It's 2024! Need I Say More?

1/1/24 - 12:01 AM - I toasted the new year out on chilly moonlit Fernandina Beach, Florida, by finishing the half-growler of PastryArchy Super Freak Coconut Caramel Chocolate brown ale from DuClaw Brewing (Baltimore) that I started "last year" at around 11:50 PM. 

Happy New Year of BEER!! 

 1/5 - I flew up to Chicago this afternoon and then connected to a late flight into South Bend, Indiana.  The home of Notre Dame University is this year's chosen destination for me to see my Duke Blue Devils play live tomorrow night!! 

Man, our Nashville airport has had a recent makeover, and it looks great!  I checked out the new bar called The Titans Press Box where they had some local craft beer on tap, but nothing I haven't had before so I settled on the nice Kolsch from Yee-Haw Brewing which started in Johnson City, but it brewing here now too.  Interestingly, the coasters here already have the new Titans stadium image on them.  Nothing like being prepared and planning ahead! 

Well, our little big town has really grown in the last decade or so.  I can never remember seeing this many lights flying in or out of BNA.  My United Airlines flight was on time and easy up to Chicago.  Before leaving, I did grab a King Chestnut (2023) brown ale from the Tennessee Brew Works bar in the airport near my gate. 
I got to South Bend late without any incident and was the last one to check in for the night at the sleepy little Ivy Court Inn right next to the Notre Dame campus. 

1/6 - Hello, Touchdown Jesus.  The hardwood DEVILS are here today to make you BLUE!  Man, what a gorgeous, historic campus!  I really enjoyed my frosty walk around the Notre Dame campus this morning barely seeing anyone else.   It was pretty cool walking around the hallowed football stadium and I liked seeing the Fighting Irish legends tributes like to Coach Ara Parseghian, player Knute Rockne, etc. 

The beautiful Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Notre Dame campus was open, and it was an honor to be able to step into this amazing place.  

The Grotto of our Lady Lourdes with the famous gold domed main campus administration building in the background made for a nice shot this morning.  I knew about this place from one of my favorite movies, Rudy.  Some of the stones for this structure came from a grotto in Lourdes, France, hence the name.  A few people were here for a bit, but I had it mostly to myself.  

My pal, Chris, drove a couple hours to meet me today and hang out on the Notre Dame campus and in South Bend before the game tonight.  We met at the giant bookstore on campus and were in awe of the volume of Notre Dame bling there was to purchase here.    While not a Duke fan, I did appreciate his company and his willingness to drive us to a couple of breweries around town.  Our first stop was the nearby South Bend Brew Works where I had their excellent Buzz Slaps! Hazy IPA and their sweet and light Hawaiian Milk Stout along with an excellent grilled chicken with blue cheese crumbles salad for lunch.    

While the beer (and service) were not as great as at SBBW, you could not beat the ambiance at our next stop, Studebaker Brewing Company.  Housed on the second floor of the amazing Tippecanoe Place, the original home (circa 1889) of Clement Studebaker, the South Bend manufacturer of wagons and then classic automobiles.   I had their decent Manta Ray IPA.  

 We headed back to campus next and walked from my hotel to The Taphouse on the Edge, a college sports bar that was getting busy as tipoff was approaching, but nothing like football games evidently.  Here they had a cute barkeep (think Aubry Plaza with blue curly hair) and a good beer list.   I had the solid Oberon Eclipse Citrus Wheat from Bell's Brewery (MI) and a very good Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland). 

Purcell Pavilion on the Notre Dame campus is a great little arena with good sight lines and acoustics.  My second level seat had a pretty good view and was actually behind me here in the photo above.  My seat was in the center of a full row, so I hung out in an almost empty row a little closer to the court and waited for it to fill up, but it never did, so I enjoyed the game from a little closer than the seat I paid for and was able to spread out. I was a little shocked there were as many empty seats as I saw, but again, basketball takes a real back seat to football here. 

The game was frustrating as a Duke fan (and a 14+ point favorite) as most of the team really floundered and struggled throughout with turnovers and cold shooting except for blossoming sophomore, Mark Mitchell, shown above (photo courtesy of Duke Basketball's Facebook page).  Mark had already become one of my favorite players this season thanks to his hard work and hustle I've noticed in previous games.  But this one really showed it as his 23 points sealed an ugly 67-59 win for the Blue Devils.  Take the tough road W and move on! 

I planned on going by another brewery close to campus after the game, but it was closed for the holiday season (slackers!), so instead I grabbed a four-pack of the so-so Cream Ale from Bare Hands Brewery in nearby Granger, IN, at a liquor store across the road from my hotel and settled back in my room for the rest of the night.  I left two of them as a "tip" to the cleaning staff. 

