Last weekend I surprised Laura with a romantic getaway to the land of Door County, Wisconsin. This was our first trip to the area and we were both quite excited to be there.
I like trying to surprise Laura so I kept the destination and activities suppressed to a few hints: we haven't been there before, it will take between two and ten hours to get there, and we will participate in things that we like doing.
I blindfolded her on Friday morning with my smart wool socks. I completely forgot that she doesn't have much wool tolerance and I thought she was going to scratch her eyes out. I forgot to get gas before we left and needed to stop an hour into our drive so I let her take off the blind fold there. I was a little bummed, I was hoping to make it through Chicago.
Our adventures in Door County were great, we visited 3 wineries, a brewery, found some geocaches, enjoyed our larger than expected room and its ammenities, ate a few delightful meals, and even found some time to relax with a couples massage.
We both decided that we need to go back in the summertime when more things are open and we can swim around.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Hows my little Green Fairy?
I've been enamored by the idea of absinthe since somewhere around 2003 when I read an article in Maxim about this drink that had "mind altering" properties. It was just an idea until last November when Laura and I found a bottle in a store in Wisconsin.
After drinking (nay, choking it down) it using the traditional louche method of preparation before the wedding we were going to, I decided I would like to find a way to make absinthe drinkable. Besides, the shits expensive.
A side effect of this day-long experiment is also my pursuit to see if the green fairy really does exist. My prediction at this point is that I'm just going to be drunk by 2:00 and ready for a nap by 4. During my time off I have placed this duty upon myself and will faithfully carry it out for my faithful readers, hard as it might be.
9:30am
Czech or Modern Bohemian Method
I'm choosing this method first because of two reasons. If you don't know, good absinthe is around 110-130 proof. So having burning liquid and any sort of intoxication do not mix well. This method is frowned upon by absinthe purists because of some snobby thing it does to the flavor. I say screw em.
The method: Dripping Absinthe over a sugar cube into the glass, ignite the sugar cube and the caramelized sugar drips into the glass, after about a minute stir in remainder of sugar and some ice water to create the louche effect. Absinthe used: Lucid
So that was largely dissapointing. I was expecting some exciting flame or something more. What I got was pretty, but still a quite small blue flame. As far as drinkablity goes I would actually say this method is more drinkable than the traditional way.
Czech or Modern Bohemian Method Success. Though a mild one.
Just like in Myth Busters, I need to try this again to achieve my desired flame effect, next glass I will soak the cube in the absinthe for a bit then I will burn the cube.
11:00am Soaking the cube did not lengthen the flame time or change the amount of flame. I dripped on more after the flame went out for another try, and it seemed to burn longer. For this to be a cool effect though it needs to work on the first try. Another day I might try a longer soak for the cube. I have other methods to try today.
Please note this photo was taken in the dark on the second, second try.
Interlude: To find the Green Fairy one must slowly sip their Absinthe, so not to become intoxicated with alcohol quickly and overpowering the side effects.
1:30pm
Straight
I've learned over the years one can't really judge how much they like something without trying it at the same time as another for a very accurate comparison. Drinking absinthe straight is not necessarily frowned upon, in fact a purist will congratulate you for not ruining it with water. But you don't get the cool louche effect.
“Anti-alcoholics are unfortunates in the grip of water, that terrible poison, so corrosive that out of all substances it has been chosen for washing and scouring, and a drop of water added to a clear liquid like absinthe, muddles it.” —Alfred Jarry
The Method: Sipping from a shot glass to attempt to appreciate flavor differences. Absinthe used: Absente & Lucid
Absente: smells faintly like nail polish remover. It has a very strong herbal flavor which isn't bad if this was a green tea. There was a long delay before the expected shudder one gets when taking shots. Unfortunately I have another sip left. This is extremely strong, and this one is only 55% alcohol.
My stomach has just asked me to take a break between samples.
