#pipeworks brewing

[chicagobeerpass]

Chicago Beer Pass: Hazy Hazy Hazy

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are drinking a crushable Hazy Pale Ale from Old Irving Brewing. Seeing Old Irving pump out killer hazy beers makes us excited for the new production brewery opening later this year. The guys also talk about Pipeworks and CiderCon that has been happening the past week in Chicago. Be sure to hit up Brad or Nik with some recommendations as the guys seems to be traveling all over the state this year.

Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (45.3 MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

[rhinokck]

Side by side of a couple beers I picked up over the weekend. First up was Lizard King Mosaic Hopped Pale Ale from Pipeworks Brewing. This was really good, Hoppy but smooth and tropical with minimal bitterness. Next up was Boneyard Mojo, an American IPA from Vine Street Brewing. My second beer from them & they continue to be really good. This was Hoppy & piney with more bitterness than the lizard king, but it really worked with the flavor of this one. I’d totally drink both again.

[rocket-69]

Ramshackle: 02 - Theory

The rerouted river spilled into Stillwater Point Reservoir like a restless, trapped thing, but it stank with life; the bulrushes and duckweed bent and swirled with the torrent as the purifier shut down, unable to kill and purge the cultures brewing in that faintly radioactive soup.

Theo Katz looked on at his decade-long handiwork while other citizens of Ramshackle dismantled it. His heart sank as he watched his pipework get replaced with a new, cleaner, larger pipe. Theo shoved that entitled sentiment down. It’s better that the locals understand his- the public facility and improve on it. He may have made a home here, went to temple* Saturday mornings here, but he was still an intruding Boneyarder** boy- man. He wasn’t nineteen anymore.

Theo paced about the purifier, a solid twenty feet away from the other workers. He rubbed the shoulder patch on his collared shirt- a shirt that used to be starched, ironed, and white. Fieldwork changed it, just as it had burned his skin golden tan and leathery. The patch had a cross with equidistant arms, and Theory’s bad habit was picking at the frays. His fingers came away with some of the curling, black thread of the cross. He pinched it between his fingers, and flicked it away. He’ll fix it when he has time.

The purifier was a difficult beginning project. It was unexpected. Theo learned to adapt quickly his first year away from the Boneyard, when the wells in Ramshackle ran dry. He remembered the pang in his chest the day he gave the purifier plans to Paladin Furioso. The exhausting walk up to the Observatory, into Aahen bunker. The sleepless night before, grappling with the opposing philosophies of the Followers and the Brotherhood. But to study waterfowl in the desert*** he- Ramshackle- needed clean water first. Even if it meant he had to drink the marsh he’d wanted to study.

When Theory "Theo" Katz first walked that nine mile trudge over a vague outline of a two hundred year old dirt road to the reservoir, he was surprised to see a dried out wooden structure overlooking the water. Nothing else, until they built the purifier. The locals had built the purifier out of salvage and reforged metal; Sam Clemente was paid in water. The paladins had lugged it all to the site, a parade of whitewashed mechanical giants dragging impossible loads, unintentionally digging out a new road that freshly trained technicians would use over the next decade.

Theo couldn’t help but smile. He’d gotten everyone to work together, for mutual benefit. As long as the Vault was ignored, with their waterchip and their expulsion policy and their stubborn isolationism. Theo took in a breath. That was unfair. Surely the Vault expelled people every few years because of dwindling supplies. And the outcasts never caused trouble either. Jack always sorted them out and smoothed things over, even though getting them to fork over the pipboys was always a bit emotional. After his guided tours through the wasteland museum they usually acclimated. Theo wondered if Jack ever missed the Vault, a home he never had.

Theo certainly missed his home, especially the library. The closest Follower outpost was an OB GYN clinic in New Reno, as far from an archive as an outpost can get. Even so, they helped him contact the university when Ramshackle needed it. Got more books, learned some civil engineering for trade as a midwife. There were only so many times he could say he was “not that kind of doctor” until he buckled and used his early University training, regardless of his PhD in freshwater biology and his clumsy hands.

The purifier was almost completely repaired. Upgraded. Theo looked across the roiling current of the pipe water, that restless, trapped thing. He leaned over the purifier’s disinfection tank, and poured fresh chlorine tablets into the water.

___

*Temple it was, for many denominations. Each denomination had to clean up for the next one, and made it a competition. The Buddhists were not above leaving plates of food to add a gifting dimension to it. The Muslims met the early Jews starting the evening Shabbat and exchanged treats. And theological debates, but that went without saying. The holy men and women stayed in homes sitting in a ring around a courtyard behind the temple- the neighborhood with the most flair in all of Ramshackle. **Like many cities, the Boneyard had a specific term for a person who lived there. He did not appreciate either of the slang terms- Yardie, or in even less favorable company, Boner. ***Technically the ‘desert’ is a receding marshland, created after Lake Lahontan dried out twelve thousand years ago and left little baby soda ponds (and Pyramid Lake, but the Paiute changed its name a long time ago) to fend for themselves. Meadows, wetlands, brackish water marshes bled into huge cracked mudflats and silt dunes that rolled across the ancient lakebed.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 3.30

Beer Birthdays

Gilbert Greenall (1867)

Dick Cantwell (1957)

Gary Glass (1973)

Will Johnston (Pipeworks Brewing; 1978)

Andrew Mason (1983)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Eric Clapton; rock guitarist (1945)

