Friday, October 3, 2014

Fall is Here

So, after doing well with my back for several months, the pain is back.  As I had mentioned in my August 3rd post, I have developed Spinal Stenosis in my lower back this year.  It has just added another obstacle for me to over come.  I noticed the pain coming back in the beginning of August, and every day, it got a little worse.  Thanks to the games the insurance companies like to play, it took me 6 weeks before I could get into the specialist for a spinal steroid injection for some relief.  In those 6 weeks, I deteriorated rapidly, forced to be dependent on my cane and wheelchair again as the pain got worse.

I finally had my injection last week.  Let me tell you, this is not a fun procedure.  After numbing the area with lidocaine injections, they insert a long needle into my back guided by x-ray.  When they believe they found the correct spot in my spine, they inject some dye.  An extremely sharp burst of pain, lets me know they're in the correct spot.  That's the good news, they're in the correct location.  The bad news is they still need to inject 4cc of steroid solution into my back and there's zero room of it, so it will be going directly onto my nerves.  Painful.  Every time he injected a small amount, intense, shooting pain in my lower back and going down my legs.  It takes about 10 minutes for this process of injecting some, letting me recover, and injecting more.  To put it in easier terms.  He's injecting the equivalent of a can of soda into a space the size of a pea, and that pea is engulfed by stinging jellyfish.  Good times.  The next few days were pretty uncomfortable, but I'm finally starting to get some relief, and every day I wake up with a bit less pain.  Enough of the torture, let's talk beer!

It's Fall, so that means the pumpkin beers are hitting the shelves.  Some are great, some, not so much.  One of my favorites (not shown) is Schlafly's.  It's thick and sweet, and really is like drinking a pumpkin pie.  I've already had one this season!

My second pumpkin beer is from Shock Top.  Really not that great, but I can say I've had worse.  For me, if I'm going to drink a Shock Top, I'll stick with their Apple, it's much better.
 You have to love New Glarus.  Whenever I get over to Wisconsin, I always try to find their "Thumbprint" series.  It's basically them letting their brewmaster make whatever he wants, and it's always good.  Scream IIPA is no exception.  Very smooth for a double IPA, and loaded with citra hops.  This is a great beer.  It reminds me of  a higher alcohol Psuedo Sue from Toppling Goliath.  Both beers are worth a try.
 Shown is Shiner's Oktoberfest.  This is a fairly good representation of the style.  Nothing wrong with it, just nothing special either.  For my money, I'd rather drink locally, and go with an Oktoberfest from Millstream Brewery instead.
Here is on of the first pours of my "Nugget Galaxy" Amber.  This one turned out great.  Great fruitiness from all the hops, yet not overly bitter, and very easy to drink.  While not the most exciting of styles, I do feel that my Amber Ales can compete with the best breweries in the world.  If you're in NE Iowa, give me a shout, I'll be happy to let you try one!


Recently, I won tickets to Chive Fest Denver, and decided to say what the hell, and took a last minute road trip to enjoy the fest.  While there, I met some great Chivers, and got to hang out with my oldest friend.  I was able to see John, Mac, and the Chivettes, but didn't get the opportunity to talk to or get a picture with them.  After expressing my disappointment to the above mentioned on Twitter, I was shocked when I got a direct message from Kat, one of the Chivettes.  She said she was sorry I didn't get to meet them too, and after talking with John, they offered me VIP tickets to Chive Fest Dallas on November first.  I have to tell you, I was, and still am, totally blown away by their kindness.

If you aren't familiar with The Chive, please check them out.   www.thechive.com
The website is a mix of pictures and stories of silly things, good looking women, an awesome online community, and amazing charities.  http://thechive.com/2014/10/01/this-is-the-story-of-a-young-girl-and-a-very-special-puppy-15-photos/  This is why I Chive.  It looks kind of silly from the outside, and some of it is, but these really are some great people doing great  things, and I'm proud to be a Chiver.