Last night, Jake and I were at Trinity Hall checking out the local 1759 chapter. The two of us had been weighing in on whether or not to get some cheddar fries when a guy across the table from us ordered himself a bowl. We stared longly at the bowl several times, drooling much like homer, yet we decided in the end not to order any for ourselves because of our mutual striving for better health. Anyway, the guy just quit eating his fries halfway though - he just stopped. He was finished with them, yet a good half bowl of fries were still looking at both of us. Now, he ate most of the cheese, but there was enough - plus, there was plenty stuck to the sides, of which I have no internal opposition of scraping off. So we debated. Do we offer to buy off the remaining? Do we just politely ask? Do we assume we're long time best friends and merely reach over and help ourselves? Well, as we were thinking all of this, the man left. Was he gone for good though? I mean, is he going to come back and see some guy he just met eating his bowl of cheddar fries? We had a serious dilemma going on here. Anyway, as we merely talked, one brave soul acted. Another man, who had been previously standing around the table, simply sat down in the guy's chair, pulled up the bowl of fries, and helped himself. Brilliant move - I mean, it's so obvious...sit and eat. Anyway, this only seemed to complicated the issue for Jake and I. Now, this bowl seems to have entered into the realm of community...they were the community fries. Do I now have the freedom to reach in and help myself to the spoils of another man's order? Well, maybe, but for two reasons, I couldn't bring myself to do it. First, I didn't want to follow another man's lead and share in his victory where I had so recently failed to act. Secondly, there were now too many fingers involved, and that's just a risk I didn't want to take for second hand cheddar fries.

Last week, Katie went with her mom, grandmother, and sister to the Isle of Palms off of Charleston. Not to be one to miss out on any of my own action, I decided to take that time to visit family in Colorado. It was one of the most enjoyable weeks I can remember.

Thursday I flew into Denver and spend the remainder of the day with my my uncle Kenny and aunt Anne, along with my cousin Shannon and her son, Eli. That night, Kenny took all of us and my cousin Kennan to this great seafood restaurant, McCormick's, inside the Oxford Hotel in downtown Denver. Obviously, it was greatness.

Friday morning, Kenny and I got up early and drove to Vail. We were on the mountain at around 10:00ish and skied all day until the lifts were closing. It was amazing. I've never skied Vail before, and it was unbelievable. Though the runs were great, the highlight was just getting to ski with my uncle - we had such a fun time. My favorite area to ski were these huge bowls, which are pictured above. So beautiful. It was so fun just to stop and look at God's creation. Simply awesome.

We stayed the night with my cousin Ethan and his family who live in Vail, and then the next morning, Ethan, his two kids Caleb and Emmy, Kenny, and I all went out again for another great day of skiing. Good night, what a wonderful place to ski!

That night, Ethan and I went to his buddy's ranch, which is used half of the year as a place for men to come together and form a sort of "Band of Brothers." This place is again amazingly beautiful (my adjectives are pretty sparse right now). Sitting off of the Colorado River in between Vail and Steamboat in Eagle County, this ranch is situated perfectly between the mountains with a fully stocked pond and every kind of activity you could imagine. Five star chefs and accommodations, this place brings luxury to rustic ranch life like I've never seen. Anyway, we hung out there with a bunch of guys from Ethan's church (he's the pastor of Trinity Vail), and I had a truly special time with all the men there and especially my cousin.

Sunday, I heard Ethan preach for the first time, which was really a treasured experience, and then after a church social, my aunt and I drove back to Denver where we spend the rest of the night.

Monday, Kenny and I drove to Boulder where we spent the morning through lunch, which was such a fun time for me. I have never been there but always wanted to, and it met all my expectations. Pearl Street Mall is a place I could hang out for days at a time. Great bookstores, shops, and beer. I really want to go there for Katie for a weekend and just hang out - so, so cool.
After we got back to Denver, I went with Kenny, Anne, and Kennan to see the movie "Breach." I really don't see that many movies, but this is one I highly recommend - especially if you're a fan if historical spy type movies, though I'm not sure how many fit in such a made up genre. Anyway, it's good - see it.

On Tuesday, after saying my goodbye's, I arrived at the airport to find out that my flight was canceled...because my plane was put out of commission. Yikes! I'm glad I wasn't on that plane - I assume it takes a lot now days to actually decommission a commercial airplane. Turns out, I flew standby on an earlier flight which allowed me to have dinner with my parents and sister that night, so in the end it was a blessing.

All in all, it was an unbelievably wonderful trip. My family in Colorado was so gracious and generous with their time and resources - I am truly blessed to have such great people in my life. My favorite time of all though were all the long drives with Kenny as well as Anne and Ethan, where we just talked and had such great and meaningful conversations.

