Thurston Blogging

Audrey Goes to Detroit Lions Training Camp

It's time.  Aud had to be witness to it sooner or later.  Today, Daddy took Baby Audrey to see the Detroit Lions practice at their training facility in Allen Park.  She had an awesome time.  She talked to Jason Hanson said "Hello" to Audrey, and she giggled.

Training Camp was a great way for fans to get to interact with the players.  During practice, John Kitna signed autographs.  The crowd went bonkers when Calvin Johnson caught a deep ball near the end zone over a defensive back.  You heard the coaches swear at a defensive lineman who jumped off-sides.

She was certainly the youngest kid there, as I was the only person with a stroller, but everyone working the event was pleasant and accommodating.  We'll certainly go back next year.
 

Name this Bar

In honor of The Black Out Tavern having the the first keg brought in, I thought we'd play a game.   Okay, the BOT has had other kegs, but the first keg to be brought on-line in the new (to me) Kegerator.  Leinenkugel Red is ready to be tapped. 

On to the game.  The game is similar to Name that Tune.  "Thurston's Name that Bar" will feature a bar, and you users tell me where it is located and its name.  Here is the photo.

What do you win?  I pour you a tall, cold one from the keg your next time at The Tavern.

 

Budweiser sold to InBev

I'm a Miller guy.  My Dad drank Miller Genuine Draft as a kid.  In college, I chose Icehouse, a Miller product, over Bud Ice.  When I want a macro light beer, I choose Miller Lite over Bud Light.

I spend time often in Europe, and I will be in Belgium next month and always look forward to drinking their great beers, particularly Leffe.

With that said, I cannot believe that Budweiser has agreed to sell their operations to InBev, a Belgium brewer - the makers of Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Becks and my dear Leffe. 

The Busch family has been brewing their average beer for over 130 years.  Now, the family will be selling out for over $52 Billion (with a B).  If this was ThurstonWeiser, and someone said I could have a chunk of that windfall, I'd be tempted as well.

With a terrible economy, one could say that people can't afford things like beer.  However, even in downtimes, people drink to forget their problems.  Yet, more and more people are turning to micro beers with a more robust and unique taste.  Not enough to make a massive dent in the profits of Bud, but enough for them to perhaps see the handwriting on the wall.

Meet the Imperial Dynamo

I cannot get enough of Fantasy Sports.  Sickness, you ask?  I'm no doctor.  I'm no signed up in my latest Yahoo Fantasy League - this time it is English Premier League Soccer.  This league is based on a salary cap as opposed to a traditional player draft.  It makes it both exciting and difficult.  Exciting as I've never been in a league like this before, but it is hard to try and work within a budget while still grabbing talented players.

My team has a distinct Liverpool bent to it.  However, my favorite player, Peter Crouch, is probably not going to be a member of the Liverpool Reds much longer.  Read here for more details.

Here they are - the Ada Imperial Dynamo

Iron Man

Sharon and I were able to get out for an afternoon last week.  What did we do?  We went to the movie theatre and saw Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man.  In a word, the movie was spectacular.  RDJ did a convincing job as Tony Stark, the billionaire arms dealer who, after an attack on his life - creates a suit of armor to keep him alive and kick the crap out of his captors.

From there, Stark designs a new suit that does everything except figure out why Mind of Mencia is still on Comedy Central.  That show really stinks.

The supporting cast is top-notch as well with Gwenyth Paltrow, Jeff (Lebowski) Bridges and Terrence Howard.

This movie not only has a sequel built-in, but Iron Man is supposed to be in the new Incredible Hulk movie also playing now.  Rumor is that both of these characters will be in The Avengers movie.  Stay for the end of the credits to find out a bit more on that.

If you liked the comics, you'll love this movie.  Don't wait for DVD - get to the local show-house, buy some corn and plop down and enjoy the next two hours.  Here's a trailer to whet your appetite.