Bring Out Your Dead - Monty Python Returns!

Monty Python will air an ALL NEW 6-episode series on PBS. Called "Monty Python's Personal Best" the series begins this spring.

Public Service Announcement

"Expect the movement of trains, engines or cars at any time, on any track, in either direction."

Always expect a train.

In case of a tie between a train & a car or truck, the train wins. Kind of like the house advantage at a casino.

Happy BAS day.

Words of wisdom I first heard from Ryan Langford:

"BASBT&Hs."

Obviously Ryan & Brandi both feel differently now, but for some of us, Valentines Day still holds special meaning in our hearts.

:)

One more of the Angel

I guess I should have asked her to come watch trains with me after the photo shoot...

Birmingham Weekend

Spent Saturday & Sunday morning in Birmingham.

I visited Sloss Furnace for the first time this weekend, while waiting to meet up with my friend Doug at 32nd Street to watch trains. But Doug had been delayed by his job--he's a railroad cop--which is why I went into Sloss. Sloss is at one corner of 32nd St & the RR tracks (between 1st Ave N & 1st Ave S on 32nd St), so I was literally a stones-throw from where I was to meet Doug.

I should have gone a long time ago to Sloss as it is an amazing place, but I guess if I had, I wouldn't have seen an Angel.



I dunno, some kind of Motorcycle promo or something... Anyhow, the Angel disappeared as the photoshoot was over, so I went to meet Doug, who had just arrived. Hung out there & saw a few trains over the course of about 3 or 4 hours. If I had more web-storage space, you can bet I'd have the photos up...

Sloss is free, by the way. It's a retired blast furnace; they used to use the Bessemer process to make steel there, but it's been a park for sometime now.

After a while, I met up with Poobie, Sarah, Shane, Will, Luke, Drew, Melissa, Jason, & Celeste at Surin West in 5 Points North, Birmingham for dinner. It was Drew's Birthday--happy day, Drew. We coincidentially saw Jessie there & Sarah invited him to hang out after dinner, but he appeared to be on a first date, and a group of Malleteers who are also old friends probably isn't the best way to impress a first date.

So after dinner, we all (minus Jessie & date) went back to Poobie & Sarah's to chill for a while.

A good time was had by all.

It snowed a wee-bit last night in Hoover and today when I got home it was snowing in Huntsville; even enough to stick to my deck but not enough to measure.

Published! Well, soon...

I co-authored a paper that has been accepted for publication. Woo-hoo. Put that on my resume...

Paper will be presented at the Spring 2006 SISO Conference, April 2 - 7 in Huntsville, AL. Hoping to have another paper written to present at EuroSISO later this summer. Stockholm, here I come.

SISO is Simulation Interoperability Standard Organization.

Gourmet Beer in Alabama -- Possibly by Year End

Efforts to raise the maximum alcohol content for beer in Alabama are progressing. The current limit is 6% abv (alcohol by volume). There are proposed bills before the Alabama House & Senate both; either one could pass & become law, raising the legal alcohol limit in Alabama to 14.9% abv---equivalent to the current legal limit on Wine.

Details:

The Steps via Free The Hops.

Alabama Proposed Keg Ban Bill is Dead

The Mobile Register reported that the proposed-Alabama Keg Ban bill has died in House committee. A version had already passed in the Senate, but now that the House has killed it, it at least won't pass this year.

The bill would have restricted sales of Kegs to private individuals. The "cover story" was that this was being done to curb underage drinking, but in reality, it was an effort by Alabama beer distributors to increase their profits; bottles & cans have a higher profit margin for distributors than kegs do.

Olde Towne Hefe--in a bottle!?

Olde Towne Brewery here in Huntsville is experimenting with bottling their Hefeweisen. It's still only available in kegs, for now, but they are trying to figure out how to bottle it & how long it will store before going bad...

Also look for Olde Towne Bock Beer in a kegs in a few weeks. Possibly bottles too.