Auguseptember

8/1 - I started August off pretty well on the online poker front with a couple small wins including a 6-handed sit-n-go (finally) on ACR for about 300% ROI, and a $1 NLCP Tournament on Global vs. 19 other players with about 900% ROI.  I got second place (got sucked out on, of course) in a $5 NLCP Tournament vs. 34 others with several knockouts for around 1000% ROI as well. 

8/3 - I've missed my walks to the Lebanon Square for craft beer and whatnot during these hot summer months, but it rained enough today to cool things down reasonably to make an evening walk bearable.  I met my pal, Curtis, at Cedar City Brewing Company for a couple beers.  The only new-to-me one they had was their decent Blood Orange Blonde.  We stopped by TennLakes Brewing also and I had the pretty good LebninMade IPA and a Belgian blonde collab they did with Crazy Gnome Brewing in Nashville called Protect the Pollinators. The walk home was lovely across the CU campus. 

8/4 - I headed back to Finally Friday at 3rd and Lindsley today and with my pals, Craig and Doug.  My friends, Cate and Curtis, came along as well.  We had a tasty lunch along with the free music.  I didn't know any of the performers before today, but I did like what I heard on YouTube searches of them.  First up was kind of a bluegrass supergroup known as the Wood Box Heroes who have players from Alison Krauss and Union Station, Mumford and Sons, etc. Next was the soulful duo, The One Eighties. Closing out was singer/songwriter, William Matheny, who looked and kind of sounded like if John Denver and Jim Croce had a baby.  
Afterwards, I finished up some work along with Curtis and Kate at the Homegrown Taproom where I had a foursome of 1/2 pints.  First up was the not-so-great Leo X IPA from The Black Abbey Brewing Company here in Nashville.   I had a sip of Curtis' Sour Me Unicorn Farts that wasn't too bad from DuClaw Brewing (MD).  My next half-pint was the wheat beer from New Heights Brewing here in Nashville called That's Pretty Cool Man.  I thought that it was pretty decent, man.   Next up was another New Heights product called 102.9 Buzz Beer, an IPA named after a hard-rocking radio station here in Nashville.   Not a big fan of the station, not a big fan of this beer.  I ended on a better note with the Haus Guest pale lager from Blackberry Farms Brewing over in Maryville, TN.  Those guys might be snooty, but they really make great beer!  

8/5 - Our pooling plans got rained out early today, so we scooped up Sunny and headed to Cedar Glade Brews in Murfreesboro for some beer and tacos from the food truck onsite.  With my tacos I had their solid El Cedro Mexican Lager followed by their outstanding NEIPA called Landslide.   We like this place because they allow dogs inside, but their beer's pretty damn good too! 
We got home in time for Sunny and I took take a quick float in the pool before dark since the rain had passed on.  I cracked open a pint can of the tasty NEIPA called Magic Cloud Mountain from DSSOLVR Brewing (Asheville)

8/6 - Ashlee recruited my buddy, Curtis, and I to do some furniture moving today and it went pretty smoothly with this new chest of drawers that matches my new desk set up in the front bedroom and the big white wardrobe that was here moved out to the sunporch.  Despite the picture above, don't let Byron fool you...he was of no help in the move!  I rewarded Curtis with some free beers and some pool time afterwards where I enjoyed a few newbies myself.  First up was a pint can of the light and citrusy DIPA called Wandering Into the Fog (Rocket Pop) from Abomination Brewing (CT and new-to-me).  Next was one of the six-pack of SUNNY Little Thing, a tasty wheat beer from Sierra Nevada Brewing that we picked up in their NC facility last weekend since we were drawn in by the name.   Next for me was a great session IPA from Hutton and Smith Brewing down in Chattanooga called Soddy Lazy, a funny take-off on a little area near there called Soddy-Daisy.   I closed out splitting a Cedar Tap refugee bottle of the interesting Petite Sipper, a watermelon/cucumber saison from Barrique Brewing here in Nashville.  

