Brawn: Wanna Workout?

My first BRAWN post. And instead of choosing to write about how little I feel I’ve progressed or how frustrating it is that I haven’t found a workout partner, I will choose to write something positive – like how I’m proud of myself for being dedicated. In fact, the gym is becoming a bit of an addiction now. About halfway through the workout, I begin to get this feeling of near-euphoria and a burst of energy. I also find myself checking out my bod more in the mirrors. I seem to do my reps really slow so I can admire my muscle structure. I know it sounds kind of vain but it’s the truth!

Anyway, if you’re looking for a really good fitness app, I highly recommend “Fitness Training” by Eltima software.

http://fitness.eltima.com/

There are hundreds of exercises and pre-programmed workouts. Each workout has a text description as well as photos and videos to help with instruction. It has a good logging feature too (weight, reps, measurements, etc) so that you can track your progress. I also just noticed this morning that you can play your music through the app, too. I think it cost me $2 but it was well worth it.

Happy Hump Day!

Bach: 2-Part Invention in D Minor

Whoooooa. The blog is supposed to be about Bach, brawn, banter AND beer – but I’ve only posted about beer. LOL. This fact does not accurately reflect how much I love Bach, specifically playing his music. He’s a musical genius. Even without knowing how to read or play music, Bach’s music is beautiful to hear. BUT – when you begin to analyze it musically you realize how incredibly complex and beautiful it is at the same time. EVEN STILL, none of this compares to when you actually play the music and interpret it yourself.

Even as an amateur pianist, I aspire to play my music perfectly. This is reeeally hard, especially with Bach, but I did it! Only once. A few days ago. The piece I’m finishing now is a short 2-part Invention in D Minor. Here’s a professional recording. (Once I get a camera, I can record myself and post it for you all.) This guy does a pretty good job with the piece. He plays all of the right notes and at the right speed. My only critique is that he does not let the music “breathe”. To play it all the way through so fast doesn’t really give the music a chance to “settle” with the listener. A few well-placed rallentandos would have made this an “A” performance. He still gets a “B” though.

Enjoy!

Beer: Agave Wheat

I asked the waiter to give me something similar to Shock Top and he recommended Agave Wheat – an unfiltered wheat ale. I like it! It smells good and tastes very smooth, almost kinda sweet.

Beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Review

Nothing great about it. Better than Dale’s, not better than Fuller’s.

Beer: Fuller’s London Pride Review

This was my favorite out of the first three. It smells good and isn’t bitter like Dale’s. Also noticed it created waaaaay less head than Dale’s – must be due to the carbonation.

Beer: Dale’s Pale Review

Billy suggested that I start with pale ales. So, I tried Dale’s Pale Ale first.

I did NOT like it.

I don’t have a big beer vocabulary yet, so the words I use to describe it may not be the best. Nonetheless, it tasted bitter, strong, and very sharp. When it first hits my tongue it doesn’t taste bad, then it just tastes horrible all of a sudden. My beer buddy, after hearing my description, believes that I do not like “hoppy” beer (which is apparently what Dale’s is). I also worked on pouring the beer the right way. The pic doesn’t look great, but I did my best.

Oh – and I bought my first 3 singles from Total Wine. They have LOTS of singles for sell and the associate who helped me was very friendly. I highly recommend the Chantilly location for beer.

Beer 101

A few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to learn more about beer. I feel as though I am well-versed on spirits and I don’t care to learn much more about wine at this present moment. Thus, I took to the internet to get some advice. Billy has a program that is designed for beer newbies and I’ll be using this blog to share my progress (among other things).