2:00pm
Lucid: Lucid has a much stronger herbal smell, it hardly smells like alcohol. Although it does make my stomach churn a bit from the smell. Wow! This didn't make me cringe! It has a much brighter flavor and less herbaly. I keep thinking its got a flavor of lemon but it doesn't, I think maybe its just a crisp citrus taste. Either way, I'm going to need to take a break from this while my stomach get back in line. Lucid is 62% alcohol. This one will sneak up on you for sure.
3:00pm
Classic French Absinthe Ritual.
Pour absinthe into a glass, place a slotted spoon over the glass and a sugar cube on top of the spoon. Pour ice cold water over the sugar cube until it breaks down completely. Add more water if needed to suit your tastes.
This had a very strong herbal flavor and smell. I can't imagine having more than one of these in a sitting. The sugar makes it very sweet and since only water is added it seems like a very light tea. I'm not a fan.
This is the point that I burnt out with drinking Absinthe today. It has such a strong herbal flavor paired with high alcohol and top it off with some very apparent dissolved sugar, I was spent. The results? Maybe if I focused harder on drinking this liqueur more frequently I might have had better success finding the fabled fairy or intoxication, but really all I felt was sick of drinking it. I can at least leave to rest I still do not like Absinthe much and now need to seek out some way to mix it rather than the traditional methods.
With that I'll leave you this quote I found when looking up the drink.
“The first stage is like ordinary drinking, the second when you begin to see monstrous and cruel things, but if you can persevere you will enter in upon the third stage where you see things that you want to see, wonderful curious things.” —Oscar Wilde
After drinking (nay, choking it down) it using the traditional louche method of preparation before the wedding we were going to, I decided I would like to find a way to make absinthe drinkable. Besides, the shits expensive.
A side effect of this day-long experiment is also my pursuit to see if the green fairy really does exist. My prediction at this point is that I'm just going to be drunk by 2:00 and ready for a nap by 4. During my time off I have placed this duty upon myself and will faithfully carry it out for my faithful readers, hard as it might be.
9:30am
Czech or Modern Bohemian Method
I'm choosing this method first because of two reasons. If you don't know, good absinthe is around 110-130 proof. So having burning liquid and any sort of intoxication do not mix well. This method is frowned upon by absinthe purists because of some snobby thing it does to the flavor. I say screw em.
The method: Dripping Absinthe over a sugar cube into the glass, ignite the sugar cube and the caramelized sugar drips into the glass, after about a minute stir in remainder of sugar and some ice water to create the louche effect. Absinthe used: Lucid
So that was largely dissapointing. I was expecting some exciting flame or something more. What I got was pretty, but still a quite small blue flame. As far as drinkablity goes I would actually say this method is more drinkable than the traditional way.
Czech or Modern Bohemian Method Success. Though a mild one.
Just like in Myth Busters, I need to try this again to achieve my desired flame effect, next glass I will soak the cube in the absinthe for a bit then I will burn the cube.
11:00am Soaking the cube did not lengthen the flame time or change the amount of flame. I dripped on more after the flame went out for another try, and it seemed to burn longer. For this to be a cool effect though it needs to work on the first try. Another day I might try a longer soak for the cube. I have other methods to try today.
Please note this photo was taken in the dark on the second, second try.Interlude: To find the Green Fairy one must slowly sip their Absinthe, so not to become intoxicated with alcohol quickly and overpowering the side effects.
1:30pm
Straight
I've learned over the years one can't really judge how much they like something without trying it at the same time as another for a very accurate comparison. Drinking absinthe straight is not necessarily frowned upon, in fact a purist will congratulate you for not ruining it with water. But you don't get the cool louche effect.
“Anti-alcoholics are unfortunates in the grip of water, that terrible poison, so corrosive that out of all substances it has been chosen for washing and scouring, and a drop of water added to a clear liquid like absinthe, muddles it.” —Alfred Jarry
The Method: Sipping from a shot glass to attempt to appreciate flavor differences. Absinthe used: Absente & Lucid
Absente: smells faintly like nail polish remover. It has a very strong herbal flavor which isn't bad if this was a green tea. There was a long delay before the expected shudder one gets when taking shots. Unfortunately I have another sip left. This is extremely strong, and this one is only 55% alcohol.
