Raleigh Beer Week Starts Tomorrow!

Blogging neglect aside, I am ecstatic to report that Raleigh Beer Week begins tomorrow. If you haven't planned out your beer tasting week yet, which if you're smart you would have, then make sure to stop by the Busy Bee, Flying Saucer and all of the other participating locations.

Supporting local businesses and tasting rare delicious kegs of beer? A win all around.

Now let's get to it. The business of beer. I am a sour beer girl to the bone. Well, to be fair, I'm a beer lover in general, but sour beers are my beer of choice. It doesn't get much better than a Petrus Aged Pale in a bottle.... oh wait. Yes it does.

Next week Busy Bee Cafe will not only have my lover Petrus Aged Pale on DRAFT, but they will also have not one, but my TWO other favorite beers in the whole world on tap. That's right, Petrus Aged Pale, Ommegang Zuur and the winner of them all, New Belgium Eric's Ale will be on tap for Raleigh beer week.

I'll forgive the less informed for not knowing the delights of the sour beers, but I will not forgive you for not stopping by and getting a cold glass of these amazing beers.

Also being tapped for beer week, the Bee will have:

• Brooklyn Detonation
• Malheur 12
• Bruery Coton
• Dogfish Burton Baton
• Dogfish/Victory/Stone Saison du Buff
• Ommegang Zuur
• Terrapin/De Proef Monstre Rouge
• Petrus Aged Pale
• Terrapin Hopzilla
• St. Louis Geuze
• De Dochter Korenaar Noblesse
• Knob Creek Foothills People's Porter
• New Belgium La Folie
• New Belgium Eric's Ale
• Great Divide Rumble
• 2007 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

If anyone can look at this list and not want to jump up and down with excitement, they are crazy. This is huge.

For the full schedule and up to date list of things going on in Raleigh for Beer Week, be sure to check out of fellow bloggers over at http://www.raleighbeerweek.blogspot.com/.

Not Raleigh, but still really awesome

Check this Out... A recent study has traced mitochondral DNA all the way back to the very first human woman. How cool is this?

Age confirmed for 'Eve,' mother of all humans

Mitochondrial DNA places her existence at about 200,000 years ago

By Wynne Parry

8/20/2010 11:19:17 AM ET

A maternal ancestor to all living humans called mitochondrial Eve likely lived about 200,000 years ago, at roughly the same time anatomically modern humans are believed to have emerged, a new review study confirms.

The results are based on analyses of mitochondrial DNA. Found in the energy-producing centers of cells, mitochondrial DNA is only passed down the maternal line, and can be traced back to one woman.

However, this doesn't mean she was the first modern woman, rather it indicates that only her descendants survive to the present day.

"There is always some other female that predated mitochondrial Eve, whose DNA didn't make it up to modernity," said Marek Kimmel, a professor of statistics at Rice University. "So the age of the mitochondrial Eve is always less than the age of the true, first female modern human."

A molecular clock
While most of an organism's DNA is contained in the nuclei of its cells, mitochondria also contain genetic material, but much less of it, making it easier to analyze. Mitochondrial DNA contains a region that changes rapidly and can provide a sort of molecular clock calibrated to times comparable to the age of modern humanity, making it a favorite for population geneticists, Kimmel said.

As part of the three-year project, Kimmel and Krzysztof Cyran, a Polish researcher, compared the estimates produced by about 10 genetic models intended to determine when mitochondrial Eve lived. They started with data on mitochondrial DNA previously collected from random blood donors.

Scientists know the average rate of mutation, so they can look at the genetic variation among pairs of individuals to see when their lineages diverged. But the equation becomes more complicated.

"Mutation is producing divergence, but some of the divergence is lost because of random events that occur, for example some populations become extinct," Kimmel said. As ancient modern humans dispersed, some groups settled and grew, while others became extinct.

The models make different assumptions about growth and extinction rates, which had the potential to change the estimate of mitochondrial Eve's age, the researchers found. One type of model makes the less realistic, but more manageable assumption that the human population has increased at a smooth, nearly exponential rate. Another more realistic, but more technically challenging type of model assumes the human population has grown in discrete random episodes.

An agreement
But, regardless, all of the models produced estimates placing this ancient mother's age at around 200,000 years.

"We actually show if one uses different models, one comes up with a very similar estimate, so this makes the estimate more robust," Kimmel said.

The estimates produced by models that assume population growth occurred in discrete, random bursts fell within 10 percent of each other. When taking into consideration models that assumed smooth growth, that range expanded by up to 20 percent. These models also tended to estimate that mitochondrial Eve lived earlier, according to Kimmel.

