Whiskey with Friends: Two very different whiskeys

When my buddy Keith asked if I wanted to get together to catch up on life this week I started thinking about what whiskey I was going to take with me.  When the forecast called for a dry warm spring evening (rare here in Oregon) I knew we would be sitting around the fire. 

I decided on two different whiskeys, one that I had tasted but never reviewed and a new and exciting single malt that says fire pit and barbecue the minute you taste it.  I.W. Harper is an old brand recently relaunched after being pulled from the shelves of U.S. stores in 1980 when Bourbon was losing popularity to scotch and other liquors to preserve it's brand identity in Japan.  Once the most famous bourbon in the world, by 1966 it was available in 110 countries and the best selling bourbon worldwide, becoming immortalized as the drink of 007 in Ian Fleming's 1963 novel "In Her Majesty's Secret Service".  35 years later I.W. Harper is back, and once again being distilled at the old Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, KY.  In contrast we have the Colkegan from Sante Fe Spirits in Sante Fe, NM.  Sante Fe Spirits has a unique process, and it's best to use the information from their website to describe it:

"Like its Scottish single malt cousins, Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey is made entirely from malted barley, carefully distilled, and aged and finished in various oak casks to enhance the complex flavors inherent to true single malt whiskey. But there are key differences that set this remarkable spirit apart from its Scottish relatives.

While peat-smoked malt has always been a key ingredient in many well known Scotch whiskies, Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey’s wonderfully complex flavor profile benefits from a very different type of smoked malt utilized by no other distillery in the world. The result is a smooth, mellow, mysteriously balanced hint of smoky complexity unique to Santa Fe Spirits.

Santa Fe Spirits’ Colkegan Single Malt Whiskey’s unique barrel aging process also separates it from its low-altitude relatives. Santa Fe Spirits is located 7,000 feet above sea level in the high desert and utilizes a climate-controlled barrel warehouse with temperatures ranging from freezing cold to swelteringly hot, and humidities ranging from bone dry to unbelievably damp. A strict regimen of climate changes yields a spirit with amazing complexity unrivaled by more temperate warehouses."

The I.W. Harper is a full bodied and complex whiskey.  The nose is sweet, with strong notes of caramel and honey.  It starts with that same sweetness on the front of the palate, followed quickly by a faint leather and wood flavor, finishing smoothly in sweet honey and green grass bordering on citrus.  A wonderful whiskey to sip any time, and a quick hit with everyone tasting this night.

The Colkegan is an interesting taste.  On the nose it is remarkably sweet.  Caramel and almost butterscotch tempt you to taste.  Once you do you are quickly surprised by the unique smoke that sets Sante Fe's process apart:  rather than smoking the malted barley with peat they use what is available in the desert southwest, mesquite.  The amazingly full flavored smokiness of the whiskey dominates, and quickly fades leaving a vague sweet honey aftertaste that you never fully taste on the palate.  This is the perfect whisky to sip in front of the fireplace or even better around the campfire on a summer night.

The folks at Caskers.com came through again, and I look forward to more time with friends sitting around and sipping great whiskey.

Time passes, life changes

Seventeen years ago today my life was a lot different than it is now, and what I thought my life would end up looking like bears no resemblance to current circumstances.  I was living in the house I grew up in down in Woodburn, OR back then.  I worked as a Tier 2 support representative for Dell computers and had just broken up with a long distance girl friend who lived in New Jersey.  The breakup had been rough enough on me that I was thinking leaving my job and becoming a monk at the Mt. Angel Abbey might be a good way for me to put my years of religious study to use. 

One year to the day later would find me waking up in a hotel room with my little brother the day before my wedding.  It was the kind of change only God could bring into reality.  I had met an amazing woman, my career had taken off and I was now managing technical support team I was part of the year before.  Carrie and I would be moving into the first home I would ever own instead of rent.  And still, on that day I had the audacity to think I knew what my future might hold.  Kids, career growth, I was thinking this was a sign it was all going to get better from here.  