8/7 - I got sort of a last-minute invitation from by pal, Nate, to go to the NSC vs. México City's mighty Club America Leagues Cup 2023 Round of 16 match tonight at Geodis Park.  So glad I went! 
What a crazy, memorable night that included: 
- a frenzied Club America fan base that outnumbered NSC fans at home
- a tying header in extra time at the end of the game by NSC's newest acquirement - Sam Surridge - in his debut from the Premier League! 
- a VAR turnover of the last NSC penalty kick that was blocked that we thought had lost us the game.  We were already outside when the retry kick that was good, the follow-up CA kick that was a miss, and then the actual winning penalty kick for NSC!! 
I had an uber-pint can of Dos Equis Lime and Salt at the game.  Seemed appropriate based on the atmosphere and it wasn't half bad.  
Beforehand, I stopped at the Homegrown Taproom to finish up the workday, but only had a couple half-pints because their internet wasn't working well there.  I had the pretty good Mountain Wheat from Hi-Wire Brewing over in Asheville, followed by the very nice (and BOGO two-fer-Tuesday) Paleta De Fresa kolsch from Rahr and Sons (TX).  I moved over to TennFold Brewing and had an awesome grain bowl with tri-tip steak in it along with their solid ESB called Humble Pie-NT (and a much better internet connection). 

8/10 - I got a nice $1 Turbo Bounty Tournament win today on Global Poker turning my investment into a 2,300% ROI vs. 109 other players with eight knockouts.  Last night (8/9), I did a three-way chop for second place money in our little local group on PokerStars giving me $34 in profit beyond investment.  Let's carry some of the good mojo to the actual felt this weekend in Cherokee!  

8/11 - I walked over at noon today and got a rental car from our local Hertz office for a trip to North Carolina this weekend including a two-night stay at my usual AirBnb room hosted by April (who I still haven't met in person) in Waynesville, NC.   The World Series of Poker Circuit was back at Harrah's Casino in Cherokee, so I figured I would get it another try. 

On my way I stopped and caught up on a little work in the pretty little town of Dandridge, TN, at Dandridge Brewing.  This turned out to be one of those places that's actually just a tap room that doesn't "brew" anything but maybe some coffee.  They did have a decent beer list and I enjoyed a pint of the Schulz Brau Brewing Dunkel from nearby Knoxville. 
From there I headed southeast over Douglas Lake, a man-made reservoir of the French Broad River, and spied the interesting lighthouse house (photo above).  

I went the direction I did for the sole purpose of checking out the historic Harrisburg Covered Bridge (1875) and I thought my little Fiat 500 rental car looked great with it.  This is actually my first covered bridge visited in Tennessee which doesn't have very many left, so it was real joy to check it out and even get to drive through it a couple times.  Great job of preservation by local folks on this one.  I really enjoyed driving the Fiat all weekend.  It was roomy for a small car and had a great moon-roof to enjoy the mountain vistas from. 
I got to my AirBnb room just in time to tune into the League Cup match between NSC and Minnesota (thanks, AppleTV) where the boys in gold absolutely rolled in a 5-0 rout!!  On to the quarterfinals!! 

8/12 - Time for some hiking!!  I slept in a little and then doubled-back toward the Tennessee State line to hike the 4-mile RT trail along Big Creek on the east side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  This used to be the "quiet" side of The Smokies, but the parking lot at the trailhead was already full by the time I got there, and I had to park in the overflow lot adding another half-mile or so to my total hike.  The biggest draw to this area, especially in the summer, is the superb swimming area known as the Midnight Hole.  It was already packed with swimmers before noon, and I had to do some creative cropping to get them out of the shot above.   

At just over two miles on the Big Creek trial you come upon Mouse Creek Falls which drops into Big Creek in a 40' or so tumble. 

My favorite stop along the trail was actually this large cascade on Big Creek just downstream from the Midnight Hole.  This wide-open area really demonstrates the power of this stream that was dully but very accurately named. 

Time for some beer!  I doubled-back to Waynesville after my hike and decided to check out the Blue Ridge Beer Hub which showed a nice variety of regional craft beers on tap via the UNTAPPD app.   I enjoyed a couple nice pints here including the very good Pink Beds wild ale from Ecusata Brewing (new to me) down near Brevard, NC, and the slightly sweet ESB called Biscuits'n Gravy from Homeplace Beer Company (new to me) over in Burnsville, NC.

Did I mention I really enjoyed the moon-roof views from my Fiat 500 rental car? 

For dinner I had some awesome authentic steak tacos from the Chili Chomper Food Truck parked outside of the new-to-me Angry Elk Brewing in Cherokee. AEBC is literally a little "mom and pop" run nano-brewery very close to the Harrah's Casino.  Theie beer is pretty good too.  I started with the nice and hoppy Rotty Double IPA (photo above) and finished with their decent Proctor Town Porter.  I bought a hat as well because it seemed like these folks could use the business.  

Afterwards, I bought in to the WSOPC Side Event $250 Tournament with a $20K Guaranteed Prize Pool tonight, but there wasn't much to report.  I lasted a few levels on the OK, but quick, structure and never got anything going unfortunately.  Let's try again tomorrow.  I was fortunate enough to see this "knockout sunset" on the way to my car after getting felted.   Little wins.  Take the little wins. 

