Kayaking

I went to Wyman Pond to get out of the house for a bit, and enjoy the fresh air in a kayak. I spent from about 3pm to 4:30pm paddling and taking photos, and drinking a Wachusett beer.

Mute Math

I arrived at Alewife at 5:45.

I rode the Red Line and the Green Line, getting off at Coolidge Corner

to have dinner with Brian at the Coolidge Corner Clubhouse.

I had an amazing Harpoon Imperial Pumpkin Ale. It was so strong (10.5% abv), 

that I could feel it after just a few sips.

Then it was a steak wrap (very good) and a Goose Island IPA - 

what a great beer, super hoppy!

After that we walked the mile to Great Scott in Allston to see Mute Math.

The doorman was a humorless ass.

The opening act was a DJ named Quiet Entertainer. He was cool, and the set was mostly good, 

with some amazing highs and some sound-tech issue lows.

Mute Math kicked ass.

It was just as powerful and frenetic and bass-heavy as I'd remembered 

from the previous two times I've seen them live.

The old songs were great, the middle stuff was good, and the 

new stuff was pretty decent as well.

A great show.

Beach and Brewery and Bros

I decided to head up to New Hampshire to hang out with my old friends on a Friday night.

I left the house at 3 pm, and headed for Hampton Beach. The traffic was so bad on 495 North, that it took me two hours for what would normally be about a 75-minute drive. But once I hit the sand, and the salt air hit my nose, I didn't care anymore. I took a few photos (including one of "LEGO Ken" holding a 'Hi Miss K! ♥' flag, which I messaged to Karley), and then hung out in the surf for a half hour, swimming, floating, and just enjoying the feel (and taste) of the Atlantic Ocean.

At 6:15 I headed to the Red Hook Brewery to meet the guys for beer and food. First, I changed in the car, and then I went to the bathroom to wash the sunscreen and salt water off my hands and face. I got an ESB at the bar, and bought Erik a beer too when he walked in 2 minutes later. Brian showed up soon after, I snagged him a beer, and then we got a table. Chris showed up about 30 minutes later, and we all shared tortilla chips & salsa and some cheese quesadillas. Brian's girlfriend Jackie arrived later, and Rob soon after, and I had a crappy burger and chips, Brian got the mac & cheese, Erik snagged some buffalo tenders, and Chris got some nachos.

After we settled our bill, we all got in our various cars (minus Jackie), and drove over to Chris' 3rd-story apartment in Exeter. Brian & I walked to Gerry's Variety for beer, and then we all hung out til around one am, drinking beer, reminiscing about old times (Barnes & Noble, music, ex girlfriends, etc...).

I drove home with the stereo blasting either WXGR or my current favorite pop songs, and arrived home at 2:30 am, a very happy guy, for having spent an evening with 4 of my best friends.

1st Lake Day

How the hell is it possible that today is the FIRST day I've been down to the lake all year?

It was so nice to be there, I forgot to smile.

I brought 3 of each, but only had 2 of the Summer of Lager.

I had planned on swimming, but Sarah had the girls and 4 of their friends over,
so I read instead.

Sooooo Good

I worked 9-3, then went food shopping (Chumble needed dry food and I needed fruits & veggies).

I decided to buy some beer since I haven't had any in my house since late 2014, and hadn't drunk one since I hit the Gardner Ale House with Jay back in January.

So I snagged a growler of Opa-Opa IPA. The first sniff sent me back to summer island trips to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. And the fact that I have been eating super-healthy for many months now, and haven't drunk much, has rendered me a bit loopy from just one pint!

Gooooood beer.

Gardner Ale House

I hung out with my old roommate Jay at the Gardner Ale House tonight. I had 5 beers: 3 house Winter Lagers, a BBC Steel ESB, and a final Winter Lager. The Mustang Burger I had for supper was amazing. It was a bacon cheeseburger with fried onions and barbecue sauce, plus awesome fries.

There was a live duo playing covers off & on too.
They weren't bad, though the singer's voice was higher than I would have liked:

We stayed at the bar 'til 11 or so, then hung out at Jay's cool new loft-style apartment for an hour, before I took off into the cold January night. We may watch the Superbowl at his place with some of the guys in a few weeks too!

Beer & Sunset

Lake 6 - 8 pm, floating with 2 red Hook ESBs!

The sky was nearly cloudless, and the temp was 88 degrees (but dry).

Sunset & Beer

Ballast Point Brewing Company's Sculpin IPA - SO good!
...and yet another amazing sunset down at the lake (the 2 photos were taken 15 minutes apart, 7:45 pm and 8:00 pm).

Second Fyah

I went down to the lake today (after drawing for most of the morning, and then deciding not to waste the sunlight after 3 cloudy days). I made a fire, read a bunch of "Wrath of a Mad God", and broke in my Brave Star Selvage denim and my new Vans shoes.

I ate hot dogs & Wachusett chips (ruffled), drank 2 Wachusett beers, and read until it began raining. I packed up the car, read some more to see if the rain would stop (it did for about ten minutes), and then drove home in a downpour that included a few minutes of pencil eraser-sized hail! It was worth the trip, though Two hours of sunny lakeside peace.

First Fyah

I had 3 hot dogs and 3 beers (Sam Adams Summer) today at the lake. I also read 100 pages of "Flight of the Nighthawks". It was a great afternoon.