Our Wedding party, March 4th 2000

Fast forward four years and life hasn't been what that 24 year old dreamed and planned for the day before his wedding.  We bought a new house to be closer to my job and I was later off a month later.  My dad went in for an angiogram and never made it out of the hospital after bypass surgery led to a fatal secondary infection.  The kids we had hoped would come right away doctors are telling us will never come.  The difference is now I'm not alone, I have an amazing wife, and we are resolved to follow the path God puts us on instead of worrying about what we don't have that we had anticipated and dreamed of. 

So 12 years ago today Carrie and I were in the hotel room she had booked for a romantic weekend to celebrate our 4th Anniversary.  Instead of celebrating we were pouring through hundreds of pages of case files, praying about whether a young brother and sister were supposed to be our kids.  One year to the day later, a process the State DFS worker told us takes 18-24 months was finished and a family court judge signed the papers changing their names and making them ours forever. 

Our family is official, with the Judge and DFS case worker

Fast forward 11 years and our lives have certainly changed and been stretched by these two amazing additions to our family.  That cute little boy, who came to us with reports from school that he had a hard time learning is about to graduate from High School with a better than 3.0 GPA.  His little sister, who we were warned had more severe learning issues and may always need occupational therapy starts her first job in 2 hours and will graduate next year.  Carrie is in LA today, but is flying all night to make it home so that we can celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary tomorrow.

Tonight, I get to take my son and daughter to dinner to celebrate another Adoption Day.

It's beginning to feel a lot like....Wednesday

This time of year is different for everyone I guess.  How we feel about the the "Holiday Season" is shaped pretty strongly by our past experiences, our childhood memories, and in some cases unfortunately family drama.  My Christmas memories are pretty full of all three to be honest, but it has always been a time of year when I was excited.  I was eager to see if I made the right gift choice for a loved one.  I was anticipating vacation time with the family, even if it just meant more time sitting home playing games or watching TV together.  I couldn't wait for the feast that was Christmas Dinner, and the traditions that came with it like my Mom's ambrosia salad or my Uncle's Strudel. 

This year the holidays are here, and it doesn't feel like I'm two days before Christmas.  We've got the tree up, but at this point we haven't even gotten any presents under it.  Carrie and I have gotten some of what we wanted to get for the kids this year, but have been so busy with critical issues over the last few weeks that shopping has fallen off the radar.   

Christmas dinner, a Fat Boy's holy meal holds no promise this year with a restricted diet eliminating 75% of the food I would be looking forward to on our dinner table.  If I was feeling better for it I probably wouldn't sound so resentful saying that, but after a week the digestive problems restrictions are supposed to be solving aren't improved and even more foods are being eliminated from my diet. 

Old friends and family are still grieving the loss of a close friend from my school days who's decline started around Thanksgiving and whom passed on December 4th.  As I write this my Mother-in-law is asleep in a chair at the hospital bedside of her husband, and I'm getting ready to head back to the hospital to join them while we try to find answers as to why my father-in-law who really has become "Dad" in the 16 years of my marriage had a series of seizures last night after several strokes in the last couple of months.  

With his condition as serious as it is I've spent much of the last two days preparing myself that he might not make it to Christmas.   I've had to hold volunteers together at the pantry we run as a family and church body, weighing keeping volunteers (who have become like family to all of us) informed, against the immediate family's need for SOME privacy and the need to keep things on track so that the more than 200 families that depend on is for food every week aren't adding food to their list of burdens this Christmas week. 

With all of this going on its easy to justify why the "Joy of the Season" seems to be in short supply.  Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers this week.  I'm heading back to the hospital, you have a Merry Christmas everyone.

Yesterday was an off day around here....

I said goodbye to an old friend yesterday.  In some ways it was exactly what I thought it would be.  Not much has changed in the funeral mass of the Catholic Church since the 2nd Vatican council approved the move to an English mass after all.

Other things  (mostly people), surprised me.  People who I never would have bet against making it were missing for a variety of reasons.  People I don't remember having a kind words for Packy in High School were crying like it was their son and not Tom and Sally's first born that was taken much too young.

I understand no one knows what to say all the time at these things.  I knew his mother just needed a lot of hugs, because she reached for one any time I was within arm's reach.  She also needed to know she wasn't losing all contact with us just because he was gone.  One thing I have come to realize over the years since high school is that there are some relationships that just ARE. I had not seen Sally in more than twenty years when I walked into that church yesterday, but the hug I received and the obvious thankfulness that I had made it there to be with the family didn't need explanation.  

