A discovery worse than Spam.

Yes, I didn't think it could be done either. I always like corned beef and hash since I tried it at Fayzees in La Crosse. So, I decided to try a can of it. I picked up a can of Flavorite, the bargain brand that makes everything imaginable. They're my favorite brand of everything, they're really cheap and my stomach can't tell the difference. Anyway, I followed the directions on the can by frying it on the stove for a few minutes. First of all, it came out of the can like Thanksgiving cranberry jelly, a solid loaf complete with the can impressions. Second of all, it smelled like canned dog food. I put some salt and pepper on it to make it edible, but I didn't quite work. I could only muster enough strength to force down a single taste. Oh well, we all have to learn lessons in life, you're just fortunate to learn it from me and not from Flavorite. I'm off to the SERF now to get buff. These guns don't just happen on their own you know.

Lazy Days of Summer

Hello everybody. Well so far summer has been pretty uneventful. I've been working in my lab still, and still searching for that second job that I will be able to keep during the school year. I'm still looking to get a phlebotomist position in the hospital. I hope all the cousins that made the voyage to Vegas had a good time. Too bad my uncertain employment situation and lack of any money prevented me from coming. I'll definetly make the trek up to the cities this summer to visit everyone. Maybe in two weeks or so. Although I'm not a big soccer fan (football for all the hip people out there), I've been following the world cup. Germany is hosting this year and they made a good showing their first game beating Costa Rica 4-2. The US was hopeful for a good run, but they got spanked 0-3 by the Czech Republic in their opening match. Oh well, we still have American Football, Basketball, and Baseball. I can't imagine how mixing soccer hooligans and German beer can be going very well. Ahh, wish I could be there to see it. Also enjoy the wiener dog. I think it's been proven that daily doses of cute puppy pictures reduces the risk of heart disease, or maybe that was red wine. Anyway it was one of the two.

The Start of Summer

My last final was Friday, so my summer vacation started Saturday morning. Friday night I went out to eat with a fellow classmate after the test. I have two new food experiences to relay to you all. We went to Wandos, known for their fish bowl cocktails and nightly fish fries. I had my first experience with batter fried walleye. I little peppier than cod I'd have to say, but very delicious. I also had the Smithwick's Irish Ale there. This too was very pleasing to the pallet. A lot darker than I imagined, but I guess that's to be expected coming from Guinness. I've just been sitting around the apartment to kick off the first few days of summer. I went into the lab to work yesterday, and I'm going back in an hour or so to snip some more mice tails. It really puts a nice spin on the day. Looking forward to all that summer has to offer. Camping trips to the state parks. My first legal drinking age visit to Mayfest in Mount Carroll Illinois. And hopefully my first legal gambling age visit to Las Vegas. This should prove to be a nice summer. See you all soon.

Mifflin St.

Sorry for the long hiatus from blog updating. The end of the semester has been a busy one. As you can see, last Saturday was the Mifflin St. block party where they estimate 20 - 25 thousand people descend upon our little street for one last end of the year hurrah. A few beverages are consumed, and a great time is had by all. Uhhh, maybe not all. This year was quite a Mifflin St. party for me. I actually didn't have a drop of alcohol on this day. I know what you are all thinking. "Jason, you are such a responsible boy. It's good to see you can have a fun time without feeling the need to drink." I actually started to celebrate on Mifflin Eve. To make a long story short, I let my youthful exuberance get the best of me, and I spent some time with my dear friend the trash can that night. Thus, the next day my stomach and head weren't ready for the hair of the dog. So I made a quick lap down the street to take in the atmosphere and returned to our humble abode for some brats on the grill. Finals start this week, and my first one is actually on Sunday. After that I plan on staying here in Madison to work in the lab I've been in this year, plus get a second job. I've applied for a phlebotomist position at Meriter Hospital a few blocks down the road. It's from 4:30-8:30 am, so it should be an interesting time. Other than that I don't have much more to say. Except to say that my latest blog update request came from my favorite cousins. Jill, Beth, and Sara have requested my next beer review be of Smithwick Irish Ale. I'm fairly sure this is the correct one. It's an Irish Ale made by Guinness. It seems to be a cult favorite of those who have tried it. I've actually already tracked it down at the Brocach Irish Pub on the capital square. My incredible detective skills revealed that the the picture on the home page shows that the tap to the far right is Smithwicks. From now on, I encourage active participation by my blog readers, and additional suggestions for beer tastings are also welcome, especially if you're buying.

