Tag Archives: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Build a Better Offseason: Recommendations for the Week of April 1

Posted on by
Reply
Syracuse Punched Their Ticket to the Final Four This Weekend; You Should Probably Watch Them in Atlanta

Syracuse Punched Their Tickets to the Final Four This Weekend; You Should Probably Watch Them in Atlanta

College football’s offseason is more than two months old already, but that means there’s still six months until the 2013 season. It’s an eternity for any college football fan, and while many of us indulge in watching other sports, it just can’t compare to fall Saturdays.

With that in mind, we bring you the latest installment of our weekly feature, “Build a Better Offseason.” Every seven days or so, we’ll provide recommendations on what to do with all your free time now that you’re not all-consumed by college football, specifically focusing on beers, books, movies and other, non-college football sporting events. There’s also “this week in shame,” which you can view at the bottom of each piece.

Beer

HopDevil IPA, by Victory Brewing Company in Downington, PA (American IPA, 6.7% ABV)

HopDevil IPA isn’t overly expensive or generally unavailable, so some may be surprised by just how full-flavored this beer ends up being. A traditional American IPA in every sense, it mixes the right amount of hops with a delicious aroma that combines floral and fruity notes while still maintaining a bold sense of character. Going down smooth, drinking HopDevil is not a chore, but rather, an enjoyable exercise you can easily pair with something as simple as a warm afternoon. You can find it pretty much nationwide (possibly excluding the south), either on tap or more commonly, at your local adult beverage retailer.

Book

“The Postmortal,” by Drew Magary (2011)

For a writer that specializes in an especially profane brand of humor (certainly not complaining), Drew Magary seems to conjure up a pretty realistic sense of helplessness and sadness here in his first foray into fiction. Without giving too much away, Magary’s main character, John Farrell, lives in a world where they’ve just discovered the cure for aging. And as many pieces of science fiction have shown before, the consequences for positive developments fail to always remain that way. When I first read this book last year, I couldn’t put it down, and wrapped it up in a matter of three days. Plan accordingly.

Movie

Orange County (2002)

When I first saw this movie as a 14-year old, I don’t think I quite appreciated what it was; a smarter, more clever comedy about college than many of its peers. It’s not an amazing film by any means. Rather, it’s just a lot better than many movies that came out around that time, especially those others involving Jack Black. Here, he plays sideshow to Colin Hanks, who is predictably dry and pessimistic, counter to Black’s zany antics. In particular, Black’s exchange with firefighters about a fire he started still draws some serious laughs from this end of the couch.

Continue reading →

About these ads

Build a Better Offseason: Recommendations for the Week of March 25

Posted on by
Reply
This Week's Offseason Guide Leads of With Triple Voodoo's Inception Belgian-Style Ale

This Week’s Offseason Guide Leads of With Triple Voodoo’s Inception Belgian-Style Ale

College football’s offseason is more than two months old already, but that means there’s still six months until the 2013 season. It’s an eternity for any college football fan, and while many of us indulge in watching other sports, it just can’t compare to fall Saturdays.

With that in mind, we bring you the latest installment of our weekly feature, “Build a Better Offseason.” Every seven days or so, we’ll provide recommendations on what to do with all your free time now that you’re not all-consumed by college football, specifically focusing on beers, books, movies and other, non-college football sporting events. There’s also “this week in shame,” which you can view at the bottom of each piece.

Beer

Inception, by Triple Voodoo Brewing in San Francisco, CA (Belgian Tripel, 8% ABV)

Calling Triple Voodoo’s Inception a pure Belgian Tripel would be oversimplifying it too much — as the brewing company itself even calls out. Its Belgian-style ale contains all the characteristics of a traditional Tripel, but with a completely different brewing composition. More hops and a darker finish manage to merge all the best qualities of Trappist ales and IPAs, pleasing fans of either with a unique blend of flavors. Even with all that boldness, it still manages to go down smooth — a surprising, yet welcome aspect of the brew. Unfortunately for most readers, this one’s only available in California (Northern and Southern), but if you’re out here, it’s easy enough to find it on draft or in 22 oz. bottles.

