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Damor

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by Damor

  1. Many thanks for all the tips.  My wife has too much grad school stuff going on, so it'll be me and the boys.  I got a good deal at the Westin, which looks like a great location.  Padres tickets acquired.  Multiple restaurants and breweries saved on my map, unfortunately way too many for only 3 full days.

    We'll definitely do the Midway, but if they wanted to get to see more of the modern naval stuff, has anyone done any of the harbor cruises?  I'm generally skeptical of that kind of stuff, but since there are no public tours at the military installations, I was considering that.

    Also, I figured we'd get some good seafood while we're out there (I have Ironside on the short list), but my boys have also recently decided they are sushi fans -- can anyone recommend a good place in the downtown area? 

  2. Thanks -- please pardon the ignorance (I just started thinking about this trip a couple hours ago), I was looking at Gaslamp for what looked like walking proximity to Petco and the Midway.  I'm presuming Gaslamp is oriented to more adult tastes, but do you recommend against it for reasons of kid disinterest or bad parenting (like when my wife forced the older one to  pose for pictures in front of all the titty bars on Bourbon Street)?  Are there other downtown areas or landmarks you'd recommend looking around?  I'll look in those other areas you recommended as well, thanks!

  3. Bump

    Looking at going in June for 4-5 days midweek, taking the boys (11 and 14).  I've never been to SD, but thinking zoo, NAS, Midway, and a Padres game would be up their alley.  And beer for me.

    I was thinking about an Airbnb or hotel in the Gaslamp district or Coronado, but not having been there, am I on the right track?  Anywhere else I should look?

  4. Guy I knew had his gallbladder removed and was friends with the surgeon.  Coming out of anesthesia, he woke up to his surgeon buddy standing there looking forlorn and shaking his head.  He looked down groggily and saw an ostomy bag stuck to his abdomen.  Hilarity ensued.

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  5. I read about a lot of different ways to do it, but since I wanted the fresh pepper flavor, I seeded them and put them in a nylon bag for a week when I racked to secondary.

    I had to make a guess, but 4 japs in 5 gallons turned out to lend a good amount of flavor and aroma without being over the top. I'd have preferred some more heat, so I may leave the seeds in one or two next time.

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  6. I skipped bottling altogether because I'm lazy and I got a great deal on a used kegerator before I ever started brewing. I guess that makes me a cheater to some degree, but no ragrets. I do really like the $75 kegs from Austin Homebrew.

    My Mexican Jalapeno beer was ready today, and while I have liked everything I've brewed so far, this felt like my first real victory. I'm damn pleased, and I got to break in my new tap handle as well.
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  7. Man, you're going to have a great trip.  If you haven't, be sure to check out the Surly Roadtrip Gems thread and map, there's a lot of good shit there which has served me well.

    There's so much good stuff you can't do it all, but the upside of that is that you can't go wrong with any of the above advice.  I especially concur on the Colorado route along the Arkansas river.  Beautiful country, cool towns, and great people.  Amigo Motor Lodge was a fun place to stay in Salida if it happens to fall that way on your route, and a good excuse to hit up some of the breweries.

    I can't ever argue against going through Santa Fe, but if you want something more off the beaten path, I have a sentimental soft spot from my youth for the route going Ft. Sumner -> Santa Rosa -> Las Vegas -> Mora -> Taos.  Blue Hole is a cool (well, cold) diversion in Santa Rosa, and you can drive through downtown Las Vegas and relive killing commies in Red Dawn.  My family loves staying at the Taos Inn, and sitting in the courtyard there with a jalapeno margarita as the sun sets and the neon lighted sign comes on is one of those places for me which makes everything in the world seem right.

    Hope you have a great time.  Damn, I'm jealous.  Not enough time off this summer for an epic road trip.

  8. Today is our 15th anniversary (watch, so say the keepers of anniversary gift rules), and my wife completely surprised me with this Sinn 910. I'd never seriously considering adding another nice watch to the 203 Arktis she got me several years ago, but she decided that our two boys need at least one watch each when I am dead.

    Yes, dear.

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    • Like 9
  9. Thanks, I'll have to check out Beersmith.

