Jeff — Hoser News

Music and my Bike

May 28, 2010 By Jeff Leave a Comment

This is Memorial Day weekend, and I get Monday off. So what are we doing you ask? No clue. If the weather holds we will be going on numerous bike rides on our new wheels, and possibly check out a couple short Spokane area trails.

My new bike.

If the weather refuses to hold, well I guess we will just have to find some people and hang out at the local watering hole, or maybe get caught up on home stuff.

But that is later, tonight we are going to watch what will be a very cool show that Colleen Rice (a Co-worker of mine) will be headlining at the Whitestone Winery Tasting Room, check out the Facebook invite for all of the info.

What are you doing this weekend? Anything cool/interesting?

Filed Under: Hoser Music, Rambling Tagged With: biking, Blogging, Hoser Music, Long Weekend, Spokane, Whitestone Winery Tasting Room

Summer is here in Spokane…Almost

May 24, 2010 By Jeff Leave a Comment

It would be a wonderful time reading in the sun.

I haven’t had nearly as much time as I would like to be spending just writing down my thoughts, however I thought that I should write a short update.

It is now coming on to June, and all of the great Tweeple that I am following back home are getting ready for the 2-4 Weekend. I don’t get a long weekend until Memorial day.

So what have I been up to?

Well I have been following my belove Habs on there path to the Stanley Cup, this is harder than it seems since I don’t own a TV. The games start at 4pm (local time) and NHL.com doesn’t stream them if they are playing in your market (Versus or NBC have them all), so I have had to sneak out early a couple of days, or just catch the 3rd period.

As for actually watching the games, I have settled for the local pizza joint. [rant]The reason being that one evening when I went to the only sports bar in walking distance they had ALL of the tables RESERVED for the UFC fights that night, which wouldn’t even start for another 2 1/2 hours. Needless to say I was rather perturbed, and haven’t graced that establishment with my presence since.[/rant]

Anyway, The Avenue (the pizza joint) is great. The guy that owns the place used to play Major Jr with the local team, and comes from a family of hockey players, so needless to say the game is always on. We have become regulars over the last couple of months, basically spending at least an hour there every second day (maybe we will teach them about Donairs or at least Donair Sauce).

Shows

For some reason we can’t get the ambition to go to many shows. We have gone to one female song writer circle that was decent and fun ( I think that I will write a short post on it too, even if it is a couple of months after the fact). It was held at Sunset Junction which is very close to our place and seem to have shows semi-regularly.

Finding the shows have seemed to be an issue though. There are a couple of places to look, but some of the better shows seem to advertise only on Facebook, and if you are not looking for it you will not see it. There are little to no posters around downtown, and The Inlander is hit and miss. As I get to know more people though I am getting better hints on where to check out and where to avoid.

On the plus side, we are heading west in a couple of weeks to see Wintersleep, that’s right we are heading to Seattle to see a local band. Kind of reminds me of the time that I went to NYC and saw Joel Plaskett open for The Hip. It should be a blast, I have listened to some of their new stuff and it seems that they get tighter with every show.

I want to ride my bicycle; I want to ride it where I like

Last weekend we hit up Craigslist and finially got a bike. Both of us got Nishiki’s which are awesome. They are similar to the rides that we had back in halifax, but need some work. They have both been cleaned, but they need new tires, tubes, and such and I haven’t had the chance to find the 27″-ers that we need. That is a chore for the next couple of days and I hope to be on it soon.

It will be great to be able to tour around town and some of the neat spots without having to jump in the car, find a parking spot, walk around, get back int he car, go home, etc. Cars are such a pain in the ass in the middle of the city, which is one reason why I never bothered to get one when I lived in Halifax.

That is all I have for today. I will be writing up more frequent, shorter (read better editing) posts in the next couple of months.

