The Violence Worker!

Rumor has it...

that the the great and terrible MOGS is planning a return to this blog!

Be afraid!  Be very afraid!

UPDATE!  I've also been told by that same li'l birdie that the inimitable John Jay Hampton is planning a return as well.

VW

Beer For Independence Day

On my Beer Blog, Firkin A! I list some brews suitable for celebrating Independence Day.

VW

Firkin A!

I just purchased the domain name firkina.com.  From now on, the beer blog will be known as Firkin a!  It's craft beer!

It might take up to 24 hours to get everything up and running under the new domain name, but we will be working tirelessly to get it up under the new name.  The reason for the name change is to separate the Beer Blog from the politics.  While we all may not agree on politics, we can all agree that there is much to agree on and discuss in the world of beer.

We are seeking some writing help as well.  If you would like to contribute, let me know and we will discuss it.  If you expect payment, sorry, all of our spare money goes to buying beer.

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, a FIRKIN is a quarter barrel of beer.

Cheers!

VW

The New Officer Reynolds

Mrs. VW and I have eight children between us.  I have four and she has four.  Half are girls and the other half, obviously, are male.  We still have one at home, he's a 15-year-old autistic boy.  He's my wife's youngest, but I've been "Dad" to him for that past 11 of those years.  So far, all the rest of our children have turned out pretty good.  We don't have any criminals or drug addicts.  They are all productive citizens.  Our girls that are married, chose good honorable men.  We are proud of them all.

Today, one of our sons-in-law was commissioned as a County Corrections Officer.  We attended the small ceremony and watched as my youngest daughter pinned the badge on her husband's shirt.  The little girl in the yellow dress is their three-year-old daughter, Zoe.   The lady in the background taking a picture is Mrs. VW.  He was one of five young men commissioned today.

Here's a shot of me and the newly minted Officer Reynolds.

 

One with Mrs. VW.

Another with wife and daughter

Congrats to the new Officer Reynolds!

VW

Bell's Beers (Shameless Plug)

On my beer blog, my partner (not my life partner) Crackladen tastes a few of Bell's offerings.  Check it out.

Also, I'm still soliciting writers for the beer blog.  No experience necessary, you just have to be a craft beer aficionado.

Email me and we'll discuss it.  I'm gentle, I promise.

VW

New Beer Blog Post

I review the Old Schoolhouse Brewery in Winthrop, WA.

VW

Announcements

First, the new blog: 

Drinking Beer With Violence

Well, as much as  I wanted to do a foodie blog, COOKING WITH VIOLENCE was an epic fail.  Frankly, I'm not sure how this will work out, but since it's easier to find time to drink beer than prepare gourmet meals, maybe I'll have better luck.

In any case, I'm gonna talk about beer.  I love craft beer and I enjoy drinking it.  I don't over indulge because frankly, I just can't deal with a hangover and I don't like being drunk.  If they could make a good beer without the alcohol, I'd be all over it.  Since the "near beers" I've tried all taste like crap, I just limit how much I drink.

I'm no expert by any stretch, but I do love beer.  Taste is subjective.  You may hate an IPA I just love and I may love a Stout you absolutely hate.  I'll talk about my likes and dislikes as well as anything beer related that strikes my fancy.

Second, Changes Are Coming:

In the coming days, I'll be revamping this blog.  I do my own banners, and I really loved this one.  Believe it or not, that's not just one airplane with the wing stamped over and over.  It's actually a huge line of C-17s.  I rendered it through a couple of graphics programs I own and thought it came out well.  Way back when I first started, I paid a pro 75 bucks for a banner and I loved it, but I decided I could do as well with a bit of imagination and a decent graphics program.  I bought Photoshop Elements and I have a couple freebie apps to help out. 

In any case, I will be changing the design in the next few weeks.  I will also update my blog roll.  It's horribly out of date and I have a few I need to add.

Third:  Vacation:

Next week, on Wednesday morning, me and Mrs. VW are gonna pack up the van and head for parts east.  We will be headed for Northeast Washington.  We'll be gone until at least Monday the 25th - maybe Tuesday.  I hope to sample some brews on the way and report back.  I will have no way to post.  I can check my email if I have cell service.  (I suppose I could post, but I don't do the texting thing all that well.)

I know that MOGS won't be able to post.  He's still around, but circumstances prohibit his involvement for a while. So I'm hoping Bobf can fill in the void a little.  If anyone else would like to write, drop me a line and we'll discuss it.

Same for the beer blog.  If you  are a beer drinker (and I don't mean American adjunct beers) and want to contribute, let me know.

VW

Where's The Fire?

At Cooking With Violence, I talk about a brew pub just up the street.

VW

Craft Beer At Cooking With Violence

I have a great video on the American Beer revolution over at Cooking With Violence!

Cheers!

VW

COOKING WITH VIOLENCE

 It's now LIVE!

I'm like most of you.  I'm no gourmet with a trained palate nor have I had any kind of formal training or schooling in the culinary arts.  If anything, I'm not even a rank amateur.  So why start a food blog if I'm not some kind of culinary crackerjack.

The easy answer - Because I want to. 

There are a thousand sites you can go to for expert advice and probably there are trained people writing about food and wine and all the gastronomic trimmings.  I don't pretend to be one of them.

I like food, I like eating out and I like to cook.  I like to experiment and I like to try new foods.  I will write about what I eat, cook and drink.  I'll pass on recipes that either I like or made up.  I'll write about everything in the kitchen but the kitchen sink.  I like gadgets and use them.  I'll tell you what gadgets I like and what I don't like and why.

I like craft beer.  I'll be sharing my exploration of beer and beer topics that interest me.

I'm not much for wine or hard spirits so you may not see much here concerning them except the occasional recipe that might contain them.

In other words, if it is food or drink related, it's fair game.

Since I'm not any kind of food expert, I can do what I want and I intend to have a little fun with this.  If you are gonna COOK WITH VIOLENCE, you'll need a sense of humor as your primary ingredient!

If you want to be a contributor to this effort, let me know - the more the merrier!

VW