Where You Been
I noticed that it’s almost been a year since you last heard from me. Of course, there aren’t that many of you, so who cares?
You should know that I’m doing well in Western Mass. I’m back to homebrewing and trying a new beer almost daily. (Yay for summer!) I don’t go to too many shows these days, but I seem to have increased my record collection exponentially.
Teaching is still how I pay the bills, but I’m doing that five minutes from home instead 30 thanks to a move to Amherst-Pelham Regional School District[1]. Plus, the days are shorter. My hope is that I’ll find more time for this sort of thing (blogging). Who knows? We’ll see.
I may also have something up elsewhere that sort of got me writing again. It’s nothing much[2], but I’ll share it here once it’s up.
There will be no promises made as to how much or how often I will post, but I have at least 2-3 ideas for topics I’m itching to write. So, stay tuned…
Notes:
1This is the same school district that produced J Mascis, Uma Thurman (although, I suspect she was home-schooled or sent to some Buddhist private school), and the guy who played Marni’s drug-addicted husband in Girls.
2Like 650 words of nothing on what I’m listening to. Of course, it’s a start.
Where am I with Hopslam in 2015?
This is not Hopslam.
I often talk about my craft beer epiphany as happening the first time I cracked open a bomber of Stone Ruination IPA. Sure, that’s technically when it happened, but I didn’t realize how far my own insanity could carry me until I discovered Hopslam. Bells of Kalamazoo, Michigan makes some nice beers, but Hopslam has a reputation all its own.
Let’s review.
I started this blog with the intention of focusing on the intersections of craft beer and indie rock. The first post was about that intersection and how release days had become so important to both cultures. In this case, Tuesdays were the main release days. This is common in the music industry, but Tuesday became a day when most big beer releases hit our burg in the middle of Missouri.
The annual posts about the grapefruity one continued. I marked a year at the blog with a more sensible opinion and mature perspective of the brew only to follow that with gratuitous pictures with stories of social networking actually paying off. And even more that same year, I tried the infamous Hopslam vertical.
It used to be fairly common to see me participate in this thing called “The Session” where beer bloggers from all over wrote on the same topic. That same year (2011), I wrote fondly of Hopslam’s iconic artwork. What can I say? I was obsessed.
The following year is basically missing. I’m sure I drank some Hopslam, but there’s little-to-no proof here. I was in the midst of this whole Royal Rye Wine thing. (FTR, there is some proof.) And I assume I had some in 2013 as well. Of course, maybe I wasn’t blogging much at the time. Man, I’ve been doing this for a while.
Anyway, I know I had some last year. In fact, I wrote how I was beginning to temper my expectations. If I remember correctly, the hassle of finding the stuff was beginning to not be worth it. And that’s kinda where I am today.
In fact, I don’t have any Hopslam at this moment. Rumors suggest it will be out tomorrow or later in the week. The many beer joints we’ve accumulated over the last few years are somewhat hush on their official tappings. There are whispers we’re getting way less than ever and I’m sorta meh about it.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ll drink me some Hopslam. My name’s in at a place and I’m supposed to be at some event on Friday where it will be on tap. Plus, I may sneak out one other night for a pint (or probably not – babies). However, even that reservation’s only going to be like 1-2 bottles and Friday’s event will probably amount to one glass as there will be some other tasty beers on tap. So, whatever.
I don’t know whether I’m tired of the craft beer geek game as it’s embodied by Hopslam or if I’m just tired. I can’t get the latest and greatest releases anymore. I can’t maintain a huge collection in my cellar (now beer fridge). My liver and checkbook can’t really handle it. So, I guess you could say that I’m HopslammedTM. Well, not really. It just has a better ring than “craft beer slammed.”
Now, this is not the moment when I swear off drinking beer. I have just tempered my enthusiasm. I still buy a couple of new beers every week. I make it out to events and beer releases when parenting two small children allows me. I still plan to brew again. Craft beer is still a part of me and it will be written about ad nauseam in this blog. However, my lifestyle isn’t one of the obsessive beer geek, they guy who’s ticking every beer and spending all of his resources on increasing his Untappd numbers.
In fact, I hope to write soon about the glorious new Craft Beer Cellar downtown. It’s a dangerous place for me, but it’s akin to a quality record store only with beer instead of records. More on that later and I’ll also let you know when I finally sip on this year’s Hopslam.
Nostalgia
I have a certain sentimentality for this blogging thing. People don’t blog like they used to. I certainly don’t, but for some reason I’ve kept this URL alive.
