Dancing in the Street with Bowie and Jagger

Three versions of "Dnacing in the Streets" with Mick Jagger and David Bowie are available on Youtube, and it's rather hilarious to watch them...Very homoerotic in the slow mo, very awesomely 80s in the fast mo and just all around nostalgic-ly fun in original mode:

Slow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GTAIhksPcw&feature=related

Fast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wif2zv4t_lI&feature=related

Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATw7HIJCuLY&feature=related

Sam Adams Cream Stout - Adventures in Beer

Sam Adams Cream Stout - First, I would like to mention that Sam Adams Imperial Stout is one of my most favorite beers, period. That being said, their cream stout is merely just fine. I don't dislike it but it's nothing special. No fun notes on the tongue, nothing dazzling or strong, but nothing bad either. I won't be purchasing it again, but I don't mind having four more to drink in the fridge, you know what I mean?

My Friend Tigh Emceeing Sam Adams Octoberfest 2009

New Books - Caterpillar 7, Paul Klee and even Anne Sexton (for relz)

New books!

Took a trip to Pazzo as part of this mid week day off. I picked up a few titles...

- Caterpillar 7 Vol II #2: very provocative cover in purple and green, a grid of turn you head sideways picture of what is maybe? perhaps? could be? body parts or bodies in the act of conjugation or just something to make it look that way...Don't know. Inside is Chapter 4 of Robert Duncan's book about HD, poems from Paul Blackburn, Cid Corman, Garrit Lansing and Jess - no artowrk, but two poems, one with some sheet music in it, even - Ted Enlsin and Allen Ginsberg among others. What a fun find!

- a $3 mixed b & w and color book on the art of Paul Klee

-Selected Poem of Anne Sexton because my friend Pete and I got in a fight about poetry. He called the Beats the disco of poetry and asked how I could call myself a feminist and not like Sylvia Plath. I said the Confessional poets didn't really do it for me because it was too much about the drama and not enough about the whole art of poetry. Anyway, to be a sport, and because she's appreciated by others whom I like quite a bit, I got the Anne Sexton books. It's good to have a rounded out collection, I think. Heavy on what you love, smatterings of others, just to keep yourself in check, I say.

Coffee House Porter - Adventures in Beer

Coffeehouse Porter, Berkshire Brewing Company - whoopsy! Be careful when you drink this as I believe it has some real caffeine in it and all that. It tasted delicious, even if it did keep me up late. This was for the better, though, since Season 3 of Dexter expired On Demand yesterday, so I was able to catch the last three episodes before they disappeared to DVD land.

This porter has a thick, sweet taste. It's toasty, as well.

(Note the entry's time stamp. I'm up late tonight because the non-drowsiness of Advil Cold and Sinus is just as effective as the decongestant for me. But I took it anyway, since I didn't want to have a headache throughout my shift at work.)

http://www.berkshirebrewingcompany.com/coffee.html

Marine Corps Birthday Nov 10

My dad always made me say happy birthday to him on November 10, the birthday of the United States Marine Corps. A lot of Marines are like that, I guess.

Ray Suarez of PBS was just talking about a moment her had with his daughter while they watched a re-airing of Ken Burn's "Civil War" series. It made me remember a conversation I had with my dad about two years and two months ago.

We were watching Ken Burn's "World War II" series and there was a Latino man from California who had talked about the Army and Air Force rejecting him because he was too skinny and too young (16, I think) for them. So he went down to the Marine recruit office and demanded to be enlisted, and they let him. That lead me to ask why my dad decided to join the Marines, of all branches, especially in 1971, when he was 17. At age 16, he had moved out of the house because he couldn't stand living with his father anymore ("I can relate," I said to him. Funny & sad, all at once). My Grampa Wilson, Dad's dad, had a career in the Navy. "So, I joined the Marines--" "to one up him?" I finished. "Exactly," he said. It was also during this conversation and watching of the World War II series that my dad asked me to write his eulogy, and be nice about it, even if there was bad stuff to say, too. Of course, I agreed.

So, there's a little Marine Corp Birthday story for you. Hm, yar, um, gosh darn this bug in my eye...sniffle sniffle.

Adventures in Beer - a new series

Beer is the new wine. That is, as complex and fun and different as wines tastes, and sophisticated, so does beer, nowadays.

So, here's a running list of my adventures in beer:

right now: Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout - even though "chocolate" is in the description, it's not sweet at all. It has the same mouth feel as very dark semi sweet chocolate. http://www.brooklynbrewery.com/beer/ Click on the Black Chocolate Stout

last week: Arrogant Bastard Ale - hard, hoppy, tangy and fun. Their label reads like Dr Bronner's soap label, all manifest-y and whatnot, and it's an arrogant manifesto, too, with a little dig, I believe, at my beloved Sam Adams. It reminds me of the poetry in-fighing, to be honest. And I just want to say, Stone Brewing Company, that there's plenty of room under the beer umbrella for us all. I know. I see the consumers almost daily.
http://www.arrogantbastard.com/faq/index.html

before that: Harpoon Leviathan IPA - definitely has that strong hoppy jowl-spot hit but then also a sweetness that some may or may not like

before that: Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA - yup, good. And goes down easy. And then you're like, "Whoo!" and you didn't realize it was as potent as it was. http://www.bearrepublic.com/ourbeers.php

before that: Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout - it being colder and all, stouts are selling like crazy. This is hearty hearty hearty. http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith_oatmeal_stout.html

There's more, but we'll stop here. Look for more updates.

