Twin Elephant: The hometown brewery that feels like home

I've always been a fan of the environments, the people, and the stories behind microbreweries. Each one has a different story, each one is unique, and each one wants to create amazing beer for the masses. Till recently my hometown didn't have a brewery to call its own. That changed in May of this year when Twin Elephant Brewing opened its doors to the locals of Chatham Borough. For the first time in our towns history we had a brewery.

On May 7th, Twin Elephant opened for the first time and I'll admit I was nervous to try their beer. This was a brewery in my hometown. You hope it will be good because then you have a sense of pride but if it isn't what happens? Do you fake your love for it since its local or do you just let it fade away without a care? I was the 4th person in line that day to try their beer for the first time and I will tell you from that first sip I was in love. The beer was amazing I'll admit I cried a little because for the first time ever their was a place in my backyard that made something I love. I've been to breweries all over and have tried hundreds of amazing beers but this was the first time I was enjoying a beer made at home.

In college I wrote a paper on the microbrew industry in America, and one area I focused on was the impact of craft breweries on the communities they are in. One thing that stood out in all the articles I read was the sense of pride locals had for their brewery. I felt pride when I had Twin Elephants beer for the first time and every time I've been there since.

Tim, Scott, and Cindy have created a place to be proud of. Not only for themselves, but for the community of Chatham Borough. They all take pride in every beer they make and you can tell their passion is genuine. Each week brings with it new beers for the masses that are made with the passion for experimenting as well as creating something to be proud of.

It's that passion that makes me feel proud to say we have a brewery in my hometown (conveniently less then 5 minutes car ride from my house I might add!). Stop by on a Friday or Saturday and you'll see people there from all different backgrounds enjoying the local beers. From blue collar workers, to business people, to beer geeks, and families no one ever feels out of place here. Which makes it a real communal place. A place where you can enjoy a pint with your friends, maybe see people you haven't seen in a while, or even catch up on whats going on in town.

Twin Elephant is now a part of our town and I myself am glad it's here. So cheers to the future of Twin Elephant. (When you stop by tell them Christian sent you.)

(PS Tim, Scott, and Cindy consider this my application. I'd love to help Twin Elephant grow and become the best brewery it can be.)

Welcome to 2015!

Hello everyone it's me Christian! I know I haven't said much recently what with the holidays and all but now I figured it was time to check in. Since the last time I blogged a lot has changed at my home. For starters I'm moving to another room in the house, unfortunately it's due to the recent passing of my uncle. He passed away on Christmas morning, from complications related to a stroke and an infection in his heart. For the last year and a half he had been fighting cancer which at this point was in his bones. Doctors never thought he'd live as long as he did and for that we are grateful. In the end the infection is what killed him due his weakened immune system from all the cancer treatments. He passed away peacefully on Christmas morning.

I got laid...off

This a post I didn't think I would have to write but here it is. Since October 10th I have been unemployed. The contracting firm I worked for was contacted by IBM and told that they had to cut contracts by 50% immediately so IBM could save money. It was a sudden announcement and one that took me aback the minute I heard it. For the first time I have no job at all, I'm currently waiting to see if I can get some work at my old job even temporarily and I just started doing a little freelance writing for someone too. The fact I'm unemployed doesn't scare me as much as the prospect of having no income to keep myself afloat. As I've mentioned in the past my loans, bills, and a car payment are always taking a huge chunk of my earning each month. Now there is no paycheck and I don't know how long I can skirt by on just unemployment.

It's a scary time for me, usually I have a plan to keep myself going and to keep the money coming in. This time I don't. There is no plan and for once in my life everything is up in the air. Hopefully that will change sooner rather then later. I can't imagine being out of work for a long time. We shall see what happens next. Till then I'm asking my readers for support or even suggestions for work. It would be greatly appreciated by me. 

Thank you very much,

Christian G. Geisler

Time to re-brand

The new website cgeisler.net

Over the last few weeks I have been trying to figure out the next step in my life. For the longest time I wanted to try to find work in technical writing or publishing. Unfortunately that is harder to get into then I anticipated.
Without experience in either field it was getting harder and harder to find a job. So I started looking at my strengths and see what jobs existed in those areas. Within in minutes I had my answer.

Learning what you excel at!

As I sit at my desk enjoying a small glass of whiskey I find myself thinking what am I good at? What am I good at? It's a question that we all get asked at some point in our lives. Yet for many it is a difficult question to answer. I myself have always had a hard time answering it because I don't usually notice what I'm good at. That comes from being too modest about myself. When you are like that, you usually forget what makes you unique and what skills you excel at. It's only been recently that I have felt comfortable saying to others what I am good at. That is because as I have gotten older I have learned that it's okay to show off your skills. It can lead to more opportunities and even give you a chance to shine in something you never would have thought of before.

 The more I work at IBM the more I have had opportunities to use my skills in writing, computers, and problem solving. My coworkers like having input from me when it comes to new problems and sometimes I come up with a solution that works. To be included in problem solving as well as creating new ideas is something I have enjoyed while working there. It's lead to more work in areas that involve creative solutions as well as writing detailed proposals. I have to admit I missed writing technical information and it's been nice to get back into the groove again. Currently I'm working on new proposal for security upgrades and I feel like my writing has improved dramatically. It feels professional and has all the information that is needed.

Overall I feel more confident in my skill set of writing, computers, and creative solutions. I know I can talk, create, and even contribute in ways I never thought I could before. It's helped me feel more confident about myself and also I feel more confident about the work I create. It only took 25 years for me to realize what I am good at!

The mid-week in review: January 29th 2014

After 27 days, over 40 hours of body work, and roughly $12,000 I finally got my car back last Friday! The car looks perfect, like it never was in a major accident. I have to give a ton of thanks to Chatham Collision for making it look perfect. Having it back has made me feel extremely happy this week and overall it's been a good week for me.

The mid-week in review: January 23rd 2014

I know the mid week review should have been done yesterday to keep consistency with last weeks but, nothing inspired me to write it last night. But, now though as I sit in my room on a sunny Thursday afternoon looking at the snow covered lawns outside. I find myself inspired to write. This is the first week in almost a year where I haven't had to work in the mornings so I have been taken advantage of it by sleeping later, eating a nice breakfast, and actually keeping up on shows I watch. Sure I would prefer to be working right now, making extra cash to keep up with the bills, but for right now it's nice to slow down for a little bit. This week is my recharge week. Next week will have more structure to it and more job hunting as well.

Time to rework the old resume

As I mentioned last week, I just finished up a contract job I had as a technical writer for a local alumni insurance company. For the first time in a long time I am looking at my resume and saying to myself it's time to rewrite it completely. This past year as a technical writer has given me experience that I hope to translate into more work in the future. It has also given me a ton of sample work which I was lacking before. I put together several samples from that job of all different sizes and types. They will help me show I can do the work at any technical writing job I apply for.

Writing under the wire

One of my goals for 2014 is to try and blog everyday and for the first time I am blogging very close to the wire. Which has pushed me into the topic about myself. I don't like talking about myself, as anyone who has know me for a long time can tell you. I'm usually the one who keeps quiet and doesn't tell people about his problems or what makes me a great person. I'm perfectly happy with that, but for once I'm going to toot my own horn for a change.

One of the things that I am most proud of about myself is my ability to write and create under tight deadlines. Throughout college and even right now I always have been able to create my best work when the clock was ticking down to zero. My best papers were always created at the last minute and even this blog post for Thursday the 16th is being done under the wire with only a few minutes to spare. I don't know why I write well under tight deadlines, maybe it's because I like knowing that there isn't any time left to make it? Maybe it's because it ignites my creative juices into overdrive to create something amazing at the last possible second. Who knows, all I know is that I find that to be one of my greatest traits. The ability to create under tight time constraints and with little time to second guess yourself is something I see as a great ability. When working under the gun you are more honest with your work and more likely to create something thought provoking for your reader.

At the end of the day it comes down to the simple act of being able to write what you have to no matter what. This blog entry proves it! 

The mid-week in review: January 15th 2014

Sitting here in my room, enjoying a nice beer, and thinking about what to write today I find myself not 100% sure what to write about. Maybe I can tell you that the beer I'm drinking is a new rye style brew from Yards. It's got a strong rye taste and a simple name 'Rye.' Maybe I can tell you that I'm doing all of my writing now from my new Macbook Air, after 6 and a half years of using my Macbook Pro I figured it was time to get something new. It's battery is amazing and I love the way the keys feel while I type. I see a lot of writing in this computers future.

