Beer vacation

Yesterday Kirsti and I got back from a trip up to Humboldt County. We got to see the redwoods and some really beautiful scenery, and of course we also visited some brewpubs. That seems to be a pretty consistent part of any of our trips - figuring out which breweries/brewpubs are in the area. It seems like the further north you get from here, the more breweries you'll find. (One of these days I'll have to make it out to Portland, Oregon.) On this trip, we went to Eel River, Six Rivers, and Lost Coast. Here's what I thought:

Eel River - We stopped off at this place in Fortuna while on our way to our hotel in Eureka. I got the sausage and sauerkraut plate, and that was pretty tasty. Kirsti got a bowl of some kind of cheesy, potato-bacon, etcetera soup that was really good. (I got a small cup of it for myself as well.) As for the beer, I started off with their Triple Exhultation. This was a really strong beer, and I determined that maybe it wasn't a good way to start. It was really hoppy and sweet with an almost caramel-like aftertaste to it. It was also about 9% alcohol. I suppose it would have been fine if that was to be my only beer, but I also got their amber lager, and honestly it tasted a little off. I'm well-versed enough in beer though to know that it was probably due to the fact that I started with such a strong ale. I should have done things the other way around.

Six Rivers - I was really eager to try this place, as they happened to have a chili ale. I've been toying with the idea of making one myself, and I wanted to give this one a try before I made my final decision. (I had emailed the brewmaster a week before to get some valuable advice on how to make one.) After trying theirs, I've decided to go for it. I've had other chili beers before. One was a habenero pilsner, which was good but only in small doses. The other was something I bought at Bevmo a while back. With that one, I liked the taste of the chili, but the beer itself was kind of Corona-esque (in other words, crappy).

The chili ale at Six Rivers was as good as I imagine something like that can be. It was basically their wheat beer with some chili in it. It added a nice flavor without being too extreme, and it perfectly complimented my grilled halibut tacos.

For desert, I had their Oreo Cookie cheesecake that I washed down with their stout. I used to not be such a big fan of stouts, but I think that I'm starting to come around.

Lost Coast - Unlike the other two places, I've had some of Lost Coast's beer before. To be specific, I had their Downtown Brown, which is a mighty tasty brown ale. At the brewpub, I tried their Raspberry Brown. I find myself still conflicted about fruit beers. For the most part, I think that they're not very good and somewhat reminiscent of cough syrup. This one was a bit different though as it was a fruit flavor in a dark ale rather than the usual pairing with a wheat beer. Basically, it was good enough for me to finish without any problems, but I don't think that I'd try it again. I still think that perhaps the best pairing of fruit and beer would be Pyamid's Apricot Wheat.

As for the food, I had their turkey burger which was really flavorful and juicy. On the side, I got a really nice Caesar salad. After downing the raspberry brown, I had their stout. It was pretty darned good as well.

Overall, I'm starting to notice that almost all craft breweries have the usual suspects which consist of a pale ale, a wheat beer, an IPA, a stout and/or porter, a blonde ale and/or pilsner, and then they'll have something unique that you don't find very often. The biggest exception seems to be Gordon Biersch, which specializes in lagers. Also, Pyramid, while offering a lot of the usual suspects, specializes in wheat beers. I have this feeling that there's some new angle out there that somebody's going to jump on one of these days, and it should be interesting when it happens.

This town's not big enough for the two of us

Writing about how my wife and I chose the name of our son got me to thinking about the unfortunate fact that I have one of the most common last names in the world. While "Logan Henry" isn't the most common name in the world, no doubt he will learn about at least a few others in his lifetime. (I was already just informed via Facebook of an eight-year-old out there named "Logan Henry". At least I don't know him personally.)

I've always been happy about the fact that my first name was both familiar and uncommon. I knew a few while growing up though. There was a Lance who shared a hospital room with me when I was little. I vaguely recall some other Lance who was several grades higher than me when I was in elementary school. I never had another Lance in any of my classes, until I took a Humanities class at DVC and there was not one but two other people with my first name in there. Still, for the most part, I felt pretty unique.

