Well folks, the Bourbon Shootout was a rousing success. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and filled our tiny apartment to the gills. We ended up trying every bourbon I own, except for the Jim Beam, which means we tried nine (9!) different bourbons plus a variety of other cocktails and liquors. Fortunately the tasting was post-potluck, where much delightful food was consumed.
So what were the popular bourbons? The 3 clear winners were:
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We’ve been going on hiking trips roughly once a weekend (as soon as my workload allowed it again), which has been just a ton of fun. We’ve recently been exploring Cuyamaca Rancho State Park which is a stunning park just south of Julian. It takes us about 45 minutes to drive there from near downtown, but it’s totally worth it.
This morning we hiked up Stonewall Peak which I totally recommend. It’s about two miles each way if you go straight up and back, and it’s an easy hike (almost all of the many hikers we saw involved small kids, which is rare for most of the hikes we take) with a fabulous view at the top. Naturally we took a side road back down which some random book had told us would only be half a mile longer although my glance at a map earlier had me suspecting that was a tad short. We ended up hiking a bit over 5 miles total, which is a great way to spend late morning and early afternoon.
While we were near the peak, we stopped for a bit and Christy took a few minutes to sketch out:
Yeah, she’s good.
In related news we’ve had a number of friends inquire about where we hike, so we’re thinking about getting together groups of people maybe once a month or so for a hike. Our first will probably be next Sunday, so if you’re in the area feel free to join us! Our downstairs neighbor will probably come along and maybe a few other friends and we’re actually thinking about doing this same hike again (probably straight up and back, without the bonus detour). Christy and I have really been enjoying exploring the greater San Diego area and it will be fun to hit some of our favorite hikes again with some of our favorite people!
I saw this as I was turning off the TV last night, and was intrigued enough to wait until what I thought was a commercial ended.
This is from Let California Ring, one of the groups who support gay marriage. Ohio’s terrifyingly popular decision to ban gay marriage was one of the main reasons I was happy to leave. This is a human rights issue. If you’re a Californian, vote no on Proposition 8.
So I haven’t been posting much (obviously). I spend all my time at work on this computer, so I haven’t had a ton of motivation to do more at home. My Flickr photostream is actually the best way to get updates (including: I’m engaged!). All that aside, as I was sending an email today, Thunderbird’s spell-check made the best connection ever:
Laphroaig makes some of the loveliest scotches I’ve ever had the privilege to enjoy. Their 15 y/o continues to be my favorite, but the whole line is worth tasting.
Ok, time to turn off the laptop. Hope y’all are well!
I don’t obsessively check out search strings that lead random strangers to my site, but I do look at them occasionally. Every once in a while you get a great one, like last Monday’s, “Is it ok to drink bourbon while studying for a test”.
As someone who just graduated from a rather intense MBA program, let me assure you that yes it is ok to drink during studying. In part because, depending on the program, you may not have any time where you’re not studying. Also, the professor is probably going to be drinking while grading your test or paper. Wine if you’re lucky, whiskey if you’re not. If you go to a larger university and there are TA’s grading your paper, well duh. They’re wasted. So it helps to be on the same wavelength.
Finally, might I also recommend bringing alcohol to class. Only to celebrate particular occasions, such as finishing your team project, completing the final or because it’s Wednesday, and don’t be all wussy about it. Buy a stack of disposable shot glasses and bring a bottle of something that can be served at room temperature (scotch, I’m looking at you). Then, preferably near the end of class, but earlier if you think it will fly, break it open. Don’t forget to invite the professor, depending on who it is they may or may not accept, but really it’s good form.
Also note that, if you’re an undergraduate student, you should probably ignore that last paragraph.
Good luck in your studies!
That’s right, folks: it’s that time of the year again. December 5th is Repeal Day! Hoist a drink at 21:00 to celebrate the 21st amendment, which repealed the 18th and allowed the fine citizens (and everyone else whose 21 years or older) to legally drink again.
Thanks for all the thoughts. We’re doing fine, for a little satellite explanation of the situation, see below:
It’s been a strange, horrible day. We’re safe and watching our city burn through the eyes of local news coverage. They’ve reported 300,000 people evacuated so far and the fires aren’t the least bit contained. San Diego is burning. My school is closed and will remain so at least through Tuesday (it’s Monday night, technically Tuesday morning as I write this) and Christy was off today as well. She compared it to a snow day: you don’t have to go to work but you also can’t really do anything. Our part of the city is remarkably normal; just quieter than usual as we all hunker down, stay off the highways, and avoid using cell phones while we watch TV. A short, twenty or thirty minute drive away, the Witch Creek fire blazes on. People are evacuating to Qualcomm Stadium, just down the road from us. The TV tells us the chaos is everywhere but other than the smell of smoke in the air most of today was just a normal, beautiful (if hazy) San Diego day. Only in the past few minutes have I seen the fire crest over mountains in the distance. At first it seemed a bright orange sunrise lighting up the horizon six hours too soon. Now it looks like lava coming down from a volcano or beacon fires lit in desperation.
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