Trains, Trivia and Santa's Butt
Happy Veterans Day and thank you to all those who served and who are serving in our Armed Forces. Hope this Friday evening finds you well.
Enjoying a very fine Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Opted not to take a photo even though it's a perfect brew for this chilly night - going down to 29!
Yesterday was our quarterly "All Hands" meeting at work. They started holding these at the EpiCentre Theaters downtown, may be the nicest movie theater I was ever in and every chair in the theater is a big comfy lounge chair with big armrests for holding drinks and snacks.
The meetings are to give everyone an update on how our region is doing and provide an informative Q&A with our senior leadership. Won't bore you with the details, but afterwards the work day was over and all were welcome to mingle at the open bar. Of course I had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but then that was about as "crafty" as their taps got.
While sitting with friends and enjoying our libations, we discussed plans for meeting up at "trivia night" at the VBGB Beer Garden at the NC Music Factory. Readers of this blog will recall that this was the very same VBGB where the Showtime series "Homeland" held its wrap party last week.
After a couple drinks on the company, our group started back to the office to gather up our things and head home. The company had purchased public transit passes to get to the theater, but I lent my return pass to a co-worker who didn't have one. I figured I'd buy a ticket at the train ("light rail") platform and all would be well. That was until I found that all the ticket machines on both sides of the tracks were out of order. There was nothing I could do, so I decided to take my chances and get on the next train with everyone else.
The light rail here doesn't operate like the subway in NYC. There are no gates to keep you from getting on a train, and purchasing a rail pass is not mandatory. But, if challenged by a transit officer you must show a purchased light rail ticket, or face a fine or at the very least get booted from the train.
Don't you know it, we got on the train car with a transit officer who started checking tickets after the first stop. We watched as one unfortunate passenger fumbled through his wallet only to find nothing. The officer promptly told him to get off the train and buy a ticket. The train doors nearly closed on him as he seemed confused by the event, but off he got. The officer turned around to our group and everyone displayed their tickets except for me. I figured I'd wait until he asked me directly and then offer that the ticket machines were out of order. Here's the thing, he never did. He looked at the tickets held up by the group and then moved on and that was that. Almost like it was some crazy "jedi mind trick," only it wasn't. We got off at our stop, and none of us could believe what had just happened. Some called it good karma in that I gave my return pass away. Who knows, but I appreciated my good fortune.
I went home, had dinner and then headed back out to VBGBs for trivia night. We had a good time, and I was killer on the music and movie questions. Unfortunately, we didn't win any of the rounds, but came close on the 2nd when we tied, but lost out on the tie-breaker question.
In Other News...
Today was not only Veterans Day, it was also 11-11-11. Perhaps it was the "magic" of these numbers lining up that caused our lunch orders today to reflect two Dave Matthews Band favorites - #41 and #36. I had #41 and my buddy had #36.
After lunch it was time to stock up on seasonal offerings at the Total Wine. This is truly the best time of year for beer lovers. The shelves are chock full of great seasonal brews, some spiced for the holidays and others strong, dark and full of hops for a cold winter's eve.
While I don't want to know what this tastes like, you've got to love the label for Santa's Butt Winter Porter.
Also got word this week that Dave Matthews Band is releasing a two-CD live set from the final night of the Caravan in Atlantic City this past summer.
Live in Atlantic City 6.26.11 is now available for Pre-Order! All Pre-Orders will receive a Greetings from Bader Field 5-song bonus disc of songs from the first two nights in AC. Warehouse members will receive an 8-song bonus disc.
While this video is from Saturday's show in Atlantic City and not included on the new CD, I had to include this clip of "#41" since it popped up as my lunch order number today.
- Salud!
Enjoying a very fine Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Opted not to take a photo even though it's a perfect brew for this chilly night - going down to 29!
Yesterday was our quarterly "All Hands" meeting at work. They started holding these at the EpiCentre Theaters downtown, may be the nicest movie theater I was ever in and every chair in the theater is a big comfy lounge chair with big armrests for holding drinks and snacks.The meetings are to give everyone an update on how our region is doing and provide an informative Q&A with our senior leadership. Won't bore you with the details, but afterwards the work day was over and all were welcome to mingle at the open bar. Of course I had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but then that was about as "crafty" as their taps got.
While sitting with friends and enjoying our libations, we discussed plans for meeting up at "trivia night" at the VBGB Beer Garden at the NC Music Factory. Readers of this blog will recall that this was the very same VBGB where the Showtime series "Homeland" held its wrap party last week.
After a couple drinks on the company, our group started back to the office to gather up our things and head home. The company had purchased public transit passes to get to the theater, but I lent my return pass to a co-worker who didn't have one. I figured I'd buy a ticket at the train ("light rail") platform and all would be well. That was until I found that all the ticket machines on both sides of the tracks were out of order. There was nothing I could do, so I decided to take my chances and get on the next train with everyone else.
The light rail here doesn't operate like the subway in NYC. There are no gates to keep you from getting on a train, and purchasing a rail pass is not mandatory. But, if challenged by a transit officer you must show a purchased light rail ticket, or face a fine or at the very least get booted from the train.
Don't you know it, we got on the train car with a transit officer who started checking tickets after the first stop. We watched as one unfortunate passenger fumbled through his wallet only to find nothing. The officer promptly told him to get off the train and buy a ticket. The train doors nearly closed on him as he seemed confused by the event, but off he got. The officer turned around to our group and everyone displayed their tickets except for me. I figured I'd wait until he asked me directly and then offer that the ticket machines were out of order. Here's the thing, he never did. He looked at the tickets held up by the group and then moved on and that was that. Almost like it was some crazy "jedi mind trick," only it wasn't. We got off at our stop, and none of us could believe what had just happened. Some called it good karma in that I gave my return pass away. Who knows, but I appreciated my good fortune.
I went home, had dinner and then headed back out to VBGBs for trivia night. We had a good time, and I was killer on the music and movie questions. Unfortunately, we didn't win any of the rounds, but came close on the 2nd when we tied, but lost out on the tie-breaker question.
In Other News...
Today was not only Veterans Day, it was also 11-11-11. Perhaps it was the "magic" of these numbers lining up that caused our lunch orders today to reflect two Dave Matthews Band favorites - #41 and #36. I had #41 and my buddy had #36.
After lunch it was time to stock up on seasonal offerings at the Total Wine. This is truly the best time of year for beer lovers. The shelves are chock full of great seasonal brews, some spiced for the holidays and others strong, dark and full of hops for a cold winter's eve.
While I don't want to know what this tastes like, you've got to love the label for Santa's Butt Winter Porter.
Also got word this week that Dave Matthews Band is releasing a two-CD live set from the final night of the Caravan in Atlantic City this past summer.
Live in Atlantic City 6.26.11 is now available for Pre-Order! All Pre-Orders will receive a Greetings from Bader Field 5-song bonus disc of songs from the first two nights in AC. Warehouse members will receive an 8-song bonus disc.
While this video is from Saturday's show in Atlantic City and not included on the new CD, I had to include this clip of "#41" since it popped up as my lunch order number today.
- Salud!
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