This feeling started to fizzle when I received a phone call years ago from a collection agency. Apparently, I had a huge balance on my American Express card, and they were coming after me. This seemed rather strange to me. I did have an American Express, but I had canceled it a few years before. Not only that, but I was pretty sure that the balance was zero when I closed the account. I was confused, but then when they asked if I was the "Lance Johnson" who was born in 1956, I realized that they had the wrong guy.

I figured that would be the end of that, but about two years later, I received yet another call, and this time I hadn't paid my Master Card. Was it that same Lance Johnson who was giving me a bad reputation? Nope. It was a Lance Johnson who was born in 1965! (I'll admit, I'm kind of making up these dates, as I can't remember numbers very well. I do remember well enough that it was two different dates.)

I hadn't received any more calls, but one day I got a letter in the mail. It turned out that I hadn't been paying my child support. No, it wasn't a letter from the future, where my wife wised up and left me, and I had to pay support payments for Logan. It was for a Lance H. Johnson - who lived just around the corner from my house! When I went to give it to the guy, I apologized for opening up his mail, as I didn't look at the address having figured that it must have been for me considering that my name was on it.

I haven't had anything like this, but whenever I go to the Homebrew shop, I have to specify not only that I'm the Lance Johnson who lives in Martinez, but that I'm also the one who lives on Brookside Drive.

I feel so insignificant.

Logan Henry Johnson

Last Wednesday, Kirsti and I found out that we're going to be having a boy. We had decided some time ago that we wanted to find out the sex of our baby as soon as possible. My reasoning is that he starts to become a little less abstract in my mind when I can refer to him as a "he" rather than as an "it". Also, we can start preparing his room and getting the appropriate clothes for him. I don't quite understand the "Don't you want to be surprised?" question that you get from some people. After all, it's really not that much of a surprise when there are only two options. Even with that though, it's still a surprise; it just comes a little bit earlier.

We also have a name, and just in case you don't want to take the time to reread the headline of this post, his name is Logan Henry Johnson. How did we come about this name? It definitely took some time. When it came to girl names, we had a lot that we liked from which to choose. Boy names though? That was a bit tougher. We had a conversation where I listed through various characters from mythology, but that wasn't getting us anywhere. (And Heimdall is such a strong, masculine name!) We then went through the names of Shakespeare's characters, but we're not Italian enough to pull of names like Benvolio. Ultimately, we went through the names of comic book characters - or their secret identities to be more specific. For the most part, the names were a bit too plain for our tastes, but when I said the "real" name of Wolverine, Kirsti's eyes lit up and said, "I like that!" (Comics nerds will note that his real name is James Howlett, but for the longest time, he thought that his real name was Logan, and that still is what everybody calls him.)

What about Henry? I was pushing for that one as a first name, but Kirsti wasn't going for it. I just like the sound of it, and it's not too common. Also, it has a very royal sound to it (see Henry I - VIII). Lucky for me, I managed to convince her to use it as a middle name, and it's been steadily growing on her ever since. Besides, the name Logan Henry Johnson has a nice ring to it. It sounds like the name of a President or some other important person, doesn't it?

I always said that I wanted to avoid the most common names when I had a child. From what I've read, Logan is currently the 19th most popular name in the country right now. That's not too popular, and I really can't think of many Logans that I've known in my lifetime. I'm glad that we managed to avoid having a name that was in the top ten at least.

Some folks might very well be wondering if there's any sense of disappointment, as when we were trying to adopt, we specifically asked for a girl. I'll admit that I was hoping for a girl. However, the word "disappointment" isn't quite right. When we saw (and trust me, it was obvious) that he was a boy, I was more happy about the fact that I finally knew what he was than anything else. Also, with each passing day I imagine what things will be like with my pal Logan. I suppose if having a boy instead of a girl is the worst thing that ever happens to me, I will have lived a very fortunate life. I suppose that if I wanted to scar him for life, I could insist that he wear dresses while I call him "Lola".

