April 30- Pay Day

While I’ve been here for 4 months I have just been paid today. It isn’t that I’ve been working for free over the past 4 months but that I’ve been waiting on national insurance numbers, bank accounts and people to tell me what the fuck is going on for that length of time. I still don’t have a bank account.

But I’m happy now. There is something about payday that makes you walk a little taller, a bit quicker and maybe even a bit happier (yes, I walk happier at times) and it probably comes from a sense of accomplishment. I’ve earned this money, I’ve worked my ass off for it and now I finally get to enjoy the rewards.

I think this is a good example that patience is a virtue and eventually it pays off. I’ve really developed a new attitude toward things over here and I’ve mellowed out a bit. Things will come in time. Why rush everything now? You only live once and you might as well enjoy it all. From big to little I think that it is all worth it. I sound a bit like a hippie but it’s a good attitude to have. I’ve never been so happy just working, living and learning about stuff. Brewing, packaging, cultures, countries and myself.

If I come back a totally different (and better) person don’t be surprised because if you ever did this you probably would too.

Now time to cash the cheque…

April 29- Who Gives a Royal Fuck?

Today is the royal wedding. Who cares? I mean really, they don’t do shit, they have loads of money to throw away on weddings and shit so why not do something more productive with it like save the world?

I don’t see why people love this stuff so much. This post will be short since I don’t actually have words to express how stupid the whole things is. If you love the royals and are reading this, I hope you are offended because it is offensive to people to be expected to give a shit when they do nothing for us. The world works because of interactions of people. Two people do something, two people get rewarded and everyone gains something.

What is this wedding? 2 people get married, make some crazy old bat we call the queen happy and everyone watching loses hours of their life. It was a beautiful day here, why stay inside? Fuck.

April 28- The Game

No, it isn’t hockey. It isn’t football, soccer or rugby. It’s a book.

I love the culture surrounding the book. It gets this reputation of being a book on how to pick up women and become a master pick up artist (or PUA as the call it in the book). From the people I’ve spoken to who have read it (namely one person) it can make you into a sex god as well. I’d like to dismiss all this bullshit and say they are wrong.

While there are lessons and mentions of routines that can be used to pick up women, open up sets of women and continue a seduction they are brief and do not follow a step-by-step pattern. There are no direct directions on the topic but it does give you guidance if you want to check it out and become one.

What is the book then? It is purely one guys experience in “the community” over a span of 2 years and it seems like it is similar to what I’m doing here. While I’m not here learning about picking up women I have started to notice some similarities. Most notably and easy, commonalities bring people together. They don’t always see eye to eye, they don’t need to like each other and they don’t need to be friends but if you bring beer into it, they make that connection. There is always something common between everyone, even if it is just both being people and being alive or being in the same place at the same time.

Most people that have read it I’m sure only read the first 90% or so because at the end, like all good books, there is a lesson to learn. While the author spends his life “sarging” women for 2 years and having sex with super models he learns one main thing. That one thing is..

Read the book, all of it. Trust me, it is worth it. You will learn something about yourself and the world. If you just want to read the end, its cool but you won’t learn anything. Like any novel his life is a story and without the beginning and middle, you have nothing.

April 27- I’m starting to feel it

I’m finally starting to feel a tiny bit homesick. It might be due to the past few nights of communication with friends and hearing how everyone misses me and can’t wait to see me or how people may come visit and such. I think the more I keep home in my life the harder this will be but I really don’t have a choice since I need to stay in touch (this blog does a good job). I miss being at school but not school it self. I miss Phoenix patio more and more every time I see nice weather. I miss my family and friends. And honestly, I’m happy that I miss them because if I didn’t what kind of friend would I be?

What about this: I just stay here and gallivant around the world and never come home. While being a gypsy traveler isn’t really for me I could easily stay past my 8 months here and each day I’m leaning more and more towards it.

If you have never been away from home for an extended period of time I’ll tell you one thing that might help you understand. Hello, I’m in Delaware by City and Colour is pretty much how I feel when I think about home. So give it a listen when you got a chance.

April 26- Reflections From a Month of Night Shift

Going into this past month I was very pumped since everyone here seems to love night shift more than days. I was a bit scared that my sleep pattern would be too fucked up and I’d die every night just due to lack of sleep. I was wrong. I managed to get my body into the rhythm and it only took about the whole month. I have one more night of work before I’m back on days for May and I’m looking forward to it in some ways. Here is the break down.

Pros of nights

·      -No office staff to ask you daft questions about things you don’t know or care about

·      -The people I was working with were great

·      -Night shift gives you the energy to party all night no problem since you just have breakfast beers and they feel natural

·      -It feels cool to change your body clock

·      -Skype dates are easier with friends from home

·      -Sunrises are beautiful and happen about 5 am now. Early eh?

