Thursday, August 30, 2007
I discovered how I could get a sniff of my fermenting stout without actually opening up the fermenter and risking contamination or aeration. It smells yummy, so I'm taking that as a good sign.
Doing some extra reading on homebrewing, as well as asking questions of those with a lot more experience than me, I've found out that a beer takes about three weeks for fermentation before bottling, so it'll be about another week before I get to the bottling stage. After that, my understanding is the bottled beer needs another couple of weeks for carbonation. So I'll be looking at late September before the beer is ready for the fridge ... and drinking.
I know when I pop the first one, I'll drink it by myself to make sure it's drinkable. After that, assuming it is definitely drinkable, anybody who likes stouts is welcome to join me for a drink or three. I may be a bastard, but I'm not going to poison my friends if I don't have to. ;)
Still, the brewing bug is already biting again, and now I'm thinking seriously about trying to make a semi-sweet mead. Thankfully, mead is supposed to be simple, as it's basically just water, honey and yeast (with maybe some extra nutrients added). Unfortunately, it takes months to ferment -- and the longer it ferments, the smoother it's supposed to get. If I can get what I need for mead this weekend, I could maybe whip up a small batch on Labour Day Monday, and maybe it'll at least be drinkable for Christmas.
I know when I pop the first one, I'll drink it by myself to make sure it's drinkable. After that, assuming it is definitely drinkable, anybody who likes stouts is welcome to join me for a drink or three. I may be a bastard, but I'm not going to poison my friends if I don't have to. ;)
Still, the brewing bug is already biting again, and now I'm thinking seriously about trying to make a semi-sweet mead. Thankfully, mead is supposed to be simple, as it's basically just water, honey and yeast (with maybe some extra nutrients added). Unfortunately, it takes months to ferment -- and the longer it ferments, the smoother it's supposed to get. If I can get what I need for mead this weekend, I could maybe whip up a small batch on Labour Day Monday, and maybe it'll at least be drinkable for Christmas.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Why can't more Americans find the U.S. on the map? Miss Teen USA South Carolina has the answer.
A week ago, I was feeling kind of blah about RPGs in general. Now I'm prepping for a Delta Green campaign and working up a pitch for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer PbP. I'm feeling inspired. :)
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Thanks to Chris Chesher, who picked the books up for me at GenCon, I now have Delta Green and Delta Green: Countdown. Yep, this is the next game I really want to run. As I've been reading through the core book, several mission ideas have come to me -- and I know there are two full scenarios in the back of the book (not to mention whatever may be in Countdown).
Thursday, August 23, 2007
This week has been a great one for getting my war game on.
On Sunday and Monday, I played through the first Ambush mission. Unfortunately, while I thought I had just eeked out a victory with exactly thirteen victory points, it turns out I didn't take enough VPs off for my two incapacitated -- and one dead -- soldiers. I actually lost the scenario by three victory points. Comments on BoardGameGeek suggest the first mission is actually pretty hard, and winning it generally means few to no casualties (which probably means somehow completely avoiding the minefields).
Tuesday night was a step back in time to the 14th Century with Dave Bloomberg and Men of Iron. As a fairly simple and straightforward game of medieval warfare, Men of Iron quickly became a must-have. The Poitiers scenario we played was a fun, even if Dave had a rather lucky streak for activation rolls (his French just rolled over my defending English; it was brutal). I need to buy this game, especially now that I know the second game in the series will focus on the Crusades. It would also be very suitable to solitaire play.
I introduced Rich to Sergeants! on the Eastern Front on Wednesday night, and he proceeded to kick my ass. I made some critical errors, and there are things I know I would do differently as the Germans in that scenario now that I've thought about it, but Rich played quite well and focused on his objective. It still came down to the eighth turn, where my engineers were just about done wiring the bridge -- so it was close.
I wish I could play war games this much every week.
On Sunday and Monday, I played through the first Ambush mission. Unfortunately, while I thought I had just eeked out a victory with exactly thirteen victory points, it turns out I didn't take enough VPs off for my two incapacitated -- and one dead -- soldiers. I actually lost the scenario by three victory points. Comments on BoardGameGeek suggest the first mission is actually pretty hard, and winning it generally means few to no casualties (which probably means somehow completely avoiding the minefields).
