Spectre’s Sayings

Boulevard’s Nutcracker Ale - their winter specialty - didn’t thrill me. To be fair, though, I drank it long after its “best before” date. Perhaps it would be better in season.

I’ve decided that I want to build a house. I’m not going to waste any time. I’m going to get this ball rolling, and keep it rolling.

Step one: I’ve an appointment with the mortgage lending officer at the bank on Wednesday.

I’ll keep writing about my progress here.

I didn’t quite know what to expect in drinking a Rogue Dead Guy Ale. It’s a honey-colored beer that has a smooth, unremarkable taste…. until you swallow it. Then, the bitterness of the hops kicks in and you begin to wonder if you’re drinking an IPA.

I imagine that many people would love this beer. However, I’m not much of a fan of hops, so I don’t think I’ll be putting it on my shopping list.

The Simpsons Movie was an absolute riot. It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed that hard.

Before I went to the concert with my brother and cousin, we visited nearby St. Charles, Missouri, and located the Trailhead Brewing Company. We dined there, and sampled their beers.

I ate a bit too much, but avoided overstuffing myself. The food was very respectable. I had a petite prime rib, fries, Caesar Salad, and French Onion Soup.

While my cousin contented himself with a mere pint of Blonde Ale, my brother and I each ordered a beer sampler. We both agreed that while all the beers were good, we preferred the Blonde Ale and the Missouri Brown Dark Ale. I ventured the opinion that the lightness of the Blonde Ale would make it a wonderful beer on a hot summer day, while the Dark Ale would be a great wintertime brew. This beer tasted for all the world like a porter to me, which is probably why I loved it so.

If you’re ever in the area, I recommend a visit. I picked up a pint glass and a tasting glass with the Trailhead logo on them as souvenirs (and to stock my home bar with, whenever I get around to getting one).

I saw these guys in concert last night. It was the best concert I have ever seen in my life, bar none. They even beat their performance when I saw them during the Test For Echo tour, way back when. The downsides to my experience were completely unrelated to the band’s performance. It was rain, heat, humidity, and a strange, nasty smell blowing in from across the way. The show itself simply rocked.

They played quite a few of their more obscure songs - you know, the songs that they haven’t played live in years. It was like running into old friends again. I don’t know how Geddy manages to sing for so long (it was a 3.5 hour show, counting the intermission) - my voice gave out, and I was just singing along in the audience. The musicianship was incredible, as we’ve all come to expect, and I loved the new parts Neil added to his drum solo.

One day a poor man was seated near the house of a wealthy man, begging for his daily food. The wealthy man came out and begin to insult him, calling him lazy and worthless. But the poor man remained very calm. The poor man’s calmness caused the wealthy man to become increasingly more angry and abusive, in an attempt to illicit some reaction or response.

The poor man had an apple that someone had given him in his begging bowl. He held up the apple to the rich man and said:

“If I give you this apple, and you accept it, whose apple is it? The wealthy man answered, “Why my apple, of course, since you gave it to me and I accepted it!”

The poor man then said “But if I offer it to you and you do not accept it, THEN whose apple is it?”

The wealthy man replied, “Why, then its YOUR apple, of course!”

The poor man said, “You offer me anger and insults, but I do not accept them, so the anger and the insults remain YOURS.”

The wealthy man was astounded by the realization of why he was becoming more and more angry.

Forty-eight hours from now, I will be in my car making my way to St. Charles, Missouri to see Rush in concert. I’m taking my brother and my cousin, and we’re going to visit the Trailhead Brewing Company for dinner and beer. I expect a good time to be had by all.

I’m a big Rush fan. This particular album - Snakes and Arrows - doesn’t strike me as their best work ever, but the single “Far Cry” absolutely rocked. I especially like the drum riffs used as a transition.

‘Real Men of Genius’ right in our Statehouse

I’m waiting to hear this commercial:

“Bud Light presents, ‘Real Men of Genius’”

(Singer: “Real men of genius!”)

“Today we salute you, Mr. Illinois State Legislator.”

(Singer: “Mr. Illinois State Legislator!”)

“You did nothing in regular session. So you had to go the extra mile. Now you can charge the people more for incompetence, neglect and for basically doing nothing.”

