success

I think we have our heads right and will have totals on Brewfest within a day or two. And surveys are being sent out. Whatcha think? If you get the survey, please tell us. Good or bad. It’s just so much to deal with, even after everything that led up to the event. As a responsible event planner, I’m trying to check back with our attendees… Two years ago? I never thought of this. Now, it’s another responsibility.

And yet, some ruggers didn’t work and hid from us so they didn’t have to work. That? Hurts. It hurts me a ton, especially since I said all along, you work all night, you don’t pay – and unsaid, I’d have loved you forever as a rugger. I know who worked. And who hid. And who hid and did work. And who just tried to drink their faces off while pretending to work.

Those of you in the hid & worked category, you’re ok. I’m not pleased, but I’ll deal with it. Kudos to you!!! I thank you – thirty times over! Thank you!!

Those of you who I KNOW didn’t work? Or who pretended & drank? I’m so disappointed with you. Honestly, that should make you feel worse than those who didn’t work.

I might be a task-master and make you think you work your a** off. But in reality, the rest of us have been working for months behind the scenes. And for you to be unable to give us 2-3 hours of work? I AM SO DISAPPOINTED in you as a human being.

Those of you who have seen me working at My Living Room and yelling in the past, or have seen me at Coopers Lake, or saw me yelling at Brewfest, that yelling is nothing to being let down and what I feel towards my clubmates for this. So disappointed.

There were a number that I didn’t expect to show up & work – and they did. In mass numbers! I kid you not! I have pictures from others to prove it. I’m proud, so proud, of those people. They proved me wrong. I LOVE being proved WRONG.

I hate being let down.

Good luck, to those who let me down. That’s all I’m going to say. Because I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll remember this.

Good luck.

Over!

Brewfest is over! Done! Whew.

Things went really well. Cindy Lou and I did a bang up job!!

I don’t have exact numbers yet, tickets still need to be returned. Hopefully by December I’ll have totals. Oy.

But things went really well. I am happy that things turned out so great.

I have to figure out where some random thingts went, and I found a jacket that doesn’t belong to me in my stuff.

I’m just happy it’s over.

Now? I have to keep trying to find a job and get ready to go see my Little C in just under two weeks. Sweet.

Freak Out!

Awww, yeah… tomorrow is Brewfest.

And if I didn’t realize I was freaking the heck out, my super awesome shoulder pain (where I obviously “store” my stress) is back in full force, screaming at me.

Nice.

I think we’re ready. Well, by we, I mean everyone else. I’m currently trying to wrap up online Will Call sales, print out about 2,763 pages of docs (ok, that might be an exxageration. Maybe.) and figure out what the heck is going on tomorrow.

I know I am forgetting approximately 300 things.

Will call ticket sales have come in, I kid you not, every few minutes, all day today. To the point that it took me an hour tonight to make sure I got all the orders recorded. Wow.

Nearly 800 tickets sold so far. And I expect a ton of walk-ins tomorrow night. 84 beers. Who can turn that down? Even myself, as a non-beer drinker, has a few on the list I want to try.

Especially Tommyknocker’s Maple Nut Brown Ale. I’m sorry, but if you combine just about anything with Maple Syrup? I will try it. Most likely, I will love it. I believe I’ve discussed my love of the Starbucks Maple Macchiato here. No longer exists (Starbucks? Super fail. You’d have all my coffee $$ in the fall if you still had it!!) So here’s hoping for the Maple Nut Brown Beer.

If you’re coming tomorrow and don’t know me in person yet, I’ll most likely be near the entrance, but if you can’t find me, ask someone in a black & gold rugby shirt to find a “lead” and call me on our super-cool walkie talkies… I’ll come find you!

Here’s hoping I survive tomorrow night!

(P.S. Who’s bringing me a bottle of American Honey so that I can make it through the night? Anyone? Anyone?)

Second.

(This was supposed to post on Monday. Again, oops.)

We finished up our season yesterday. Second place in Nationals.

And we’re okay with it.

We beat Albany 5-3 in the semi-finals.

Due to a wild card system in the semi-finals, we had to again face Raleigh in the Finals, whom we beat the day before.

