BL Golden Wheat better than expected (Meant for yesterday)

I recently got the chance to sample a bottle of Bud Light Golden Wheat and was pleasantly surprised.
In a case of judging a book by its cover, I wasn’t expecting much. I don’t care much for any of Budweiser’s products, but I can’t say that about BL Golden Wheat. It wasn’t half bad.
This beer has a golden, almost orange, color to it. Its aroma is pleasing, and I don’t know if it’s the power of suggestion or not, but you can almost taste the wheat. This beer was better than I expected, and I wouldn’t have any problem trying it again.
Also, another plus, this beer comes with a twist off cap. No extra equipment needed for this one.
Have any of you tried it? If so, what did you think about it?

Clive Cussler could fix oil spill... no doubt

A friend of mine on Facebook mentioned yesterday that it would be great if we could call in Clive Cussler’s NUMA crew to take care of the recent oil spill problem in the Gulf of Mexico.
Those of you who have read any of Cussler’s books will have little doubt that his crew would be able to swoop in and save the day.
Those of you who have never read any of Cussler’s many best-selling adventure novels are missing out. Simply put, they’re great. All of his novels seem to involve in some way adventure on the high seas, and not only are they very entertaining, but they’re also very clean.
Cussler has written many books over the years, including fiction for adults and children as well as non-fiction. Here’s a list of his books if you’re interested in trying to read all of them.
The Mediterranean Caper (1973)
Iceberg (1975)
Raise the Titanic! (1976)
Vixen 03 (1978)
Night Probe! (1981)
Pacific Vortex! (1983)
Deep Six (1984)
Cyclops (1986)
Treasure (1988)
Dragon (1990)
Sahara (1992)
Inca Gold (1994)
Shock Wave (1996)
The Sea Hunters: True Adventures With Famous Shipwrecks (1996)
Flood Tide (1997)
Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed (1998)
Atlantis Found (1999)
Serpent (1999)
Blue Gold (2000)
Valhalla Rising (2001)
Fire Ice (2002)
The Sea Hunters II: Diving the World's Seas for Famous Shipwrecks (2002)
Trojan Odyssey (2003)
White Death (2003)
Golden Buddha (2003)
Lost City (2004)
Sacred Stone (2004)
Black Wind (2004)
Polar Shift (2005)
Dark Watch (2005)
Skeleton Coast (2006)
The Adventures of Vin Fiz (2006)
Treasure of Khan (2006)
The Navigator (2007)
The Chase (2007)
Arctic Drift (2008)
Plague Ship (2008)
Medusa (2009)
Corsair (2009)
The Wrecker (2009)
Spartan Gold (2009)
The Silent Sea (2010)
The Spy (June 2010)
Lost Empire (2010)
Cussler also has a number of upcoming books on the table, including the children’s novel, The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy (May 13, 2010); the novel, The Spy, written with Justin Scott (June 1, 2010); the novel, Lost Empire, written with Grant Blackwood (Sept. 7, 2010); and the novel, Crescent Dawn (Nov. 16, 2010).

Outside's Best Adventure Books List

Several weeks ago, I posted National Geographic’s 100 Best Adventure Books list, and tonight I give you a similiar list: Outside Magazine's 25 Best Adventure Books of the Last 100 Years. I haven't read many of the books on this list, but I've heard good things about many of them. How many have you read and what did you think about them?

Here's the list:
1. Wind, Sand & Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1940)
2. (Tie) The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard (1922) and Journals by Meriwether Lews and William Clark (1841)
3. West With the Night by Beryl Markham (1942)
4. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen (1978)
5. Desert Solitare by Edward Abbey (1968)
6. Endurance by F. A. Worsley (1931)
7. Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum (1900)
8. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer (1996)
9. Coming into the Country by John McPhee (1976)
10. Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger (1959)
11. Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (1989)
12. The Mountains of My Life by Walter Bonatti (1998)
13. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (1977)
14. Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez (1986)
15. A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby (1958)
16. Tracks by Robyn Davidson (1980)
17. The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier (1971)
18. Running the Amazon by Joe Kane (1989)
19. Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean (1992)
20. The Great Plains by Ian Frazier (1989)
21. Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl (1950)
22. My Journey to Lhasa by Alexandra David-Neel (1927)
23. (Tie) Alive by Pier Paul Read (1974) and The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger (1997)
24. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (1998)
25. Old Glory by Jonathan Raban (1981)