Cons

·      -The weather has been amazing and miss it all

·      -Days off can be hard because you just want to go to sleep

·      -It is hard to jog at midnight on days off

·      -It is colder than days

·      -You feel like you are sneaking around in the dark when you are doing your work at times

·      -More chaos tends to happen with the brew house getting shut down and everyone on packaging. These things are just unavoidable

·      -Getting to the bank and working out office stuff is a bitch when you just want to go to sleep

·      -While the vibe is fun it can also be depressing since all you see is darkness

April 25- Good Beer Weekend

About a day ago I found out that this weekend is some sort of “Drink and enjoy good beer” weekend. I felt I should be the one to tell most of you about it since I doubt you follow Pete Brown, Zak Avery or Mark Dredge on their blogs (I forget who posted it). I’ll keep it short and simple. Go out, get good craft beer, sit outside if its nice and enjoy. I’ll make a few recommendations based on the nice weather that I hope we all get.

Hoptical Illusion from Flying Monkey’s – This is a great, and potentially only, example of an ”almost pale ale.” This beer is decently bitter with a really nice aroma, lots of resiny hop flaours and super tasty from the dry hopping (I process I respect on a whole new level now) they do. I can’t remember all the details (I’ve been away too long) but you might enjoy it out on the patio.

Organic Lager from Mill St. or Steam Whistle Pilsner – 2 good examples of light, slightly hoppy (more so the Steam Whistle) lager style beers that are perfect after mowing the lawn or just chilling with the boys. Look for these this weekend when you are at the LCBO or Beer store. Can’t go wrong. (P.s. Steam Whistle got me into craft beer so if you are nervous it’s a good starter).

Wellington County Dark from Wellington Brewery – This beer is a safety if you have a colder weekend than expected. Nice malty body with a slight hop finish keeping it from being too sweet makes it a nicer beer for cooler weather or after the sun goes down. A really good craft brewer from Guelph (with a really nice Brewmaster) that are worth checking out on this “enjoy good beer weekend.”

Scottish Style Ale from Neustadt- A cozy little cottage brewery that makes some really nice stuff. This is also a late night beer and has a great maltiness to it that is like a hug for you stomach. Ok, not quite but the flavours are bang on.

I hope you get out and get a chance to try some of these. If you have had them get to the shop and look at the Ontario Craft Beer section most LCBO’s have and find something new. I’m sure you will.

April 24- Life Rules

As you grow up you learn things that will help you in the future. I’ve learned many lessons over the past 21 years and I feel this one needs to be shared. This applies to me personally, since we all should fallow our own rules, but I’m sure some of you will feel the same.

Rule: Never ingest shot glasses that mix alcohol and Tabasco sauce. I did and I puked out a window. Funny thing was I only threw up about 2 times, tiny volumes (seemed like just the 25mL shot), and then an hour later I felt perfectly fine and started to drink. I’m not sure when it became a good idea for people to mix hot sauce and booze but who ever decided on that has made my list of people I wish were never born. It might sound harsh but so is Tabasco sauce getting thrown up out a window. I think we are even.

April 23- Maple Beer Update

Many weeks ago James posted on the BrewDog blog, and I linked it, that I made an explosive batch of Maple Syrup porter with Tobias. Well as of a week ago we finally bottled it and for being such a pain to clean up (sorry Red and Jack) it turned out half decent. Sure you still get the yeastiness but you also get the nice chocolate roasty flavours and a nice hint of sweetness from the malt as well. Good hop balance but sadly nothing from the syrup.

We will be doing another batch, hopefully this month, for launch in a month or 2. We can take feedback and improve the recipe. If it turns out you can bet I’ll brew it at home in September for all of you to try. I also have a tons of other brewing planned for Hamilton. I’m thinking about 1 every week or 2? So if you’ve ever wanted to brew (and of course drink) with me, I’m sure you will have a chance.

I’ll start the bidding at a 6 pack of Hoptical Illusion sent to me over here.

April 22- Cheese

I know I’ve posted before about how beer got me into different music, food and even spirits but this one is a specific case of the food category.

As of about 4 moths ago, I knew nothing about cheese except cheddar, mozzarella and variations of those. I didn’t like Brie, cottage (still don’t) or any others and was just put off by the whole thing.

Since I’ve been here I’m trying loads of new cheeses, thanks to Tobias and his expertness on the subject, and the cheese boards we get at the BrewDog bar.