Tuesday night was a step back in time to the 14th Century with Dave Bloomberg and Men of Iron. As a fairly simple and straightforward game of medieval warfare, Men of Iron quickly became a must-have. The Poitiers scenario we played was a fun, even if Dave had a rather lucky streak for activation rolls (his French just rolled over my defending English; it was brutal). I need to buy this game, especially now that I know the second game in the series will focus on the Crusades. It would also be very suitable to solitaire play.
I introduced Rich to Sergeants! on the Eastern Front on Wednesday night, and he proceeded to kick my ass. I made some critical errors, and there are things I know I would do differently as the Germans in that scenario now that I've thought about it, but Rich played quite well and focused on his objective. It still came down to the eighth turn, where my engineers were just about done wiring the bridge -- so it was close.
I wish I could play war games this much every week.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
A twisted ankle kept me from running for about three weeks. This kind of annoyed me, as I had gotten into a routine of going out every couple of days in the morning before I sat down at my computer. Three weeks of downtime has ruined that routine, so I'm back to square-one.
Thankfully, the weight I had lost hasn't been put back on (I don't put weight on very quickly), and in fact, I've continued to lose weight simply by cutting out most junk food and really only eating what I need. Simply put, I think I've still been using more energy than I've been taking in -- and that's what it's all about.
Monday morning was my first outing as a runner in three weeks, so it was a little rough. I really only went out for less than fifteen minutes instead of the twenty minutes I was going out for a few weeks back. Part of the reason for a shortened run was because my body wasn't handling it well, but another part was I was trying to find a different route (and it turned out to be too short).
Prior to my ankle injury, I was running over to the nearby park, doing about two-and-a-half laps around it and then running home (when I say running, I should note it's mostly running, but there are slowdown periods where I'm walking for a minute or three at a time). Since I was tired of dodging dog shit, I wanted to find another route.
Monday's route was a run to the park, through the park to Clover Ridge, west to Harwood and back up to Dreyer and Parker. It was too short.
This morning, I ran along Dreyer to Pickering Beach, then back to Clover Ridge, over to Harwood along Clover Ridge and back up to Dreyer and Parker. It clocked in at just less than eighteen minutes, so it was an improvement. However, I suspect once I start getting my endurance back, it'll be closer to sixteen or seventeen minutes. I need to find a few more minutes to add, so I might need to find yet another another route. Still, it should do for now.
Thankfully, the weight I had lost hasn't been put back on (I don't put weight on very quickly), and in fact, I've continued to lose weight simply by cutting out most junk food and really only eating what I need. Simply put, I think I've still been using more energy than I've been taking in -- and that's what it's all about.
Monday morning was my first outing as a runner in three weeks, so it was a little rough. I really only went out for less than fifteen minutes instead of the twenty minutes I was going out for a few weeks back. Part of the reason for a shortened run was because my body wasn't handling it well, but another part was I was trying to find a different route (and it turned out to be too short).
Prior to my ankle injury, I was running over to the nearby park, doing about two-and-a-half laps around it and then running home (when I say running, I should note it's mostly running, but there are slowdown periods where I'm walking for a minute or three at a time). Since I was tired of dodging dog shit, I wanted to find another route.
Monday's route was a run to the park, through the park to Clover Ridge, west to Harwood and back up to Dreyer and Parker. It was too short.
This morning, I ran along Dreyer to Pickering Beach, then back to Clover Ridge, over to Harwood along Clover Ridge and back up to Dreyer and Parker. It clocked in at just less than eighteen minutes, so it was an improvement. However, I suspect once I start getting my endurance back, it'll be closer to sixteen or seventeen minutes. I need to find a few more minutes to add, so I might need to find yet another another route. Still, it should do for now.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Damn. My office chair has finally gone to that big office supply store in the sky. I guess I've been putting off replacing it for too long.
Beer leads to be being eaten by bears. But not even that would dissuade me from drinking my favourite beverage.