Jean Giono; French writer (1895)

Francisco Goya; Spanish artist (1746)

Norah Jones; pop singer (1979)

Vincent Van Gogh; Dutch artist (1853)

Famous Birthdays

John Astin; actor (1930)

Warren Beatty; actor (1937)

McGeorge Bundy; politician (1919)

Tracy Chapman; pop singer, songwriter (1964)

Robbie Coltrane; actor, comedian (1950)

Jo Davidson; sculptor (1883)

Marc Davis; animator (1913)

Donna D'Errico; actor, playmate (1968)

Richard Dysart; actor (1929)

Astrud Gilberto; Brazilian singer (1940)

MC Hammer; rapper (1962)

Ted Heath; trombonist (1900)

Frankie Laine; singer (1913)

Peter Marshall; television game show host (1930)

Sabine Meyer; German clarinetist (1959)

Sean O'Casey; Irish writer (1880)

Paul Reiser; actor, comedian (1957)

Secretariat; race horse (1970)

Anna Sewell; English writer (1820)

Tom Sharpe; English writer (1928)

Jethro Tull; agricultural writer (1674)

Paul Verlaine; French poet (1844)

Henry Wotton; English writer (1568)

[underground-hip-hop-affiliated]

S’MORE MONEY S’MORE PROBLEMS

[nice-bright-colors]

I like waffles and mountains. I like brunch.

[brandonsdrunkagain]

Little group of good stuff I brought back from Colorado and a few locals. RPM IPA from Boneyard Brewing, Pompei Double IPA from Toppling Goliath, Ace Man IPA from Surly Brewing, Ninja Vs Unicorn Double IOA from Pipeworks Brewing, Kocendorfer IPA, King Sue Double IPA from Toppling Goliath, Mud and Don Diego West Coast IPA from Rally Cap Brewing, Buntastic Carrot Cake Imperial Stout from Prairie Artisan Ales and Red Devil Belgian Pale Ale from Rally Cap Brewing.

[thebeermetalshowpodcast]

Retro Beer Review: Pipeworks Brewing Company Poivre Vert

Retro Beer Review: Pipeworks Brewing Company Poivre Vert

(more…)

[croonerboy1965]

JUMPER

Jumper

It was just another fire, in just another run down old brownstone, on just another day.

It took quite a while to evacuate everyone as the fire was gutting the inside of the old apartment building, faster than they could put the flames out. Buck was going floor by floor, making sure no area was left unturned, as one of the rescued insisted her 6 year old son was still inside. One door after the other, left Buck increasingly concerned, as again and again, he would yell the boy’s name, making himself hoarse and taking far too much smoke into his lungs as he did so.

“Sammy!!”, He screamed. 

“SAMMY!!”, He hollered with all the effort he could muster.

Nothing…

Just as a last resort, he decided to check the roof, unsure he would have a chance to make it all the way back down if he stayed in this blaze any longer.

He kicked open the roof access door and shouted once again, but it wasn’t needed. As soon as he stepped out on the roof, he saw something huddled in the far corner, next to the pipework and venting.

When he got to the boy he was covered in soot and clutching a small, stuffed teddy bear to his chest. He was not breathing. He laid the boy out flat and began CPR, doing everything he could to bring the boy back to consciousness.

“Come on buddy, come on! Come on, Sammy!

No no no! Not today, please not today.”

But it was no use. The boy was gone.

Buck just grabbed the small, lifeless body and held it close to him. And he just sobbed.

He dealt with this kind of thing every day, but somehow, right now, this one was just one too many. This innocent boy. What did he ever do? The unfairness of this, and his own life, settled over him in a cloud of despair turning into a torrent of sorrow. He wailed, despite the rawness in his throat or the soreness of his smoky lungs. He let the pain, inside and out wash over him.

As if on cue, it began to rain. As his tears subsided, he set the boy down and lay the stuffed bear atop his small chest, wrapping the boy’s tiny arms around it.

Before he knew it, he was up, and stepping toward the roof’s edge. Then out on to the ledge. He looked down over the drop. As he did this the wind from the brewing storm overhead, picked up and blew his helmet off. He watched as it tumbled slowly and seemingly endlessly to the ground below. It seemed to be beckoning him to follow. Tears began to flow, lost in the raindrops that fell, as he watched them, disappearing into the blur of red and blue lights below.

On the ground, the survivors were gathered, being triaged and paired off with loved ones, and those that needed it, were being placed into the available ambulances.

A woman ran up to Bobby.

“My son… have you seen my son!?”, she cried.

“One of the firefighters went in to get him, but they have not come out!”

Bobby looked around, and seeing Eddie, he shouted, “DIAZ! Have you seen BUCK!?” Eddie shook his head, and just as he did so, Buck’s helmet wizzed past him from above, just missing him as it smashed to pieces on the ground at his feet. Eddie looked up. Bobby looked up. A woman screamed.

No… Buck no…he thought.

“Buck! Buck! I’m coming! Just stay there!”, Eddie shouted.

“Let’s get a ladder up there!”, Bobby ordered.

They had no choice but to try and get to the roof from the outside with a bucket, as the inside was completely gutted by the fire and most of the fire escape was melted and twisted from the heat.

The truck with the longest ladder positioned itself and unfurled the longest set of rungs they had and still it was not enough. Eddie was up the ladder before Bobby or anyone could stop him. But he was still four or five floors from the top.

