yes, it is that heavy

my poor lilacs -luckily no fallen branches in our neighborhood this time around.

lovely to look at

I have often said that one thing I don't miss about PA is the back aching, shovel-breaking, wet & heavy as heck snow. So to what do I awake today but the wettest snow I can remember ever experiencing here. I caught a snowball that Maddie threw at me & my glove was instantly soaked -kind of wet.

Not one to be hindered by the weather, I went out to shovel & took the girls with me to play. Fi was all over it like the snow hound she is. Lib was apprehensive b/c the few inches on the ground made it a little difficult for her to navigate with ease. We got out the toboggan for a spin down the street; they enjoyed it until they realized that sitting still does not bode well for body warmth. As I was finishing shoveling the driveway behind the minivan, Fi says "pick me up" (with the shovel). I told her to sit down & I'd push her instead. This was entertaining for a few runs & Lib got in on the action as well. Fi by far enjoyed mostly just falling backwards into the deep snow -lipton iced tea style (or was that nestea?) -over & over & over. We had a lot of fun despite the wet cold & Lib adamantly protested when I said it was time to go in for a warm bath & hot chocolate & irish oatmeal. Can you think of a better breakfast on a day like this?

I have a ton of sewing to do. Yeah! And I'm off work tonight double yeah! Hopefully the heavy snow won't disrupt the power (the lights did flicker a few times -I held my breath & crossed my fingers & said a little silent prayer). I have way too much to do & far too little free time to get it all done in time for Halloween.

I'm wishing we had installed insulation in the crawl space right about now. And covered the swamp cooler. I try to keep the heat down to a reasonable 64 or so, but it seems like the house doesn't stay warm like it should. Where exactly is that wonderful warm Colorado sun when I need it? Never fear, it'll be back tomorrow & we'll have a beautiful, must-spend-time-outdoors weekend.

wednesday mind hump

Hi everyone! I'm back with another mind hump. I'm going to make my own theme today, because I don't like the other theme. So today is Book Day here at the hump!



1. What are some of your favorite books, and why?

My favorite books are too numerous to list. Mostly classics & quite a bit of non-fiction. To mention three only, I enjoy "To Kill a Mockingbird" -just an all around good read; "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" -laugh aloud funny; any of the Georgia Nicolson confession books -also laugh aloud funny about the trials & tribulations of a british teen. I like books that are written in a particular setting's vernacular -like "Trainspotting". I also enjoy pictures books with fabulous artwork & a decent plot -if the book lacks either, I will not spend money on it & prefer that others do the same for the girls (I hate wasting precious bookshelf space on plotless books with crappy or average artwork.) One of my faves is "Little Tricker the Squirrel Meets Big Double the Bear" -that kind of good artwork & good morals. And last night we picked up "Boris & Bella" -again good artwork & good morals.

2. How many books do you read during a typical month?

I enjoy reading but then have this stupid neurotic habit of "must finish the book", even if I'm not really into it. So then I don't read it & I end up not reading until I just can't take it anymore & put the not so interesting book away to read another time. Then find a new book to read. If I've got good books & have nothing else to do (or rather choose to do nothing else) I can read a couple books a week. Because my life is not one of leisure, I usually read a 1 or 2 books a month.

3. Where do you buy most of your books?

Quite frequently, I buy books from Goodwill b/c they're only $1 or 2 and it's close to home. I would go to used book stores but they're generally out of my way & they're only enjoyable when I can shop alone -and when does that happen? When I have cash, Barnes & Noble b/c it's close & Amazon b/c there can be discounts w/o buying a "membership" & free shipping over $25 (Since my Oma passed away, I don't get many gifts in the mail; Amazon is my pseudo way to have "gifts" delivered).

4. Recommend a good book to me (and your readers).

Right now I'm reading "The Power of Intention" by Wayne W. Dyer. I like what he has to say when he speaks on PBS; the book seems to be equally valid.



The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've humped. Be sure your hump is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can hump too.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination!