Monday, August 20, 2007
First! Just watch it. If you've ever spent any time on an Internet forum, you'll find it funny.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Maybe I'm easily amused, but I find it kind of neat to pop into the storage room and watch the fermenter burble every so often. I guess that means the yeast is doing its thing. Science is cool. :)
Various places are already running the D&D 4E press release. According to the announcement, the Player's Handbook will be available in May 2008, but it sounds like the PHB is being released in more of a boxed set way, as the release makes mention of miniatures coming with it.
Since I haven't played D&D in over two years now, I'm firmly on the "not going to buy it" side of the fence, but there's this little voice in the back of my head that won't let me forget that I said the same thing about D&D 3E prior to its release. Then I picked up the D&D 3E preview issue of Dragon Magazine, and I really liked what I read.
To be fair, I had a lot of fun with D&D 3E for a few years, but then the last couple of years were a little brutal. Part of that change had to do with my own changing tastes, which were quickly becoming the opposite of most of the gaming group's, but part of it was also the time necessary to prepare for the game and to learn the rules. I mean, even after five years of playing D&D 3E, I still didn't know a good portion of the rules. There are far too many caveats and circumstance rules that can come into play at any given time -- and disrupting play, which grated on my nerves more and more. Even the most complicated war game doesn't have the complexity of D&D 3E -- or if it does, you know exactly what situational rules you're going to need based on the scenario you choose.
With this release of D&D, there won't be a Dragon Magazine to turn to for a preview, so I'll get most of my information from RPG.net and other online sources. However, I think the only way WotC could bring me back to the fold is if D&D 4E goes back to basics and isn't much more complex than the D&D boxed sets of the Eighties.
Since I haven't played D&D in over two years now, I'm firmly on the "not going to buy it" side of the fence, but there's this little voice in the back of my head that won't let me forget that I said the same thing about D&D 3E prior to its release. Then I picked up the D&D 3E preview issue of Dragon Magazine, and I really liked what I read.
To be fair, I had a lot of fun with D&D 3E for a few years, but then the last couple of years were a little brutal. Part of that change had to do with my own changing tastes, which were quickly becoming the opposite of most of the gaming group's, but part of it was also the time necessary to prepare for the game and to learn the rules. I mean, even after five years of playing D&D 3E, I still didn't know a good portion of the rules. There are far too many caveats and circumstance rules that can come into play at any given time -- and disrupting play, which grated on my nerves more and more. Even the most complicated war game doesn't have the complexity of D&D 3E -- or if it does, you know exactly what situational rules you're going to need based on the scenario you choose.
With this release of D&D, there won't be a Dragon Magazine to turn to for a preview, so I'll get most of my information from RPG.net and other online sources. However, I think the only way WotC could bring me back to the fold is if D&D 4E goes back to basics and isn't much more complex than the D&D boxed sets of the Eighties.
It looks like Wizards of the Coast is a little over ten hours away from announcing D&D 4th Edition. *sigh* There had been rumours of this for months, and now it looks like it's true.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
I've just spent the last few hours brewing beer in my kitchen. With the scent of boiling extract in the air, I'm glad Jacquie's away right now, as I'm sure she'd be complaining.
Anyway, I have no idea if this beer is going to turn out half-decent or completely undrinkable, but I guess I'll know in another week or two.
Anyway, I have no idea if this beer is going to turn out half-decent or completely undrinkable, but I guess I'll know in another week or two.
Could you drop half a million bucks on a bottle of beer and then get up the nerve to drink it?
Although I think I have everything I need to get going on my first homebrew beer, I've been procrastinating a bit. I'm somewhat concerned I'm going to do something vitally important incorrectly and screw up the whole batch. That could be devastating -- not to mention the fact that it would piss me off.
However, I think I just need to get going on it. I don't have any plans for tonight, so my goal is to go through the process this evening and get my first batch of beer ready and fermenting by the time I go to bed.
We'll see if it works out.
However, I think I just need to get going on it. I don't have any plans for tonight, so my goal is to go through the process this evening and get my first batch of beer ready and fermenting by the time I go to bed.