(”I walked in two parades!”)

“You even received a stipend for meals, even though no politician has paid for a meal since Abe Lincoln ducked into a Gettysburg Waffle House back in 1863.”

(”Doing nothing makes me hungry!”)

“You’ve spent our money wisely on sports stadiums and the like while avoiding the pork projects such as schools and hospitals. You even remembered to give yourself a raise.”

(”All we need is more casinos!”)

“So crack open a cold one, old keeper of the gridlock, or better yet - let the state of Illinois get this round.”

(”Mr. Illinois State Legislator!”)

Ayinger Brau Weisse is, simply put, a wonderful hefeweizen. This is as good as Weihenstephaner. And, coming from me, that is high praise indeed.

In fact, I’ll probably need to compare it to Weihenstephaner in order to talk about it. The color is beautiful, and it’s evenly cloudy, as a good unfiltered wheat beer should be. It has a very nice head, which frees up a wonderful citrus-y aroma. It’s a bit more fruity than Weihenstephaner. Kind of reminds me of when I’d order a Hacker-Pschorr and it would come with a slice of orange. Weihenstephaner has a hint of sourness, while this Ayinger lacks it. However, to counter the fruitiness, there’s a hint of bitterness that Weihenstephaner lacks.

All in all, I have to give it my highest rating.

I just finished reading Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson. There were some interesting ideas in it. However, compared to Frank Herbert’s storytelling ability, this book is rather flat and pedestrian. I’m more relieved to have gotten through the entire story arc of the series than thrilled by the tale told in this particular installment.

This beer had a strangely sour taste, but was refreshing. It’s not my favorite wheat beer by any means, but it’s respectable.

J.W. Dundee Pale Ale

Unlike their Pale Bock, which I didn’t like too terribly much, I do enjoy J.W. Dundee’s Pale Ale, which is a refreshing beer.

Boulevard’s Lunar Ale

Surprising taste. Took a couple of sips to get used to it, and then it was a most satisfying beer. I had three.

The Illinois State Journal-Register is reporting the following:

A federal judge’s ruling this week upholds the right of Illinois pharmacists to refuse to dispense emergency contraception.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2005 issued a rule requiring Illinois pharmacies to dispense emergency contraception. The governor’s rule was designed to prevent pharmacies from being able to deny women access to “Plan B” contraceptives, even if pharmacists who work there disagree with dispensing the drug on moral grounds.

Some pharmacists consider Plan B a form of abortion because the drug can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman’s uterus.

Wal-Mart and Walgreen Co. have disciplined some company pharmacists for either refusing to dispense Plan B or for refusing to promise that they would dispense emergency contraception if asked.

U.S. Judge Jeanne Scott Tuesday denied a request by Wal-Mart to throw out a lawsuit filed by pharmacist Ethan Vandersand. Scott sided with Vandersand, who had claimed that he was legally protected from discipline by the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act when he declined to dispense Plan B.

Vandersand, who lives in Bluffs, formerly worked at the pharmacy in Beardstown’s Wal-Mart and was put on unpaid leave after he refused to fill a Plan B prescription requested by a nurse practitioner at Springfield’s Planned Parenthood on behalf of a female patient in February 2006.

Wal-Mart had contended that the state’s right-of-conscience law doesn’t cover pharmacists. Walgreen Co. has made the same argument in other Illinois lawsuits filed by fired pharmacists.

But Scott wrote in her ruling, “The statute prohibits discrimination against any person for refusing to provide health care because of his conscience.”

She also wrote: “Providing medication … constitutes health-care services. Any person, including Vandersand, who refuses to participate in any way in providing medication because of his conscience is protected by the Right of Conscience Act.”

Vandersand’s lawsuit against Wal-Mart, in which he is asking for lost pay and an unspecified amount of monetary damages, continues in federal court.

I’ve always held that Governor Rod’s rule was unconstitutional in that it infringed on pharmacists’ right of freedom of religion (guaranteed by the 1st amendment to the U.S. Constitution). I’ve also contended that it is tyrannical in that it coerced people to act in ways contrary to the dictates of their conscience. I’m glad to see the courts acting as the founders intended.