Garage Brewed Motorcycle Show
6 years ago
Roebling Bridge painting
A few random pictures from a recent walk I took across the bridge. The new paint is a definite improvement.
Prohibition Resistance Tour 2010
Way back in September Erica and I went on the OTR Brewery Districts Prohibition Resistance Tour and didn't get a chance to post or share any photos of it. Overall the tour was good, it was handled by volunteers from the brewery district, but definitely lacked the charisma and detail of the Queen City Underground tours. The tour was fun though and you get to climb down into some of the newly unearthed cellars and tunnels the district has found. Here are some photos from our somewhat recent tour. Click through for the full size as well as others in the set.
website: http://www.otrbrewerydistrict.org/
website: http://www.otrbrewerydistrict.org/
Indigo Cafe
Dan took me out on a no-reason date! He's a keeper, this guy.
Dan wanted to drive out to Hyde Park to try out Indigo. As I mentioned earlier, we are never in that area, so it was a welcome change.
Dan had a calzone, and loved it. More than he could eat in one sitting, though!
I had the pesto and walnut pasta. Yum. We need to start putting WALNUTS on more foods, people. This is a good thing.
Our service was okay! They were paying a bit more attention to the hordes of people dining outside; it was one of the last nice days where you could eat outside without your teeth chattering, and everyone was taking advantage of it. But we were in no hurry and we enjoyed the quiet niceness of Indigo.
The place didn't stand out to me, really, but I think I've added it to my "safe" list-- you know, the place you go when you're tired of ordering pizza.
Indigo's website: http://www.myindigogrill.com/
Dan wanted to drive out to Hyde Park to try out Indigo. As I mentioned earlier, we are never in that area, so it was a welcome change.
Dan had a calzone, and loved it. More than he could eat in one sitting, though!
I had the pesto and walnut pasta. Yum. We need to start putting WALNUTS on more foods, people. This is a good thing.
Our service was okay! They were paying a bit more attention to the hordes of people dining outside; it was one of the last nice days where you could eat outside without your teeth chattering, and everyone was taking advantage of it. But we were in no hurry and we enjoyed the quiet niceness of Indigo.
The place didn't stand out to me, really, but I think I've added it to my "safe" list-- you know, the place you go when you're tired of ordering pizza.
Indigo's website: http://www.myindigogrill.com/
Books by the Banks 2010
Hey! I covered Books by the Banks in 2009! Somehow I missed our blog's first anniversary, back in September. We'll have to commemorate it-- belatedly-- somehow!
This was Books by the Banks' 4th year, and I have loved watching it grow from the very first year. I noticed many improvements this time around, such as food! There has never been any kind of food offering at the convention center before, besides a piddly Starbucks booth downstairs, but this year they had a couple small options, such as a Skyline counter. That has to be a good sign, right?
There were also a few minor changes that I think made a huge difference, such as an announcement system that let them relay information about panels, instead of expecting people to rely on the paper programs.
There was also a lot less trouble with sound-- in years past, the paper-thin walls at Duke Energy Center led to problems being able to hear the panels. The rooms seemed to be split up differently this year, perhaps with that in mind.
The best-- and hands-down most awkward-- element of Books by the Banks is the author room. This sprawling ballroom stuffed with low tables can be a madhouse at times, and approaching an unknown author can be uncomfortable at first-- but I ended up spending about an hour discussing authors' books, opinions of the event... hell, stories about their children. If you're willing to walk up to a stranger and just start a conversation, you'll discover some incredible people in the Books by the Banks author room.
I walked away with way too many books, including a few supa-early Christmas presents. (That's how I roll.) I also had this year's poster signed by a very friendly John Maggard.
The turnout seemed great, despite competing with Celtic Fest and a Reds playoff game. The panels were hoppin' and the author room was humming with people. Can't wait until 2011!
Books by the Banks website: http://booksbythebanks.org/
This was Books by the Banks' 4th year, and I have loved watching it grow from the very first year. I noticed many improvements this time around, such as food! There has never been any kind of food offering at the convention center before, besides a piddly Starbucks booth downstairs, but this year they had a couple small options, such as a Skyline counter. That has to be a good sign, right?
There were also a few minor changes that I think made a huge difference, such as an announcement system that let them relay information about panels, instead of expecting people to rely on the paper programs.
There was also a lot less trouble with sound-- in years past, the paper-thin walls at Duke Energy Center led to problems being able to hear the panels. The rooms seemed to be split up differently this year, perhaps with that in mind.
The best-- and hands-down most awkward-- element of Books by the Banks is the author room. This sprawling ballroom stuffed with low tables can be a madhouse at times, and approaching an unknown author can be uncomfortable at first-- but I ended up spending about an hour discussing authors' books, opinions of the event... hell, stories about their children. If you're willing to walk up to a stranger and just start a conversation, you'll discover some incredible people in the Books by the Banks author room.
