Some of you may recall that in Round 1 of the “Cheap Beer Playoffs“, I tried out six different inexpensive beers. I have grown tired of paying $8 for a 6-pack, and honestly this economy doesn’t justify it. Sure, I’ll still enjoy a nice craft beer from time to time. But to me, there’s nothing particularly outstanding about Michelob Ultra Lite or Bud Select that justifies its price. From Round 1, the advancing challengers were:

- Keystone Light (KL)
- Miller High Life Light (HLL)
- Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR)

Round 2: Miller High Life Light vs. Keystone Light
First, I put the Keystone up against the Miller High Life Light. I found them both to be fairly full-bodied and malty, which I liked. But I found the Keystone to have a bit of a bitter, sharp finish that seemed to settle funny in my stomach. On the other hand the HLL had a pretty smooth finish. Again, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. 

Winner: Miller High Life Light

Round 3: Miller High Life Light vs. Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR)
The final contest was between the classic PBR and the HLL. I had given PBR the ‘bye’ in this contest because, after Round 1, I honestly thought it would be the winner. After all, it is sort of the American standard “working-man’s” beer. And I have to say, it was another close contest. Though the PBR is a little more bitter and carries a little more after-taste, it was still a refreshing beer. BUT, every so often, it would kind of sour my stomach. Sometimes I take a beer to have when I finish riding, and I found this was especially true if I let it warm up slightly before or during the time I was drinking it. On the other hand, the HLL was always consistent. It maintained it’s full taste, and always had that nice malty flavor. And though it gets a little harder to drink when it warms up a bit (despite whatever T-bone may say), I still found it drinkable. It is easy to have one or two of these and really enjoy it. And at rougly $13 for a 30-pack, it beat many of the contenders.

So the overall winner is Miller High Life Light!

You know, as a beer that kind of found its way into the competition at the last minute, this was surprising even to me. It’s not one I would have singled out, initially. And to be honest, this competition has been over for most of the summer now. But I kind of figured I’d hold off on posting the results to ensure that I was committed to my choice. I have now gone through a couple of cases of this, and still find myself enjoying it. So I’m sure it will work for me for a while. But if I need a change of pace, I’d still pick up a case of PBR. =)

Somehow, I managed to let more than a month slip by since my last post. In that brief time, there has been a lot of “stuff” going on. Here’s a rundown of some highlights:

• In late July… nothing happened. Well, not much to speak of, anyhow. In fact… where did July GO?! I think I must’ve slept through it…
   
• In early August, I attended a few cutting horse shows. I didn’t show at any of them, but it was good experience to watch and learn, and of course I got to ride…
   
• In early August, my wife turned 37. Before me. I’m just sayin’…
   
• In mid-August, we took a little family trip to northern Indiana to visit my sister-in-law and her new husband, whom my kids refer to as “Uncle Stinky Feet”. I’m not sure why, but then, I’ve never sniffed his feet, either. Perhaps they got a whiff. Anyhow, we spent a day at the beach on Lake Michigan, and a day in downtown Chicago. We took the kids up to the Sky Deck of the “Willis” (Sears) Tower, and then to Gino’s for deepdish pizza. I think they really enjoyed the train rides, as well.
   
• On August 22nd, I turned 37 (after my wife, of course), and went to my first cutting horse show. After driving all the way to Indy, we realized about 1.5 hours before the show that the mare had cut her leg pretty badly on something. Show was off. But then T-bone helped me borrow a horse. Show was on! But then the horse hadn’t been worked in a while and it was a pretty rough ride (I scored a 60). But there were a lot of positives to take from it, so I’m happy I got the experience and look forward to trying it again on a horse I’ve actually ridden for more than an hour. =)
   
• Today my oldest started first grade… I have mixed emotions. She’s growing up too fast. Tomorrow it’ll be her Senior year. =( / =)
   
• My web site http://helpmikeride.com has raked in tons of visitors and donations. Just kidding… but I’ve had a few of both!
   
• My team began our weight loss challenge, and I’ve lost 5 pounds. But I’m still not back to where I was at the end of the last challenge.
   
• I completed the Cheap Beer Playoffs. Results to come soon!
    

September and October are also shaping up to be VERY busy months for me! But despite the fact we’ve had a mild summer, I am looking forward to Fall. I always do. I love the cooler weather and changing colors and reduced allergen levels. I’ll try to post more in the coming weeks!

Mike

I wanted to post to let everyone know that I have recently put up a new web ste….

Before you get to the link, I want you to know that I’m asking people — somewhat boldly, perhaps — for a small donation. However, a donation is not expected from anyone. Over the years, I’ve witnessed first-hand what “viral marketing” can achieve, particularly on the Internet. People can achieve amazing results when they ask others for a little help. Recent statistics show that there are more than 251 MILLION Internet users in North America, alone! Worldwide, the number of users online now exceeds 1.5 BILLION (source). In the last 9 years, the number of people online in North America has increased by 132.5%. Those numbers are expected to continue to grow.