Bobby’s voice came over the bullhorn.

“Buck. Just stay right there. We’re coming for you… Eddie, let’s bring er down. We’ll call in air support.” Just then a crackle came over the radio.

“Cap—doesn’t look like we’ve got air support.”, Chim said.

“With all the wildfires in the area, there aren’t any choppers left, much less any nearby that can get here in any reasonable amount of time.”

Eddie heard this, and looked up at Buck, and then to the nearest ledge along the height of the building, and leaped off the ladder, nearly missing the edge.

He was used to rock climbing and had a strong finger hold, but with the rain, the edge was slick and one of his hands slipped, causing a shriek from one of the survivors below. Eddie regained his grip and pulled himself up and along the relief sculpted carvings that dressed the sides of the building. When he got to the corner, he was able to use the end caps to pull his way slowly up the side of the structure, floor by floor, stopping occasionally, for just a few seconds to rest before continuing on. The rain poured down on to his face and gear, making it difficult, to see and adding weight to the climb as well.

As he reached the top, Eddie strained with all his might to pull himself up and onto the roof. He rolled over on to his side and gasped for air, giving himself a moment to rest.

Buck was so inside his own thoughts he did not even realize until the moment Eddie spoke, that anyone was even there with him.

“Buck.”, spoke firmly and stumbled forward as the roof top under him trembled. The interior of the building was slowly giving way. He knew they did not have much time, and he still was not completely sure how they were going to get out of this. Buck startled and almost fell, before catching his balance. They looked into each others eyes. Eddie spoke again.

“Buck, what are you doing?”, Eddie said.

“Stay back!”, Buck said more forcibly than he intended. Eddie took a step back, and put his palms up in a no harm gesture.

“You got it.”, he said. “Just tell what I can do.”

“There’s nothing you can do…There’s nothing anyone can do.” , Buck said, the words barely squeezing past the lump in his throat.

“Buck…please…why are you up here? What’s going on?”, Eddie asked.

“Why did YOU come up here?”, Buck said, looking at Eddie accusingly and with a touch of regret in his eyes.

Eddie waited a beat, then took a breath and started to speak.

“Buck, look, I know sometimes everything feels wrong, and you feel like the whole world is against you, and you… You think you’re the only one. You’re the only one in the fight. You try, and you try, and no matter what you do, it just gets worse. Until you can’t fight anymore.”, Eddie paused a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing.

“You don’t know!”, Buck interjected.

“What!?”, Eddie said. “What don’t I know?”

“You remember a couple of months ago, when I took time off for a few days, and I told you I was going to Hawaii on vacation?”, Buck said.

“Well… it wasn’t a vacation. I was having surgery.”, “A colonoscopy. “, Buck said, and his eyes welled up with tears. I spent the whole week waiting by the phone...waiting for the tissue test results. They found cancer.”

“What?”, Eddie was dumbfounded. “Oh Buck…”, Eddie looked at Buck with sympathetic eyes.

“Don’t—don’t you look at me like that!”, Buck admonished.

“Like what?”, Eddie said.

“That look people give you when they know your screwed, that look of pity in their eyes when—when they know there’s nothing they can do. Like it’s hopeless. Like I’m HOPELESS.”, Buck turned his gaze back to his feet and over the ledge to the street below.

“Buck—Why didn’t you tell me?”. Eddie pleaded.  “Is that what all the drinking, all the recklessness on the job was all about? Is that why you—propositioned me?”

Eddie could not believe that last bit escaped his lips, but he had to know. If this was it, if this is where it all ended, he had to know exactly how Buck felt about him.

“It doesn’t matter…Not anymore.”, Buck said.

“It matters to me.”, Eddie said. “YOU—you matter to me.””You’re not alone Buck.”, Eddie moved slowly and carefully toward Buck, the ceiling under his feet, rumbling with increasing urgency.

“Alone…Yeah? What do you know about being alone?”, Buck said accusingly. “You have your Abuela, you have Christopher, and what do I got? Abby left me. My little sister, she has Chim. And all I got is goddamn cancer. Can you cure cancer, Eddie? Because I sure the hell can’t.”, Buck was practically shouting.

“Ok LOOK!”, Eddie shouted back.

“Buck… I know what it’s like to be alone. To feel like it’s just you against the entire world...Always having to face everything by yourself. Feeling like you have no reason to fight.  No one to fight for. That’s exactly how I felt, after the war. Before Christopher.  Before you.”, Buck looked up at Eddie and saw the mist in his eyes, heard the halt in his voice. And for just a moment, he felt the slightest glimmer of hope.

Eddie continued.

“We’ve both tried hard to make this life something worth living. We’ve both tried, and we’ve both failed. But there’s one thing we haven’t tried. We never tried fighting together…”  And with that, Buck turned to step down onto the rooftop. But as he did so, there was a huge explosion beneath them. Eddie watched wide-eyed as Buck tumbled backward and over the edge.

Instantly, Eddie dove for Buck and instinctively grabbed his arm, the weight of him, and it’s momentum taking them both with it.

At the last second, Eddie’s boot caught the ledge and his foot wedged itself between two sections to intricate masonry carvings, crowning along its edge. Buck’s weight snapped his ankle in the process. They both yelled out loud.

Buck’s arm slipped his wet rubber sleeve sliding through Eddie’s gloved hand. Eddie groped at Buck’s arm with all his might, catching him at the wrist.  