The research was published in June in the journal Theoretical Population Biology.

Addiction Satisfied

Someone reminded me this week that I have both an addiction to Raleigh and an addiction to the internet.

I see nothing wrong with either of these things to be perfectly honest. I can now walk home from work at 2:50 a.m. in the city I love, indulge Lola in her infinite love of fetch, and indulge myself in my lust for the internet. Is this so wrong?

Tonight was another glorious first friday. In fact, the first first friday that I have worked as a service-industry member of our fair city of oaks. No, I didn't get to enjoy the new show at Rebus Works, and no I didn't get to see Bobby at the Times, but I served beers like my life depended on it, and I did it well.

It's this small satisfaction that reminds me why I'm where I am to begin with. I refuse to accept doing what I'm supposed to do versus what I want to do, and I refuse to accept the "right thing to do" when what I want to do is just be myself. I'm an imperfect, flawed, confused 23-year-old that couldn't imagine being anywhere than where I am.

Ok, so I've gotten a little introspective with this post, but to be fair... I was at the Busy Bee for 15 hours straight today. I had no breaks, no leaving the building, no dinner, no nothing. I deserve a little internet self-indulgent lust.... right?

You Go, Hermione Granger!

OMLG. As if Emma Watson wasn't already my fave, she is now in the short-haired girl club! Just had to post. You rock that do, Hermione.

Makes me want to do my bangs shorter. Loves it.

RIP Internet-free Life

We are going to mark this past three weeks as having never happened. It was miserable. I felt like I was trapped in some Ayn Rand novel of a meaningless life... but it's over now. The interwebs live in my apartment once again.

No more post-free blogging. I missed Raleigh Wide Open, Cherry Bounce and god knows what else, but from here on out Raleigh is mine once again for the taking.

Crucial Wrong Turns

No internet: Day 8.

Yes, you read that correctly. I haven't had the internet for more than a week. Every connection I've had to the outside world has come courtesy of my Blackberry, and for anyone who has said aggravatingly difficult device, you feel my pain.

**Warning: this post from here on out is just me putting thoughts to screen. If it's boring, a bit cheery for me or just insane ramblings, don't say I didn't warn you to stop reading.**

Fortunately today I managed to pack up my belongings and head to the future (ok, The Morning Times) to connect to the outside world. One large black coffee, one banana and one fully-read Indy Week later, I'm a satisfied lady.

This past week, there have been a million things about which I've wanted to blog, but when I finally sat down to put words to screen, the only thing I can think about is my Indy Week horoscope. Don't get me wrong, I put as much stock in my horoscopes as I put in this month's Cosmo quiz, but then I saw this:

Capricorn: So it turns out that the "blemish" is actually essential to the beauty. The "deviation" is at the core of the strength. The "wrong turn" was crucial to you getting back on the path with heart. I have rarely seen a better example of happy accidents, Capricorn. You may not realize it quite yet - although I hope this horoscope is bringing it all into focus - but you have been the beneficiary of a tricky form of divine intervention. One good way of expressing your gratitude is to share with friends the tale of how you came to see that the imperfections were perfect.

In a few months, I've gone from an account executive at a public relation agency, a bright career on my horizon, a certainty that I was on the right path, to a waitress and full-time volunteer with a blog and a question mark lingering on every aspect of my current and future life.

Sure, we can't all go through mid-life crises at 23, but maybe we can take a second to step away from the shoulds, the musts, the ought tos and the have tos, and evaluate our lives, our thoughts, our actions, our jobs on a scale of quality rather than quantity.

In any given week, how many of our decisions are made by simply taking the path of least resistance? Do we ever say, to hell with what I should do, today I'm living for me.

I'm going to go on a date with that punked-out, wannabe rockstar skateboarder who is completely wrong for me just because I want to. I'm going to stop saying, "I wish I had time to volunteer at the SPCA," and just take a day off and do it. I'm going to read that cheesy romance novel instead of the classic just because I feel like it. I'm going to put my family's and my own happiness above everything else. I'm going to question everything in the universe and the heavens and not feel guilty for not believing what everyone else believes.

I should caveat this posting with acknowledging that this may be a case of "do as I say and not as I do." I'm always my own worst critic (just ask Erin). I usually find fault in everything that I do or say, every aspect of my personality, but that may just be the point.

Are the wrong turns, the blemishes in our personalities, the deviations from the "shoulds" essential to figuring out the truth and meaning in our lives? Do we spend to much time worrying about the future to stop and enjoy the present?

