New Hampshire: McCain Wins, Hillary Wins (Boo)

Looks like Senator Clinton won in New Hampshire, which frankly, sucks. Maybe it was because she cried yesterday on television... which is pure BS because she has cried now 2x since being behind in the polls. Funny what you'll change after 6 months when the polls show you losing. She makes me want to throw up.

Obama gave a great concession speech... he's still in the race and and hopefully South Carolina will hold a decisive victory. He's a uniter, a man who could bring the country in a new positive direction.

On the other side of the aisle, another unifying spirit came through.... John McCain. I will gladly go the way of McCain if Clinton gets the nomination. McCain is a straight talker and even though I do not like his position with the war, he speaks what he believes and has conviction and character... unlike Hillary. And, he has a sharp sense of humor and can do a live interview and answer tough questions without a script, unlike the current president. Remember the days when presidents would have press conferences and actually answer questions? Yeah, not anymore. McCain can, and does it with honesty and humor.

Anyway, South Carolina is next. Go Obama!

Obama Wins in Iowa!

How about that? Obama takes first, Edwards second, and Hillary third!

And did you hear his speech? He's full of hope, extremely patriotic, and speaks of bringing America together... I love it. You could hear the spirit of Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr in his words.

"Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment, this was the place where America remembered what it means to hope. For many months we've been teased, even derided, for talking about hope. But we always knew hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it."

Here is the speech in it's entirety.

There's something about hearing him speak that opens my eyes and blows me away.... it's akin to a U2 show, when Bono rules the catwalk and inspires you with a sense that the world is bigger than you... a moment where hope and the greater things come to the forefront of your mind.

Let's hope the momentum carries through New Hampshire and that he picks up the big independent vote there, then the black vote in South Carolina sways toward his side. This guy might be the brightest most competent presidential candidate we see in years... support Obama!

The Light That Illuminates The Way Home

"the skid"

"turn your head"

"criss-cross"

"livin' ain't easy"

First Annual "Night Before Christmas Eve" Beer Tasting

Twas the night before Christmas Eve
And to nobody's fault
The only thing stirring
was yeast, hops, and malt!

We all gathered round
the kitchen bar without a care
with hopes that our ratings
would accurately fare

We called out...

Dogfish Pangaea, Magic Hat Number 9
Breckenridge Brew, and Mocha Porter behind!
Circus Boy Hefe, Nasferatu, Red's Rye
Three Floyd's and Rusty's Imperial oh my!

It was Mandy and Jenna, Jason Amanda and I
Papparatzi and Helanka, the crew assembled on high
We gave our best rankings, we were up for the task
And the winners became clear, from the first to the last

After the festivities ended, we were merry with delight
and we all exclaimed to each other...

Merry Night Before Christmas Eve, and to all a good night!



Above: The Family Getting Ready for the Tasting


Above: Jenna explaining the nuances of flavor
in the Hop Wallop IPA, and Mandy realizing
Jenna would not say quite the same thing if
she hadn't tasted 15 kinds of beers


Above: Jason reflecting on the ginger notes in the
Dogfish Head Pangaea, and Amanda graciously agreeing.


Above: Rusty and Jason toasting to years
of stories together - some still untold.


Above: Glass reflecting, beers hanging out,
and pens and voting cards strewn about


According to Jenna's mathematical formula tallied by individual votes...

The winners are (Above - starting mid-photo, from left to right):
5. Magic Hat Brewery, Number 9
4. Rogue Brewing, Mocha Porter
3. Ralston & Smith Brewing, Rusty's Imperial IPA
2. Three Floyd's Brewery, Dreadnaught Imperial IPA
1. Dogfish Head Brewing, Pangaea Ale

Merry Christmas!

this holiday life

photo / design by rusty.

this was inspired by wanting to do a composite band photo and including some other elements like a landscape view of boulder from the hill above my house. it turned out a little too much like another band photo i like, but i didn't mean to emulate any particular style. i dig it. click to enlarge.

the gorge

"the gorge"
this was one of my favorite places growing up:
the rock gorge and stream behind my house in springfield, oh.
we used to catch crayfish, climb the rock walls,
and swim through the waterfalls in our explorations.
this place is magical. it could very well have been a public park,
but instead was my own personal state park.
i took this photo last week while visiting home.