Dig and Build

I went down to the lake today to clean out the fire pit. I also tore it down, and moved it a few feet farther from the water before I reassembled it. Then I built a bench out of a good piece of lumber and two of the more sturdy tree stumps. It will hold either two adults or three kids safely!

And except for all the biting flies, it was a perfect spring day. I read some of "King of Foxes" (Feist), had a Magic Hat 'Ticket to Rye' (finally, another good beer besides their #9 from their Spring Sampler),and enjoyed the sun and breezes.

Tavern

I headed over to Tavern in the Square last night to hang with my friends from Brookstone, after stopping in at the store to see who was working. I got to hang out with Tommy, Nick and Kevin for a bit (walking into the store was like visiting one's old elementary school classroom while in high school - it looked a LOT smaller than I remembered). Then at 6:30 it was over to the restaurant.

Mike & Cody were in the parking lot, so the three of us went in, grabbed two booths (we wound up only needing one, but better safe than sorry), and had a round and two appetizers between us. We got cheese & bacon waffle fries and a calamari to share, and I got a tall Harpoon IPA.

The other guys arrived an hour later and we all got dinner and hung out until around ten. What a good time. I missed that group of guys, and I can't believe it'd been six months since we all got to hang out. I plan to make it more frequent. Side note: the staff of the Burlington location was top-notch.

Dinner menu: I had the Cowboy Burger (cheddar, apple smoked bacon, BBQ sauce and onion fries) medium well with french fries and a Cisco Grey Lady. What a good beer! Oddly spicy, and I didn't finish it, but I plan on getting it again soon, most likely when I head down to the lake.

Steak & Beer

I don't drink when I am not with friends (I just don't love it enough to make it a daily occurrence), but occasionally I like a beer with supper.

So last night I cooked a steak with salt & pepper, buttered up some crusty bread, and sliced a tomato, and ate them with a Wachusett Imperial Black IPA. Great beer (though I only drank half of a pint), and an even better steak.

Redbones & Saloon

dfsdfsdf

Lake & Beer

I raced home from work directly to the lake, and had just enough time to see the tail end of the sunset, and drink one beer (and eat 4 small Slim Jims - yum!):

July Interlude: Day 6

text & photos later

July Interlude: Day 5

I slept in until 10 again. Breakfast was Mandarin oranges, a corn muffin and coffee. Lunch was half a pepperoni & mushroom pizza and Pepsi. I drew (see below). And at 6 pm I showered, and then ran a bunch of errands: comic shop, ATM ( I got my 3 mileage checks all in one - $260!), foodshopping, and the liquor store for a 6-pack of Smuttynose Old Brown Dog for tomorrow. I talked to/left messages for the following on the phone about tomorrow's Music Fest: Kevin, Sarah, Keith, Erik and Jay.

I watched a lot of surfing later in the evening (up until 10 pm). Kelly Slater beat Mick Fanning at Cloud Break in Fiji. Then I cleaned the burners on the stove (good soaking, then rub-down). And last, but definitely not least, at 11:30 I worked out. It felt great.

July Interlude: Day 4

Today began as a day of sloth, and ended with a lot of action.

I had coffee & Pop-Tarts for breakfast, after walking across the street to buy ½ & ½. I watched "Gangster Squad" (pretty good). I built 2/3 of my Y-Wing LEGO kit. I drew a demon fairy. I had McDonald's for a late lunch after bringing Sabrino to his check-up (so far, so good!). I watched sports TV (surfing in Fiji, and "ATH" & "PTI").

And then at 8:30 pm I shaved & showered, and headed out to the Gardner Ale House to hang out with Mike, Pete, Jim, Dave, Ann, Nicki, Randi, Robert and Kim. What a blast. Our short haired blonde waitress was a sweetheart and hot, and I had the lobster quesadilla and four of the house XSB beers. There was live music -Audio Wasabi, with Johnny Snowpants and "Summer Songs. I am so glad I went.

July Interlude: Day 3

Not a lot going on today:

I did manage to shave my head, and read a trade paperback ("X-Men: Supernovas"), plus neaten things up a bit around the apartment. I ordered out for a double bacon cheeseburger deluxe for supper. Sabrino was obsessed with the mouse in the walls. And I added some music to my iPod Nano, including the remastered version of "Explorations" by Bill Evans Trio.

Oh yeah, and I did some drawing, and had a beer too:

July Interlude: Day 2

I slept in until 10:30. Breakfast was cereal & coffee. I watched a trippy episode of "Falling Skies" (S3/E8), and then hung out online for awhile. It rained all morning, and hard.

I got Chinese for a late lunch/early supper - chicken wings, chicken fingers, and pork fried rice. I watched "A Good Day to Die Hard" (not bad...) and then  "ATH" & "PTI", while organizing one of my two large bookcases, and reading a cool comic anthology from Image called "Dia de los Muertos". I did laundry and dishes too, and i drew off and on (doodling, mostly).

I was going to go into Boston to hang out with Jay at TOAD, and see Abbie Barrett and her band perform, but I was still recovering from the last few days' malady (headache, sore throat, stuffy and/or leaky nose, etc...), but I stayed home, and got the aforementioned done.