So what does that have to do with my web site? Simply put, I have a goal… a dream. I feel I have been patient enough in my life in waiting for this to happen, and now I need to do something about it. Sometimes life has a way of happening, and before you know it you’ve lost track of time. Sometimes your dreams get put aside because you just don’t have the means to get started. Well, I’ve been waiting for a while, and now it’s time to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and DO something about it!

I carry the simple hope that I can convince 8000 people to help me realize my goal. That’s a tiny 0.0032% of online users in North America, and an even smaller 0.0005% of the people online in the world (which only represents 23.8% of the world’s population).

So please check out my site today! If you choose to help, that’s great! If not, I will not be offended. But either way, I would like to request that you please forward this message to anyone you know that might be willing to help. If each person that reads this message passes it along a few others (or posts my site address on their facebook or twitter page), then I might just have a shot at making this work!

The address of the site is:
                       
      http://helpmikeride.com/
 
Thank you for your time!! 

Mike

As a father, there are sometimes questions you get from the kids for which you have no answer. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing, but sometimes it’s fun to make up an answer on the fly. “Why is the sky blue?” Because it’s reflecting water, of course… “Why can’t we fly?” Well, we were able to before we lost our feathers… “Where do babies come from?” When it comes up, I plan to say “Wal-mart” ( though one can’t go wrong with the old “Stork” story, either).

But sometimes the question is more serious, and catches you off gaurd. When your child poses a philosophical or religious question, how do you answer? You want/need to give an answer that satisfies their curiosity, without scaring them or making them feel insignificant.

That was the case for me on none other than Father’s Day. At the end of a great day, I was tucking my son into bed and was laying next to him, tickling and talking like we often do. That’s when we had the following exchange:

Him: “Dad?”
Me: “Yes?”
Him: “Can we live forever?”
Me: “Ummm… that’s a really big question…”
Him: ”I hope I’m really old when I die, and not young… I want to live a long time.”
Me: “I want you to live a long time and grow old, too…”
Him: “Maybe I’ll even live longer than you and mommy.”
Me: “I hope that’s the case…”
Him: “So can I live forever?” (and I thought I’d side-tracked him)
Me: “Well… your body can’t live forever, but your soul can. God promised that if we believe in Him, we can live forever with him in Heaven.”
Him: “So I won’t have my body?”
Me: “Not after you die, but that’s just your body, not your soul.” (*thinking*… please don’t ask me what the soul is!)
Him: “So I’ll be able to talk to people?”
Me: “I think so, but I don’t know… But I hope so.”
Him: “So what’s it like in Heaven?”
Me: “I have no idea… I’ve never been there. But you’ll live there with God, and I imagine it’s a nice place.”

And that was pretty much the end of the conversation. Such a big question for a 5-year-old, and one that really caught me off guard. I think the answer I gave was good… at least it seemed to satisfy his curiosity. But in those moments, you realize you don’t really have all the answers this kid is seeking, and only hope you can lead them in the right direction. We are essentially a steering wheel, but it’s manual steering. The answers don’t come easy, and there will be tough questions and bumps in the road.

Looking to turn the tables, I figured I’d ask him a tough question, too. So last night before bed, I questioned him:

Me: “If I have 4 down linemen - 2 tackles and 2 guards - one middle linebacker, and two outside linebackers, what defense do I have?”
Him: “A 4-3!!”
Me: “And if you have 5 linemen - 2 tackles, 2 guards, and a linebacker on the line - and drop two linebackers, what defense do you have?
Him: “A 5-2!!”

I’m so proud… =)

So it’s been a little bit since I posted. Some of you who follow this blog may recall my “Twenty-five in 105” plan, which was to lose 25 pounds in 105 days. I started at 225, and my plan was to be at 200lbs by the end of May.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men. The truth is, apparently I bit off more than I could chew, and I wasn’t totally committed. I’m not even going to blame the fact that I had to wear a “boot cast” on my fractured left foot for six weeks during the 4-month period of time leading up to my goal date. The truth is, it just didn’t happen.

There are lots of reasons I didn’t hit my goal. Foremost, aside from the injury, was a lack of commitment to eating better. I have FAITHFULLY worked out at least 4-5 days per week, on both weights and the bike. And I have actually put on quite a bit of muscle, which I’ll attribute to my 4lb GAIN during that span. Muscularly, I’m probably as fit as I’ve ever been since college. But the truth is, I can’t lose weight eating cake and ice cream and chips and other junk foods.

So what does the future hold? I still have my goal of 200lbs, and hope to attain it this year. Starting July 9th, my team at work is going to begin another weight-loss challenge, so I’ll have some extra motivation. Wish me luck, and stick around to see how I do!

I like beer… It makes me a jolly good fellow… I like beer… It helps me unwind and sometime it makes me feel mellow… ~ Tom T. Hall

As most of my friends and family know, I like beer. Not so much that I drink too much of it… I just enjoy having a cold one on a hot day or when I’m relaxing. I might have one or two every few days. Back in college I was a “Miller-Lite man”, but for some reason that beer now bloats my stomach something crazy. I can barely stand it. As I went through my 20s, I worked part time for an upscale liquor store and got into “boutique” and “craft” beers. I enjoyed them, but they are pricey and full of calories. I even attempted to brew my own beer for a while, but mainly just managed to produce vinegar. Later I switched to “less complicated” beers like Michelob Ultra Light and Bud Select, figuring I would save the calories, but it I wasn’t drinking enough to make it worth the difference. 