This time we lost 12-0.

Our team played hard. Very. But we’re okay – last time, 4th; this time 2nd. It’s all good.

Just wait for next year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now it’s on to Brewfest work for me!

Packed.

Well, sort of. Here’s yesterday’s to-do list… What I accomplished today is crossed off. What I absolutely HAVE to do tomorrow, that’s in red. Things that will be/should be finished up later tonight, they’re blue…

• One more practice. The last practice of the year. Wow. But a news crew is stopping by that practice!! More on that soon…

• Sewing. It HAS to be done. I don’t want to have to take it with me, but it might happen. Sewing makes me happy… So maybe I should just take it… I don’t know… This is something I have to clear with Lili, to be honest.

• Laundry – lots of it. I seem to have enough rugby stuff for two practices or games. That’s it. You’d think by now I’d have a stock-pile of stuff, but I don’t. The one area I’m apparently a true minimalist.

• Also, my socks keep disappearing. I have no idea where they are going, but I have very few socks in rotation suddenly. What the heck?

• After laundry, I need to figure out what the heck I need to take with me for the weekend. Two flights, one light practice, four rugby matches, at least two or three dinners with the team. And who knows what else. I need to review the kagillion emails in my inbox that I’ve been ignoring.

• Packing:
  • The checked bag
    • The checked bag gets most of the clothes, the bad-ass dirty boots and a bunch of other things. First, however, I need to clear it of all the clothes/crap I store in there throughout the season.
  • The carry on
    • The carry on gets the old boots, and enough for one rugby match & a pair of flip flops. God help me if my stuff goes missing.
  • My netbook bag
    • The netbook bag will have said netbook, multiple reading materials (including Candide, which I haven’t manged to finish yet, given everything else,) Brewfest stuff in print that I can work on, and the essential docs required for roster check in before our game: a copy of my birth certificate, my insurance card and my ID.

• Hopefully two, but absolutely ONE chiropractor appointment. Good thing about this season? I didn’t have back pain at all. Bad thing? When I finally started to participate, my back started hating me in FULL FORCE. OMG. It’s not the worst it’s been, but the constant ache is closing in on unbearable.

• One meeting with UncleCrappy for a good-luck beer tomorrow night. (aka this evening…)
  

• Updating the Angels Chalk Talk Blog… I hate to say it, but I’m scheduling posts between now and when we leave. It HAS to be done, if I want to do anything else on this list.

• Updating the PRFC website to take down mailed out Brewfest ticket orders and switch to Will Call ticket orders.

• Mailing out the remaining ticket orders.

• Getting back to the multiple brewers who suddenly want to attend Brewfest.

Oh, and the brackets stuff? It’s changed. AGAIN.

Seeding:

1. Miami (USA Rugby South)
2. Pittsburgh (MidWest)
3. Albany (Northeast)
4. Raleigh (MidAtlantic)
5. Providence (Northeast)
6. Charleston (USA Rugby South)
7. Maryland Stingers (MidAtlantic)
8. Minneapolis (MidWest)
9. Santa Monica (Southern California)
10. Houston (West)

Pool A: Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Charleston, Houston
Pool B: Miami, Providence, Minneapolis
Pool C: Albany, Maryland, Santa Monica

Saturday

POOL A
Venue: University of Houston

1:00pm – Pittsburgh vs Charleston – Field 1
1:00pm – Raleigh vs Houston – Field 2

3:30pm – 1pm game losers – Field 1
3:30pm – 1 pm game winners – Field 2

POOLS B AND C
Venue: Westland Family YMCA

8:30am – Albany vs Maryland (C)
9:45am – Miami vs Providence (B)
11:00am – Maryland vs Santa Monica (C)

12:45pm – Providence vs Minneapolis (B)
2:00pm – Albany vs Santa Monica (C)
3:15pm – Miami vs Minneapolis (B)

Sunday
Venue: University of Houston

9:00am – Game 11: Pool A #1 vs Pool C #1
9:00am – Game 12: Pool B #1 vs Overall #4
9:00am – Game 13: Overall #9 vs Overall #10

10:30am – Game 14: Overall #7 vs Overall #8
10:30am – Game 15: Overall #5 vs Overall #6

11:30am -Game 16: Loser game 11 vs Loser game 12 (3/4 place)
1:00pm – Game 17: Winner game 11 vs Winner game 12 (Final)

A**-kicking.

