All hail Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo, their Amber Ale, and the German Beer Purity Law. I'm back off the wagon! I talked with Bell's brewmeister (referred to as the "Production Manager," but I can forgive them that staid mistake) yesterday, and he was very helpful. "Almost all our beers meet the Purity Law, but stay away from these specialty brands." "Hangovers huh? B vitamins help a lot and our beer is full of 'em, but a lot of it settles at the bottom. Swirl your glass a bit and kick up some of that sediment into the beer."
I feel like a new man, and my wife is happy that I can relax with beer again. Of course, these high-end beers cost $9.00 a six pack, but it beats killing myself.
I saw the headline at Drudge: Wal-Mart Classifies Customers in Three Groups. NYT Link. I was thinking, "Okay, they're probably 'Those with teeth' and 'Those without teeth,' but what's the third?" I was way off. The groups are "'brand aspirationals' (people with low incomes who are obsessed with names like KitchenAid), 'price-sensitive affluents' (wealthier shoppers who love deals), and 'value-price shoppers' (who like low prices and cannot afford much more)."
My wife and I shop at Wal-Mart (I go reluctantly; I just hate being in that huge cavern). I don't want to belong in any of the groups, but I guess we'd be "price-sensitive affluents." I make a good living, but it has to feed and clothe nine people. The term "affluent" makes me feel like a snob (did I make that "those without teeth" comment?), but at least I'm price-sensitive.
I stopped out at the drinking club last night for a tall Amber Ale before going to a party for our children's parochial school. I was talking with a friend about my amazement with the whole iPod phenomenom and how well it works. He then told me I should scan the lower reaches of the iTunes online store. "You get free stuff there," he said. I checked it out this morning, and he's right: kid videos, TV pilots, recent song releases. Righteous, most righteous indeed . . . especially for a price-sensitive affluent like me.
I've been reading more Murray Rothbard lately and now I'm reaching into the waters of anarchism. I'm not willing to embrace anarchism by any stretch, but this drinking is a great antidote to the swollen state that the Democrats established and the Republicans have now embraced. This morning at Lew Rockwell, the writer of The Essential Rothbard provides a list of Rothbard's favorite books. It's an interesting assortment.