If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to hump right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Wednesday Mind Hump you can hump on any day.

Until next time, this is your music-loving mememeister wishing you a happy hump day!

a gripe or two

so then what's the hold up when the case manager calls yesterday to tell me they received the first October child support payment on the 20th & it's scheduled to be allocated on the 24th. Fine, but it's still not at my bank today, the 24th? Is my conspiracy theory more believable yet?

And get this: I made the unfortunate mistake of letting G hold the remote whilst we finished with the last few back episodes of Grey's. I have been diligently watching Grey's episodes on DVD & DVR, in order, up until the most current episode with a plan to start watching season 3 on Thursday next (as there is no new episode this week, (sigh)). So there's G, allowed to man the remote for the first time since I started this obsession a month ago. We finish the season premier, we finish the 2nd episode. We started into the "3rd" episode. "there's something wrong with this. We're missing a big chunck. This isn't where we left off on the last episode." "No, it's fine. We're just missing the first 10 minutes" (yes, we had an episode start 10 minutes into the show, grrrr.) "no, we're missing more than that." "what, are you going to complain the whole time? Do I have to watch it without you so you can watch it & complain by yourself? It's just the first 10 minutes." "No, fine, I'll watch it." And so we did. And when it's over & G leaves the room (& the remote) I look over the DVR recordings to see if there is anything to delete. And what do I see??????!!!!!!!! We have just watched last week's episode! And we missed the week before's!!!! ARGH! My perfect plan of watching the episodes in order has been foiled. And what does G say? "I don't know what you're talking about (chuckle, evil chuckle)." Let it be known that G has been summarily relieved of his Grey's Anatomy remote control priviledge.

while FiFi does this...

  

Lib & I do this....

 
 
 
  

and this...

 
 
  

and even more camera fun

 
 
  

Is that a Nikki look or what?!? 

let me rant for a moment, please.

I do not understand a child support system that is set up in such a way that payments that are supposed to be automatic get lost in the shuffle. Case in point: I know that payments are automatically deducted from a particular person's (heretofore known to some as "the silent partner") paycheck 2x/month. Why & how on earth does said payment not make it to my "automatic" deposit as it should be with any amount of regularity? Why, for example did I get only 1 child support payment in April? And when I called "Child Support Enforcement" why was I told that there was nothing that could be done; maybe I could call myself to inquire? Yeah, right. Speak to someone who yet refuses to acknowledge his own child? Argh. That is the whole reason for the child support system to be in place, is it not? You know, to make sure that absentee parents take care of their share of the burden of raising a child. The absentee parent pays to get out of being physically, personally, intimately responsible for his/her child. Well, at least that's what I thought was the reasoning behind the system. Ha!

So I have had no child support payments in October & find myself behind the eightball, so to speak. I mean, WTF. Why is this a continuous worry, never to leave the back of my mind, and often occupying a semi-permanent space at the forefront of my thoughts as well. I expect that this should be a well-oiled machine. Aren't your own automatic deductions set up for credit card payments, etc regular like ex-lax? Why does child support not work in the same predictable manner?

Personally I have imagined my own conspiracy theory (which may actually not be too far off the mark, if you think about it). The money comes out, it has to go somewhere, right? But to where does it go? It's one of those government money making schemes -kind of like the way the government banks on social security. The money sits somewhere collecting interest that I will never see. Eventually the actual payment makes its way to my account. Imagine this, if you can: thousands of child support dollars in an account somewhere collecting interest for a week or a month. Never the same child support cases & never 100% of the cases all at the same time; that would be too suspicious. Who will investigate this theory? Who indeed, of the many women & men who rely on child support to ,what?, support their children, can afford to litigate this curious fraud? Exactly. None. And so the cycle continues.

Then there are cases such as my own where the two parties don't even communicate. He thinks things are going swimmingly b/c the money is deducted regularly from his account. I, on the other hand, know that there is something incredibly wrong with the system. Damn the man. (ah, a refreshing & all too rare disparaging monicker NOT related to being a woman -the proverbial government system known as "the man". Word.)

