Putting Words to the Song

One of the first songs I learned on guitar was "Wish you were here" by Pink Floyd.  I'm sure the family remembers this tune fondly.  However, I never did learn how to play the parts of the song that actually contained words.  Therefore, I present the words  ;) and corresponding tune.   

On a another note, this song reminds me of an old friend from high school that passed away in 2004.  I think he lived a fun life and died doing something he enjoyed, so I actually remember this song fondly and it makes me happy when I hear it.  As I was listening to it the other day, around February 22nd, I had been wishing that those that passed away in the earthquake were still here and that Christchurch and the spirit of Christchurch were still here.  I think the city will return in all of its glory in time.  It's strange that such a brief stay in the city could allow it to feel like a home to me.  I guess if you put the ocean, mountains, volcanoes, rugby, ruggedness, great beer and beautiful wildlife all in one place, then it will typically feel like a home to me...    Since I've been living away, I've been trying to figure out what exactly it means to feel at home.  I still don't have a great answer, but I think it begins with being around people you care about and who care about us back.  I think it also means being around things one enjoys.  The Bavarians call it Gemütlichkeit.  I'm sure it's a different feeling for everyone and that everyone has a different source and reason for feeling at home. 

Cheerio



In Remembrance

Today, I remember those who lost their lives, homes, and loved ones during the Feb Canterbury earthquake.  I'll be thinking of my friends. 

February 22 2011

It's odd to think that it has only been 1 year since the February 22nd earthquake in Christchurch.  Life seems very different now.  The weekend before the quake I was out hiking in the Southern Alps, enjoynig a typical weekend.  On the 21st, I was in the city at the CTV building, approximately 24 hours before the quake.  I remember some loud construction outside, but otherwise things seemed normal.  On February 22nd, I was planning to have lunch at the University Staff Club. 

My lunch setting is shown to the left.  We were on the second floor.  I remember having a meat pie and I think stew was the special for the day.  The earthquake happened and did not seem like it was substantially out of the ordinary, after experiencing aftershocks since my arrival in New Zealand.  It was longer and stronger than I had experienced.  As people evacuated the building, I contemplated sitting back down and finishing my lunch (as I said, there wasn't any strong warning signs of danger for me).  Luckily, there were smart people around that forced an evacuation.  I grabbed my meat pie and left.   

I was a little surprised to see that the school was closed and all buildings had been evacuated.  The mood was generally chearful, except for some worried parents.  It is very odd to say, and I feel ashamed to say it, but the rest of the day seemed like a snow day... a free day away from work.  Power and water was out, so we had no idea that there was so much destruction in the city.  In the evening we went for a walk into the city to see what was going on.  Many brick buildings had collapsed.  However, since no one had died in the first earthquake, my mood was still generally chearful and my adrenaline was flowing.  I had no idea what the real consequences were.  It was the experience after the earthquake that may have been the most painful.  Spirits in the city were down.  Everything was closed.  Many were without power, water, or sewage management.  We joined the Canterbury Student Army to help shovel silt out of people's houses/driveways/walkways.  It was painful to meet people that had lost their homes.  It was a little bit of a confusion as to what to do with time.  It was difficult to concentrate, so work was not a good option.  Eventually, we left the city, figuring that we would do more good by using less of the city's resources and selfishly, I wanted to see the west coast of New Zealand before leaving the country for a new job.  It is painful to remember the aftermath and strange to remember the positive mood that I had on Feb 22nd.  I wonder if snow days have instilled a positive feeling in me for when a natural event causes work or school to close for a day or more, without really thinking of the possible consequences.    

The Scientist

I have finally learned how to do two things at once.  I'm still working on doing this well, but I'm slowly making progress.  Here is a video of me covering The Scientist by Coldplay.  I have found that the addition of singing to my guitar playing adds a whole new dimension for me.  It is really quite fun and has reignited my interest in the guitar.  In fact, I probably play too much now, as I find that I procrastinate via guitar.  Between this, beer brewing, and reading, I don't even watch TV anymore.  Anyhow, I'm working on finding my voice.  So far, I do a decent job of replicating David Gilmore, of Pink Floyd, mostly because he's not much of a singer. 