With his Dad, who had lost his firstborn son and with whom I should have been able to empathize, I know I came off sounding like a freshman on one of his intro to journalism classes.  We had a strong student-teacher dynamic in school but it wasn't very deep or personal.  Why is the first thing we ask "How are you doing?" Or "Are you ok?"????  Shouldn't we know the answers to those two questions without opening our mouths and looking like morons?  We say them anyway, especially or maybe because we don't know what else to say when we know Ok is at a minimum weeks away, and there is still a lot of shock and grief for us all to work through before we can really know how we are coping with this loss.

On one side of the gymnasium we had a family clearly grieving.  Sisters, brothers, aunts, and uncles.  Among them were a scattering of good friends that either now or at various times in the past felt like part of the family.  We were standing around sharing stories about Patrick that made us laugh or cry.  Often stories that needed to be protected and remembered but not amplified by the PA system.  From this group came a stream of people to the microphone to share stories with a wider audience  about the amazing and complex person who the world had lost.

On the other side of the room were a lot of Packy's former classmates, probably some friends and associates from work.  Those who felt for whatever reason socially obligated to be there.  They hit the buffet line, and milled around in the corner furthest from the PA so there was less chance anyone would ask them to say a few words. 

We're all supposed to be adults now.  All around forty (some much older) with lives, jobs, and many of us with kids of our own.  Yet to hear half of the conversation my peers had today you would think they were still living in fraternity houses.  The number of people talking about parties I threw in the early '90s shocked me, and some of the best parts were my knowledge that the guy talking was no where near my party that night.  I hate to reduce myself to a variation on a pop culture reference that will be dated before most people read this post, but - Do you even funeral bro??

As things were winding down I was going to get together with some of the guys for some drinks and reality intruded.  My daughter started texting me about power flickering and water dripping from the ceiling. 

I get home and the dogs are barking, and product is waiting in boxes to be reviewed.  I opened the first and it's candy, and in my mood that works great.  It is a sample pack from a local confectionery we have reviewed before, The Candy Basket.  This sampler contains Red Velvet Fudge, Pecan Rolls, and Divinity.  All are done to perfection, and arrived fresh and soft to my door..  I can also confirm that they all pair well with both Teeling Irish Whiskey and Barterhouse 20yo Bourbon from the Orphan Barrel Collection that I also have sitting there needing to review.  I know, I have a hard job sometimes.

The sampler from The Candy Basket includes from left to right Divinity, Pecan Rolls, and Red Velvet Fudge  

I know it looks like a problem, but the flasks in this picture are water bottles from FRED Flask.  Look for a full review of them soon. 

The Teeling you've probably seen reviewed here before.  It is by far my favorite everyday Irish Whiskey and for good reason.  The sweetness it gains from its time in Caribbean rum casks truly set it apart.

Barterhouse is an extremely limited edition, bottled by hand from "Orphaned Barrels" 

The Barterhouse Orphan Barrel release is something that you don't find every day, and I am telling you right now, you better start looking.  Several barrels were found in the back corner of an old rickhouse outside of Tullahoma, KY after sitting forgotten for almost twenty years.  What begins on the nose as honey and biscuits along side faint hints of buttercream opens up into bold roasted grain, mellow toasted tobacco and marshmallow to compliment the subtle smoke from the barrel and finishes with hints of nutmeg and brown sugar.  Never have I tasted a bourbon that was at once as complex and as smooth, especially after twenty some years in the barrel.  I'm going to have to hunt some more down, because I don't want ever reach for this and find the bottle empty.

So, that was another day in Fat Boy Heaven.  Sorry if it started a little bit too personal and uncomfortable.  I've decided that the only way I can write is to actually engage my mind, that means sometimes the truth as I know it might hit your screen. 

My love, prayers, condolences, and thanks go out to the Eichsteadt/Mitcheltree clan.  We all shared in the joy and happiness Patrick brought into our lives, thank you again for allowing us to join you in saying goodbye.

Ve con Dios old friend. 