Don't you agree?

So after that last meme I got to wondering what in the world is Mickey Hart doing these days. And I found this: my number one with a bullet birthday wish. (hint hint HINT) Let me preface this with saying that the date listed on the Mickey Hart site states 26 October as the Boettcher Hall date. Much to my chagrin, it is the night of the "Sleepy, Scary Story Night" at Mad's school for which I volunteered to read again this year. So I see that they are are also playing at Fat City which would be a fantastic small venue -albeit the accoustics probably suck. But that's the 27th & I'm working. My wheels start cranking now; I must find someone to work for me. So then I think, well maybe after reading on the 26th I can hightail it to the show. I look up info for Boettcher Hall & come to the Colorado Symphony page. AND I am a happy girl now b/c I see that the show is scheduled for 26 NOVEMBER! The ticket price is higher than what I would ideally like to spend. But I haven't been to any shows in the past 4 years. Maybe even 5 years. I think I deserve to go to my favorite show in the whole world.

our first snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You heard it right. You heard it here first. It's official!!!! Yeah! I just got a little excited, elevated heart rate thing. It's so exciting! (can you hear me squealing with delight?) Despite the cold, I do like my snow! I've always said that if I can have snow & warm temperatures, I would be in heaven. Well, it's not sticking or anything because it's in the 40's (supposed to be 50 today). So the heart rate has come down a notch. It's more like wet, big flakes of rain. Now if it were powder, then I'd be outta here.

last week's monday music mambo meme

because I'm lame like that.

Monday Music Mambo - Week 120

Hello gang! Ready for another mambo? I think this is the last time I'll put the week number in the header. Does it really matter? Not to me. Today's theme is Meet A Friend For Lunch Day. Guess what? You get to invite some musicians for a lunch at your favorite restaurant! But it's not that easy. You have to follow some rules.

First, tell us where you're going and what kind of food they serve.

I would go to Boulder for lunch. But where to eat is a difficult decision. Maybe Dot's Diner? or Rocky Mountain Joe's (if it's still there?) or the Walnut Cafe. or Antica Roma. Or Abo's. Or the North Broadway Coffee shop (is it still there?) or the Taj for the buffet (Can you tell I really miss Boulder???) There are so many choices. Today, I'll pick Mountain Sun: they serve American "gourmet hippie" food in a hippie Boulder type atmosphere at reasonable prices. And the beer kicks ass; my personal faves are Java Porter & Hummingbird Ale

Next, choose one person for each category to invite to lunch. They can be alive or not-so-alive:

A guitar player: Jimi Hendrix -because he's the best & I deserve the best, don't I?

A lead singer: tough decision: Bono or Jim Morrison. Can't I invite both? No? Bono makes the cut; he's more likely to be sober & able to contribute to the conversation. Not to mention that he may prove to be very inspirational and motivational to be around. Yeah, and don't give me crap about it; yes, I'm going to glom onto that if I have the opportunity. There isn't much inspiration/motivation here in my little world.

A woman: Ani DiFranco -more inspiration

A Beatle: John Lennon -still more inspiration

A country artist: um, yeah, I'm stumped here. How 'bout that boy we saw @ the Grizzly Rose: Keith Anderson. He may be out of place with this crowd but I don't know much about country music & who might be a better choice. He'll just be the lunchtime eye-candy.

The least-famous member of your favorite band: Right. There is no "least favorite" in the Grateful Dead. They're all someone's favorites. I'm going with Mickey Hart, then, b/c other than Jerry, he's the one who hasn't been around lately. Besides that, he fits right into my little saving-the-world-one-lunch-at-a-time group.

That's all you have to do this week. Enjoy your lunch with rock stars!

what does it take to get a win up in here?

Apparently, it takes me watching not even one minute of the game. Finally the Steelers whoop some ass & CU does the same a day earlier. Let's hope this is the start of an upward swing.