8/13 - I was back at the casino early today for a 10 AM start of the WSOPC Event # 16 Senior Tournament.  It was another $250 buy-in with a $75K Guaranteed Prize Pool.  I was floored to see the entries go over 1,000 (including rebuys) for this event.  I was cruising pretty well early with two knockouts and then got disgustingly bad beat by this old gal who didn't seem to know what was going on really.  I trapped here perfectly with AK only to have her suck out with a ragged flush.  This crippled my stack and I just never recovered.  Ho-hum.  

My only reward for my earlier-than-expected exit from the tournament was the chance to drive through The Great Smoky Mountain National Park on my home.  It's been a while.  I saw this beautiful herd of elk just as I entered the park on the North Carolina side.

I spotted these unnamed roadside falls on my drive through the park as well. 

The stream with the falls pictured above fed into the amazingly picturesque Ocanaluftee River that runs through the park.  
I also stopped at Blackberry Farm Brewing in Maryville on my way home.  This was my first visit here, but I've been a fan of their craft beer for a good while.   It's a nice place but a little more modest than I was expecting based on the fancy place it's named after.  I started with their excellent Boundry Tree 2.0 Belgian Tripel. I finished with their amazing Coffee Stout.  Definitely need a return visit here! 

8/14 - I went to see the documentary Have You Got It Yet?  The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd at The Belcourt Theaters tonight.  Before the show there was a cool analog light display from Drippy Eye Projections and an intro to the film by one of the staff.   The film was very interesting since I didn't know a lot about their original frontman and what a sad story it seems to be, albeit without him leaving Pink Floyd, I don't seem the band going the direction they did afterwards.  

To beat the rush-hour traffic, I headed into Nashville early and finished work up at Streetcar Taps and Garden over on the west side of town.  I had their tasty Wagyu beef sliders for dinner along with a couple new-to-me draft beers.  First up was the surprisingly nice Watermelon Gose from Terrapin Brewing (GA).  Another fruit sour that was better than I was expecting was the 100K Hill from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville.   
I also stopped by Fat Bottom Brewing since I was on this side of town and I had forgotten what a nice place this is.  I had their incredible Bertha Nitro Stout and their solid NEIPA called Forest Moon. 

8/15 - My friend, Danny, and I got tickets to see NSC play in the Leagues Cup Semifinals tonight vs. Monterey, Mexico.  The Boys in Gold dominated with a 2-0-win propelling them into the finals against mighty Lionel Messi and his newly appointed Inter Miami squad this weekend. 
Beforehand, I stopped by Jackalope Brewing and had their tasty NEIPA called Mutiny on the Bounty.  I followed that up with their sorta disappointing saison called Das Peach.  I had dinner a short walk away at the new-to-me (but not NSC fans - it was full of them) Dicey's Tavern where I had their amazing Hot Pickle Bacon Cheddar Pizza along with a cold Narragansett Lager (RI).  

8/16 - It was comedy night again at Cedar City Brewing, so I did my usual brewery crawl beforehand with my friend, Curtis, stopping first at CCBC for their beer and wings deal.  I had their new American Pilsner (photo above) which I thought was great.  I finished (for now) with their American Pale Ale which was equally good.   We moved over to Tenn Lakes Brewing next and I had their pretty solid Tenn Hey Z NEIPA.  Back at CCBC for the comedy show, I enjoyed a couple of their Mexican Lagers during the decent ha-ha time. 

8/17 - My pal, Toney, and I went to opening night of the new DC Comics flick, Blue Beetle, at the Roxy Theaters (recliners!) here in town.  It was a pretty good movie and looks like it's setting up for a nice trilogy maybe. 

8/19 -I had a pretty good day at online poker today with an outright win of a dollar turbo bounty tournament vs. 103 other players with 15 knockouts for just over 3000% ROI.  I also competed with 61 others on a free turbo satellite tournament to win one of 9 seats in the upcoming US Poker Open Main Event (a $99 value) which I just figured out I can't play because I will be in Sweden that day.  Time to find me a sub! 
I played poker in and out of the pool all day and enjoyed a few brews along the way including these new-to-me ones:  a nice, fruited sour called Elima Hua from DESTIHL Brewing (IL), and a much too sweet Gummies Fruit Punch IIPA from Sweetwater Brewing (Atlanta).  Thanks to my friend, Curtis, for this one but YUCK!  