Go Buckeyes

On Saturday, my dad and I attended the Ohio State game versus Wisconsin. It was a solid big ten match-up and after the teams going back and forth for the lead, Ohio State pulled away with 28 unanswered points. Before the game, we hung out outside the Varsity Club, picked up some Ohio State gear (see the buckeye hat above), and enjoyed the buckeye nation scene on Lane Avenue. My dad managed to buy some excellent tickets on the street for below what everyone else was selling for. Oh, the band (best damn band in the land, that's what they say) also performed script Ohio... see below... What a day!

OBAMA '08

I know you all have been waiting with baited breath, but here is my endorsement for the president in '08, either republican or democrat...

VOTE OBAMA '08 !

For the first time in my life, I gave money to a political candidate. $25 to Obama isn't much, but he inspires me that good things could actually happen. In addition, he is the only candidate who sees protecting the environment and the will of God on the same side of the coin. We don't need another politician like George or Bill, we need to give Obama a chance. He's a JFK-type, give him a chance! I saw him speak (photo above) and his stances on the issues make sense.

Barrack Obama is a man of principle and integrity, and is a strong leader and smart thinker unlike any current candidate. When he fields a question, you can tell he thought about the issue and he gives a rip, unlike the robot-like answers spit out by Hillary and other Republican candidates. He is the only candidate who could bring a fresh perspective to the presidency, and the only candidate who could unite our country and bring America back to the country it should be. I sound like a freakin newspaper ad, but I'm serious!

And for the people who support Hillary Clinton, she has less experience than Obama. Mitt Romney recently said (and he's right), “She hasn’t run anything, and the government of the United States is not a place for a president to be an intern. You need to have experience actually leading and running things.” In addition, she is terribly polarizing, unelectable, and her easiness in avoiding questions makes my skin crawl.

Vote OBAMA '08!

The Time I Missed My Chance with Mandy Moore

It was mid summer in Los Angeles and I happened to be searching for a job and running an errand at the local Kinko's. It was a typical L.A. day; sunny, beautiful, strip-malled, and in a hurry. In typical fashion, parking at Kinko's was a pain in the ass. They parked you underground in a 30' x 30' lot, and the parking attendant took your keys and parked your car in between 5 cars, running frantically around and constantly rearranging the cars like he was playing tetris with 29 BMW's and 1 Toyota Camry... Ahem.

So, as I was waiting around for the attendant to get my car from the surrounding wall of BMW's. Just me and the attendant. I told him my car model and he started to search for my keys among all the ones hanging from hooks in front of him. At about this time, a certain young woman came up next to me who also needed her car. She obviously just walked out of the tanning bed next to Kinko's, because she was in her casual sweatpants and glistening in a layer of sweat. Yeah, not exactly the perfect situation, but I immediately recognized her as Mandy Moore. She was hot and naturally beautiful, no doubt about it. Now, I have seen many celebs in LA but Mandy Moore is A) gorgeous B) my age and C) was standing 2 feet away from me.

So, I needed to say something. You know, at least get her talking. So, the valet guy could not find my keys and was fumbling around. I cracked a joke, and they both snickered. I got a laugh out of her, so that was good. But I could tell that she was a little reticent to communicate with people because of her flushed perspired appearance from tanning and her ultra casual clothes. The valet guy walked away and it was just the two of us. So, I cracked a couple jokes and before I knew it my Camry was ready for me. Unfortunately, I did not invite Mandy for a ride off to eternal sunshine. Damn it, it was Mandy Moore!

This was the day I missed my chance with Mandy Moore. Man, she is gorgeous. I should have went for it.

Rusty's Magic Dogs

Ok, so this is ridiculous, but the Boulder newspaper interviewed me about my food creation... The Magic Dog.

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/oct/23/no-headline---24fdogw/

So, the article ran today and a marketing rep for Applegate Organic Hot Dogs calls me... crazy! Maybe I'll become their rep and my picture will be on their packaging with "Rusty's Magic Dogs" in bold. Ha... this is hilarious.

Later!

farm aid - more pix to come!

Hey there, I have lots of stories about Farm Aid and I've only gone through 200 of the the 2200 photos... but here are a couple I've pulled so far... click to enlarge.

the daylights - quick fix

hey guys, check out some friends of mine from nashville / los angeles: the daylights.