Juices Top 5: Party/Fests … Thus Far …

This week’s Top 5 is something that is truly near and dear to my heart (and I am sure most of yours); Partying. I have been fortunate to travel a bit here and there. So far I can’t really say any of my destinations have been disappointing. Today I am going to talk about 5 parties where a guy can put away his distinguished qualities and cater more towards his ruffian nature.

Biketoberfest5. Biketoberfest – Daytona Beach, FL

This is one of my favorite annual events! Do I really need to explain why? This place is chock full of all the good stuff; people, drinking and tons of custom motorcycles. There is hardly a full block you can walk that doesn’t have something that appeals to your styles and tastes.

I enjoyed my days on the strip shopping for discounted motorcycle apparel and gear. Most shops have crazy deals during this time due to the influx of patrons. More than just moto-gear, there are a few shops along Main Street that make hand rolled Grand Marnier dipped ascots. Personally, those little smokes make the trip.

Each night during Biketoberfest there are events showcasing crazy prizes, free swag, and drink specials. Along with the drink specials, there are usually scantily clad women hustling shots for extra tips. With the main events being held on Main Street, it was hard not to fall into a watering hole or 5 while eye balling some of the coolest rides on the east coast.

4. Fantasy Fest – Key West, FLMardi 1

For more of a risqué approach to your conventional partying, try Fantasy Fest located in Key West Florida. As soon as I arrived I might as well have thrown my watch in my bag because I definitely crossed over into island time. Everything is laid back and altogether exciting.

This event is often called the Mardi Gras of the south. Being that the actual Mardi Gras is in Louisiana, I guess the fine folks in Key West took some liberties with the name given their location.

Just like New Orleans, Key West plays home to thousands of visitors just for this event. Every day and night the festivities have a theme and it seems like everyone comes out to play along. This literally takes the phrase “it takes all kinds” to a whole new level. The themes varied from Togas one night to Pirates to Angels and Devils. There was truly a good mix of it all. What made this trip awesome was the laid back atmosphere that resembled nothing more than a huge costume party with half nude (and sometimes full nude) people. Did I mention all this takes place on the ever famous Duvall Street? With that, let’s do a little math; Duvall Crawling + Costume Party = Nonsense of the upmost.

Fair warning, if you happen to be homophobic, this is not the place for you. This area has a strong gay community and they show their pride all year long. If you aren’t homophobic, then you will have a blast.

3. Rugby World Cup – Locations Vary

I was fortunate enough to be able to venture off to the Rugby World Cup hosted by New Zealand in 2011. This was hands down, one of the most fun places I had ever been. Each game is held in a different location throughout the country. I was able to indulge in a series of “day drinking’ activities in each one of the host locations. Some of them included, virtual goal kicking, live concerts, and open venue projection Tv screenings of the games located in other cities.

I couldn’t help myself but drink all day long in preparation for the big show. During the games, I was going insane along with a ton of international fans. I learned quickly that overseas drinking is definitely quite the adventure. I also realize that people come from all walks of life to be at these events and when they get there, all they want to do is party. For me, a 24 hour flight deserved good sport and good drinks. Add on great international company and that’s a cocktail for success.

Mardi 22. Mardi Gras – New Orleans, LA

This one is no surprise, or at least shouldn’t be. Mardi Gras is 5 days of booze, beads, and boobs. To top off the “3 B’s’ of Mardi Gras I was surrounded by Cajun culture and delicious food. I could continually go on about the things you see on Girls Gone Wild or Cops, but that would just be me ranting.

My friends and I would kick our day off drinking while watching all the floats pass by our balcony hurling beads. After the floats leave and we had collected enough beads to venture in to the night we would grab some more drinks and walk the block and some change to Bourbon Street. Fast forward through the night, beads gone, and stumble back to our hotel. We grab a couple hours of sleep and repeat it for the duration.

1. Oktoberfest – Munich GermanyOktoberfest 1

This is another amazing festival that has everything you could possibly ask for. Great food, great culture, great rides, and great beer are all included when you are at the Theresienwiese (fairgrounds for Oktoberfest).

Some of Germanys top breweries have tents at this event showcasing their style of brew. Some of these companies include Paulaner, Spaten, Lowenbrau, and my favorite Augustiner. I was getting after those sweet unfiltered German brews a liter at a time but that proved to be quite the feat. Before 1 in the afternoon my friends and I were wasted on the train back to our condo.