This month's Beer Box arrived earlier than expected today and it looks like another good haul with maybe only one repeat for me.

Tickets were outrageously priced for the Leagues Cup Final in Nashville with NSC taking on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, so I just watched it at home.  We looked to be the better team overall, but Messi is amazing and basically won it himself, but we got it to the end of the match tied only to lose 10 penalty kicks to 9 when it came down to keeper vs. keeper (never seen that before!). 

8/20 - I cracked open my early-arrival Beer Box today and enjoyed three of them in the pool.  First up was the very nice Blonde Orange Blonde Ale (pretty can art in the photo above) from Haymarket Beer Company (MI).  Then it was the easy-drinking lime lager called Green Torch from Half Acre Brewing (Chicago).  I finished with the awesome IPA called Psychedelic Cat Grass from Short's Brewing Company (MI). 
I also had another decent day at online poker with a deep run in the big Sunday $22 buy-in, and a second place in the big nightly dollar bounty tournament vs. 342 other players and netting me about 4900% POI.

8/22 - Some more small successes on Global Poker today...still no breakthrough big win yet however...I won a small $3 bounty turbo tournament against only 6 other players, 4 of whom I knocked out for 700% ROI.  I got second in a much larger field later in the evening in another $3 Micro Tournament.  I didn't capture the details in time, but it was a decent payout that help build back the poker bankroll at least to try another big tournament again tomorrow. 

I enjoyed a couple more beers from my recent Beer Box order while playing poker in and out of the pool as well.  First up was the light and tasty Chelada, Lime and Salt Mexican lager from Cruz Blanca Craft Cerveza (Chicago).  I finished with a pint can of the crisp and yummy Ruby's Revenge Imperial Grapefruit IPA from Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland).  Both were perfect libations for this extremely hot day with a heat index well over 100 degrees.  

8/23 - A new Star Wars series called "Ahsoka" began today on Disney+.  Let's hope it's even half as good as "Andor" was.  I need Season 2 of that one STAT!!  The first two episodes were pretty good. It's a little "chick-heavy" on the starring roles, but they are all easy on the eyes even as aliens!
I had a little more luck at the Global Poker tables today with another small $1 NLCP tournament win vs. 17 other players.

8/24 - Well, I called this one back in March of this year when I dropped by there and they only had three of their own beers on tap.  Too bad, they had some decent brews and their draft-filled pint cans to go got me through some tough Covid times.  RIP, BPBC.  

8/25 - I made it over to Finally Friday again at 3rd and Lindsley today.  Jake Ybarra was my main interest who I actually saw here for the first time a while back on another Finally Friday line-up and really liked.  He was good again today as was Beth Bombara, but Alex Harris stole the show with an outstanding performance and a great backing band.  Gonna keep an eye out for his star to possibly rise high.   I also enjoyed another tasty lunch here during the show.
Afterwards, I finished up some work at Monday Night Preservation (Brewing) Company where I enjoyed their DIPA called Royal Raptor, but was disappointed in their rather bland Rice, Crispie Boi rice lager.

8/26 - I went to see Guns and Roses at Geodis Park tonight with my friends, Nate, John and Bethany.  Beforehand, we did a little brewery crawling starting at Fait La Force (where we parked for free), Marble Fox, the brand-new Hi-Wire, and New Heights Brewing.  My brews were as follows:

FLFBC - a repeat of their excellent Dunkel lager called Night Migration 
MFBC - their very good session IPA called Endlessly

HWBC - (photo above) this was all of ours first visit here to this recently opened extension of the Asheville-based brewery, and we were impressed with it.  I had their light and tasty RAD Kolsch.  

NHBC - I had their solid cold IPA called A World Under Glass 

We had a great dinner at Dicey's Tavern before walking to the show.  I had a repeat Mexican lager with my meal called Toro Y Oso from Xul Brewing over in Knoxville. 

The show was very good with Carrie Underwood as a surprisingly good opener for the heavy metal rockers.  She even came out and sang with them on two of their classic songs as well.  Axl's voice had its moments of weakness, but overall, he's still rocking, and Slash is just a genius on guitar.  And they even played "Patience."  Geodis Park is an excellent music venue with great acoustics and sightlines.  Can't wait to see another show here! 

8/27 - Thanks to National Theater Day, my pal, Toney, and I were able to see the new true story film, Gran Turismo, in IMAX for only $4 each!  We traveled up to Hendersonville to watch it at the Regal Cinemas at the Streets of Indian Lake.  The movie was really, really good and touching.  Another great addition from one of my favorite directors, Neil Blomkamp.  Now get out there and give us District 10 please!  