Topic change: Look what happens when Fi watches a small bit of Grey's with me when she woke up late one night & wouldn't fall back asleep combined with her limited experience at the doctor's office.
"okay, put gloves on. (sound effects & pretend glove putting on motions) okay cut open. cut cut cut cut. (sawing motions). okay. (consult pictures). we need to get all of this out of elmo. (sound effects that I can't describe as they pull some imaginary gunk out). medicine. (into elmo's mouth). (and insert some imaginary something made from kernals of indian corn into elmo's arm). Elmo's going be much better. here's a lollipop for elmo be good" And much of this with Fi using her much deeper, very official sounding "doctor" voice. Now running around the house making ambulance sounds waving a towel "ambulance coming! everyone! ambulance!" It is the most amusing thing I've seen in quite awhile. To use a Maddie at four years old phrase: I'm taking a picture of this with my camera eyes.

girls, girls, girls

FiFi is now the reigning queen of run-on sentences. "Me watched Little Mermaid beduz me likes Ariel beduz she's pretty beduz she's a princess beduz it's a good movie beduz it has good muzmic beduz me sing good beduz me know all the words beduz me a princess too beduz...beduz...beduz...." Potty training is going well. Dry diaper overnight & no accidents at least until we left for the Cory Carnival at 11. Fi's also working on writing uppercase letters. She'll be in ECE next year at this time, believe it or not. She's also wearing Mad's old size 4 clothes. It kind of freaks me out to see her growing so fast.

Madster is becoming quite the strong runner thanks to that after school program she joined: "Girls on the Run". She used to complain that she couldn't run. Now she proudly proclaims that she ran a mile without stopping. (Although, she may throw in a complaint about how mean her coach is for not letting anyone take breaks). I am very proud of her progress. She's proving to be a spelling whiz. AND she finished in the 99th percentile for the Raven's Progressive Matrices test. I'm requesting that she be tested further for the gifted & talented program. FINALLY, there may be something to challenge her & she won't be in tears about doing homework or going to school.

Libster continues to expand her artistic abilities; she draws any time she can, on anything she can get a hold of -tablet, printer paper, books, walls, doors, t.v. screen, her face and body, etc.

The little girls & I had lunch with Snick on Thursday. She seems to be doing very well. She doesn't call often but she seems happy. Doing teenagery college kid stuff like going to under $20 multi-band concerts. And hanging out with her friends, going to study groups (smart girl), a little partying, but not going overboard (I think, I hope). Keeping busy & having fun, from what I hear. She seems more mature, & yet the same. It was good to see her; to spend even a little time with her set my mind at ease (somewhat). Hopefully she'll come for a visit again in a couple weeks. Maybe for my birthday dim sum (hint hint).

I take it back

Remember when I said I couldn't wait for winter & snow & all that? The first thing I heard this morning upon waking was that A-Basin opened for the season today. The first resort in CO to open. I'm sure they made quite a bit of snow, but there's some naturally occuring stuff up there too. And then Maddie said that it frosted last night. I've had the heat on 3 mornings this week already. Um, yeah. Can I change my mind? I am not at all ready for winter. Let's face it, at $400 for a season ticket (yes, bargain compared to paying for individual lift tickets), ain't nobody in this house riding some fresh anytime soon (big sigh). In actuality, I could have 65 degrees all year long & be content. Maybe I should move to Cali. So Cal, in particular. Is the ocean still free of charge?