I suppose Twain said it best in this often-used cliche of a quote:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Maybe today is the day for me to take my horoscope's advice, and tell you the tale of how I'm trying to learn everyday that it's the imperfections in life that may just make it perfect.

**See, I told you I was feeling especially cheery/nonsensical today. This is what too much time to think and not distract myself with the internet does. You were warned.**

Home Sweet Home

I realize I haven't blogged in about 10 years, but lest you think I'm getting lazy, I thought I would update you on what I've been up to, which is.... MOVING!

It's official, my ten block life is underway, and although I don't have time at the moment to sit down and put some thought into my words, I figured the least I could do is show you some pictures.

I love this building almost as much as I love Lola, and that is saying something. As soon as you walk up to the front door, you get this magnificent feeling of walking into the past, and considering that the building was built in 1917, you almost are.

I'm such a nerd; I got super excited just seeing my name on the board.

Then as I walked up the five flights of stairs (of course, I walked to savor the moment and the joy), I took in the smells of a hundred years of memories, of people like me experiencing their first moments in the building and of decades both more difficult and less than our own.

It's the same feeling I get at the History Museum, a certain reverence for those who've gone before us.

An intense curiosity at what living in different time would be like.

But, as I walked through my beautiful green door with giant gold numbers and an old school knocker, I saw my kitchen and quickly realized I would find out what living in the past was like.

Microwave? no. Ice maker? no. Central heat? no. Central AC? no. Cable? no. Insulation? no. Lead-based paint? yes. 100% of my love? absolutely.

I won't even post pictures of my bathroom. You can get an idea by standing in place and imagining a toilet behind you, a sink 4 inches in front of you and a tub one door width to your right.

It's..... well. It's quaint.

Most importantly, I can now come home, walk into my open living room encased in windows, walk onto my balcony and see a view of the city I love.

I would give up every modern convenience in the world for that, and perhaps... I have.

But even on a day like today, where the damp haze can sometimes get you down, this view brings a smile to face and a warmth to my soul that is irreplaceable.

I haven't quite figured out what I'm doing with my life - where I'm going or why I'm going there - but I do know this, for now, I can say, I've found home.

Since leaving my parents home after high school, I've had temporary dwellings that were just a place to rest my pretty little head, but maybe now I can hang up a picture and call this place my own.

Then again, for anyone who knows me, I'm as temperamental as the weather, so we shall see.

Team USA Wins, America Still Loses

Congrats to team USA this morning in a spectacular win against Algeria. For those who didn't see Landon Donovan's game-winning goal, I highly recommend that you YouTube it immediately. It was pretty epic.

(Photo by Jeff Mitchell - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

This fantastic win, which should be news enough in itself for one day, is unfortunately overshadowed by the clusterfuck going on at home.

Here we are in day 64? 65? 60-way-too-many of the oil spill in the gulf, and what do you know, we have made no progress. In fact, this morning a robotic arm attempting to cap the flow hit a vent, which forced BP to remove the small cap that was capturing a portion of the oil. The MSNBC article has this is to say:

Before the problem with the containment cap, it had collected about 700,000 gallons of oil in the previous 24 hours. Another 438,000 gallons was burned.The current worst-case estimate of what's spewing into the Gulf is about 2.5 million gallons a day. Anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons have spilled since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers and blew out a well 5,000 feet underwater. BP PLC was leasing the rig from owner Transocean Ltd.

Meanwhile, Louisiana has decided that the oil spill is now out of the control of mere mortals (yes, they actually said mortals in this legislation), so the state enacted a day of prayer to... wait for it... ask God for a miracle to stop the oil spill.

If you want to believe in God and pray for the Gulf, go for it, but for a group of our nations elected lawmakers to actually waste an entire day PRAYING that the oil spill will stop is dumbfounding. I'm speechless. It seems that just when I start to think our elected officials can get any more stupid, good ol' Louisiana steps up with this.

I think your God did enough by putting 2 1/2 miles of bedrock and water above the oil. But Louisiana, while you're praying for the oil to stop flowing, would you mind asking God if he'll/she'll/it'll let me win the lottery then have a date with a unicorn and the lochness monster? That'd be great. Thanks.

When are we as a nation going to stand up and say, enough is enough? I'm well aware that my rantings aren't going to deter anyone from there faith in God, and that isn't my aim, but faith and reverence for God has a time and a place if you wish to include those things in your life, and I'll argue to the death with anyone that time and place is not in our government for those making active decisions about our laws, legislation and national crises.

At least Futurama is coming back tomorrow on Comedy Central. Early indications seem that it's going to be everything that I want it to be.

