Wednesday, August 31, 2011

This girl drinks beer

Well, Internet, what would you like to discuss today? Mmmm, no, I don't think that would be very appropriate. Let's stick with something safe - I know, how about beer?!

I love beer. Which still seems a bit odd, because there was a time that a proffered beer led me to make little gaggy noises. But R, my husband, coaxed me into trying wheat beer (the PG13 of beer) and slowly I began trying other kinds of tasty fermented malts and hops. It was touch and go for a while, and I mainly stuck with mixed drinks.

**Note: In case you haven't noticed, girls rarely drink beer. I think this is sexist. Women, drop the martini and grab yourself a bottle of fermented malt this minute...maybe then beer commercials will start showing slovenly women getting themselves a piece of half-naked hunky man-flesh**

But a week in Germany and beer and I cultivated quite a love affair. Oh beer, how I love thee, let me count the ways: amber ale, lager, dunkel, stout, IPA, Belgian ales, golden ales, seasonals...the list goes on and on. My tastes have surpassed R's. And, overtime, I have turned into a veritable beer snob (my coffee snobbery should have foreshadowed how this would turn out; I've owned my own espresso machine since I was 18! The only cheap coffee I ever drink is the first cup of hotel coffee, which gets me to the nearest gourmet coffee bar.). Important side note: good does not necessarily mean expensive! (But a lot of time it does.) 

R and I always have an eye out for microbreweries. Where we go out to eat often revolves around beer selection. There is usually a couple different selections of beer in our fridge - often purchased with consideration for what we will be eating over the next few days.

Before the shock and judgmental mutterings commence, let me point out that in an average day I have a single beer - usually with dinner. Admittedly, this average tends to go up in the summer because: summer. Obviously.

There are a couple of reasons that drinking and beer has been on my mind lately. 1) There is an Irish Pub a mere 4 blocks from our newly rented house! Score!! 2) Many of my friends from high school [now known as Facebook Friends] are religious and Do Not Drink Ever and the majority of the pictures I post on Facebook have beer in them. Beer sitting innocently at the table, in every single person's hand at BBQs, raised in toasts, etc....I'm fairly certain that many of my high school friends are praying for my soul right now. 3) I vaguely recall that you aren't supposed to drink when you are pregnant and, if things work out, I will be in that very situation in just a few months. Oh WOE! Please, beer, don't forget me. 4) There is a live music festival coming up this week and I just read online that there will be several "adult beverage stations." And that got me thinking...I wonder what kind of beer they'll have there?

Monday, August 29, 2011

So...I have a blog

I feel silly. I go back and forth: Am I writing for myself? Will anyone actually read this? What if they do read this? I still haven't figured out who "they" are. I'm guessing it's you.

Anyway, I decided it was appropriate to share some background info. Of course, that brings me back to all those questions above. To circumvent that problem, here are some facts about me, a la stream of conciousness.

I am short. I just made it to 5'0". Not exactly a claim to fame.

I have a Ph.D. in Experimental Social Psychology. No, not that kind of psychology. The kind where you do research and statistics (currently, I specialize in public health research and grant writing) and don't give a crap about anyone's mother.

I used to live in Northern Idaho. I now do again (yay for me!) after having lived in central Montana, a brief stint in Wyoming, and way too many years in southeastern Ohio.

I have been married for 8 years, and since I'm 30, that's a long time. My husband is amazing, but I try not to brag about him too much.

This is a time in my life where lots of transitions will be happening: we just sold our house in Ohio - sale is official in 4 days!, we will be buying a new house **fingers crossed**, we will be starting a family (Or we hope we will. And then all my family can stop with that "You're going to be so OLD when you finally have kids" thing that I've been hearing so much about). So, exciting times! So exciting that I just threw grammar and sentence structure straight out the window!

OK, enough self-disclosure for one day. [insert drammatic signing off gesture here]

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Some General Info

AKA I can't believe I'm blogging.


We have recently managed to move to the exact location we've been dreaming of moving to for years. By we, I mean my husband and our two giant dogs, Karma and Odin.

My husband managed to beat out 79 people and land his dream job! (Yay! My husband is awesome!) I managed to keep my job and am now working from home. It's this last bit that has led to random, I can't believe I'm doing this, blogging.

I'm home a lot, and working a lot. But, there is the need for social outreach that Facebook alone cannot provide. Or, I just think I'm very clever and want a forum where I can blather on and on - even if it's only to myself. Kind of like a child's tea party, except on the internet instead of in my head.

Sooo...here goes. Momentous occasion and blah blah blah. Cheers!