I walked away with way too many books, including a few supa-early Christmas presents. (That's how I roll.) I also had this year's poster signed by a very friendly John Maggard.
The turnout seemed great, despite competing with Celtic Fest and a Reds playoff game. The panels were hoppin' and the author room was humming with people. Can't wait until 2011!Books by the Banks website: http://booksbythebanks.org/
Flying Pig #11: Hyde Park
Guess who we found in Hyde Pork!
Did I seriously just say Hyde Pork?
Anyway, Dan and I took a trip to Hyde Park; the pig is front-and-center, but we don't spend much time in the area.
We were even fortunate enough to find a name plaque with this one! Ladies and gents, meet Goldie Hocks. Cuuuuute.
Stop by and see her when you're in Hyde Park Square!
Did I seriously just say Hyde Pork?
Anyway, Dan and I took a trip to Hyde Park; the pig is front-and-center, but we don't spend much time in the area.
We were even fortunate enough to find a name plaque with this one! Ladies and gents, meet Goldie Hocks. Cuuuuute.
Stop by and see her when you're in Hyde Park Square!
Guestblog: Seven Days as a Grieving Bengals Fan
A new Bengals-related editorial guestblog has come in from Bradley! I learned a lot from this post, not only about the Bengals but about my brother's insane post-game rituals. It makes me yearn for the Cyclones to start up again!! Thanks for the post, my sports correspondent!
After the crushing defeat we were handed in New England a couple Sundays ago, I was moved to put together a piece on my process of what happens after a Bengals loss. My own Kübler-Ross model, if you will. Though, I'll admit having a successful baseball team helps the bounce-back a little. How 'bout them Reds?
I sift through my feed reader while wearing my Thurman jersey, casually smiling at the Cincy Jungle game previews, and reading some of the NFL.com's comment section to get fired up. A quick prayer to the football gods, a sacrifice to the offensive line, a tribute to the secondary and a fast for the strength of our pass rushers.
Nothing can stop me from believing in a victory, even when it's absurd to do so. You'll hear me spout things like "one pick-six and we're in position to tie it up." I'll quote obscure statistics as through I've been cornered, and only the use of numbers can save me. "Yeah, well, Tom Brady's three-step drop gets 7.8% slower on the second snap of every 4th-quarter drive." But as my brain refuses to accept the outcome, I have already started the grieving process for the week's showdown.
It was game day.
And for the rest of that day, I generally refuse to talk about it. I just block it out of my mind. I take up interest in the other teams playing, desperately searching for one of my number twos to be doing well. Bears, Wildcats, Texans, anyone. As long as somebody who I don't hate is doing well, I can block out the Bengals for one more day.
But deep inside I know that the other fans are loving it. They're torching effigies of players in their favorite bars. They're blogging about how good it feels to have taken a shit on the losers of the NFL. They're high-fiving each other as they fill their fat f**king faces with anchor-themed beer and chow-dah. They're taking everything I hold sacred about my team, and turning them into bad puns and stupid forum signatures. And I know, for one fleeting moment, that Tom Brady stands in his boxers in an apartment high above the Foxborough skyline, looking out of the window, and cracks a slow smile.
So as day three rolls around, most of the fantasy sites have solidified in their results. The games are tallied up and you get the bittersweet satisfaction of a little W by your team's name, or crushing abysmal feeling of the little red L. But either way, Bengals players have made their impact even in your virtual game. And trust me, no matter how many times you've played fantasy football, that week's opponent never starts one of your team's under-performers.
That day of all days is the most important, and the most childish of all sports-related rituals. I play Madden, and as you may have guessed, it's the rematch game I wish my real team could have actually played.
And you start to get this feeling; trust me. It's not until Palmer has thrown for his 300th yard, or Benson has made his 5th rushing touchdown and after your kicker has more receptions then their top three wide-outs combined. You get this feeling that everything is going to be okay. That your team is finally the insanely over-hyped killing machine that you think they are. Er, thought they were.
Final score: Bengals 89 - Patriots 3
Passing logs comparative to the average for Palmer, for all quarterbacks, for Brady. Average YAC for receivers, passer ratings, and game film for just how fast Bernard Scott hit the hole. At the end of the day, I'm a lean, mean, statistics-quoting machine. By day's end, I know just whose head should be on a silver platter.
The previous day is crucial to the sixth day, as I finally turn my attention to the opposition. Now armed with a quiver full of data, I can set out on a journey to set the record straight. No tweet is left unguarded, no status unchecked, no e-mail unanswered as I fly solo on my mission to conquer the nay-sayers. I march to the top of the hill and firmly plant the flag into the sand, declaring that this is where our season stands. (And, you know, some slurs toward the other team's players. Sorry, Wes Welker.)
And for that small amount of time, I don't think I could be prouder to be a Bengals fan. Then again, being 19, I have yet to see the Bengals win a playoff game. We'll talk then.
