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Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant in Orland Park, IL is at the top of my list of favorite places to go.  I’ve been a wine club member for almost 6 months now.  I’ve done a few tastings and I’ve only ran into 2 or 3 wines I didn’t like.  They were all white wines and I don’t drink white wines so they don’t count.

The Lux Cabarnet Sauvignon is my favorite wine.  It’s a very bold red.  It is full-bodied with firm tannins.  The aroma hits you with dark fruits and some pepper.  It’s almost unnaturally smooth.  Getting a bottle at the restaurant is going to set you back about $43.

The green bottle of JD No. 7 is my go to hard drink.  Give me a bottle of 7 UP and I’m a happy camper.  What’s great is the more I have the happier I am.

Evil Power is an imperial pilsner that I picked up at the Three Floyds Dark Lord Day beer release.  Every year they release a beer along with Dark Lord.  I picked up 4 bottles.  Somehow one was opened at the event and another was given away.

Evil Power clocks in at 7.2% ABV.  It’s pretty hefty for a pilsner.  This isn’t your grandpa’s PBR.  It pours a light amber color, as do most pilsners.  It’s got a fragrant, hoppy aroma.  It has a similar feel as drinking a sprite.  It is highly carbonated.  The overall flavor is good.  It’s a little spicy and you can taste the hops.  The alcohol taste is barely there.  I’m not a pilsner guy so this probably isn’t the best review, but I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.  If it came in a 24 pack of cans I would definitely replace my stock of Coors Lite.  Until then, I’m sticking with my usual IPAs and Porters.

Well wtf.  I just realized I still have a website up because my domain was up for renewal.  I deleted the crap posts from years past.  What was I thinking?

Anyways, what’s different since 2009?

Numero Uno, I have a job! Well one that actually makes me money.  Project manager at a construction company.  I guess it makes sense…

“But wait?! I thought you were a programmer?!”, is what you imaginary people are asking.  Oh I am. As a matter of fact I’m in beta on an inventory software package.  What else? I’ve also been working with Joomla 1.6.  Working on V2 of MyCityProfile.com.  It’s a custom Joomla 1.6 build with a custom business directory, events management and promotions module.

In my spare time I’ve learned Java.  It’s easy.  Probably the easiest language I know. Main reason I’ve done this is that I’ve been asked to create some custom Blackberry apps.  I put my first app together in about 4 hours.  It’s pretty simple.  Just a few fields with a button.  Punch in numbers and click the button and it calculates.

Have a few upgrades in the hardware department.  I have a full blown Win Server 2008 R2 Enterprise ADS server setup.  Handling all of my share drives and DNS for the computers in my house.  It’s pretty pointless, but fun.  Also, I’ve been using Synergy to KVM between my MacBook Pro (using my 32″ tv as a screen) and my PC (still using the 30″ dell and a 19″ viewsonic).  Also on my desk right now is a Toshiba netbook with BackTrack 5 installed, hooked up to a 19″ HP monitor.  I’ve been seriously considering getting certified in PenTesting.  So I’ve been playing around with BackTrack since ver. 5 came out.

That’s all for now.