Northern California Homebrewers Festival

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Last week, Izzy & I went to the California Academy of Sciences for Nightlife… so here are a few pictures from that… always fun…

 

This past weekend was the 19^th edition of the Northern California Homebrewers Festival at Lake Francis… and it was glorious as usual. Once a year, homebrew clubs from across the state meet up, rent out a campground, and basically have a magnificent 36 hours of worship towards Beer!!! This was our 3^rd time attending… and first time that we were actually there for the Friday night portion, including Hoppy Hour (though we got there just as they were wrapping up). Here are pictures…

 

The theme this year was Belgium, famous for waffles, chocolate, all kinds of stuff… but most importantly… monks making beer!!! Well, they’re also famous for… Les Stroumpfs… aka The Smurfs!!! So the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild decided to decorate our booth in the fashion of a Smurf Village… and here are some wonderful pictures of our booth…

 

…and there were plenty of other booths with great designs…

 

So yeah, the event was amazing, the people were great, the weather was decent, camping is fun, beer is yummy, as is greasy food, so yeah… can’t wait to go again next year!!! Until next time, have a great weekend everybody!!!

Makin' Big Moves

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

Sorry it's been so long... I've been really busy... and unfortunately pictures aren't downloading right so... a brief recap, picture-free... my apologies.

 

Last Wednesday night was the first test taste of our newest Torpedo Clone / India Pale Ale batch… and honestly, it’s pretty damn good. Now, it’s not super hoppy, which is good because then we’ll drink it pretty quickly… but it’s definitely hoppier than our Pale Ale that we’ve made in the past. I’m pretty impressed with ourselves. We'll see how it fares in the SFHG competition.

 

My Mom also came to town this past week due to my fast approaching birthday… and frankly I think she just misses me. We got to hang out on Friday, basically the usual trip out to the Taco Bell in Pacifica (oddly enough, her favorite spot here in the Bay Area) and then we went to the DeYoung Museum to see a bunch of dresses by Oscar de la Renta… enthralling!!! Here is where pictures would be... but they're dresses... and I'm a Man.

 

Friday night was my company’s Anniversary Dinner and it was pretty good. Izzy was my +1 and looking super hot as always… we ate prime rib, mock sushi & pork belly… we cut up the rug… and we were back before too late to hang with my mom. I don’t really have any pictures of that… but may have some later.

 

Saturday was Steve-toberfest!!! Yes, the annual celebration of my glorious birth in which friends & family from around the globe flock to the Bay Area to drink beer, enjoy great food & just have a helluva good time!!! There were about a dozen of the best people in my life that came to hang… and a great time was had by all. I’m always a little impressed with all of the wonderful people that I’ve been able to surround myself with in my truly blessed life. It humbles me… at least for a few moments… but seriously, you’re all amazing and I love & miss all of you. No pictures of this one either… the drinking started early & it involved “Exploding Kittens”.

 

Sunday, my mom FINALLY got to meet Izzy’s mom… and we hung out with her aunties for dinner… and Sunday was pretty good.

 

That is… at least until the usual roommate shenanigans started up again over the next few days this past week… and a whole bunch of other negativity that I’m just not going to delve into… but the long & the short of it is… wait for it… IZZY & I ARE FINALLY MOVING IN TOGETHER!!! Essentially, I’ve found the love of my life… we’ve basically been living together for the most part across both homes… it’ll save us a bunch of money… and I’m just f**king sick of roommates, especially when they’re catty little c*nts in their 20’s who have never lived without a parent cleaning up for them & simply cannot take care of themselves. Therefore, over the next month or so… I’m going to be moving after over five years in the latest place… but yeah, I’m done with that sh*t. On to the next one… let’s see what else is out there…

 

The new episode of the Everything I Learned From Movies podcast has posted… and we WERE going to have our FIRST SPECIAL GUEST… but unfortunately due to a lot of that negative jibber jabber, IT DIDN’T WORK OUT!!! Spoiler alert: the guest was going to be my Mom… and the movie that Izzy & I discuss on this special birthday episode is the 1986 classic from my childhood, “Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend” starring Sean Young, the Greatest American Hero, Edward the Longshanks and… BABY!!! The namesake of my 1969 Pontiac LeMans!!! Be sure to check this episode out, and of course subscribe & follow us on all the social mediums. Until then, have a great day everybody!!!