Outside's inaugural 'The Greatest' list

Outside magazine is one of my favorites. It has great content supplied by great writers and contributors. For those reasons, I pass along to you an interesting “editors’ choice awards” list the magazine featured in its March issue, simply titled, “The Greatest.”
For this inaugural list, the magazine’s editors “gathered 51 of our favorite things into a rollicking compendium of capital ideas, sublime destinations, brilliant equipment and more.” Along they way, they tell of their favorite adventures, gear, beer, events, books and more.
Below, I’m giving you the short version of the list. For more details, read the complete story online at http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/201003/editors-choice-51-46.html.
Without further ado, here’s the list:
1. Beginner surf spots.
2. Growing a winter beard.
3. Walk/bike-in theaters.
4. Film cameras.
5. Rope swings.
6. Apres-ski hot tubs.
7. The Whisperlite backcountry stove.
8. Selective hitchhiking.
9. Chocolate milk.
10. Sorel’s Caribou boots.
11. That feeling of lightness (after taking off a heavy pack and walking around camp).
12. Southwest Airlines.
13. Dawn patrol.
14. Any book written by Peter Matthiessen.
15. Rob Machado’s hair.
16. Helly Hansen’s stripes.
17. Watching the Boston Marathon.
18. The Patagonia catalog.
19. Kiehl’s face protector.
20. P-cord.
21. McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal.
22. Utilitarian bikes.
23. Postcards.
24. Tofino, Vancouver Island.
25. Cat skiing.
26. Wee Mountains.
27. Woolrich’s Buffalo Check Shirt.
28. The Tulluride Film Festival.
29. Homegrown hurt, as in locally organized down-home events.
30. Lifetime guarantees.
31. Duluth’s AWOL bag.
32. Tarps.
33. Nws.noaa.gov.
34. Alta Peruvian Lodge’s Room 99.
35. Victorinox’s Infantry Classic.
36. Unpopular ranges.
37. Slightly risky spots.
38. A great survival story.
39. Going all in.
40. James Brown’s “In the Jungle Groove.”
41. Empty trailheads.
42. Catching a native trout.
43. Pabst Blue Ribbon.
44. Huckleberry Bearclaws.
45. A strange new city as seen from a bicycle.
46. People who never say die.
47. Nepal.
48. The Gorge Amphitheatre.
49. A goose down vest.
50. Yurts.
51. Sledding.
In the end, I’d like to know if you’ve had any experiences with any the above items. Some will sound familiar to you, others you’ll need to read the full story to completely understand what they’re talking about. In any case, let me hear from you in the comments section below.

Beck's Dark gets B+

I recently sampled a bottle of Beck’s Dark beer, and I was impressed by the overall quality of the imported beverage.
The beer and others under the Beck’s label are brewed by Beck’s Brewery or as they say in Germany, Brauerei Beck and Co. This internationally known brewery, which dates back to 1873, is located in Bremen, Germany.
I like “dark” beer, and this one reminded me of my all time favorite, Guinness Stout. Beck’s Dark contains 4.8 percent alcohol by volume and 146 calories per 12-ounce serving.
When poured into a clear glass from its green bottle, the beer has an impressive amber color and little foam. A strong whiff conjures up an aroma of malt and a slight grainy smell. It tasted great and was sort of thin for a German dark beer.
On the downside, the bottle doesn’t have a twist-off cap. When it comes to beer, I like the no extra equipment approach.
Overall, I give it a B+.
For those of you who have tried Beck’s Dark and like it, you might want to try one of the 12 other beverages produced by Beck’s. They include regular Beck’s, Beck's Blue (alcohol free), Beck's Premier Light, Beck's Gold, Beck's Green Lemon, Beck's Green Lemon Alcohol Free, Beck's Chilled Orange, Beck's Level 7, Beck's Ice, Beck's NEXT, Beck's Oktoberfest and Beck's VIER.
(And, as always, don’t be an idiot. Drink responsibly and never drink and drive.)