This was my favorite event thus far because I love good beer and no drama. With all the drunken people I saw during my trip, I assumed brawls would ensue regularly. Truthfully, I had a hard time finding many drunken people that weren’t down right jovial. People sometimes were friendlier then I’d like but none the less harmless. I guess when you have to share a park bench in order to be served; you will get along and make friends with just about anyone.

Hope you guys enjoyed the read. Party on Ruffians.

Smith Elite Aegis Echo Glasses

image4So I strolled into the Gun shop I frequent, and Spartan Firearms have been a Smith Elite dealer for a little while now but I never really bothered looking at their products. On this day I just happened to get talking to my buddy Gary Ahlers who runs the shop about Smith Elite products and why he started to carry the products. After some conversation (and cash) I walked out with a Smith Elite Aegis Echo Deluxe Kit in Tan.

From my Initial look at these glasses, I was impressed with the quality and innovative design. I mean most people think that “hey any pair of Z87.1+ safety glasses will do the same job at a whole lot cheaper”, and in some ways I use to believe that. I always had a couple pairs of cheap $5 safety glasses or I used my Oakley Holbrooks as shooting glasses when I went to the gun range. In reality that was a very foolish way for me to think. I wear safety glasses daily at my job and for what I do at work, they are adequate but unlike most safety glasses, Smith Elite tests their glasses to a higher standard than regular safety glasses. They even exceed MIL SPEC MIL-PRF-31013 which is the U.S. Militaries Ballistic Eye Protection Specification. If you know anything about MIL SPEC, it’s overly specific to the point of insanity and this particular Mil Spec requires a projectile of 5.8 grains in weight and .15 inches in diameter to be shot at 640-660 Ft/S at protective eye wear and not crack the eye wear or allow any material to pierce a witness sheet that is behind the lens. It also requires the eye wear to be resistant to a whole list of chemicals as well as hot and cold climate testing, UV protection, and optical clarity. What’s the point if you can’t see out of them properly? So what does this mean to you the regular guy, who isn’t enlisted in the military and is a just weekend warrior at the gun range, hunter or the many other hobbies where eye wear is needed. It means this eye wear will take just about everything you can dish out and more.image2

Smith Optics Elite line makes multiple different styles of eye wear that is ballistic rated. One reason I chose the Aegis Echo Deluxe Kit is for the almost completely unobstructed field of view. I mean seriously unless you cross your eyes, there is no part of the frame that creates a blind spot. Second reason is the ability to change lenses in a few seconds with no tools. The frame is designed with these two pivot lock bars that you pull up on, and then with a downward pull the Lens separates from the frame easily. The kit I bought came with 3 different colors of lenses, clear, yellow and gray/tinted so you are covered for any lighting condition you may come across; another nice thing is the nose pads are attached to each lens so no need to swap those between lenses making it that much easier to change a lens out. The kit also includes a nice black nylon carry bag big enough to hold the frames and all 3 lenses, 3 lens pouches to protect the lenses when not in use, an elastic strap to hold the glasses on if you do a lot of movement and Smith Elites anti fog cloth that actually does that job very well (the humidity is a constant down here in the swamp know as South Florida). Only drawback is for sunny Florida they’re gray/tinted lens isn’t dark enough, but down here you could use a #4 cutting torch shade regularly in the summer time no problem, so maybe it’s just me.

image1There are a million things I could say about these glasses, but I won’t. If you like to go shooting and take safety seriously, Smith Optics Elite is a good investment. Could you seriously say $100 is too much to spend on your eyes, if so then I don’t think you know the value of your eye sight. Do yourself a favor buy quality eye wear for the range because one preventable range accident shouldn’t hurt you for the rest of your life, Should It?

 

 

Brand: Smith Optics

Website: www.smithoptics.com/elite/

Rating: 4.5 pints out of 5

Would I recommend this to friend: Yes

Gurkha-Black Ops

photo.PNGGurkha, a name synonymous with the warrior elite. The Black Ops in my opinion fell a little short of this high standard. The Kaizad Hansotia brand is all about luxury and I wonder if the Black Ops is trading off the name a little?
On to the stick.. A Maduro wrapped binder with Cuban seeded long fillers. As it’s lit you’re immediately hit with a huge gust of smoke and a deep hit of dark chocolate. The smoke didn’t let up at all, but for me personally I was disappointed with the lack of other flavours. I’ve heard of espresso, leather and spice, but I struggled to pinpoint these. The ash was perfect, right to the end of this 90 minute stogie.
Have I been spoilt by Gurkhas other brands, Evil, Beast and Red Witch, maybe? Would I try another, absolutely! After all, all Black Op missions can be hit and miss.

Website: GurkhaCigars.com

Article by Distinguished Ruffian member @Ian300