http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/ en-us 2007-12-03T15:52:45-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000610.html So I've been thinking a lot about where I want to live. There are several reasons I like being in Houston: great friends, the brewery, CCSD, a good job market, good cost of living, pleasant weather, decent social scene, the... General joel 2007-12-03T15:52:45-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000609.html ]]> Reading joel 2007-12-03T15:45:32-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000608.html Went to my first-ever Rennaissance Festival with the gang. Our first stop was at Ye Olde Black Plague Shoppe. We then went on to hear the dwarf choir sing. Next stop: a couple of potions (some good, some evil) and... General joel 2007-11-04T22:00:00-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000607.html Before I start writing about this year's Oktoberfest, I just have to say: should I rename this blog 'shiny beer'? Anyway, the beer brewing / social group / brotherhood / group of f*ups to which I belong had our yearly... General joel 2007-10-27T18:23:33-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000606.html While on a trip down to hang out, Biff and I opened the last remaining bottle of the first beer I / we ever brewed. It was a Mexican Lager recipe. Regarding lagers, Wikipedia says, 'The word comes from... General joel 2007-10-26T22:00:00-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000604.html I realized after I landed in Denver that I first attended the Great American Beer Festival ten years ago. What an observation that was. SPRINT! Chick-a-pow-pow! Ninja fighting in the street! Dave hanging perpendicular from street lamps! Photo after photo... General joel 2007-10-14T19:01:26-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000605.html General joel 2007-10-06T19:52:27-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000603.html This morning I walked out of the hotel to find something odd with the rental car: the mud flap inside the rear, passenger-side wheel well was hanging down onto the tire. I wondered, "what did I possibly run over to... General joel 2007-09-11T15:56:52-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000602.html I was in Dallas last week at a customer site. It's the first time I really spent any time downtown. Now, Houston and Dallas have a history of rivalry. Case in point: head to Austin and you'll see bumper stickers... General joel 2007-09-09T22:00:44-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000601.html I brought out a contractor to price a 20' x 20' deck and replace some of the facing under the eaves of my house. His estimate: just under $10,000. Which averages out, for the deck part of it at least,... General joel 2007-08-16T00:19:42-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000600.html So I'm a member of the CCSD, a fraternal/brewing club. One of our brothers, Dusty Blackboard, was in a motorcycle accident a couple of months back so we decided to have a silent auction--you know, maybe slide a little... General joel 2007-08-14T00:02:20-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000599.html Brad, Troy, Mike, Kelly, and I took a motorcycle ride through Texas hill country to the Twisted Sisters, a set of highways that took us through twisty curves, rolling hills, and hairpin turns. Here's the route we took out of... General joel 2007-08-12T23:24:10-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000597.html There's a store next to my hotel called Condoms to Go. I thought that was funny until I thought about the alternative: Condoms for Here.... General joel 2007-07-30T22:35:12-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000598.html There was all sorts of talk about what we'd do with it if I bought the FT. Some suggestions of note: Give rides to nephews, children of friends, and children's parents Acquire a Dalmation (or spray-paint the cat) Brew beer... General joel 2007-07-27T22:00:00-06:00 http://www.shinyjunk.com/blog/archives/000596.html I told Lennie I'd ride over to Austin with him tomorrow so he can do a "Cooking with Beer" segment on early morning TV. We're leaving at 4:45am. I guess that means I should get some sleep at some point.... General joel 2007-07-19T01:34:59-06:00