And there’s finally time for it again. Well, sort of…
I dropped my PhD program because there wasn’t enough time in the day and I’m honestly not sure I need it. As far as the time goes, it’s mainly due to the birth of my son in March. Two kids is a lot more work than we anticipated. Plus, work is going well as I fill a position I assumed a PhD would help me secure. What this basically means is that I think I have time to write now and again on this site once again.
About what should I write?
If you have ever read this blog or another, you know I write a lot about beer and music, but normally from a mid-nineties, Gen X, nostalgic perspective. The blog to me is a record of what’s happened more than anything else. “I drank this beer at this bar.” ” I saw this band perform these songs.” Blogs are my record of what I did, thought, or predict. And the reason I keep it around is nostalgia. Nostalgia for the ideals I developed 15-20 years ago that stick with me today. Nostalgia for the experiences that helped shape me. Nostalgia for the first time I heard Pavement or sipped a sour beer.
Nostalgia.
Hopefully, some of you are nostalgic for my writing, because it’s back. Maybe I won’t post as often or write as many opuses as before, but I think I have enough to write fairly regularly – like once or twice a week, maybe three times if I do short posts.
So, let’s get nostalgic for a bit.
It has come to my attention that I either listen to the same music I listened to in the 90’s, those same bands sounding basically the same today (especially in reunion form), or modern music that sounds like it was made 15-20 years ago. And as time has passed, I become more and more okay with this limited musical perspective. I now look for terms like “indie” or “lo-fi” or whatever when searching out tunes to buy or stream. Hell, as the picture above attests, I saw The Afghan Whigs a few weeks ago and loved it.
Is this really nostalgia or just force of habit? I’m going with the former as nostalgia suggests my choices are purposeful, thoughtful and not some mindless going through the motions. This music (and beer in general) was there when I went through my formative years just before, during, and just after college. I am a 90’s indie rock kid. That probably won’t change.
So, get ready for a whole lot of nostalgia at this URL. I’m not saying that this will be yet another theme I drive into the ground, but it will be ever prevalent in my posts about music, beer, and life. It’s good to be back.
2013: What happened?
I have been absent from this blog and blogging in general. Honestly, I thought I was done with it. Life happened and time became scarce. It was time to move on…
…or so I thought.
Life happened in 2013 and sometimes there’s just no room for such frivolities like keeping a public journal or pretending to be a journalist. This is the year I started a PhD program – part-time, but a PhD nonetheless. It’s also the year we learned that we would be expecting another child around mid-February (2 months to go!). Throw on top of that a promotion to a supervisory role and a major expansion to our organization and you have a pretty busy year.
Normally, this hasn’t stopped me from writing. However, I needed to step back for a bit. This blogging thing gets in the way of living now and again. A break was in order. So, 2013 is pretty lame as far as blogging goes.
So, I’m thinking about doing this all again. Why? I don’t really know. It’s just an itch that needs to be scratched, I guess. I’m promising nothing. I won’t promise a certain quantity or quality of posts. I’m not promising anything in regards to topics. You know what I like. so, you can reasonably expect more of the same… for the most part.
I still listen to music. I have a favorites list for 2013, of course. It felt weird not tow write up a blog post on the subject, so I’ll include a bit about it. First of all, I won’t rank my favorites. I’ll just give you ten records you should check out.
The year was filled with old favorites as well as a running theme in my musical choices. Yo La Tengo released their best record in years with Fade. Especially amazing is the track “I’ll Be Around.” Another year and another Arcade Fire makes my year-end list. Unlike past releases, Reflektor is low on the thematic end, but it’s ueber-fresh. Kurt Vile’s Walkin on a Pretty Daze is my favorite KV record so far. Bill Callahan is Bill Callahan. Dream River is just another addition to what is becoming the best collection of songwriting in the modern indie era or something like that. I saw Thao Nguyen and her band The Get Down Stay Down earlier this year put on one of the best shows I’ve seen in Middle Missouri. Her record We the Common didn’t hurt either. The Chronicles of Marnia by Marnie Stern was a surprising discovery that fulfills my guitar noodling needs for another calendar year.
Then, there’s a list of records that continues a trend in my listening habits of recent years: grrl rock bands that sound like they’re straight out of 1995. Waxahatchee might be my most-listened to record of 2013. It sounds like my entire college years as seen through a small town lesbian. (I have no idea whether or not Katie Crutchfield is gay, nor do I care. I just imagine the main character in her songs to be this angst-ridden lesbian from 1994. It helps with the narrative, but it doesn’t have to be true.) Scout Niblett’s “Gun” was one of those songs I played over and over. The rest of the record isn’t filled with scrubs either. Radical Dads was a surprise find, but pretty aggressive in that 1994 kind of way. Marnie Stern is a one-womyn Van Halen. Lady and the Lamb was a last-second addition to the list, but Ripley Pine is certainly worth your time.