(okay, in the rush to be the first resort to open for the season, does it really count if only 1 lift is running & only 2 runs are open & there is ONLY 18 inches p/p on the ground? Hardly seems worth the effort. Boo to A Basin for jumping the gun)

housekeeping stuff

I am excited to say that Cody's "bed" (aka the reading room couch) has found a new home with T-rev & Lindz. Yessss! (see me pumping my arm in victory?). I'm looking for a larger dining room table & once found, it will replace the too small for company table which will then become my craft table in the former "reading area". Yesssss! (more pumping action) I will actually have a little creative space for myself for the first time in, oh, 10 years. How have I survived, you ask? I don't know. I'd have to say, barely. I'm also looking for a hutch in which to organize all my crafty supplies. I can't stand disorganization. Honestly. My house may not look like I have on ounce of organization in my being, but for the last year I've had space but no organizational furniture; before we moved here it was 3 years of not enough space. Once again, I have to say I've barely survived with my sanity intact. I have not been able to be 'myself' so to speak. Soon to be remedied....

And G's painted the t.v. room a lovely shade of pale sage green w/ darker sage green trim. It's very nice & I am awash in decorating ideas to further enhance the room. Now, if only money were no issue....

Does anyone know how to install insulation? I think it would be easy; I may be mechanically minded, but I'm no Joe Pro when it comes to house repairs. I can figure it out, sure enough, but I'd just as soon have reassurance that I'm doing it correctly. It definitely would help to have some of that pink fiberglass stuff between the crawl space & the floor here.

Speaking of which, why in the world are there 4 or 5 "vent" type openings in the crawlspace? Our last house here in Denver had the same type of vents. I have never seen these on houses with basements. I can only surmise that they are some kind of necessary component to letting fresh air in, but why are they necessary? They let in COLD air from outdoors. And alot of it. All the more reason to have insulation installed.

potty talk is all the rage

so we're potty training ovah heah. Sometimes. Like when there are m&m bribes upon waking. And when I mention that now Fi can wear Maddie's size 4 clothes AND Maddie didn't wear diapers anymore when she was almost 4 b/c there are big girl panties in the size 4 bin to prove it. It's hit or miss, really. She does prefer the big potty to the little potty. It's only a matter of time now. And Lib is likely to follow suit as she quite often takes her diaper off when it's soiled -sometimes without telling me so that I don't find out until I see her walking around semi-clothed. No mishaps yet, luckily. It's been a long almost four years of diapers, folks, and 3 of those years have been 2X the usage. It'll be nice to not have to budget for that weekly expense. I am so over diapers. So over it. It is one reason why I choose to NOT have more kids. Yes, really. These two have been the most reluctant to potty train out of the 4 girls. And girls are supposed to be easy. I do not want to go through this again. Seriously. There must be more to life than perpetual poo wiping. I'm feeling a little like a live-in nanny. But I don't get paid & I don't get much time off away from my charges. Ack!

A converstion between Fi & me while she was playing outside: "mom, cody's eating sh*t." "what did you say?", I ask calmly. "cody's eating sh*t." "say that again?" "cody's eating sh*t." ("hmmm, yes cody is eating something in the yard there; it could be sh*t...hmmmm. But could you really be using that word in context. Eeewww, Cody wouldn't eat her own sh*t would she? She may have psychological problems that I don't want to deal with right now," I mused.) "say that one more time.", while I inspect a little closer. "Cody's eating sh*t mom", she says exasperated. "Oh Cody's eating a STICK!", I say triumphantly & relieved. Doubly relieved.

Is it wrong to root for a team just b/c the manager kicks ass?

ok, maybe I'm just feeling a little over sensitive. But why oh why oh why have all my favorite teams taken a freakin' turn for the worst????

Right, so I have almost come to EXPECT the Pirates to end up near the bottom of the heap. (Won't Jim Leyland PLEASE come back???)

The Penguins too have been at the bottom for so long. Not to be sacreligious or anything, but if the team doesn't perform at least beyond mediocrity why in the world should the city spend a bunch of money on a new arena? Will a new arena guarantee a better team? I think not; look what happened with the Pirates. They're on the upwards scale of mediocrity even with a new stadium.

Then the Buffs start the season with a loss, then another and another...and not a win yet after 5 weeks. WTF?!?!?!?!?! And don't give me that crap about how Coach Hawkins is new & he's stuck with a team that he didn't build; not every new coach has a no win season. Find a way to work it, man; it's the reason you get paid the big bucks.

