Awww, Geno!  Chip was so excited about wishing you a happy birthday that he couldn't even hold it in for 3 more days.

That's sweet.

~s

Wow, Kram, that's faaaaaaabulous.  Very Clockwork Orange.  I love it.  In my imagination, your whole house is decorated like that.

I especially like the bar table.  On the one hand, the individual built-in bottle cozies ensure that none of your tequila-addled party guests will accidentally knock the liquor off the table onto the ultra-groovy yet certainly unyielding spiderweb-patterned ceramic tile floor.  On the other hand...how many tries do you think it'll take a tequila-addled party guest to successfully place said bottle in its cozy?

Could be fun to watch.

~s

Sheesh, Mr. Grumpytrousers.  Guess I won't bother sharing this pitcher of mojitos with you.

The Schlenkerla Marzen Rauschbier is the one I had that went so well with bacon pizza...I was afraid it was going to taste like liquid jerky, but the smokiness was subtler than I had been led to believe.  It harmonized rather than overpowered.

My latest summer beer fetish: Magic Hat #9.

~s

I find that I really enjoy smoked beers with pizza.  Particularly, bacon-onion pizza.

~s

Happy birthday, Alun!  I hope you will be wearing your psychedelic technicolor birthday pants.

~s

Bourbon County is from Goose Island, isn't it?  If you ever come to Chicago, we'll hit the record shops and then head over to Goose Island.

~s

Rogue Smoked Porter is good, but when did they relocate Oregon to the Gulf?

~s

I am voting like a Chicagoan: over and over and over and over again.

~s

Do they each get to choose their own song for the competition, or will they all have to do a cover of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five"?

~s

PS: Funny you should bring this up now, as I was just remarking to the Handymaniac at Summerfest last weekend that they ought to have one stage featuring Sheryl Crow, The Black Crowes, and Counting Crows (onakowna two of the three bands were playing at the fest anyways).  The Byrds and Flock of Seagulls would open.

Of course!  Ike and Mamie could use some exercise...getting chased around the house by barking Muppets sounds like just the ticket.

~s

You know, pretty soon I will REALLY be able to use a hand with all the harvesting and canning.  Salary: room, board, and all the tomatoes you can carry.

~s

Very cool!  Coincidentally, I brought City along on the way to work today for the first time in a very long time...I'm happy to report, it's still awesome.

~s

Wow, excellent review, Sebz!  I'm dying to see this!

~s

I've been hoping that they'll get that at the local beer bar.  DFH seems to be a haven for music nerds...they've also done a couple of specialty beers named after Frank Zappa albums.

Right now in Chicagoland, it's too humid to drink anything but Red Stripe.

~s

Your room is ready!  I have a great recipe for poodle.

~s