Author Archive for Jim

Thinking about voting for Cicilline?

Published on August 15, 2010 in Politics and Providence. 1 Comment

Think twice. He’s a liar. And this is not related to his problems with the fire department.

While I don’t see eye-to-eye with him on many issues, I’m going to be voting for David Segal in the democratic primary for Patrick Kennedy’s former seat in Congress. We need more people who are less of the same. Cicilline is just more of the same. David Segal is not. I will be happy once Cicilline is out of city hall. I’ll be even happier to see him lose this election. He has not done the work of the people. He has done the work of his friends and people who write checks. We do not need more of that in Washington.

Berkshire Czech Pilsner Review

Published on August 12, 2010 in Beer, Lager and Review. 1 Comment

This post was written as a guest review for Lost in the Beer Aisle. I met the writer, Josh, through Twitter a while ago. We’ve been chatting about beer and he had asked me several times to write a guest review for him. Well, I finally got around to doing it (I tend not to write beer reviews as I prefer to just drink the beer). It was fun reviewing a beer again. I’ll have to do more of these. Anyway, you can catch Josh on Twitter as @Lost_in_beer. Now onto the review…

Today (Friday, July 30) is the first absolutely beautiful day we have had here in a while. It’s hot, but not unbearable. The air is dry. The sky is blue. The birds are chirping. It’s the perfect day to sit around outside (after work, of course) and drink a nice beer. Being that it’s summer, I wanted something lighter, but still full of flavor. I heard rave reviews about Berkshire’s new Czech Pilsner and had to try it for myself. I only bought this bottle last night, but it was calling my name. It also gives me an excuse to use one of my pilsner glasses, making the beer look extra special.

The beer pours a nice golden color. I think if I had to really give it a name, I’d say it’s maize. There’s a nice fluffy white head on top, about two fingers thick. You can see the beautiful bubbles rising to the top. Pilsners happen to be, at least in my (usually not so) humble opinion, one of the most beautiful beers when poured properly. It doesn’t matter what kind of glassware you use, they still look amazing. Though I will admit, the pilsner glass adds to that a bit.

The aroma has hints of the grassy, spicy hops and just a slight hint of the sweet malt. Upon first sip, you’re hit with those hops. As it lingers in your mouth, you get the nice sweeter malt flavors. It’s really hard to describe their flavor as they don’t hang around too long before the flavor turns back to the hops and leaves a nice dryness. It’s really hard to stop drinking this one. The carbonation in this beer, though relatively effervescent in the glass, is more mild in the mouth, though you can feel it tingle a bit on your tongue. It helps this beer go down easy, keeping it refreshing. While it may not be huge in-your-face flavor, it’s just the perfect amount of flavor with a nice dry finish. This is exactly the kind of beer needed
on such a beautiful day. A beautiful beer always pairs well with a beautiful day.

I’ve been getting more and more into lagers and kölsch lately. With the type of summer we’ve had, the lighter beers with a drier finish can be very refreshing and hit the spot just right. This beer is one of the better pilsners I’ve had. I see myself buying more of this beer in the future. It’s another excellent beer from a great brewery. I would even go as far as saying that this beer could easily turn your average Bud/Miller/Coors drinker onto craft beer, though they would have to be from New England as this is a small brewery.

Don’t Compromise on the Beer

Published on August 8, 2010 in Beer. 1 Comment

I shouldn’t have to even write any of this, but I think it needs to be said. I’ve been drinking beer for quite some time now. I wasn’t one of those people who started off with the flavorless yellow beer known to most people as American Macro (though Beer Advocate politically correctly changed it to “adjunct”) Lager. I actually started off drinking Sam Adams and Pete’s Wicked back when Pete’s was independent and an excellent brewery (I do miss them, they made a killer brown ale). I would occasionally drink the cheap stuff when I was at parties and that’s all there was. Then I switched to a phase of my life where I would refuse beer if it wasn’t craft. I’m now at the point where I just want beer and will drink it.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was at a graduation party for a cousin of mine. In the past, they’ve had some craft beer at events at their house, but this time they had a keg. I suppose it was to provide the most beer that the majority of the people would drink, but whatever their reason, it was Bud Light. I’ve never been a fan of light beer. I think Coors Light was the only light beer I ever liked. I choose full flavored, full calorie beer. I laugh at the Miller Lite “triple hopped” marketing scheme, because 3 times 0 is still nothing. But with nothing else to drink (I’m not a fan of liquor, except for some frozen drinks), I drank the beer. I suppose I could have had some water or just drank soda all day, but I chose the beer.