Well, at least I have the Steelers, no? NO! Not even the Super Bowl winning Steelers can appease my thirst for some notches in the win column.

It's sad. Pathetic. I can say it's a familiar feeling. Losing. My high school football team had (I believe) not one winning season the whole time I was there. Familiar feeling -the feeling of possiblity every week, then the miserable letdown. Not comfortable, mind you, but I have been here before.

It all cycles I suppose. My high school team won State a few years after graduation (with the same coach who took them b4 I started school there). The Steelers did just win the Superbowl. The Pirates have won a few pennants, a few world series. The Penguins won back to back Stanley Cups. And of course the Buffs have been National Champs too.

But you try living with someone who's alma mater has produced a winning team at least every year since you've been together. And his baseball team is a winning machine. It sucks. Alot.

For now I will be joyous that neither the Yankees (nor the Braves, for that matter) are in the running for the World Series (PGH could also have all winning seasons if they had the same budget). Jim Leyland kicks ass and takes names wherever he goes (except the Rockies; they must be some kind of freaks). Thanks for the memories, dude. GO Tigers GO!

top prize for worst kid product ever invented

at least the worst I can think of just now: the JUICE BOX and those darn juice packets ala Capri Sun. Yeah, it's thoughtful -portable, individually sized bevvies for folks on the go. Obviously marketed to the under 10 set. It is a poor design nevertheless. Anyone under 5 cannot manipulate the product properly so that the juice flows smooothly ONLY from container through straw into mouth. It is a potential mess in every serving. Try explaining to the little kids why only the big kids can have a juice box. They're tantalizing; like the cookies in the kitchen cabinet that my 3yo has been busted climbing on the counter to retrieve. The more they're told "no", the more enticing the juice box becomes. And yes, we only buy the real 100% juice types -no colored sugar water here. So we feel like at least they're getting a fruit serving. But that gosh darned trail of juice that leads from the beginning of the toddler expedition to wherever the forgotten box has found it's final resting place irks me to no end. Hence forward, I REFUSE to buy juice boxes for my household. The Madster will find in her lunch tomorrow a thermos (remember those? Used to be you couldn't buy a lunch box without one)(wish me luck on my quest to find one) filled with her beverage of choice (well, choice between milk or juice. duh) And those brand new juice boxes on top of the fridge? Going into hiding until some REALLY special occasion like a birthday party -an outside birthday party. 'nuf said.

while I was in PGH....

how cute are we??!?

school daze

So we finally got the letter of approval for Madster to ride the bus to school. Only a month after school started. Thankfully we weren't in dire need of transportation. Yeah, there are 4 kids total on the bus in the morning. Granted, it's a little bus. But I'm sure there are other kids in the neighborhood who could be on that bus instead of (as G so eloquently put it) participating in the car fashion show at the school. Why is it so important for folks to drive when there is a bus available? It must be the fashion show. I hate it. School shouldn't be about what kind of car a family has. Or how big one's camera is on the first day of school. But this school is like that. Grrrrr.

Which leads me to the latest "I want": wheelies -$100 tennis shoes w/ wheels in the heels. So let's see, that's an ipod, a laptop, a cell phone, and wheelies - in 3rd grade. No wait, make that 5 WEEKS INTO 3rd GRADE!!! I remember wanting adidas tennis shoes like Starsky & Hutch. I'm pretty sure they weren't close to $100 -even with adjusting for inflation. I told her she should save her money. She was set on saving for the ipod but I haven't heard much about it lately. Now it's wheelies. I imagine she'll be wanting a motorized scooter contraption next. She'll have to make a xmas list soon. It may be a very short list. Or rather, it may be a very few gifts under the tree.

inspiration

I was dead tired last night b/c I had a Grey's Anatomy season one marathon on Saturday night w/ Nikki. So I hit the hay early. And slept through the night. I think I remember hearing Olivia wake slightly, but she got herself back to sleep w/o me; I was too wiped out to get out of bed. I awoke this morning with this one thought: "what can I do today to make my life better than it was yesterday".

