Beer! Beer! Beer!

Whoops! I'm slacking off already. In addition to taking blogging up as a hobby I'm in the middle of three sewing projects and seem to constantly be stuck in traffic. After buying a make your own six pack for "research" I felt compelled to sit by the pool all week.

First up was Pyramid Brewing Company's Hefeweizen. I've been drinking a lot of Hefeweizen this summer, but this definitely wouldn't be my first choice. As you can see it was murky which is fairly common for Hefeweizens in my experience, but it tasted thick to me which was kind of unappealing. I know I keep claiming to love IPAs but this was a little too bitter for me. I definitely won't be buying a six pack of this one.

I'm not one of those people that thinks Blue Moon is a unique craft brew. I think it's great and I usually have it on hand because my friends refuse to try my crazy beers, but I definitely wasn't expecting this Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat to be my favorite of the pack. It was so delicious and drinkable. It was the perfect treat when I got back from the pool.

Honestly I don't remember the Sierra Nevada Summerfest (bad blogger!) but I want to say it had notes of apples and was really delicious and fruity.

And my Comic Con guide serves the dual purpose of a BlogHer guide. I wish I was still living in San Diego. I would act like such a fool if I ran into any blogging celebrities while I was there.
Where to eat and drink
What to do for fun.
And how to get around. 

Bad Books

I'm currently reading a book that is terrible. The writing is awful. This book falls under the chick lit umbrella, and I usually don't ask for anything other than a saccharine storyline.  The only reason I turn the page is that I hope one of the characters dies. I have no idea who the characters are and I doubt the author does either. The book is set in 1999 for some bizarre reason. I'm fairly positive that reason is the author has spent the last twelve years looking for a publisher.  It's funny because unlike a lot of the books I read, the amazon reviews were actually very positive.

Which brings me to my dilemma: I've given the book a fair shot. I've gotten about 50 pages in even though I knew by 12 pages in that this wasn't up to snuff. Do I keep reading it, or move onto one of the dozen other books I've picked up recently? I'm not stubborn enough to feel like I need to finish any book I start if it's clear it's not going to worth my time. Hell, sometimes I don't even finish books that I really enjoy.  But I usually have some interest in knowing how it ends. Normally there's a stack of books by my bed with a good premise, and good enough writing, but don't hold my attention. When something better comes along I dump whatever book I'm reading and reassess whether or not it's worth it later.

Are you someone who has to finish what they started or do you not waste your time on a less than stellar book? Are there any books that you definitely don't recommend?

And for the curious: I do not recommend Attachments by Rainbow Rowell.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

I've noticed that the majority of my favorite writers are men and many of them use male protagonists and it's starting to feel a little unbalanced to me. It worries me that there seems to be no place for women in contemporary fiction. So often women writers (and characters) are limited to chick lit novels with the same basic character rather than taken seriously and it leaves me asking where all of the women are. I've tried to make it a point to read more books by talented lady writers that have realistic female characters.

I was browsing the books at Goodwill last week when I came across Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen. I recalled seeing it reviewed in a couple of magazines, but it seemed like a memoir with a chick lit bent and I wasn't all that interested. Then I saw a blurb on the back by Kate Christensen, my favorite female writer, and knew it was probably a little deeper than I gave it credit for.

The memoir follows Rhoda's trip home to the Mennonite community in Central California after her rocky marriage ends (with the help of Bob from gay.com). She had just been injured in a car crash and decided that spending her sabbatical at home is preferable over spending it alone in the midwest. From reading the amazon reviews it seems like a lot of people were disappointed because they were expecting something else (or found the vocabulary to be a little much), so let me be clear, to me this book is about coming home and coming to terms with yourself when who you are isn't who you expected to be. I've made the choice in my life to have my career be the priority at the moment and she's somebody who made the same choice and can be honest about the joys and struggles it has brought her. It was about being single after putting a lot of work into sustaining a marriage and straddling the the line between being culturally religious and religious religious.  The book is humorous in the way that life is humorous. Her mom is downright hilarious, but Rhoda doesn't try to sugar coat the crap she's going through.

Ms. Janzen is an incredibly talented writer. She's a professor of english and creative writing and clearly writes at a level far superior to what I'm used to seeing, which honestly makes it a little difficult for her to connect to the audience. That said, she writes so beautifully and honestly that I found myself constantly sneaking off to read more. I feel like memoirs are a little self serving for the author. They're written to force the writer to learn something about themselves and look for lessons in their struggles. As an added benefit the reader get's to partake in their wisdom. After reading this book I feel like I should be cherishing the time I'm spending with my family more and feel like I have a model of a strong, intelligent woman to look up to.

Any recommendations for lady authors (or protagonists) that I should keep my eyes out for?