It happens that quickly. In just 144 hours I've already forgotten about last week's game in anticipation of the following week's gridiron match-up. My fantasy team's roster has been selected and checked twice, and I'm back to my pre- pre-game rituals. I've gathering all the ingredients for the brewing process of hating this week's opponent. And I suppose it isn't until now, finally, that able to fully accept a Bengals loss.
I mean, even if it was a team we could have beaten.
After the crushing defeat we were handed in New England a couple Sundays ago, I was moved to put together a piece on my process of what happens after a Bengals loss. My own Kübler-Ross model, if you will. Though, I'll admit having a successful baseball team helps the bounce-back a little. How 'bout them Reds?
Day One:
Game Day
I sift through my feed reader while wearing my Thurman jersey, casually smiling at the Cincy Jungle game previews, and reading some of the NFL.com's comment section to get fired up. A quick prayer to the football gods, a sacrifice to the offensive line, a tribute to the secondary and a fast for the strength of our pass rushers.
Nothing can stop me from believing in a victory, even when it's absurd to do so. You'll hear me spout things like "one pick-six and we're in position to tie it up." I'll quote obscure statistics as through I've been cornered, and only the use of numbers can save me. "Yeah, well, Tom Brady's three-step drop gets 7.8% slower on the second snap of every 4th-quarter drive." But as my brain refuses to accept the outcome, I have already started the grieving process for the week's showdown.
It was game day.
And for the rest of that day, I generally refuse to talk about it. I just block it out of my mind. I take up interest in the other teams playing, desperately searching for one of my number twos to be doing well. Bears, Wildcats, Texans, anyone. As long as somebody who I don't hate is doing well, I can block out the Bengals for one more day.
Day Two:
Yeah... Well...
But deep inside I know that the other fans are loving it. They're torching effigies of players in their favorite bars. They're blogging about how good it feels to have taken a shit on the losers of the NFL. They're high-fiving each other as they fill their fat f**king faces with anchor-themed beer and chow-dah. They're taking everything I hold sacred about my team, and turning them into bad puns and stupid forum signatures. And I know, for one fleeting moment, that Tom Brady stands in his boxers in an apartment high above the Foxborough skyline, looking out of the window, and cracks a slow smile.
Day Three:
Fantasy Wrap-Up
So as day three rolls around, most of the fantasy sites have solidified in their results. The games are tallied up and you get the bittersweet satisfaction of a little W by your team's name, or crushing abysmal feeling of the little red L. But either way, Bengals players have made their impact even in your virtual game. And trust me, no matter how many times you've played fantasy football, that week's opponent never starts one of your team's under-performers.
Day Four:
The Madden Game
That day of all days is the most important, and the most childish of all sports-related rituals. I play Madden, and as you may have guessed, it's the rematch game I wish my real team could have actually played.And you start to get this feeling; trust me. It's not until Palmer has thrown for his 300th yard, or Benson has made his 5th rushing touchdown and after your kicker has more receptions then their top three wide-outs combined. You get this feeling that everything is going to be okay. That your team is finally the insanely over-hyped killing machine that you think they are. Er, thought they were.
Final score: Bengals 89 - Patriots 3
Day Five:
Scrutiny
Passing logs comparative to the average for Palmer, for all quarterbacks, for Brady. Average YAC for receivers, passer ratings, and game film for just how fast Bernard Scott hit the hole. At the end of the day, I'm a lean, mean, statistics-quoting machine. By day's end, I know just whose head should be on a silver platter.
Day Six:
Mounting an Offensive
The previous day is crucial to the sixth day, as I finally turn my attention to the opposition. Now armed with a quiver full of data, I can set out on a journey to set the record straight. No tweet is left unguarded, no status unchecked, no e-mail unanswered as I fly solo on my mission to conquer the nay-sayers. I march to the top of the hill and firmly plant the flag into the sand, declaring that this is where our season stands. (And, you know, some slurs toward the other team's players. Sorry, Wes Welker.)And for that small amount of time, I don't think I could be prouder to be a Bengals fan. Then again, being 19, I have yet to see the Bengals win a playoff game. We'll talk then.
Day Seven:
Forward Progress
It happens that quickly. In just 144 hours I've already forgotten about last week's game in anticipation of the following week's gridiron match-up. My fantasy team's roster has been selected and checked twice, and I'm back to my pre- pre-game rituals. I've gathering all the ingredients for the brewing process of hating this week's opponent. And I suppose it isn't until now, finally, that able to fully accept a Bengals loss.
I mean, even if it was a team we could have beaten.
J-Ride Pedicabs: Contest!
I fell in love with pedicabs-- tiny taxis powered by people on bikes-- in both Austin and San Diego. Dan and I have talked at length about what a perfect addition pedicabs would be to Cincinnati, since just about anywhere you'd need to go is within a quick bike trip.
It sounds as though we are getting our own pedicab service: J-Ride!
Since it sounds too good to be true: the first person to send me a snapshop of a pedicab on the street will earn bike fare for a trip!
