obfuscated.org

Seamus on the Rack
Originally uploaded by corey_porter.

A momentous day in Pasadena history, today the Home Brewery of Mediocre Magnitude sold its first bottles of beer. As luck would have it, I was able to be customer number one, purchasing a sixer of Brother Seamus, their Abbey Dubbel style ale.

I had this particular beer for the first time at Connie-Lynne’s party when Clancey brought over all of the HBMM’s current offerings. Now, all of his beers are good, but this one is well beyond good, closer in fact to “damn” or “holy crap.” It’s the first surprisingly impressive beer I’ve had in a good long time (since NB’s La Folie), and I’m imminently pleased to own some of it now.

As per the label, Brother Seamus is an Abbey-style ale (Chimay is a good example of this style). It’s brewed whole-grain with cinnamon and ginger added in, and the combination really works. What’s even more impressive is that it was HBMM’s first whole-grain brew.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Clancey did a bang up job on the labels as well. At the tasting the labels were black and white and told us little more than the name of the beer. The current generation is big, colorful, well-designed and informative. You can see all of them on HBMM’s beers page.

For your viewing pleasure, I’ve put up a photo set of my Brother Seamus purchase. Do enjoy them.

At Del Mar
Originally uploaded by corey_porter.

On the way home from the movie Saturday night, my car threw up the “Service” light. Not “Service Engine Soon” which is secret code for “dealership service department needs a new pair of shoes,” but “Service,” which means “no kidding, jerk, get this looked at.” Not wanting to burst in to flames while driving to work, I took the car in to see Avo at Foothill Smog. Avo is pretty rad, always does a good job and never overcharges, so I say screw the dealership (also I’m about 50,000 miles out of warranty, so…).

Since I was on foot, I got to take the Metro Gold Line in to the office. For your viewing enjoyment I took a few pictures that are available as a photo set on Flickr: Taking the Train to Work, 09/22/05.

I heard from Avo at lunch, and apparently it’s either a $80 fix or a $800 fix (the problem being related to the cruise control, so it seems unlikely that I will burst in to flames). He gave the $80 fix a go and wants me to let him know if the problem resurfaces. Yay Avo!

Lunch at the Chip Shop - a study
Originally uploaded by corey_porter.

Often times I have lunch with my coworkers at Lucky Baldwin’s, a.k.a. The Chip Shop, a.k.a. The Winchester. The food is nothing to write home about, but their beer selection is unbeatable. Here is a short photo essay of lunch at the Chip Shop. I hope you enjoy it.

Of note is that this week at the Chip Shop is the Sierra Nevada festival. They have (I think?) all of Sierra Nevada’s beers available on tap. There are also super deals available on schwag from both SN and Lucky Baldwin’s. If your trips to The Winchester are infrequent, I would recommend making one this week for the festival.

GOOD MORNING
Originally uploaded by corey_porter.

If I weren’t me, I’d wake up every day of my life and think to myself, “I wonder what Corey’s office looks like.” It truly is one of the great mysteries of the universe. Speculation regarding the in’s and out’s and what-have-you’s of my lavish office abounds. Photographers from glossy entertainment magazines have been beaten senseless by security trying to snap picture of my place of work. The Crown Prince of East Lansing, Michigan has contacted me in regards to becoming a part owner.

Fortunately for myself (and for you!), I am me, and as such am afforded almost daily access to my exciting office. Because I’m such a nice guy, I’ve assembled a photo set of my office for your education and enjoyment.

Casey Jones you better watch your speed.
Originally uploaded by corey_porter.

On my way to pick The Kid up at school today I passed this sign. PTA recruiting drives are nothing new, so I didn’t think anything of it. As soon as I saw the sign I without thinking about it started singing softly to myself. “Driving that train, high on cocaine / Casey Jones you better watch your speed.” Which would have been funny if it wasn’t right in front of the principal’s office. I just wish that there was a DARE poster or similar up next to this one. That would have been truly funny.

Tonight the kid and I had a mini-Gamenight on account of the real thing being called off for the evening. I really do wish that I had cool German board games when I was a kid. They’re so much more fun than their boring American counterparts (Monopoly? Please.), and the things that they teach you in terms of patter recognition and spacial relations are things that you would never learn from “Chutes and Ladders” or “Life.”

Erich gave me this packet of soup last week. It’s “spicy,” apparently.

Ryan Clancey, A.K.A. Home Brew of Mediocre Magnitude, has just done a large and glorious redesign of his brewing site. It is beer-colored and wonderful, contains information about HBMM’s beers, brewing in general, and as far as I know, people, feelings, and bowling. Why shouldn’t it be so?

Clancey has everything it takes to be a top tier brewer: A love for beer, a good appreciation of craft, and his own bowling shoes (this is more important than you might imagine). I can’t wait for the Chip Shop to carry HBMM beers. That will truly be a wonderful day.