A Downtown Saturday Night: Michael Vick Style

High fives all around to everyone who attended the Borough's Second Annual Pine Car Classic this afternoon.

Also remember that the Raleigh Garden Tour is this weekend. If you have no plans tomorrow, you should check it out. More on it from New Raleigh.

Tonight I'm at the Bee from 6-until, but dog-hater Michael Vick and his NFL groupies, for some inexplicable reason, are celebrating his 30th birthday tonight at Club Raleigh Live, and I'll give someone $5 for a picture, $5 bonus if there's a shocker involved. I'll go as far as buying you a nice dinner at the Bee (because I get that shit 50% off - I'm broke, come on) if you can throw if a wolf/dog sign without getting shot or beat up. Then again, I wouldn't actually ask someone I know to subject themselves to this type of event.

I just can't have an infamously hated/famous national athlete come into my ten blocks without at least a glimpse, right?

Oh well, what are you guys getting into tonight?

Thought of the Day: Maintaining My Equilibrioception

I love to write. I literally write down nearly all of my thoughts in a day in one of my collection of journals. Much like I have a rotation of toothbrushes - one hard, one medium, two soft bristles - (some days you just want a firmer brush is all I'm saying) I also have a rotation of journals. I keep them separated by color of journal, where each journal represents a different mood/type of writing.

Purple swirly journal - Free flow/chain of thought/word vomit. Black journal - depressing shit that I need to exorcise from my brain. Brown earthy looking journal - workouts and feelings associated with working out. There's more, but you get the idea without me divulging more into the insane way my brain works.

Writing for me is like breathing. It just happens. It's necessary for my well-being. I started my first diary when I was 5 years old (and believe me, some of the things in it are HILARIOUS, one posting in its entirety says, "Autumn borrowed a pencil, she is my whole friend. Meghan called me on the phone, she is my whole friend, but Holly only wrote me a note, she is my half friend. She can try to be my whole friend tomorrow." I'll have to get a whole post of just 5-9 year old Caitlin sayings... she was a real snarky bitch, not that much has changed. Wait... I digress).

My point here is that writing (and life for that matter) is about maintaining a balance. The words I put on paper, although laced for a sarcastic tone for all things I randomly deem unfit, should also show that I understand both sides of the story. I love the city, and I would move into an art gallery if they would let me, but I also grew up on a farm, where my closest neighbors were nearly a mile away. I've put in my fair share of time on a tractor putting up hay bales and in turkey houses washing water pans and picking up dead birds.

I always hope that I can have the mental capacity to find a place for balance, not just limiting myself to my own clouded point of view. So, I'm putting this picture here as a reminder. Just as much as I call my sanctuary the history museum in downtown Raleigh, I love every second I spend in this old antique shop on some back country road in the middle of no where in Chinquapin, N.C.

Now off to a full day of meetings at the LGBT Center, then working until closing at the Bee.

Thursday News Roundup

It's a busy day, so I'm saving my first real thought-out content until the weekend, but for today, here's what's happening in the news:

Bud Light denied naming rights to the downtown Raleigh amphitheater. Well duh. This is downtown Raleigh, not the damn Jersey shore. PBR? yes. Some random delicious IPA you’ve probably never heard of? yes. Some other hipster-influenced concoction? yes. Bud Light? No. Try again Raleigh. Check it out via WRAL.

I love that this story about Hope Mills draining its lake because of a sinkhole, includes this:

“Efforts to capture an alligator spotted in the lake had nothing to do with the situation, Beeman said. The alligator was spotted swimming a creek downstream before the lake was emptied.”

In my head the gator somehow caused the sinkhole as a retaliation for people trying to catch him, then he swims downstream with some evil maniacal laugh. You know, if gators could laugh. Check it out via WRAL..

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the World Cup for the athletic competition, world unity and whatnot, but hot, sweaty, muscular men without shirts on is a fantastic bonus. For example, if this dejected Spanish man needed a shoulder to cry on, I would do the world a favor and volunteer. Check it out via Jezebel..

An impressive 32 million people tuned in to President Obama’s primetime speech on the oil spill, but it was still a lot less than his previous primetime interruptions. Oil spill, schmoil spill. So you think you can dance was on, and Americans have their priorities. Check it out via New York Times.

One Utah death-row inmate has decided to be sent to the afterlife via a firing squad of five men strapped with .30 caliber rifles. Some people are saying he chose this to display the archaic nature of some laws still in place in Utah. Now I agree that Utah isn’t in my list of favorite states for a variety of reasons (ok, to be fair, it is very pretty), but I like this one. He shot people to death; he now gets shot to death. Fair is fair. Check it out via MSNBC.

