The snow may be gone (around here at least, there are still resorts open out west), but I've always got snowboarding on my mind. I'm currently planning on picking up a new board for the upcoming season, and figured that I might as well buy a new pair of bindings while I'm at it. Enter the Flow M11s, which arrived at my apartment Friday afternoon.

Next season can't come soon enough... and from what I'm hearing now may start a little earlier than anticipated. =)

This past weekend, I finally did what I've been talking about for over a year now and bought a new couch. My old blue couch has served me well, but I've wanted to get rid of it since moving into my current apartment. After looking at what IKEA had to offer, and buying some frames and miscellaneous items in the process, I decided to stop by Sofa Mart here in Toledo and found one that I liked. Unfortunately it is not being delivered until Thursday, and my parents came up and took my old couch home for my sister, so I'm left to lay on the floor and watch my TV. Anyways, I'll be sure to post some pictures to my flickr account as soon as they deliver the new one.

Next month is shaping up to be a fun, but busy, one. Cheryl and I are driving down to Columbus on May 17th to watch the Toledo Mud Hens play against the Columbus Clippers at Cooper Stadium. I really wanted to make it down for a game this year as it will be the Clippers' last in their current stadium and I have not seen a game there since I was in grade school. Work is well underway for a new ballpark in the arena district, scheduled to open next year. I'm also hoping to take the opportunity to visit Mullholland Brewing Company in Reynoldsburg and walk around the Easton Town Centre while we are there. The following week, I'm scheduled for Bluecoat Certified Proxy Administrator/Professional classes in Indianapolis for work. It's going to add up to a lot of miles in one week on the Civic, but it should be informative, and at least I'll get to visit some Indiana breweries along the way. =)

Speaking of breweries, Cheryl and I took a little detour on our way back from IKEA and drove by the new Original Gravity Brewing Company, opening hopefully early next month in Milan, MI. While there wasn't much to see yet, they do have an interesting sign on the building. From some of the news reports I've seen online, it sounds like it will be a great place to visit here in the near future.

Finally, the Mojo TV show Three Sheets has finally made its way into the iTunes Store, with all three seasons now available. Each episode delves into the drinking "culture" of a different country and manages to be both entertaining and informative at the same time. They've also made the first episode from each season a free download (likely a limited time offer), so be sure to grab them if you think you'd be interested in the show. I know I plan on buying all three seasons here very soon.

During a commercial break during tonight's NCAA Tournament Final, I happened upon an article on the Toledo Blade website highlight the history of Buckeye Beer and its importance in Toledo history. It also has quotes from a number of brewerina collectors that have made Buckeye merchandise the centerpiece of their collections. The story also confirmed my suspicion that Maumee Bay's rendition of Buckeye Beer is not true to the original recipe. If you're interested in this part of Toledo history, I suggest taking a look at the PDF linked below.

Toledo Blade: Here's to Buckeye Beer

Speaking of brewing, it has been awhile since I've posted any Mad River Brews news. I'm in the final stages of cleaning out the kegerator, and I plan on finally getting my Northern Brown Ale on tap within the next day or two. After a week on CO₂, it should be ready for consumption. I've waited quite awhile on this batch just to see how allowing the ale to age longer affects the taste. I also have a Michigan Hard Apple Cider storage -- I'm going to backsweeten it this weekend let it sit on CO₂ for a little while longer. I'm trying to decide what the first batch of 2008 will be... it has been too long indeed.

Mud Hens Opening Weekend - The weather was warm as the Mud Hens took the field on a Saturday evening. By the end of the night, the home team had beat the Durham Bulls 6-1 and continued their winning streak in 2008. While the game started off quick with three runs in the first inning, the middle seemed to drag on until the bottom of the eighth when the Hens tacked another three on off of a second home run by first basemen Jeff Larish. All in all, it was a pretty fun night in downtown Toledo -- one that I hope to revisit soon.

EDIT: Kelly sent me a couple pictures that they took before the Ambulance Chase 5k this weekend on the UT campus. While none of them show me actually running, you should notice that I do have one of those stupid number boards pinned to my shirt. I've added them, along with a few more from the Mud Hens game, to this Flickr set.