An Introduction

Hi there and welcome to my little corner of the Internet.  You might be asking yourself, why exactly do I find myself here.  You may be related to me, might be a close friend, distant friend, social media follower or have no idea who I am.  Well frankly that doesn’t matter.  I’m happy you found this site.  I will warn you though, I am selfish; So please allow me to explain why I’m here and starting this blog.

First of all, I need a creative outlet.  I myself am not very creative in a traditional sense.  I do not play an instrument, I don’t write music or songs, I don’t write books, screenplays or direct films and I can’t draw or paint for shit.  The only thing I do in my life today that could be considered a creative outlet is home brewing beer, but at best, that is just making soup, then putting in a few hours as a glorified janitor cleaning up and sanitizing things.  I do enjoy writing, but not stories, poetry, lyric, etc.  I find myself with a lot to say sometimes, but not a lot of folks around to listen.  I do greatly appreciate certain types of art though, two of which will be part of this blog.  The third topic isn’t really art, but some may argue it is.

How about that for a tease?  Three topics?  What is he talking about?  Allow me to elaborate.  I like to discuss things and hear other’s opinions.  What I write here is obviously the only opinion that matters (kidding).  Opinions are just that, opinions.  What I’m trying to get off the ground is a place for my musings and opinions on a few specific topics, and a place for you, my readers (friends, family, complete strangers) to discuss and share your thoughts and opinions, and maybe open my eyes to some other cool stuff.

So that brings you up to speed and into my head on why I’m doing this.  So now, what will the content consist of.  I am very passionate about three things which is what I’ll be focusing on.

Number One: Music

I listen to a ton of music.  Some of it is background noise, some is a sort of spiritual experience, some nostalgia and some I have developed a deep obsession with.  I love music thanks to my Dad.  He has a deep love for music as well.  He plays guitar, writes, performs and records his own songs, etc.  From a very early age I was exposed to lots of music.  So, one part of this blog will focus on music. This will come in the form of album reviews done in my own way.  They will be track by track reviews, with some thoughts on each song, then some final notes on the album overall, and a pick for the one song I’d drop from the record.  These reviews will mostly be for albums that have been out for a while, some classic, some not so classic.  If you have a suggestion of an album you'd like me to listen to and review, let me know.

Number Two: Films

I watch a ton of movies.  I keep a list of the constantly changing, Internet Movie Database’s Top250 films of all time, as rated by IMDB users.  I have been trying to watch every film on this list for the past 10 years or so (as of today there are only 15 I haven’t seen).  I rate every movie I watch using IMDB’s 10-star scale based on a variety of arbitrary categories like acting, cinematography and over all entertainment factor.  I am also very opinionated on what I think makes a good film and what makes a lousy film.  For this blog, I will be doing a study of some of my favorite directors work to start.  I know which director I’m choosing first, but you don’t.  Wait a few weeks, and you’ll find out.  Patience readers, patience please. This section will evolve into other "studies", maybe of genres, eras, Oscar winners, who knows, but we are starting with my favorite directors.

Number Three: Beer

This will likely be the least frequent of the three categories, but I’m obsessed with beer.  I’m not an alcoholic, which is exactly what you are thinking now, just admit it.  I find beer culture, how beer is made, the science behind it and the people making it very interesting.  Like films, I rate every new beer I try and write a quick review of it on RateBeer.  I’ve rated over 1600 beers over the course of 7 years.  I’ve tried just about every beer style (76 out of the 78 styles listed on RateBeer) out there and I’ve sampled beers brewed in 33 different countries.  I’ve taken vacations just to go to a specific brewery or area of the globe where I knew there was some great beer.  For this blog, I will not be writing beer reviews, I do that already somewhere else, and frankly, it is boring for others to read.  Instead, I’ll be writing musings on the industry, experiences I’ve had when enjoying a beverage or two, and some good old fashion hot takes on things that make me happy or piss me off in the beer world.

So that’s it.  I don’t know which topic I’ll cover in my first post yet, but expect to see that in the next week or so.  Again, I encourage discussion and I want your opinions.  Feel free to email me, tweet me, Facebook me, comment here, etc.  I’ll respond, I’ll commiserate, I’ll tell you why you are wrong (kidding) and I’ll ask for more opinions from others.

If all of this sounds shitty, and you never want to read anything else from me every again, that’s fine too.  Click here to get the hell out of here.  If you want to stick around, then welcome!  I look forward to discussing music, films & beer with you all.

Until next time.

LD