Sunday, April 12, 2009

Chickens don't clap!

Well... I'm sick again. Have been sick since Wednesday. Its down to just a cough - but its a nasty cough. I think I pulled a muscle in my chest because I was coughing so hard yesterday. Yeah, so that sucks. Shannon has also come down with the sickness, we've been pretty much planted in the living room either reading, sleeping or watching TV. The good news is that we've almost made it through the first season of Arrested Development. We are going to try to knock out season 2 this week and then have a Season 3 Marathon Party within the next few weeks.

Yesterday, in preparation for my graduation party we built the smoker for the pig. Chris & I got started early - and hit Home Depot to do the shopping. We then dropped off everything at the Gantt's house and gave them a nice little alarm clock thanks to the trucks weight sensor going off.



I headed back over to the Gantt's around 1pm and Ron & I went to work on the pit while Paul and Laura did some yard work. Pretty soon Paul joined in on the pit and Cate arrived a little later and helped out as well. Shannon, unfortunately was home sick as was Michael, who really wanted to help out. It took about 3 hours to build and is a little lopsided, but I think it will do the job. That pig better be good!!!


Monday, March 30, 2009

Watch it sucka!

So in my last post I mentioned I have been watching a lot of TV... I'm going to list the shows I watch regularly in an attempt to completely embarrass myself. I know I watch a lot of shows, but I'm guessing this list is going to be longer than I thought.
  • 24
  • 30 Rock
  • Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
  • Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
  • Chuck
  • Crimnal Minds
  • CSI
  • CSI: NY
  • Flight of the Conchords
  • Flipping Out
  • Good Eats
  • Heroes
  • High Stakes Poker
  • Iron Chef America
  • Kath & Kim (don't judge me)
    Kings
  • Law & Order
    Law & Order: Criminal Intent
  • Lost
  • Monster Quest
  • The Office
  • Paranormal State
  • Pushing Daises (but I think this was canceled)
  • Scrubs
  • Simpsons
  • Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chornicles
  • Top Chef
That is nearly 24 hours of television a week. A full day in front of my TV. Granted not all of the shows are on every week, but still... wow... and don't worry dear friends, though many shows are nearing the end of the their season, there are several shows I am looking forward to taking their place (Parks & Recreation, The Unusuals, etc.)

I'm a TV junkie... and I love it

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Life Goes On...

Life seems like it has been screaming by lately, but I have not really done that much. I have not learned to handle life after school, so many of my nights have been spent sitting on the couch watching TV. It hasn't helped that I had a cold for about a week, and then Shannon caught the cold and has had it for almost a week now.

Last night a few of us hit Whiskies of the World. I think this will be my last year attending... not enough bourbons. I will just go to WhiskeyFest in October and get my fix there. Last night was fun though because after leaving WofW we all went over to Bourbon & Branch and had a few cocktails. Good times.

Shannon and I just figured out how to be out of debt (except for school loans) in under 2 years. We are excited because that means a baby is just a couple years away.

It's a beautiful lazy Sunday - so do something relaxing - read a book outside or something... I'm going to!

Bourbon Dinner Recap

Well as my last entry (3 weeks ago) states, Mr. Barnes & I did the Bourbon Dinner. It was a whole lot of fun. We were at the house of Teresa C. and her boyfriend, Ermes. As soon as we arrived we knew it was going to be challenging... the license plate of the Jag in their driveway was "6Y CHEF" (sexy chef). While, I wasn't the one doing the cooking, I know the pressure of cooking for another chef, so I felt Michael's pain. Their house was amazing (they live on the "Victorian court" between Blackhawk and Danville) and the kitchen was beautiful - plenty of workspace. We started the prep, and just as we were finishing Teresa's friends, Julie & Steve arrived. We were ready to start serving. We started off the evening with a taste of the bourbon of the night, Eagle Rare. We wanted them to get to know the flavors of the bourbon so they would be able to identify it in the food they were tasting. We then moved on to a cocktail - a Whiskey Sour with Eagle Rare. As we drank Michael ran through the menu:

AMUSE BOUSCH
Endive with Eagle Rare Cream Cheese,
Grape and Balsamic Reduction

SOUP
Eagle Rare Onion Soup

SALAD
Mixed Greens with Eagle Rare Vinigarette

PROTEIN THREE WAYS
Filet Mignon with Eagle Rare Soaked Bacon
Eagle Rare Fried Chicken Breast
Pork Medalion with Eagle Rare Peach Reduction

DESSERT
Blackberrys with Eagle Rare Whipped Cream
BlackBerry Infused Eagle Rare w/ Ginger Ale

Once the menu was presented, we got down to serving. Michael and I were working our tails off in the kitchen, but we knew it was all worth it as the plates were coming back completely empty. Once we finished dessert, we poured Eagle Rare 17yr (part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection) and sat down with everyone and chatted for about an hour. We had a fantastic time, and would certainly enjoy doing it again. Enjoy the pictures below...

















Sunday, March 8, 2009

Bourbon Dinner

Tonight Michael Barnes and I are doing the Bourbon Dinner that we auctioned off at the SCM Santa Poker Night back in December.  We've got a great menu are really looking forward to serving it.  I will be taking pictures and will be posting the a full recap of the dinner sometime later this week.  It should be fun.

In other news, I'm working on putting together a comp of rockin' ballad-y songs by female artist.   So far I have:
  • Total Eclipse of the Heard by Bonnie Tyler
  • Angel of the Morning sung by Juice Newton
  • Alone by Heart
  • Hold On by Wilson Phillips
  • Eternal Flame by The Bangles
Anyone with other suggestions please comment...


Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The Ups and the Down

Its been about a month since I last posted  and its been an insane month.  In the past month the following has happened:
  • February 14th - Shannon and I drove down to San Luis Obispo to see Shannon's good friend Brooke get married.  It was a fun wedding and reception, and Shannon and I stayed down there an extra day to enjoy the SLO life.
  • February 17th - Our good friends the John and Christina Argo welcomed their son Knox Jaxon into the world.  John has wanted to be a dad since the day I met him, and its awesome to see that his wish is now is reality
  • February 18th - My Grandma passed away after being diagnosed with cancer 5 weeks earlier.  This was her second bout with cancer, and she knew that it was her time to go.  Shannon and I were glad that she had moved down to Manteca to live with my parents, as we got to see her quite frequently in the last 5 months of her life.  We were also blessed to be with her when her "earth suit" died, and she went to heaven.  In her last days she talked about all the beautiful colors she was seeing and my mom often found her in her room lying on the bed with her arms outstretched into the air.  While it could have been the morphine, we like to think she was getting to experience a little bit of heaven.
  • February 23rd - Monday the 23rd was my last day of school.  I will be receiving degree's in Business Marketing and Business Management.  It's been a looooong road, but its finally come to an end and I am extremely happy
  • February 26th - Shannon and I board a plane to take us up to Portland for my grandma's memorial service.  My parents and Charlie were up there as well and we had a chance to hang out with both my Mom's family and my Dad's family.  It was great to catch up with them.  We also spent time in downtown Portland, eating at good restaurants, shopping at Powell's and seeing the place my mom worked 40 years ago (now a Macy's and a hotel).  We flew home on Sunday, March 1st.
  • March 3rd - Tuesday was my first day back at work (Monday I was laid out on the couch due to my back not liking the hotel's soft mattress and the hour of turbulence we experienced on the flight home) and I was pulled into my Director's office for my yearly review.  I did well - and while raises have been put on hold due to the economy, I got a 5% bump in salary (not technically a raise - its a long story) and a 1% bonus (not a lot I know, but when I was expecting nothing - I'll take what I can get).  As soon as my review was over I learned that my 5% bump in salary didn't mean much because our VP came in and offered my the job of  Category Manager of Tobacco.  While selling cancer isn't my favorite thing, the raise that came along is quite large and I happily took the job.
So as you can see its been a crazy month - and I'm excited for things to get back to normal, but alas in the next month I have a Bourbon Dinner to put on, The Big Lebowski to go see with a bunch of guys, a graduation party to plan and put on as well as making up to Reno for my good friend's birthday.  So things will continue to not slow down... at least I don't have to deal with school anymore!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The busy have no time for tears - Lord Byron