Beforehand, I had a float in the pool and can of the decent Pilsner from Four Sixes Grit and Glory Brewing (some BS macro-brewery representing Texas but brewed in CA).

8/28 - I got another dollar turbo bounty tournament win on Global Poker today vs. 98 other players with 14 knockouts and a ROI almost 2,700%.

8/31 - The BFFFL Year 24 draft was tonight, and I was pretty happy with my team as defending champ.  Let's go Herring Impaired!! 

9/1 - I dropped by to check out the Farm Fresh Pale Ale beer release at Cedar City Brewing.  I thought it was outstanding.  Man, have we got a great brewery here in Lebanon now!!  

9/2 - We flew up to JFK in NYC today to catch another flight later in the day to Stockholm. Sweden.  While in our layover I found a Blue Point Brewing bar and enjoyed their (airport-overpriced) Hoptical Illusion IPA.  

9/3 - My first new-to-me Swedish beer in Stockholm was the solid Hazy Bulldog APA from Gotlands Brewery.   I enjoyed it with a great view from the Cadier Bar veranda at the beautiful Grand Hotel of Old Town and the Royal Palace.  Skol!! 

9/4 - After a ton of walking (right at 6 miles) today in and around Old Town Stockholm, it was nice to find a good beer bar to relax in for a bit.  Barrels, Burgers and Beer is an Americanized joint, but they had a nice list of Swedish craft beers.  I indulged in the excellent Three Headed Cod (2023) NEIPA from Stigbergets Brewery in Gothenburg.   Next up was the equally good dark Easter Lager from Fermenterarna, another Gothenburg microbrewery.  

Just before an excellent ghost tour in Stockholm's Old Town, I had a my first non-Swedish new-to-me beer of the trip, the decent Eriksberg Karaktar amber lager from the Carlsberg macro-brewery over in Holland.   It was more enjoyable based on the fact it was consumed in a beautiful Old Town square at an outdoor table at Tre Valv, an Italian restaurant. 

I closed out the long day (over 10 miles walked total) back at our AirBnb apartment with a nice little pale lager called Norrlands Guld Ljus (3.5%) from Spendrups Brewery here in Stockholm.  I love the cool little clear bottles they come in.  I bought it at a nearby grocery store called Willy's.  I learned that any alcohol over 4% in Sweden has to be purchased in a licensed establishment or at a federally owned liquor store.  So conservative!! 

9/5 - After a longer than expected hiking tour in the woods just outside Stockholm today, I enjoyed an American IPA back in our apartment (bought from Willy's) called A Ship Full of IPA (3.5%) from Brutal Brewing, a microbrewery here in Stockholm.    The lake pictured above is called Sandasjon.

I signed up for a weekly poker tournament at the small, but lovely, Cosmopol Casino, but didn't last long when an early set-over-set situation did me in.  Brutal! 

I drowned my poker sorrows nearby at an awesome bar with a great beer list called The Bishop's Arms.  Here's the line-up:

Snakehead IPA - very good - Uppsala Brewery (Sweden)
Frequent Fishing - an excellent NEIPA from Fermenterarna (Sweden) 
St. Erik's Ljus Lager - an OK but watery pale from St. Eriks Brewery here in Stockholm 
Budvar Czech pilsner - I joked this was the Budweiser of Europe, only better...turns out it is a regional Czech brewery called Budejovicky and owned by Budweiser! 

9/6 - After a long, but interesting, tour and hike to the island of Oja, a couple hours south of Stockholm and home to the historic Landsort Lighthouse (circa 1780), I enjoyed another cold one from Willy's back in our apartment.  It was the decent Premium Czech pilsner from Primator Brewing (Czech Republic).  

9/7 - We took a two-hour ferry ride out to Birka, the Viking Island, today and I enjoyed a couple brews on board coming and going.  Going was the very nice Wisby Pils from Gotlands Brewing (Sweden).  Coming back was the solid pale Stromma Eco Lager from Varmdo Brewery in Stockholm.  

I had more Viking beer on the island of Birka itself along with an outstanding lunch at the Sarimner Restaurant on the island.  With my meal I had the very nice Malsaker IPA (5.9%) from Stallarholmens Brewery (Sweden). 

The main reason I chose the apartment we rented in the Sundbyberg neighborhood outside downtown Stockholm was its close proximity to Omnipollo Brewery which is set up in a former church building and one of whose beers I had recently back in the U.S.  I finally got to visit them tonight and have a couple beers inside the magnificent structure.  First up was their excellent Zodiak IPA.  I finished with their equally impressive Double Dry Hopped Maz pale ale.  