With this new bit of information, the reality of becoming a father is starting to sink in a little more every day. That's originally what I wanted to write about, but that's going to have to be a separate entry. Maybe I'll get to it later today.

Boycottin' beers

It's really not saying very much when I say that I'm boycotting a particular brand of beer. Not only is it pretty insignificant due to the fact that I'm just one guy, but it's even less significant considering that about 95% of the beer I drink is the stuff that I make. Still, I was inspired by the movie Beer Wars to rethink the kinds of beers that I buy when I feel like getting something that didn't start from the hose in my backyard.

I had written some time ago (I can't seem to find the link to it though) about Budweiser's American Ale and how I was pretty excited at the prospects of the big brewers starting to delve into making craft beers. My rationale was that a lot of people who might not normally try a Sierra Nevada might try something with the name Budweiser on it, and from there they might move on to try beers made by the smaller breweries. I haven't completely changed my mind about this, and I still think that there's some merit to this argument.

The kinds of beers that I'm more opposed to are the likes of Blue Moon, Shock Top, and Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale. What's wrong with these beers, you might ask? Well, nothing's really wrong with them. Blue Moon is a decent witbier, and Shock Top's not bad either. (Truth to tell though, I preferred Sam Adams now-defunct Spring Ale and my own personal homebrewed wit. Hoegaarden's not bad either, probably because they're the original witbier.) Same goes for Jack's. Then what's the problem? The problem is that they're made by the big breweries. Blue Moon comes from Coors and the other two come from Anheuser Busch (Budweiser).

That's not necessarily so awful, but the thing that I resent is that they don't openly advertise this fact. In the movie, they showed how Shock Top has a completely bogus brewery on the label, and if you go to the address, you wind up at the Budweiser plant in Fairfield, California. Why would they do such a thing? Mainly to drive the smaller breweries out of business. According to the film, beer sales are stagnant right now with one major exception, and that is the craft beer market. Not content to have the vast majority of beer sales with watered-down crap like Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Light, these breweries are trying to take up more space at the grocery store at the expense of the smaller - and usually better - breweries. Of course, they can do this because they have the advertising and distribution muscle that the smaller guys can only dream of having.

Basically, the thing that I learned is that the big breweries are only getting bigger as one huge brewery buys out another one. Ultimately, they will try and get as much of their stuff on the shelf as possible. Why else would they create things like Budweiser Select? Do you really think that there was a high demand for a watered-down light beer that wasn't Bud Light?

I suppose that if somebody offers me a Blue Moon, I won't turn them down. However, I won't be giving my money to Coors. (Actually, I have a wit that I bottled a few days ago, so there really is no need.) I'll also be careful that when I do buy something that seems like a craft brew, I'll make darned sure that I really am supporting a company that actually cares about making good beer and not just eating into another demographic.

Clash of the Titans Redux

Last night I went to see the new Clash of the Titans. I figured that I would probably go and see it no matter what, seeing as how I'm such a huge fan of Greek Mythology. I admit that I was a bit disappointed when I heard that they were remaking the 1981 film. That's not so much because I'm a purist when it comes to the original. Sure, I fondly remember my dad taking my sister and me to see it after school on the last day of first grade. I've also seen it many times since, and I have shown it to my freshmen classes many times, either in parts or in its entirety.

No, the reason why I was disappointed was that they had decided to remake the movie rather than simply retell the Perseus myth. After becoming so well familiar with the original story, I found myself wishing that somebody would take another crack at it. I guess Clash of the Titans has more cache than Perseus though. For those who don't know, the movie made many changes to the original story. Now, I don't mind the little details like how Perseus rides Pegasus rather than have him wearing the winged sandals of Hermes. Think about it - what makes for a cooler visual? That stuff doesn't bother me. It even doesn't bother me that he fights The Kraken - a monster from Norse Mythology. After all, a monster is a monster for the most part, right? The sea monster from the original myth really doesn't have much of anything about him that stands out from what I remember, so why not the Kraken? And who cares if it looks nothing like what it's supposed to look like?