When I get home I have 2 things to do. Make cheese. Sounds crazy but I’d love to try. Secondly, I’d love to get a bunch of people together and have a classy as fuck cheese board night with GOOD beers, pairings and some classy music (Miles Davis per chance?).

Who’s in?

April 21- People Under the Stairs

I know I’m way behind on my blogs but I made a commitment and I’m keeping it. One a day. Some may say this update is lazy just to help me catch up but it isn’t (entirely). This is the one song I’ve started to love being here. So chill and so good. If you can’t feel the vibe I do, we aren’t friends. They also have other sweet shit too.

Link it (not sure about  the video but the song is it)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjZN_adJKv8

April 20- A BAD day at work

I’ve had bad days before. My birthday when I was nearly too hungover to move is probably the best example I have but other days after the pub and MUSA dinners can also lead to me being in a rough state. But this day took the cake.

It all started easily enough. The kettle was clean, they had just finished mashing in and all I could do was wait until the mash rest was done. I was the brewer for the night as Wallace was off and I was feeling pretty good.

The runoff started well and I managed to keep my bed steady and a good flow rate going. It was a 60 HL (6000 L) batch of Punk IPA. For a batch this size you need to collect about 62 HL so that you can boil some off to hit your final gravity (a lot of this probably seems like brewers code to you and that’s ok. It is.).

Once the runoff hit 58 HL you turn off your sparge and let the rest soak through. Just before the volume reached this mark the door started to drip as it always does. A few turns and tighten it up again. Then it starts to spray a fairly nice stream down so I go to clean a bucket to catch it and pour it back in. Maybe 30 seconds later the seal pops off and 85˚C wort is pouring from the door way. I sprint away to get shift leader. Fuck. I just dropped a few thousand pounds of ingredients all over the floor and the place was flooded.

After the clean up we finished the boil with the remaining 18 HL of wort and casted it in to a tank for yeast propogation. The rest was supposed to be going into a tank for fermentation as normal Punk but the pressure was too high in the tank. Letting the CIP pipe open to release pressure is what we always do so it is easier. CO2 fills the area around the tanks and makes it nearly impossible to breathe. Here’s the kicker, the fermentation was so rigorous that yeast starts to spray out. Fuck. Casting then proceeds to take a few hours for almost fuck all beer. What a night

And as we know bad things happen in 3’s so there had to be one more. As I was cleaning out the mash tun I took the bucket to empty it and hit a bump in the parking lot. Usually that would be ok but not today. The string that holds the bucket on snaps and malt is all over the ground. Now I have to re-shovel it. Fuck. I was very fed up by now and powered out a bucket from the mash tun in about 2.5 or3 minutes I think. I was getting my frustrations out.

What did I learn? We really do need new seals. Yeast is a crazy bitch (that I love). Strings break when they get old. My work is dangerous but never dull. Sometimes you need to live on the edge.

April 19- The beer Project

It's been way too long since I updated this. Here is 1 to hold you over.

I’m not sure how many of you have seen what I like to call “The Beer Project” but I’ll fill everyone in.

This is a project I started to taste and drink as many different beers as I can over the course of my life. As of right now the list stands just under 440. It has everything from the source I’ve had it from (tap, cask, bottle or can). It is alphabetized with a count for each category as well as a count for the total number of beer. Since I’ve been in the UK I’ve had at least 1 new beer a day. I’ve been here for almost 120 days now. Again, this may scream “alcoholic” to some of you but, again, you can fuck off (please see post on passion).

I’m currently working on a setting up a rating system as well and I’d definitely like to get my spirit list going too for the whisky I drink. If anyone would like to see the list please send me a note and I’ll be happy to share. Keep in mind this is since I’ve been 19, which is just over 2 years now. 

APRIL 18- Meet the Brewer

Meet the brewer nights at BrewDog Aberdeen have started. Tonight was the first one with our "epic rock n' roll head brewer" Stewart Bowman. He was chatting with people all around the pub, did a tasting of Alice Porter and poured a half pint for James. James was the only one who asked.

I'm happy to say that this started as my idea about 3 weeks ago. I asked Neil if I could come down, pour a few pints and chat with people about the beers to help me get a better appreciation for what I do at the brewery. Neil then took the idea to Bruce and James to get all the brewers down for a night of this type of thing.

It is a cool idea for me especially since I like chatting about beer and there is no better way to get feedback than from people paying for the beer. Sometimes you meet cool people and get ideas for beers and stuff. You also get out of Fraserburgh for a night and at the end you get a few pints for coming down.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure what the best part is. I'm sure it will be fun and I can't wait for my turn.

April 17- Road trip!!!

So you remember when I posted about my road trip to the US for purposes or beer only? The details have been laid out and the stage is set. We just have a few things missing. A car and maybe some of you to join us.