Of course, there are others that won’t make my list, but there always are. There are other lists I could add to this one, but I’ll just conclude with a list of memorable things and events from the year that saw me lose my blogging groove only to find it once more…
- My beer fandom has faded a bit, but I’ve had some outstanding brews this year. Follow me at Untappd.
- I went to Copenhagen and spent lots of time drinking my way through Mikkeller‘s lineup.
- I watched a lot of TV. The League, Walking Dead, and Girls are highlights.
- I don’t read enough books or watch enough films.
- I saw Jeff Mangum perform twice, once with the rest of Neutral Milk Hotel and once solo.
- I don’t remember whether or not I mentioned this, but we found out earlier this year that my partner is pregnant. Child 2 arrives in mid-to-late February.
Here’s to a fruitful 2014. I hope you all are well. Peace.
Damn it, Jim!
Jim wrote a post for the Today Show – his side gig – and now I feel as if I need to write an update since he linked my name back to this blog. People are surely going to click through to this blog and find nothing’s up-to-date. I gotta get current.
I mean, I did promise more posts recently, but my life has been crazy as of late. I’ll start with some bits from an unfinished post and then bring you all up to date. Maybe I’ll kick this thing back into gear soon enough…
Several weeks ago, I was set to DJ between some great local bands (Coward, Dark Blue Dark Green) for the release of New Tongue‘s excellent and very well received We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For. Had things gone as planned, I surely would have penned a full review of the festivities and what I spun on some borrowed dex. Then, I earned the nickname DJ Blackout.
Before I was set to spin, I was sitting with some guys in a couple of the bands, finding it harder and harder to follow the conversation. Things got cloudy. I started to sweat profusely. I excused myself to get some fresh air. Several steps toward the door and everything went black. Something/someone hit me hard between the eyes.
I woke up on the floor, wondering how I got there. All I could think was that I had planned to stay in that night, but I must have gone on some legendary binge. Someone cold-cocked me… or so I thought. This apparently was not the case.
People were all around me, asking if I was okay. With some help, I stumbled to my feet and located my glasses a couple of feet away. Soon, friends were there to steady me and grab me a chair. Eventually, they moved me to a table with water and orange juice.
I honestly have no idea what happened. Later that night, I insisted my wife take me to the ER just t make sure nothing was wrong. That is not like me. I hate doctors and hospitals. I was still pretty out of it.
The doctors had nothing for me. I wish I could tell you that I blacked out from drinking some crazy high gravity beers or that some unknown rival drugged my drink or that I got in a fight over which Pavement album is best. None of that occurred. The EKG checked out and my heart was in the clear. The doctors finally determined that I was dehydrated and needed to take it easy.
See, I had been training for a marathon (April 7th) and had run 20 miles the previous Sunday but had not done a good job of re-hydrating over the course of the week. I felt lethargic for a few days after, but things seem to be back to normal and I should be able to run that marathon.
As for why I actually passed out, we may never know. My doctor took some blood and ordered some additional tests, but I doubt anything will come up. The ER didn’t give me an IV. So, I suspect they didn’t think I was all that dehydrated.
Who knows?
What the episode did do was make me think that maybe I need to lay off a bit. I’m DJing (periodically), training for a marathon, taking a grad seminar for a PhD program, taking on more responsibilities at work, blogging (sort of), and generally running all over the place.
So, to put it succinctly, I’ve been busy.
Fast forward a few weeks to said marathon. The weekend arrived and took it easy. My training had picked up a bit since the blackout incident. (BTW, my 4-year-old now know what “passing out” and E.R. are. So, there’s that.) I felt pretty rested. We had a nice dinner – pasta, of course. I planned to drink a low ABV stout or porter, but none was available. It’s April and bars are not serving many of these beers on tap. So, I opted for 4-Hands’ Reprise Centennial Red and Perennial’s Saison de Lis as they were the lower ABV options available on-tap. That and lots of water.
I barely slept that night, waiting for my 5 am wake-up. Once I did, it was canned coffee, a banana, and a Cliff Bar. I drank water from the time I left the hotel room, rode the MetroLink, and found the porta-potties. Then, I found my pacer (4:15) and waited.