I will pay someone $1 million monopoly dollars (or however much is in one game, let’s be honest) to take me to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. Actually, I think they should just build condos in the park and let me move there. Not. Even. Joking. Check it out via MSNBC.

To anyone out there who has some lame ass argument for me about why you don’t support gay marriage, I think this little gem will be my trump card. Eminem, whose songs usually include at least one and sometimes several “fag” references, supports gay marriage. I repeat – Eminem supports gay marriage. If he can doit, anyone can. So suck on that. Check it out via MSNBC.

I just threw up a little. Are we not unhealthy enough? Do we really need a pre-packaged, processed, white bread, Lasagna sandwich in our gas stations? Could I come up with another rhetorical question? Ok, maybe, but really, this is gross. Check it out via Jezebel.

This man is actually running for election. If I find out that anyone I know votes for him, I will come to your house and slap you. Republican candidate Bill Randall seems to think that the Obama administration intentionally caused the oil spill. Wait, I thought the anti-Christ was supposed to win the hearts of people all Hitler style then send their asses to hell. Why would he waste his time killing an entire eco-system? Maybe he’s trying to tell us the souls of animals are in jeopardy too. Although I have to give Randall some serious props on this quote.

"Now, I'm not necessarily a conspiracy person ... and this is purely speculative on my part and not based on any fact, but personally I feel there is a possibility that there was some sort of collusion."

I mean, I guess it’s good he admits he’s an idiot that spouts crazy ideas that aren’t based on any fact. I should slap him too. Check it out via News & Observer.

Oh Wake County school system, do you not have enough problems? The head of the public school system’s internal auditing was arrested for flashing some kids at the local YMCA. Maybe he wanted them to audit his internal… ok, I’ll stop. I’m sorry. Take that thought out of the universe. Ew. Check it out via News & Observer.

Finally, there is a new laser that shoots beams of NIGHT. You read that correctly. Night. Let that soak in for a second, then check it out via MSNBC.

Come See Me Work It

If anyone feels so inclined, come see me at work. I'll update the TBD's as I learn them. And yes, The Rockford is back and rocking out with the legendary ABC and the Pimento Cheese on Monday night. There's also a brand new tuna melt that may save lives or at the very least induce instant happiness.

Busy Bee:

• Thursday 6/17 - PM
• Friday 6/18 - PM (closing)
  
• Saturday 6/19 - PM (closing)
  
• Monday 6/21 - AM (opening)
  
• Tuesday 6/22 - TBD
  
• Wednesday 6/23 - TBD
• Thursday 6/24 - TBD
  

The Rockford:

• Monday 6/21 - PM
• Tuesday 6/22 - PM
• Thursday 6/24 - AM
• Saturday 6/26 - AM

So, there it is. Now, for some entertainment. My favorite video about twenty-something life in Raleigh from William Hardy. You may have seen it already on New Raleigh, among other places, but whatever, it still rocks.

Welcome to My Ten Block Life

I'm a lot of things. I'm crazy. I'm stubborn. I'm sometimes unstable. I have dreams of grandeur, and I'm obsessed with my dog. Most importantly, I've found something in Raleigh, North Carolina, that I can't explain. The city of oaks has become my oasis. I love this place more than I can ever explain. I've lived, loved, worked, played, lost and dreamt here. I've discovered more about who I am as a person here than I ever imagined possible.

At 23, I can comfortably say, I know my strengths and weaknesses. I'm really good at talking to people, but I'm horrible with direct authority. I'm blunt, abrasive and brutally honest. I have no tolerance for stupidity or ignorance, and I believe that every person on this earth deserves to be true to themselves. At the same time, I do everything I do with passion. I love meeting people and hearing their stories. Finding my voice has been the most difficult achievement of my life. If no one remembers anything else about me, I want people to remember that I was honest. I think that logic is the essential virtue, and I believe that every person on this planet deserves to be loved.

As a huge fan of karma and fate, I believe the universe put me here for a reason. I don't know what that reason is yet, but I'm having a hell of a time looking for it.

In the words of my idol and permanent crush, Hunter S. Thompson, I'll say:

"Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish — a product of the demented imagination of a lazy drunken hillbilly with a heart full of hate who has found a way to live out where the real winds blow — to sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whisky, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested..."

While I'm looking for my purpose, I've decided to document my journey. I'm moving to Raleigh's oldest apartment building, which is two blocks from my sanctuary in North Carolina - the history museum. I'm working at two of my favorite places in the world - The Busy Bee and The Rockford. All of these things are within a ten block radius. You're welcome along for the ride. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the trip. This is... my ten block life.