My stomach has just asked me to take a break between samples.
2:00pm
Lucid: Lucid has a much stronger herbal smell, it hardly smells like alcohol. Although it does make my stomach churn a bit from the smell. Wow! This didn't make me cringe! It has a much brighter flavor and less herbaly. I keep thinking its got a flavor of lemon but it doesn't, I think maybe its just a crisp citrus taste. Either way, I'm going to need to take a break from this while my stomach get back in line. Lucid is 62% alcohol. This one will sneak up on you for sure.
3:00pm
Classic French Absinthe Ritual.
Pour absinthe into a glass, place a slotted spoon over the glass and a sugar cube on top of the spoon. Pour ice cold water over the sugar cube until it breaks down completely. Add more water if needed to suit your tastes.
This had a very strong herbal flavor and smell. I can't imagine having more than one of these in a sitting. The sugar makes it very sweet and since only water is added it seems like a very light tea. I'm not a fan.
This is the point that I burnt out with drinking Absinthe today. It has such a strong herbal flavor paired with high alcohol and top it off with some very apparent dissolved sugar, I was spent. The results? Maybe if I focused harder on drinking this liqueur more frequently I might have had better success finding the fabled fairy or intoxication, but really all I felt was sick of drinking it. I can at least leave to rest I still do not like Absinthe much and now need to seek out some way to mix it rather than the traditional methods.
With that I'll leave you this quote I found when looking up the drink.
“The first stage is like ordinary drinking, the second when you begin to see monstrous and cruel things, but if you can persevere you will enter in upon the third stage where you see things that you want to see, wonderful curious things.” —Oscar Wilde
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Hows my little epic shift?
About two weeks ago Laura and I made a decision that will no doubt impact our lives for a long, long time to come.
I have been presented with a unique opportunity where hobby and career can meet, and have taken a job as an assistant Winemaker at the Vineyard near our home called Sleepy Creek. And I couldn't be more excited about it. I start the 15th.
I've been asked lots of questions about what I'm going to do and really, I'm not sure, which is a bit thrilling. I know what goes into making wine at my house but anything outside of that, I'm completely clueless, and that's one of the most exciting parts, the learning.
What I do know is I will be learning just about every aspect of winemaking, I'll also be able to rock some of my design skills for some marketing work and other exciting things. I know that I'm going to be on my feet mostly and not clicking my mouse several thousand times a day. I also know I am going to become a pro at making dirty things clean.
One of my favorite parts about my job to be is the location, in Oakwood nothing is close to us except this place, and now I can bike to work daily. My commute has shrank from 25 minutes by car to 15 minutes (or less) by bicycle.
The decision was actually tough, in early January I was offered a new position within my company. I was still a designer, but in a different part of the company doing more exciting work. I got my own office, a comfier chair, a closet I didn't know what to do with, and a shelf that I put a can of peanuts on once. My co-workers were fantastic and open to ideas, and in general it was a large improvement over what I had been doing. A few days later a rare chance popped into my life and said, HEY! You'll regret this if you don't take me, I listened. Comic Sans resigned me as of Friday the 4th.
Laura has been kind enough to allow me to have a week off between jobs. I plan on doing very little each day, with the exception of making delicious meals for my lovely wife each night. I also plan on tackling some sort of new adventure each day. Tomorrow's Adventure, a duck.
I have been presented with a unique opportunity where hobby and career can meet, and have taken a job as an assistant Winemaker at the Vineyard near our home called Sleepy Creek. And I couldn't be more excited about it. I start the 15th.
I've been asked lots of questions about what I'm going to do and really, I'm not sure, which is a bit thrilling. I know what goes into making wine at my house but anything outside of that, I'm completely clueless, and that's one of the most exciting parts, the learning.