I didn’t particularly enjoy it, though it was ice cold and pretty flavorless (I see why people drink a ton of it, it doesn’t really do much to the palate). I also didn’t hate it (likely because it was like fizzy slightly flavored water). But it made me wonder why people always steer towards the norm.

Let’s rewind about a week now. I was at a wedding for a friend of mine. Granted, the crowd was a different age, but the beer selection was quite different, though he had more than he needed. His options were Sam Adams Summer Ale and Long Trail Ale. Neither are in-your-face flavor bombs, but they do have flavor (and color and aroma). I don’t know if his choices were those because that’s what most people drink or because that’s what he wanted, but whatever his reasoning was, he picked beer that people drank (everyone was drinking Long Trail). Most weddings have a pretty lousy beer selection full of the usual suspects with a Sam Adams thrown in for people who like “fancy” beer. My own wedding had beer that was relatively local to RI (Sam Adams thrown in for good measure, but they’re only an hour away). No one complained, and people drank a lot of beer.

What I don’t understand is why people are so unwilling to try something new. Is it fear that their guests won’t be happy? Is it fear of breaking routine? Whatever it is, I just don’t understand the reasoning. I remember a college party I attended about 12 years ago. The only beer they had was a keg of Saranac Pale Ale. They were kinda hippies, and hippies were known to drink the microbrews. What stood out was that it was different. The common beer of choice at UConn was Natural Light (aka Natty Light) because it was cheap and easy to drink.

I guess my point is this… If you’re having a party and buying beer, try something new. You might be surprised by what your guests will drink. There are craft beers that even “light beer drinkers” will enjoy. But regardless of what you pick, I will almost never pass up a free beer at this point in my life.

Phish Hartford Review

Published on June 21, 2010 in Music, Phish and Review. 3 Comments

I’m going to write this review a bit differently than I would normally write it. Since I’m reviewing two shows, I’m going to compare them a bit and talk about what I liked better in one over the other.

First off, the Hartford shows on June 17 and 18 were awesome. They were both a ton of fun and featured some great songs, great playing, and great fun from the band. Going completely on memory, my favorite of the two was the second night. I felt the band had more energy to their playing. They seemed to have fewer problems with the sound system. They also seemed to be having more fun. The crowd also had more energy and it was reflected in the band’s playing.

The first show seemed disjointed. It seemed that the band didn’t know where they wanted to go with each set. I remember one standout moment after the great Down With Disease > Sand when they were jamming out Sand and it seemed as though Trey decided he wanted to play The Horse>Silent in the Morning. The segue seemed abrupt. Compare that with the segues of the second night and it’s night and day. The segues of the second night were patient and smooth. The first show also had Farmhouse come in and kill what energy existed after a great Guyute. While on its own, that Farmhouse was awesome, it took the set to a standstill. The band could have tore it up with the Mike’s Groove that followed had they not dropped, as one person put it, the “clusterfly song”. What should have been a raging set kicking off with Party Time ended up falling apart with that Farmhouse.

On the other hand, the first set was strong, though there seemed to be some sound problems during Divided Sky, which were worked out during the setbreak as the guitar techs were on stage the entire break, which seemed extended. Esther and When the Circus Comes were played for Cirque du Soleil, which was taking place across the street. The Walk Away had a HUGE jam that was completely unexpected, about as unexpected as the song itself. Sugar Shack had a nice jam that was also unexpected. While there wasn’t a ton of flow to the set, each song was strong on its own.

Now when the second night came along, the place was full of energy from the first notes of Fee straight through the last notes of the second (yes, second) Tweezer Reprise in the encore. The first set was full of energy, especially with Possum, Moma Dance, Julius, Reba, and Cavern. While Julius saw some flubs from Trey, who had a hard time with the lyrics, Reba was played with absolute precision. Possum, which doesn’t usually excite me, was loaded with energy that had the entire place bouncing. It also featured the new song Summer of ’89. It started out slow, but was a great ballad. I think this one may take some time to grow on me in the live setting, but it was a pretty song.