That said, there was enough from the myth that got put into the movie - namely Medusa, the Grey Women, and Perseus being placed in a chest with his mom when he was just a baby. As for the changes, much of it was just taken from other myths, and it held true to a lot of broad mythological themes - like how the gods manipulate people and how people struggle through the difficulties that are presented to them.

So, what did I think? I absolutely loved it. I left the theater feeling happy. Honestly, it's even further removed from the myth than the original version, but none of that bothered me. I also don't understand why it's taking such a thrashing from the critics. Sure, it's a big, goofy, cheesy, ridiculous movie, but I don't think that it's aspiring to be much more than that. I definitely think it succeeds in doing what it sets out to do, and I reckon that it'll probably do well even after the opening week, and it will continue to do well on home video. The main character is pretty one-dimensional, but aren't most mythical heroes that way? Also, it's pretty much just one action scene after another, but again, isn't that what you get in a lot of myths as well?

I understand why critics aren't raving about it, but the negative reviews seem to be a bit overboard. (To be fair though, there seems to be a few who appreciate it on the level that I do, Roger Ebert and AO Scott to name a couple of them.) I wonder if much of it has to do with the fact that supposedly it really doesn't look very good in 3-D. Personally, I made a point of seeing it in 2-D, and that was before reading Ebert's recommendation. I knew that it wasn't originally filmed in 3-D, and they only transferred it in order to be able to jump on the bandwagon and charge more per ticket. I also think that maybe some people are remembering the original with rose-colored glasses. Let's face it - the original is a bit of a silly movie as well.

Still, even though it's a total B-movie, I don't think that it's completely without its merits. I really liked the visual design of the film. Some of the stuff that really stood out were the Jinn (a Middle Eastern concept - but hey, the Kraken ain't Greek either). They looked awesome, and I liked the way they were able to control the giant scorpions. Did it make any sense that they were able to do that? Not really. One reviewer complained that it was a "Deus ex Machina." That seems like a strange complaint when you're dealing with Mythology though, doesn't it? Still, I liked the way they looked, and I just accepted them as the mysterious helpers who showed out of nowhere and had no discernible reason for helping the heroes. Another cool visual was the boat of Charon, which was pulled by a couple of swimming zombies. Lastly, I have to say that the Kraken was definitely a good use of CGI. The thing was massive, and the screen could barely contain it in its entirety. I never once thought to myself while watching it that it was an effect. Oh, and I gotta say that as far as a black Pegasus is concerned - why the heck not? (I will say though that I actually liked the old Medusa better. She's better when she's uglier and moves more slowly and deliberately. Why would a chick who could turn you to stone just with a glance be in such a damned hurry?)

I'll even go so far as to say that Perseus in this film is a slightly more interesting character than he was in the original. This one has an inner conflict, as he wants to completely reject his godhood and embrace his humanity. However, when faced with a task of this magnitude, he has to compromise from time to time. Now, don't go expecting some kind of Last Temptation of Christ meditation on the nature of manhood mixed with divinity, but at least it gives him a character arc.

Am I recommending this film? I guess it depends on who you are. If you love Mythology, but you're not a purist, then you might want to check it out. If you like B-movies done right, then this just might be your thing. If you like a guy fighting monsters, monsters and more monsters, and you just want to be entertained, then you just might like it. If you can appreciate good special effects, then you can probably dig it.

What can I say? Just keep in mind that just like with superhero movies, I tend to have a bit of a blind spot when it comes to the material. Keep that in mind if you're going to factor in my review as to whether you should see this or not. Personally, I can't wait for the Blu-Ray.

Release the muthaf#ckin' Kraken already!

WonderCon Roundup

Even though I skipped WonderCon (for the first time in more than twenty years) last year, I decided to go ahead and go this year. The plan was to go on Sunday when it would be less crowded, and not fill up the day with various panels that give you information that you could eventually get on the internet. I wanted to spend time walking around and maybe even getting an autograph or finding some good deals on some comics that I had to pass up for various reasons.

