I met Jerry out for the usual weekly jaunt to our local. We said that we would only go for a couple of beers and take off early. Of course, that plan went to pot when one of the girls he has been "seeing" on and off came through. Oh, and her younger sister came through as well, who was a real handful.

I'm still paying for it as I write this - there were beers and shots and I noticed something about myself for the first time. When I drink I get sort of huggy sometimes. What can I say, I like a hug. Does this happen to anyone else? Good thing the older sister is a drunk hugger as well.

The younger sister, however, was really independent and not afraid to speak her mind openly. I think that's what they call "bitchy" nowadays, right? She started poking me where she thought I had a flaw, and that was rude as hell. If I ever did that to a chick, I would be considered a Class A jerk. I would be blacklisted for sure. It's not like I provoked her either, talking about her massive behind and whatnot. She thought her shit didn't stink, which was annoying.

Some people get off on the tension, the back and forth, and to me it is just tiring and a waste of energy. I distrust people like that because I think they are hiding something, some kind of insecurity, and they have to compensate by wrapping themselves in poison coated armor. I know that when I've been that way it's because of my own unhappiness. It really is okay to just be cool and agreeable!

We were talking about relationships and I said that guys basically want someone they feel "at home" with, someone who lets them be themselves. You would think I dissed the Pope! The younger sister needled me the rest of the night, presumably because she took it personally. I really don't care if she was insulted, first of all because she already tried to humiliate me earlier, and secondly because I wasn't saying anything about her to begin with. I thought I was talking common sense.

I just don't get it, why some girls have to be so nasty, and why they cross my path so often. The only thing I can think of is karmic retribution for something I've done in the past. It's not like I've been a perfect angel myself. I thought about my last ex, who definitely made me feel at home and comfortable around her.

She wasn't the type to open up, at all, but after the breakup she did open up to me a little, saying really nice things that surprised me. I later misinterpreted something else she said and grew bitter, nasty, poisonous. I reacted in knee-jerk fashion, and I wish I never had done that. If you do that to someone who opened up to you, they will hate you forever.

Maybe it still would have not lasted, but at least I wouldn't have invited this kind of negativity to come my way. She had her flaws, which I could deal with, but the thing she had in spades was heart. She was a down ass chick, and I was able to be as goofy and nerdy as I am. She put up with antics that the super-bitch from March would have never tolerated. Dealing with these girls has me missing her so badly. She will never be mine again, but maybe if I follow the Golden Rule from now I'll have a karmic swing.

Just commenting on some comments here, and hopefully fostering some more discussion.

You're right, (e:Vincent), the excise tax doesn't comprise all of the $1.3B. We went from $1.50 a pack to $2.75 a pack, and the increase should generate a little under $300M, so there you go.

(e:Drew), I have the same moral problem with it. The rub is that tax payers, and by extension the government, do have a compelling interest in reducing the smoking population because of health care costs.

This interest would only become stronger if we had a national health care system, and a pool of "our" health care dollars. If you spend your life drinking and smoking and poisoning your body, as I have, you are deliberately screwing people out of health care in this circumstance. If I haven't already quit by the time we get national health care, I will quit that day.

Some leftward-thinking people are recommending exactly this type of government manipulation of gasoline demand through regressive tax policy as well. I don't know about you guys, but I am sick and tired of this kind of negative policy. Punitive tax policy isn't the only way to approach these kinds of issues, but people in government don't seem to understand. Instead of sucking more money from people, why not make an investment in your future by offering really good incentives for people to quit?

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?