If you are interested in any of the following breweries,

Brooklyn
Dogfish Head
Dieu Du Ciel
Flying Dog
Southern Tier

to name a few and would like to join us it would be ace. We obviously would be having a DD everyday but would be splitting the costs and stuff on everything else. We will be getting tours and drinking at each stop. Is there anything better?

So this is it. If you like craft beer, if you don't and want to learn, if you want to travel, if you want to come and get drunk for a while with me in the US and especially if you have a car, please let me know. The more the merrier and i'm sure you will learn a thing or 2.

April 16- Movies

Since I've moved into the flat I have started to watch lots of movies. I've never been a big movie person but lately I've started to get into it. I never had the attention span before but apparently I do now. Let me share a few I've been watching or re watching.

Anchorman- A classic Will Ferrel movie. All the lines, all the stupidity and all the subtly clever humour a person could want. It has been years since I've seen it but I'll always remember to stay classy now.

Old School- Another great movie for Will but I never realized how short it is, or at least feels, when you watch it. Again, so many great lines and anecdotes but well done. I'd love to party with Frank the tank.

The Godfather I - I love gangster films and yet I'd never seen this one. Saying  you love gangster movies and having not seen it is like saying you like craft beer but only drinking Coors. Now I no longer feel like a  traitor. Brilliant film.

Boogie nights - a really weird but funny movie about he porn industry. well done. who would have thought a plot like this with this cast could be serious?

Donnie Darko- quickly becoming my favourite film ever. Not sure why but the plot and details are so well thought out and it really makes you think about things. Humour is placed in the best spots and just makes my laugh on many levels. There are also lots of odd unanswered questions you may miss the first time so give it a few watches.

If you haven't watched any of these lately or ever, go now. I'll wait. Well I won't but the blog will. It is up forever. Boom.

April 15- Milestones

Today is my 100th post. That is right. I've had a post up for 100 days straight as of today.

I'd like to pat myself on the back a bit here since I honestly thought that I would have given up by now. A post a day, usually intelligent (or somewhat so), for 8 months is a crazy task to chase but apparently I'm crazy enough to try.

I'm not sure what is coming up in the months ahead but I promise I'll try and do my best to keep this entertaining for you.

Here are a few other things, milestones, accomplishments or whatever you want to call them that have changed my life

-hockey league, AA, champions in grade 3- nothing like your first taste of success
-provincial hockey champions - another surreal moment. what a crazy time
-learning magic and overcoming my public speaking fears- this is very helpful for everyday life and I like presentations now
- camp counsellor - it was like being accepted into a secret club of awesomeness. stay up late, joke around and not sleep. good times
-Mashing in my first brew on a corporate scale - a good nervous comes when you have been trusted to make beer worth thousands of pounds after only 2.5 months of training.
-being a good friend- most important on the list. It is something I will always be working towards but I feel, and hope you do to, that I've done a good job so far.

Thanks for reading this, it means a lot and makes it all worth while.

April 14- Passion

There are a few things in life that I feel, as do many others, that can't truly be appreciated until experienced. Sex, drugs, rock and roll are a few good examples (not that I'd do any of those....)

There is also a crucial one we all strive to find and sadly some never do. Passion.

Passion is an ever elusive things that evades people their whole lives and to me that seems sad. I've said it before, I'm so lucky I've found mine, at least 2 times now. Magic was my passion but I realized that a life of it wasn't for me. Beer is now my passion.

I love beer. I love everything about beer. The history, the process, the science and of course drinking it. I tell people that I love beer and they instantly tend to assume I'm a developing alcoholic. Don't worry, I'm not. I've debated many times with people about what alcohol is meant for. I'd argue that it is meant to be enjoyed and tasted rather than thrown back as quickly as possible MOST OF THE TIME. There are times when shots are just required by law (well, not quite but I'm sure you get my drift). People argue that it is only good for getting drunk and while it does that very well there is so much more to it for me. Why is it different for me? Because I care about it, love it and understand it. Most people sadly do not do any of those, except maybe love it one 26er at a time. Now those are alcoholics.

I don't think it is very fair that when I tell people I love beer they think I'm a drunk. Would you tell a chef that he is a fat ass overeating loser just because he likes food? Or a model train collector an isolated loser due to his hobby even though he may be socially adjusted and party like a rock star? You might if it were true, and thanks to stereo types we all think they are.

I'd also like to point out that having a beer a day does not qualify me as a boozer. I'd be an alcoholic if I needed it to live but I've had many days without beer this week. Also if you look up the symptoms I have none.