Comic Con: Eating and Drinking

Eating in the Gaslamp and around the convention center can be really expensive, and it's a lot of chain restaurants or otherwise poor food for the price. There are a few exceptions. Burger Lounge just (as in a day or two ago) opened up their Gaslamp location. While I recommend checking out their Hillcrest, Little Italy, or Kensington locations, I can't deny that this one is the closest to the convention center. They've got a super great turkey burger and yummy fresh french fries. Sushi Deli is super crowded most days, so I'm sure comic-con won't help the situation, but for super cheap sushi it's better than most. Whatever you do don't go to Sushi Itto, I should've realized how bad it was going to be when I realized that the owners were Russian. Something about a trendy neighborhood attracts terrible sushi places. For California style food Sammy's Woodfired Pizza is a good local chain with an inventive menu. I normally abhor places that try to do too much, but Sammy's tends to get it right.

When it comes to drinking in the gaslamp in my experience the place is mostly full of horny businessmen excited to get away from their wives and women that fancy themselves cougars. However I've really enjoyed myself at The Tipsy Crow (why do I always bring up crows?) and The Field. The Tipsy Crow has three levels, a downstairs dance floor (which is usually dead, but has a bar with faster service!), an awesome pub with games and a young professional crowd on the main level, and an upstairs lounge. It's a very fun environment with a great beer selection. I love the Field, which is an irish pub, because I once had three firefighters and a swiss guy propose to me there it's intimate and casual with, of course: a good beer selection.

Of course what everyone really wants to know about San Diego is where the good Mexican food is. My favorite spot is Miguel's Cocina. I really enjoy their Point Loma location as it's got a beautiful view of the city and bay, not to mention lots of lobster specials, but it's a little further from the convention center. They recently opened up a location in Old Town with a beautiful patio area. They've got an amazing white salsa and be sure to ask for the free pickled vegetables if they don't bring them to the table. Their albondigas soup is great and if you're not up for seafood I highly recommend the flank steak which isn't on the menu, but is always a special.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've never had the best fish tacos in San Diego. Based on many, many recommendations from trusted friends I feel comfortable saying South Beach Bar and Grill in Ocean Beach (or O.B.) has the best fish tacos in the city.

But the best place to get San Diego specialties like carne asada fries and california burritos are any local taqueria, known as "berto's." Everyone has a favorite, but you know it's good if the name ends in "berto's." They're pretty much all hole in the wall places and you can find them in almost every shopping center. Try to not let the bars between the cash register and you intimidate you, because Humberto's really is the best. The thing that makes San Diego taco shops different than even the San Diego style taco shops in Sacramento is that they've always got red and green sauce rather than a salsa bar. Every place has their own recipe.

I could probably eat Mexican food every day, but if you want to branch out I recommend Tioli's Crazee Burger and Bleu Boheme. Tioli's has crazee burgers like antelope and gator (which is why it was featured on Diner's, Drive Inns, and Dives), but also tamer choices with great toppings Their fries are the bomb diggity and they've got a pretty sweet beer selection. Bleu Boheme is an upscale, but not outrageous, french bistro. It's in a great neighborhood and they've got delicious mimosas with lavender lemonade. For dessert you can't go wrong with Extraordinary Desserts which has locations in Little Italy and Banker's Hill. Forgo the Dulce De Leche which they are so famous for and get the chocolate croissant bread pudding or white chocolate macadamia cheesecake if they've got it that day.

Like the Gaslamp, PB (aka Pacific Beach) has a lot of bars, but I prefer to spend my time elsewhere.  My go to spots were always Live Wire, Bar Pink, The Tower Bar, Fiesta Cantina, and the college bar, Effins. The Whistle Stop comes highly recommended and I look forward to checking it out next time I visit. Live Wire is my personal favorite though as they have awesome bartenders (and one not so awesome one), pool tables, buck hunter, dogs, and a great jukebox. It's probably the place I miss most in San Diego.

Comic Con: What to do

I don't know how Comic Con works, but it seems like a shame to me to come to San Diego and spend all of your time inside!

One of my favorite hobbies when I lived in San Diego was kayaking. While I've taken plenty of lessons and classes, it's easy even if it's your first time out. I've kayaked in Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean, but I really can't say enough awesome things about La Jolla Cove. You get an opportunity to gawk at beautiful homes and the wild life comes right up to your boat. I've spotted plenty of sea lions, dolphins, and leopard sharks. And if the weather is right you may get a chance to go into some of the caves. I've gone through La Jolla Kayak and really enjoyed it, but I recommend looking around for whatever the best deal is.