Some of you may know that I have struggled w/ depression all my life...for as long as I can remember...even back into grade school. I dabble with the idea of going back on meds. But I continue looking for ways to deal with this without resorting to ingesting daily chemicals. So this morning when I had that waking inspiration, I decided it would be a good mantra for me to use for my life and maybe reminding myself of this mantra would help pull me through the rough patches. Maybe. 'Cause heaven knows I've tried everything. Once the downward spiral starts, it's so very difficult to climb back out of that pit. Yeah yeah, I know "this too shall pass" but that mantra doesn't even begin to address the pain that depression inflicts. You know, I just don't want to go there anymore. But b/c it's something to do with my brain chemicals & what not, it's difficult to circumvent without altering those same chemicals. However, meds not only eliminate the depression, they pretty much eliminate any extreme emotions. So there's no anger, no elation, nothing. It's like driving through Kansas or Nebraska. Blah. I'm just kind of there, the same me but even keel numb. And it's weird b/c I'm well aware of how I "should be" feeling (happy or angry or sad) but I just never can quite get there.

I'm thinking that this new mantra will help keep the monsters at bay before they even have a chance to attack. And I can have ALL of my emotions intact. Yeah, it's easy for me to write this now; we'll see what happens in reality.

Beer pt II

OMG. I have to say that was the most fun I've ever had whilst volunteering! I was pouring barley wine from this little brewpub in Gunnison (Gunnison Brewery). The stuff was tasty, very tasty. But funny how a few people knew what it was & made jokes about it & asked for just a little taste. And other people -mostly guys-turned their noses up at it, I think b/c it had the word "wine" in the name. Some guy even said to me "it takes alot of balls to bring wine to a beer contest". Dumbass. BUT as soon as I said it was 9% alcohol they were all over it.

The first guys at our table were of the frat boy variety & were merely going on down the line doing shots of every single beer. I'm sure they were wasted within the hour.

There was a pipe band at the beginning. And then 3 dudes wearing 1/2 kegs around their bodies w/ hard hats that had a 3 or 4 hose tap on the top (octopus tap?) Too funny. I saw Glenda the good witch & an oompa loompa. And other various characters. There was some schwag to be had, but by the time I got a break, it was mostly gone.

I got to walk around on my breaks & sample as much beer as I wanted. There were definitely drunk volunteers.

I tasted:
a stout from Puyallup, WA
a very tasty pumpkin ale from Brooklyn NY
a yummy honey-raspberry ale from Spanish Peaks Brewery in Montana
Penn Pilsner from PGH, PA
Odell's 90 shilling which I hadn't had in quite a long time & memories that coincide w/ that beer came back to me as soon as I tasted it
"the man beer" from Bull & Bush down the street here -it was slightly hoppy
A no taste pumpkin ale from Blue Moon
Hummingbird ale -one of my favorites from Mountain Sun in Boulder
A not so tasty "organic" IPA from TX
A meh stout from Rogue
A few more hoppy beers (so very scrummy)
A not so good beer from Rock Bottom that came with a taste of chocolate cheesecake; it actually didn't taste bad with the cheesecake, if you can imagine that, but it also wasn't tasty enough to ever drink again
winterfish ale from Washington state
a rye beer from ?? USA
Dam Straight lager fromDillon Dam Brewery; I ate there a couple summers ago.
And then there was the table that had so many people crowded around it-I think b/c it had fresh hops all over the table & it smelled incredibly like pot! The beer was good too. But the smell was incredibly addicting! I could've stood there all night.

It was all so good & almost overwhelming. I missed the Hawaii beer & all of the California beers. There was a fun KS brewery that was called Safari, or something like that & had fun costumes. I saw Fathead's stickers but couldn't find the Fathead's table.