Seriously. My PRFC website just kicked my butt. Stupid website. I need to upload some PDFs and link to them. The uploads worked fine. The linking? Not so much.

Whatever. The Angels are hosting the Midwest Championships this weekend. It is a lot of work. And since we’re also playing in said championships, we could really use the help. Everyone… So if you’re available, please volunteer to help us. Even if just for a few hours. I’d love you forever. And offer you discounted Brewfest tickets. And love you forever. And Ever. And Ever.

Brewfest is also trying to kick my butt. Last year, we had 26 breweries and 51 beers. I had a tough time making everything work out. The place was packed…

This year, we’ve added a new venue to the mix, but it isn’t huge. It’s kind of small. And now I have 35 breweries and 60 beers. Minimum. So, what this means is I might have to hang some brewers from the cieling or something. I don’t know. I do know that Visio and I are developing a love/hate relationship. It’s really kind of fun.

If anyone has suggestions on a new, absolutely gigantic, and not more than $5,000 to rent place, I’m taking suggestions already.

I’m overwhelmed. Exstatic. Incredibly happy, and I should be studying the rugby laws and finding a myriad of colored tshirts to wear while running touch this weekend.  I don’t own that many colored tshirts. Crap.

I spent a few hours today reading my assigned book, Voltaire’s Candide. Um. Yeah. This book is redonkulous. But I’m trying. Because the result of my reading this thing is important to me. And maybe I can beg for a different book next time. Lol.

By the way, have you tried the Chex Mix Turtle bars?

I had no idea they existed. But I bought one the other day, as the Turtle mix is one of my favorite Chex Mix varities. I kid you not, this might beat every chocolate bar (besides the British ones) I’ve ever had.

Their site says less than 150 calories. There is no way it’s only 150 calories. Maybe they mean 1,500? Amazingly delicious. I’d like a life time supply, please. Wowza.

Ok. I gotta get back to my laws. As soon as I find more Chex Turtle Bars. Yum.

Boredom.

I am so sick of being on the couch. I didn’t like my job, really, let’s be honest, right? But holy crap, do I HATE being at home. Wow. It’s driving me nuts.

I went out for coffee yesterday. And wandered around Target. Yay!

I think I have lunch plans tomorrow. Whew.

I was given a book for a little reading assignment. Voltaire’s Candide. Um… Well, I did ask for a book suggestion… Honestly. It just wasn’t what I expected to be given!! My knowledge of Candide is this: I am positive that in some high school orchestra/honors band, I played a piece called Candide. Yeah. I’m pretty sure I liked it… I have the sheet music for it somewhere at my parents house… Does that count for anything? No?

I spent today dealing with final returning of job things. Not things I forgot to return. Things I forgot I even had that they later requested I return. Lack of planning on their part, indeed. Wow. And I still haven’t received my Cobra paperwork… Geez…

I have some decent job leads, I have a resume in the editing stages which I’ll be sending to probably every person I know. And I’m going to find a PT job, somewhere.

Meanwhile, Brewfest continues. To the extreme. I had a fantastic response to the email sent to the teams asking for volunteers. Fantastic.

And brewers/beers keep coming in. I have to turn brewers away soon… I just won’t have room for them. It’s amazing. I had to re-organize my floor plan to accommodate a number just slightly higher than I have on my list now!!

Any suggestions on how to judge the beers??? I have no idea. Last year was a pain… I need something easy – easy for the guys, easy for me…Less stress = extra happy AAA.

Ticket sales picked up like crazy today!! Hmmm, I wonder if it’s because I finally could post a list of the brewers… Wow are people dependent on that list!!!

Speaking of tickets – why the heck haven’t y’all contacted me to get tickets? Really!!!! The PodCamp $25 deal lasts until Oct. 24th, only because I could only make it out to PodCamp stuff last weekend (unless I’ve already spoken to you about it – there’s 3 of you right now) and I’m busy as heck right now. So maybe this will help motivate you.