So I ask you. If you can't understand passion due to a personal lack of knowledge or call me an alcoholic based on stereotypes could you kindly fuck off? and if not, then do so unkindly, I don't mind either way.

April 13- Back to it

Travelling was awesome but sometimes there is nothing like getting back to work. I know it sounds crazy but it is a bit like mildly wanting to get back to school in September. Not for the work but more for the people. Although going back to work is about the work for me as well, I am happy not to be catching trains every 2 days to head off to another place.

I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t mind going home (to Ontario, I’ve started calling Scotland home while travelling) because I just learned that my grandma passed away yesterday. I’m usually not one for expressing my emotions to large amounts of people but I was sad but not surprised. I’m happy to say she went quietly.

This is one of those things where I’m brutal at making decisions. Before I left my parents asked me if someone died whether I’d want to fly home for the funeral. I of course said no because really there is no point and the time and money it would cost isn’t worth it for anyone. It isn’t that I don’t care, it’s that it wouldn’t change the fact. I obviously said this with my “it won’t happen” attitude. Now I’d kind of like to be home with them. Funny how things are so simple until they happen sometimes, eh?

I’d also like to say, on a much brighter note, my sister is now 19 and better be training her liver for when we go drinking because I do plan on destroying her.

I figured the least I could do would be to have a drink for them both. Instead of having 2 I just had 1 because I was tired but Sandra, Grandma this ones for you.

More than I’ve ever meant this before: Cheers, you rock!

April 12- And at the end of it all…

Today is my last day off. Here I am right now at 5:30 am (on the 13^th) watching the Godfather in my attempt to stay up all night and get back into night shift mode. I’ve been up for 21.5 hours now with an hour or so of sleep on the train.

My day has been mostly consumed by travel. First it was Leeds to Edinburgh for 3 hours and then Edinburgh to Aberdeen for 2.5 all ending with a bus to Fraserburgh for 1.5 hours. 7 hours of travelling in a day and staying up all night is a bitch.

My stop in Edinburgh was 2 hours so I popped down to the BrewDog bar for a quick beer and a pizza (mildest level still burned like a bitch) but was quite good. After getting to Aberdeen I headed to the bar again for a quick beer. I stayed from 6 until 10:30, helped out with a tasting and chatted with a few people. It was kind of nice to start and end my trip in the same location.

I did manage to bring back more beer than I came with which is always nice but I had to carry it in my bag and carry clothes in the BrewDog box. I’ll be stocked up for a while. I’m sorry this isn’t exciting, witty or funny but I’m honestly dying and surprised I’ve made it this long.

I have learned quite a few things on my travels. I’ll share them

1)   Travelling (facing) backwards on a train is like living life forwards.

2)   5 days ago seems like forever and 3 months ago seems like yesterday. Hindsight is a bitch.

3)   As much as I love travelling I don’t think I could do it forever.

There are probably more but I’m done. Goodnight.

April 11- Leeds in a day

Today it slept in, got past the hangover I’m sure I would have had from the numerous amounts of pints I had the night before and then headed out to check out Leeds.

First I hit up the city centre where I just wandered around looking at different shops, looked for a book at Waterstone’s and poked around HMV for a while. I ended up with 2 CD’s that earned my one of the oddest looks I’ve received in my life. I found it strange since I get a lot of odd looks for the crazy shit I do in public. I had a Miles Davis CD and a Motorhead CD. Could you get any more opposite?

After a really nice fish and chips lunch at PIN (where I spent the previous night drinking) I then headed back to my room for a brief nap and to check some emails. After I got up I went hunting for the Leeds Brewery. Not an easy task. Luckily I found one of their pubs about half way there for further directions. After finding the place I got a full tour from Viki (or Venks to the crew up there). Turns out their kit is the same as ours is just 10 barrels (17 HL) smaller. Viki is also one of the tiniest guys I’ve ever met in my life but can lift malt bags and do all the work. After that we headed to the pub for 2 pints then up to Beer Ritz, a spectacular bottle shop a solid 15 minute bus ride away. After getting a few bottles of random stuff and a DT we headed for another pint close by. Then back downtown for food and then to another pub for 1 more.

I bet these stories are all old hat now and that I sound like the largest alcoholic you know but it is what we do. We brew and we drink. I am addicted to beer. I do love beer. I do drink less that most university students worldwide. How is that? Magic I guess.

Some call it a problem. I call it living. Only 1 more day of my trip left which is all travelling but I’m sure I can make some fun out of it.

April 10- It’s off to Leeds I go

Today was absolutely amazing. I got up early and bummed around Kerry’s house for a few hours, of course reading magic books and hanging out with her cat while she went out for a run (simultaneously making me feel like a lazy out of shape hobo). When she got back it was pretty much time to hit the road for me to make my bus.

