A Brewing good time...

I need to see some ID's...
Hoganistan and I decided to head over the Abita Brewing Company today to take a tour of the Brewery. K&A Wags headed along with us as well, and, upon arrival, was Hoganistans "Happiest day of my life." The tour really is not a tour, mostly a "here is where the beer is fermented" and "this is where the beer starts its life" tour of two stops and 10 minutes in length.

It is a good time, as they make it fun and, as you walk in the door, are ushered over by the receptionist who checks ID's. With that, you get your "sample cup" and have free access to all of the beers on tap. Best part...its free. No limit on the drinks, and 14 taps of various brews. There is even a tap for their rootbeer, which is AMAZING! So, if you need something to do on a Saturday and want to have a few cold ones, head over to Abita Springs, and its local, so you feel all warm and fuzzy for supporting the local economy...or maybe its just the beer...I'm not sure!

And so it begins...

Simply put...the 29th Olympiad has begun, and China started it off with an amazing bang! Lets have some amazing games and I am pumped! I am biased, but USA, USA, USA! Hopefully my foreign readers are not offended:-)

No...not that Phelps...

Speechless
Kansan's most beloved son...ok, not really, has made his entrance on to the media stage once again. The controversial preacher Fred Phelps and his breakaway church, Westboro Baptist Church, is planning on picketing the funeral of a Winnipeg man brutally killed on a Greyhound bus earlier in the week. Why, might you ask, would this church protest the funeral of a man sliced and diced by a psycopath? Its Gods punishment on Canada for allowing homosexuality, abortions, and divorce. Seriouslly?

This is nothing new for this dispicable sect, as I documented earlier in the year of the protest in Greensburg, KS during that towns 1 year anniversery of a powerfully destructive storm. The Westboro Baptist Church "is best known for picketing the funerals of fallen soldiers in line with a belief that God has been using the war in Iraq to kill American military personnel to show contempt for a nation and military that has allegedly become overly accommodating to and sympathetic of gay/lesbian concerns." As I said back in May, "this, by all accounts of the definition is a radically religious group no different of the Taliban. Extreme assertion, yes, but the stuff that this group chants at a fallen soldiers funeral is a shame and they themselves should be made to serve on the front lines."

Hopefully the group will not get to protest, let the man rest in peace. I agree that we have the right, as Americans, for freedom of speech, but there is also a moral obligation as humans to let ones family have a proper time to grieve, no matter the circumstances...On a brighter note...The OLYMPICS start tomorrow!!!

Hump Day Challenge...The End

The season finale of another Club South Runners Hump Day 2-Mile Challenge was a success. I purchased my new kicks before my 5-mile warm up and absolutely loved them.

I will try on 20 pairs of shoes before the perfect fit is achieved. Its almost like the line in Transformers (the movie) where Bernie Mac says" A driver doesn't choose the car, the car chooses the driver." For me...the shoe chooses the runner, not the runner choosing the shoe. So what shoe was it?

The Nike Skylon 11, seen below. Its one of Nike's newer shoes and I was surprised by how well it fit. Normally, Nike and I do not get along, but, as I said earlier, the shoe chooses the runner!

After getting the shoes, we did a good 5-mile run with the Varsity Sports group and then jetted over to the final Hump Day Challenge. The race was stacked, tons of ex-collegiate runners, high school runners, and just plain fast guys. I went out fast, but conservative and pushed the second mile hard. I set a new PR for this racing series, which is nice. Placed second in the 'old mans' division. The Varsity Sports group represented well in most categories with two overall division winners and three 2nd place age group finishers.

In another note, in Hoganistan and I's absence, the Humpday All Stars pulled out another win...we officially have a winning streak now.

"The Rouge" View

Back in early March (here) I mentioned that it would not be long before "The Rouge" would be showing up in GoogleMaps nifty little service called Google Street View. Well today, it has arrived, we, "The Rouge" are now mapped and photographed. Hopefully everyone was smiling when the camera rolled by! The streetview below is of Tiger Stadium...also known as "Death Valley" one of the hardest places to come into and play!



View Larger Map

Zachawii in "The Rouge"

Hoganistan and I made it into "The Rouge" late last night. So, I decided to post a update on the past weeks worth of blogs. Some have said this is a cop out for a blog posting...oh well! Enjoy

1. Preseason Football..oh wait...thats a Cop (7/28/2008)
2. Take a deep breath...or not (7/29/2008)
3. Kickin Balls to a Win (7/30/2008)
4. Filler (7/31/2008)
5. One Week to Go! (8/1/2008)
   
6. HP Waiting Game (8/2/2008)
7. Back in "The Rouge" (8/3/2008)
   

Heading to "The Rouge"

I will be heading down to "The Rouge" for two weeks today to continue the support of the company transition off of our program. I am excited to head back for a trip to join back up with the VS group and have some good runs. I need new shoes as well...so hopefully I will be able to sport some new kicks. And there are a few races I may partake in. It should be a good two weeks...see you from "The Rouge."