A weird sleepless night....

Here in the Pacific northwest it's another wet and windy night in a time of year known for wet and wind.  The weather isn't what is keeping me up tonight though.  I'm not worried about the wife and kids any more than usual.  They are all asleep, the wife 3000 some miles away until tomorrow night. 

What's keeping me awake tonight are thoughts of a good friend from high school that somehow I let time and distance sweep out of my life.  We lost him last week, and family and friends are poised to gather tomorrow morning to say goodbye.  Not past 40 years old and gone.  The medical cause of death is complicated,  but the bottom line is addiction and his personal demons lost their fight with his better angels. 

I know he had better angels.  We grew up close to each other in a town that wasn't very big anyway.  His dad taught our journalism class in high school. His mom was one of our youth leaders at church.  Something happened though.  Where I was able to wander in and out of party life in high school, and drink whisky all night tonight and not need a drink in the morning he couldn't.

I know it's insensitive and politically incorrect for me to be sitting here drinking a bottle of Irish whisky while I talk about losing a friend to alcohol, but it's my website.  I didn't know this was the direction my words would take me when I poured the drink and started writing. 

What I did know is that losing Patrick drove home that even the best of us can be lost in the blink of an eye.  He was a gentle soul who loved art and photography for all that he tried to talk rough sometimes in school.  It also made me wonder what is it that has made some relationships hold on over time and some fade into the background. 

 Twenty-one years ago when we graduated I never would have bet that Packy and I would go almost twenty years without talking to or even seeing each other.  Of course three years before I graduated I would have bet against making it to 25 myself.  Time can change your life and your priorities.

So tonight I think about the unfortunate twists and turns that separated friends, and lift a few glasses of my favorite Irish whisky while I wish an old friend was here to share it with me. 

Monthly boxes of random coolness (and sometimes crap)

I realized as I was sitting in the dentists office waiting for my son and daughter to finish that it had been a while since I had posted anything about the random unsolicited boxes of products I have received.

Some of these boxes I expect every month from subscription services hoping for publicity like the great folks at GeekBox and Wet Shave Club.  Others show up out of the blue, like the tshirt and sweatshirt that arrived with the "Last Star Fighter" logo shortly after I reposted an article about a sequel to that amazing movie being in the works.  Sometimes the contents are worth keeping, sometimes they are worth passing on to Jimmie and other friends, or handing to the wife and kids. Once in a while they are barely worth the room they take up in the trash can. 

Here come the pictures and descriptions, I'll come back through when I get time and add links where I can tomorrow.  Enjoy! 

This liquor infusion kit from TongueSpank Spice Co. was a welcome arrival

This hoodie and matching tee came from the production folks behind the new Last Starfighter movie

These are just some of the tees to arrive from the guys at pop-up-tees this month

Zac Brown Band sent us a few copies of their newest album.  If you haven't yet, buy it now. 

May's monthly box from the guys at Birchbox included no-show liners from the folks at Taft in addition to the normal variety of grooming samples

This month finally brought the release of the Nüüd for iPhone 6 Plus from the folks at Lifeproof.  I've been amazed at how long it has taken some companies to get precision manufactured cases on the market for the 6 Plus, but this is by far the most durable case you will find, especially when combined with a ballistic glass screen protector. 

GeekFUEL's theme this month was Teams, and featured items surrounding comic and movie teams like the Avengers and TMNT

As I've written about before, one of the most important items in my gear bag is a large battery pack to keep my devices charged.  This aluminum number from EliteBuy was on sale for just $30 on Amazon and is rated at 10000mAh, or around four full charges for your iPhone.  The color didn't win me over but construction was solid

This pack from Aukey, who are quickly becoming one of my favorite accessory companies was on sale for $20 when they sent it for review.  It features auto sensing technology that adjusted the output on the USB ports to charge devices as quickly as they would take power, and more importantly reduce output when your device gets closer to fully charged or is a lower powered device.  Very important to prevent overheating, especially when they are carried together in a gear bag. 