Praise God for such a blessing of a trip. I can't wait to go back for some more time up there.

Out of seemingly nowhere (actually, I gave fair warning), blog 2.0 has arrived. Dancing in Puddles is retired - and truthfully, it has long been coming. Though I liked the name being different, there was no real personal connection to me, and I have thus wanted to jettison it for a while now. Curious about the new name? If so, click here. I'm functional now, and I might add some new stuff soon, we'll see, but I'll be sure to give updates on all that is new. For those who have me linked to their own blogs and sites, please change the url to pubhouse.blogspot.com. Thanks!

In one episode of 'Cheers,' Cliff is seated at the bar describing the Buffalo Theory to his buddy, Norm. Here is the rather brilliant concept, as explained by the humble postman:

"Well you see, Norm, it's like this: A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the heard as a whole, because the general speed and health of the group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

Chocolate Milk. Sliced Bread. Honey Ham. Aqueducts, Arches, and the Wheel. Beer Advocate.

Throughout history, there are moments of true genius and innovation which forever change the quality of life in human society and culture. This year, such a momentous event has blessed the beer geek.

The greatest beer website (and largest beer community in the world), beer advocate, has published the preeminent beer magazine not only of our time, but of time itself. To be true, I am somewhat limited in my knowledge of and exposure to history's offering of periodicals which nobly devote themselves to beer; however, I can not imagine that any would be better. Sure, there are industry journals and a plethora of magazines which do a great job such as Ale Street News, All About Beer, Celebrator - and then there's Draft Magazine (sorry, celebrity covers do not denote substance or make up for a lack thereof to the true beer geek...though I guess I appreciate the effort...sort of), but Beer Advocate Magazine is the first and only beer magazine which combines such high excellence in both substance and aesthetics. Exceptional writing, clean and thoughtful design, and brilliant style envelop this magazine which never waivers from the topic of beer and yet maintains consistent articles of both interest and insight. Being that the inaugural issue was in January, I am writing this after having only read the first three issues; however, I have full faith that beer geekdom will prevail and that this magnificent magazine will continue to flourish.

A quick word of personal testimony: As a founding subscriber, I waited months for my first issue like a child trying to catch a peek at Santa Clause - every day I was at the mailbox waiting...and waiting...and waiting. When it arrived, I immediately read it cover to cover, and it satisfied - but then I had the painstaking task of waiting another full month for the next issue. So I waited...and waited...and waited again. By the time I received the second, I had decided that I should savor this delight of my life and little more, and thus I rationed my reading to last until my next issue would arrive. In this way, God grew discipline within me, and I have since made my Beer Advocate issues last the whole of the month. Oh, the magnificent power of the Trappist Monk.

| respect beer.

Wednesday I got my haircut (finally, I know) at Face. It was awesome. Katie got me a gift certificate for Christmas, and it turned out to be one of my favorite gifts ever from her. Flatscreens everywhere of sports and business news, great music in the background, and ZiegenBock on tap (as well as wine and a plethora of other drinks available) - what more could you want? Undoubtedly, it's the best haircut I've ever had and by far the most enjoyable. They have memberships available (max 100 per year...and I think there are 50 slots left), but for the $1000, I think it'll be a while before I consistently spend that much on my hair. The membership, though, gives you 12 haircuts as well as other discounted or unlimited services throughout the year...plus a space in the liquor cabinet and two guest passes. Someday...

On March 17, I will allow my domain, www.dancinginpuddles.com, to expire. Really, there's nothing on there that can't be accessed through the blog, so there's little functional point in me keeping it. I think the only thing I have left to move over are the guitars page and the drums page. Anyway, I just want to send out a warning so that those who have me linked up or look me up through the main page will have fair warning. From the 17th on, just go straight to www.dancinginpuddles.blogspot.com. Thanks for putting up with the administrative post. Oh, and I may even retire the name "dancing in puddles." Maybe not, but maybe. If you have any suggestions of new blog names, let me know...not that I make decisions by polls - I'm not a politician.

...for those wanting a more interesting read, here is an article on stardates.

This morning Katie and I ran in the RHS 5k. It was really fun and easy because we just walked to the high school and then ran through the neighborhood - we even passed by Grant & Jen's house. One of my favorite things was all the dogs out running. One guy even registered his dog in the race, so the dog wore his own shirt, had his own number, and even had attached his own time chip. Next year, we're totally running with our dog. It's the first time I've run on the street in a while (I've been exclusively running on an elliptical machine the last year because of my knees), so as I write this I have a bag of frozen corn on my right knee. Anyway, it was really fun doing it with Katie, and I look forward to the next run.