Cheers,

JeffM

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bicycle, biking, Caper-in-Spokane, HABS, Hoser Music, NHL Playoffs, Pizza, Seattle, Spokane

My first update in the Caper-in-Spokane series

February 16, 2010 By Jeff Leave a Comment

Well, I made it and have survived so far. I joined the everyone else in North America and bought a car. Now that HURTS the pocketbook. It was a necesscity, and if you talk to anyone that knows me you will find out how much I didn’t want to buy car. But I did go for a beauty, a 2006 VW Passat.

There are a lot of things about here that are different than home. I am living downtown and have a grocery store close, but the only shopping down town is for clothes. For everything else you have to jump in the car and drive for 15-20 minutes to the big box stores. There are no, or at least none that I can find, independant retail stores. No Greenlyph computers, no Duggers, no Mac Store, no Biscuit, no Carsand. I think that last one is the one that is bothering me the most. I am trying to develop my photography skills and the only store that sells cameras here is Huppins which reminds me more like Wacky Wheatley’s than a Carsand Mosher. When I spoke with someone there, they seemed to only know what the description tells them, and not use the equipment themselves.

I commute East 20 mins every day and the snow covered mountains in Eastern Washington is what I look to out the car window. This is one thing that makes the commute to work a decent drive in the morning. I can’t wait for Spring and summer so that we can do some serious exploring and hiking.

And the weather, well I must boast and say that I haven’t seen snow, other than on the mountains in the distance, since I came here. My folks have sent me many pictures of the white stuff, and it is nice coming down, but walking around in a sweater with no hat or gloves is really nice too.

The Beer Lovers Paradise

And the BEER, it is amazing, and there is a micro brew for every taste. I really don’t understand why people out here still drink from the large breweries, there is really no comparison to the quality and taste. I have talked to a couple of local “experts” and I have learned a lot about the different varieties. @mysteriouswayz is another great resource as she has a much better memory than me, and had a 5 month head start on sampling the wares. I still haven’t been able to find something similar to the Granite Breweries Peculiar, but I am sure to find something soon.

Right now my favorite is Arrogant Bastard, not only is the beer great the marketing is pretty good too. Washington beer has some of the best graphic design that I have seen in Spokane. With the large number of micro brews out here and the relatively small market (the majority still drink the coloured swill), they have to do everything that they can to be competitive.

I have been able to check out a few eateries and pubs that are in the area and I will be putting together some reviews in the next couple of weeks. I am also hoping to get out to some live music, I work with someone who plays around the area and I am hoping that she will be able to help me out with finding some good tunes.

Filed Under: Featured, Rambling Tagged With: beer, Caper-in-Spokane, Spokane

The Winter of Capebretoner

January 4, 2010 By Jeff 4 Comments

“So, has the summer of George begun? Or are you still decomposing?”

“Decompressing.”

- Jerry and George, in “The Summer of George”

This is going to be the Winter of Capebretoner, this last few months have been the “Fall of Capebretoner”, and not in a good way. Broke my hand, broke my glasses, gained weight, etc. So this is going to be the Winter and the year of Capebretoner.

First I am starting a new job, in a new country, on the other side of the continent. I am heading to Spokane, Washington and loving it, in a nervous excitement kind of way. I have been there a couple of times since August to visit and the area seemed like an interesting place to be.

On the suggestion from @VelvetCyclone I am going to document a “Capebretoner in Spokane” and why not do it on this very blog, its not like I was doing much else with it. Along with that I have added a couple of new categories Hoser Music and Hoser Fitness where I am going to document all of the local Spokanish music that I find and my progress on getting rid of those pounds that I added to my frame this fall.

The music category is pretty self-explanatory, Halifax has an amazing music scene with Cousins, Room Doom, Mardeen, Superfantastics, Joel, Wintersleep, and I could go on and on (Check out The Coast’s Best of Music). So my goal is to find some great local acts in Spokane and get to some amazing live shows. I know they have to be there somewhere.