This cool tabletop BX Bluetooth speaker from GoGroove is part of their BlueSYNC line.  While it's dual drivers and multiple input sources are pretty standard, and it's wood grain finish helps it fit in nicely on my night stand, GoGroove is hopeful that what will set this product line apart from the masses is the addition of a removable and rechargeable battery that is interchangeable with the other speakers in the lineup. 

The newest kid on the "lets throw together a box of stuff geeks and fanboys will like every month and see if they will pay to get surprised" block is NerdBlock, and they didn't do too bad with their first box.  I'll reserve final judgment on the company as a service until we get six months in, but I'm not upset by what I've seen yet. 

The Foldio 2 from the folks at Orange Monkie is the perfect mobile photo studio

Well, that was most of the assorted stuff that came in May.  I have some other reviews to get caught up on, and some great recipes to post for you guys.  Stay tuned. 

Life in Fat Boy Heaven

Sorry posts have been so slow in the last couple of weeks.  My father in law came through surgery fine, and is now in short term rehab for a few days while he gets his strength back.   Until Tuesday that meant a lot of driving across town to the hospital to fit around normal life.

Now that life is back closer to normal I can get things caught up.  I'll have some amazing dinners from the last couple of weeks including a Bacon wrapped Blackberry Pork Loin Roast I'm particularly proud of from last night coming your way, as well as reviews of everything from cigars and humidors, to Whisky from the folks at Caskers.com, new journaling systems from BulletJournal.com via their Kickstarter project, and  clothes from Ript Apparel and Dickies.  It's going to be a busy weekend.

Remember last month when I said it was a big year?

I'm lying awake tonight, and as tired as I am after a full day working at The Pantry unloading trucks, stocking shelves, and then doing the other hundred things my father-in-law Alden and Mother-in-law Linda do there while they spent the bulk of their day at the hospital I'm not sure as we near two if sleep is possible tonight.

In about five hours my Father-in-law will enter a surgical OR for a valve and aortic replacement.  The surgeon will literally be replacing nearly a quarter of his heart!  This is major surgery, especially for a 75yo with long history of heart problems.   Ever since the aneurysm that necessitates this procedure was found six weeks ago as both a church body and a family we have been praying that God's will be done to heal him. All along we have felt reminded by the Spirit that sometimes God uses the hands of skilled surgeons in that healing. 

So here we are: In three hours the rest of the family will get Alden checked in while I am home praying and getting ready to go back into the Pantry to make sure that things continue to run smoothly there while waiting for news from that hospital 12 miles away. 

I spoke to Dad tonight for the last time before surgery and he fealt at peace with the surgery moving forward.  The entire family is concerned, obviously at different levels.

My feelings are hard to describe as I lay here writing this.   You see, a little over 13 years ago my father went in for open heart surgery.  30 days later we had lost him.  Part of me really wants to be at that hospital to support my wife and her family, but a big part of me feels guilty that I'm glad I don't have to face that tortuous wait again, because I know I'll spend most of it thinking of my Dad.

I know this is all in Gods hands.  I know the only practical solution is for me to rest and be ready to fill Alden's shoes at the pantry for the next few weeks while he recovers, especially tomorrow while everyone is adjusting to his absence.  Now if I could get my body to cooperate. 

If it comes to mind between 7:00am and 12:00pm PDT your prayers and positive thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

Got an interesting press release and invitation from a new web hksting platform today, and accepted their invitation to be a founding member when they launch in coming weeks to see what their engine does to Fat Boy Heaven.  

The Grid proposes to let AI make content placement decisions freeing up the publishers time to create.  I'm intrigued by the concept, but only time will tell how well the idea translates to a blog like ours.  Stay tuned when we launch the experiment, it will be unique if nothing else. 

It's a big week in a big year at our house....

As I write this post I'm waiting for Carrie to get home from work.  Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of a judge signing paperwork making us parents of two amazing kids, and today marks our 15th wedding anniversary.  Just a couple of months ago we celebrated the fact that Carrie had reached the 5 year mark after surgery and was "officially" cancer free.  Carrie has a birthday coming in a few weeks and then less than a month from today I turn 40.  It's a big year around here.​

Adoption Day, March 3rd 2005

Looking back to where my life was 16 years ago I never could have predicted the twists and turns life would bring.  