Scratch "The Exorcist" off my Saturn Awards list

A couple of weeks ago in this space, I announced my plans to watch all of the movies that have received the Saturn Award for Best Horror Movie, in order, since the award was first given in 1972.
I made progress toward that end last night when I watched “The Exorcist,” which won the award in 1973.
Like most of you, I’d seen this movie a handful of times before, but I couldn’t be sure that I’d actually seen the theatrical release. Thanks to NetFlix, I no longer have a doubt. (I actually watched the restored version of the movie, which is sort of a director’s cut. And, for the record, I watched the movie late at night, alone and in a well-light room, armed only with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon to help my nerves.)
To sum the movie up in one sentence, it’s about a pre-teen girl, who has to have an exorcism performed on her after she gets possessed by evil spirit.
I think there is little doubt that this is one of the most unnerving movies ever made. (There’s even talk of an ongoing curse among the folks who were members of the film crew.) It’s frightening on an almost elemental level and seems to tap into humanity’s earliest fears from our prehistory. You’ll definitely never even want to touch an Ouija board after seeing this movie.
That doesn’t mean people don’t like it. “The Exorcist” is one of the most profitable horror movies of all time, having grossed over $440,000,000 worldwide, off set against the $12 million budget used to shoot the film. It has also been named the scariest movie of all time by Entertainment Weekly, Movies.com and AMC.
Those of you who have seen the movie will remember the now-iconic flight of stairs that lead up to the apartment where most of the movie is set. Those stairs are in Georgetown, just outside of Washington, D.C., and I actually saw them first hand when I was living in that area in 1995. “The Exorcist Steps,” as they’re now called, are at the end of M Street in Georgetown.
Many of you will also know that this movie is based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, which is supposedly based on the real-life exorcism case of Robbie Manheim. I read the novel several years ago, and it’s the scariest horror novel I’ve ever read, hands down. (My kids will never read it with my permission.)
In the end, this movie isn’t for the faint of heart. I recommend it only to people old enough to vote, who have a strong stomach, a taste for horror movies AND aren’t easily offended. (If you’re offended by the movie’s content, don’t say you haven’t been warned.)
With that said, I’ve scratched another one of the Saturn Award winners off my list of movies to watch. Next up is 1974/1975 winner, “Young Frankenstein.”

How many of these Bond... James Bond... movies have you seen?

The television station G4 has been showing James Bond movies all day, and I got to thinking that it would be cool to watch all of the James Bond movies in order. (That is, of course, after I finish watching all the Saturn Horror Award films in order. More on that tomorrow.)
I have to admit that I was a little surprised to learn that there are actually 25 James Bond movies out there. Here they are in chronological order:
1954 – Casino Royale
1962 – Dr. No
1963 – From Russia With Love
1964 – Goldfinger
1965 – Thunderball
1967 – You Only Live Twice
1967 – Casino Royale
1969 – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
1971 – Diamonds Are Forever
1973 – Live and Let Die
1974 – The Man With the Golden Gun
1977 – The Spy Who Loved Me
1979 – Moonraker
1981 – For Your Eyes Only
1983 – Octopussy
1983 – Never Say Never Again
1985 – View to a Kill
1987 – The Living Daylights
1989 – License to Kill
1995 – GoldenEye
1997 – Tomorrow Never Dies
1999 – The World Is Not Enough
2002 – Die Another Day
2006 – Casino Royale
2008 – Quantum of Solace
I’ve seen the made-for-TV version of most of these, but I’m sure that I’ve never watch the theatrical versions of most of these, especially those released before 1995’s GoldenEye. With the help of NetFlix, I should be able to watch all of them in order, even though it will likely take some time.
I think few people would disagree that Sean Connery was probably the best James Bond, but I was interested to learn that he hasn’t been in a James Bond film since 1971, that is, five years before I was even born. Altogether, six other actors have portrayed 007 on the big screen.
Many of you will know that the James Bond character and movies are based on the novels of British author and journalist, Ian Fleming.
Here’s a list of Fleming’s James Bond novels (and two short story collections) in order of their publication:
1953 – Casino Royale
1954 – Live and Let Die
1955 – Moonraker
1956 – Diamonds Are Forever
1957 – From Russia With Love
1958 – Dr. No
1959 – Goldfinger
1960 – For Your Eyes Only (short story collection)
1961 – Thunderball
1962 – The Spy Who Loved Me
1963 – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
1964 – You Only Live Twice
1965 – The Man with the Golden Gun
1966 – Octopussy and The Living Daylights (short story collection)
Of course, there has been a host of spin-off fiction stemming from Fleming’s books. Most notably is “The Moneypenny Diaries,” a trilogy of novels chronicling the life of Miss Moneypenny, Bond supervisor M’s personal secretary. The novels were written by Samantha Weinberg, under the penname of Kate Westbrook, who is depicted as the editor of the series.