A Bevy of Bulletpoints

-Recently tried a Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye. It's my first rye beer, I think, but I'm struggling to get a clear sense of how adding rye malt makes this beer any different from plain old barley beer. It's a very malty beer, but the bittering hops and decent attenuation keep it from being overly sweet. I think that if it was not so heavily hopped, it would taste a lot like a medium-bodied Scottish Ale. On balance, I like it, and would pick it up again.

-I've just begun using Google Reader, and I think it's a great tool. I started with a few webcomics, Geekologie, and some news sites, but took Google's recommendation and added Lifehacker, Slashdot, and blogs like Design Milk and the Urbanist. Also had Engadget, but that was just 50 stories about cameras and cell phones every day. I'm looking at adding more content, but wondering how many more feeds I can add before it just gets overwhelming. Maybe if the sites in question only update a few items per day...

-I lost my iPod Shuffle about 2 weeks ago. Now I have no defense against earworms, which always strike when I'm out of headphone cord reach of my desktop at work. There I am, attempting to be industrious at the bench, when my brain is assailed with such gems as Black Velvet by Alannah Myles (for those in the know, replica plating), some stupid flash meme song called "Amazing Horse", and, inexplicably, the theme to "Welcome Back, Kotter" (what I wouldn't give to identify the trigger for that one). Anyways, it's pretty much a living hell.

-Pet peeve: places that make sandwiches and use the wrong bread. Allow me an awkwardly shoehorned analogy: The star of the sandwich is the inside part, and the bread plays a supporting role. Sometimes, you can get a great contribution from the bread, but you usually don't notice overmuch as long as the type of bread, bun, or roll is appropriate, and it's relatively fresh. What I hate is when the roles are reversed, and the bread is fancier than the filling, or completely unsuited to the task. I would list my recent disappointments in this arena, but I fear I've already lost you.

-Elaine is a trike-monkey now. We made a run to the 7-Eleven on the corner earlier tonight. It was strangely cool to help her pick a spot to park her trike outside. Even cooler for her to suggest that I wanted to get a beer. Turned out I did!

-The wit beer that I brewed a few weeks ago is done. I tried it the other day, and was a little disappointed. Either the orange peel, the hops (unlikely), or the yeast have contributed a sharp bitterness to the aftertaste. Despite the similarity in bitter character to that of orange peel, I have a feeling that it is actually the yeast. It's still plenty drinkable, but is not one of my bragging beers.