Everything was fine and I got there with about 20 minutes to spare. Go inside and the ticket machine can’t read my card. So I frantically run to the office and get my tickets which thankfully was no issue.

As I say goodbye to Kerry and grab all my stuff I was a bit sad because I easily could have stayed longer but with both of us on a set number of days off that really wasn’t an option.

The rest of my day was filled with travelling. First a bus to Birmingham and then a train to Leeds. I’m in a hotel for a few nights, which don’t have free internet (and I’m not fucking paying for it) so this will go up after my adventures.

I headed down to the area in Leeds called the Brewery Wharf as it is a little village area beside the water and the Tetley’s Brewery filled with cool pubs, nice restaurants and some awesome looking apartments. I could live here and with a name like “Brewery Wharf” it just calls to me. I ended up at a restaurant called Ciao Bella for some Italian. I had a nice salmon pâté and a breaded haddock fillet (not deep fried), which were very good. I then headed back to PIN a little café restaurant directly beside Ciao Bella where I initially attempted to get food because it had a Leeds Brewery frosted glass design thing on the window. I figured since I’m heading to the brewery tomorrow I might as well try a few of their beers before I go.

After stepping in a chatting with the bartender we finally established that I was a brewer who was going to meet Viki and worked for BrewDog. This came out after a bit of snooping and asking how the BrewDog beers were selling. Chris is an awesome guy and invited me to stay for another pint and chat a bit more. He also knew I was Canadian which makes him a champion. Of course I did because I had nothing else to do except cry myself to sleep (sarcasm is hard when typing). After what I can only guess was another 3 pints (instead of 1) we headed off to another pub which I have no recollection of the name with Doug, the head chef. We stepped inside and one of the owners of Leeds Brewery was there. After grabbing another pint there Chris headed off and doug and I went to another pub again for a few pints and a whisky. After what I can only remember being a long time I headed back to the hotel and crashed pretty hard. What I expected to be a quick pint and chat with Chris turned into a night full of drinking.

Chris and Doug were so great about it and I think I should send them down a 12 of BrewDog as a thanks. What do you think? Cheers gentlemen.

April 9- I finally get to relax

Holy shit, I kind of forgot what doing nothing is like. Between school, working and travelling I really didn’t know what to do when I just had a day to chill out.

This may have been the best day of the trek so far just because it was so uneventful. I got up late (a first for me in the past 3 months I think) and watched TV. I ate some cereal and a banana and sat on the couch with Kerry’s cat. I got a chance to read magic books from a very large collection and picked up a few things. I will say that cats do not particularly enjoy when you do ace assemblies over top of them if they are on your lap. I honestly just chilled for the whole day until about 4 pm.

At 4 I headed up to Bristol with Kerry to check out a magic bar (you sit, drink and watch magic) because Andi had a show. The magic wasn’t the worst I’ve seen but I think I could do a better job if I cared to. While at the place a friend of Kerry’s dropped in, Peter Clifford, a local magician and an actor. It turns out that Peter is friends with Derren Brown (my favourite performer hands down). It is odd how small the world is sometimes.

After Peter left Andi came back from his gig and we hung around long enough for Andi to go to the washroom. Oh, and long enough for him to forget his phone. Don’t worry, we got it back. All I can say about the bar is that it is a bad example of a cool idea.

We then drove back, stopping for tea on the way (of course) and chatted a bit more while playing magic trivia and working out nerd jokes for Andi to end his act with. We are all super cool like that.

Newent feels like a very close-knit community and with the weather we had it was like a perfect village out of a movie. Creepy, but cool. I head off tomorrow at noon to Manchester then Leeds for a few days. I’d love a job where I get to travel like this.

April 8 - Off to Newent

Today I moved on. Not from beer or anything like that but from Manchester to Newent for the next leg of my journey.

Everything went flawlessly (I've been really lucky so far) and I am pretty happy to have such great friends all over the UK so I have a place to stay. It is ace.

Kerry scooped me from the station and luckily we recognized each other (because I have a beard and we have only met once). We said our hello's and headed to Tesco for some food. We caught up a bit on the way but when we got home she filled me in on her life and I was quite surprised. We sat and chatted for a solid 2 hours and just joked and chatted about everything and anything. It was great (no tea involved. it wasn't tea time). Then we headed out for dinner with the famous Andi Gladwin and his wife Sarah to the Toby Carver (I think) and it was such a great meal. It is where many famous magicians eat when they get here (Lee, Aaron, Tyler etc.) so I feel privileged to be raised to that guest status.

