Earthbag Building

I'm a pretty realistic guy when it comes down to it. But, I have a bit of a pessimistic world view in the back of my mind, which I think is better than being naive. I'd much rather be prepared for the worst, than be caught with my pants down when the government collapses/aliens invade/zombies come.
Being an IT professional, that really doesn't give much in the way of "making" something when it comes down to it. So I like looking into things that I think may be useful to know and/or give me something that I can make with my own two hands that can be given to other people. It is why I love brewing beer! I can't imagine a world where people would sour on having a relaxing beverage once in a while.
It is also why I have had my interest piqued recently by earthbag building. It seems like an easy to learn skill that promotes a very earth friendly and sustainable shelter or even a home.

I am thinking of building the style in the picture above as a small tool shed or storage area whenever I end up in a permanent place. It looks like an easy enough job, and one that I feel I can do fairly easily. There is even a step-by-step instructable that goes over the process. 

There are lots of resources on sustainable building styles, and good starter projects to get your feet wet. I'll list a few of them at the end. 

Like I said, I don't think I'll ever end up making a bunker against zombies, but it looks like a fun and rewarding project that will pay off in the long run. Who knows? Depending on where we live in the end, making a large and well insulated earthbag building with good baled straw insulation would make a fine beer and wine cellar. Can't beat that.

http://earthbagbuilding.wordpress.com/

http://small-scale.net/yearofmud/

Goals

Last weekend I made my goal weight of 185 lbs, which was fantastic. I'm quite pleased with the results of my diet change and the difference I feel with just being more active.

Going to the gym or exercising when you are not in shape can be intimidating. Doing a few curls with a 20lbs weight next to the guy curling a small Volkswagon can really throw you off. But sticking through that embarrassment really makes you feel good in the long run. I'm sure having a set plan with a workout schedule and a scientific analysis of calorie burn to fat loss conversion chart can help, but really you just have to start going. Getting that motivation to go for a week gets it into your head, and then it becomes a habit. That is what pays off in the long run.

Now for a bit of music that helped me through my workout and cooldown sessions:

I swear that The Sword sounds like an alternate universe that Black Sabbath spent a year growing awesome mustaches and playing Dungeons and Dragons all day. After they crushed Helzbozog the Dragon-Ender at level 20 on the planes of Fire, they decided to record an album or two and then stick it in a time capsule for safe keeping. Seriously rad.

I've had a hard time getting my head around Dubstep/dirty electro. I didn't quite like it at first. But I can't deny how it makes me move on a run. Just about the best "move your ass!" music I have.

And finally, from France, Caravan Palace. Swing? Electro-swing? I don't care. It is awesome. Also from their wiki, "The group formed in 2005 after three of the band members were hired by a film production company to provide the soundtrack to silent pornographic movies." Oh yes.

That is it for this week. I'd regale you with stories of my food creations here at 29 Palms with just a microwave and an iron, but I'm sure that you'd like to keep your appetite. 

Upgrades

The boring part of my classes it seems are starting to wind down. Moving into heavy BGP and WAN routing is proving to be much more interesting.

What does this mean? Well, for one, less time browsing homebrew sites during class time, but I had plenty of time to look over what I am interested in purchasing for my big brewing upgrade when we make it to Japan. Here are the toys I get for my birthday/holiday season during 2011 (as long as we can afford them of course)

15 Gallon Brewpot

Propane Burner

Better Bottle Carboy 6-Gallon

Breakfast Stout All-Grain kit

English Ale (The Innkeeper) All-Grain kit

I'm going to go for the 15 gallon brew kettle to allow for growth there. I can easily boil 5 gallon batches as well as move on up to 10 gallon batches in the future if I wanted.

The burner is pretty self-explanatory, I was using a friends burner for my brewing in Virginia. 

Getting myself a nice new ferment container because I am just not comfortable with the buckets any more and I am worried on how they will make the trip over seas (scratches are bad and can harbor bacteria). This will let me also see my fermentation taking place, which is great. I can tell more easily when to push out into my kegs.

And finally, a couple of kits to break in the new system. I have had my eye on the breakfast stout for quite a while and doing a bit of research on it. I am going to make some modifications to the kit for my taste based on the reviews of the beer. 

• I'll be adding in about two or three pounds of Marris Otter grain to the grain bill. The beer is incredibly low in alcohol (3.25 to 3.50% with good efficiency) so the extra grain will give it a bit more kick and body, but still keeping it under 5% so it will work out well for a good session (easily drinkable) stout. 
• I'm also going to get my hands on a can of Cafe' Du Monde coffee and make a cold extract of the coffee to add into the secondary fermenter for a good solid coffee flavor to compliment the roast barley and the oats. A true breakfast stout!

The second kit is really a mystery to me. The description sounds wonderful:

Thirty six major awards. Four-time Brewers International Champion. Four-time CAMRA Beer of the Year. Simply put, the muse for this kit has won more awards than any other English beer, period. From very simple ingredients comes a wonderfully well-balanced dram. Spicy, herbal, and English biscuits. Flashes of clean citrus and chewy minerals blend into a complex finish that is refreshingly bitter and remarkably dry. The way a pint was meant to taste. Truly spot on! 

I wanted a nice easy drinking beer for the end of summer. It looks like it will fit the bill. I'm thinking of substituting half of the corn sugar listed in the boil additions for honey to mellow it out a little.  Just have to see how motivated I am on that one.

All in all a very exciting time! Looking forward to meeting other brewers out there and sharing ideas and working together. I'm hoping to convince at least one other person to split up a big cellaring beer with me by Fall so I will have some bottles to age for a while. Maybe a barley wine, a belgian dubbel, or a fat imperial? The possibilities keep me dreaming.