Well - the next month is going to pretty busy - and while I'm definitely looking forward to most things, there is at least one thing  that not going be fun, plus being so busy is going to wear me out.

Here we go with the breakdown:

2/11: Greg Dulli show in SF
2/13: Shannon and I are seeing Wicked in SF
2/14: Get up early and drive to SLO for Brooke's wedding
2/21: Cake show in Oakland
2/22: Far show in SF
3/7: My "Kevin's Finished with School" Party

In addition to the scheduled events above, I have the following things going on as well:
  • 2 weeks of school left that will be fairly tough
  • Work is insane right now so I'll be going in early and working late
  • My Grandma is about to pass away - so trips to Manteca & a trip to Portland are probably going to happen
  • Planning my "Kevin is Finished with School" Party
  • Scheduling and planning a Bourbon Dinner we auctioned off for the SCM poker tournament
Just waiting for it all to be over so I can relax...

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Kevin's Concert Calendar

Here's a list of upcoming shows that I am either going to or want to go to. I will definitely be attending the ones in bold

2/11: Greg Dulli @ The Independent in SF

2/21: Cake @ The Fox Theater in Oakland

2/21: Murder By Death @ Bottom of the Hill in SF

2/22: Far @ Slim's in SF

3/29: Silverstein & Norma Jean @ Slim's in SF

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Turn Around Bright Eyes

Well - we are back from Colorado. The day we got there it was 70 degrees - the day we left it was 17 - that's Denver weather for ya...

The wedding was great - and the reception was a lot of fun. Ron and I even danced together to Total Eclipse of the Heart. Here is a video of part of our dance:



I'm only 4 weeks away from being done with school - I can't wait.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Denver Day II

So Denver Day II has come and gone.  Yesterday we got up and had a fantastic breakfast that Sandy prepared.  I then did homework as I am in two classes right now and its a royal pain.  


After homework we headed out to pick up Jeff's tux and hit up Luka's Liquors.  Though they did not have any of the Pappy bottlings besides the 23 yr ($200) and the 10 yr which I already have, I did pick up a bottle of Thomas H. Handy Rye from the 2008 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.  Looking forward to trying that.  The search for the Pappy will continue today at Parker Wine & Spirits.

In other Whiskey news, Jeff has put together a VERY nice whiskey collection - about 40 bottles worth, featuring a large number of Irish Whiskeys, a handful of Scotches and quite a few American Whiskeys. 


After getting back to the Forgey's Jeff's sister, Sandra, and her husband Rick showed up with their little dog and so we all hung out for a while and then the girls went to tea.  The guys just stayed at home watching TV and talking about the crumbling economy.  Once the girls got back we headed to the hotel and Jeff and Sandy went to pick up Ron and Cate.  Once everyone was in town, we all headed to Rock Bottom Brewery for dinner.  Attendees were (from back to front): Kevin & Shannon, Ron & Cate, Nick & Heather, Rochelle & Jay, Rick & Sandra, Jeff & Sandy.  


It was a great time.  After dinner we went back to the Hotel and crashed.   Day III has begun so its time for the rehearsal dinner, rehearsal party and more.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Denver Day 1

Well our Wednesday started off early, waking up at 5:15 to get ready to catch the plane.  Charles and his mustache picked us up at 6:45 and we headed to the airport.  Our flight left at 9:25 and though scheduled to arrive at 1:00pm Denver time, we arrived a half hour early (thanks wind!) which was nice.  

