers Town. The brewery is considered to be the most authentic Belgian style brewery in the United States. In fact, there was a blind taste test in London. Fans of Belgian beers rated the American Abbey firmly ahead of Chimay Grand Reserve (aka Chimay Blue). It was also voted "more authentically Belgian". Stateside it has received similar honors.

So that said, how is their take on a Belgian Pale, Rare Vos? Pretty good. Like nice a mix between a pale ale, a hefeweizen, and an ESB. Apparently this is considered among their "weaker" offerings, with the Saison (an endangered style brought back by the craft beer revolution) being one of the best. "Long" story short, I recommend it.

--Joey

Photo of the week (April 7th 2006)

One of the many nice views in Avila, Spain

I went to Avila as a midway point on the way to Toledo. I turned out, I found Avila to be one of the best surprises of my trip and of the 13 photos I enlarged, three were of this tiny town between Madrid and Salamanca. If you ever find yourself in Madrid, take a day trip to Avila.

--Joey

Mexican flags

There has been some to-do over the fact that immigration protesters have been carrying Mexican flags

The article points out some good questions, such as why people that want so badly to be Americans would carry a Mexican flag?

The response?

But those who carried them, and scholars of the immigrant community, say that pride in their culture should not be misconstrued as a lack of patriotism in their adopted nation.

"Nobody gets upset with the Irish on St. Patrick's Day," said Gabriela Lemus, director of policy and legislation at the Washington, D.C.- based League of United Latin American Citizens, the group that organized most of the recent protests and is heading the dozens of marches and rallies scheduled across the nation Monday.

Well Gabby, the reason why no one gets upset is because it is ST PATRICK'S DAY! You don't see Irish people in the US flying that flag, marching with that flag, or hanging it on their rearview mirror any other day of the year! No one "gets upset" at the Mexicans on Cinco De Mayo.

This is a particular problem with Hispanics (which is all the more infuriating with respect to the children of Hispanic immigrants), but other ethnicities and nationalities are guilty too. If you feel that the flag you are flying, best represents your values, your goals, and your dreams, why not return to that country? No one is preventing you from leaving. Those marching with American flags, the ones who think of themselves as Americans, should have first dibs. The rest...well they can go to...Mexico.

--Joey

Beer of the week (April 5th 2006)

In addition to the photo of the week, I am going to post a beer recommendation of the week. I recently visited a local liquor superstore and like many, they allow consumers to mix and match a little. So for my mixed six:

Dogfish Head 90 Min IPA
Dogfish Head Aprihop (2)
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine
Ommegang Rare Vos
Ommegang Hennepin

I reached for an Aprihop and grabbed the IPA accidently. Those are the kind of accidents that are nice to have :)

The Dogfish Head 90 Min IPA

During Britain's colonial rule their famous ales weren't travelling well. But just because you are a half a world away from GMT, doesn't mean you are going to give up on good beer. As time went on, a discovery was made. If more hops are used, they will act as a preservative! They called it the India Pale Ale or IPA. The hops also made the beer more "bitter". Since then, the microbrew revolution as reinvented the style. American brewers that live for pushing the boundaries of beer, created the double imperial IPAs...like the 90min IPA.

This beer is worth seeking out. I compare the 60min IPA and the 90min IPA with Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale and Celebration. The 90min IPA clocks in at a brutal 9% ABV, which is surprisingly and dangerously well hidden. Dogfish Head also makes a 120min IPA which is even higher in hops and alcohol.

Next week, the Aprihop, a combination of Apricots and an IPA. Should be interesting!

--Joey

Blowing up photos and Supersize office along with bad news for the best show of all time(?)

I got to pick up my photos from Kinkos and they did a great job. The monkey in Gibraltar and the University/Belltower photo from Granada turned out much darker than anticipated so I may have them lightened and try again.

http://www.supersizedoffice.com/

If you are a fan of The Office, I highly recommend you hit the link above and give your two cents worth as to why the finale should be extended. I am contemplating sending a stapler in jello because I didn't send anything to FOX for Arrested Development. Turns out that the creator (of AD) Mitch Hurwitz, pulled the plug, opting not to continue the show on Showtime as had been rumored.

Firefly, another (cult)popular Fox show that was cancelled, received another chance as Serenity so you never know, maybe Arrested Development could come back as a special set of episodes, movie or maybe even revived on the same network ala Family Guy, with enough DVD sales, and reruns. So while it may not be end I think we are approaching "The Final Countdown"


The photo is from the fan site The Op





--Joey