“Let me go.”, Buck said. A look of certain defeat in his eyes.

“Please…Buck… Listen to me. If you don’t give me your other hand, we’re both gonna fall..., Eddie winced at the growing pain in his foot. And if we both fall…then Christopher, will lose two people he loves very much. I don’t want to disappoint Christopher—do you?”, Eddie asked. Buck, I’ve lost people too. I lost Shannon. Chris and I—we both did. We can’t lose you too.”

“Just let me go… You should have never come up here. Christopher needs you. It’s all over for me, Eddie. Either way, I’m done. Tell Christopher I love him, and I’m sorry.”, Buck looked down at the crowd below them, preparing to let go.

It was then, when Eddie found the truest courage in his heart. The courage to tell Buck the truth.

“Buck—wait, I have to tell you something. I need you to listen to me. If we die today, then we die together. But not until I tell you the truth.”, Eddie said, a lump catching in his throat.

“Buck! Look at me!”, Eddie barked at him. Buck’s face snapped back toward his.

Eddie spoke the most honest and truest words he ever said in his life.

“That day in the truck, while I was looking at pictures of Christopher on my phone, when you told me how much you loved kids? That’s when I knew. That’s when I knew I never wanted to be alone again. That’s when I fell for you. And I’ve fallen for you 1000 times, every single day since then. And I’d do it again. Just not like this. Not like this!” “You are stronger than cancer! You’re so much stronger than this. You’re the strongest person I ever met. And you know what? Fuck cancer. I don’t care what it takes, I’m never giving up on you. Never.”, Eddie looked deep into Buck’s eyes, more sure now than ever they were going to live— they were going to make it. More sure than he had ever been about anything in his life. He spoke again in a measured, and certain tone.

“Buck… Evan… Give me your hand.”, he watched as Buck’s tenuous grip slid ever so slightly, as he started to realize the weight of them both was inching his foot from the boot caught at the roof’s edge.

He panicked and screamed, “I love you Evan Buckley! Now give me your goddamn hand!”

Evan smiled. That smile. The beatific, yet mischievous, grin that Eddie so dearly loved.

Buck knew for the first time in his life, here, at the end of his life, at last, he was loved. He felt loved. He loved Eddie. He knew what he had to do. For Eddie, and for Christopher.

“I know you won’t give up. You’re going to make it, Eddie. I know you will. Because you’ll never give up on your son. And…I love you too, honey.”, Buck’s own tears misted up in his eyes.  

“I love you, Eddie Diaz.”

Suddenly he reached up with his other hand, grabbing the cuff of Eddie’s glove, turning it inside out, peeling himself loose from Eddie’s grip. It happened so fast, Eddie did not have time to respond. A scream escaped his lips, but he never heard himself scream, nor did he hear the screams of the crowd below. Time slowed to a crawl. Eddie’s eyes grew wide in shock and horror. He watched Buck falling for what seemed like an eternity. Buck’s face was so calm. So at peace. Eddie squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the outcome. He howled a guteral, animalistic, sound full of utter sorrow and excruciating pain.

He screamed long and loud, util he had nothing left. He just hung there for what felt like an endless amount of time. And then Buck’s words came back to him, forcing him back to reality.

“I know you won’t give up. You’re going to make it, Eddie. I know you will. Because you’ll never give up on your son.”

Eddie opened his eyes, but with the tears and the rain, and the throbbing of blood, thrumming in his skull, he could not see much more than some blurry, incomprehensible shapes. He had no idea how he was going to get down. But he absolutely had to get down. For Christopher.  He squinted, focusing on his surroundings. He could feel the pain in his ankle, but it was swollen enough that he was pretty sure it wasn’t going to move. He thought maybe, if he could find a way to get a hand hold on the flagpole he spied a couple feet to his right, he might be able to pull himself free from his boot and drop his feet down, and swing himself in to an upright position, then climb back up onto the roof. He tried with all his might to push off with his good leg, reaching out with his hands as far as he could. He tried a few times, missing each time. The flag pole just millimeters from his grasp. Just when he was about to resign himself to the fact, he might not make it, he heard a voice from above him.

“Hey! Are you just going to hang around here doing nothing all day, while the rest of us are out here busting our asses?”, Chim teased.

“Chim!?”, Eddie said. A smile spread acrosss his face. “How the hell did you get up here?”

“Oh—you think you’re the only one around here who knows how to scale a burning building?”,  Chim said.

Eddie tried to retort, but the sound of a chopper cresting overhead drown him out, as Chim guided the basket down underneath him.

“Okay Eddie, I’m gonna cut you out of this boot, so wrap this loop around you as tight as you can. As soon as your free, I’m gonna lower you down to the basket.”, Chim shouted.

“What about you?”, Eddie asked.

“We’re gonna be fine.”, Chim said. Eddie looked up to see Chim holding what looked like a parachute and a harness.

“Wait a minute,” Eddie said, “What do you mean, we?”

“Me and the kid.”, Chim said.

“I thought the kid was dead?”, Eddie asked.

“No, no, he’s just fine...and you’d have known that if either one of you two bozos had bothered to check his pulse.” This made Eddie laugh in spite of himself.

Then the smile melted from his face, as reality set in.

“I lost Buck.” Eddie said.

“Yeah, I saw that.”, Chim said.

“You lost him, but we caught him. You held him just long enough for us to move the truck and get the safety cushion inflated. It was little bit of a drop, so he may not be as pretty as he used to be. He’s banged up, but he’ll live.” Chim said.