9/8 - Our last full day in Stockholm found us back for another amazing lunch at The Cadier Bar at The Grand Hotel where I released this beer from its cage called Hazie Dizzle, an excellent NEIPA from Odd Island Brewing (Sweden).  Actually, the birdcage housed Ashlee's clever cocktail served in a bird-shaped glass, but I had to get in on the fun.  

After a full day of museums (Wooden Horse, Nobel Prize, Vasa), we enjoyed some waterside dining and libations at the Strandbryggen Boat Club Restaurant where I had the smooth and tasty Kellerbier of NYA Carnegie Brewery here in Stockholm.

Swedish craft beer was surprisingly plentiful and consistently very good.  Much better than I was expecting to be honest, so it was quite easy to earn this UNTAPPD badge.   I finished back in the apartment with the last of my Willy's variety 4-pack, the very nice People's Bulldog IPA from Gotlands Brewery (Sweden).   

9/9 - We had decided to stay an extra night back at JFK in NYC at the ultra-cool TWA Hotel at the airport.  They've converted the old TWA terminal into a high-end nostalgic hangout.   They even have a few craft beers for sale.  At the lobby bar upon arrival, I had the nice Wave Chaser IPA from Montauk Brewing (NY). I followed that up with a pretty good City Light lager from Five Boroughs Brewing (Brooklyn). One of the bars on site is inside the hollowed-out 1958 Lockheed Constellation (aka "Connie") plane.  

Inside the "Connie" Cocktail Lounge, I had the Five Boroughs Brewing Pilsner - Czech-style and very tasty.   What a fun place and what a great trip it was!  

9/14 - My pal, Toney, and I went to see Equalizer III tonight at the Roxy Theaters (recliners!) here in Lebanon.  The movie was decent, albeit very predictable and violent. 

9/15 - This month's Beer Box arrived today, but I didn't need it yet since I went by the Mt. Juliet Beer Company earlier today and got a nice variety 8-pack for the weekend starting this afternoon and was brought some gifts from a recent trip out west by my pal, Curtis.  Here's what I had: 

- An awesome IPA from DSSOLVR Brewing (Asheville) called The Hustle Is Broken

- An excellent NEIPA from DSSOLVR also called Bones and Waves (man, I gotta get back to Asheville!)

-  The first gift from my pal, Curtis - the solid IPA from Belching Beaver Brewing (CA) called Phantom Bride in collaboration with the classic band, Deftones, and named after one of their songs.

- Another gift from Curtis - the tart, but enjoyable, fruited sour called Mountain Beach from Breckenridge Brewing (CO). 

- And finally, yet another gift from Curtis in the form of a six-pack, the Juicy Banger IPA from Station 26 Brewing (CO) which is one of his favorite breweries in the Denver area. 

9/16 - Since today was evidently "Batman Day" (who knew?), they re-released The Dark Knight trilogy back in theaters for only $5 per show.  Since it was a rainy Saturday, I decided to partake in the The Dark Knight which is my favorite of the three.  I headed over to the Hollywood 27 in Nashville to see it since they have recliners.  It was great to see it again on the big screen especially Heath Ledger's amazing portrayal of The Joker. 

9/17 - I took Ashlee to the airport this afternoon for a work trip this coming week, so it was Sunny, me and the cats left at home for a few days.  My pal, Curtis, came over and hung with me at the pool as we grabbed the last bits of summer that we could.  I broke out a few beers from my most recent Beer Box delivery.  First up was the excellent Juneau Juice NEIPA from Alaskan Brewing.  Next was the solid Oktoberfest from Odell Brewing (CO) and finally the very nice Ride or Die pale ale from Hopewell Brewing (Chicago and new to me).  
We took Sunny with us up to Cedar City Brewing for dinner next where I had their awesome dry rub wings (of course) and a couple of their new libations.  First was the CDR CTY Oktoberfest that I thought was very nice and which I added to UNTAPPD.  I finished with their new Session IPA which someone had added to UNTAPPD, but had not rated it...odd?  Anyway, I thought it was solid and rated it as so. 

I won a $1 Turbo Progressive Bounty NLHE Tournament tonight on Global vs. 98 other players with 13 knockouts and an ROI of over 3000%.  Much needed for the coffers for future poker tournament buy-ins. 

9/18 - I got another small outright win today on Global Poker, plus a few other small cashes including a second-place finish where I should have won (KK got cracked) to help increase my bankroll nicely.  As far as this win goes, it was a $3 turbo bounty tournament where I had three knockouts against just 10 other players with an ROI of about 400%.  