1/7 - I woke up to a light, but pretty snow in South Bend this morning and a fun notice that my flight from Chicago to Nashville had been cancelled.  It was a safety thing, so I guess I can't complain too much.  The United Airlines agent at the quiet little South Bend Airport was a lot of help and booked me on another flight a little later in the afternoon out of O'Hare.  That was fine with me since my original layover was only 45 minutes and had me concerned if I could make my transfer in time anyway.  Both flights were smooth and even ahead of schedule landing, so that works for me. 

Another good little Duke trip that I hope to continue each season with other ACC road destinations like Boston College, VA Tech, UVA, etc.   And a return to South Bend would be fine with me as well...but next time I'm probably driving! 

1/8 - I met my friends, Kate and Curtis, at Cedar City Brewing today to have a few brews in our new personalized mugs as 2024 Mug Club members. I haven't been here in a while actually, so they had a few new-to-me brews to check in.  I started with their excellent Coconut Porter, then their light and tasty Sweet Tater Pie brown ale and finally, their solid Fireside Amber Lager.  And for dinner some of their always awesome smoked wings.  We also got new T-shirts and our old mugs from last year to take home.  

1/9 - I cracked open a nice Smashing Honey Blonde ale from Hoppin' Frog Brewery (OH) as I checked out the first episode of the new "Echo" TV show on Disney+.  I like the grittiness of this latest show from the MCU, but just not sure how interesting the story is going to be overall.  We shall see. 
Editor's note:  I finished the short 6-episode season and found it to be pretty decent, and a bit better than some the recent yawners they've been putting out. 

1/11 - Sunny and I went all the way to the back of Taylor Hollow up in Sumner County today, but even with a decent stream flow there still wasn't any falling water.  The stream was trickling out from underneath the ledge and there was at least a nice little pool that Sunny enjoyed after our long walk in.  She was a real trooper with this being the longest hike we've been on so far at well over a mile of uneven terrain and some bushwhacking.  

Tonight, I three-way chopped a tournament on Pokerstars tonight with the local group I play with occasionally for just over 100% ROI.

1/12 - I met my pal, Curtis, at Barcadia up on the Lebanon Square today to partake in a Jackalope Brewing Tap Takeover there.  They had nothing on tap that was new to me from JBC, so I just had a couple old faithfuls:  their solid Fennario IPA and the always-excellent Bearwalker maple brown ale. 

I got my first outright tournament win on Global Poker of the new year while at Barcadia actually.  It was a turbo bounty NLHE tournament with 96 other players.  I got 13 knockouts and an ROI of almost 2,900%!
After I got home, I also got second in a NLCP tournament for another nice ROI.  I didn't get all the details on this one before the tournament closed out unfortunately.  

1/14 - I checked out the first episode of the new season of "True Detective: Night Country" on HBO/Max tonight, and so far, I really like it.  It's good to see "Clarice Starling" chasing killers again!  I toasted Ms. Foster's return to crime drama with a can of Gonerbrau, a decent cream ale from Memphis Made Brewing.  

1/15 - So, I did something kind of interesting today.  I submitted two different movie treatments (ideas) to a couple of film festivals just to see what might happen.  The first one is "The Shohola Five" - a post-Civil War historical fiction tale that I literally dreamed up last night after reading an article in "Poplar Mechanics" last week.  The other one is "The Jimmie Angel Story" which has been rolling around in my head for several years actually.  It's a biography about the pilot who "discovered" Angel Falls which are named after him and his adventures there.  Might as well throw a line in the water and see what happens?  I am also working on another science-fiction tale that's been in my head for a while currently titled "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."   

1/17 - OK, now we're just getting lazy out there in Craft Beer Land. LOL. I actually love this generic Regular Beer label for this actually rather tasty light lager from DuClaw Brewing (Baltimore).  I am sure it came from endless complaints by the "sheeple" coming into a craft brewery and then asking for "the closest thing ya got to a Miller Lite."    

I won a small bounty tournament today on Global Poker with 7 knockouts of the 11 other players giving me just under 700% ROI.  I got to a final table last night in a bigger tournament and was able to cash out $100 in total profit while leaving a nice bankroll still on the site.  

1/18 - I "won" a satellite tournament today on Global Poker vs. 53 others with the top ten finishers getting tickets valued at over 700% ROI (and $92 of overlay also).  Now let's roll this into a big payday!! 
(Editor's note: No such luck thanks to yet another suck out vs. my QQ.)  