Eddie was so excited by this news, he fumbled with the para-cord almost losing the rope in the process. He wrapped it around himself, slipping it over his head and arms, tightening it chest height. He curled the slack around his hands and gave it a tug, to let Chim know to lower him down to the waiting chopper basket.

Once this was done, and Eddie was safely away, Chim scooped up Sammy and his teddy bear.

“Hold on tight!” he said, as he fastened them together in the harness. Chim removed his helmet placed it on Sammy’s head. He tightened the chin strap as much as he could, and leapt out and away from the roof, just moments before the rooftop collapsed in on itself. He deployed the shoot and the two of them glided to the ground.  A cheer rose up from the crowd.

Bobby, congratulated his crew and belted an order into the bullhorn to push the crowd a safe distance away from the crumbling building.

√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√√

AFTERWARD

Buck lay awake but groggy in his hospital bed. It had been a long recovery. He was bone tired, and in a lot of pain, despite having plenty of meds. Not just from his multiple injuries, but also the mandatory suicide counseling. His thoughts were a jumble as he drifted in and out of consciousness. During one of his more lucid periods, he heard a knock on the door.

“Hey little brother, I think a couple someones would like to see you.”, Maddie said, as she held the door open, allowing both Christopher and Eddie to hobble through. They looked like twins, Father and Son both on crutches, as they made their way to Eddie’s bedside.

“Hey buddy!”, Eddie managed to croak at Christopher.

“Hi Buck.”, Christopher whisper-spoke through his usual crooked, irrepressible grin.

“Are you okay?”, Christopher said. As he moved to the bedside. He placed his head in the crook of Eddie’s neck, gently so as not to disturb his injuries.

Eddie’s heart swelled, as he smiled and looked down at Christopher, kissing his hair.

“I’m just great.”, Buck said.

He glanced up to see Eddie grinning from ear to ear.

Again, his heart filled up to almost overflowing. He had to force himself not to cry.

“Yeah you are.”, Eddie said.

“And how are you doing?”, Buck asked Eddie.

“Who, me?”, Eddie said, pointing to himself.

“I have never been better.”, he said, flashing his perfect, gleaming white smile. Until now, Buck never thought of it as beautiful.

“Your heart is beating really fast.”,  Christopher said to Buck.

Buck and Eddie broke the gaze they held between them, realizing it had hung there a bit too long.

Eddie cleared his throat.

“Uh—hi…I’m another person in the room.”, Maddie said.  She looked at Buck and then back at Eddie, and got the distinct impression that she ought to leave the room. Clearly, she would need a chainsaw to cut through the tension between these two men. They looked at her and said. “Hi!” in unison.

Maddie rolled her eyes.

“OK! Christopher, let’s let these two talk for a bit. What say we go see if we can find a snack machine around here somewhere?”

Christopher stood up and said, “Yeah!”, clearly excited. Maddie led him out of the room, leaving Eddie and Buck alone together.

“Long time no see.”, Buck said.

Buck would not remember it, as he was out for quite a few days after his fall, but Eddie stayed at his bedside every day during his recovery.

“Long time no see.”, said Eddie.

Before buck could even come back with a reply, Eddie leaned in and kissed him deeply on the mouth. They lingered there, resting their foreheads together, looking into one another’s eyes. They kissed again, before Eddie sat down in the chair next to Buck’s bed, taking Buck’s hand in his.

“Eddie—you should know—if they take out my colon…I read online that 78% of men lose their…drive.”, he looked down inadvertently at his crotch and blushed slightly.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We’ll find other things to do. Sex is up here, and in here.”, Eddie pointed at Buck’s forehead and then touched the center of his chest.

“Not just here.”, Eddie said, motioning down to Buck’s crotch, which he swore, twitched slightly at his words.

“Besides, it’s not the thing about you I love the most.”, he said, smiling at Buck.

Buck looked into Eddie’s eyes, his face hopeful.

“It’s not?”, Buck said.

“Nah…I love how bad you are at darts.”, Eddie said

Buck laughed, but started to cough in mid-chuckle, as his ribs had not yet fully healed. This made Eddie giggle and then instantly feel worried.

“Ow…”, Buck groaned through his smile.

“Oh god, I’m sorry!”, Eddie said, smiling back.

“So kiss it and make it better.”, Buck teased.

Eddie wasted no time in honoring the request.

They were so caught up in what they were doing, they did not hear, the doctor, Maddie and Christopher open the door or knock as they came in.

“Whoa.”, Maddie said.

“You guys LOOOOVE each other!”, Christopher giggled, squealing with joy.

Eddie stood up, and coughed, and pretended to be straightening his shirt.

“We were just uh—“, Eddie said, grateful, as the Doctor cut him off.

“Mr. Buckley, I need to talk to you about the status of your tissue test from your colonoscopy a few months ago. You might want to clear the room.”, Doctor Gartner said.

“Ok buddy, more snacks!”, Maddie said, leading Christopher out the door.

“I’m Doctor Gartner,” the doctor said. “Could you give us a minute?”

“It’s okay. Anything you can say to me, you can say in front of him.”, Buck said.

“Are you a family member?”, the doctor asked.

Before Eddie could answer, Buck piped in.

“He’s my boyfriend… Uh—partner—Husband!”, he tried to course correct, landing on a title he felt, would discourage the doctor from questioning them further. Eddie brightened, and looked at Buck, who blushed a bit. Still, it sounded good. It sounded right.