We'll see if it works out.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Jacquie and her parents left early Saturday morning for a two-week road trip to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, so I'm now living the bachelor life.
And what am I doing with my short-term bachelor life?
Well, I spent Saturday morning running around to the Oshawa Centre and Worlds Collide Games with my brother, and then after dropping him off at my parents' place, I headed into Scarborough to visit the Soda Centre, where an extraordinarily helpful and friendly woman named Rose helped me pick up everything I needed to get started in homebrewing (well, except for a big stainless steel pot, which I sought out on Sunday -- oh, and bottles, caps and a capper, which I'll worry about in a couple of weeks). All told, I dropped not quite $110 on brewing equipment, which includes a couple of brew pails, a hydrometer, brewing sugar, sterilizing cleaner and various other important things.
It also included a can of Thomas Coopers Brewmaster Selection Irish Stout extract (well, any extract can, but I chose that one), which will be my first real homebrew. I write "first real homebrew" because I also picked up three bottles (three for $15) of Big & Easy Bottle Brew, which is essentially homebrewing for complete idiots. If Loki had an opposable thumb, even he could brew this stuff.
Essentially, the Big & Easy Bottle Brew is a two-litre bottle of almost-ready beer. It comes with a yeast pill and a special cap that lets carbon dioxide out and keeps oxygen from getting in. Essentially, you open it up, drop the yeast pill in and put the special cap (I'm sure there's a proper name for it) on tight. Then you stick it somewhere out of the way where it won't get any light for two weeks, and then stick it in the fridge for twelve hours. Voila! It's ready to drink.
Whether it's any good remains to be seen, of course, but Rose at the Soda Centre said she tried some of the Mexican Cerveza and found it to be pretty good. So I have a Big & Easy Mexican Cerveza, Premium Pilsener and Red Lager (the three types available) sitting in the storage room carbonating. They'll be ready for the fridge on the day Jacquie gets back.
Anyway, the Soda Centre really got me hooked on homebrewing. Kevin at CABA got me very interested, but actually going into that store and seeing all the neat stuff on the shelves hooked me. Hell, even if I never progress beyond extract brewing, I think I'll be happy.
Saturday night was a barbecue at my parents' place for my father's birthday (which is actually today). I ended up crashing there and then returning to the homestead early the next morning. On Sunday, I was tired and turned down a trip to Casino Rama for breakfast and gambling. Instead, I headed home and watched movies most of the day.
I also ran around trying to find a reasonably-priced twenty-quart stainless steel pot, which I found at Zellers. I also kept an eye out for the new Marvel HeroScape game, but no luck. I read on BoardGameGeek that it was supposed to be in brick-and-mortar shops the first week of August, but I guess it hasn't quite made it yet.
This week, a couple of dinner get-togethers, some homebrewing and hopefully some gaming if the stars align.
And what am I doing with my short-term bachelor life?
Well, I spent Saturday morning running around to the Oshawa Centre and Worlds Collide Games with my brother, and then after dropping him off at my parents' place, I headed into Scarborough to visit the Soda Centre, where an extraordinarily helpful and friendly woman named Rose helped me pick up everything I needed to get started in homebrewing (well, except for a big stainless steel pot, which I sought out on Sunday -- oh, and bottles, caps and a capper, which I'll worry about in a couple of weeks). All told, I dropped not quite $110 on brewing equipment, which includes a couple of brew pails, a hydrometer, brewing sugar, sterilizing cleaner and various other important things.
It also included a can of Thomas Coopers Brewmaster Selection Irish Stout extract (well, any extract can, but I chose that one), which will be my first real homebrew. I write "first real homebrew" because I also picked up three bottles (three for $15) of Big & Easy Bottle Brew, which is essentially homebrewing for complete idiots. If Loki had an opposable thumb, even he could brew this stuff.
Essentially, the Big & Easy Bottle Brew is a two-litre bottle of almost-ready beer. It comes with a yeast pill and a special cap that lets carbon dioxide out and keeps oxygen from getting in. Essentially, you open it up, drop the yeast pill in and put the special cap (I'm sure there's a proper name for it) on tight. Then you stick it somewhere out of the way where it won't get any light for two weeks, and then stick it in the fridge for twelve hours. Voila! It's ready to drink.
