I Heart Home Depot Tool Rental
I mentioned offhand in the midst of the monster weekend wrapup post yesterday that our pipes were clogged, and I was unsuccessful on Saturday in getting them unclogged. My piddly little consumer level drain snake just wasn't cutting it. Yesterday, it was time to bring out the big guns: the "Easy Rooter," rented from Home Depot.
I stopped by Home Depot after dinner to pick this bad boy up for a four hour rental. The cost was about $50 including taxes. And since I had arrived less than four hours from when they closed, I got bonus rental time and didn't have to return it until 9am the following morning (about 15 hours later). I didn't really need the extra time, but it did save me a late night trip in stinky clothes to return it.
My big problem with the smaller snake was that I had a hard time getting it past bends in the pipe. No such trouble with the 1/2 inch thick cable on this bad boy. If it got stuck at all, I could turn it on and start the drum spinning, while feeding the cable in, and it got through with no trouble. In fact, I fed all 75 feet of cable into the pipe, and it never really snagged on anything. So I let it spin around in there for about five minutes or so, clearing up some space. Somewhere along the way of me feeding, or spinning, the water level dropped, and the clog appeared to be cleared, whatever it was. Pulling the cable back out, I never found anything beyond a small amount of the usual pipe sludge. But, the big tests worked: I was able to fill and drain a full tub of laundry, and everything went down the drain without even a pause.
Home Depot Easy Rooter rental: $50 and a stinky Brian.
Not having to pay a plumber 5 times that to do the same thing with the same tool: Priceless.
A Satisfying Long Weekend
My weekend started around 10am on Friday, when I left work to make the first trip up to the curling club. It would be a long three days.
I was playing with two people I had never met before: Alan, a Canadian who lives in Baltimore and hadn't played in a while, and Sarah, an Alaskan who has been driving around the east coast and Tennessee playing in various bonspiels. Along the way, we picked up people to fill in for our fourth spot, who was originally going to be Alan's wife, since she couldn't make it.
We had no idea what to expect when we started, so Alan skipped us in the first game and I played third. We ended up losing that game, not surprisingly, since the other team was playing well, and we had never played together before. Afterward, Alan asked if I would skip the team the rest of the way, since he was just feeling rusty. So, thrust into the spotlight, I was put in charge for the rest of the weekend. The move seemed great when we won our 4pm game fairly easily, scoring 5 points in one end and 4 in another, then playing defense the rest of the way to stay out of trouble. Our reward? An 8am start Saturday morning, lose and go home.
But before that, I hopped in the car and raced home to get changed for the Girl Scouts' Daddy-Daughter dance. Ellie was all dressed up, and I even put on a tie for the occasion. We do have some pictures to share, but in the hubbub of the weekend, we did not have the chance to get them on the computer (there should also be pictures from the curling up soon). We had a lot of fun, and I was glad that the schedule worked out to allow me to attend the dance. Also fortunate for me was the fact that Michigan State didn't play until after the dance was over, so I got to watch a very tightly played game against Kansas. The local affiliate was even nice enough to realize that North Carolina wasn't going to lose a 20 point lead, and quickly switched back to MSU-KU for most of the second half. A great comeback sent the Spartans to the Elite Eight, and me to bed happy.
Up early the next morning, I had breakfast with Ellie before heading out to the curling club once again. This time, we were on fire and blew the doors off of our opponent, even though we only had three players (shockingly, no one wanted to get up and play with us at 8am!). Shortly thereafter, I had to head home to try to take care of a plumbing problem. Our laundry tub had backed up and flooded the basement. Conveniently, the same drain also services the kitchen sink and dishwasher. I managed to take apart some pipes to try to get direct access to the clog, but my snaking abilities were lacking, and despite hours of trying and a trip to Home Depot for more gear, I was unable to fix the clog. It is still not fixed, so we are probably going to have to call a real plumber.
