California on my mind..

In a little over a week, I'll be taking my first trip into uncertainty that I've taken in quite some time. I'm flying out to the west coast for the first time since right around my college graduation seven years ago. I always loved it when I visited that side of the country. I always met some really awesome people and loved all the sights.

So, why have I never taken the leap to move out that way? I've always been a risk taker, a habitual line stepper, if you will. I think it's due to my family being around Boston. I love them dearly and would have a hard time being that far away. At least, I say that now. I lived in FL for four years and that worked out fine. Will the time difference be that crazy for communication? The more I think about it. I doubt it.

So this is the first step.. This is the test..

Will I really love the west coast after all these years? Will this trip lead to me taking another leap? Will that leap be what I need right now? Only time will tell. For now, I'm overjoyed and excited at the prospect of a new life. At this point, all my mind can think of is SD, LA, or bust. So we'll see.

At least I'll get to have some In-N-Out.

Humpday Jam of The Week for 3/12/14..

Greg Laswell - This Woman's Work.. Call it a tough day. I was on a light acoustic kick and this song resonated with me being where I'm at in life. Really powerful lyrics for a guy who's had his heart broken a couple times.

Loved this song the first time I heard it. Still hasn't lost its luster. Here's to unrequited love.

Humpday Jam of the Week for 3/5/14..

So... Major Lazer.. I've always had mixed feelings on your music. Some of it is downright amazing and some of it isn't quite my steez. This song is actually part of the latter, however, the guy that made this video to go along with it has made me question my thoughts. It's growing on me.

This video is amazing. Caught it playing at the bar the other night on all the screens. Cracks me up every time. Watch out for this.... Bumaye!

Humpday Jam of the Week for 2/26/14..

I'll try to pick a song or a video each week. No promises, but you have to start somewhere right? This just came up on my RJD2 Spotify station and I had to see if there was a video involved. The story is pretty cool.

"In March of 1980 two young rappers from Los Angeles appeared on the "Chikara Kurahashi Hit Station" variety show in Tokyo. It was the first time rap music had ever been performed in Asia, and here is the lost tape of that performance. Enjoy this lost performance transferred from Beta - People Under The Stairs "Trippin' at the Disco"

Be forewarned; your head may begin to uncontrollably rock back and forth.

Engagements, Valentine's, and Social Media... Ugh...

We've all seen this before… and if you’re in your 20’s, now, more than ever…

Call me selfish, call me cynical, call me whatever you want. There’s almost nothing worse than having this pop up in your social media feed. This is seemingly becoming more and more common as each day passes and it doesn't get any easier as a single person who has a lot of friends; not to mention a few exes, who still reside in their social media circles.

I’m not saying then when a good friend of mine gets engaged that it in any way angers me. Usually, I’m pretty excited for them; albeit, a little annoyed because I haven’t found mine yet. I’m just stating that there are genuinely a lot of people in my social media world whom I could care less about in these instances; especially around this time of year. It’s bad enough that February 14^th has become known to many as Single’s Awareness Day, but the continuous evolution of social media has just made this day worse and worse as each year passes. A vision of Linda Blair and an interesting green substance comes to mind as I scroll through the morning’s Instagram photos. Various images from an old Jackass episode cloud my mind as I look through my Facebook news-feed. It just gets annoying. Also, it seemingly never ends. God forbid it falls on a weekend (Screw you, 2014).

What is one to do? Do you just unsubscribe of un-follow that person because you know there is more to come? No, because you've managed to stay connected to them for all this time. There’s clearly some reason for it. What if you’re vaguely friendly with this person? What if it is an ex? What then? The fear of missing out (or “FOMO” for those unknowing types) and social anxiety sets in. Did Zuckerberg implement a way to just filter out engagement and wedding announcements yet?

I, for one, have trouble with this. Not just because I am single, but because I feel like I’m the real life incarnation of Dane Cook in the movie “Good Luck Chuck.” The worst part of this is now realizing that very few of the break-ups I've gone through were on bad terms, and I’m still “friends” with them. Recently, these notifications have started popping up everywhere and part of me can’t help but selfishly think, “Shit.. That could have been me.” Then again, there’s the positive side to it. It’s not me. More often than not, it’s the guy she dated before me. I’m still undecided on how I feel about that. On one hand, it’s technically not somebody new. Then again, did she ever really move on in the first place? How much time did I just waste being “the other guy?” I think today; as a sweeping declaration, if I ever dated you and this image comes up on my news-feed… See ya! It’s nothing personal. I just really don’t want to see the updates; furthermore, I doubt he wants me seeing them.

Do I think I’m mature and ready for this kind of commitment? Sure. But, I believe that the phrase is; it takes two to tango. I doubt most guys out there are willing to state their opinions on the matter. Even I've tried to brush it off until now. Furthermore, I have no idea what it’s like for the opposite sex in all of this. Women have been planning their ideal engagements and weddings since they were in grade school. I couldn't even begin to wax philosophical on their viewpoint here. I’d assume it’s been the plot of some romantic comedy at some point.

I think I speak for some men; however, in saying that a plethora of us think about this nonsense too. Seeing our friends go through it cuts just as deep sometimes. The older we people of the male persuasion get, the more we start to plan ahead and get our hopes up too.

 It is for this reason, that social media and society have put everyone into a corner. Gone are the days of enjoying these moments with your family or closest friends. Who reads wedding announcements in newspapers or receives one in the mail anymore? Now all of you newly engaged and newlywed folks have to make every person you’re remotely connected with go through it all too? I speak for a lot of people out there when I say, “No, Thanks.”

So... to all the singles out there, Happy February 14^th. Get out there, and instead of being weary of the fact that all of your friends are engaged, married, or coupled up; go buy yourself a present. Get out there and pop a bottle of champagne. Celebrate anything but the opposite sex, no matter how good looking and fun to be around they can be. Try to stay away from social media all day, because all it’s going to do is piss you off.  Cheers.

Maker's Mark

God created the possibility of whiskey to be distilled and he is a genious for it. I've been absent from my writing because I haven't been drinking. Sorry to the three people that maybe stop by this blog once in a blue moon. 

More of the Mojo

This is kind of a step backwards in my reviews. A few weeks back I wrote a review on Boulder Beer Company's Mojo Risin Double IPA. Well, I wish I had saved a single of it because my roommate came home the other day with Mojo IPA, the normal IPA released by this brewery. I wish I had saved a single because then I could go back and forth. 

To keep the story short on this one tonight. I gave the Mojo Risin an 8.5 in my review and it had twice the flavor, twice the ingredients, and basically was twice as good as the original. Don't get me wrong, I think that the Mojo IPA is a great IPA, but I can see that Boulder doubled up on the original for a reason. It has more hops. Bottom line.

If weed is a gateway drug, consider this a gateway IPA. It's a good starter for those who aren't ready for complete and utter bitterness. Mojo IPA was Boulder Beer's 4th addition to the Looking Glass Series doesn't rise quite as far up as the Mojo Risin did, but I'd still give it a 

out of ten

Just one point down from the Mojo Double IPA on the overall scale.

But as far as IPAs go, I give this one a 5. 

It seems I now have two scales, an overall and an IPA scale. The Dude just keeps on thinking of new stuff. Shucks. Goodnight.