The second set was full of segues and flowed absolutely perfectly. The Light>Billy Breathes was beautiful and then the Tweezer>Theme from the Bottom was patient and perfect. The place went nuts when they started Harry Hood and the transition to Wading in the Velvet Sea was beautiful. That song made my wife particularly excited, though I also love that one. The only part that I was a little surprised about was the Stealing Time set closer. I was hoping for something bigger, like a YEM after such a great set.

Then came the encore. I was expecting YEM. It would have put a nice cap on the show, but Trey started playing Sleeping Monkey and then paused to tell a story about a sign someone had the night before. The song concluded with an audience singalong and the band started Tweezer Reprise, which was particularly energetic. The second they finished, Trey says they’re gonna play it again because they didn’t in Hershey. They start it up again and the crowd blew the roof off the place. They had even more energy than the first. Everyone walked out on cloud nine talking about the encore. Rarely is the encore the highlight of the show. In this case, it was more than a highlight. It was the theme.

As you can tell, I greatly enjoyed the second night the best. The Walk Away and Sugar Shack from the first night were my favorites from that night, and I always love a good Horse>Silent. Aside from the encore, the highlight of the second night were the segues of the second set and Reba from the first set. Tomorrow I’ll do it all over again at Great Woods (aka the Comcast Center) in Mansfield, MA.

Magic Hat Blind Faith

Published on June 11, 2010 in Ale, Beer and Review. 0 Comments

Magic Hat is one of those breweries that craft beer lovers love to hate on. I can’t figure out why other than that they don’t like some of their more mainstream beers. You know what? Forget those people. Ignore those people. Magic Hat is a talented, if a bit quirky, brewery. One need not go further than the brewery to see for themselves. While the majority of their beers may not be the best of the best, they are, at the very least, unique.

Craft beer lovers rejoiced when they announced the return of their IPA, Blind Faith. This beer is an excellent example of just how talented the brewers at Magic Hat are. It’s an excellent IPA that I would stack up against some of the most popular (be warned: it’s not “west coast style”, but an IPA doesn’t need to be to be excellent). It’s a very balanced, yet hop-forward beer. It’s closer to an amber ale in color, with a nice body that neither too thin nor too thick.

Anyway, I suggest everyone who likes good beer try this one. It’s not mind blowing or life changing, but it’s definitely an excellent solid IPA. And stop hating on Magic Hat. While I agree with most people that they need to stop discontinuing some of their best beer (Blind Faith, Jinx, Fat Angel, etc.), I disagree that they’re not a good brewery. They’ve been churning out #9 for quite some time and people still love it, even if it’s not a particular favorite of mine. Give Blind Faith a chance. You won’t be disappointed.

Railroad Earth Review

Published on June 11, 2010 in Music and Review. 0 Comments

I know I’m a little late with this, so here goes nothing. I went to see Railroad Earth a few weeks ago at Lupo’s. They’re a bluegrass/slamgrass/jamgrass band from New Jersey. First of all, they’re awesome. If you get the chance to see them, go. They put on an excellent show and will keep you dancing from the first notes right through the last.

The crowd was very mixed. I was actually surprised by it. There were a few flatbrims that I wouldn’t have expected at a bluegrass show, but I’m guessing they were there more for the scene than the music. There were some obvious fans who follow them all over the place. There were the older people, the younger people, but the majority seemed to be in their 20′s and 30′s.

The opening act was the guy from Dispatch. I never understood why people loved that band as much as they did. I never got into them and never really thought they were anything special. They were good, but not amazing. I felt the same way about the guy opening for Railroad Earth. It was a slim crowd for him, not surprising.

When RRE came on, the place filled up, but it was still mostly empty. It was a perfect sized crowd. Since it’s so far beyond when I saw them, I can’t really talk about much other than how much fun I had. They put on a great show. They put on a seriously fun show. I was dancing my heart out the entire time. There were a couple of seriously standout moments, one of them was the encore, Roadhouse Blues.