On to Saturday evening, and we played a team of pretty good players from our club, including my skip from previous bonspiels, and one of the players who filled in for us on Friday. Things were looking grim as we were down by three points (or was it only two? I can't remember) with only two ends to play. Through some good shotmaking, we managed to tie the game going into the last end. Unfortunately, the other team had the last rock advantage. My lead and second played their shots perfectly, just how you draw it up: two guards on the center line, followed by two draws around in the house to lie two. The other team never managed to remove more than one of our rocks at a time, so when my turn came, I was throwing up more guards, and they were left with trying some crazy triple takeouts and a tight draw to try to save the game. They didn't make them, and we moved on to play again, at 10:15pm. Did I mention that the previous two games were lose and go home? Thankfully, the 10:15pm game, coming at the end of a long day that started at 8am, was not an elimination game, because we were worn out. Early on, we had some momentum, and actually had a one point lead after 4 ends. But we started to tire, and I missed some potentially game-saving takeouts and the game was lost, and our opponents went on to win the second event the next day. I stumbled into bed just after 1am.
Back again Sunday morning at 9am. My buddy Jeremy was good enough to fill in for us Sunday, and if we won, we would get the privilege of being piped onto the ice for a final game at noon, and be assured of winning a pin. The problem? Standing in our way was a team that had just lost in the main event's semifinal. Translation: they were good. But we turned out to be a bit better. We played a great game, and again it came down to the last two ends. We managed to take a three point lead after the seventh end, and all we had to do was keep knocking out their rocks until they ran out. My team did a great job of this, and when it came to my turn I had two chances to get rid of just one of the opponent's rocks. Naturally I choked and missed both times. Ugh. Unfortunately, the opposing skip sailed his last shot through the house, and we escaped with a one point victory, not the way we intended though.
On to the finals, our seventh game in three long days. On the other side, a grizzled veteran from Ardsley, NY playing with some relatively new curlers. I was a little nervous to start, but got the jitters out quickly once we walked out onto the ice following the bagpipers. The shot of Drambuie probably helped a little bit with the nerves. The game went back and forth and yet again, came down to the last two ends. Things were looking rough for a while, and honestly, I wish I could remember what happened a little better. I do remember that I managed to make a couple of really great game saving shots. In particular, I really had my draw weight down pat and was putting the rocks at exactly the right distance that I wanted them to be. In the final end, we had managed to clutter up the front while protecting our rocks in the house, a perfect setup to steal away the win. The opposing skip's last rock came up just short of where it needed to be, and we had won the fourth event final, and I had my first gold "medal" as a skip. What a fun experience!
And yet, the weekend wasn't over yet. At 4:45pm, I had to play in the finals of my regular Sunday league. So I hung around the curling club and watched the conveniently scheduled Michigan State-Louisville basketball game. Thankfully, after all the drama of the weekend, MSU handily trounced the Cardinals to advance to the Final Four! Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to watch the games in Ireland. The places we're staying all have cable or satellite, but I'm not sure whether they'll be showing the games live or not. Once the game was over, it was out to the ice for one last game. It was no contest. The team played great and we were up 8-1 when we decided to have some fun. We let our rookie players call the shots and see what it was like from the other end of the ice. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the weekend. I got home, got the kids to bed and pretty much passed out from exhaustion. What a weekend!
Madness Roundup
In case you missed it, the MSU women's basketball team upset #1 seeded Duke to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Yeah, they were playing on their home floor, but that's the way things go sometimes.
Obviously, the men are also in the Sweet Sixteen against Kansas. My brother and I have the standard $1 bet riding on the winner (yes, this goes against my rules of not betting on my own team, but it's really just a "fun" bet anyway).
The Washington Post's Beer Madness is down to the final two. Oddly enough, they are the same final two that I picked LAST year: Troegs Hopback Amber Ale and Ommegang Hennepin. I think it's going to be hard for Ommegang to win, just because it's kind of a funky beer, a saison farmhouse ale, whereas the Hopback is a more traditional American amber, hoppy but balanced, no funkiness.
Finally, the Washingtonian's Burger Bracket is down to the Final Four as well: Chadwick's, BLT Steak, Elevation, and EatBar. I've only ever had Elevation, and I honestly don't think it should rank in the top four, but apparently they have fans. I'm pulling for EatBar, because our friends own the place, and they are awesome.
The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
My review
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another review I read of this book was disappointed that it didn't resolve in the way they had hoped: with the author finding Z, or at least, Percy Fawcett, the explorer who devoted his life to searching for El Dorado. Frankly, I don't understand that way of thinking. The guy is a writer, not an archaeologist. And by the end of the book, you realize he's not going to get any definitive answers to his quest. But he gets just enough answers that the reader is satisfied, and grateful to be taken along for the ride.