What I do know is I will be learning just about every aspect of winemaking, I'll also be able to rock some of my design skills for some marketing work and other exciting things. I know that I'm going to be on my feet mostly and not clicking my mouse several thousand times a day. I also know I am going to become a pro at making dirty things clean.
One of my favorite parts about my job to be is the location, in Oakwood nothing is close to us except this place, and now I can bike to work daily. My commute has shrank from 25 minutes by car to 15 minutes (or less) by bicycle.
The decision was actually tough, in early January I was offered a new position within my company. I was still a designer, but in a different part of the company doing more exciting work. I got my own office, a comfier chair, a closet I didn't know what to do with, and a shelf that I put a can of peanuts on once. My co-workers were fantastic and open to ideas, and in general it was a large improvement over what I had been doing. A few days later a rare chance popped into my life and said, HEY! You'll regret this if you don't take me, I listened. Comic Sans resigned me as of Friday the 4th.
Laura has been kind enough to allow me to have a week off between jobs. I plan on doing very little each day, with the exception of making delicious meals for my lovely wife each night. I also plan on tackling some sort of new adventure each day. Tomorrow's Adventure, a duck.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Hows my little Chicagoan?
First off, this is incredibly late, second I will apologize for the fact that most people are more anxious about the post that will follow this one
Laura and I this year decided to see if we could mix up our Christmas celebration with Laura's Family. One fall afternoon I proposed the idea to them, 'Hey what would you think about having Christmas in New York or maybe Chicago?' Laura's mom was immediately interested and Laura's Dad, the hermit he is was not excited. Long story short we decided to hang out with her family in Chicago.
Since we've moved down here we've talked about having a long weekend up there doing all of the tourist things we could and this seemed like a great time.
We did tons of fun stuff:
We saw the Blue Man Group which was so fun, they put on such an excellent show, I didn't realize it was half 'play' half music. Definitely a great experience that I would recommend to anybody.
Day two we went to the Shedd Aquarium which was great, last time Laura and I went there the dolphin and whale Aquarium wasn't open, and this time we got a Christmas themed show with dancers and a Santa on a Boat and even some really cute penguins along with our Dolphins. We also stopped by the Sears Tower (I know the name changed but come on) We got to see the sun set over flat flat flat Illinois and my pictures from up there didn't turn out so hot. We also walked the Mag Mile a bit, and got thoroughly disappointed on Navy Pier. If you're looking for someplace fun to take a bunch of screaming under 15 year olds that is the place, aside from that it was a major bust, we were just hoping for a place to eat and the selection was dismal at the best. Whew! The fun part came next.
After a long walk and a rumor that part of The Dark Knight was filmed in our Hotel we decided we needed to explore. We took the elevator up to the top floor to take a look around. When the doors slid open pounding Hip-Hop forced it's way into the elevator and Laura and I froze! What to do!? My curiosity got the best of me and when I peered out I noticed that the party was on only one side, so we went to the other. After a nice look over the Chicago River and out of Bruce Wayne's Penthouse windows we decided to call it a night and take the stairs back to our room.
Halfway down we the first flight someone opened the door and shouted HEY! Whats going on? Wanna party with us? I was feeling spunky and said sure! Laura and I ordered some big city ($$$) drinks and danced to some tunes. Before everyone cleared out we creeped out so we wouldn't embarrass anyone including ourselves. It was a bit awkward being the least dressed up, by a very long shot. That was our first full day!
The Next day we hit up the Museum of Science and Industry which is HUGE! To really see the whole place one needs to spend two days looking over everything, which at a museum I like to do. Admission was free and there were some really fun interactive exhibits for kids of all ages. After that we planned on a fantastic meal at what a better place than the top of the John Hancock Building. The food was delightful as was the service and the view of course topped it all! We were looking pretty much parallel with the top of the Sears tower and that was really cool, and since its in a different part of town the change in perspective was really exciting.