I did get another small tournament win tonight in a NLCP game vs. 11 other players giving me an 800%+ ROI.

The small successes kept coming tonight as I "finally" made a final table in the Gold Coin (free money) Monster Stack Series on Global.  This was Event # 11 and for making the final table I think I get some more free Global Poker clothing. 

I wound up winning the whole thing vs. 247 other players!  So evidently, I will get a trophy now as well, but I hear from some folks that it takes a while to get those.  Too bad this wasn't a real money one, but we will shoot for that again tomorrow night!  I celebrated my win with a can of the excellent Incarnation IPA from 4 Hands Brewing (St. Louis). 

1/21 - I went to see the new action film, The Beekeeper, at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) with my pal, Toney tonight.  I thought it was actually very good for an over-the-top action flick.  I hope it becomes a franchise for Statham since it is so much better than that John Wick drivel.

1/22 - I went to the Regal $5 Mystery Movie tonight over at the Hollywood 27 Theaters in Nashville.  I turned out to be an excellent military thriller called Land of Bad with Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth.  It was so good; I will probably see it again with my pal Toney here at our local theaters when it's released next month. 
Before the show, I had dinner at the nearby and always-excellent Vui's Vietnamese and also a couple of beers at The Black Abbey Brewing Company that included a great guest tap, the Bakstenwinkel Saison from Kazematten Brewing (Belgium), and a BOGO (thanks TN Ale Trail) pint of their own dandy Irish Red Ale.
Before all that, I stopped by the new location of Tailgate Brewing in South Nashville at the swanky Tanger Outlet Complex after a job interview down that way.  With my lunch of tasty taco fries, I had their sweet, but light, Fallin' For Maple amber lager, and their very good NEIPA called Bondolero.

1/23 - I went to see the new outer space thriller film, ISS, today at the Opry Mills Theaters (thanks $5 Tuesday at Regal).  I thought it was decent, not great, but decent.  Beforehand, I stopped by TennFold Brewing for an enjoyable lunch of one of their awesome grain bowls and also had a couple of their new IPAs along with it.   First up was the crisp and tasty As You Were IPA, followed by their dry and grapefruit-tasting Yippie K IPA.

1/25 - I got a small NLCP tournament win tonight vs. 20 other players for an ROI of over 900%.
Beforehand, I met my pal, Curtis, at Barcadia here in town where I had three new-to-me brews that they had on tap.  First up was the excellent imperial porter called Guvnah from Half Batch Brewing up in Hendersonville.  Next was the very good (and appropriately named for this place) Arcade pale ale, from Edmund's Oast Brewing (Charleston, SC).  I ended with the tart, but rather good Key Lime Pie Sour Ale from Southern Grist Brewing here in Nashville.  

1/26 - I anxiously tuned in to the premier night and first episode of the new WWII series on Apple TV+ called "Masters of the Air" tonight.  This is the third series under the guidance of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks that brought us the perfect "Band of Brothers" and the solid "Pacific" series previously.   I toasted the new series and the brave men it depicts with a can of the very nice My Town pilsner from Hub City Brewing out in Jackson, TN.  

1/27 - I won a pretty sizable turbo bounty tournament on Global Poker today vs. 140 other players today.  I had 10 knockouts and took in a little over 3,200% ROI. 

1/28 - I don't usually report 4th place finishes, but this one is worth noting since it was in PLO, a game that I pretty much loathe, but I was happy with this outcome vs. 121 players and it was also being streamed on Twitch by the host of the tournament who said my handle a couple of times that I heard (I almost had his bounty TWICE!).  I also cleared just under 1,000% ROI.  

1/29 - I also usually don't report on 10th place finishes in a small buy-in turbo bounty tournament with only three knockouts either, but Global Poker is trying out their new "Mystery Bounty" format tonight, and I was lucky enough to get the top bounty for over 4,000% ROI!  With that, I actually finished 3rd in money earned vs. 464 other players! 

1/30 (at about 1:30 in the AM) - I got to another Gold Coin (free money) GPC Grizzly Event 1H Final Table tonight and actually wound up getting second place overall (I was outdrawn to go out where I did).  This should at least earn me some more Global Poker swag as well.  

1/30 - I got another small NLCP turbo tournament win tonight on Global Poker.  I somehow missed all the details, but the ROI was around 1,000%.
I sure needed it, because the rest of the day has been a real bloodletting. 
I also got second in the same tournament a bit later tonight for about 300% ROI.  