I have to mention that this is probably the fastest I have ever read a work of non-fiction. The pacing is so similar to a thrilling novel, with short chapters, skipping back and forth between historical accounts of Fawcett's explorations and the author's own efforts to find evidence of what happened to the lost explorer. So of course, I have nothing but the strongest recommendation to seek this one out. You'll have trouble putting it down.
I'm not sure what I'll be reading next. We're heading off to Ireland shortly, so I probably won't get around to reviewing anything till we return anyway.
Tommyknocker Ornery Amber
Another one from the WaPo Beer Madness tourney.
Copper color with thin head and reasonable lacing (at least for the thin head).
Mainly malt aroma, tinge of hops thrown in.
Fairly unassuming flavor, but well-rounded nonetheless. Not too much sweetness from the malt before the hops take over and finish dryly.
In terms of Beer Madness, I definitely would have advanced it over Starr Hill Jomo (which I've had once but not fully reviewed), and quite possibly over the Raven.
Overall rating: 3.9
The Manhattan Hunt Club
The Manhattan Hunt Club: A Novel by John Saul
My review
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A fast-paced thriller of a book, Dan Brown-style, with short chapters, and intermingling storylines. It was a quick read, but maybe a little too much like stories I have read before. At least, each element of the story, especially the vigilantes hunting criminals who they think got off easy part, I seem to remember reading elsewhere. That didn't keep me from enjoying it though, and the one slightly surprising turn to the story bumped the book up just enough so that it wasn't totally predictable. Good pulp-ish fiction.
Next up is The Lost City of Z by David Grann.
Beer Madness Final Four
Budweiser American Ale finally succumbs to Troegs Hopback (my personal pick to win it all this year). Three of last year's Final Four return again this year: Troegs, Ommegang Hennepin, and Raven Lager. The only one not to make it was last year's champ, Hook and Ladder Backdraft Brown. Taking its place is another Brown from Brooklyn. Since it's the only one I haven't yet tried, I'll have to go pick some up, particularly because I enjoyed the Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout it knocked off this round.
Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Deep black color, decent lacing, though the head doesn't stick around long.
Nice roasty aroma, not a typical "beer smell" like my wife hates (which I interpret as roasted malt), but more like roasted coffee maybe.
Really nice flavor, finishes nice for a stout too, not too overpowering. Still packs a lot in, some malty sweetness, a good amount of hop bitterness to go with the roasted coffee. The coffee flavor lingers in the mouth a bit for a fine finish.
I tried this one out since it knocked off one of my favorite stouts, Bell's Kalamazoo, in the Washington Post Beer Madness. Not sure whether I'd pick it over that one, but still a fine specimen.
Overall rating: 4.45 out of 5
The Gone-Away World
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
My review
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It is going to be hard to write a review for this book without giving away spoilers. So I will try, but be forewarned that some hopefully minor things will be given away. Really, all this review will do is make you more aware that everything in the book is there for a reason.
Caveats aside, moving on. This was just a fabulous thing to read. I admit that I did get bored in some of the middle section, especially after it started off with such a bang (a common device in novels these days). But man, when Nick Harkaway gets back to the action, and you start to see the pieces he put in place earlier start tumbling into place like a Tetris puzzle, you really see the beauty of his design. Seriously, every character, no matter how minor you think they might be, plays a part. Every side observation someone makes also tends to come into play. Harkaway has planted these seeds, without your conscious self being aware of them, and when the seeds poke up out of the ground, they start to blossom, and then you truly appreciate why he was showing you every step of the planting.
The Gone-Away World is phenomenal. It's a little bit sci-fi, tries to almost be literary but isn't pretentious, and throws in enough mystery and twists to delight any reader. Highly recommended.
Next up will be The Manhattan Hunt Club by John Saul, recommended to me by Suzy.
Watchmen
Watchmen by Alan Moore
My review
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really wanted to like this more than I did. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy poring over every gorgeous panel, reading every bit of dialogue. But I just felt like if this had been a regular book, without the graphic novel eye candy, it would have been kinda thin on the plot. There was a lot of character development in flashbacks and such which really only seemed incidental to the plot, and I couldn't bring myself to care very much for too many of the characters.
That being said, it IS a graphic novel (ahem, comic book), and it is wonderfully drawn and has a lot of interesting stuff going on in the subplots. It's just that main plot that was harder to "get."
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