G&T

So it isn't over. Still pouring very windy. There was a small mudslide not too far from where I live and a couple buildings were damaged. A friend's sewers are backing up.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 28, 2011 -> 03:11 PM) Luckily it managed to run on the western side of the projections, which kept it over land a lot more than it would have been if it would have hit the center or eastern edges of projections. If Irene ran say 50 miles to the east, it is a completely different storm. No doubt. Even still, looks like 87 is closed from Albany into Catskill and roads heading into Vermont are also closed. We have 90k without power and plenty of flooding. I can't imagine what happens if we had another half of the storm to endure.

Yeah that ended up pretty tame.

Besides the fact that the wind and rain has gone on for the last 6 hours, hasn't been too bad around us. Looks like it will be gone in the next 2 hours and the back end of the storm has disappeared. But we have a long line of severe storms coming for the duration. We now have some thunder and lightening.

Well. Drink selection tonight will be easy. Few different recipes for "hurricanes".

We are officially under a tropical storm watch and flood watch. Right now predicting 40 mph winds with possible 70 mph gusts. The real problem here is going to be rain. I'm about 500 feet above the Hudson with valleys around us. Flooding shouldn't be a problem personally, but I would guess many roads will close. Oh, and the thruway will close if winds are over 60 mph.

Could be a big one so...

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Aug 24, 2011 -> 08:22 PM) It's a big deal more in name than in reality. Fact is Steve Jobs hasn't been running day to day operations since January and the company hasn't skipped a beat. People seem to have a misconception that Jobs created things -- what he did better than any other CEO was demand things work for regular people. Tim Cook has been running that place in everything but name for a while now, and it's done well. The only thing they need to do is keep Jobs vision alive in that technology should be a blend of hardware sleekness/usability and software -- that, and it should be EASY to use for just about anybody. No company really does this quite as well as Apple did in recent years. So long as they continue that vision, I see no reason to believe the company will suddenly fail. That said, there is nothing to say the company will continue that vision, but seeing that is catapulted them to the #1 tech company in the world by market cap and by profits, they probably should. I'm not sure if it remains, but for a while last week, Apple was the #1 company in the world by market capitalization, surpassing even Exxon. Though that may have changed now. This reads as though you believe Apple can just "continue that vision" without Jobs if they choose. That's the real misconception. It takes balls to push back against easy profits that can be had by licensing or by holding back from including specs that aren't proven enough. Apple doesn't have a 4G phone. The iPhone camera was seen as outdated when it was launched. There's always an Android that has better specs than the iPhone. Balancing user friendly and cutting edge technology is very hard to do properly, add in artistic form factor with high end material and you realize how important Jobs' has been. Oh, and earning trust from media companies to get favorable contracts. If it were easy, every company would be doing it. Apple may end up being just fine without Jobs (and I know nothing about Tim Cook), but it will take another visionary to be a part of it rather just a businessman.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 23, 2011 -> 02:27 PM) By the way, if you actually felt this quake, please take a few minutes and fill out the USGS "Did you feel it" report. It actually helps build up seismic propagation maps when a lot of those reports come in. Oh I definitely felt it. I am sort of underplaying how apparent the quake was. My blinds were shaking and books shelves were moving. The total even was probably 45 seconds to 1 minute. I would guess the strongest shaking lasted for about 15-20 seconds. That said, everyone around here was laughing about it while it was happening. Round these parts, this is an exciting day. The local news will be very happy. I filled out the form for ya!

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 23, 2011 -> 02:07 PM) See, now I'm excited, so I had to go check some maps. Are you sure that it was the 2.2? I think that was earlier in the day. A legitimate one actually just struck near D.C., Northern Virginia, 15 minutes ago, I'd guess that was actually what you felt. Current estimated magnitude is 5.9. I edited. I just saw what the USGS had for my area then I saw CNN and realized what happened.

A monster 2.2 earthquake just hit. At first I thought I was dizzy, then I realized things were moving in my office, then I went back to work...then I posted this. Edit: looks like this was from the DC quake? and that magnitude isn't right.

