Sorry for the long absence

Jenn and I have been wildly busy, I have been knocking myself out getting all my ducks in a row so I can take a week off without having my brain explode when I get back, and Jenn has been working like a dog getting ready to teach 11 non-semestered classes in fall.

Over the weekend, we went down to Calgary to visit my parents, move old furnishings from next door to my folks house, make fabulous Chinese feasts, go shopping for my dad's birthday present, make a dozen or so jars of homemade relish, go for a beer with some friends who Jenn hasn't seen in over a year, and see the Mousecat's new townhouse and what they have been doing to it. Not a bad amount of stuff to do over the course of two days, not the most relaxing vacation, although since I didn't have to get anyone divorced in that time, it was swell. For all of you in Calgary (and I know that some of you are) who might feel put out that we didn't get together this weekend, well, We spent approximately 90 minutes the whole weekend doing non-family stuff, so chill out. So there! At some point, we will plan for a weekend in Calgary more than 3 days in advance, at which point we will try to get together with everyone. Right now that looks like Christmas.

So what do I have planned for the upcoming week?

Bottle that blonde ale, and maybe brew up a batch of something on Saturday. That's about it. Keep Jenn company at her school and help set up her classroom a bit.

Anyway, that about wraps it up for this entry, although if the Mahones Western tour stops at Saskatoon (a two night stand at Lydia's in early October) I may just have to impose on the hospitality of the FabSuz and Cheruby for one of those nights. I haven't been to a Mahones Concert in 3 years, and it is starting to get on my nerves.

Finished yet another draft

except for double checking the footnotes, which I can't really do until I get home, I have finished my latest thesis draft. This one went really slow because I was also practicing law full time throughout. Sucks to be me. Happily, I expect to be DONE SOON!

To celebrate, Jenn and I will go to a hole-in the wall curry joint we know tonight for supper. It's cheap, but very good, just like me.

Details

Now that I have a lunch hour to myself, I will tell you all about Jenn's job saga.

Months ago, Jenn interviewed for a job at a Jr/Sr. high in the Edmonton Catholic system, with a teacher who was going on sabbatical for a year to take his place while he was gone. She was supposed to be interviewed by the principal and the board after that, and find out about the position.

Months passed, and the only contact was weekly phone calls and e-mails from this teacher asking if she had been contacted by the principal or board yet.

Monday, seems he snapped. He calls, asks, Jenn says, "No, still no word, and now I've applied to Calgary Board, because they seem to have jobs available."

20 minutes later Jenn gets a call from the board for an interview the next morning as early as possible, which happens to be 11:00. Five minutes into that interview, it is cut short and she is shipped to the principal of the school for another interview. By 1:00 PM, she had been offered the job. Full time 7/8 band with a small portion of Social 9 into the mix. Celebrations started Tuesday evening, and will be continuing until Monday night. Jenn's last day at the bandstand is expected to be August 10, in order to give her time to set up and get ready for her program come fall, so in 2.5 weeks, Jenn will be enjoying an actual summer holiday. Mine doesn't come until the last week of August, when we will be going camping in Jasper.

What does this all mean? Career advancement, money, the satisfaction of knowing that 6 years of education will actually be put to good use, Jenn maybe de-stressing a bit.

All in all, a good early anniversary present.

Got a job

Details to follow.

Can't find a Job

So it seems I can't find a job here, not in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain or any other part of the Edmonton or the Greater Edmonton Area. Nothing came open up here this year. By job I of course mean teaching music for a school.

I have applied to the Calgary Board of Education, which means a move to Calgary or the Calgary area is possible. I really would rather not move again though, and Owen would REALLY REALLY rather not move again.

Camping

Last weekend on the Canada day thingy, Jenn and I went camping with her parents, and a half-dozen other folks from the church. Mostly we were supervising the youth group. We drove up to Jasper and stayed at the Whistlers campground, which is huge, but doesn't seem that way when you are in there.

We hiked, we soaked in the hotsprings, we hung around the campsite, we spent Canada Day in Jasper shopping, attending parades and ceremonies, and watching fireworks. We had a blast.

The main downside is that I was right outside the Jasper Brewing Company, and I didn't get to go and try the beer because as a youth sponsor, God help me if I have a pint.

Other than that it was nice to get out away from the city and just relax for a couple of nights. I would consider doing it again.

Just for Kelly

Cheers to Kelly for his comment on Yoo Hoo. Just for you I will let everyone know that I bottled Treewhale Old Ale today, and it promises to be a stunner. I anticipate it to be around 7% Alcohol, at the low end. I would have an accurate number, but the recipe was lost and the hydrometer was broken when I made it.

For those wanting to try a commercial example and drink along, try Theakston's Old Peculiar.

Why Victoria is the Classiest city in North America

when I saw this link, I thought milk would come out of my nose. This is the coolest hydraulic semi-permanent instalation for public urination I have ever seen.

Yoo hoo

I have decided to ask the potentially depressing question - "How many people actually read my blog?"