    Oddly enough, my last two batches have both had crappy efficiency, and those were the only ones I've thus far used rice hulls.  I'm assuming the improvement you saw was due to more even/effectve sparging?  I did do more vorlaufing on my last two batches -- I wonder if that could have somehow sequestered off some of the first runnings or something, although intuitively I'd think it would help efficiency.

    I guess I have no choice other than to keep making a bunch more until I get better at it.

  10. I understand there are several ways of calculating efficiency -- Palmer's seems to be a quick estimate compared with generic lager malt, but there are all kinds of online calculators which get very detailed.  Do y'all calculate efficiency, and if so, what's your preferred method?

    I ask because in trying out this Mash & Boil thing, my first batch was >70% ending kettle efficiency, and the second was in the 50s.  Trying to understand what changed and how I can get better.

    In other news, my wife is trying to kill my liver, as she ordered me 4 more recipe kits for my birthday, including a 16-lb Old Chub clone which will max the capacity on the Mash & Boil.  Gotta get to work.

  11. Forgive the ignorant olds question, but I've never messed around with podcasts (one of the few downsides of a short commute).  What's the best way to go about listening to that on an Android device, particularly downloadable?  The boys and I have a road trip coming up at spring break and that might be cool -- but we'll be going through some areas with crappy or no signal.

    EDIT:
    Never mind, just found it on Google Play.  It's just a bit cumbersome for an old idiot like me.

  12. Trey Wilson (Nathan "Arizona" Huffhines) was actually intended to play Leo O'Bannon, but died suddenly before filming.  I can't envision that one -- Finney may have been a second choice, but he made the character iconic.

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  13. Tried out the Mash & Boil today with the Austin Homebrew Chocolate Orange ale that came with it.
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    I don't have anything to compare it to since this was my first all-grain brew, but I was pretty damn pleased.  Brewing inside was a little weird, but I can get used to it, as easy as it made setup and cleanup.

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    My probably needlessly complex chilling setup worked fine.

    Next up will be the Zaragoza's Chalice kit which came with all the stuff my bride got me.  It'll be close enough to Cinco de Mayo at that point.  Thinking about adding some jalapeno to that one -- any tips?

  14. Don't want to make this the McCarthy thread, but I'd never discourage a dad from reading The Road.  It's hard, it's a gut punch, it questions your most basic assumptions, it tears you to pieces.  So does being a father.  It also affirms that, despite those things, it's all entirely worth it.  Carry the fire.

    On a lighter note, now that we've got the new AV system in, I've been having a great time with my boys (11 and 13):

    Alien/Aliens double feature:  "Hey, this is like Halo!"  They stand the test of time, Alien as suspense/horror, and Aliens as action.  Directors cut of Aliens is too much with unnecessary backstory on Newt and Ripley's daughter, IMO.

    The Matrix:  Blew their minds, still stands up, I refused to watch the sequels with them.

    Terminator:  Cool story is unfortunately seriously limited by 80s SFX and styles/soundtrack as to detract from enjoyment by lesser generations.  We'll try T2, but I didn't realize how poorly this would hold up before paying Google 14.99 for it.

    Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure:  I expected it to age poorly (it has), but it went better than I thought, and was still entertaining if cringeworthy in several parts.

    The Birds:  Pleasantly surprised how well they stayed engaged, I see much more Hitchcock in our future.

    Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon:  Held the older one's attention after The Matrix, the younger one went to bed.  Still beautifully filmed and choreographed, with a great soundtrack.

    This is fun.

  15. Bump

    Looking for a short trip in June and considering SF.  My boys are 11 and 14, and I think they'd have a blast.  It's been years since I've been, and then it was me and the wife at the Fairmont -- not gonna happen with these knuckleheads.  Any particular recommendations for family (but not little kid) hotels beyond the usual generics?  Any particular areas to look in?

  16. When ours were little, we liked staying onsite at Schlitterbahn, since it was easy to let them take a break for a nap and we didn't have to truck their shit everywhere.  It's pricey for the kinda crappy accommodations, but it's easy to grill, bring your own booze, and is pretty amenable to hanging out with a group.

    This is a really awesome thing you're doing.

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