I realized after yesterday's post that I really hadn't explained myself so well. The Indian King Brewery is the name we have concocted for Chris' homebrew attempts. After a shaky start, things are off to a flyer. His first batch was not-so-hot, tasted of wet cardboard, but, as our friend Miek Evans so succinctly put it "Four or five beers in, this stuff's not so bad!". With the help of his new found friends on the HomebrewTalk forum and the nice folks at Home Sweet Homebrew in Philly, his beer is rocking good. He's made a really good Weiss beer, a nice Holiday Ale, an incredible IPA, a nice version of Old Speckled Hen in addition to some other stuff. He's got a Munich style Helles on the go now as well as an Irish Stout. Brewing beer properly at home is not some penny pinching move, and in actuality, costs a bit of money, but for Chris it's all about crafting something nice, which really appeals to me - as I am the sort of person who makes her own pasta and bread, and does not cut corners while cooking.

We had a quiet night in last night. I was feeling a bit low and just wanted to hang out in front of the television with a takeout and Chris and teh dog for company. I had a sort of busy week and was feeling overwhelmed. Had seen Atonement on Wednesday with Peggy and on Thursday night went to spend a few hours with Jen, who was in from Munich for a few quick days on the end of a business trip. It was great to see her. She was staying with her brother, who I've known for years, and his wife and new baby. I really enjoyed it. It was nice to reconnect a bit.

Tonight Jo is having a kick ass Mardi Gras Party. I am looking quite forward to going to a party at someone else's place for a change. We love entertaining, but still it's nice to wake up in a pristine house which doesn't smell like a drunken piss-up.

We also just booked our trip to Germany in May yesterday. We managed to get it through Lufthansa Miles and More which is really sweet. We'll be spending a few days in Amsterdam, then going to Mick's wedding ins oem godforsaken corner of Germany, then off to Slovakia to see the Plants, and finally back to Munich to stay with Lise and Richard and to see all of our old friends. We haven't set foot in Germany since leaving almost three years ago and I guess it's high time we did. I thought Chris would be really anxious to go back sooner, but he feels that after fourteen years, besides his friends, there's not a lot he's sentimental about.