$100 a bottle???

I'm reading some news articles this morning, and I notice one that catches my eyes. Some article about Sam Adams brewing up $100 bottles of beer. What the?? I have to check this out. Checking out their website, you see that the Utpoia beer that they've brewed up (50 proof beer my friends, 50 proof beer) is described as follows:

Truly the epitome of brewing's two thousand year evolution, Samuel Adams Utopias offers a flavor not just unlike any other beer but unlike any other beverage in the world. Its warm, sweet flavor is richly highlighted with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel. Our 2003 batch topped out at a record breaking 25% ABV, beating the records that Samuel Adams® Triple Bock® and Samuel Adams® Millennium had set before it. And like those groundbreaking brews, Samuel Adams Utopias™ is not carbonated and should be served at room temperature. In one of many examples where Samuel Adams Utopias pushed the boundaries of beer, it received the highest recommendation (96-100 points) from the prestigious Wine Enthusiast Magazine (November, 2003 edition). Due to legal restrictions, Samuel Adams Utopias can not be sold in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia.

Web link: http://www.samueladams.com/world_of_beer.aspx

This is something that I'd like to get my hands on, unfortunately, due to legal restrictions, and the $100 price tag, I think I'm going to have to pass on this one for now, although, it's tempting to get some. I've had their Triple Bock before, and it is really delicious, maybe a little too delicious, but hey, a beer that comes with a cork and is recommended to be served at room temperature, that's a good thing, and at 25% alcohol, this ain't something you throw in a funnel and swill it down. Even the damn bottle is gorgeous (at 100 bucks I would hope so of course) This would be something that you'd cherish I think. So if there are any people out there wondering what to get me for the party next weekend, look no further than Sam Adams Utopia brew. Feel free to bring a couple of bottles if you will. Of course, because of the legal restrictions, that are being repealed I believe in NC, you can't get this beer yet, but there was a bill out there to lift the alcohol restrictions on beer in NC, so we'll be able to get stronger better beer soon enough. This is a good thing, as the reasoning for the law really doesn't make any sense. The politicos in their ultimate wisdom to keep the people from hurting themselves, decided that lower alcohol beer would make people not get as drunk as higher alcohol beer. This of course makes no sense, as we all know that if you're out for an evening of drinking to get drunk, there isn't much that is going to stop you from attaining said goal. And this is a law coming from a State that doesn't have an issue with selling you grain corn liquor at the ABC stores, which is also in my opinion an illegal government monopoly, but that's another story. So yeah, in North Carolina you can get grain alcohol, but you can't buy beer that has more than like 5% alcohol in it. How crazy is that? Like I said though, law is being repealed. Finally, they're making some sense. Now if we could get a lottery... That would be something, but once again, this is something that the politicians in Raleigh say would be bad for us, because people would spend improper amounts of money on it. Damn, when did they become big brother and decide what was important for us to spend money on. It's another silly thing, as right now we live in a State that is surrounded by other States that have a lottery, and the good people of NC just travel to one of the surrounding States to purchase their tickets if they want to play that bad. So by not having a lottery, you're actually losing business and money to other States. Once again, kind of silly.

I made a trip to Costco yesterday after throwing down some savory meat (barbeque for those of you not up to snuff on my made up slang terms for things) at Jim's BBQ. If you haven't been to this place in Chapel Hill, or I think they are a chain, elsewhere, you need to go. This place is a carnivore heaven. I can't get enough. They have some good stuff there indeed, and nary a vegetable in sight. Of course they have a website, I mean, who doesn't these days:

http://www.greatpigs.com/index.htm

Anyway, back to Costco ( http://www.costco.com/ ) you can get anything at this place, and by anything, I mean anything. Check out their website. I even saw in the news a short while ago that they were selling of a Piccasso, yes, a real one, on their website, sure the pricing was high, but it's a damn fine piece of fine art. Walking through their store in Durham, I can't help but be amazed by the SIZE of things, and everything comes in large sizes of course. I mean, what's the point of being a wholesaler if you don't provide everything in large sizes. Example, I got 20 bars of soap for $7. 20 bars! The same soap, grocery store yesterday, would have cost me like $5 for 4 bars. I think I'm getting a good deal here, and since it's more a "durable" good, soap that is, meaning it's not going to go bad anytime soon, why not get 20 bars of soap for cheap? It only makes sense right? Indeed it does. So do yourself a favor, go to Costco and get a membership, and shop there, it's not going to hurt you. I think I'm heading back there next week before my party so I can purchase food items for it, instead of actually making something. Sure, that's cheating, but hey, it's a whole lot easier I'm thinking. They even have a travel agency there with packaged up vacations that seem on the cheap side.

I hate to say it, but it's hot, damn hot outside again today. This perturbs me, as I'd like to go outside and ride, but the heat is making me NOT want to do this. i still might get out there and ride this afternoon, but if I'm going, it's going to have to be damn soon. Check out the temps I'm looking at right now:

http://www.weather.com/weather/local/27516?lswe=27516&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared&from=whatwhere

I dare say, it's silly out there. This Southern thing sometimes really sucks. Too hot, too hot I say. Oh well, I knew that going into this whole thing, so I can only really blame myself for this one. I'll get past it, but when your motivation has been lacking to begin with, and the heat keeps getting cranked up, well, it takes away more motivation. I'll get back on it though, as the season is kind of rolling down to getting close to ending, I'll get back on the bike, and train a lot from November through to March to prepare for race season 2006, I hope. This is my plan at least, because right now, as mentioned previously, this race season for me is wrecked and for the most part, done and over with. Oh well, as my coach (www.coachrusty.com) told me, sometimes it's good to NOT be a bike racer for a little while, kick back, relax, and then get back into it. He's looking at making a comeback to racing himself next season, which could be fun racing with him, as I never had the chance to do that, and he's one of those freaky mutant people who is just fit all the time anyway, and comes out on group rides around here, and can still throw it down over the course of a couple of hours. Sure, his endurance is a little lacking, but his high end is still brutal. I hate people like that, and by hate, I mean, I'm envious. The people I really disliked where the folks in college that were taking the same classes as me, except not really studying for them, and still getting better grades than me, whilst I worked my ass off. It came way too easy for them, just not fair.

I've also been working on my playlist for the party next weekend. This is something important here. Have to have the right mix of music to get that booty moving I think. It'll be what I'd like to call an eclectic mix I'm sure, but it should be all good. I mean, damn, I used to be a DJ and all. How can I screw it up? Well, The Chad would say I'd be able to screw it up in many different ways, but then again, I've heard some of his music selections as well, and they aren't much better than my own. Yeah, there are some bands that I enjoy that are considered "bad" by some in the music snob cirlces of the world, but I can still dig it can't I? After all, I'm not the one who has a tattoo of the steal your face symbol on my leg. Bringing that up normally stops all attacks on my musical selections. Well, not really, but it's a good one to bring into the conversation without a doubt.

And to end this entry, I have to place one more photo in here, as it is one of my most favorite, and possibly one of the funniest pictures that I've ever seen of my friend Jason. Check it out, and avert your eyes from things that you might be able to see if you check out the picture hard enough: