I learned that pumpkin beer is delightful. If you enjoy beer – I mean real beer, not budweiner – and you’re not struck infertile at the site of a pumpkin, then I recommend trying out some pumpkin beer. Good friends of mine are wise in the ways of beer, and they assembled a few pumpkin beers for me to test drive. For the record, pumpkin is pretty much one of my favourite things. There was Swans, Phillips, and I think the other was Granville Island. All three were quite good, and each surprisingly different from one another. It was nice though how well the pumpkin flavour fit with the natural beery flavour. It wasn’t out of place or contrary like some of the more gimmicky beer types can be. So if you have the means, I definitely recommend giving pumpkin beer a try, you may just be pleasantly surprised.

I learned that you can put salt on grapefruit. It was a normal grapefruit, not a pink one, and it was surprisingly pretty good. It doesn’t taste at all how you would think. Try it.

I learned that Chupacabra on 6th street in Austin not only makes damn fine cheap tacos, but they also have a good selection of imported Central American beers. Also some from the Philippines, Portugal and elsewhere. Definitely worth a visit since they’re just $2 a bottle! Speaking of taco beers, Adam just showed me this awesome Dos Equis commercial that makes me want to drink it even more.

I learned that playing tons of Wii frisbee golf on xmas day will totally make you want to play it for reallies. I’ve got my eyes open for chances to play now.

I learned that if you can make a bored barista laugh she just might give you an extra cupcake for free. Sweet!

Lastly, I learned that it only leads to frustration if I set lofty or detailed expectations of people. No one can match the expectations of a bored guy with a good imagination, so I need to just let people do their thing and be cool with that.

What did you learn this week? Have a nice new year, and keep on truckin’!

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- What I Learned This Week: Jan 2 is a post from: Rerunaround

Last week I totally forgot this awesome post on Legal Nomads, so just pretend it isn’t two weeks old. All three of Jodi’s top travel secrets are bang on the money. It’s almost like she knows what she’s doing. Rob, also has 30 great safety tips for the traveler. Oh, and speaking of pro tips, always carry an umbrella because the dragon ladies hella swoon for a man with a sturdy brolly.

This one is only for people who eat and/or drink. So if you do neither of those, then skip ahead. Forks and Jets have been rocking my tummy’s imagination since I found their blog. Check out these pierogi‘s, and if you’re up for a drink, well then Na Zdrowie!

There’s still time to chip in to build a school in Cambodia and get your hands on some fabulous prizes over at Passports With Purpose. It’s just $10 and a super quick and easy payment system. Just don’t pick the damn ukulele.

Over on Vagabonding, this month’s featured BootsnAll forum question is by some ridiculous dork. I don’t know where they find these people. Am I right?

If you’re still thirsty for some weekly recap action, then clicky over to Two Go Round-The-World‘s far more in-depth summary. They have way more energy than I do for this sort of thing. Plus I can’t help but praise their impeccable taste since they said such nice things about me.

Still with me here? Those are all the posts I have the attention span to share, but if you want to see the pointless pics I pulled off my phone this morning, then keep on keeping on below. Otherwise, have a cool weekend. Peas.

I was staring at my old travel pack (left) which is 65L, but somehow smaller than the new hotness (right) which is 60L. The old pack is small enough to use as a carry-on, but it smells like shark farts. So I’m a bit torn still on which will get the call come Jan 31st.

Capturing the pristine blank pages of my new passport for posterity sake. My old one is nearly full, nearly expired and inexplicably moist.

A wise travel friend I made in Nicaragua once said that the self-pic is a crucial skill for the solo backpacker. Actually, she may have said it twice now that I think about it, but whatever. I’m horrible at taking photos. I mean I am both technically bad at it, and I never do it often enough. I feel uncomfortable taking them. Like I’m being tacky or inappropriate. Anyways, yesterday I was walking to work for my last day on the job, and was thinking about my photo issues. So I took a self-pic right then and there to confront the issue. Yes, I look sleepy, I’d  been awake for about 20 minutes.

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// shawn

Thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed, I appreciate it! Please be sure to stop by the site sometimes and leave a comment so I know you're still alive. I worry about you. Are you eating okay? Ok, see ya! -- This Week on the Webnets: Dec 19 is a post from: Rerunaround