He smiled and shook the doctor’s hand a little too excitedly.

“Eddie Diaz…Diaz-Buckley.”, he beamed, as Buck squirmed a bit. Eddie grinned at him, and Buck smirked, going along with the lie. Then he thought to himself, “What’s wrong with Buckley-Diaz?”, before realizing he considered it as if it could actually be a thing.

“Mr. Buckley…We tried to call you a few weeks ago, to let you know, that your tissue test came back positive for cancerous and precancerous cells.”

Eddie’s smiled faded. Buck’s eyes widened.

“Now before you say anything”, the doctor continued, it appears we were able to remove all the cells, and while the fact that they were inter-mucosal, is a concern, I would not recommend lower colectomy at this time.”

“What does all that mean?’, Buck asked.

“It means you are cancer free…for now.”, the doctor said, “You will have to make follow up visits, as we need to verify you’re healing, and then every year for the next couple of years, to check for any new growths, but if it looks clear, then you should be ok to wait every five years. But check ups are very important if you want to stay ahead of this thing. Understood?”, the doctor nodded in Buck’s direction.

“He said I’m cancer free!”, Buck said. Eddie realized he had Buck’s hand in a white-knuckled grip. He let go of Buck’s hand and swung himself headlong toward the doctor, practically tackling him to the ground in a big bear hug.

“Thank you, Doc!”, Eddie kept saying thank you over and over, as he rocked them back and forth, all at once realizing what he was doing, as the doctor pulled himself away. Eddie let go and tried to help the doctor, by brushing down the wrinkles in his crisp white coat.

“Uh… you’re very welcome.”, the doctor said, straightening himself before giving Eddie a wink, and bowing to Eddie and quickly leaving the room.

“Did he just…?”, Buck said, indignantly.

“Well…I am pretty sexy.”, Eddie said, as he swaggered his way back to Buck and kissed him on the lips.

“Speaking of which… he continued.” “About that sex we were never going to have…”

Just as the words left his mouth, Maddie and Christopher came in.

Eddie looked surprised.

“More snacks!”, as she turned Christopher right around and back out the door, and Buck sighed putting his head in his hands.

“How about we just try a date first?”, Buck said.

“OH that’s a great idea!  There’s this great hot air balloon place…”, Eddie said, before Buck cut him off.

“Let’s—I was hoping for something a little closer to the ground. Like a picnic.”, Buck said. “Besides, I haven’t had the greatest luck with hot-air balloons.”, Buck said.

“Understood.”, Eddie said.

There was a knock on the door. It was Maddie again.

“Is it safe to come in yet?”, she said. You have some visitors. As she opened the door, the heads of Chim, Bobby, Hen and the whole crew peeked around the door and made their way in, bearing gifts.

Then Christopher blurted out, “My Dad and Buck are  in love!” The room fell silent for a moment before everyone got the giggles.

“It’s ok buddy, WE KNOW!” , said Bobby.

“You do?”, Eddie and Buck said in unison.

“YES!”, everyone said all at once.

“Oh… Well in that case…”, and Eddie planted a big kiss right on Bucks lips. And then another, and another, and another…

“It’s about time.”, Chim said, as Maddie dumped out the contents of her purse all over the bed, covering it with vending machine candy and snacks.

[mwolf0epsilon]

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

---

The way they'd established supply runs was an intricate ordeal. It was an effort split between a group and a solo act of sorts, with the group scavenging for anything useful (like food , tools, or any bits and bobs that might come in handy later) while one lone soul would run around leading the Ink Demon in circles to keep it well away from the supply run's path. That "morning", after the usual breakfast of bacon soup, stale coffee and ink brew, Henry had assigned the roles through the drawing of straws (actually just pieces of paper he'd tried to cut as evenly as possible) among the few toons that did not have a particular task to complete for the day. Norman, Buddy, Shawn and Grant had thusly ended up together as a group, while Sammy was the unfortunate bait of the day. Not that he had any trouble getting around mind you... He could run faster now that he had a stable body, and he knew the layout of the top floors pretty well now that some of his memories as the Prophet ressurfaced. He could also sense the demon's presence more acutely so he could run circles around the damn thing without it realizing it was being duped.

Overall it was a solid team. Too solid even.

Which of course called for some action on 'Wally's part.

'Wally' had it all figured out or at least that's what he liked to think. He was, for a matter of lack of words, a wolf in sheep's clothing... Or... a sheep in wolf's clothing? Or was it an idea in sheepish wolf's clothing?

Ok maybe he didn't have it all figured out, but who cared? He didn't have to do the big thinking anyway because there were two people doing that for him anyways. All he really needed to do was play is part as the clumsy but charming guy that got everyone else to laugh. Get all cozy and cute with these people and get the plot running real smooth without them realizing it.

Simple in theory but very difficult in practice for, you see, 'Wally' was the idea of Wally Franks constructed in the image of an off-model Boris with a goofy grin, a Brooklyn accent, and a love for pranks and foods he'd never tasted before. Every single tape the Ink could find it used to create him. Including one very specific trait: Wally Franks was a bit of a dick sometimes, but he was genuinely nice to those he care for. And it just so happened he cared for all these other dicks who were currently living cartoon characters. Yes even Sammy Stick-Up-The-Ass Lawrence... What a dang predicament...

