In the beginning......


First, let me address the obvious question.

Q) What the hell does 'lupulinphile' mean?

A) Lupulin -noun the glandular hairs of the hop, Humulus lupulus, formerly used in medicine as a sedative.
-phile -suff. One that loves or has a strong affinity or preference for (audiophile for example)

Hops are used in the brewing of beer, acting as a preservative and a flavoring, offsetting the sweetness of the malt with a bitterness. Certain styes, such as pale ales and IPAs, call for a relatively larger quantity of hops, often with a larger concentration of alpha acids, making these beers much more bitter than many other styles. These happen to be my favorite styles, so I choose a name that reflects that. It's also fairly unique (although I am aware of at least one other individual using the same moniker) and hopefully easy to remember (for anyone that might care to).

Now let's address the 2nd obvious question.

Q) Who the hell am I and why do I need a blog?

A) I'm a 38 year old male, somewhere in the mid-west USA. I'm divorced with 3 kids. I work in the IT industry as a nameless cog in a large corporation. And for the time being, I think that's all I will say about myself. I will probably end up revealing details that will identify me to folks who already know me, but for now, I choose to remain anonymous.

I haven't the faintest clue why I decided to actually start writing this blog. I signed up for it quite some time ago, and didn't do a thing with it.

I was really not sure what, if anything, I wanted to say to the world at large. I'm one of the most private individuals I know. The very thought of creating an 'online diary' about my daily trials and tribulations appalls me. I suppose I could discuss the foibles of my workplace. While that would probably provide some humorous anecdotes, it would probably eventually lead to my dismissal, and if the truth be told, I rather like my job. What other topics could I discuss here? Politics? Nah, to much idiocy being bellowed into the ether on that subject already. Why add to the hideous din, when others have expressed it probably far more eloquently than I could? I had been thinking of starting to write short fiction again, and posting the stories here, but I doubt that I have the necessary time for that.

So, now that I've finally started this blog and am still not sure what will be posted here. I may use it, as so many other have, as a soapbox to rant and rave about issues that are bothering me. If anyone reads it, fine. If not, I really couldn't care less. I will probably post stories about my occasional travels here. (My first trip to Europe is not to far away.)

It may end up being nothing more a log of my adventures in search of the perfect beer, the perfect pizza. In any case, if you're still reading this, you must be really bored.

I will probably leave the 'allow comments' button always checked, so that anyone who cares to say something may do so. I will also not read a single comment that is left, so if you really have something to say that I simply must see, send it in an e-mail.