Circle the Square - Session 4 - March 28

I love my wife. She came home from a conference in Minneapolis and said "Let's go to the Square for dinner". So I got to work on circling the square some more. We perched on the corner of the crowded bar and I was able to have two more punches added to my card. For those of you keeping count, this is 8 total. The first one was from Oregon, Dead Guy Ale. It went great with the shredded beef quesadillas, but was mostly gone before the food arrived. Ok, so I was thirsty. I then told Ef to get me something else on the card. He first wanted to have me go with the Fat Tire but I looked at the size of the bottle and decided that was not a second beer choice. It will wait for a single beer choice session. He then read my mind and brought me the Bells Porter. I am a big fan of porters and this one does not disappoint me.

Circle the Square - Session 3 - March 27

How better to follow-up lunch at the Square, then to return for dinner? This turned into a 3-brew session thanks to Ef insisting that I needed dessert. The first beer was the Paulaner Hefe-Weizen. I am not a fan of beers that are served with fruit but I was able to avoid the lemon stuck to the glass. Since I was having Mexican for dinner (don't miss the Mexican section of their menu - the food is great!), I had a Bohemia. Very light and tasty with my mole enchiladas. Then the bartender decided that I needed dessert, so he brought me a Duvel. It is a little sweet but read the label carefully. It is a 8.5% brew. I also found a drawback to taking these photos with my iPhone. As I was lining up the shot of the Duvel, one of the waitresses (Jamie) came by and picked up the bottle and said "Oooo, I love the shape of these bottles, don't you?"

Circle the Square - Session 2 - March 27

Ok, I snuck down to the Square for lunch and couldn't resist having one beer. My choice was the Bell's Amber Ale. A good lunch brew!

Circle the Square - Session 1 - March 22

Ok, I promised beer postings so here is the first session. I was surprised by my first selection. I was looking for the worst one to get it out of the way, but I found it a decent beer. I had the Negra Modelo as my first punch on the card. I followed that with a completely different beer, the Lucifer. I am already starting to believe that they only choose good easy drinking beers for the card.

Circle the Square

My favorite little bar and grill, Washington Square, has started a new promotion. All you need to do is get one of their "Circle the Square" cards and get all of the names punched around the edge. Simple enough, right? The catch is, of course, that all the names are bottled beers that they stock and to get the punch you have to purchase and drink the beer. There are 20 beers on the card and some are better than others in my opinion. I started last Saturday, March 22nd with my card. That was after one of the T-shirt model and bartenders accosted me with "You have got to start one of these cards" as soon as I walked in. I did get photos of the shirt. I like the quote on the back of the shirt, "A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be throughly sure."

I plan to post photos of the beers as I 'Circle the Square' and in fact have 8 to post already. Stop by Washington Square Bar and Grill at 4736 Washington Square, White Bear Lake, MN 55110 and get started on circling the square.

It's a quiet evening

I am finally taking some time to just sit and enjoy the quiet. As I look around the room the lights are off and the main light in the room is the glow of the laptop screen. I have that dimmed as well. I know that the hustle and bustle of the weekend will be starting soon. My daughter is coming home for the weekend and my son returns from Europe on Monday. I feel like I should be doing something but then I realize that I am - I am enjoying a little peace and quiet - we have not run out.

Our son is ready for Europe

I am jealous - we are sending our son to Europe for his final spring break as a graduation present. Now he will have to graduate when he returns. It seems that he is ready. He just had a birthday and his wish list included Euros. His grandparents came through!

Got my ducks in a row

While walking between casinos in Laughlin, NV I was able to find that I had my ducks in a row.

Finally posted Trivia Weekend photos

Doing trivia for 50 hours straight is very hard on a person. More photos on flickr

Who said the lunar eclipse didn't affect things?

I think I found an after effect from the the lunar eclipse. Or is this beer just that powerful?

College town coffeehouse - Cup or Bowl?

It is a different atmosphere trying to study in a coffeehouse across the street from a college campus. It isn't even the school I attend! I got through the reading but it was difficult. I think we sat too close to the counter. Banging those shots and the steamer and the shouting between the workers. The coffee however was very good. I am not sure if I got a cup or a bowl.