Sabotaging them on Joey's and the Ink's command was getting harder and harder each time, and both his creators were not happy with this.

He either did as he was told, or he'd be in a world of trouble. He needed to do something big, and fast!

Thus came the idea to sabotage the supply run. A plan that quickly went off the rails big time because he'd turned off his brain for just a second...

Sneaking off was really easy. Tom had told him to fasten some of the bolts on the less stable pipes upstairs and, after some very convincing grumbling under his breath, he'd gone up to do just that. Except he kept on walking right past where his stop was at. He had eyes on a much bigger task than fiddling with some faulty pipework that was gonna burst later anyways.

Sammy was awfully suspicious of him, so 'Wally' made sure to wait around to check where he was headed before searching the upper floors for Norman's crew. The Ink had whispered to him, told him that if he took Polk's reels he'd be able to cut the run short and force them to go back. Then the Ink would simply scare off Sammy by leading the demon straight to him when he least expected it.

He'd stupidly not questioned why taking the reels would force the group back. He'd been too curious to see what was on them anyways to consider they might be important to Norman in a physical sense.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Anyone else feeling a bit watched?" Grant whispered as 'Wally' crept around from within the walls, keeping his eye on the prize. Polk had fastened the reels into place before leaving, so snatching them off without being noticed wasn't going to be easy. He wasn't a dull joe, however, so he got around that issue with quite the clever grift.

Some of the walls were rotten from being soaked with ink for so long, so one careful tug was all he needed to make a part of the wall and ceiling collapse.

"Watch out!" The object-head toon turned around to shield his partners, blocking their view and being unable to see as 'Wally' quickly descended upon him and took both items in one swift motion. Using the dust clouds and sound of crunching wood as cover to flee from the scene.

As easy and sweet as pie! He could already hear his creators praising him for the good job. Now to figure out what was so damn important about these dang films that Polk obcessed over them so much...

As soon as he'd found a projector he popped them in and eagerly awaited a show. The first few minutes of footage confused him, as he wasn't seeing cartoons but real human people. Then a few more minutes of this strange "real people film" made him realize it wasn't some fictional bad soap opera that the projectionist had somehow saved.

These were moments in Norman's life. Norman's memories. They were a part of him.

Which is when 'Wally' realized he fucked up. Wait no, that wasn't true. He realized this when a terrifying roar and three terrified screams shook the halls...

---

Sammy's wool stood on end as soon as he heard the roar just one floor below him. The bellowing of the Projectionist when he was still a feral ink abomination. A screech that had followed him and Jack as they ran like their butts were on fire towards the base where a temporary cage awaited the monster Norman Polk had become.

That screech that was somehow ringing downstairs, diverting the demon's attention from the sheep toon. Something terrible had happened and the others were likely in a world of trouble. He had to move.

Rushing down the stairs Sammy listened to the horrific roars and the screams of his coworkers. He then followed the mess left behind. Splintered doors, broken furniture and a trail of ink. Someone's ink.

Someone was injured while the demon was on the prowl.

He turned a corner and stumbled as he walked into 'Wally'. He was surprised at first, unsure why the cartoon wolf would be all the way upstairs, before his eyes landed on two very familiar blank looking reels. It clicked in his mind that the roars and 'Wally' holding these two items Norman had been protective of were connected somehow.

"You..." He snarled, actually snarled, wool turning to bristled fur on the back of his neck and tip of his tail as anger replaced apprehension.

"I... I can explain!"

"What did you do?!"

"I was... I was fixin' the pipes and a wall collapsed! I swear! I found these and... I think they were Norman's? I figured I might need to give 'em back an--"

"Cut the €π@¶, you're a $#!¥ liar mutt..." Sammy hissed furiously as he grabbed 'Wally' by the ears. "I told Henry you were bad news, but did he listen? No!"

"O-ow Sammy that smarts!"

"Trust me once I tell the others, me pulling on your ears will feel like a light spanking..." The sheep toon began to drag the wolf along, continuing his search for his missing teammates.

His anger dissipating as the trail of ink (blood) continued on. And then it stopped. Right in front a little miracle station situated in a trashed room.

Sammy stared at it for a little while before pressing his head to it. He could hear muffled familiar crying.

"Grant, you in there...?" He called, hoping for anything. A meek yes, a sob, anything...

He didn't expect the station to open up and have two child-sized toons tackle him in desperation.

Shawn and Grant were terrified. Worse yet... Buddy was with them and he did not look well.

'Wally' stared at the heavily wounded toon dog, barely able to look at the extensive damage. The kid was missing chunks for Pete's sake!

"What happened?" Sammy tried to get the others to talk.

"A wall collapsed, and... £¢€&... Oh my god..." Grant was hysterical and Shawn wasn't any better.

"It was mad, madness! I can't... And Norman..."

"Words, use your words, come on! What happened? Where's Norman?!" Sammy insisted, shaking the two smaller toons for good measure. They hiccuped and sobbed, and Grant could barely hold up one of his hands to point to a corner, where a lone projector lay discarded. 'Wally's stomach plummeted at the sight, and Sammy's grip slackened as he realized the implications.

"He went n-nuts... He attacked us! Buddy t-tried to stop him... W-we could barely escape into the station and then... Oh god Sammy, the Demon killed Norman! It just..."

"Head straight off, like he was nothin'!"

The reels clattered to the floor, rolling a few feet to meet with the projector that was spurting ink like a macabre fountain piece. 'Wally' had messed up big time.

