The scene: the southeast corner of North 4th and East Main. The meter has just been paid. A couple are on their way to dinner when suddenly...
"Excuse me Sir." A person walking with another person walking north on 4th yelled out.
"Yes?"
"Would you like to buy a tent?" In one hand he was carrying a medium sized black bag in which, I guess, was his ware.
"No thank you"
The man looked a little upset, thought he has a sure sale, but I have no tenting needs for now, or the foreseeable future.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
It's high tide
Up until about three minutes ago I had no idea this video existed.
Another one that is almost 30 years old and just as relevant as when released. That's sad, people.
Another one that is almost 30 years old and just as relevant as when released. That's sad, people.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Monday, July 18, 2016
The flavor of the month is getting warm and flat
Took a trip to Buffalo over the weekend. Saw the super fine Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Had pictures taken with a number of bronze statues and one NHL mascot. Was introduced to the strangeness of Steel Panther and drank a fair amount of local beer.
Like many cities around the country, Columbus included, Buffalo is in the midst of the craft beer boom. This is not a bad thing at all. What does concern me is the overwhelming amount of average beer being made, and the number of poor experimentation being done.
One of the best places we visited was in a part of South Buffalo that has seen better times. Gene McCarthy's has been there for at least fifty years and it is at the end of railroad tracks, surrounded on three sides by abandoned factories. About a year ago they put a garage on the property and built a microbrewery.
There's a gravel plot with some tables, umbrellas and chairs installed and it's a wonderful place to have a drink. The beer is all sound, well made and contained your typical ales, stouts, wheat and a lovely Czech pilsner. This was the best beer I had over the weekend.
We went to other places, had some pleasant beer, but so many were loaded with excessive fruit and other gimmicks. I get that, you want some novelty and to stand out, but you want a centerpiece to build your brand on, not flavors of the month.
Again, this is not limited to Buffalo, it's definitely happening in Columbus. A lot of brewers are going to have to up their game very soon because few breweries are standing out in a good way. There is a sea of mediocre beer out there.
What it comes down to is that I'm tired of drinking adjectives. I demand consistent quality. I demand having beer on hand that is not so high in alcohol content I can't have more than one. There is going to be some attrition in the next year or three and a lot of brewers had better start looking at their recipes instead of the cool artwork on their blackboards.
Like many cities around the country, Columbus included, Buffalo is in the midst of the craft beer boom. This is not a bad thing at all. What does concern me is the overwhelming amount of average beer being made, and the number of poor experimentation being done.
One of the best places we visited was in a part of South Buffalo that has seen better times. Gene McCarthy's has been there for at least fifty years and it is at the end of railroad tracks, surrounded on three sides by abandoned factories. About a year ago they put a garage on the property and built a microbrewery.
There's a gravel plot with some tables, umbrellas and chairs installed and it's a wonderful place to have a drink. The beer is all sound, well made and contained your typical ales, stouts, wheat and a lovely Czech pilsner. This was the best beer I had over the weekend.
We went to other places, had some pleasant beer, but so many were loaded with excessive fruit and other gimmicks. I get that, you want some novelty and to stand out, but you want a centerpiece to build your brand on, not flavors of the month.
Again, this is not limited to Buffalo, it's definitely happening in Columbus. A lot of brewers are going to have to up their game very soon because few breweries are standing out in a good way. There is a sea of mediocre beer out there.
What it comes down to is that I'm tired of drinking adjectives. I demand consistent quality. I demand having beer on hand that is not so high in alcohol content I can't have more than one. There is going to be some attrition in the next year or three and a lot of brewers had better start looking at their recipes instead of the cool artwork on their blackboards.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Perot's giant sucking sound has gone in another direction
Back in the late 90's at my horrible job at Long's Bookstore my coworker in the supply department and I would listen to the Jim Rome radio show while pricing merchandise.
Say what you want about Rome, it does not really matter now. One of his 'rules' for getting on the phone in part of the show was, "Have a take, and don't suck."
And get of my lawn I would like social media commenters to follow that Rome Rule, but it does not happen.
Plenty of takes from people who like to see their profile pictures in the comments section, who may seem to thrive on the attention their posts get, negative or not - and plenty of sucking out there.
I do not have much energy to engage with people I know, let alone strangers on the internet. Better for me to keep quiet.
Say what you want about Rome, it does not really matter now. One of his 'rules' for getting on the phone in part of the show was, "Have a take, and don't suck."
And get of my lawn I would like social media commenters to follow that Rome Rule, but it does not happen.
Plenty of takes from people who like to see their profile pictures in the comments section, who may seem to thrive on the attention their posts get, negative or not - and plenty of sucking out there.
I do not have much energy to engage with people I know, let alone strangers on the internet. Better for me to keep quiet.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
I should pin this post here
Another day, another police shooting of an African American male. I wrote about it a couple of years ago. Hate that it's still relevant, and will most likely continue to be.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Tales from the riverbank
Been walking downtown a bit more. The Scioto Mile with its walking and biking paths is finished and it's a beautiful way to explore the riverfront area. A lot of people are taking advantage of this. You would not have seen kayakers enjoying the river a couple of years ago.
We looked down while crossing the Broad Street Bridge and saw a great blue heron catch a fish. No way this type of nature flourishes now without the dam being taken down.
A few seconds after I took this picture a swallow dive bombed the heron, and it flinched - truly an awesome sight. After that the perturbed heron flew over to the other bank of the river.
Last week my Son and I took a walk down there. As far as I know it was his first time walking around the Scioto Mile.
He seemed to like looking up at the tall buildings. We're going to take advantage of this while we can and hope development and developers do not restrict access to this part of town.
We looked down while crossing the Broad Street Bridge and saw a great blue heron catch a fish. No way this type of nature flourishes now without the dam being taken down.
A few seconds after I took this picture a swallow dive bombed the heron, and it flinched - truly an awesome sight. After that the perturbed heron flew over to the other bank of the river.
Last week my Son and I took a walk down there. As far as I know it was his first time walking around the Scioto Mile.
He seemed to like looking up at the tall buildings. We're going to take advantage of this while we can and hope development and developers do not restrict access to this part of town.
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