I knew the first time I met Carrie that I was going to marry her.  It was April of 1999, and we met for dinner one evening after work.  We had met online and were getting together just as friends since we lived so close.  At the time neither of us was looking for a relationship, but in talking with so many couples over the years that's usually when God decides we are ready.

We both had busy work lives and finding time to get together was hard​, but convincing Carrie that I was worth making time for was harder.  Somehow I was the first guy this amazing woman had ever dated.  Less than a year later we were married, and in the words of Jerry Garcia "What a long strange trip it's been".

The fifteen years since have had amazing highs and heart breaking lows.  From the low of learning we couldn't have children to the high of adopting the two most amazing kids we could ever hope to have call us Mom and Dad.  From the torture of Her cancer diagnosis a week before Christmas to the joy of successful surgery and being declared cancer free five years later.  From the pleasure of seeing our kids grow from the broken kids they were when met them to the amazing Man and Woman they have become.  The loss of family members to disease and friends to time and distance. Through it all I have known the comfort and love that only she could bring to my life, knowing that God brought her to be the perfect anchor for me in the storm of life.​

Over the years I have had friends get married and have families, and heard numerous sermons preached on marriage and family by some amazing speakers.  I have heard people complain about traditional marriage vows that included "honor and obey" in the wife's vows and not the husbands, and even my Mother had questions about the words staying in our ceremony.  When Carrie and I talked about it she said something that has never left my mind.  I don't even know that she remembers saying it that night, but she said "If I had any doubt you would die for me like Jesus did I wouldn't be saying 'I do'.  If you can keep your vow I can keep mine."​

I have no idea what I did to deserve anything that life has brought my way, but as a great Rabbi once said to his student "I don't ask God 'Why Me' when the good things happen, what right do I have to ask 'why me' when the bad things happen?".​  

The only answer I need is that God brought her into my life 16 years ago because he knew I couldn't have made it to where he wants me to be without her.  

I don't think we are there yet, but I know we are closer than we have ever been.

Five years ago the world almost ended - Big Drew's View

Five years ago today Carrie came home from a doctor's appointment and said she needed to talk to me.  Those who have known me all of my life know I've been in some scary places, but I didn't know what fear felt like until my wife told me she had cancer that afternoon.  I didn't know what to do, but a song from my youth popped into my head, and it's lyrics never felt more appropriate.  Petra had a song in the late 1980s called "Get on your knees and fight like a man", and never did those lyrics make more sense than that night.

Somehow we made it through Christmas without telling the kids ( I can't remember how we managed that), through our individual breakdowns with family and friends.  We made it through the doctors appointments and surgery the same way we have made it through everything else life has thrown at us: together by the Grace of God.

When you are facing the ultimate test of faith and grace you learn a lot about yourself and those around you.  I learned two things.  First, I married Wonder Woman.  She beat cancer and came out the other side deciding to run marathons and finish college while still working full-time and not missing a beat.  The second thing I learned is that I don't know who I would be without her in my life, but I know it would be far less than I am.

Carrie completing a half marathon the summer after her cancer surgery.

In a few weeks she will be "Officially" Cancer Free, and we will celebrate with joy.  But this Christmas I wanted to make sure to that the world knew how thankful I was for the only gift I'll ever need:  my beautiful wife.

Carrie, the kids, and I this Thanksgiving 

The Pantry at Rock Creek Church

I've posted before about how fortunate I feel to be able to work with the folks at Rock Creek Church in their Pantry, preparing meals once a month and now working as part of the distribution team that helps provide food for more than 125 families every week.

One of the jobs I have taken on is making the weekly run out to Unger Farms to pick up the produce they sho generously have donated this summer from their harvest.

Every Monday I have been going out to their farm store too pick up what has been left from their weekend visits to local farmers markets and their own stand.  So far that has been more than 1000lbs of fresh produce which we have been able to give to families all over Washington county this summer.

Local people giving back to the community is amazing to see, and even more amazing to be a part of. If you have the opportunity please find a way to give back to your community.

Fatboy Challenge: Juicing(?)

