beverages Archives - A Flimsy Plan

Beer Exchange Day 12

December 23, 2024 No Comments

We did it! We made it all the way to the last day of the beer exchange. And I think I avoided spoiling any beers for anyone, even though it was harder than I expected. (Both my boyfriend and my best friend decided to drink their beers during the 12 days leading up to Christmas. And my dad has done something chaotic that means he still has more beers left than days before Christmas and none of them are in any sort of numerical order.) But I did it! And I am a little bit tipsy and it’s very late at night, so let’s talk about Beer Exchange Day 12.

Why am I a little bit tipsy? Because I very much wanted to drink Beer 12 while I was recording Academy versus Audience. Other than an extra credit episode that I had to throw together because I messed up our schedule, this was the only recording date we pulled together in December. Of course I had to enjoy a very special drink.

YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 11

December 21, 2024 No Comments

Yesterday was just the most perfect late December day. In yesterday’s post, I talked about my really fantastic work lunch. (I just love eating very good food and getting to talk to acquaintances. That’s how you make friends!) After work, I ran a few errands, finished my Christmas shopping, and felt very productive. And then Tyler came over! We popped an edible and watched The Santa Clause and Muppet Christmas Carol. (We’re Canadian. It’s legal here and way cheaper than wine.) Plus I enjoyed Beer Exchange Day 11.

Ooh, and look at that locally purchased popcorn! The YYC Mix is specifically very good – it’s a mixture of spicy buffalo and maple syrup. Delicious. And, actually a pretty good pairing for Beer 11.

YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 10

December 19, 2024 No Comments

I have water! I have water! Okay, I am also $250 poorer, but the last time I had a pipe burst, it took over five days before it was repaired, so this is pretty okay. The turnaround was only about 36 hours and hopefully I don’t have any memorabilia that got wet and isn’t salvageable. We’ll see. In the meantime, I’m just going to think about how much I enjoyed last night’s Survivor and also Beer Exchange Day 10.

Follow me through the cut for all my thoughts on both!

YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 9

December 17, 2024 No Comments

You know, I was watching one of Melanie Laurene’s Vlogmas videos earlier today and she mentioned that she can’t believe she has already posted 17 vlogs this December. I hadn’t thought of it in sheer numbers that way, but – omg! Seventeen! I think that’s more posts that I’ve done in the whole rest of the year combined and yet it’s flown by. I’m very proud of myself and, while I certainly won’t keep this pace up, I hope I’ll be able to use this inspiration to keep things going a little bit come the new year. And, if nothing else, I’ll have an excellent record of all the beer exchange beers I drank this year when it comes to picking my beer for next year. Because today is Beer Exchange Day 9.

My schedule is finally starting to slow down, which means it’s time to catch up to the cultural zeitgeist by watching some trashy holiday movies. You may have caught Hot Frosty in the background of Day 8 and for Day 9, I was on a similar grind. (Hee. These are the jokes, friends.) Yes, I watched The Merry Gentlemen. No, I didn’t recognize Maxwell Caulfield, aka Rex Manning. Yes, it was dumb and totally worth it.

(OMG! You will also not recognize Maxwell Caulfield… he looks like a demon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this picture!)

Beer Exchange Day 9

Also worth it was Beer 9! It has become extremely obvious that I need to get to the Vacay Brewing taproom. Stat. It’s only 10 minutes from my house and appears to be a collaboration with Burwood Distillery so there are beer and cocktail options.

And the two beers I’ve had from Vacay Brewing were so good. Beer 9 was The Weekender, a West Coast IPA, and y’all know that I love a pine-y beer. I feel like this is a good introduction to WC IPAs, though – it’s not super bitter and there are some delicious tropical notes in there. Plus it’s a 5.8% ABV, so you get a little bit more bang for your buck. Who can complain!?

Alright, friends. Who is in to hit up Vacay Brewing with me?

Culture, YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 8

December 15, 2024 No Comments

Happy Sunday, beautiful friends! And let me tell you, today was another wonderful holiday season weekend day. Yes, it is Beer Exchange Day 8, but it is more than that! Today is a day where I both got productive and had fun.

Despite my post from early in Blogmas about feeling like myself again, I haven’t quite fallen into a good routine yet. It’s hard when your life is so full and there are so many demands on your time. But that’s not really an excuse. It’s just a matter of prioritizing what is important to you. So, this morning, I set my alarm for 7:30am and managed to sneak into a 9:30 barre class.

That was before the main event of the day – taking Rylee to Morpheus Theatre’s Puss In Boots. (I told y’all that I was going to!) I have already posted about this over on ye old Instagram and Facebook, but it was truly the best. She was so excited to see the show, she was basically waiting at the front door for me when I arrived to pick her up. And even though she kept the excitement up the entire time we were there, she was so well behaved during the actual show. Of course, she had little questions, but the nice thing about a pantomime is that she could whisper them to me. And she got to shout at the stage in her little voice.

But let me tell you, after all that excitement, I was ready for a quiet night. A little bit of cooking, a little bit of holiday decorating, and a little bit of enjoying Beer Exchange Day 8.

Culture, YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 7

December 13, 2024 No Comments

Today is Beer Exchange Day 7, but before I get into that, I need you to celebrate something with me.

I did it! Finally, I did it! Unlike last week, I made it to Cochrane in ample time to see the play I attempted to see in that post. (Mostly because I knew what time it started at this time.) In fact, I actually made it there early enough that I was able to swing by Half Hitch Brewing to enjoy a thoroughly delicious brisket sandwich. Not really the type of thing I would normally go for, but I was drawn in by the dill pickles on it and it was totally worth it.