Yes, I created that just for you guys for now. But it will be live on the site soon. So enjoy. And buy some tickets and make me happy!!

http://bit.ly/2RgBsi

Brewfest. OMG.

Hi!! I’m back online. Times like these – busy rugby crap, I am pretty sure the rugby peeps should be paying for my internet access… hah!

This year’s Brewfest is going to kick my ass to no end.

Two or three days ago? I had 5 guaranteed brewers. As of today? I have 30. Thirty brewers. With no kidding, a minimum of 54 beers.

If I could do a back flip or something similar, I’d totally have done it ten times in the past 3 days.

The list of brewers here: http://pghrugby.com/brewers_2009.html It WILL keep growing. So keep checking back.

I still have more distributors/brewers who haven’t confirmed. NOW I have to set a deadline to reply! Good thing? Absolutely. WOW. But sending out that deadline SUCKS. Bad.

I’m not sure I have room for more!! I have to spend part of tomorrow figuring that out!

I kid you not. I was kinda scared that we wouldn’t meet or beat last year. My goal every year is to do just that: meet or beat the previous year. Right now, I’m happy with what I have… But I want more, better, different. Every. Single. Year.

Once I have brewers set, I might – might – get t-shirts made. Would you buy one if you came to Brewfest?? Seriously? I can’t decide….

I have SO MUCH to do for the next month. Tshirts aren’t going to hurt my productivity, but I can’t decide if it’s a waste or a profit. I NEED INPUT PEEPS!!!

And now, I just realized all the crap I have to do to get ready. Ballot boxes? I have NO idea how many we bought? Do I have enough? No clue!! Oh the adventures I’m going to have for the next couple of weeks….

In other news, please, buy your tix for Brewfest. If you are one of my Tweeps, DM me for $25 tix. Otherwise, you’re on your own.

Please help me make this the best attended, best Brewer attended Brewfest yet. Because after that? I’m retiring from all PRFC events.

Yes, true statement.What?

And this post doesn’t even *touch* on my personal life issues & events. Wowza. Come back tomorrow for something on that. Still debating what to let loose…

Again, DM me if you want my super special $25 Brewfest tix price. Otherwise, see http:www.pghrugby.com/brewfest.html

And the stress begins…

I’m knee deep into Brewfest. And by knee deep I mean that the muck is really up to my neck.

We’ve added a new bar – Steelhouse. So I spent early Sunday wandering around the empty bar as they opened, taking measurements, imagining things that could happen, things that will happen…

I spent most of Sunday evening on the pittsburghbrewfest@gmail.com account, emailing every brewer I can find in the United States. Again. And emailing some of them for a third time because they still haven’t made a decision… I’m not worried, but geez it takes them a while to get back to me sometimes.

I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to get people in and moving around whatever bar is first, and then moving them between the bars… It’s really difficult. I’m trying to avoid the “tiny hallway” congestion that we ran into last year. Especially because the new hallway between Bar Room & Steelhouse is about 1/3 the size of the previous hallway!!

The only solution? Route people outside. Literally, the only option. But between each bar, it’s only 5-8 feet to walk max. Y’all are going to have to do it, regardless of the weather. I have to ask – is that too much to ask of you? I can’t see another option, so if you were there last year and have a suggestion, please leave a comment!

What do I know – I’ve got nothing on a crowd of 1,000+ people. No matter how hard I try… I can’t control where & when people do things at this event,. And no matter how I try to get people to route outside, even if it’s nice out, people may still flock to that tiny hallway… I just don’t know how to fix that. I’m hoping to reverse the “route” that you’ll travel this year – so that you END at Saddle Ridge. A much larger venue and able to accommodate more people as they gather and end the night…

If we route people outside, and the weather is cold/rainy/snow, we’re going to have portable heaters and some awnings/tents to cover those areas if needed… And we’ll have my wonderful PRFC boys out there to move you along, remind you of where you should be going, etc. And I have a feeling I might end up out there for most of my night…

The bands/entertainment is changing this year as well… I’ll post a link as soon as we’re confirmed.