Balboa Park probably deserves a post of its own. It's truly the jewel of San Diego. You could easily spend an entire afternoon walking around, only admiring the architecture. I'm a huge Shakespeare nerd so I recommend visiting The Old Globe. They're currently preforming Much Ado About Nothing, Amadeus, and The Tempest. Every Sunday, the  House of Pacific Relations has a lawn program and all of the International Cottages are open. This was one of my favorite things to do when I lived in San Diego as free food was involved (although I did give donations). Each cottage is decorated like a traditional home around the world and there's volunteers eager to teach you about their history and give you a snack. There are a ton of museums in the park. Obviously there's the San Diego Zoo, but there's also the Reuben H Fleet Science Center, San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego Automotive Museum, SD Museum of Man, the SD Museum of Natural History, and many more. The Timken is a free art museum if you feel like doing something cultural without spending more money.

Old Town San Diego is super touristy but somehow I was always happy to go anytime there was a tourist around or I just wanted to play tourist. It's mostly filled with shops and smaller museums, and of course Mexican food.

Another very touristy spot worth checking out is Seaport Village. It's actually an easy walk from the convention center. One of my favorite lazy afternoon activities was sneaking into the hotel pools next to the convention center and then walking around Seaport Village. There are a lot of smaller shops, the only one worth mentioning is Upstart Crow (have I mentioned my love for Shakespeare!?). Mostly it's just a good spot to enjoy San Diego's weather and walk along the bay, taking in views of Coronado.

Comic Con: Getting Around

I'm in my hometown of Sacramento for the summer, but I've spent the last four years living in San Diego... so I'm kind of an expert on the city. Or at least more of an expert than 95% percent of the people writing guides about Comic Con. I've never been to Comic Con, so this is a guide on the city and what to do when you're not at the convention center.

Getting Around:

San Diego is a car city but I've managed to survive for four years without a car. If you're flying into San Diego and hesitant to rent a car I beg you to not limit yourself the area around the convention center known as the gaslamp. Really, if you've got a car it's even more of a reason not to spend too much time in the Gaslamp. I've managed to spend $24 on parking less than two hours in the Gaslamp.The public transportation system is fairly reliable and will take you pretty much where you need to go. You can buy one day passes ($5) on any bus, or a two, three, or four day pass ($9, $12, and $15 dollars respectively) at trolley stops.

The trolley makes it super easy with the special event red line train, but I recommend the bus system as well. From the convention center it is super easy to catch the 2 (to South Park and North Park), 3 (Bankers Hill and Hillcrest), 7 (Balboa Park, Hillcrest, North Park, City Heights, my old apartment, La Mesa), 11 (Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, Normal Heights, and Kensington), 15 (an express bus though Hillcrest, North Park, City Heights, and the College Area), 30 (Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and UCSD), 50 (weekdays only: Clairemont and UTC), 120 (Hillcrest, Fashion Valley, Linda Vista, Kearny Mesa), 150 (weekdays only: Old Town, UCSD, UTC), 923 (Airport, Point Loma, Ocean Beach), and 992 (Airport).

Beer: Anchor Steam

Borrowed from Beer Chronicles

I'm from California, which as far as I'm concerned is the land of great beer. I'm excited about moving to the midwest, but I when I visited Chicago a couple of months ago and received raised eyebrows when I asked for their best local beer I was shocked. Wasn't Chicago a beer city? Didn't the midwest like beer? Apparently everyone and their uncle doesn't brew their own beer in the rest of the nation. I'm sure I'll end up eating crow for writing this, seeing as though I thought Goose Island's Honker's Ale was awesome, but I want to drink as many delicious California beers as possible before my move.

Anyways, I tried Pizza Rock in Sacramento for the first time tonight. And rather than wait for their $1 Miller Lights at the top of the hour I went for an Anchor Steam. I can't believe it's taken me so long to try this well known beer. One of my cousins mentioned that he was surprised when he saw this San Francisco native on a trip to Texas and I figured I had to try it just incase it wouldn't be widely available in the midwest.

The verdict:
Very good! I'm not a beer expert (although I'm posing as one on the internet), but I really liked it. It was very flavorful, but not as bitter as an IPA. I love IPAs, but they can be a bit much for accompanying a meal and this went down so smooth and clean. My first pizza was a little fruiter, and I don't know if I would've chosen Anchor Steam to accompany it again, but the second pizza was much richer and was awesome with the beer. I should probably learn at some point how to describe beer, but it's a red amber (which I guess makes it's copper). Anchor Steam is a "California Common" meaning that it's a lager using a warm fermentation process, a nod back to the time when ice or cool water wasn't available for making beer in California. I'd definitely drink it again :)

Books a(n)d Beer

I really want to rant about people taking my preferred url of "booksandbeer." I would've also been okay with "beerandbooks" and "booksandbooze"but they're all taken on the free blogging platforms. And worst of all they're taken by people who have only made one or two posts in the past five years. I'm not going to give up on this until I write at least a half dozen times. And then I'll have the courtesy to save myself from future embarrassment and delete the blog allowing others to use the glorious "n" for their blogs about books n' beer.

I actually probably shouldn't judge the "n." Lots of great things keep things short and sweet and use just an n'. If it's good enough for Wings n' Things it's good enough for me.