Using James Bond to make North Koreans happy: A short Story

In the dark dank underbelly of North Korea a revolution is stirring. A revolution of secret spies, gadgets, and super fast cars. All over North Korea young men are being introduced to the wild and exciting world of James Bond. You might be wondering how can North Korean's really appreciate James Bond?

A clean look at my room

My Room

As an exercise in writing descriptive narrative I decided to write a detailed description of my bedroom as someone who has never been in it before.

Looking around my room as someone who has never seen it before I'm intrigued by how unique it is in its layout. The walls are a dark green with light brown painted trim. Giving the room a sort of late 1800's study vibe. The giant roll top desk to the right as you walk in stands out in a room this small. Papers and nicknacks are scattered all over it. It makes you wonder if this desk is ever used for its true purpose. A chair is in front of the desk covered in clothes and papers, making it impossible to sit in.

Your life the book

I'm only 25, I haven't lived a full life yet but if a book was written about my life up to this point would I want to read it? Would I want to remember everything that has happened to me in the past? Every horrible day, every triumph, every failure? My quick answer would be no, why would I ever want to remember the past. It's the past no point in dwelling on it. It happened, you can't change it, why bother?

I've been asked about my past particularly my time in public school, I don't like talking about my life growing up and going to school. It wasn't the most perfect time in my life. I know we are lead to believe that school is great and everyone makes friends but that is a lie. I really don't have many great memories of school. I have blocked a lot of that time out in my mind. It happened, I went to school, I graduated, I left. Thats how I see going to school as a kid. Second grade to sophomore year of high school is mostly blanked out in my mind. It wasn't a perfect time in my life I was picked on a lot. I had a gym teacher in elementary school who started calling me Geisler and as such all the kids did. For the longest time a lot of kids didn't call me Christian. That always stung so much, not being called my own name.

It was right when I started sophomore year of high school that I finally started to love school. I had great classes, friends, and I was getting recognized for my work in school. It was a real confidence booster for me after years of being picked on. My english teacher at the time, nominated me for a bell award. It's a achievement award given to students who not only do well academically in a subject but also do more for the school and the classroom. I have to find the little blurb that was written about me it made me smile so much back then.

The last two years of high school were also much better then all my previous years of school combined. It was a nice time in my life, I was doing well in school, had a lot of good friends, and it was just overall a much better time then before. As senior year was coming to a close, we had the senior awards show, which as I saw it was a time to reward all the super smart kids and athletes. Not someone like me, a nobody. It was right near the end of the show, I was bored and tired of sitting there hearing about how all these people were better then me. I wasn't really paying attention to the teacher speaking at the time. They were talking about someone who had spent a lot of his own time working with the school during his lunch hour to fix computers. I didn't register till they said my name that it was an award for me and all my time working as a technology intern over the last three years. I was taken a back to say the least. For a few brief moments I was the center of attention it felt amazing.

When high school ended, I was glad to close that chapter of my life completely. It was the best time I had in public school but I wouldn't want to relieve it all again. I feel like anyone who wanted to read my life story would feel the sadness and pain I did on a regular basses. It wasn't great but it was a part of my life, its a part of my story. Those chapters are the foundation of my life now and my future.

It all comes back to, would I ever want to read my life story? Maybe one day when I'm old and grey I will. Just to see how far I have come as man and to see how much my life has changed for the better. Other then that time, I'd rather burn that book then read it.

32 Goals for 2014

It's a new year and another new chance to write all I can. Taking a look at the list of writing prompts that my friend Joey gave me I find that today is entitled 32 flavors. Which means its time for a list of some sort. Since this is my first post of the new year I'm going to put a list together of 32 things I hope to do in 2014. In this case the order of importance doesn't really matter.

Time to make some changes

As we get closer to the end of the year, and I get closer to my 25 birthday, it has become apparent that a lot has to change in my life. Not to say that life right now isn't great but, it does need to be shaken up a bit. I've been working for the same computer repair company since I was 18, I'm gonna be 25 next month, that's 6 years of my life in the same job doing the same thing everyday. It's reaching the point where I'm due to make the switch to something new and honestly less boring.