Whether it's any good remains to be seen, of course, but Rose at the Soda Centre said she tried some of the Mexican Cerveza and found it to be pretty good. So I have a Big & Easy Mexican Cerveza, Premium Pilsener and Red Lager (the three types available) sitting in the storage room carbonating. They'll be ready for the fridge on the day Jacquie gets back.
Anyway, the Soda Centre really got me hooked on homebrewing. Kevin at CABA got me very interested, but actually going into that store and seeing all the neat stuff on the shelves hooked me. Hell, even if I never progress beyond extract brewing, I think I'll be happy.
Saturday night was a barbecue at my parents' place for my father's birthday (which is actually today). I ended up crashing there and then returning to the homestead early the next morning. On Sunday, I was tired and turned down a trip to Casino Rama for breakfast and gambling. Instead, I headed home and watched movies most of the day.
I also ran around trying to find a reasonably-priced twenty-quart stainless steel pot, which I found at Zellers. I also kept an eye out for the new Marvel HeroScape game, but no luck. I read on BoardGameGeek that it was supposed to be in brick-and-mortar shops the first week of August, but I guess it hasn't quite made it yet.
This week, a couple of dinner get-togethers, some homebrewing and hopefully some gaming if the stars align.
It seems The Toronto Star is getting even more desperate, as I just fielded a telemarketing call in which I was offered a free daily subscription to the Star. I still turned it down. As a journalist, I should probably be more interested in maintaining the existence of daily newspapers, but I really do think the Web is a much better way to publish news -- especially breaking news. Print should only be for magazines (I'll always be a magazine fan).
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
My vacation finished up with the long weekend, during which Jacquie and I took a trip up to Black Creek Pioneer Village. I hadn't been there since early high school. I wasn't really interested in going, but once we got there, it was fun.
I also stopped by the comic stores again, and while at Comic Book Addiction, I spotted the new starter kit for Star Wars Miniatures. It comes with Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a couple of stormtroopers and a couple of Rebel troopers -- all for $14. I hummed and hawed a bit, but in the end, I bought it. If it had been a set of random miniatures, I probably wouldn't have bothered, but knowing what I was getting and knowing I could set up a little skirmish with what was in the box, well... That sold me.
I also stopped by the comic stores again, and while at Comic Book Addiction, I spotted the new starter kit for Star Wars Miniatures. It comes with Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a couple of stormtroopers and a couple of Rebel troopers -- all for $14. I hummed and hawed a bit, but in the end, I bought it. If it had been a set of random miniatures, I probably wouldn't have bothered, but knowing what I was getting and knowing I could set up a little skirmish with what was in the box, well... That sold me.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Vacation: Days Four & Five
Thankfully, part of the fun of my stay-at-home vacation is spending very little time at my computer. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), that means very few updates to my blog.
On Thursday, Jacquie and I drove up to Vaughan to visit the Magnotta Winery/Brewery location. We took a tour, and I left with several bottles of wine and a six of three different Magnotta beers. In the evening, I continued the alcoholism trend by connecting with Kevin Tighe, president of the Canadian Amateur Brewers Association.
I've always been interested in homebrewing, but only recently have I started taking a more active interest (read: obsession) in brewing beer (and whatever) at home. I connected with Kevin through the CABA Website, and he was good enough to invite me to his home, serve me copious amounts of homebrew and answer all my newb questions.
And what's more, we both realized we'd seen each other before upon our first meeting. It took a few minutes to figure out where, but then Kevin figured it out. He works with Brad Tripp, and years ago when I still did the commuting thing with Rawl and Brad on the GO, I met Kevin (who I think had just moved to Durham at the time). Small world, and all that, eh?
Anyway, Kevin's a good guy, and he put up with me hanging out in his garage for a good three hours or so before he finally had to boot me out. I think I'm about ready to take the plunge on homebrewing. It could be a fun, new hobby -- and best of all, there could be half-decent (or even decent!) beer at the end of all that work.