Regarding the fitness category I am going to write a detailed post with my plans but it will mostly revolve around NOT EATING CRAP, and getting back to the gym. I might even borrow @mysteriouswayz’s Nike+ and do some running. The company that I am going to has a deal with a local fitness centre with a pool and gymnasium so maybe I can get a couple of basketball games in there too. I will be checking out @untitleddesign‘s newish blog Your Inner Skinny (also on twitter @yourinnerskinny)

So if you are from Spokane and you are reading this blog, post a comment and let me know where I can find your music scene, or better yet is there any Pick-up Hockey that a guy can get into. I had to fight to get my skates in my bag so I better find a game.

Cheers,

Jeff M

Filed Under: Featured, Hoser Life, Hoser Music Tagged With: healthy, Hoser Fitness, Hoser Music, Spokane, TheCoast

Aliant Hot-Spots Suck

April 7, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

Being that I am not an Aliant High-Speed customer I especially hate the Aliant Hot-Spots that sprung up all over the city. This rant is probably a little on the late side, but it recently came back to the fore-front for me when I got my iPod Touch.

You see, a couple of summers ago Aliant went to most of the coffee shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, etc around the city and installed their routers to allow free internet to the establishments patrons. We all knew that this was going to end, and probably sooner than later, and really that didn’t bother me. However when I got my Touch, I thought it was great, and was even thinking about switching my high-speed over to Aliant simply to have the ability to use their Hot-Spots that dotted the city.

Then I looked into it, they say that is going to be limited too. This amazed me, they are trying to sell me high-speed DSL, but I have to get the land line that I don’t want. I already have a cell phone with them, so why would I want yet another number for people to call me at, and another bill to pay. However for unlimited access to a large MESH of Wi-Fi Hot-Spots within the city I was going to forgo the naked DSL and jump to Aliant. And when I saw that they were not planning to allow their high-speed customers access to the Hot-Spots for the long term I halted that.

Why would anyone ever want to work with these providers? There is no advantage to stay with someone who simply wants to lock you in and FORCE you to use their services. Don’t they realize that if they were more flexible and worked on cultivating a base of loyal customers they will be better prepared for the long term viability of their business?

Filed Under: Rambling Tagged With: Bell Sucks

Minimalist Update

March 31, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

I have started doing some very hardcore spring cleaning this weekend. It started on Friday where I was able to easily fill one garbage bag worth of stuff. Stuff that I am sure I didn’t own and didn’t need. Then on Saturday I did the same, I went through only a couple of the closets that we have in the apartment and was able to fill another couple of garbage bags, and a bag of shoes and kitchen stuff to give away.

There is something rewarding about realizing that I can simply downsize and my quality of life will be better, not worse. I don’t NEED this stuff and it really doesn’t bring me joy.

The Continued Plan

The tough part about going through this exercise is that there is a lot of "good stuff” that I am just throwing away. I don’t mean that this stuff is worth anything, but simply that I am sure that if I had the room and was able to organize it properly I would find a great use for it in the future. For example, coax cable connectors. I had developed a minor collection of these over the years of moving and such, and I am sure that I would be able to use them again in the future…maybe. The fact is that we are probably going to cancel our cable in the coming days and even possibly sell the TV. So unless I take all of this type of stuff when I move, I am not going to find a use for it here. On top of all of that it is not worth selling and I am sure that the Salvation Army will not have a use for it. So it gets thrown out. And good riddens.

My goal is to have all of the books that I am not going to read again out of the house, and given away, all of my magazine subscriptions cancelled and old magazines given away, by the end of the week. From there it is more of the same.

How about you?

Do you try to keep your surroundings lean? Or are you a pack rat?

Do you have any suggestions or resources on ways to un-clutter your space, and I don’t mean ways to store MORE.

Cheers,

Filed Under: Rambling Tagged With: minimal, spring

Raise a Glass for Water For People

March 12, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

The local Water For People group is having a fundraiser supporting World Water Day at the Garrison Brewery. There will no doubt be a lot of beer flowing.

The Event is at the Garrison Brewery on Friday March 20, 2009. Advanced tickets are $20 and can be received either at the CBCL Limited offices at 1489 Hollis St, or by emailing raiseaglasshfx@gmail.com.