Notwithstanding the fact that I mostly blog for myself, I wonder how many people check it. A handful comment, but many others have mentioned it in passing who I would never suspect.

My request is that if you read this blog, even occasionally or in passing, that you post a comment on this entry, so that I can get an idea of who is watching (and adjust the content appropriately)

The house is now clean.

Two weeks after moving in and after untold hours of unpacking, cleaning, de-cluttering, throwing crap out, and stacking boxes in the garage, we are now living in a clean and tidy house with no boxes lying around.

We are unpacked.

To celebrate (admittedly we did this before finishing) I made Jenn and I Eggs benny with homemade hollandaise sauce for breakfast. I can feel my heart failing as we speak.

I discovered in the process that hollandaise sauce is actually really easy to make, like most things, you just need to pay attention to what you are doing and have your ingredients ready when you start. I've been making homemade mayonnaise for a year, and it is way more work (although a little less tricky).

Tonight we are having a barbecue for Jenn's practicum class, and tomorrow, Jenn's family are coming over to see the place now that it is presentable. What a full weekend we have planned.

Yesterday, though, we went shopping with a $500 gift card at Home Depot. We got all kinds of things that we decided (in our wisdom) that we needed as new homeowners. A couple of fire extinguishers, CO detector, big garbage can, rake, weed eater, fertilizer, weed killer, hose, attachments, bbq cover, a hand-held shower head to make cleaning beer equipment a snap, and a few other little items along the way. We only managed to get through about $350 of the $500, though, which should leave us enough money to paint at least one room, once we decide on colours.

Oh, and on Friday I took the day off to finish editing my thesis, and I did. Now all I have to do is to input the changes on the computer and hand it it, and I will be close, oh so close to finished my three year odyssey and putting another 3 letters behind my name.

I think I will celebrate with making beer. As soon as I bottle Treewhale Old Ale, I will have to make something else. I just wonder what.

Report on that soon.

Beer 2 weeks ago

So 2 weeks ago I made some beer. I was too hung over the next day to post the recipe, and I can't find the notes we made. Here's my best guess:

Treewhale Old Ale

13 pounds Rhar 2 row pale malt
10 Oz Crystal Malt (80 L)
6 oz Dark Munich Malt
1 tsp gypsum
1 tsp Irish moss

24 g Warrior Hops (90 minutes) 16.4%
14 g East Kent Golding hops (10 Minutes) 4.6%

Wyeast London 1028

We boiled that sucker up for 90 minutes and mashed at 156 degrees or so for an hour. I have no idea if it converted because Nick the Mighty Brewer left the Iodine at home.

I have no idea of the OG because I broke my hydrometer when I moved. (I have a new one now)

So it smells real good. I might bottle this weekend if the gravity is close to reasonable.

That's it.

Jenn's Convocation

Today, Jenn convocated with her BMus class, while I wallowed in human misery for money. Then we went out for the supper that Jenn has been bugging me to take her to for over two years. We went to Jack's Grill, an Edmonton institution (not that Edmonton Institution, the one without orange jumpsuits) that serves up hella good food for hella lotta money.

We started with small tender squid, which was served tossed in very good olive oil with a confit of roasted tomato, nicoise olives, calamari tentacles, and fennel. This, for lack of a better word, was fabulous. We followed the squid with two entrees. Jenn had the Chicken breast stuffed with bacon and shallot with potato and spinach gnocchi and puree of squash, and I had the grilled duck breast with blackcurrant sauce and potato hash with duck confit and steamed baby fiddleheads.

Jenn described her chicken as the best chicken she has ever eaten. I had a bite. I believe her. My duck was outstanding. The danger of duck is that it will be either overdone and yucky or too rare and fatty. It wasn't. The sauce, a blackcurrant demi-glace was fabulous.

Because we had shown restraint with the appys, we went whole hog on the desserts. Jenn had a remarkable tarte aux citron, and I had a bread pudding with brandy and rum sauce with creme Chantilly, and coffee.

Then I came home and ironed and cleaned the cat box.

Many people writing online reviews of Jack's Grill have gone on at length about how rude the service is. Dismissive. Cold.

Hogwash.

The reason that the busboy doesn't speak as he refreshes the bread basket or your water or coffee or removes your plate isn't that he doesn't like you (he doesn't) or that he thinks you are some hick redneck in from the country in your threadbare Sunday go-to-meeting clothes (he does). He doesn't speak to you because it would be inappropriate to do so. You aren't there to chat with the help, and they shouldn't spend their time chatting with you. This ain't earls. The waiters are middle aged men who have clearly been doing this for a long time. Corks are extracted from wine bottles without drama, drinks are mixed and poured without fuss and in appropriate portions. No patrons are subjected to any description whatsoever of the personal lives of the staff.

In this overheated economy, they have found that most remarkable of things - staff who know what the hell they are doing and don't make a fuss about it.

Jacks Grill gets five perfectly chilled dry martinis. Plenty of classics here, well executed.

