Many toys today, have a new trick up their sleeve.  Every time my daughter finishes playing with one toy and moves on to another one, the old toy gets jealous and tries to win her back.  These toys will say something or make a prompting noise, after being left alone for a period of time.  Elmo will try a couple of times before finally threatening to take a nap.  This is a pretty annoying trick that toy companies have come up with that takes advantage of a child’s short attention span.  Children should be allowed to decide their favorites based on the toys themselves, not due to a psychological trick!  I have seen my daughter choose a book, only to be interrupted by some buttinsky toy.  Luckily, she usually only looks up for a moment, and then returns to her reading.  One of the toys just told us it was time to change her batteries!  Until that toy sounds like Darth Vader on horse tranquilizers, she’s not getting new batteries!
   These ‘smart’ toys aren’t only affecting my daughter.  Every night when I go to bed, one of the toys will yell at me as I walk by, and scare the bejesus out of me.
   Who knows what the next generation of ‘smart’ toys will do.  Slight hypnosis?  Electric shock?  Pheromones?  I miss the old days, when you couldn’t put a toy down, just because it was fun.

Up the Creek Extreme IPA
Thomas Creek Brewery
Greenville, S.C.
12.5% ABV

Deep ruby red color.
Smells like burnt sugar,(I mean that in a good way), candied hops.

 
Man, I love what these guys are doing.  I haven’t had a Thomas Creek beer yet that I didn’t really like!  I don’t know if everything they’re trying in this beer works, but it is super-fun trying to find out.  I think it does work.  I think it’s all there.  Obviously, at 12.5 % ABV, there is plennnnnnnnty of malty backbone, but there’s a whole lotta bitter in there too.  The wonderfully bitter finish hangs around substantially between sips.  I wonder if it should be called a Barleywine.  Whatever it is, it’s great.

Saaalut!!!

9.4 Bananas.