We are in Winona, Minnesota and came down yesterday to attend A Prairie Home Companion. Yes, it is normally a 20 minute drive from home but where is the fun in that? We have not attended APHC at it's home at the Fitzgerald in downtown St. Paul. Instead, it is a 2 1/2 hour drive to Winona. This way we got to attend with our daughter. Today, the coffee shop while our daughter is in a rehearsal for the Winona Symphony concert later this afternoon. After that concert we get the 2 1/2 hour drive back home.

Ursula's Wine Bar

If you are in the White Bear Lake area in Minnesota, the place to eat and enjoy a great glass of wine (or two or three) is Ursula's Wine Bar. This is a tiny little place on the edge of 'downtown' White Bear Lake just west of highway 61. The food is great and the owner knows his wine. I finished off my dinner with a nice Port. I would say wonderful things about the great staff there but it would just go to their heads.

First attempt to post to this blog from my iPhone

This is my first try at posting to my blog from my iPhone. Trying to make use of this little keyboard is a challenge. We are currently all in the living room, one of the few rooms on our house without a TV. Of course, I do have my iPhone, daughter has her MacBook, and my wife has her Nintendo DS. Ah, the 21st century family!

23 Things On A Stick

Ok - now my wife has me learning more about the web via a web-based library web instruction tutorial called 23 Things On A Stick. Check out my new avatar on the right!

Trivia Weekend coming soon

I am feeling better about Trivia Weekend the weekend of February 8th. I was able to post an answer to the team wiki for one of the visual trivia questions. It sure helps that some of the other teams have posted questions publicly for all to gather. So, of course, this post will be intentionally vague. I was not able to participate last year due to a conflict with a trip to Mexico. This year it looks like the entire family may be participating on the team.

Back to School

The spring semester has begun and I have had one class session. The class meets in a technology laden room. There are two projectors with screens that come down automatically when the projectors are turned on. There are also 5 HD screens mounted on the walls and the tables have connectors to allow the students to connect to the projection system. Perfect room for a class called 'Visual Rhetoric'.

iPhone World Clock refuses to let go of 2007?

I just checked the world clock on my iPhone to see if my nephew was now in the next year since he is currently in India. The iPhone shows the right time but the date for the other timezones is wrong. Tokyo and New Delhi should both be in 2008 already and it shows 07/12/31 not 08/01/01. I took a photo to show this. Yes, my iPhone is set automatically and it is showing today is 07/12/31.

Merry Christmas

Well the title for this blog entry was easy.

I have completed another semester in my quest to get a second Masters degree. I am also maintaining an A average. Ok, so some of them have a little horizontal line following them. I am now officially in the Masters program and get to plan on more classes for a couple of years. I even get an official advisor and plan to meet and put together a map to get from where I am now to the graduation.

The Christmas shopping is all done and the cards should have been in the mail. Technical difficulties prevented that. Hallmark Photo Cards have no traction in a printer. It is hard to tell the glossy side from the back and trying to print proved nearly impossible. I wasted 2 for every good one. Had to order HP Photo Cards and they won't arrive until the end of the week. I guess I will be changing my design to include Happy New Year! The HP cards have a backing that almost feels like sandpaper in comparison to the Hallmark cards. I ordered enough of the HP cards to take care of next year too so I might even get the cards out before Christmas.

Today we get to start opening presents - first at our house, then at my in-laws. Then tomorrow we open our stockings at home and then at my parents. Lastly we open additional presents at my parents. This is all intermingled with food and drink. Most importantly though we reflect on the gift that God gave us at this holiday time. Our redemption in the form of the baby, Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

B&B - 2nd stay

The start of the concert season gave us the opportunity for a second time at the B&B in Winona. This time we were able to get the Maude King Alexander room in the front of the house. This room is huge and has a huge bathroom including a shower and separate tub.

Winona B&B - First time at a B&B

With a daughter in a symphony orchestra, we have a good excuse to get away. We discovered a better way to stay in Winona. Last school year we were staying at the Holiday Inn. Most of the nights were bought using points earned over years of business travel. When we had to spend real money we looked at what alternatives were available. We never thought of ourselves as B&B people but the Alexander Mansion in Winona has won us over. For the same price as a room in the Holiday Inn we get a wonderfully decorated room in a mansion formerly owned by one of the founders of Watkins. Also in the price is a wine and cheese reception and a 5-course breakfast that is awesome!
Our first time was at the start of the school year and we stayed in the Maid Mary room. It was a smaller room in the back of the house. That night was part of our 25th anniversary celebration. The other guests that night included a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary and a couple that had been married a year ago at the B&B.