You will be able to buy tickets at the door but they will be at $25, so be sure to save yourself the $5 and get them in advance. Although they don’t say it, the $20 will get you a couple of the great brews that Garrison is famous for, and there will be a lot of fun people to hang out with.

For more information you can see the two attachments that I received in the work email.

Raise A Glass Poster

and

Information Sheet

Be sure to Twit This, Stumble It, Digg it and do what ever else you can to get as many people as you can out there. There are some handy links below.

Hope to see you there.

Filed Under: Rambling Tagged With: beer, Charity, Water For People

Coffee In Halifax – The Daily Grind

January 24, 2009 By Jeff Leave a Comment

To supplement my Eating in Halifax series, I am going to chronicle some of my thoughts about different little coffee shops and “cafes” in and around downtown Halifax. I will be writing a little something from every one that I visit in the next little while.

I get around to a lot of coffee shops as these are the places that I get the majority of my work done. I try working from home, but there are too many distractions that I can’t seem to get anything done. The key thing that allows me to get work done is that most of the coffee shops around have free Wi-fi which I love. And when I am there I buy a lot of coffee and treats to so that I have the energy to keep going.

The first place that I am going to be reviewing is The Daily Grind. Why? Well that is where I am sitting while I am writing this, so it only makes sense.

The Daily Grind is situated in behind the magazine part of the shop on Spring Garden Road in Halifax Nova Scotia. They have a variety of baked goods to go with their coffee, along with sandwiches, and an all day breakfast.

Where you can find The Daily Grind

The tables in the seating area are huge and you can very comfortably sit 4 people and there is still lots of room. It is usually quiet, with just some friendly chatter going on around you. I first found the place when I was still in University at DalTech and I was trying to find a quiet place to study. The alternatives at the time were the Second Cup and SteveRenos (both which I will review next time I am in) and they were both far too noisy. I credit this place for me passes Signal Analysis all those years ago.

The Pros:

The coffee here is decent and when you get a cup to stay you get one free refill, which is a step up on a lot of places that simply give you a discount on the refills. They also have a large variety of teas, if you are into that sort of thing.

The tables allow for some great sitting and if you are just looking for some place to unwind you can come in, buy a magazine and sit down with a coffee and samosa and read. And like I mentioned before, the tables are large enough that you can sit down with a couple of people and spread your work out to get some real stuff done.

The Cons:

NO FREE WIFI.

This is usually a huge deal, but for me I like to think that it is a plus, when I plan for it. I come here when I have a lot of writing, reading, or other work that does not require me to be online. This keeps me away from twitter, my google reader and other distractions that the internet has abundantly available.

Up until recently the WIFI problem was not a big one. Your Fathers Moustache was just next door and they had their own free wi-fi open, but they have since gone to the dreaded Aliant Hot-Spot and since I don’t have them at home I am stuck to pay if I want access, which I refuse to do.

Another con that for some is huge and others not so much is that as far as I can tell the coffee is not fair trade. Typically around the city the coffee vendors have taken to loudly announcing if it is as a selling feature forthe socially aware public.

Conclusion

The Daily Grind is a great place to come to get some serious work done with a coffee in hand and some great fresh baked goods, or an all day breakfast. I like to sit by the back windows so that I can keep track on what is going on outside, and if it is nasty I will grab another coffee and hope that the weather is going to clear up before I head home

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews Tagged With: Coffee Break, Coffee in Halifax, Eating in Halifax

Week 2 is Always the worst

January 16, 2009 By Jeff 2 Comments

There is a song that describes my week to a tea. It’s Rat Silo’s,
Getupgotoworkgohomegotobed. All I was able to do was get up in the morning, get into work and then leave around 10pm.

It is not a way I would like to go for very long, but I think I should have a break from the madness next week and will be more active with everything else that is going on in my little world.

If you like Rat Silo, be sure to check out some of the other bands on CBC Radio3. It is a great resource for finding new music and I have all of their podcasts on my iPod for when I am not near a computer.