We then returned to the house and laughed at some really bad puns and just random stuff. I like meeting professional magicians (or any professional) and NOT talking about their profession. I get to know people that way, not performers. I really felt like we were friends before tonight and that I've met them all many times before. We then watched some comedy and chatted after Andi left. It has been too long since I've just sat and chatted with someone. All my good friends and I need to have a nice 1 on 1 chat when I get home, cool? Just let me know if you feel you are at that level.

Kerry has been a great host and is one of the nicest people I know. I'm happy she is a friend and that she can put up with me. Why do I have the best friends?

More Newent tomorrow and then who knows after that. Leeds is coming, and so is Beerritz.

Cheers

April 7- Marble Arch Brewery

I spent today walking around the city again and checkout the city centre but most importantly I made it to Marble Arch pub (which is associated with Marble Brewery). I went in and it is a quiet old man pub but those are the pubs I like. I grabbed a pint and sat down to have it. They also have a really cool beer list. I then chatted with the bar maid and said I was a brewer and she sent me down to the brewhouse to take a look. The brewers were very busy cleaning up at the end of the day so I just poked my head in and looked around. I then went back to the bar and she said the brewers also tend to come up and do a tasting and chat. So I hung around and waited for them to get up. I ended up chatting with Colin, a head/lead brewer for about 1.5 hours and I stayed an extra hour and a half because he kept giving me pints and samples of the stuff they have. They do mostly cask stuff but again, it is a good brewery and they make ace stuff. We exchanged lots of info about beer, brewing, who we work for and contact info. I was lucky enough to try the “Decadence” they release for winter every other year. It still has 8 or 9 months to age until then but it was a really nice imperial stout (7.5% abv) and I hope I can manage to snake a bottle at some point. This was easily the high light of my trip and I stick with what I’ve always thought. Brewers are the coolest people. Case closed. If you get a chance to try some Marble Beers I would do so because they are well worth it and they are bottle conditioned so there is carbonation.

I also went out after this and showed up a bit boozy but the night wasn’t too exciting. Marble was much better.

April 6- Travel day 2 : City tour

When I finally woke up after I died really hard from exhaustion we headed out to a huge mall because the food court is that amazing. I was a bit skeptical.

We get there and the place is gigantic. It is like eaton centre, Square 1 and Yorkdale rolled into 1. It is a really huge layout and I was starting to think that she might be right about the food court. She was. The place was huge with Aztec and roman architecture and an Egyptian Pizza Hut. It was 2 stories, there were different “towns” of food (eg. china town) and everything was a good place to go and all sit down places. We opted for Pizza Hut as the Egyptian this was cool (and I was craving pizza). I ate quite a bit and had my 5^th pop since I’ve been here. We also got a kids menu (well I did) and I wore the cardboard chefs hat for the meal and the rest of the day. I could tell I was embarrassing to be with but I really didn’t care. Brittany also folded up an origami turtle for me who I placed in the hat. His name is Shark because he is a boss. I later on wore him on my shoulder to the pub. I thought it might help pick up girls (but we all know I’m retarded most of the time and this was an excuse for me to be a bit pirate). We went out, partied a bit and I met lots of the exchange students that were there. It was a pretty tame night and I was still a bit tired. I think I only had 3 or 4 beers this night because I’m trying to save a bit of my BrewDog for other friends I may see.

It was a good day and I slept very well again (even though it was on the floor).

April 5- It’s Gonna be a Good Flying Day. Travel Day 1

So I’m not flying but I am travelling down to England to see 2 friends: One from Uni and one from magic connections. These people are awesome and I’m excited to see a few familiar faces for the first time in 3 MONTHS!! I can’t believe it has been that long because it just seems like yesterday I was at home writing exams then a few weeks for Christmas and seeing friends. This means 2 things. This will be over before I know it (sadly) and also it will be over before I know it (happily). I’m sure you can figure out my reasons for both sides but I’ve thought about staying here longer or coming back because it is such a fun place to work.

Anyway, my travelling was like this. I got off work at 8 am, darted home (with a cheeky beer in hand) and got a quick shower and food. I then hit up a bus at 9:30 to arrive in Aberdeen by 11 (even though my train was at 1) but I had a plan. I kicked about, got a bite to eat and waited until 12 when BrewDog Bar opens. I was there right away and the place was empty (the first time I’ve seen that). I had a quick ½ pint of Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale and a third of BrewDog Raspberry Wheat over the course of about 30 minutes. Neil is the new manager and actually has STOLEN my idea and talked to James and the crew about it. He did steal it with my permission though and I really don’t care because it is a great idea. He is going to have a brewer down to the bar every 2 weeks or so do pour a few pints, chat with customers and do a guided tasting or 2 while there. This is something I just wanted to do but Neil ran with it. This gives the brewers a good feeling of what people really think of the beers we make, allows us to see the appreciation there is for what we do and a chance to get the hell out of Fraserburgh.