9/19 - Sunny and I took a nice short jaunt in the woods today down at the Vesta Cedar Glade State Natural Area.  We had the place to ourselves which was nice.  The afternoon warmed up enough for another pool float and I enjoyed a pint can of the 2023 GABF Bronze Medal Winner, Nelson, from Prison Pals Brewing (FL) that I picked up recently at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company.  

9/20 - Well, it was a good run while it lasted, but this was officially my last day at Aptive Environmental thanks to a dissolvement of our Executive Resolutions Department and thus my lay-off from this goofy company.   Farewell...and fuck you, ya bunch of sleazy idiots.   Not that I'm bitter...
I do appreciate the heads-up I was given that this was coming, because I am pretty sure not everyone in the group that I was in was told that before the short and brutal Zoom meeting today. 

Fuck y'all, again, I'm getting me a convertible, at least for a couple days...actually. I already had it sitting in the driveway during that jackass meeting and after it was over, I immediately got in it, peeled the top back and got the hell out of there.  
This is the same Mustang Convertible I rented before off the Turo app out of Murfreesboro a while back.  Two days of pretty weather, the wife gone and Sunny at doggy daycare made this an easy decision.  

I stuck around Nashville since I had a ticket to the movies tonight, and my first stop was local favorite, Living Waters Brewing, in East Nashville. where I had their NEIPA called Huka that was very good.  I finished with their other NEIPA called Highgate-M which was equally terrific. 

My next stop was the new World of Beer location in downtown Nashville's West End.  Nice place.  Decent beer list although nothing much original in terms of local craft beer.  Parking is the main issue.  There is none.  I had to pay to park at a meter and was not offered any kind of validation, but I also didn't ask, mostly because I don't see me coming down here again based on the so-so beer menu.   I love the one down in Destin, but I have not had as much regional beer there as I have here.  While here I did have the very solid Aventinus (TAP06) bock from Schneider and Son Brewing (Germany), followed by the light and refreshingly pickle-tasting tart fruited gose from Resident Culture Brewing (Charlotte, and new-to-me) called Working Lunch. 

I checked another new place off the list to visit (and probably not come to again) called Sports and Social (dumb name) in the Green Hills Mall.  This area could definitely use a good beer bar, but the selection here was limited and overpriced.  I managed to find the OK Luau Krunkles (2023) fruited IPA from Terrapin Brewing (GA) and then headed out to my movie that was at least nearby.  

 
As I mentioned above, the Regal Green Hills Theaters (recliners!) were right next door, so I settled in with just a few other people for the Fathom Event, Rain Man 35th Anniversary.  I had forgotten this won best picture back in 1988, but I did remember it's one of my favorites and one I think Tom Cruise should have gotten an Oscar for as well.  I teared up a little during the film for a myriad of reasons, so it was a little soul-cleansing as well.  

9/21 - Day 2 with the convertible (and no job) meant I was going somewhere today!  I decided to have lunch a little over an hour away down in Tullahoma at the Sundrop Shoppe and Luncheonette.  I have had this place on my to-visit list for a while, so this seemed like the right time, and I was not disappointed.  I love all things Sun Drop and this place is just that.  My grilled cheese lunch choice was great as was the Sun Drop soda fountain drink.  I didn't have room for the Sun Drop cake.  Next time!!  I did grab a cool Sun Drop hat for my cranium though. 

My other reason for coming down this way was to check out tiny Wetumpka Falls in nearby Wartrace.  It was running better than I expected given the dry couple of weeks we've had lately.  At only about 12' in drop, it's still a beautiful little roadside place to check out. 

Just up the road is Ledford Mill Falls, a real cascading beauty and the site of a B&B that I am scouting for my next birthday weekend.  It looks legit, and I will probably be making a reservation ASAP for my 2024 birthday which falls on a Saturday. 

On the way back to Murfreesboro to drop off the car by 5 PM, I stopped by Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville.  The famous long bar wasn't open today, and I didn't have time for a tour, but it's definitely a place to come back to when possible.  What a beautiful facility!  For my birthday weekend, maybe?? 
Since they weren't pouring here, I headed on into Murfreesboro with a little time left before dropping off the car and stopped by Deep South Growlers for a couple of pints.  First up was the terrific Legendary Hefeweizen from 3 Floyds Brewing (IN), and then the hoppier-than-expected and enjoyable Cerveza Sin Nombre Mexican lager from Untitled Art Brewing (WI).  
Can't wait to snatch up this beautiful convertible again ASAP! Birthday 2024 weekend?!?!