Filed Under: Rambling Tagged With: Hoser Music

Eating in Halifax – Rockbottom Brewery

January 7, 2009 By Jeff 11 Comments

There is a new place to eat on Spring Garden, down below the Moustache where the old Dooly’s was.

I was there twice in the last little while and was tipped that it existed by an ad in the Coast. When I was there I had brunch, it was Sunday morning after all. They have a decent brunch menu at decent prices. I had the omelette that comes with whole grain toast and home fries. And not the home fries that you expect to get from Smitty’s or such, but real pan fried potatoes with onions. They were delicious. Rockbottom Behind the Bar

What’s the Hook

The Rockbottom Brewery seems to be a brew pub, but from what I have heard they cook the wort at another location and then only the final stage of the brewing process is taken place on site. This is different compared to the other brew pubs in Halifax including, The Granite Brewery and Rogues Roost(someone needs to get these guys a modern websites)

“To run great restaurants…for the benefit of our Guests, our Community, and Ourselves.” – From the website.

Why would you go?

Where you can find the place

Both times that I was there to eat the service was first rate. The lady that was serving us the first time was awesome. She was very keen on letting us know all of the offerings of the place, and showing us the evening menu. The second time they didn’t really go out of their way in terms of service, but they were friendly enough. I think that there was a hot guy sitting at the bar.

As for the seating atmosphere, it is a big change from the Dooly’s, in a very good way. It still feels “hard” like a lot of the new places popping up, but the lighting helps to offset this to make the place feel more welcoming. I also enjoyed the seating, there are high booths with foot rests and comfy lounging chairs which makes the place comfortable enough for me to hang out for extended periods.

What will Stop You

There was one evening that I got to stop in to try out the beer on tap. It was a cold night near the end of December and the hockey game was on. I didn’t want to dare to try the other sports pubs on Spring Garden as I knew they would be packed, and I only needed to catch the third period. This meant it was the best chance to check out the beer at the Rockbottom.

Hated it.

I am not sure if it was just that it was one of their first batches and that they haven’t quite got the hang of it, but I had the ale and my GF had the IPA. The ale seemed very fruity and the IPA had none of the kick that we have come to expect from the Garrisons, Propellers and Granite Brewerys of the world. HUGE disappointment. Oh yeah….and the game was on MUTE. WTF we are in Canada and they our Junior Team was playing an important game.

I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and give it another try in the near future, but I am not going to make a special visit on my way home. But if I am thirsty and am close I will give it another try.

So what do I Really Think

Value – 3/5

Really middle of the road. not expensive but you can get cheaper brunches elsewhere

Menu Selection – 3/5

Again they have select items that I assume they are going to make really good. It seems like a chef inspired or developed menu which is not necessarily a bad thing. Everyone will find something on it.

Food – 3/5

Great food. Everything that I had and everyone else that was with me had was cooked perfectly and tasted amazing. The fired potatoes were amazing and omelettes full of great stuff, and the omelette eggs were REAL. Not for a carton.

They would have gotten a four (4) if it wasn’t for my disappointment with the beer.

Service – 3.5/5

Like I said above, we had one that was amazing (5) but another that was at best a 3. Not that she was bad, but she really didn’t go out of her way.

Atmosphere – 4/5

I really enjoyed sitting in the place. It was damn near empty every time I was there, and the fact that there are a lot of hard surfaces it might get loud when it is busy.

Overall – 3.5/5

Decent but not amazing. It is high enough that I will recommend it to people to give it a try out. If they can get their beer tasting better, unless that was the way it was supposed to, then I will be revisting this review.

What do you think?

So have you been? What did you think about the place? Let us know.

Cheers,

Filed Under: Featured, Reviews Tagged With: beer, Eating in Halifax, Food, malt, Review

eNews and Updates

Music and my Bike

Summer is here in Spokane…Almost

So what have I been up to?

Shows

I want to ride my bicycle; I want to ride it where I like

My first update in the Caper-in-Spokane series

The Beer Lovers Paradise

The Winter of Capebretoner

Aliant Hot-Spots Suck