Jeff and Sandy picked us up and we headed back to their place to unpack.  When we arrived, Nick & Heather were at the house.  It was good to see the whole Forgey crew, and we quickly unpacked and headed out to a late lunch.  After lunch we came back to the house and hung out for a while, then hit the road to see the Littleton Safeway (where I set up the Spirits dept.), a new HUGE liquor store named Tipsy's, and to see Nick & Heather's new apartment, awesome place and dirt cheap (rent is half of what a one bedroom would go for in our apt. complex).  We then headed back to the house and caught the first hour of the new Lost season.  

Today Ron and Cate (or RC Cola as I like to call them... just kidding) get into town and we are going to hit up Rock Bottom Brewery for dinner - mmmm... burgers...  other than that - not sure what we are doing (maybe hitting up Luka's to pick up some Pappy Van Winkle).


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sad Songs II

So a while back I had a post about sad songs... today listening to my iPod I came across a song that I had forgotten about, though it certainly belongs at the top of the list. The song is Hayden's "When This Is Over" and is about... well I'll let you figure it out, its more heartbreaking that way.

This song will break you DOWN. I'm getting chills just writing this...

I suggest you download it, do a couple shots, and then cry your eyes out listening to it, but here are the lyrics to get you started.


When This is Over by Hayden

I wake up
Beside you, in mom's car
I try to get you out,
You're strapped to the backseat
I am too.

The car is rolling down to water.
Why are we
Strapped to our seats,
Trapped,
What did we do?
I cleaned my room just as she asked me to.

Filling up, dirty water,
My chin's up, going under.
You're still asleep, baby brother.
I'll wake you up when this is over.

The car is rolling down to water.
Why are we
Strapped to our seats,
Trapped,
What did we do?
I brushed my teeth just as she asked me to.

This is it, baby brother,
One more breath togther
We're almost underwater
Where is mom?
I miss her.

The car has rolled into the water.
Why are we dying in this way,
What did we do?

I was nice to him,
Her boyfriend, this is stupid
When people come to search the lake
We'll be found in our pajamas
They will see
A big mistake is all that this must be

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Whisky Instead of Water

Random thoughts today...

So I'm making whiskey related items to sell online... it should be fun, but some glue I got to use sucks - so the projects are on hold for a while...

School is slowly ticking down - I can't wait for it to be over. Come March I think a lot of things will be different.

Sierra Nevada recently bottled the first batch of their Torpedo IPA, and we got samples dropped off today - I'm a pretty big fan of it.

Headed to Denver next week - I'm looking forward to it - it will be good to see the Forgey's (all four) as well as checking out the latest Liquor stores ;)

That's all for today.

Monday, January 5, 2009

New Year's Eve Recap

New Year's Eve was quite fun this year... the night started off with Ron, Cate & Melanie coming over around 6pm. Ron and I had a few beers and played Fallout 3 on the 360 while the girls played a Mad Libs board game. We had reservations at Eddie Papa's at 8:15 so we headed out there... I had a crab and artichoke sandwich, and sipped on a Old Fashioned. As we finished dinner, we asked for the owner to come over (He and I have talked a few times about whiskey, and he even let me try a little Hirsch 28yr once) and recommend a few after dinner drinks. I got a Hot Buttered Rum (made with rum & bourbon) and Ron got a Hot Toddy. I asked about a couple of bottles of Old Portrero from Anchor Brewing I had noticed on the back bar when we walked in (he had mentioned on a previous trip, that he had some special bottles coming in), and he ended up letting us taste them for free! The first was their rye - which was really good, but the second bottle was just called 18th Century Spirit - it was like a whiskey but sweeter, not sugary - but almost like honey. It was yummy - can't wait to try it in a Manhattan...