2/1 - I stopped by Living Waters Brewing in East Nashville today after having to run an errand out that way.   I enjoyed a couple of their beers including the nice Dunkel called Aller, and their tasty cold IPA called Osprey (photo above) that I drank while tank-cleaning was going on in the brewery.  Cheers to clean beer-making!! 

2/2 - I took advantage of the "Spring of Deception" today and walked up to the Lebanon Square in the mild weather.  My first stop was at Tenn Lakes Brewing where I had their pretty good Lady G ESB.  I ambled over to Cedar City Brewing next and had their new (and excellent) NEIPA called Juiced by the River in my new Mug Club mug.  Cheers to warm weather...even if it's fleeting. 
(Thanks to M.L. Rose for the hilarious 12 seasons of TN banner.) 

2/3 - Ashlee and I attended the "Fudge and Flights" event at Cedar Glade Brews in Murfreesboro today where decadent fudge from Silver Fox Treats was made with four different kinds of CG Brews and then paired with those same beers in a flight.  They were all very good and a really tasty combo.  First up was their Maniac Pale Ale which was paired with a green apple and caramel fudge.  Next was their raspberry-infused Berliner Off Broad (BOB) paired with an orange creamsicle fudge.  Then it was their Native Creatures Belgian-style wild ale paired with a chocolate-covered cherry fudge. And, finally, their Nuttin' But Fun smoked porter paired with a pecan fudge. 
Before the tasting I also had a pint of their decent rye IPA called 1516. 

On the way home on my phone and then finishing up on the laptop, I won a $5 turbo NLH bounty tournament on Global Poker vs. 64 other players with five knockouts for just over 1,500% ROI.  With this win and some other cashes, I was able to withdraw $100 in winnings from the site tonight. 
(Editor's note: Since it happens to me a lot, I will admit when it got down to heads-up, I did score a nasty bad-beat on my opponent cracking his KK with my 44 to secure the win.  What comes around, goes around, I guess.)

2/4 - I went on a pretty deep run in the Monster Series Event # 9 today on Global Poker with a 28th place finish out of a whopping 1,326 other players.  My ROI was only a little over 300%, but it was enough for me to cash out another $75 of profit from the site.

2/5 - I had to go to Goodlettsville this morning for some training for a part-time job with the Post Office (if I decide to do it).  We ended around lunchtime, so I stopped by the Rock-n-Dough Pizza and Brewery location on Dickerson Pike and had their sweet, but manageable, milk stout called Cockadoodle-Moo! along with a slice of their solid Zombie pizza and a tasty and fresh side salad.  

This evening Ashlee and I went to Mt. Juliet for dinner at the M.L. Rose location there to support New Leash on Life which was getting 20% of the profits there today.  With my tasty dinner, I had the decadent Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Cocoa Porter from Lexington Brewing and then finished with the hope of kicking the keg of the nice, holiday-spiced Red Nose Reinbeer wheat from Urban South Brewing (New Orleans). 

When we got back home, I won a small NLCP turbo tournament on Global Poker vs. 27 other players giving me an ROI of exactly 1,000%.  

I also chopped my little local home tournament on PokerStars vs. 4 other players for an ROI of just over 130%.  

I capped off the night with my third final table in a Gold Coin (free money) GPC Tournament on Global Poker. This was Event # 12-H of The Grizzly Games.  I wound up finishing 4th out of 204 other players which should earn me some Global swag, but then again, who knows.  I have just got transfer this success to the real money tournaments for some real buck$$$! 

2/7 - It was just too nice a day not to go see a waterfall!  Sunny and I loaded up and headed to Rock Island State Park and hiked down into the Caney Fork Gorge which I had not done before.  The falls pictured above was streaming into the canyon along with another half dozen smaller veils of water.  

While the water levels were quite low at the now dam-controlled Great Falls of the Caney Fork, the numerous smaller streams dropping into the canyon gave it quite the Shangri-La look today. 

On our way home, we stopped at The Burlap Room Beer Garden at the Bert Driver Nursery in Smithville, and I had a pint of Grassroots Ale from Calfkiller Brewing over in Sparta.  

2/8 - Based on yesterday's trip with Sunny, Ashlee gave me the idea of maybe doing a TikTok series based on our little adventures together.  So today I filmed our first one at this season's home opener for the Cumberland University baseball team.    Let's see where this takes us! 
(Editor's note:  Within an hour or so we had over 700 views!) 

2/9 and 2/10 - I got a nice win tonight (and finishing on into the next day) over a large field of 116 other players in a turbo bounty tournament on Global Poker with 12 knockouts for a total ROI of over 3,000%!