There’s just so much that needs to be done. Some of it is mind-numbing stupid. Like trying to figure out where you’ll enter Brewfest so I can finally have tickets made. Oh, and trying to outsmart a Paypal button on the website so that I don’t have to ask for help to fix it (I was entirely successful on that adventure, I might add. Over the past week? Website -2, Me +35. I WIN!), or creating a Visio drawing of Steelhouse and where the permanent items are. Took me over an hour and a half (mostly because stupid Visio doesn’t have “booths” as in the restaurant table type booths as an item to add to your floorplan, nor do they have many other restaurant items available…)

And I totally entered into this year’s Brewfest thinking it would be easy-peasy and that I had 75% of the prep type stuff done already. Wow was I wrong.

Please send good, positive thoughts to me for the next 6 weeks. I’ll love you for it forever, I swear. My sanity is on the line here…

Beer.

I’m not a beer person. I’m a rum gal. Beer most often gives me heartburn. My good ole spiced rum does not.

However, with respect to UncleCrappy, Father Spoon & SickPuppy, I truly have tried to broaden my horizons away from Miller Lite or Yinzling. I have found a few beers that my heartburn and I can tolerate. Really.

Bur then I had a chance encounter with one beer has taken me to la-la land. Seriously.

There is a very small (okay, large) chance I am obsessed with this beer. I kid you not.

I shared my growler of Mokah at the Bucco Tweet Up. (It sat in my fridge for a  month or so. I’m so proud that I didn’t drink it before that.) I also drank rum and other stuff. I was fine.

I went camping for my non-existent birthday, and thanks to the Crappys, I had a Mokah to start off the night, then drank rum and Lion’s Head and was FINE. Maybe a bit drunky-drunkerson, but FINE.

But then I found out it was a seasonal beer. And I cried. (Just a little, it’s ok.) I assume my sole love of it will bring it back next spring. Right?

Mokah, from the Southern Tier Website

a stout brewed with chocolate & coffee

When empirical and creative impulses collide, the result is often timeless. The classic utility-art aesthetic of the coffee maker is an example of design and engineering working in concert. It is through similar cooperation that the simple bitter cocoa bean is transformed into a sweet treat. As scientists, our brewers utilize their materials to exacting standards. As artists, they couldn’t resist the temptation to combine two of our highly acclaimed Blackwater Series Imperial Stouts: Jahva and Choklat. Alone each is perfect, but together as Mokah they are an inimitable expression of two of the world’s most sought after flavors. Enjoy Mokah stout with – or as – your favorite dessert! 11.0% abv • 27º plato • Imperial Stout Brewed with Coffee & Chocolate • 22 oz / 1/6 keg 2-row pale malt • 2-row barley • caramel, chocolate & black malts • roasted barley barley flakes • Jamaican roasted coffee • bittersweet Belgian chocolate • chinook, willamette, cascade & columbus hops

Last weekend at the Sharp Edge, just a few blocks from home, I tried a few new-to-me beers. UncleCrappy swore I was a beer lover. I almost believed him until I had heartburn when I got home. Beer fail.

I was alerted to a Southern Tier sampling at Bocktown Wednesday night a little while ago. Knowing the love of my life is a seasonal, I considered turning down the invite, as I plan to go to Monroeville to JoAnn’s and the batting cages, but I considered searching out more So Tier stuff and maybe help my Brewfest.

I need to go to a JoAnn’s tomorrow. Absolutely. But THEN. Then I get a text telling me there’s a good chance MOKAH is still on tap at Boktown. Really? Really?

I don’t need to go to those batting cages (sorry, Coach.) I really need to go to JoAnn’s and then find me some Mokah. Right? Right.

So for now, that’s the plan. And after that? I’ll be sewing my face off. Hoping to again enjoy some Mokah (one of two bottles smuggled back for me by the Crappys) for Labor Day. Hopefully on a lake somwhere nearby. That’s the potential schedule anyway.

The other one is saved for consolation when I return from Little C’s baptism in September.