[chicagobeerpass]

Chicago Beer Pass: An IPA December

Welcome to the Chicago Beer Pass: Your ticket to all the great beer events happening in and around Chicago.

On this episode of Chicago Beer Pass, Brad Chmielewski and Nik White are doubling down with two different IPAs in December. Both of the IPAs the guys are drinking come from Penrose Brewing Company in Geneva. Brad got these cans a few months ago when he was out in the suburbs on his Oktoberfest crawl, so they have been hanging out in the fridge for a couple months. At a time of the year when stouts and big winter beers have taken over the shelves, it's nice to have a great IPA.

As the guys crush these cans, they talk about Nik's trip to Bixi Beer in Logan Square. For years both Nik and Brad haven't been the biggest fans of Bixi, but that may have changed. Not only was Nik's recent trip there delicious, he also learned that Pipeworks will be taking over as guest brewer there. The idea that Pipeworks is taking over the space is very, very interesting. However, this news raises many questions about what that means for Bixi and Pipeworks going forward.

Having issues listening to the audio? Try the MP3 (55.2MB) or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

[rhinokck]

Last side by side of the year. Two from Pipeworks Brewing out of Chicago, IL. Ninja Vs Unicorn DIPA vs Mini Unicorn IPA. NvU starts out fruity, leaning towards tropical, finishing with a mild bitterness that didn’t really linger. M U started out citrusy but turned piney in the finish with a bitterness that lingered. Overall both are pretty good beers but I’d take the Ninja vs Unicorn over the Mini Unicorn.

[unicyclehippo]

word of the day—jan 02 2020

cosmeticize—verb, to make (something unpleasant or ugly) superficially attractive

//

connolly slides into the booth and accepts her drink. it tastes like they brewed it in a used boot but after half a day stuck in the sweltering, cramped pipeworks, she’ll take it.

‘any news?’

‘always news, gem. what you lookin’ for?’

connolly shrugs. eyes the door—closed—and the rest of the bar—regulars—before turning back to the bartender. they’re an old friend, as much as anyone in drill point is a friend, and if they’ve figured out that connolly is terran, they don’t seem to have mentioned it to anyone else.

brosk, the bartender, is a formellian—or perhaps the formellian would be more accurate. they’re one of a hive—though, judging from the suppressed antennae, they’re not active right now. brosk is slender and tall with smooth soft-scaled skin a dull peach pink from lack of sunlight underground here. their bodies are fused at the moment, the bar not busy until later in the cycle, so they have twice as many limbs, eyes, markings than they usually do.

‘so shifty,’ brosk teases. ‘should we be keeping our eyes on you?’ they open their secondary eyes—lids flashing open to reveal the dark sclera—and laugh their clicking laugh.

‘when don’t you?’

‘good point. so?’

‘any news...’

‘yes?’ brosk hints when connolly still hesitates.

‘i heard that the legion might - be taking over drill point.’ connolly cuts a keen gaze up from her cup to meet brosk’s eyes; their hands pause as they transfer the now clean cups they’re drying to the shelves and it’s all the confirmation she needs. ‘fuck. fuck!’

‘let’s not get ahead of ourselves. legion doesn’t want drill point — they want eostria. for the tournament.’

‘they’re holding it there?’

‘first stages. trying to lure in new candidates from the boundary planets.’ brosk continues to work even as a second set of arms unfold and pull up a bottle, which they use to refill connolly’s cup. ‘but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually seraform drill point. they’ll polish her up a little, make a nice embassy, lay down some lights for the place. they did the same in hrovi, forgot about it a few years later. move to the warm side—maybe we’ll get some better atmo-regulators if they come.’

connolly grunts. ‘maybe.’

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 3.30

Beer Birthdays

Gilbert Greenall (1867)

Dick Cantwell (1957)

Gary Glass (1973)

Will Johnston (Pipeworks Brewing; 1978)

Andrew Mason (1983)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Eric Clapton; rock guitarist (1945)

Jean Giono; French writer (1895)

Francisco Goya; Spanish artist (1746)

Norah Jones; pop singer (1979)

Vincent Van Gogh; Dutch artist (1853)

Famous Birthdays

John Astin; actor (1930)

Warren Beatty; actor (1937)

McGeorge Bundy; politician (1919)

Tracy Chapman; pop singer, songwriter (1964)

Robbie Coltrane; actor, comedian (1950)

Jo Davidson; sculptor (1883)

Marc Davis; animator (1913)

Donna D'Errico; actor, playmate (1968)

Richard Dysart; actor (1929)

Astrud Gilberto; Brazilian singer (1940)

MC Hammer; rapper (1962)

Ted Heath; trombonist (1900)

Frankie Laine; singer (1913)

Peter Marshall; television game show host (1930)

Sabine Meyer; German clarinetist (1959)

Sean O'Casey; Irish writer (1880)

Paul Reiser; actor, comedian (1957)

Secretariat; race horse (1970)

Anna Sewell; English writer (1820)

Tom Sharpe; English writer (1928)

Jethro Tull; agricultural writer (1674)

Paul Verlaine; French poet (1844)

Henry Wotton; English writer (1568)

[milehighdad]

Ninja v.s. Unicorn.  Pipeworks Brewing. Chicago Beer.  シカゴビール。

[woodshomebrew]

First time having anything from Pipeworks. Lizard King is a juice bomb