Post #2000 - a hodge podge of thoughts

Well, let's see...quite a week of things to think about in the world-at-large and within my own little world:

First the fun things-

UMAMI - it keeps popping up here and there and it's just a matter of time before it spreads like wildfire. It basically is a 5th taste type, along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Things like broth, protein heavy food and mushroom are examples.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami

MAD MEN - my goodness! What a season finale! Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce with Joanie back, and Betty gone off with the gov's advisor. Oh my oh my. Can't wait for season 4. Facebook's a chattering on about "withdrawal" and I agree with those commenters!

BEER - I've been trying different good beers since I started working at the liquor store around the corner part time. I'm more about the fancy beers than the fancy wines these days. I'll have a seaparate post and an on-going thread about beer coming soon.

WINE PARTY - Just because I'm more into the beer, doesn't mean I dislike wine, and I had a ton of fun at a wine party on Friday.


Not fun things for me:

Maine's 51% of voters who repealed the gay marriage law makes me want to punch people in the face. And I know there are a lot of people who I know that probably voted YES. They don't say so, for fear of judgment, which is understandable since THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES!!!!!!!!!!!

Fri, Nov 6 was the 2nd anniversary of my dad's passing away. I worked and then got together with friends for the wine party, so that was nice. I didn't really feel like doing anything much about it. It feels better to just make it another day. Still makes me feel chilly inside though, thinking about it.

Other bad things:

Fort Hood, the serial killer in Cleveland, and UNAMERICAN ASSHOLES WHO TAKE AWAY THE RIGHTS OF OTHER BECAUSE THEY ARE ASSHOLES.

Wow, I'm passionate about gay rights, huh? But we knew this already. Are there siblings in other species that are fiercley protective like this? To be compared to a bear and cub wouldn't quite cut it, but with a sister, an uncle and a ton of close friends who are gay, I get all kinds of fired up when it comes to this issue. But these things like the HEARTILY AMERICAN NOTION of EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE sometimes takes time for JERKFACE ENTITLED IGNORANT others to embrace.

Alright, enough with the all caps. I'm going to focus my energies on positive thinking. Anger only gets you so far.

Coming back more often, I think

Hello! I've been focusing on other blogs, journals and creative writing so I haven't posted as frequently here. But I think I feel like going back to it. See you in the next post!

New article up at Examiner.com

Hooo, that took a while. It was hard being in Weymouth with Mom's laptop to write more about West Roxbury.

Anyway, here's a review of Comella's Homemade Italian Food that I just posted today: http://www.examiner.com/x-20000-West-Roxbury-Examiner~y2009m9d11-Comellas-for-delicious-Italian-takeout

Enjoy. I'm so hungry after writing this!

Good thing I'm eating mostly raw & vegan these days...

Um, well, you see, I have been a mostly vegetarian with occasional visits to piscatarianism (fish) for eighteen years now. Lately I've been eating mostly vegan and raw, for digestive health reasons.

And this story from the AP makes me never want to buy farm factory eggs ever again:

Video show chicks ground alive at egg hatchery

E-gads!

Sedona Picture Blog

Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village of Sedona

tlaquepaque whirligigs

Mother & Child sculpture

Buddha, etc.

fountain

American Indian sculptures

Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona AZ

Chapel of the Holy Cross mailbox & handyman

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Chapel of the Holy Cross side view

copper statue of St Francis of Assissi in garden of Chapel of the Holy Cross

inside the Chapel of the Holy Cross

Views of the Red Mountains of Sedona

view from Schnebly Hill

view from our hotel balcony

our new friend, The Lizard

me, meditating in the Vortex

view on the Red Rock Loop Road

Cost, Coverage and Quality - a link about Health Care Reform

T. R. Reid, a journalist who studied the health care systems in other "first world" countries to look for answers to our nations's health care crisis. PBS's NewsHour featured an interview with him today:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/health/healthreform/

Around 6:17 is where I really perked up. What Reid points out is that in these other countries, the first focus, the baseline was to get everyone covered by health insurance and then manage costs and quality after that goal was met. Here, it seems, we are trying to manage costs then look to cover everyone and ensure quality.

That made a light bulb go off in my head. We should have it as a right not a privilege that every person have health insurance and then figure out the best ways to do it after it's set. Otherwise, isn't it like that gopher game at arcades? Once you hit one hole something pops up in another. Once you cover everyone, you have less ER visits, less overhead costs getting absorbed in the system..etc, etc.

There's lots of waste in our health care system, but that seems to me a secondary level of concern. You know, if there's a flood, don't start checking your bank account to make sure you can get new drywall before you stop the leaking and sop up the water.

Another good link:

"Money-Driven Medicine" on Bill Moyer's Journal - http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08282009/profile.html