Lately I’ve enjoyed drinking Bud Light Lime (thanks to T-bone), which is great on a hot day after riding. But to be honest, I’m tired of paying $10-12 for a 12-pack of beer! Ironically I enjoy it less often because the cost adds up pretty fast! So with that in mind, I’ve decided to SIMPLIFY. I have chosen six “cheap” beers that cost under $15 for a 30-pack. Most of these have actually been brewed for quite a long time. The way I see it, people have enjoyed them for years, so why should my tastes be any more refined?

That said, I have completed ROUND 1 of the “Cheap Beer Playoffs“. Generally, I consider a beer to be the ‘winner’ if I either find myself NOT drinking it because I want to get the other one “out of the way” first, OR if I find myself drinking it because I enjoy it more than the other one. The winner is in blue. The ultimate goal is to choose ONE beer that I can keep “stocked” in my fridge and enjoy when I want. A secondary point was to switch to canned beer, because I can recycle the cans for money as opposed to getting nothing for bottles. I also don’t have to worry about knocking over cans in the garage and having one break.

The contenders and results are as follows:

Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) vs. Strohs
These were the only two beers that I tried that were not “light” beers. However, I actually (and even surprisingly) enjoyed the PBR. It has just the right amount of “malt” flavor I enjoy. It can be a tad bit bitter, but it didn’t bother me. I was disappointed by the Strohs, which is a beer I often drank in college (after I turned 21, of course!). Apparently my memories of the beer were better than the beer itself. I found it to be too sweet, and kind of flat tasting. Perhaps it was flat or skunked… not many places carry it, so who knows how old it was. But I didn’t care much for it, and probably won’t buy it again.

Keystone Light vs. Busch Light
Hands down the Keystone won this contest. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I actually used to drink Keystone “back in the day”, and it’s similar to Coors Light in taste. Like the PBR, it had a nice “malty” taste, though more “full bodied”. I found the Busch Light to be WAY too “sugary” and watery for my taste… it actually soured my stomach! I can drink it if it’s super-cold, but outside of that I didn’t really enjoy it.

Miller High Life Light vs. Old Milwaukee Light
The competition was originally going to be between the four beers listed above. However, these were last second “entries” and it turned out to be perhaps the closest contest of the bunch. The Old Mil Light actually wasn’t bad — better than I anticipated. But it has kind of a sharper, more “alcohol” taste than I usually enjoy, which makes it a bit inconsistent when drinking (it wavers between malty and sharp). I still found it drinkable, but not as enjoyable as the High Life Light. Honestly, I didn’t even know they MADE the HLL, but it turned out to have a nice malty flavor. The HLL is a tid-bit flat tasting, though, so this contest was close to being a draw. I found them both “drinkable”, but the HLL won out based on consistency. It is probably one of the more expensive of the six I sampled.

So that completes round one!! I’ll keep you posted as I begin Round 2! =)

It’s time for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby! Tomorrow is the day, and I’ll be honest and admit I haven’t really payed much attention this year. I’ve just been way too busy to follow which horses are in and out, etc. In fact, about the ONLY way I’ve celebrated this year was to eat a bunch of fried stuff at the chow wagon. But I ate a lot of fried vegetables (which were awesome!), so that has to count for something, right?

Anyhow, I took a quick gander at the field this morning so I could at least make my annual pick. Not much time for any real data crunching, so I’m going to make this years picks from 5,000 feet. The field is large this year with 20 horses, so it wasn’t easy to choose one. That said, here’s what I came up with:

Win (1): Dunkirk
Place (2): I Want Revenge Papa Clem
Show (3): Musket Man

I usually heavily favor the winner of the Florida Derby to run well in the Kentucky Derby. This year, that horse was “Quality Road”, but that horse was unfortunately scratched from the Derby with foot problems. Dunkirk, a really pretty gray colt, finished 2nd in the Florida Derby, but did not race as a 2yr-old. That makes him a stretch pick, though he does have an experienced jockey. He’s a “come from behind” horse which usually plays well in the Derby, but I think the track conditions will have a big impact. I Want Revenge is likely to be one of the favorites at post time. He has a lot of speed and has run well on dirt (most of these horses are raced on synthetic track now), so he should be at least pushing the field at the end if not perhaps even leading it. Faviorites don’t always do that well, though. Musket Man is going off at long odds right now (20-1 as of this post), but has won a few races pretty solidly. His biggest knock is that his breeding isn’t known for distance runners, but that’s been overcome before. 

Unless it’s pouring rain, I expect this to be a pretty fast race with Regal Ransom and Papa Clem setting the pace. If it’s sloppy wet, then anything can happen!

Enjoy the race, and feel free to post your pick here in the comments section!

Update: As of this morning, ”I Want Revenge” has been scratched! I’ll move Papa Clem into the top three, as I don’t have any time to look back over the whole field.