Vuvuzela

Following an amazing weekend, it is always a little bittersweet to leave the Twin Cities and head back to Chicago. I arrived Friday afternoon, got a cup of coffee with Olivia, had a really nice dinner at Lord Fletcher's with my parents, before meeting a couple of friends at Brit's Pub late Friday night for a beverage. I was up bright and early for a great breakfast at the Original Pancake House and brilliant conversation with my good friend, Adam. Saturday afternoon, Mike, Andrew, and the Lindo sisters and I had a lot of fun, despite none of us coming close to breaking even, at Canterbury Downs - the local horse racing track. On Sunday, I drove Allie and I back to Chicago but not before making one key pit stop in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. I had never taken a tour of a brewery before and the Leinenkugel's Brewery is on the way from Minneapolis to Chicago. I was really impressed with how incredibly nice everyone was at the brewery. We each got three free samples, and a 45 minute free tour of the facilities. It was just long enough that my interest was kept up, but not too long that I ever felt bored. I have always been impressed with Leinenkugel's. Not just because I think their Sunset Wheat, Berry Weiss, and Honey Weiss, are good tasting beer. I have always admired their marketing ads. Instead of sexist ads, Leine's ads normally just feature regular people sitting around a camp fire, making smores, and having a lager. Instead of sophomoric guys acting like idiots, their ads feature a couple having a beer at a baseball game. It is a nice, welcome change.

1. A couple days ago I rented the movie Brothers - the drama featuring Jake Dylenhall, Tobey McGuire, and Natalie Portman. I give it a B-/C+. It's worth a $1.00 Red Box rental, but that's about it. The writing left a lot to the imagination (in a bad way), and Tobey McGuire's excellent performance was negated by a completely uninspiring acting job the usually reliable Natalie Portman. There was a lack of depth and character development that left me with a frustrating after-taste.

2. Speaking of beer, while at Canterbury, I tried a beer called Shock Top by Summit. If you like Blue Moon or Honey Weiss, you will really like this beer. I liked it.

3. I have figured out why I can't watch soccer games. No, I don't like watching games end in 0-0 or 1-1 ties. Yes, I think the incredible amount of faking injuries is pathetic. Yes, I do not fully understand all the rules or strategy to fully appreciate The Beautiful Game. Yes, of all the sports, there is nothing worse than the snobs that watch Soccer. You know soccer snobs. The pretentious pricks that feel they are more worldly and sophisticated than us regular rubes because they wear an Arsenal jersey, and play Fantasy Premier League. If you like soccer, that's fine, but don't pretend that you are above the rest of Americans for preferring other sports. However, the real reason I can't get into soccer... those damn Vuvuzelas. For those not yet affected by World Cup fever, the vuvuzelas are those incredibly annoying horns that fans blow for the whole game that make the arena sound like a swarm of angry hornets is constantly circling above your head. It makes the games completely unwatchable. If the team does well, I will go bandwagon and probably watch more games, but I assure you it will be on silent or with some music on in the background. Ban the vuvuzelas... now!