Today, I pulled myself out of bed to go with Jacquie to the Metro Toronto Zoo. Man, those animals have been gettin' busy. There are baby animals everywhere. I got home, had a few beers and read through a book Kevin lent me, Homebrewing For Dummies (skipping all the intermediate and advanced stuff). I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the book for myself, as it seems pretty damn handy.
And now we're entering the long weekend, which really should be cause for occasion but feels more like the death rattle of my vacation.
On Thursday, Jacquie and I drove up to Vaughan to visit the Magnotta Winery/Brewery location. We took a tour, and I left with several bottles of wine and a six of three different Magnotta beers. In the evening, I continued the alcoholism trend by connecting with Kevin Tighe, president of the Canadian Amateur Brewers Association.
I've always been interested in homebrewing, but only recently have I started taking a more active interest (read: obsession) in brewing beer (and whatever) at home. I connected with Kevin through the CABA Website, and he was good enough to invite me to his home, serve me copious amounts of homebrew and answer all my newb questions.
And what's more, we both realized we'd seen each other before upon our first meeting. It took a few minutes to figure out where, but then Kevin figured it out. He works with Brad Tripp, and years ago when I still did the commuting thing with Rawl and Brad on the GO, I met Kevin (who I think had just moved to Durham at the time). Small world, and all that, eh?
Anyway, Kevin's a good guy, and he put up with me hanging out in his garage for a good three hours or so before he finally had to boot me out. I think I'm about ready to take the plunge on homebrewing. It could be a fun, new hobby -- and best of all, there could be half-decent (or even decent!) beer at the end of all that work.
Today, I pulled myself out of bed to go with Jacquie to the Metro Toronto Zoo. Man, those animals have been gettin' busy. There are baby animals everywhere. I got home, had a few beers and read through a book Kevin lent me, Homebrewing For Dummies (skipping all the intermediate and advanced stuff). I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the book for myself, as it seems pretty damn handy.
And now we're entering the long weekend, which really should be cause for occasion but feels more like the death rattle of my vacation.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Vacation: Days Two & Three
Simply put, I've spent a couple of days mostly away from the computer.
On Tuesday, I spent a good portion of the day with Greig, who kicked my ass at Hammer of the Scots (the English were pushed out of Scotland with vicious cruelty) and Star Wars: Epic Duels (Han and Chewie whupped Boba Fett and Greedo but good). Then Greig kicked the ever-loving crap out of Logan and I at Wizard, a trick-taking card game where your points are earned mostly as a result of how well you guess at how many tricks you'll take a turn. My points combined with Logan's didn't even total half of what Greig had at the end (the bastard).
Wednesday has been a bit quiet, although Jacquie and I did do some running around earlier in the day. Jacquie had a dentist appointment in the middle of the afternoon, so while she was doing that, I wandered around the Brock and Dundas area of Whitby. I even dropped by Rawl's and Linda's place, but with no answer at the door and Rawl's Vibe missing, it was clear they weren't home.
This evening, I've been enjoying a few beers and watching An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder. Despite the cheesy title, it's been amusing -- not quite as good as the first DVD set, but still fun.
On Tuesday, I spent a good portion of the day with Greig, who kicked my ass at Hammer of the Scots (the English were pushed out of Scotland with vicious cruelty) and Star Wars: Epic Duels (Han and Chewie whupped Boba Fett and Greedo but good). Then Greig kicked the ever-loving crap out of Logan and I at Wizard, a trick-taking card game where your points are earned mostly as a result of how well you guess at how many tricks you'll take a turn. My points combined with Logan's didn't even total half of what Greig had at the end (the bastard).
Wednesday has been a bit quiet, although Jacquie and I did do some running around earlier in the day. Jacquie had a dentist appointment in the middle of the afternoon, so while she was doing that, I wandered around the Brock and Dundas area of Whitby. I even dropped by Rawl's and Linda's place, but with no answer at the door and Rawl's Vibe missing, it was clear they weren't home.
This evening, I've been enjoying a few beers and watching An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder. Despite the cheesy title, it's been amusing -- not quite as good as the first DVD set, but still fun.
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