Easter Funny Kill Bill!!!

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

It’s been a little bit of a busy week wrapping up the 1^st quarter of 2016 and getting wedding / honeymoon information taken care of for August… but I’ve gotten a few movies in to share with you.

 

First up is the movie that was originally going to be featured on the Everything I Learned From Movies Podcast, 2006’s “Easter Bunny Kill Kill!” starring… nobody you know, it’s a very small independent film. We were going to watch this movie & review it… but based on the preview on the DVD, Izzy decided that it was too gory for her… so we switched it up to “Night of the Lepus” which turned out to be for the better. This movie follows a jerkass named Remington (first scene is him sticking up a convenience store in an Easter Bunny mask, then blasts him with a shotgun) who has sleazed his way into being the boyfriend of a single mom whose raising a special needs 16-year old (and I was trying to determine whether her occupation was a nurse or a stripper who wore a nurse’s outfit). Well, he’s all nice when she’s around… but once she goes to work, Remington is verbally abusive to her son… and threatens to kill his bunny… and then one night while he goes off to snort blow & f**k some hookers, he rents out her special needs son’s sweet virgin ass to a child molester. Yeah, this movie gets really dark, really quick. Well… as the title would imply, there is one person who can save his innocence… and that’s the Easter Bunny… who comes to save the day with a power drill, hammer & other assortments from a tool belt. I’m not going to spoil the ending… but yeah, this is a pretty low budget slasher flick. I mean… the acting was pretty bad, but not horrible. Given the movie that they were doing… who am I kidding? It was pretty bad. The “kill scenes” are interesting though a little sloppy on the editing… the music was pretty good for the atmosphere… but yeah, the dialogue was horrible… there’s a lot of “why would you do that?” moments… but yeah, it had an Easter Bunny. I don’t know… I give it 3 out of 10 stars or something like that. I liked Remington’s 10-second “Coke & Hookers” song that he sang in the mirror… and there was some stray titties… but that’s about it.

I followed that up with a movie that actually made me a little scared, the 2015 documentary “The Nightmare” which talks about sleep paralysis and is from the director of “Room 237”. Essentially the movie is a series of interviews with people who suffer from sleep paralysis, a condition in which people go to sleep… but then have lucid dream-like situations where they all seem to have the same experience… where the shadows seem to come alive and torment them, yet they cannot speak, move or even so much as close their eyes or look away while feeling absolutely terrified, sometimes with their breathing and other functions shutting down on them.  Think of it as an incredibly deep sleep where you’re in a dream that you can’t escape… basically the kind of stuff that Wes Craven turned into the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise and the more recent “Insidious” horror franchise is based on… and basically most people who suffer from it think it’s bordering on the line of demonic possessions, even the atheists. This documentary pairs these interviews with some pretty good reenactments of their stories… and apparently there’s really no cure (except for one instance I won’t spoil) and the sleep paralysis gets progressively worse as you get older. I’d highly recommend checking out this movie… it’s very well done & interesting.

 

One reason that it scared me a little bit… is I’ve had a few dreams where there was a form of this (Oct 4^th, 2010 – “Wave of Killers” for one) especially when I’ve had a few to drink, but even when completely sober. No, it’s not a major thing in my life… but it’s happened before… and most of their stories started out like “Yeah, it happened a few times as a kid… and then it just got worse… and now I can’t even go to sleep, hold a relationship, find meaning in my life.” Okay, not that bad… they’ve actually all done pretty well for themselves considering the constant torment of sleep paralysis that they have… but yeah, just a little scary. Don’t worry, I won’t let it get to me. Does anybody else have these kind of dreams occasionally?