I really should never let old friends meet my wife.  When I do crap like this happens.  When Coop and I ended our Fat Boy Summer Road Trip a couple of weeks ago it gave my lovely wife a chance to get to know him.  That led to him talking about healthy living, the polar opposite of the Fat Boy lifestyle.  He encouraged her to watch a documentary made by a man named Joe Cross entitled "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead".

In the movie he details his incredible weight loss achieved by going on a juice only diet.  The success of the film caused him to write a book of recipes, sign a deal with a juicer manufacturing company, and exploit his success.  Suddenly my darling wife wants me to order her a juicer, and a new series for Fat Boy Heaven is born.​

Over the next week I will compare two popular juice based cleansing diets, the "Reboot with Joe" made famous by Joe Cross, and The BluePrint Juice Cleanse, ​a very popular brand of pre-made cold pressed juices that sell for a huge amount ($7-11/each) and whose recipes have been widely copied and published via the web as a result.

Each plan is a three day cleanse, and we will compare taste, variety, cost of ingredients, and weight loss/health changes to determine which plan works out best for me and proves most time and cost effective.​

All of this for just 3 days of juice?  This is more vegetables and fruit than I ate last year!

First up starting tomorrow will be a DIY version of the BluePrint Renovation Cleanse, their most varied and flavorful package intended for those of us new to Juicing.​

BluePrint has an iOS app to help you track your cleanse

Harley Davidson announces LiveWire, it's first electric bike

Harley Davidson on Thursday announced it's first electric cruiser, dubbed the LiveWire. According to Harley, the LiveWire's AC Induction motor makes 74bhp and 52lb-ft of torque. That's enough to give it a 0-60 time of less than four seconds, but only a disappointing 92mph top speed. Even less encouraging is the range, which stands at just 53 miles. No other specs are available at this time.

I personally would rather see something closer to a big cruiser in styling that this bike that looks to be modeled more after the Sportster 883 in size and style. A bigger bike would have room for more batteries, and hopefully more range. I will also be interested to see if they take advantage of Tesla's recent move to open source their patent portfolio to make changes to the charging and battery system.

What do you guys think, does this bike stand a chance coming from HD?

Via Gizmodo

Breaking News: Japanese Suntory buys Beam Global

Just two weeks before the Bourbon Classic, the whisky world caught fire this morning when Beam Global announced that they were being acquired by Suntory Group of Japan, creating the third largest spirits company in the world.  While many in the American whisky market are shocked by the news, it really is just the continuation of a globalization that has been ongoing in the spirits market for quite a while.  
Beam Global had already branched out, and as of the time of this announcement included Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker's Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher's Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials.  In recent years we have seen other high-end spirits mergers with acquisitions of Pernod and Diageo bringing other American whiskey brands into their portfolios that had already included premium scotch and blended Canadian whiskey products.
he deal agreed to by both boards in this case gives Beam Global stock holders a 25% premium over last Friday's closing stock price, and comes in at around $16 Billion, making it the second largest single spirits acquisition to the Pernod deal in 2005 that came in at around $17.8 Billion.
While only time will tell what this merger will do to the brands included, the fact that there is almost no overlap between market footprints of the two companies means we should see little change according to market insiders.  Just as Beam's acquisition in 2011 of Maker's Mark did not change the way that great bourbon was produced, the overall impact should simply be one of increasing distribution and marketing reach of great traditional brands.  The greatest fear of most American whisky insiders is that this increased marketing will make already scarce premium Bourbons in even shorter supply domestically, which in the short term is a definite reality.
 

Here is the official Release

Apple Store Problems

As anyone who knows me can attest, I have for more than 12 years been a very Large Apple fan. Going to work for AppleCare in 2007 was a dream come true, and leaving to launch this site and Fatboyheaven.com was a very hard decision.

I set the stage thus to let you know that in this light the fact that my experience with Apple today has me re-thinking my love of this company. I placed an order for in-store pickup of the new iPad Air last night, and was given a guaranteed pickup of today. I have been in the Apple Store since receiving an alert almost 2 hours ago informing me that my order was ready for pickup. The iPad with a crisp white label and my name is here in the store managers hands, but I am leaving without an iPad today. Something has gone wrong in the system that transmits online orders to the store, and my order is stuck in a limbo state to the point that no one in the company can even cancel it.