I have to say that I had a great time. The highlight was that I got to meet Ted McKeever. While I can't say that I'm a super-huge fan of his work, I did really like his story for the Batman: Black and White anthology several years back. In fact, I like it so much that I share it with my students when I do my comic book lesson. It's really great because it gives me a chance to explain the nature of comics (or sequential art, if you want to get all pretentious) and how our minds have to fill in so much of the information that goes on between the panels. Not only that, but it's a very offbeat Batman story, and it relies very heavily on symbolism. My students often chuckle when I say that we're going to do a lesson on comics, but then they realize just how serious this stuff can be when I give them this story to read. Anyway, I got a chance to tell Mr. McKeever about this. He was really appreciative, and we got to have a short conversation on comics, symbolism, and teaching.

Another cool moment was going to the panel for IDW's Kill Shakespeare. If you don't want to click on the link, the basic premise is that you have a bunch of Shakespeare's famous characters interacting with one another (like Hamlet, Lady Macbeth, Richard III, Juliet, Othello, etcetera) and the mission that's given to them is to kill a certain William Shakespeare. I bought the first issue, so I haven't read it yet. However, after listening to the creators, I have a feeling that it's going to be a lot of goofy fun that's right up the ally of people like me who like both Shakespeare and comics. It doesn't seem very highbrow, but it doesn't seem like a dumbed-down version of Shakespeare's famous creations either.

The cool thing is that one of the guys on the panel was an English professor at Stanford. He actually expressed that he didn't really like the concept of it, and he was worried that it would confuse too many people who had yet to be introduced to the real Shakespeare. He did admit though that he was probably more of a purist than Shakespeare himself would have been if he were alive today to give his thoughts on the comic. (I sure hope somebody drinks a beer in that comic - that would really make my day.)

Aside from that, I got some pretty sweet deals. I got a really cool-looking comic called Testament that tells old stories from the Bible, but it's not some cheesy Bible-lesson. It has some really great artists (Bill Sienkiewicz, Sergio Aragones, Steve Rude, etcetera) telling the stories. I even managed to get Aragones to sign his section for me. (If you read Mad magazine, then he's the guy who normally draws the little cartoons that you can find in the margins. He's also done a heck of a lot of other stuff.) I also got one that tells the story of Samson, and again, it's not some watered-down Bible lesson for kids. It treats it like it's supposed to be treated - like a legend, a classic story that has stood the test of time. It's really great looking stuff, and it includes the original (okay, an English translation) story from the Book of Judges at the end of the comic so readers can compare and contrast.

I also walked away with some cool deals and got a bunch of free comics from the DC booth. Some of it I'll read, but much of it will go into the big box of comics that I leave in my classroom for SSR.

Will I be going again next year? We'll see...

Comics Roundup for 3/31/10

So few books came out this week that I forgot to write about them. Here's what I got:

Blackest Night #8 (of 8) - This was a satisfying end to a very far-reaching story, and just like any good comic book story, it has you wondering what's in store for the heroes now that this particular crisis has been averted. It was also good to see that Sinestro didn't get to hang on to the White Lantern for very long, as even though he had the desire to beat back the Blackest Night, in the end it was all about his own glory. For Hal Jordan, it was about doing the right thing, and it only made sense that victory came when he got a hold of it. Another thing that I liked about the conclusion was how it was resolved by attacking it at its source, which was Black Hand. The solution also made perfect sense in context. Anyway, I'll be sure to pick up the beginning of Brightest Day at the very least.

The Amazing Spider-Man #627 - "Something Can Stop the Juggernaut" indeed. After several lackluster issues (art-wise) it was great to see Lee Weeks on board. Looks like he's sticking around for the next issue as well. Not only that, but I hope that they can get Roger Stern to write some more Spidey stories in the near future. I just missed his initial run on the title back in the early eighties, but the bits that I have read are all pretty solid.

Astro City: The Dark Age - Book Four #3 (of 4) - I'm waiting for the series to end, and then I'll read the entire epic. I keep forgetting who's who when I go a month in between issues. I think that my head is filled with too many mythologies. I just can't keep up sometimes.