Book

“How Few Remain,” by Harry Turtledove (1998)

Admittedly, you may want to check out Turtledove’s “Guns of the South” prequel first, but I don’t believe it’s an absolute necessity in reading this one. For fans of alternate history, “How Few Remain” is an incredibly detailed an well-researched look into what could’ve happened had the Confederacy won the Civil War and continued to exist south of the United States border (the Mason/Dixon line, in this case). Turtledove obviously has a background in military research, with an emphasis on battles and tactics within this alternate second Civil War, but what I found most intriguing was the societal impacts and the depth in which he alters known historical figures. This is the first in a series of nine books (spanning from this war through World War II), so you may end up getting hooked. But if so, you’ve been warned, and also encouraged to do so.

Movie

North By Northwest (1959)

There’s no point in “reviewing” this film at any length, because so many others have already done so in much better fashion than I could ever hope to. But for those who don’t spend a ton of time with movies made prior to the 70s or so (surprisingly, many of these people do exist), I’d highly recommend North by Northwest. It’s an Alfred Hitchcock film, sure, but what you get instead of a pure-play thriller (as would usually be his norm) is a fun, yet suspenseful spy drama. Incredibly well-written, it’s also aided by the acting chops of the legendary Cary Grant, who puts in (in my opinion) one of his career’s best performances here.

Continue reading →

Build a Better Offseason: Recommendations for the Week of March 18

Posted on by
Reply
Among This Week's Non-College Football Highlights: Knee Deep's Hoptologist DIPA

Among This Week’s Non-College Football Highlights: Knee Deep’s Hoptologist DIPA

College football’s offseason is two months old already, but that means there’s still a little under six months until the 2013 season. It’s an eternity for any college football fan, and while many of us indulge in watching other sports, it just can’t compare to fall Saturdays.

With that in mind, we bring you the latest installment of our weekly feature, “Build a Better Offseason.” Every seven days or so, we’ll provide recommendations on what to do with all your free time now that you’re not all-consumed by college football, specifically focusing on beers, books, movies and sporting events. There’s also “this week in shame,” which you can view at the bottom of each piece.

Beer

Hoptologist DIPA, by Knee Deep Brewing Company in Lincoln, CA (Imperial/Double IPA, 9% ABV)

Enjoy hops? Like, a lot of hops? Knee Deep’s Hoptologist DIPA is exactly what you’re looking for. From both an aroma and taste perspective, this beer is chock-full of hops, as well as a generous selection of citrus flavoring. While I’d certainly characterize the finish as “bitter,” I’d assume you already know what you’re getting into if you grab a brew like this, and thus, embrace that element. Availability-wise, this one’s actually not as difficult to find as you’d assume. If you’re in California, you should just be able to stop into your local BevMo to find it (especially in Southern California) in 22 oz. bottles. But Colorado, Idaho and Ohio also have it pretty well-stocked (at least according to the brewery’s web site, anyway).

Book

“The Silver Linings Playbook,” by Matthew Quick (2008)

Yes, most people know this story at this point after watching the critically-acclaimed film starring Bradley Cooper and America’s Sweetheart, Jennifer Lawrence. But while the movie stays true to parts of the book, the novel’s narrative does go much deeper into the sadder and more violent parts of protagonist Pat Peoples’s life. Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, the book is an easy, yet powerful read, a smart and personal look at mental illness and how our society’s perception of it all is a bit off-base. Don’t look at it as preachy — the book is far from it. Rather, see it as educational for those of us who don’t personally deal with these issues on a daily basis.

Movie

Accepted (2006)

I feel like this movie is never really talked about, which is odd, because I believe it’s one of the better roles star Justin Long has ever played. He’s a believable underdog, and an inspired leader — not the best leader, of course, but certainly fits the bill this film calls for. With a PG-13 rating, what Accepted lacks in typical tropes comedies of that time period throws out, it makes up for in creating jokes that actually land (raunchiness aside). In that regard, Long’s quips fall perfectly and effortlessly as a commentary on the state of Greek culture and academic culture at many institutions. I would never sit here and call this movie “great,” by any means, but if you’re looking for a surprisingly prescient and honest look at mid-00s college culture, it’s tough to top Accepted.

Continue reading →