Back to the point here. I then got on my train to Edinburgh, waited for about 45 minutes and got some food then my next rain to Manchester was off. The whole travel time was about 7 hours, of which I might have slept about 3 so when I got there I was running on very VERY little sleep but it was ok. Brittany and I headed out for Chinese and it was amazing. We then went to the pub and met an Irish guy (who thought we were Irish because we sound it apparently) and I got him worked up about Ireland, his knowledge of history and his endless sexist jokes. The guy was mental but hilarious. We then headed back to her res and just hung out for a while. I’m sure we did something else but I can’t recall. I only had 1 pint (hobgoblin on cask) this night. I felt the next few days would be pretty boozy.

April 4- Check This Author Out

I know some of you will have read this author many times over, I might have even mentioned him on here before (I think I have actually) but I can’t stress it enough.

Malcolm Gladwell. Malcolm Gladwell. Malcolm Gladwell.

If you forget it now you are an idiot because I said it 3 times. If you haven’t heard of this guy then you need to go out and buy at least 1 of, if not all 4 (maybe 5 now?) of his books. Care how epidemics spread and how you can get a message out? Tipping Point is the one you want. Think of the business and marketing applications of this… Ever wondered how or why we make snap judgements of we know things but can’t explain them? You want Blink. It will help you realize how to use these judgements, when they are you friend and when they fail you. You will also find some good music (Kenna) and a few facts about you that you didn’t even know were facts about you. Want to know the story of success? Outliers is your book and again, think what this could do for you business and marketing and everything that you might do that relies on succeeding. The last (4^th) book is excaping me right now but I’ll be honest I haven’t read it.

I say that osme of these are the ones you want for specific things but really you want them all. It is kind of like Pokemon. Gotta get ‘em all.

April 3- First nightshift

I was told the best way to switch over was to get really drunk and just sleep it off ALLLLL day long. That didn’t sound like it would be a good idea since I’d be tired, feel a bit dodgy and have to do work. I was also told the best way was to just stay up all night and sleep like a boss that day. I didn’t have the energy to stay up all night after a 12-hour shift. My solution? Combination. I went drinking after work and got a decent amount of boozy (plus I ate a lot) then stayed up with my flat mates and watch them get on an adventure to another planet (in their heads). I woke up normal time the next day and did some running around and then I went back to bed for about 6 hours. It seemed to work fine but I did hit a wall around 5 am. After that you just get foggy and walk around (like my cousin Jon) in a daze. It is very odd working all night long, having 8 am beers as a normal and natural occurrence.

But I’ll be honest: It is amazing. As much as I love our office staff I do like not having to listen to or deal with any shit that isn’t my job. I don’t need them to ask me about stock since I have no idea (which they still don’t get), I don’t need to be asked to pack boxes for them to send to customers because they don’t want to. It isn’t that I dislike helping, it is just nice not having to do it all the time. Night shift is just no bullshit get your work done time and man, it is sweet. I’m sure it wouldn’t be as great if I had other things to do here aside from work but I don’t. The stars look good too. There is nothing like a few minutes to look off into the sky while working except maybe a sunset to top it off.

April 2 – The end of day shifts

My stint of 3 months of dayshift has come to an end today. It was a good run and I’m not sure if anyone else has done this, especially new people. I am staying on with Red, Jack and the rest of them and George is brewing with us now. Since this is Jack’s last month here it is bound to be a lot of fun. I only have 2 nightshifts before I head off to England but I’ll get a good feel for it.

On another note, my hair is getting long but I’m going to let it grow out until August just to see what it will be like. I might look like a girl unless I keep the beard around as well.

The flat is still decent and the beer consumption is still at an alarming high rate. I will be slowing down once I get more settled in and I need to get back to reading.

April 1-What my month looks like

I have a crazy and totally new month coming up. I chatted with Michelle Benjamin finally and everything is good. Going onto night shift and travelling to England in a few days. It is crazy shit.

The plan for England is Manchester for a few, Gloucester for a few and then Leeds for a day. I might sneak London in for a night but I'm not too sure yet. I'll see what happens. This is being kept short since I am behind and tired right now.

Also, moved into the flat. No carpets still and sharing a room (which is alright). I'm most happy to have
a kitchen
a tv/xbox to watch movies
social interaction

and I wish I had
Internet (even though it is bad for me as I just waste my time on it)

3:1 pros to cons. not bad, eh?

Good luck on exams people!