Music Tuesdays - Good Life by OneRepublic

I feel like OneRepublic is a really good compromise band between Royce and me. I do genuinely like their music and especially enjoy this song and Secrets. They make me happy and glad to be alive and enjoying life. Jessica and I have been listening to this song a lot recently because we really are happy with where are lives are right now. I hope to teach my kids that enjoying life is about relationships and experiences. Friends and family and having good times with them.

Which photo is better? Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

These were taken at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. This was a special wreath laying ceremony for a foreign prime minister. Based on my research, I believe she was Jadranka Kosor, Prime Minister of Croatia. Do you think they look better marching or standing at Present Arms?

Which photo is better? Grasshoppers

These are the exact same shot of a grasshopper at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The only difference is that the photo on the left uses a flash while the photo on the right is sans flash.

7-19-11 update: The photo below was what I meant to include as the non-flash photo. Still gets all the detail, with slightly better lighting and color. What do you think?

Beer Wednesday: Solace by Firestone Walker

There is a new seasonal beer out from Firestone Walker called Solace. Firestone Walker is the maker of my favorite pale ale, their Pale 31. I was excited to see that the Solace is another light style, which they describe as a hefeweizen-saison fusion of styles.

Music Tuesdays - Bizness by Tune-Yards

Music Tuesdays - Waste by Foster the People

Somehow this wasn't posted on Tuesday when I thought it was, but here it is nonetheless. Another song by Foster the People, who have been getting a lot of radio play lately.

Beer Wednesday: 50 Best Beers in America

Rather than a beer review this week, I am passing along a link from MP (who was not bold enough to post this himself) about the 50 Best Beers in America as named by the American Homebrewers Association. Or maybe as named by readers of Zymurgy, the AHA's magazine. Not quite sure. (Fun etymology fact - Zymurgy is named after zymology, which means the process of fermentation and frequently is used as a fancy term for the study/process of beer-making. Class dismissed.)

Keep in mind that people who brew their own beer about as hardcore as beer aficionados get, so it is not too surprising that the list is dominated by IPAs and Imperial Stouts, the extreme manifestations of their respective styles. Pliny the Elder by Russian River, which we tasted in the FIWK IPA Tasting, came out on top. There are lots of beers on here that I haven't had before, so I'm very excited to try to work through this list.


(pictured: #2 finisher Two Hearted Ale by Bell's)

Anything on here that you would personally rate higher? Any beers listed that you want to go find now?