Tomorrow; December 5th this year of our great lord 2007, will mark the 73rd anniversary of the ratification of the twenty-first amendment, which ended prohibition. My proposal to you is why not make this a more recognized affair? A day to raise our glasses in remembrance of change of dated and repressive policies, to remember what we as CITIZENS are capable of and to look ahead to the future shake downs and flaring ups that this government so desperately needs. People should not fear their governments, governments should fear the people. We are constantly forgetting this, but hopefully we may immortalize that spirit of change that we need so dearly at this time.
Repeal day need not be anything but a simple day to gather with those we love and have a beer, share a bottle of wine, or buy a stranger a shot out at the bar. We have no need for fireworks, parades, or gimmicky figureheads. Just the comrades all together, lamenting a nation that has been transformed in to a plastic wasteland. We'll bring back that rogue spirit that this country was built around. Toast to hard work, sharp minds, loud music, family, slam dancing, love, graffiti, progress, solidarity, and just being alive. We are so distracted by those things that we don't have and how we will get them that we often lose sight of all the beautiful gifts we take for granted every day.
Enough Preaching. This December 5th I'll be enjoying a few of the following beverages:
The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whiskey - A beautifully pure single malt no frills here, The Glenlivet Allows the drinker to enjoy the firm flavors that set single malts apart. Extremely well balanced and clean.
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale- A perfect execution of the winter style ale in my humble opinion. I hate to say it but very few micro-breweries are able to top Sierra Nevadas wide range of solid ales.
The Celebration Ale is no exception, featuring a beautiful amber pour, intense aroma, and rich flavor, one might describe the Celebration Ale as an all around BIG ale, robust and intense, a perfect escape from all of the glitz and bullshit that seems to envelope this time of year. Raise a glass of this stuff to the craft and dedication that some Americans still uphold.
Be sure to enjoy your repeal day among friends, bust out the bar bikes, and go out for a great time with close friends. Feel the rush of cold air against your cheeks as you hoot and holler your way down the streets. Because those bastards can't do a thing about it. Be Safe, Have a damn good time.
-Signing Off
Repeal Day 2008
Album Review- Riverboat Gamblers: To The Confusion of Our Enemies
Riverboat Gambler's full length album hit stores on August 20 after painfully long delays. The band originally formed in 1997 in Denton, Texas; "To The Confusion of Our Enemies" through Volcom Entertainment Labelis the Gambler's forth full-length release. I saw the Gamblers when they opened for Against Me! sometime during the fall of 2006, the Texans brought an aggressive, no holds barred, truly punk-fucking-rock attitude that was so refreshing to experience in a music scene rife with timidity and an infuriating helplessness. The Riverboat Gamblers hold one firm first thrown bravely to the sky, the other hand gesticulating a passionate "FUCK YOU!"
"To The Confusion of Our Enemies;" a 14 track LP, kicks down the door and bursts through with one of the best introductory tracks I have heard in awhile titled "True Crime." The album is full of passionate anthem-like tracks that will inspire, lift up, anger, and most of all make the listener want to jump, move, throw-the-fuck-down! Don't let the hard edged and upbeat tracks that I very hesitantly compare to a "Party Rock" sound that other reviews of this album have compared to an Andrew W.K.-like feeling; this is not all just mindless rocking, the Gamblers have a very defined social and political stance that comes through without weighing down the music itself.
"To The Confusion of Our Enemies" is truly a rocking album; I want to stress the fact that the ALBUM is great as a whole, no real filler tracks here. Something i feel has really lost its value since advent of napster-like downloading where listeners download single tracks at one time. Highlights of the album for me included: True Crime, Don't Bury...I'm Not Dead, Rent Is Due, The Curse of The Ivory Coast and Uh-Oh
Check These guys out 8.5 out of 10
Recent Edit: Because I like you so much (the people who take your valuable time to read this) I have provided a link to download the album as a zip. file. you will need un-archiving software (can be downloaded free) to extract the file, the album should download extremely fast with a decent connection. I will say, if you enjoy the album; please, please, please take a small amount of your time and hard earned money to go down to your locally-owned record store and purchase this album, bands like this need your support!
Send Space Link:
Riverboat Gamblers- To The Confusion of Our Enemies
The Degenerate Cyclist's Guide to Wine: Installation I- Echelon 2005 Pinot Noir--88%
Preface: Quite obviously, I am not a trained wine critic, and if you are reading this then neither are you, so don't try to act the part. I do drink a fair amount of wine and feel that I know how to pick a good bottle. I want to stress as much as possible that this is not meant to pretentious whatsoever, I'm just trying to pass along some new suggestions for the common drunk cyclist. I solemnly swear to you; dear reader, there will be absolutely no making up shit that no one can actually taste, giving you bullshit about the legs, or any of that other stuff that the majority of people who read this nonsense couldn't care less about, this about what tastes good: The Degenerate Cyclists Guide to Wine. My goal here is simply provide an honest, but self-admittedly disorganized, unprofessional, and technically invalid wine review. I hope it helps, and I would be interested to hear criticisms of either the review or the wine itself, cheers.
The "Review"
The Echelon Vineyard's 2005 Pinot Noir from Sonoma Valley is a great bottle for those with a keen, yet thrifty palette at $13;a relatively high retail for this 750ml standard bottle at a local Harris Teeter Grocery chain one may find this bottle for as little as $9 if the buyer knows where to look. A friend who works as a sales rep for a wine distributor who had a few bottles months before it could be found on shelves in this area. After saving the cork for a few months to remember the name and year, it finally became available on retail shelves.
The Good Part: Uncorking and Drinking: 
The Echelon fits the mold of a classic Californian Pinot Noir, the 2005 has no surprises corresponding to its specific vintage or The Sonoma Valley vineyard it hails from. This wine surpassed my expectations for a budget Pinot. Featuring a great smooth flavor, and a consistent body with other wines of its origin and vintage, a nice spicy nip to the taste, and a very pleasant soft berry aroma. The Echelon is an excellent drinking wine, After uncorking (real cork, no synthetics) Ithe bottle was left to mellow for about 20-30minutes (more out of ritual than any functional purpose involving tannins.) The traditional tasting steps were completed with a clean palette and afterwards the reviewer proceeded to finish of the bottle over the course of the evening accompanied by an herb goat cheese served atop wheat crackers that tasted great as one would expect. I could also see the Echelon being an exceptionally meal-friendly Pinot which is in general something I am not too keen on; yet the 2005 has a very gentle flavor that still maintains a flavorful complexity flavor that would suit a fine meal with subtle flavors that might be over powered by other wines. All in all, the Echelon 2005 Pinot is an excellent bottle for the money, very enjoyable and I plan to purchase it again. %88 in my book.