After dinner we came back to the Apartment - Ron and I opened up a bottle of Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Rum and enjoyed it with some cigars out on the patio. After finishing we headed back inside and proceeded to sing karaoke for about a half hour which ruled. About 11:50 we flipped on the TV to see Dick Clark sadly mumble and the ball drop.

A very fun night indeed.

Oh yeah - if you read this blog - please check out My Readers section over on the side... please click on the link that says Follow This Blog.

Thanks!

Friday, January 2, 2009

Whiskey

So I decided to take all the whiskey I had and count up the bottles and see how much they are worth... I counted the full retail value, even for open bottles, and and found the prices on http://www.bevmo.com/, http://www.hitimewine.com/ or other retail sites. For the items that are no longer available I used ebay as a guide (those items are marked with an *). Including all of the signed bottles, it is around $4000 worth of whiskey (mostly bourbon).

If anyone is interested in partaking just let me know and come on over!

Here is the list with the pricing.

OPENED BOTTLES

Bourbon
Eagle Rare 17yr 2007 $80
Four Roses 120th Anniversary $80
George T. Stagg 141.2 pf $150*
Makers Mark 1.75-liter $36
Pappy Van Winkle 20yr $100
Very Old Barton 6yr 100 pf $12
Wild Turkey American Spirit $100
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit $50
Willett Single Barrel 25yr $200

Rye
Jim Beam Rye $17
Old Overholt Rye $14
Rittenhouse Rye 23yr $160
Templeton Rye Single Barrel $35

Other American Whiskies
Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Zinfandel Finish $90*
Charbay Series I $300
Charbay Series II 50ml $23
Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey $60

Scotch
Ardbeg Uigeadail $100
Bowmore 18yr $100
Bowmore Darkest $76
Bowmore Legend $30
Compass Box Hedonism $100
Glenrothes Select Reserve $50
Kirkland Macallan 19yr $70

Other Whiskies
Canadian Club Classic 12yr (Canada) $23
Crown Royal Reserve (Canada) $37
Penderyn Single Malt (England) $70
Yamazaki 12yr (Japan) $40

Whiskey Liqueurs
Cutty Black 100pr $??
Makers Mark Mint Julep $35
Wild Turkey American Honey 375-ml $15

SEALED BOTTLES

Bourbon
Ancient Ancient Age 10yr 100pr $15
Eagle Rare 17yr 2006 $100*
Eagle Rare 17yr 2008 $60
Eagle Rare Single Barrel $30
Elijah Craig 18yr $44
Four Roses 120th Anniversary $80
Four Roses Single Barrel $46
Four Roses Small Batch $40
George T. Stagg 140.6 $170*
George T. Stagg 144.8 $100*
Jim Beam $14
Jim Beam Black $20
Jim Beam Choice 1-liter $21
Old Grand Dad 100pr $20
Old Rip Van Winkle 10yr 107pr $36
Parker’s Heritage Cask Strength 122.6pr $80
Parker’s Heritage Cask Strength 127.9pr $180
Willett Single Barrel $43
William Larue Weller 2008 $60

Other Whiskies
Michter’s American Whiskey $45
Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey $60

Whiskey Liqueurs
Celtic Crossing $23
Jeremiah Weed $15
Wild Turkey American Honey $23
Yukon Jack 100pr $19

SIGNED / SPECIAL BOTTLES

Evan Williams Master Distiller’s Select 375-ml
(bottled special for Shannon and I @ Heaven Hill)
Maker’s Mark 375-ml
(hand dipped by Shannon at the Maker’s Mark Distillery)
Maker’s Mark 375-ml
(hand dipped by me at the Maker’s Mark Distillery)
Bulliet Bourbon 1.75 signed by Tom Bulliet
Evan Williams Single Barrel 1997 signed by Craig Beam
Glenfarclas 21yr signed by George Grant
Knob Creek signed by Fred Noe
Parker’s Heritage Cask Strength 122.6pr signed by Parker Beam
Wild Turkey Rare Breed signed by Jimmy Russell and Eddie Russell