I also apologize for the lack of posts.  Things have been busy and I haven't been on any trips. I'll try to post the occasional song, the occasional beer brew, and will try to find some more entertaining things for you folks, and by that I'm guessing that Mum and Pop or the only ones that read this blog.   

Choices

Does anyone else appreciate the choice of toilet paper roll when they are in the bathroom?  At first, when seeing this, I thought, wow, what a good way to end up with 2 near-empty rolls, instead of having the second as a backup. Upon further reflection, I realized that a dual roll could be quite useful. One could be perfumed, with the other scentless. One can be soft with the other, rough. Oddly in my last residence, some of my roomates didn't like soft tp. It was a big conflict in the house.  Conversley, the same tp could be used in both locations and people can choose a preference for front or back. Personally, I go for the underdog, which I consider to be the back, so I consume the front, with intent to conserve the back. When there is a third roll sitting on top, I'll go for that because it looks so lonely and I need to also make more room up there for its bretherin.  However, it is also probably the dirtiest roll, since it has likely fallen to the ground multiple times. 

Fermentation

As it turns out, the fermentation temperature is quite critical for making a quality brew. This would explain some of the off flavors that I've been having. Therefore, I tried to convert my fridge to a fermenting machine. I started out by placing a heater in the fridge and surrounded that with styrofoam.  It kept the beer at a fairly constant temperature, but it was too warm. I figured that this method might also keep my food at a decent temperature. To get more accuracy, I bought an externally based thermostat.  This seems to be fantastic for maintaining a constant fermentation temperature. However, I took the heating pad out, so now my food is about 18 deg c - 65 deg f. I think I can alternatively use the heating pad with the thermostat, while having the fridge refrigerate like normal. I just foresee that this would waste a lot of energy. Life choices are so tough.  I'm now looking for a second fridge, as that would be an ideal arrangement.

Bur - Epic Pale Ale Clone

Ah, good to be back on the blog.  Even better to be back brewing.  It's funny how many of my hobbies have come from being frugal.   After arriving in NZ, i found that beer was very expensive, but on the plus side, it was good.  After moving to Oz, I found that the selection of good beer was much more limited, so I finally decided to begin brewing after it had been in the back of my mind for many years.  I began with liquid malt kits.  These are easy because one just has to boil the malt and then subsequently chuck the boil into a fermenter.  However, on my 4th brew, I decided to go All-Grain as they say.     

 All-Grain allows me to clone beers that I like, whereas, liquid requires one to brew what is available in kits.  I decided to go with one of my favorite NZ beers; although, there are so many that I enjoy.  I found the recipe for Epic Pale Ale on an American radio show (http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/668).  The radio show also explained how the brewmaster of Epic began his career.  Therefore, I recently bought grain (4 different kinds - Marris Otter, Caramalt, Carapils, and Pale Crystals).  I also picked up 2 pounds of hops from the States (Cascade hops from Oregon-Washington).   

I had to make a lautering tun and an immersion chiller for an All-Grain brew.  It took 2 trips to the hardware store.  The process involves mashing, which consists of heating the grain up to multiple temperatures and extracting sugars that depend on the temperature.  The grain is then put into the lautering tun.  This filters out the wort from the grain.  The grain acts as a sand filter.  The wort is recirculated to get small grains out of the bottom in order to get the "cleanest" wort.  The wort is then boiled for 90 minutes in this case.  Hops are also added during the boil.  The wort must be cooled to avoid killing the yeast during fermentation.  The immersion chiller is used for this, acting as a heat exchanger.  The chilller is attached to the faucet and cold water is used.  Wort is put into the fermenter with yeast and the fermentation process begins and is done for 1 week.  Hops are added (dry hopping) and then the secondary fermentation begins, which just involves siphoning the initial fermentation to get a resulting clearer result.  Hops are also added again.  Then beer!!! Good beer!!  Hopefully.  I'll keep y'all posted.  Meanwhile, listen to the radio program.  It's a good one and describes the beginning of proper NZ brewing.  NZ microbrews have really taken off since the initiation of Epic.  Someone needs to take charge and do the same, here, in Oz.  Who will do it?