The Joy of Weather

So today from my office window, the staff and I watched a tornado touch down about four miles south-west. Then I went home, closed the windows on the upstairs bedrooms, and soaked up the rain that had gotten in. Happily, I have two fans, one for each soaked patch of carpet.

On the up side, the basement seems very dry. That is nice.

Last night, I got a phone call from Jenn at about 6:00, and all I could hear on the other end was Big Bad Voodoo Daddy live in concert. I sure do love it when I don't get to go to awesome concerts, but instead hear patches of them on a static-y cellphone while I drive on highway 16A.

Tonight, I had planned to get some work done, and hopefully that is what occurs. Whether or no, I should take this time to actually make myself something to eat. Off to supper I go.

My computer is now set up

And my wife is out of the country until Thursday.

The cats are agitated, and I have my very own laundry.

Soon my whole office will be set up.

And Yesterday I made beer. And drank beer.

I am tired, but not as tired as I was on Friday.

I am looking forward to getting back to normalish this week.

So my little orange cat is sitting with me.

Koda has been very good lately. Very attentive, very loving. I think that this is because he understands English and knows that he will be getting locked in the basement overnight at the new house. The last thing a person needs for a good night's sleep is to be annoyed by a 1/4 Domestic Shorthair 1/4 Maine Coon 1/4 Cougar 1/4 Siberian Albino Tiger.

the joy of U-haul

We need to be out of our apartment by Noon tomorrow.

U-haul called today and told us that we can have a truck, ready to pick up at noon tomorrow.

You do the math.

Furthermore, PC financial is slow slow slow, and we can't get keys released until we have our cash to close out of them, and they take their sweet time to get the bank draft out.

Crunch time

You know all those things that you hate about moving? Like how you do your spring cleaning because you have to, but you'll never have a chance to enjoy it because as soon as everything is clean you move into a new place that you have to clean again because who knows what kind of job the last people did cleaning up when they moved out and you don't want their evil germs infecting you with some horrible disease even though you already have a sinus infection that you got from all the dust and oven cleaner from cleaning your apartment for the first time in months because you knew you would be moving out and you would be cleaning anyway so you didn't bother to dust for a really long time and by the time you get to it it's really bad and you thought the stove was almond not white because it was so long since you cleaned it you didn't realize how bad it was?

Yeah.

That's what's up with us.

Plus the boxes. We have lots of boxes stacked up and my kitchen is disassembled and I can't cook. Pretty soon everything will be put away and we will be down to living in a little nest amidst boxes and asking each other questions like, "Have you seen the remote?" or "Have you seen the kleenex?" or "Which box are the cats in?"

Anteater to Zebra

This past weekend, Jenn and I drove down to Calgary to get away from the boxes and to see the new Anteater at the Calgary Zoo. Actually it was mostly to visit with family, because we probably won't get down to C-town again for a while after we take possession of the new house (9 more sleeps).

When we got back, we thought about cleaning, but went to bed early instead. Then last night, I bottled my "Big Brew" beers so that I won't have to move two full carboys. (I also might have beer to serve people when they help us move, I'll have to make sure that that box is the first to get off the truck and into the fridge.)

Speaking of helping us move, if you plan on doing so, kindly give us a toodle via e-mail and or facebook and or blogger to let us know how many we will need to BBQ/Pizza/whatever for.

Post # 150

At this milestone post, Jenn and Owen find themselves in a very different situation than they did when they first started to embrace the lifestyle online. Before they were poor students living in a fleabag apartment. Now, they are poor young professionals living in a fleabag apartment, but soon to move into a non-fleabag half-duplex. Since beginning this blog, they have been to the hospital several times for various reasons, celebrated birthdays, bought another cat, met new people, re-connected with old friends, traveled inside and outside the country, gotten a job, and generally sorted themselves out to a great extent.

Things are going well at the lifestyle household.

Windmill Tilt Volume 1

On Sunday, I took the easy way out on two of my 80 beers. Styles 15A and 16A, German Weizen and Belgian Witbier respectively. Both of these will be fermented from my proceeds of the "Big Brew" where the EHG gets together at the kind sufferance of the people at Alley Kat Brewing and seize their 23 hl system for a day, together with the expertise of the local brewers. I showed up a half-hour late for milling, but was there from mash in to mash-tun-cleanout. (I got volunteered to scrub the mash tun after the brewing was over, which is a bit of a sticky job requiring some elbow-grease and industrial strength cleaners.

Notwithstanding the fact that I did not have complete control over the brewing process, I learned enough on this project that I consider it appropriate to count these two beers towards my total.

three down, 77 to go.

Next up, Treewhale Housewarmer, an English style Old Ale in the style of Theakston's Old Peculiar. Style 19A. I will be brewing this monster on June 2, and I will be interested to test the limits of my equipment. Will I hit an OG of 1.070? Will I be able to brew a full 5 gallons of this beer? What will this mean for IPA and Imperial Stouts? Tune in in late June for the results of this entirely boring development.