For a company that is renowned (and often heralded by myself and this website) to have a failure of this magnitude is ludicrous.

I was hoping to have a hands on review up for you all to read today, but I am not likely to have an iPad in my hands before the store closes tonight.

For this I apologize deeply, and hope that I have something to review at some later time.

Update on 2013-11-02 19:39 by Drew Fleisher

It has now been 36 hours since I placed my order, and I have still not been able to get my iPad or even cancel the order.  I once again called and spoke with Apple Online Sales Support, and was told that my only option was to wait, or to pay for ANOTHER ipad (and get one other than what I ordered as the one I ordered is not in stock at any Apple Retail store in the state).  

I asked for a supervisor at this point, and was escalated to Tier 2.  There I was informed that there were a "limited number" of orders that had gotten stuck in the interchange between the Web Sales system and the retail system, causing this indefinite hold on orders.  I was very clear with her that I run this site and needed the unit to write a review, to which I was told it was now being referred to an "Order Maintenance Team" that was trying to manually process these stuck orderes, but she was unsure how long it would take.

Update on 2013-11-05 22:48 by Drew Fleisher

It is now five days since this process started, and Apple has informed me that they still have no ETA on resolution.  Apparently a glitch between the systems of Apple Online Sales and Apple Retail affected several thousand orders, and mine is one of several hundred still unresolved.  The Sales Support Supervisor I spoke with said that she was "sorry and embarassed" that she was having to give me that news, and that everyone in her group was appaled that the issue was as of yet unresolved.

I'll continue to post updates as available.

Big Drew's Redneck Tech Sale

Ok Folks, I am running out of room in my den for all of the review units I recieve.  My lack of space is your gain, as I have a ton of things to get rid of that will appeal to a wide range of readers.  Below is the list with what I believe to be fair market value:

Redneck Tech Sale

iPad 3 - 64GB, LTE Verizon - $500

Microsoft Surface - 64GB w/ Touch Cover - $450

Impossible Lab w/ 3 packages of film - KickStarter Edition - $200

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 16GB with White Leather case - $350

Pinball Duo iPad Pinball Controller - $15

iCade iPad Arcade controller - $85

Blackberry Playbook 64GB - $175

Sphero remote controlled ball - $75

OUYA Video Game System - KickStarter Edition - $150

Hype Bluetooth speaker phone - $25

Infinitec TV Stick - KickStarter Edition - $100

iCade Duo Atari arcade controller - $15

Virgin Mobile Mi-Fi - $50

Sega Genesis Arcade Nano - Virtua Fighter Edition - $15

Poloroid Z340 digital camera (14.1 Megapixel) with built in zInk printer - $300

NuMark TTusb Turntable - $100

Dozens of iPad and iPad mini cases - $15-$55 each

6 Disc DVD Duplicator - $450

lomography Smartphone Film Scanner - $50

iD America Crosslink multi-cable (has Micro USB, 30 Pin, and Lightning adapter) - $15/each

6-String mini guitar kit - $65

Kobo Reader eInk ebook device - $25

12 Boxes 1991 ProSet Super Stars Musi-cards (10 series I, 2 series II) - $35/box

Please comment on this site with questions and offers.

iPhone 5S Launch day

OK, I've had a chance to rest a bit after leaving at 2am to line up for the iPhone 5S release, and was fortunate to come away with a new phone!
As major news sites have reported, supplies are severely limited for this thing at launch, with internet sales being pushed out 7-21 days within hours of its availability.
At the AT&T store I picked again this year, supplies were very low. Silver and Gold versions, as well as the largest 64GB variants were not available at all.
New shipments should be coming in regularly from now on, but don't expect to walk into a store and find one this weekend.
So far I have been very impressed by the speed if the new A7 processor, and have had no problems with the fingerprint reader used to unlock the new phone.
Benchmark tests have been run by all of the major Tech blogs, with the most thorough testing as always done by anandtech. This phone is faster than any other phone on the market, easily blowing away the competition from the Android set, including the former leader, Samsung's international G IV.
If you already have an iPhone 5 you will notice the speed immediately, and if you are still using a 4 or 4S, run to the nearest store that has this phone in stock.

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