Anyway, since I can’t really write much else, I will just say this. Go see them if you get the chance. While I would have preferred it outdoors, because that music is meant for the outdoors, it’s awesome and fun no matter the setting.

Fuck You BP!

Published on June 11, 2010 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

That is all.

Phish @ SPAC Ticket Giveaway

Published on May 28, 2010 in Music and Phish. 0 Comments

Albany-area tweep Jim Stagnitti (@jimstagnitti) will be giving away a pair of highly coveted pavilion seats to the Phish show at SPAC in Saratoga, NY on Saturday, June 19. All you have to do to enter is donate to his cause. He will be doing a 100 mile bike ride to raise money for MS research. See more at his blog.

Music Filled Summer

Published on May 13, 2010 in Music. 0 Comments

I’m about to start a music-filled summer tomorrow night. Lots of great bands coming to Providence in the next few months, along with the highly anticipated Phish summer tour. Here are the shows I plan on attending. Look for reviews to follow.

Friday, May 14 (tomorrow) – Railroad Earth at Lupo’s
Friday, May 21 – Blues Traveler at Lupo’s
Thursday, June 17 – Phish at The Meadows (aka Comcast Theatre) in Hartford
Friday, June 18 – Phish at The Meadows (aka Comcast Theatre) in Hartford
Tuesday, June 22 – Phish at Great Woods (aka Tweeter Center, aka Comcast Center) in Mansfield, MA
Wednesday, August 18 – Phish at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY
Friday, September 24 – They Might Be Giants at Lupo’s

Here are some other shows in Providence, I’m considering hitting up. I might just need some convincing.

Friday, June 4 – The New Deal at Lupo’s
Friday, June 11 – Max Creek at Lupo’s
Tuesday,  July 6 – The Flaming Lips at Lupo’s

Finally, here are some shows I won’t be able to make, but wish I could.

Sunday, May 23 – Peter Wolf at Lupo’s
Wednesday, May 26 – Dark Star Orchestra at Lupo’s (rescheduled from April 1)
Friday, June 25 – Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa at Lupo’s (I’ll be ragin’ in Seattle with @FunkCaptMax)

Verizon Makes Things Right

Published on May 11, 2010 in Technology. 0 Comments

Within a couple hours of sending out that email from my previous post, I received a call from the RI dispatch manager. He informed me that the email had been passed down to him and that he would do what he could to get a technician out to my house tonight. Additionally, he would track down the chain of events that led to the issues of my appointments getting mixed up and not happening as planned or explained to me. Once he had figured that out, he would contact me again. Shortly after, I received another call from someone in the executive customer relations office in New York explaining that he contacted the dispatch manager and basically explained the same thing, but also mentioned that he would be getting a report on how this problem occurred. A few minutes later, I received a call from the dispatch manager again, explaining that a technician would definitely be coming tonight.

As I write this, my Tivo now works with the CableCARD that was installed. While this whole process was very problematic and the CSR’s I dealt with did not do their jobs properly, I am happy with the outcome. I received as ideal an outcome as I could have expected. I did not want to have to leave work to have it installed tomorrow. The dispatch manager checked in with me again to make sure the job was done to my satisfaction and he would not accept my thanks as he knew his people were to blame. He again stated that he would be calling me tomorrow to explain what he found to be the cause of the problem.

I found it amusing was that the technician agreed with me on the CableCARD installation issue. He said that there is no reason they can’t give them to the customer pre-activated to allow the customer to install it themselves. I would take it one step further and say that Verizon should allow this, but charge the customer if a tech needs to come out because the customer ran into trouble during the installation. The technician’s mind was blown that the second order could not be completed until the first one had been closed. That’s also something that I found to be odd.

Regardless of what happened and what caused the problem, Verizon made things right. That is what I wanted in all of this, and that’s exactly what I got. I hope they will learn from this and prevent it from happening in the future. I have been very happy with the TV and Internet service I get from FiOS. I did not want this bad customer service experience to ruin that. I am glad I read The Consumerist as I would have never thought of trying to email a bunch of executives at Verizon to get this problem resolved properly.