Beer and Cupcake pairing part two

Last time I reviewed the delicious pairing of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer with a chocolate cupcake. I've decided to continue the opposites attract theory. This week we have a dark German wheat beer Erdinger Hefe-Weizen Dunkel paired with Betty Crocker funfetti cupcakes and vanilla frosting. I actually had most of the sprinkles removed from the batter before mixing, using a noodle strainer as a sieve. I felt that the sprinkles would cheapen the high quality beer in the pairing. Overall, this pairing didn't speak to me as much as the previous one. I think the beer was great, but it was a very smooth mellow flavorful beer. While on the other hand, the cupcake was overpoweringly sweet, even without a majority of the sprinkles. So the sugar rush from the cupcake ruined the savory flavors of the beer. I would think that this beer would also be nice with a chocolate cupcake. Thus, from this experiment we can conclude that it is not scientific law that the cupcake and beer must be opposite in color. Check back later for more beer and cupcake pairing advice.

Oh Germany, why must you tease me?

This picture may explain why Germany is the most influential European country. Although I don't remember all of the beer maids looking like this though. Yet, it's not a bad promotional tool. I hope that we make it back across the Atlantic in the next couple of years. I think I'm in withdrawal. I'll just have to make-do with the Rathskeller and La Crosse's Oktoberfest. (The make-do in the previous sentence is grammatically correct, feeling some doubt I confirmed it on Webster's.)
Jennifer and I are currently in the 3rd semester of German here at UW. So it will be exciting to get back over there since we've never been there with any knowledge of German. Here's another German staple of Madison, Bavaria Sausage Inc. Check it out if you're ever in town. Finally a little shout out to all you Krauts across the pond. Fesi, wir brauchen dich, kommen dieser Sommer. Bitte. Bringen Sie Freunde auch. Bis bald.

Ahh Springtime

Well you can definitely tell it's springtime. Love is in the air. This newlywed couple of mallard ducks is on their honeymoon in our courtyard fountain. I bet we have a flock full of little ducklings paddling around in there in no time. It's been an eventful week here in Madison. The current issue of Playboy out on shelves last Friday features UW as the #1 party school. Both the guys' and girls' hockey teams are national champions. And the immigration rallies were in full swing here today. Everything is so exciting and it's only Monday. What does the rest of the week have in store? Whatever it is I'm hoping it includes more of the sunny and 70 weather, and maybe another batch of delicious cupcakes. 

The TPyramid

We're quite the toiletries architects. Jennifer made a trip home this weekend, so we were reloaded with provisions. I held down the fort here in Madison. I did a little studying and a lot of sleeping. With temperatures in the 60s, spring is definitely here. It'll be nice to walk to class without the jacket. Only 1 more midterm for me until the wind down to finals. The end of the year also means something else around here. Mifflin block party, and since Jennifer and I are currently living at the start of Mifflin St., this end of the year should prove quite interesting. Don't worry I promise to have a cold one for all of you out there.

Peculiar dishes

This week has been filled with new gastronomical experiences. To start things off St. Patty's day marked my first experience with green beer, it was homemade to boot. The next day followed suit with another traditional Irish dish, corned beef & cabbage. The meat was very good, but the recipe contained entirely too many vegetables. And finally, as you can see, I tried some canned plums (they still have the pits in them, which I thought was cool). They taste exactly like prunes, so I was a little worried about the possible outcome when I ate half the can. Luckily, they seem to be a little less potent than their sun-dried little brethren. Not much else happening here. We're just easing back into the routine before the long haul to finals. This weekend is looking to be spring like, so it'll be nice to get outside.

My brain

Isn't that grey matter sexy. The first weekend of my spring break was spent in Madison. I was part of a psych study that tried to map my emotions as I was exposed to pictures in an MRI machine. This is a picture of my brain during the scan. All I can tell from this is that I don't have a tumor or schizophrenia. It looks pretty good to me. When I returned from Madison I kept good on my pormise and had a Mojito which followed the recipe from my previous post, sans umbrella though. If you want to try one too, I'd suggest to simply use Sprite instead of soda water and sugar. Anyways we'll see where I'll end up this week. Viva spring break.

Count down to spring break..