But what about the play, I hear you asking! It was a pantomime version of The Wizard of Oz, filled with songs new and old, and lots of shouting at the stage. (This is normal in a pantomime.) The costumes were elaborate, which is exactly what you need for something that takes place in Oz. And there was so much heart. I look forward to driving out to the Cochrane Ranchehouse yet again to see another play. But maybe in the daylight next time…

Oh, and the best part was that I was home before 10pm, even though it was a 45 minute drive home! And I celebrated by drinking Beer 7. Obviously.

Culture

Beer Exchange Day 6

December 11, 2024 No Comments

Survivor beer, survivor beer, survivor beer! It’s Beer Exchange Day 6 and I am delighted to announce that I have ticked yet another item off my Holiday Bucket List. (At this point, I’m going to have to do a check-in post!) Today I got to present on learning styles and when to embrace them at a Psychiatry Resident wellness event (not the bucket list item), and then do my favourite thing… watch an important Survivor episode with Mike and Sarah!

And delicious charcuterie.

So, of course I had to bust out another Beer Exchange beer for this special night. And today’s beer was… my dad’s beer! Yes, yet again, Rob had to save the exchange by filling in and buying a beer. He is in the industry, you know. (He works at a liquor store as his retirement job.) So what did my dad select?

YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 5

December 9, 2024 No Comments

If you couldn’t tell from my last couple posts, life has been pretty intense and busy lately. Which I think can be quite common at this time of year, I won’t pretend it’s just me. We’re all trying to fit everything in. But sometimes, you just need to be cozy and watch a movie that everyone else in the world has seen so you can join into the societal conversations. If the “you” in this situation is me, anyway. Because that’s what I did while enjoying Beer 5.

I mean, just look at that grilled cheese, y’all.

(Note: the cheese crust is courtesy of Tyler. When I am left to my own devices, I eat the same sad meal the entire week. Realizing that I need to create a meal that is also appropriate for a man to eat makes me elevate my game and then Tyler usually has some idea to make it even better.)

And, actually, both the beer and the evening came courtesy of Tyler, as well! I talked him into filling in for the beer exchange at the last minute and he talked me into watching Die Hard. Perfect evening.

Culture, Stuff About Me

ShakesPeers Holiday Bash

December 8, 2024 No Comments

One of the hallmarks of this blog, ever since it started, was “fun things I do in Calgary”. And slowly – sloooooowly – I’ve moved into creating fun things to do in Calgary for other people. I mean, I’ve produced theatre on and off for over a decade, so that counts as something. But over this past year, Full Circle Theatre has started putting on community building Shakespeare-inspired salon events. And that is definitely creating “fun things to do in Calgary”. Tonight was our most recent event, the ShakesPeers Holiday Bash and it was everything I needed it to be.

First, What is ShakesPeers?

Great question! It is, obviously, a pun on Shakespeare. And the fact that we get together with our peers. And shake, I guess?

Basically, we wanted to make something that would bring theatre people together, but wouldn’t be a class or a performance. It would just be an opportunity to nerd out with other cool theatre people and potentially practice our craft a little bit in a low stakes environment. Our first event was a Roles in a Bowl reading of Much Ado (which was exactly what it sounds like) and our second was a Scene Exploration (where we just selected scenes, messed around, and talked about them). We’ve met new people and gotten comfortable with Shakespeare. And more importantly, for my sanity, they’ve been really easy to plan.

What About the ShakesPeers Holiday Bash?

Also, kind of what it sounds like! It was our holiday party for people we wouldn’t normally be able to attend a holiday party with! We rented a basement events room at The Joyce on 4th, and they were fantastic. Very attentive, gave us access to their full menu, and decorated the room in a cute festive manner… What more can you ask for in a private room!?

Kevin put together six rounds of Shakespeare inspired trivia and I learned I don’t know nearly as much about Shakespeare as I think I do. We did a classic White Elephant gift exchange. I brought some local bitters and fancy tonic water, and walked with a nice bottle of wine. (There were also gifts that weren’t beverages, but beverages is my brand, as we know.)

We did Burt Reynolds shots, which I certainly have not done since I worked at Earls.

Now, I will say that the one challenge with putting on events is that you never quite get to socialize as much as you want to. There are always small things that you need to attend to that pull you away from being fully involved with the event. But it’s so worth it when you know you’re creating something great for other people.

And, hey, maybe it’s just a good excuse to get back together with my friends again and again and again.

So tell me, what holiday party plans do you have on the menu?

YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 4

December 7, 2024 No Comments

I don’t know if ya’ll know this, but I am a math expert. And as a math expert, I can tell you that, today, Beer Exchange Day 4, is officially a third of the way through the Beer Exchange. (And perhaps a third of the way through Blogmas? Unless I decide to do a full month.) This is a fact that I don’t love, because I have so many more festive things to do in the next two thirds of Blogmas. Including decorating my house.

I’ve been busy and tired.

Don’t judge me.

Also don’t judge me about the chaos that ensued last night, the night that I enjoyed Beer 4.

“Enjoyed”.

Yesterday was one of the big days at my work. (Our yearly retreat for all of our program affiliates.) While I didn’t present or receive an acceptance for a conference this year (unlike last year), I did still have a lot of high level work discussions. And then I had to bounce relatively early from the post-retreat social event, because I was going to see a play in Cochrane.

Hahahaha.

Or not.

Because it turns out, the show started at 7 pm and I assumed it started at 7:30, and showed up a solid 20 minutes after the curtain lifted.

So the only thing I could do was turn around, drive 45 minutes back home, and order way too much sushi for one person. And also drink Beer Exchange Day 4 (aka, my beer).

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