So, I ran. There was the early pit stop to unload all those extra liquids (twice, actually). Anheuser-Busch was brewing and it smelled good – much like my kitchen or any brewpub on brew day. I climbed hills like a champ while others struggled. There was all the extra room when the half-marathoners turned to finish. I constantly cursed relay runners who raced by because they hadn’t yet run the 15-16 miles I had put in. Miles 18-20 was where I began to feel the pain and my pace dropped from that point on. Gatorade and those nasty gels made me nauseous. I turned down multiple shots of beer along the way…
I decided to run the final mile all the way to the end no matter what despite interspersed walking over miles 20-25. Motivation was given in the form of race volunteers telling us runners that it was all downhill to the finish. As I ran, I could see the bottom of this really long hill. The crowd was huge and I could make out some sort of line. However, as I approached, it was clear to me that this line was just some sort of shadow and the finish line was further up the next hill. And just before I reached the end of the hill, I realized that the finish was actually at the top of the next hill and that someone was cooking bacon. This all just made me more nauseous.
Still, I pushed forward. I later found out from my partner who was tracking my progress online that I picked up a ton of time on that final stretch. In my mind, I passed 100 or so people when it was maybe 5. Still, I finished strong. My daughter and wife were nearby to cheer me on and I finished within my predicted window of time.
Considering that I trained for maybe 5 months through the winter for my first-ever marathon – losing ~20 pounds in the process – I was pretty happy with a time of 4:22. I didn’t want any food or water or anything at the end, but I felt pretty good accomplishing a goal I set in the fall. Hell, I may even run another someday.
I eventually cleaned up, ate, and headed home with my family. Nothing tasted better than the beer I finally enjoyed hours after the race. It was my Black Francis Imperial Stout, made with cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, and charred oak cubes all soaked in bourbon. The 9.4% ABV nearly knocked me out for the day.
That night, we attended our first Supper Club event. Supper Club is a group of couples who wanted to attend dinner parties where everything was provided by the hosts. Our group was so large that we split it with a rotating schedule to insure that everyone gets an opportunity to host and eat with everyone else in the group. The first night was a success. I hope to report on the dinner we host this summer where I plan to unveil a new beer I still have to brew. Details to come.
Beyond that (and hinted above) I have been taking on a graduate seminar in Human-Computer Interaction. The big project due at the end of the semester is a small study on the subject. We have human subjects and IRB approval. So, shit’s about to get real. And I will have even less time to blog.
Bill Callahan is coming to town and I will be DJing a joint birthday party for 50-year-olds. So, there’s that.
And I’m updated. Hopefully, I’ll have more interesting things to say in future posts.
Re-imagining Beer and Pavement
As you may or may not have noticed, I have horribly neglected this blog over the past several weeks, even months. Sure, I’ve been busy. There’s the gig that pays and the coursework ahead to make myself smarter somehow. There are the demands of parenthood and other familial obligations.
Then, there is the boredom. I still love craft beer and records. Don’t worry. The problem is that there’s a lot more to me than some things I consume. It gets hard to come up with ideas for writing about beer and indie rock several times a week. I’m a little bored with only writing about these things. I need to shift my focus to something more holistic or universal or something.
Ironically, the reason I started this blog was a way to write about things I loved instead of writing about myself all the time. That former blog was living in misery. lim is an artifact from a a period of my life that I don’t ever want to lose or alter. It would be disingenuous to go back and pick that blog up where I left it. It also feels wrong to leave this blog behind in order to start anew.
A little while back, this blog was better known as Building International Coalitions Through Beer and Pavement. That’s a mouthful, but it represented what I wanted to do which was build something meaningful out of consumables, namely beer and indie rock. Over time, I recognized that people didn’t feel like referencing the whole Building International Coalitions part and tending to focus on the beer and the Pavement parts. This made sense, but somehow I found my posts turning somewhat forced and formulaic. And that’s when I began to produce less material.
Interestingly, over the course of this blog’s existence, I’ve made some good friends – virtual or otherwise. I don’t know that our relationships are deep, but we seem to mutually enjoy the dialog. So, it kinda made me realize that I could once again write about my life and people might even read it. I doubt I’ll average ~100 views a day like I once did, but that’s okay.
Does this mean that there won’t be anymore posts about records and beer? No. Of course not. However, this is not exclusively a beer blog and it’s certainly not a music one either.
What will I write about? I don’t honestly know. I mean, I’m a dad, husband, instructional specialist, record collector, homebrewer, progressive thinker, etc. I wanted to write about last weekend’s True/False fest and may still. There will be trips and media about which to comment. I may even allow a look into my life, something I did often at lim. Whatever I write, I appreciate those of you who look in from time to time just to see if I’m still breathing. I am also not offended if you pass on my future posts. There are lots of other blogs out there that write only about beer and they need your readership.
Whatever. Beer and Pavement lives for better or worse. Thanks for reading.
Beer and Pavement 
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