 

Saturday night, Izzy & I went to a swanky event known as the Sea Otter Soiree at the world famous San Francisco Zoo, and hosted by the Museum of the Farallones. At this event, we met with likeminded individuals who are interested in all things otter… and listened to a speech about the research being done in the area concerning the migration patterns, ecological benefits & everything else otter-related. Oh… and there was beer, of course… it’s a swanky event. Here are some pictures, including probably one of the best pictures of us ever taken…

 

 

 

Last little update… the next episode of Everything I Learned From Movies (eilfm.podbean.com) will be… drum roll… Day of the Dolphin!!!

 

But $teve, didn’t you already tell us about this wonderful movie months ago?” Yes, Izzy & I watched it a few months ago… but we wanted to elaborate… and share our vocal skills in recreating dolphin noises (well, Izzy anyway). It’s a great flick… and may contain the greatest scene in film history towards the end. Watch it! Let us know what you think! Then we can give you a shout out on the podcast! Until then, have a great day everybody!!!

Mom's Summer Visit 2015

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

My family came in on Wednesday… and by family, I mean my mom, grandma, niece Kairi & nephew Vinny… and they spent the day at the Exploratorium with Izzy… here are a few pictures that she sent me to… I don’t wanna say rub it in while I was at work but… here are pictures…

 

On Thursday, I went to work again… while they went on an apparently badass Duck Tour of the Bay Area…

 

 

...and then I met up with them for the Bay Aquarium down on Pier 39…

 

On Friday, we started the morning with the World’s Best Taco Bell in Pacifica…

 

Then we made our way down to Felton for a ride on the Roaring Camp Railroads, where we took a steam train ride through the giant Redwoods…

Then we went to the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot to see… well, besides a poorly constructed cabin… some entertainment for the kiddies…

 

 

Then we spent some time at our hotel for the evening, the Santa Clara Marriott just a stone’s throw from the Great America Theme Park AND the new Levi’s Stadium where the “San Francisco” 49ers play football… here are some views from the room…

 

Saturday morning, we visited the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose so that the kids could see what they could do with nearly limitless funds & the worst contractors in the world… oh and maybe get a little freaked out about ghosts except that the tour was at 10 AM on a beautiful San Jose day… but yeah, we got to walk through the house and 110 or its 160 rooms (damn I gotta get in the gun trade) and here are some… well, very few pictures… because they’re not allowed… so check out past visits…

 

  

The plan after Winchester was to head to Santa Cruz to show the Boardwalk… but the traffic was all the way back to literally a mile from Winchester… so we decided to go check out more beach at the Taco Bell in Pacifica… because you really just need a beach…

 

…and the kids were a little pissy during Fireworks that night… mostly because it was foggy & the only fireworks going off were obstructed by the western hills of the Presidio… but whatever, ‘Merica!!!

 

Sunday we started down on Crissy Field and took the kids to the Museum of the Farallones…

 

… and then to the Palace of the Fine Arts…

 

… and then to Chinatown so the kids could get some souvenirs for their dad & we ate at R&G Lounge, expensive by Chinatown standards, but excellent.

  

Monday, I went back to work during the day, they went to Fairyland, but then we met up for dinner at Mel’s Diner for the last meal… and spent some time hanging with the kids… and basically just enjoying the last few moments with my family. I’m sad to see them go… but I’ll hopefully see them soon. There is the family reunion in September… so maybe I can work that out… we shall see. Anyway, I hope you had half as much fun as I did this week… or at least enjoyed some of the photos.

 

Podcast Update: We’re still figuring a few things out… like the name & format… but if this week weren’t so jam packed with activities, we probably would’ve had our first podcast interviews in my mom & grandma… but hopefully we’ll be able to get those taken care of soon. I had a heck of a time trying to explain to them what a podcast even was… but I basically told them “Don’t worry, it’s just an interview.” Anyway, more to come soon… including other interviews with local mini-celebrities… or at least interesting people.

 

So again, great trip with the family… and I hope they travel safely back home to Utah… and I hope to see them again very soon… usual family trip wrap-up. Tune in next time for… more thrilling adventures. Have a great day everybody!!!