Random Thoughts
- I’ve been listening to the the Joe Rogan Podcast for quite a while now, and I’m telling you, there’s tons, and I mean TONS of good stuff on there. Most of the time it’s a broad conversation between Joe and some of his friends, and other notable people, but it’s certainly worth taking the time to listen to some of the episodes ( if you don’t have time to listen to all of it, as they can be a bit lengthy). Some of my favorites are with Lance Armstrong, Mark Sisson, Mark and Chris Bell, Dr. Mark Gordon, Dr. Rohnda Patrick, and a recent episode with Russell Brand and Jim Bruer. I guarantee it will get you thinking…. Oh yeah, and the one with Libertarian Presidential candidate, Gary Johnson….which brings me to..
- So, without getting into too much detail about my politics, and where I stand on all things political, I think it’s time for a third party to have some space in the political arena. I think the Libertarians actually DO represent what a majority of people in this country want in a rational society, but are too scared to actually pull the trigger on, because they’re afraid of losing their safety net that’s been placed by the ever-growing federal government. It’s simple… be fiscally conservative, and socially – who cares? People are smart enough to know that eventually, we’ll run out of runway, and other people’s money will eventually be bled dry, and the only way to fix that is to be fiscally conservative. Also, is it right to impose your own personal ethos on someone else?? Your religion, your societal beliefs… just because you run your life one way, doesn’t mean it’s OK for EVERYONE. I’m oversimplifying here, but that’s the basics. Mitch Daniels, former Governor of Indiana, asked the Republican party to drop their Social missions in the last Presidential election, because he knew that economic freedom and sound economic policy were the most important thing… and economic freedom leads to personal and social freedom, does it not?? Anyway, the constant Yin-Yang pull of Republican/Democrat policies has destroyed progress ( media outlets have had their hand in it too), it’s time for another voice. Keep in mind… I’m not stating my support for the Libertarian party, or Gary Johnson for that matter, I am saying, that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result.
- This country was founded on new ideas, and some great new stories were told along the way. Honestly, even the tech world, touted for it’s new ideas, hasn’t made a great leap in a while. They’re all sheep with the same shepherd, coming up with the same idea, with a small tweak here and there. The same phones, slightly different camera… the same computer, just a little bit thinner, and $500 more… the same smart watch… just a bit more stylish. There’s a lack of new ideas in society right now, even when it comes to entertainment. Don’t believe me??? Here’s a list of some of the movies this summer. They’re all unoriginal ideas – based off a previous movie, a sequel, a book, a comic book:
- Finding Dory
- X-Men Apocolypse ( seriously… stop making X-men movies, you’ve ruined my favorite childhood comic book)
- Independence Day: Resurgence
- Captain America: Civil War
- Jason Bourne
- Star Trek: Beyond
- The Legend of Tarzan
- Now You See Me: The 2nd Act
- Ghostbusters
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
C’mon America, we are better than this!!!! The only way studio execs will stop forcing this down our throats in the Summer, is if we stop going to these movies.
- I had some really REALLY good brews at my local watering hole earlier this week. Founders Brewing is one of those breweries who keeps growing, and growing, ( I even saw they are putting up a new building in Grand Rapids, MI), but they always churn out amazing stuff. Their brewery, like others, has become like your favorite band that no one knew about in the beginning… you loved them first… but now EVERYONE loves them. 3 Floyds, one I loved dearly from the early days, now has everyone nuts over one of their beers, and rightfully so; they make amazing stuff. Their citra hopped pale ale Zombie Dust has made their legend grow larger…. I’m sorry to say, it’s a good beer, but definitely not their best. It’s a market availability thing.. That’s it. For my money, their flagship, Alpha King is much, much, better. That said, if someone handed me a Zombie Dust, I’d drink it, it’s a good beer, and I don’t know if there’s a beer with a better “nose” to it ( especially on draft at their brewpub), but given a choice between that, and Alpha King… I’m going with Alpha King every time.
Anyway…. I digress… Founders is just a damn solid brewery. They make great stuff every day, and keep coming up with recipes that are truly unique and awesome. It’s no wonder folks know and love them now.. It was only a matter of time… just like when no one knew the Black Keys… I’ve loved them since the early days, just drums and guitar… but you could sense that they were going to grow, and get big… same thing with Founders. If it’s good, people will find it. This week, I had their famous KBS ( Kentucky Bourbon Stout), It’s a tremendously complex beer, and sought after so hard for good reason. It’s not for the timid, or even the casual beer drinker, the bourbon flavors and ABV pack a mean punch, but man is it good. I also had their reDANKulous, which is a malt and hop BOMB… and I mean BOMB… how they got that much malt and hops to works so well together, is beyond me. I also had a personal favorite, Backwoods Bastard, a barrel aged Scotch ale that ( as far as I know) has no equal.. It’s perfect in just about every way, and the vanilla you get… mmm… amazing.
I have about a billion more random thoughts, but not the time to put it all down. Until next time,
Andrew L Hamilton 