And this may be of interest to some moreso than me, a whiskey book from a guy in upstate NY but with contribution from Dave Wondrich.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Aug 22, 2011 -> 05:33 PM) Dave Wondrich has more eloquently tackled the subject of Rum Funk on numerous occasions in his books and articles, and I have made the term hogo a regular part of my working rum vocabulary. Take it away, Dave. That recipe for the Red Maple down in the recipes section of the article looks quite awesome. Think I will give that one a spin. If I survive that and I feel energetic enough to batch up a bit of Sweedish punsch (now that I have Batavia Arrack), the Doctor Cocktail sounds like it would be the All-Time King Funk rum drink ever. Yeah I've read that before but I guess I don't find it offensive. I've detected some sulfur I suppose but nothing off-putting. In any event, if it's funk I love then HOORAY FUNK!

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Aug 21, 2011 -> 07:54 PM) Once you develop a taste for the funk, cachaca works everywhere, JWray works everywhere, Smith & Cross works everywhere. Hooray Funk. See i've never figured out the flavor profile of funk in rum. I guess I just consider it "good". But it seems that cachaca and wray can go in everything for me.

Being the curious sort, I wanted to try a mai tai with cachaca. So I did, expecting something to be horribly wrong since I haven't read about this combination. The recipe was .5 lime .5 curacao .5 orgeat .5 syrup 1 Appleton 12 1 Leblon This was a winner. The cachaca adds a brown sugar note up front which compares (more or less) to using a demerara. It's the finish where the cachaca shines to finish out with a smooth fruity only-can-be-cachaca flavor. I might try this with VX to let the cachaca do a little more work up front.

Probably this...not that it's actually available...

I joined mixoloseum I just haven't had a chance to get involved in the chat. And how the hell do you stay up that late drinking!? Jesus, I'm the old guy I guess. Oh, and the Sam Adams rauchbier in the mix this fall is a good beer. As one might expect it doesn't have much smoke but it is tasty.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Aug 17, 2011 -> 10:54 PM) Late-Breaking Announcement! Tomorrow's TDN Theme: RUM!! G&T if this doesn't drag you in nothing will. balls. bad day to have projects due.

So I decided that the faster alternative to making my own pimento dram was to ask my liquor store to find the St. Elizabeth's. They did. Bottle is ordered.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Aug 13, 2011 -> 02:17 AM) I'm starting to get into craft brews more, but I'm only just starting to build up my tolerance for anything remotely hoppy (i.e. anything hoppier than a wheat ale...which is everything). It's a long process, but I'm enjoying it. Try a Fuller's ESB or other English milds. Balance is key to these beers and they aren't off putting.

So I mixed up one of these for the first time. I don't have herb saint but I don't care for anise anyway. I'll be honest, I'm not fresh brewing 3/4 oz of coffee to chill so I left some over from this morning (I have no idea if this impacts the flavor) so yeah I planned this drink at 6:30am. I used Tully's breakfast blend. I think it turned out quite well. The pineapple really plays off the coffee in a way I've never tasted before. The bitters, however, are essential. I tasted it sans bitters and it was a mess. Too much of everything, especially pineapple. The bitters quell the sweetness of the pineapple so it melds into the coffee. The nutmeg is nice addition.

I am the youngest. Pretty sure my mom didn't much care by that point.

Cockroaches. Centipedes. Any relatively large bug, especially if they can fly.

I don't have an answer for that, but it is a situation that will be remedied shortly.

QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 08:32 AM) In the same boat, the fact that I don't do a lot of bar drinking means have a little more discretionary spending that can be directed toward the home bar. On the rare occasions any more wen I do find myself at a bar (maybe once a week after work, sometimes on a weekend with the wife), it is almost always a craft beer bar because craft cocktail bars just don't exist here. What's sad is there is a place close to my work with some decent cocktails. But why spend $8 for a caipirinha? Actually there is a margarita bar close to my house that only serves real margaritas with a large tequila selection. Still haven't been there. And it's next door to my favorite brew pub...so yeah, there are trade offs.