What’s up people? Its been a while since I last checked in. There’s lots of new thing going on in my life. For one, I got a new job.

So bear with me while I use KingPorkBuff here as a place to sharpen up my skilz.

Also, check out Amy Pickard as the new correspondent on Collateral News.

Look, its the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers brought to life via claymation.

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I’ve been a freak about pretzels for as long as I can remember. The big crunchy jawbreakers that shred your cheeks and gums with their shards of baked brown goodness and abrasive chunks of kosher salt, the little ones that go so well with a brown-bagged lunch, and the new crop of multi-grain varieties from Herr’s and their ilk, have for me always been one of the highlights of living near Pennsylvania’s fertile snack belt. My absolute favorites have always been Philly’s trademark soft varieties. And before yesterday, I would argue that nothing compares to scarfing them down piping-hot and fresh from the oven outside Center City Pretzel Co. on Washington Avenue after a late night of drinking. That was before I discovered Metropolitan Bakery’s take on this cherished snack. Wrought (by hand of course) with whole wheat sourdough that has a hint of rye and anise, and topped with just the right amount of salt, the artisan bakers have put a wonderful new twist on an old favorite.

I just saw that the first episode of Tripping Balls with Brother JT is up today and it looks real good. In this, the maiden voyage to the center of the mind, JT welcomes the dudes from one of Psychedelphia’s (not to be confused with this) longest running space rock outfits, the Asteroid #4. This is one of the trips …er, I mean shows that I work on, so I’m pretty darn excited to see its debut. Enjoy and be careful up there, space cadets:

The shop also just dropped the latest episode of Collateral today. Check it out and tell someone about it:

Lagunitas, a West Coast brewer, issued a beer commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Absolutely Free, which a friend gave to me and the Mrs. over the weekend. Somehow over the years I’ve managed to steer clear of all things Zappa, while saluting nearly every other freak flag that was ever sent up the pole. Not sure why I ever drew the line at Zappa. I guess I’m like Nicholson’s character in Easy Rider when offered a joint for the first time; I’ve always felt like I have enough problems and I don’t want to get hooked. Or more accurately, for me Zappa’s that half a pill Andy Reid’s kid didn’t take.

But with my beer geekery in full bloom, I’m feeling more open to new things, and thought it might be cool to download a copy of the album and enjoy it with the beer. I can’t find it, though. Its not on iTunes. Why? No one’s got it. Has it really been out of print since the 1995 Ryko release?

I’ve put the feelers out. I know a couple of Zappa freaks. One’s already said he could get me a copy — once he’s figured out how rip vinyl. FYI: This should do it.

Due to the limitations of the quaint PC I’ve become so intimate with at my day job, a lot of stuff I dig on the web falls off my radar during the week. That’s probably a good thing. I’m easily distracted. With some time on my hands tonight, I’m catching up on Collateral Unfiltered News, a show from my friends at Woodshop Films. I love this show. In this one, Sacks dishes on the latest (conveniently timed) bin laden video.

Check it out:

Last Saturday, me and a couple of my classmates ventured north to ply our judging skills at Malt Madness, a homebrew competition sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Homebrewers at the Allentown Brew Works. Brewers from all across Pennsylvania and as far away as North Carolina and Colorado entered a total of 276 beers in all 23 beer, cider and mead style categories recognized by the Beer Judge Certification Program.

Arriving bright and early, the day’s first session kicked off at 9:30 am. I was assigned the American Pale Ale and American Amber Ale categories. Fifteen entires in all. That’s a lot of beer that early in the morning. Some were better than others, yet all were admirable, showing each brewer’s wholehearted commitment to the art.

After a brief lunch, I was assigned to the Specialty Beer category for the afternoon session, where Rye Beers and assorted brews infused with things like Bourbon were entered.

It was quite a learning experience and an honor to stand side-by-side with some of the region’s most highly regarded beer authorities. Needless to say, it was also a great way to prepare for the final exam I took on Monday night, which is whole other story that I will try to get to writing about later in the week.

And the winners are …

Here we go again. I’ve switched over to yet another WP theme. I think I might like this one.

Once I get better acclimated with it, I’ll start keeping regular tabs here.

After I wrap up giving it a test drive here, I have to bone up a little for tomorrow night’s class. According to the syllabus, a sampling of Continental Lagers is in order.