The highlight of our trip (for me) was after this though, Laura found a great Wine Bar to stop in for a relaxing after dinner drink. They offered a blind tasting flight and the more answers you got right the more of a discount you can recieved. I chose the white wine flight and managed to get enough right to meet the first tier of discount! I was very proud of myself for managing to sort of guess wine by flavor alone!
I had a wonderful time with Laura's family and are happy we got to mix up our holiday time with them this year. I have once said, I love Chicago but I could never live there. I take it back, I still love Chicago, but I would live downtown with a large enough disposable income to thoroughly enjoy it's many many treats. See you again windy city.
P.S.
I would also like to thank 4G and Google maps for getting us everywhere quickly.
Laura and I this year decided to see if we could mix up our Christmas celebration with Laura's Family. One fall afternoon I proposed the idea to them, 'Hey what would you think about having Christmas in New York or maybe Chicago?' Laura's mom was immediately interested and Laura's Dad, the hermit he is was not excited. Long story short we decided to hang out with her family in Chicago.
Since we've moved down here we've talked about having a long weekend up there doing all of the tourist things we could and this seemed like a great time.
We did tons of fun stuff:
We saw the Blue Man Group which was so fun, they put on such an excellent show, I didn't realize it was half 'play' half music. Definitely a great experience that I would recommend to anybody.
Day two we went to the Shedd Aquarium which was great, last time Laura and I went there the dolphin and whale Aquarium wasn't open, and this time we got a Christmas themed show with dancers and a Santa on a Boat and even some really cute penguins along with our Dolphins. We also stopped by the Sears Tower (I know the name changed but come on) We got to see the sun set over flat flat flat Illinois and my pictures from up there didn't turn out so hot. We also walked the Mag Mile a bit, and got thoroughly disappointed on Navy Pier. If you're looking for someplace fun to take a bunch of screaming under 15 year olds that is the place, aside from that it was a major bust, we were just hoping for a place to eat and the selection was dismal at the best. Whew! The fun part came next.
After a long walk and a rumor that part of The Dark Knight was filmed in our Hotel we decided we needed to explore. We took the elevator up to the top floor to take a look around. When the doors slid open pounding Hip-Hop forced it's way into the elevator and Laura and I froze! What to do!? My curiosity got the best of me and when I peered out I noticed that the party was on only one side, so we went to the other. After a nice look over the Chicago River and out of Bruce Wayne's Penthouse windows we decided to call it a night and take the stairs back to our room.
Halfway down we the first flight someone opened the door and shouted HEY! Whats going on? Wanna party with us? I was feeling spunky and said sure! Laura and I ordered some big city ($$$) drinks and danced to some tunes. Before everyone cleared out we creeped out so we wouldn't embarrass anyone including ourselves. It was a bit awkward being the least dressed up, by a very long shot. That was our first full day!
The Next day we hit up the Museum of Science and Industry which is HUGE! To really see the whole place one needs to spend two days looking over everything, which at a museum I like to do. Admission was free and there were some really fun interactive exhibits for kids of all ages. After that we planned on a fantastic meal at what a better place than the top of the John Hancock Building. The food was delightful as was the service and the view of course topped it all! We were looking pretty much parallel with the top of the Sears tower and that was really cool, and since its in a different part of town the change in perspective was really exciting.
The highlight of our trip (for me) was after this though, Laura found a great Wine Bar to stop in for a relaxing after dinner drink. They offered a blind tasting flight and the more answers you got right the more of a discount you can recieved. I chose the white wine flight and managed to get enough right to meet the first tier of discount! I was very proud of myself for managing to sort of guess wine by flavor alone!
I had a wonderful time with Laura's family and are happy we got to mix up our holiday time with them this year. I have once said, I love Chicago but I could never live there. I take it back, I still love Chicago, but I would live downtown with a large enough disposable income to thoroughly enjoy it's many many treats. See you again windy city.
P.S.
I would also like to thank 4G and Google maps for getting us everywhere quickly.
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