Five more days until spring break. It will be nice to have a little respite before the long haul. I will probably end up doing the same thing as usual, just hanging around at home. There are a few more options like visiting the cousins in Colorado, or starting an illegal Cuban cigar ring from Canada. All of these options sound equally appealing. Here is a picture of downtown Denver for all of you wondering. I definitely believe a road trip is in order before my college career comes to an end. Hopefully it's to somewhere more appealing than Denver in March though. No matter where I end up, Miami, Denver, or Onalaska, I am still going to have myself an umbrella drink.

and the peasants rejoice...

Awwwww, he's so cute. I have always wondered how these dogs actually survive. Look at those legs, can this dog even walk, or has it evolved a way to inch along like a caterpillar. I do like this golden retriever/dachshund hybrid looking version. Anyways, congratulations are in order for this fellow, he's the first wurst posted on this blog. If you have a hankering for more cute fuzzy animal pictures, visit the site where I found this. http://www.e-michael.jp/gallery.htm Apparently the Japenese crave fisheye pictures of puppies.

Olympic ladies :)

Well, the winter Olympics are over. We'll all have to wait two more years to hear that magical music in China during the summer Olympics. Germany (Deutschland ueber alles) and the United States took first and second in the total medals standings respectively. Yaaay for us. While watching the opening ceremonies, I found myself noticing that, unlike the summer games, most of the female Olympians were very attractive. This further proves my point that Swedish volleyball players are hot. Which makes this country definitely worth a visit. Other than that, not much happening on the home front here. We have a week and a half until spring break, and no tests until after we come back, so it seems like easy sailing. I just got my virology test back and I got an 88, so I was pretty happy with that AB. I faired better than most in the class. Finally, if you guys didn't believe me about the Swedes, check this out. All of them Mrs. Rundle material except 14. I think she wandered in from Russia or something. http://www.volleyboll.se/Organisation.asp?OrgElementid=54244 

I believe Julie Andrews sang a song about this.

Yes these are a few of my favorite things. The beer even tastes four times better when it's chasing a delicious cupcake. Plus, the portability of these two items makes them perfect for any occasion. Although I have concluded that cupcakes and beer make a delectable duo, I will have to conduct further research into the perfect combination of cupcakes and beer. As you can see I have only tested the chocolate cupcake and cheap light lager beer. Perhaps a dark beer and yellow cupcake will produce the same delicious results. Keep checking back for further developments. 

Lab Work!

I just got back from the lab that I am working in. For those of you who don't know about it, I'll fill you in. I'm currently working in a lab for some school credits (sadly no money). Working under Dr. Weidanz (I think it's a German name) we're infecting mice with a mouse version of malaria parasites and seeing how their immune systems respond to it. In order to see how the immune system responds we breed the mice to have certain deficiencies in some part of their immune systems and see how this has an effect on their ability to clear the malaria that we inject into them. My job is to take DNA from the mice that we breed and check to see what genes they have (ie. normal genes or the missing immune genes that we're breeding for). To do this I snip off the tip of the mouse tail and then use some enzymes to digest it into pure DNA. Then I take this DNA and run it through some stuff that gives me a picture like the one you see here. All the ones with bars are the mice that have the genes that we are looking for. We're gathering this data on the immune response to malaria so that one day a vaccine may be developed for it. So if there is a vaccine some day, I'm pretty much the one to thank. I think I smell Nobel Prize.

The scheduling gods are sadistic.

Well as of now, I'm half way done with the week of doom. Four tests in two days. This weekend will definately be sweeter than most. I'm guessing that all of my professors got together and set into motion this whole doomsday. At least I will have them all out of the way. Tomorrow promisses to be a much more upbeat post.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Jennifer and I decided to make some yummy apple cinnamon muffins yesterday. They've already been devoured. They didn't taste at all like apple, and the cinnamon was hardly detectable, yet they were the most delicious muffins I have ever baked from scratch. On the bright side, I now know how to spell cinnamon. You can have some of your very own http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,194,158184-238204,00.html

German Sex Symbol

Is Felix poised to become Germany's next great sex symbol after the likes of Heidi Klum, Gerhard Schröder, and Richard Simmons? The corduroy sports jacket, sophisticated glasses, and sleek hair style are all pointing to a resounding yes. Watch out Frauen.

Inaugural Post!

Hi everyone this is my first blog post ever, now I'm officially hip. I'll use this blog to keep all you family and friends updated on the current happenings of my life. Plus, I'll use it as a platform to share info and pictures. Cool pictures of wiener dogs may also find themselves on the blog too because I mean who doesn't love wiener dogs. I hope you all enjoy!