9/22 - I had to take my Aptive laptop to the FedEx office over in Donelson for return, so while in the area I stopped by TennFold Brewing to try their new Rock Hopper West Coast Style IPA which was great and went along great with one of their terrific grain bowls with smoked chicken for lunch.  Well worth the drive!! 

I got another small outright win tonight in a $3 turbo bounty tournament on Global Poker vs. 10 other players (7 of whom I knocked out) for an ROI of a little over 700%. 

9/23 - I walked up to Cedar City Brewing today to toast their one-year anniversary with their new Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout regular (a little boozy for my taste, I would have given it 6 more months), and then the NITRO version which was a bit smoother and creamier.  Since I was up this way, I dropped by Tenn Lakes Brewing as well and had their solid Maibock Maynot.  On my walk back, I had to pee, so I ducked into the Cumberland U basketball gym and was rewarded with some CU ladys' volleyball action (photo above).  I also watched a little ladys' soccer too that was happening on campus vs. Freed Hardman U...old man, pervy bonus!!  Eww, just kidding, go Phoenix!! 
Back home I took a float in the pool with a nice can of the lovely Krankshaft kolsch from Metropolitan Brewing (Chicago, and new to me) from my recent Beer Box.  

9/24 - I had a couple brews at home today while watching the Titans get their asses handed to them up in Cleveland.  Yikes!  That was ugly.  My beers, however, were quite lovely.  First up was a pint can of the excellent NEIPA from Sun Lab Brewing (Miami) called Chills That You Spill that I picked up recently at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company.   I ended with a great Oktoberfest (2023) marzen from Brooklyn Brewing that I got in a recent Beer Box order.  I had no idea these well-known and long-time craft beer veterans were queer-owned/led.  Very cool and cheers to that!! 

9/27 - I went to see the new sci-fi film, The Creator, in early preview IMAX at Opry Mills Theaters tonight.  The previews look pretty awesome, so I was hoping my expectations weren't too high.  Beforehand, I stopped by TennFold Brewing and tried their new Ruby Falls festbier which was really good, and the place was packed as usual. 
The film was incredibly good!  A modern classic in my opinion.  I am looking forward to seeing it again next week in regular format with my pal, Toney, who couldn't make it tonight. 
Earlier on, I had a quick pool float where I enjoyed a pint can of the NEIPA called Sun River Gold from Perennial Artisan Ales (St. Louis) that I picked up at the Mt. Juliet Beer Company. 

9/28 - My best friend, Craig, stopped in town on his way to North Carolina today and we had a late bite of lunch to eat and a beer at Cedar City Brewing where they were pouring beer while it poured down outside.  I got their new Feels Like '98 Orange Pilsner which had a nice tangerine infusion into it.  

9/29 - We were in Murfreesboro tonight doing some shopping and Ashlee was nice enough to drop me off at the brand-new Middle Ground Brewing location to try a one of their beers.  We had Sunny with us, and no dogs are allowed here, so that's why I went solo.  Nice little place and their Centennial IPA was very good.  I will definitely be back!  
We were able to take Sunny out on the deck of Mayday Brewing and I had a couple more libations there.  Their brand-spanking-new Pumpkin Spice Porter was insanely good.  That's my first 5-star rating on UNTAPPD in a while.    Their Festbier was solid as well. 

 
Another Murfreesboro craft beer score was at the Costco where the new 2023 Christmas Beer Advent Calendars were out.  Thanks so much to my girl for grabbing me one since they seemed to be going fast.  I was really impressed with last year's beers and this one looks good too although there may be a few repeats.  We shall see when I start cracking them open on December first!! 

9/30 - I closed out the month with a trip to Big Orange Country today with my pal, Toney, who invited me to the UT vs. South Carolina game tonight in Knoxville.  He has two season tickets, so whenever his wife doesn't want to go, I usually have a good chance at snagging his other seat.  After stopping at Buc-ee's in Crossville for some awesome sandwiches, we stayed off the interstate on the way up to avoid some sluggish traffic and happened to go by Ozone Falls which he had never been too before.  She was running pretty low due to some dry weeks we've been having lately, but still a pretty little drop.  Thanks for the stop, Toney! 

"The Rock" on the UT campus predicted correctly.  It was a Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner for the Vols who sent the Gamecocks home with a big fat L as they rolled 41-20 before a sell-out crowd of 100K+.  It was a beautiful night for college football in the South!   Thanks again to Toney for the ticket and the ride up and back.