merry christmas childrens

great scott it's the holidays again. it seems like the older i get the faster time goes. 2004 turned out to be a good year and SOB it's already almost over. everytime i turn around it's christmas again. don't get my wrong i love this time of year but if time continues at this pace i'll be dead in 45 minutes. in any case time goes on and we have a new year of peso madness to look forward to, but before we get there i thought i would do a quick year in review and see what kind of riduculous things i did to pass the time. here are the highlights:

1. 2004 started on a kickass note as i left vegas with 20 bucks to my name (it went straight to my gas tank) and a nice gambling/alcohol hangover.
2. i traded in my beloved mustang for my first truck: a nice single cab short bed chebby. a fun little truck that was an ass hauling machine. that thing went way too fast, in more ways than one...
3. i saw janet jackson's boob on live tv.
4. we had an irishpeso most valuable reader contest. mau pretty much mopped it up but there was a suprising turnout of submissions from a nice variety of readers. keep up the good work childrens.
5. the olympics came and went and i didn't give a shit. i have better things to do than watch an international water polo match, but kudos to women's volleyball.
6. me and neris got uber-sloshed and left a now famous voicemail to mau. i'm sure mom is so proud...
7. i bought a bunch of power tools and helped mau build a loft/deck/bed thingy in his new pad. it actually came out good.
8. i went to colorado and saw snowfall for the first time. it's a lot colder than the movies make it out to be.
9. i tried the following beers for the first time: arrogant bastard, henry weinhard's private reserve, murphy's irish stout, alleycat amber ale, modelo especial, negra modelo, and double bastard ale. not a bad showing but i vow to do even better next year.
10. i did like ice cube in "next friday" and moved to rancho cucamonga.
11. i bought a new truck. again. i'm retarded but it's sweet.
12. and last but most importantly i found out that i'm going to be an uncle. NRS went ahead and ordered a baby nerito from the baby factory and he's on his way. i'm gonna spoil that little tater tot rotten.

in other news mau went ahead and started a cult, aptly named the "irishpesonians." it's a cozy little club where my followers can gather on the net and communicate with each other via message board. if you are really on top of things you will probably notice that i added a registration doo-hickey-ma-bob at the top of my left nav, so go ahead and join on up. all the cool kids are doing it. on that note it is my honor to name mau as the official vice president of irishpeso incorporated. remember kiddos if someone starts a google group in your honor it's polite to leave them in charge of something and make them feel important.

as part of our nonstop effort to expand the peso mau and i inadvertently stumbled on a fun activity that proves to pass the time while amusing us at the expense of technology. A.L.I.C.E. is a computer program that chats with you in real time. while quite "skilled" in basic conversation, the subtleties of common vernacular can make for some interesting conversations with the little box of microchips. you may have noticed i added a hall of A.L.I.C.E. section on the left, a nice little collection of the absurdity that happens when a person communicates with a computer programmed to imitate a person. feel free to send me your little gems and i'll share them with all the peso childrens. it's a technological renaissance bitches.

no year-end peso offering would be complete without a nice beer review. what better way to wrap up the year than with a beer that will tickle your taste buds and kick you in the nuts at the same time. double bastard ale is brewed by stone brewing company, those same blessed souls that gave us the divine nectar that is arrogant bastard ale. like it's more laid-back counterpart, double bastard is a tasty amber ale that balances sturdy malt and hop flavors with a subtle caramel sweetness that sings to your soul and gives you a hint of the glorious afterlife to come. just when you arrive at the pearly gates of beer nirvana you get a nice little memo that says you just got your ass kicked by one glass of beer. arrogant bastard ale is no slouch coming in at about 7% alky (mau and i got a bit loopy after one glass of arrogant), but double bastard cuts the shit with a forceful 10% punch. the initial taste is nicely complex but this beer finishes with a holler to remind you that you are drinking a beer more than twice as potent as the average mass-marketed pilsner. i have nothing against big beer companies (mgd is still a great staple), nor do i think i'm cool because i like microbrews. the fact is this beer kicks ass and will kick your ass so go out and find you some if you can. word on the street is this beer goes quick so you might wanna jump on it. i all but eliminated the supply at one store i visited. as the image to the left indicates this beer comes in two sizes, a 22oz bottle (trust me this is enough to get you flying, if you can even finish it in one sitting) that you can get for about 4 bones and a monster 3 liter bottle that's perfect for knocking out your whole crew for the bargain price of 60 bucks. aggressive beer that doesn't give a shit if you like it, that's the american way childrens.

in honor of the soon to be here new year i would like to present what will now be a tradition here at irishpeso. i'm sure many of you will be ringing in the new year with some kind of festive gathering (i'll be at beav's, see you cats there...) and perhaps even partaking of the beauty that is new years eve brew. in the spirit of starting the new year on the right foot i present to you the official irishpeso twelve beer challenge. in honor of the twelve months of the year i will drink twelve bottles of guinness on new years eve to celebrate the year past and put out the puked-on welcome mat for the new one. i will keep a photo log of my progress (in addition to the other festivities) and post them sometime next year, depending on when the hangover clears up. this challenge is open so if you choose to join me feel free to send pics of your own marathon. choice of beer is not as important as the spirit of the event so grab your favorite and knock 'em back with the big peso. also please note this is probably not a good match for anyone that needs to drive anywhere so plan accordingly.

mkay childrens that about does it for this year of irishpeso. have some good holidays and watnot and we'll see yalls next year.