Well well well....I spotted two cute blondes out back enjoying a drink, and I happened to have some trash to take out, so why not take the opportunity to make friends? Apparently we have a young couple who just moved in, and the girl had a friend who was introduced to me as the "single mother" of the impossibly cute puppy running around.

It couldn't have been more obvious she was single - girls who are in a happy relationship don't wear shirts that say "Sailors like it wet" and they don't name their puppy "Lickit" (I swear to God this is what she said, although my hearing ain't the best). I hear someone in the Middle East chirping in my ear about the kinds of girls I like, and I am going to heed your warning this time!! Friends made, mission accomplished, but as (e:Ajay) knows I'm looking for something a little more international.

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Well, NYS did it, they raised the excise tax on cigarettes to $1.25 per pack. When will enough be enough? We are now #1 in the cigarette tax ranking nationally, which is probably a moral victory to these scum. The goal is to reduce the NYS smoker population by 140,000 - or so they say - but the reality is that the state needs to make up their budget gap due to the fact that Wall Street isn't pulling its weight.

Did you know that cigarette taxes will now cover $1.3 Billion of the 2008-2009 state budget? My eyes popped when I read it. Yes, you deceitful vermin, you honestly believe you're being compassionate and helpful by using a regressive tax to help make up for lost revenue. They brought out the state's health commissioner to trumpet the 140,000 less smokers, but the politicians when you listen to them always talk about the revenue.

And...as I've asked before, does anyone believe that they wouldn't try to make up the revenue on the increase (let alone the rest of the $1B+) if everyone quit tomorrow? This is about money, not health. The People's Republic of California levies far less.

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Lastly, I am now enjoying an American-made, abbey-style Quadrupel. I got it from Village Beer Merchant (Where else can you buy a $13 four pack?) and it is called Weyerbach Quad. As I've said before, I love love love Belgian Quads. It is my favorite style of beer, in my view far superior to the rest when you're talking about sitting and enjoying your beer, instead of drinking to go blind. At 11.8% this one is really potent but as is the case with other Quads the flavor is fantastic and the booze isn't overbearing.

It's (Joshy fails constantly to use the ', just look) a Quad, it tastes great, and I give it 5 of 5 empty bladders. As the Swedish say, Skol!

Believe it or not, the Larson Bros. have hung out together outside of the home two Thursdays in a row! It is an unfortunate fact that we don't chill together this way nearly enough.

Hardware didn't have the Westmalle Dubbel, which was a disappointment, but they did have the De Rocs Grand Cru. (e:Joshua) wowed some foreigners by telling them exactly what part of England they were from. I still don't know the difference between, say, a Birmingham accent and a Leeds accent. They recommended the Mackeson triple stout which was delicious.

We then decided to conserve some funds and hit up Village Beer Merchant, getting the Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale (I give it 5 out of 5 failing livers, awesome beer) and a bottle of some kind of upgraded Schneider Weisse - and I'm warning you guys if you buy the upgraded Schneider Weisse to respect it. The Grand Cru was stiff but this particular wheat beer packed a sucker punch that still stings this very moment.

So there you have it - a tour of some of Europe's most respectable beer nations and a return to America, which to me is an amazing beer nation if you know what to look for. Beer from 4 countries in one night. Wowsa.

Can anyone give me a review?

And I am looking forward to some things:

- Going home and descending on the lake.
- Spending time with Gramma.
- Dad's giant HDTV and DirecTV hookup.
- Taking the back roads to Southern Tier Brewery.
- Checking out Anderson's produce - Tak Sa Mycket!
- Playing golf at Cable Hollow, where Bucky got caught by Johnny Law.
- Getting some Limpa Rye from Wegman's (They don't have it here).
- Mother's Day at the Ingjald Lodge, Independent Order of Vikings.

Our lovely city administrators should have been paying attention before adopting a technology that won't even do what they say it is there to do. Any chance of something like this being said in the Buffalo News?

Buying beer from the owner/brewer of the brewery is a unique experience, something that felt quite satisfying. I like shaking the hand of the man who made my beer. I am definitely going to make a point of it to buy beer at the Flying Bison Brewery again in the future. I bought a 5 gallon mini-keg, I have a shitload of this Blizzard Bock left, and I have to say it is fucking awesome. I don't know why I haven't seen this at local stores before. Anyone seen it?

For the first time in, well, ever......I'm completely exhausted and disinterested. I'm tired of ageism, I'm tired of the lying and the half-truths, I'm tired of the blind hero worship, I'm tired of the racism, and I'm tired of politicians and the elites diddling themselves while the rest of us have real problems to contend with, now and in the near future. I have my doubts about what this country will look like in another 5 years, no matter who wins the election.

Anyone else ready for more debauchery?

Huh? How could this be? Some people don't like being awkwardly thrown under the bus in Frisco? Are they on the Clinton payroll? What the heck is going on?

Friends, tell me if I'm wrong, but I think I'm a pretty easy going guy. Have I not come a long way? It is pretty difficult to get on my nerves, as opposed to some people who let everything affect them. I've read articles on the web and in magazines about how you can affect your health by being quick to anger. I've also read another take on it in Proverbs 14:29.

He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

Sometimes though, people test you and make it very difficult for you to keep your cool. It seems like I run into this situation every time I sit down at a card table with Kevin O'Neill. He's a good pal of Jerry's, and for the life of me I don't know why the dude just can't be cool with me when it comes to cards. There always has to be some kind of smart ass, snide comment lobbed my way. To wit:

1) Saying "I can't play with this dealer" and sighing heavily when I made a very simple mistake when dealing Hold Em.

2) Shitting on my ability to play, in a roundabout way, when really I had enough and just wanted to throw the game and go home after Episode #1.

3) Next time around, saying in a smart ass tone "Yeah, that was my strategy, just to be lucky" after I tried to make innocent small talk about how great his cards were the time before.

4) Last night in Kenmore (buddy's house by Consumer's), saying something to the effect of "I don't mind losing a guy" after I suggested a friendly game this time instead of betting cash (seeing as the last couple of times, $10 made people act funny).

Now, this isn't to say he hasn't been awesome off of the card table. We've chilled and had a good time on many previous occasions. I just want to make that clear, and to offer up some balance.

Some people (Jerry included) just don't understand what would stop people from betting their chips foolishly when money isn't involved, as opposed to a meaningless $10. Not that I am unable to defend myself, but I would never EVER let anyone cheap shot him without being swiftly made to look like a jerk. Is there something I don't understand?

I've gotta tell ya, this has had a cumulative effect on me, and especially after half a dozen Spatens I nearly lost my nerve. Even worse, I almost gave in and lost my commitment to completely cease ingesting green things. Oh, but don't worry peeps, I held on and that's about all I want to broadcast about it.

I don't get mad a lot, and don't believe in anger as an appropriate response to most situations. I couldn't tell you when the last time I really got mad was before last night. I told Jerry "You and I are talking tomorrow" via text and I know he likes being cool with the guy, he's KO's pal, but if it happens again I'm not going to get mad - I'm just going to offer up $10 and ask if that's the price for him to not be a shithead. More realistically, I should just avoid ever playing cards with the guy again.

Sometimes it just has to be that way, because people just can't be cool. I'm not going to let it get me down, because the good lord gave us another friggin awesome day, the girls are everywhere, I got some sweet new Ray-Bans, I have visions of taking the backroads with classic rock blaring, and the grill is officially open.

If you see this guy today, offer him Limoncello or Grappa.