Having a bizarre problem. When I try to carbonate my keg, there is bubbling along the edge of my keg lid. There is obviously some kind of a leak, but I don't know how to fix it. I can't tighten anything with my lid, and I can't reverse the lid (if I try to move it 180, it won't close because the handle would be in the way). The o-ring is good and it fits. Any suggestions?
DELICIOUS West Coast IPA from Hood River, OR. Kings & Daughters always make excellent beers.
I figure if I'm going to learn about King Arthur, I might as well go to the original source. I'm eager to see the ways in which the text diverges from the movie; I have not yet gotten to the discussion about the airspeed velocity of African Sparrows, but I'm eager to read Malory's description of it. I also wonder if llamas were involved in writing Morte d'Arthur, as they were heavily involved in the movie production. I'll just have to read and find out. Cheers!
I'm formulating a list of challenging novels I would like to tackle. I'm working my way through Ulysses, so once I'm done with that, I will work on these, in no particular order:
In Search of Lost Time
Gravity's Rainbow
Ada, or Ardor
The Recognitions
2666
Finnegans Wake
Obviously, some of these are much easier than others on this list. But yes, I am insane, and I need to get cracking because life is short.
I’m going to try to get tickets for 2027. I’m excited!!!
Yes, that's right! I got a GREASE FIRE yesterday!! Woohoo!! (I would have taken a picture, but I didn't really want to say to my wife, "Yes, we had a big fire that was entirely preventable by closing the lid, but you see, I really wanted some imaginary karma points.") Nothing serious or bad happened; just closed the lid, waited for it to stop, eventually it went out.
Anyways, some of you will say, "When was the last time you cleaned it?" And I will answer "I honestly don't know."
Moral of the story? DON"T BE LIKE ME. CLEAN YOUR TRAEGER!
Is it just me, or does it seem like there's been a proliferation of Ulysses hate out there in recent years? I've seen it from lots of booktubers and podcasters. I can understand why, because it is a book that requires training on how to read it (either through multiple readings or through a heavily annotated book), but once you get past it, wow, it is amazing. I love love love it. I technically read it about twenty years ago, but that was more like "my eyes went over every word but I didn't understand any of it." This time around I'm using Hastings and Gifford, and it is making a huge difference. LOVE it.
Tropical and delightful.
Just finished The Master and Margarita. Wow. Masterpiece. It feels like a precursor to the magical realism of the late 20th century—the plot involves Soviet Russia, a talking cat, a flying naked lady, Pontius Pilate, Satan, and more. I happen to be familiar with Soviet history and Stalin’s purges, so I was able to understand it, but I think it’s a valuable read even if you are not versed in Soviet Russia. I highly recommend it, and I will definitely be doing a rereading in the future.
I love this catchy title from Humble Sea. WCIPA with Simcoe and Nectaron hops. I like it, but if I’m being honest, I have yet to try a Humble Sea beer that wows me. (I’ve only had two, so maybe another beer or two of theirs will show me why there’s the hype.) Anyways, cheers to all of you, and have a wonderful Wednesday. 🍻
EDIT: I meant to change “lambs” to “clams”, but I forgot before I posted. Too bad. What kind of noise do clams make? I’ll try to find out.
This will be either my third or fourth time reading it. I figure it’s time because it’s been over ten years since my last read of it, I’m also preparing to read Joyce’s Ulysses (and there are lots of references to the Odyssey in it, apparently), and I might as well join in on all the movie hype.
As you can see, I have the Fagles translation (I got this book in college almost thirty years ago). Do you like this translation, or do you prefer a different one? Which translation is your favorite?
Delightful pub ale from Human People in Seattle. Nice caramel flavor with bready aroma. Highly recommend.
I’m currently about 150 pages into IJ. I am blown away by the influence of Joyce’s Ulysses on IJ. Seeing points of view flip back and forth within one chapter, a myriad of characters, and the stream of consciousness all reek of Ulysses to me. Do other folks agree with this, or am I imagining it?
I am going to be making a beer with elderberries soon. I have never used them in beer before, and I have no science using them in anything. Any tips? I’m guessing that a porter or a stout would be the best option. I’ve also heard that boiling them before using them is 100% a must-do.
Just finished Hundred Years of Solitude today. I am at a loss for words to describe it. Just a spectacular novel.
I have seen a lot of comments along the lines of “this is emblematic of Latin American / Colombian literature.” While that’s certainly true, I think it goes far beyond that. It is one of the best things ever written, in any language, in all time.
Every sentence of the novel is packed with enchanted language that evokes the wonder that we all have (or have had long ago) towards the world, and the universe of Macondo and the Buendía family seem to touch the divine in every page. My heart aches for every one of the characters, despite their flaws and shortcomings, of which there see many. While it certainly has “magical realism,” I think it’s the kind of magic most of secretly believe in the deep recesses in our hearts. This novel clearly influenced many other works, including Song of Solomon, Midnight’s Children, and even the Art of Fielding. And countless, countless others.
Now that I have finished it, I am finding it difficult to orient myself back into the world I inhabit. It’s really that good. I will definitely be rereading it at a later date.
When we were growing up, I thought there was an age when you were supposed to outgrow your enthusiasm for stuffed animals. Now that I’m older and wiser, I’m like, “You know what? If my teenage kids want to collect and play with stuffies, well fuck yeah, good for them!” All of older kids love stuffies, and I’m glad that we’re cool with it these days. It’s also awesome that some of you still have childhood stuffies and collect stuffies for yourselves!
We all know it’s true, but it’s sad to see. It’s up to the few of us who read to carry the light. And those of us with kids to instill in them a love for reading.