Until Google + decides to let us in on the big deal and create our own hangouts, we’re going to have to have our parties in the Oort belt of the blogosphere. That’s cool. I’ll bet a party with you guys would be a lot of fun in person.
Didja notice we broke 11,000,000 unique page views? Not bad for a blog that nobody reads. That’s not true, we have quite a few readers, even in the summer. We know you’re out there but don’t worry, we’re not going to sell your email addresses. I do wonder whether the Republican or Democratic operatives are hanging out here more… The Republicans should forget about converting us even if they do pick up some dark shadows in our collective unconscious. (BTW, I finished the Ghaemi book today and we are absolute toast if we keep electing the student body president types. I was right when I said we need the Democratic version of a hairy, unibrowed Atilla the Hun.)
But anyway, let’s kick back and have a beer (or two). My beverage du jour is, hold on a sec while I check the label…, Victory Summer Love Ale. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not picking up a lemony freshness in the finish as advertised. Unlike my neighbors in Pennsylvania, it’s fairly easy to get weird beers and ales in NJ. Liquor stores here carry all kinds of liquors, wines and beers and you don’t have to buy a case of beer at one fell swoop. On the other hand, very few restaurants have liquor licenses (because the mafia has cornered the market? Just a hunch based on the number of iterations and suspicious fires that some local restaurants have experienced) Grocery stores, with very few exceptions, do not sell liquor. In fact, one of the only grocery stores to sell alcohol in NJ, Wegmans, has a cool pick a six pack feature. You can shop dozens and dozens of beers and make your own six pack. It’s a great way to sample things you might not have tried otherwise.
Then there’s the Triumph Brewery in Princeton. I love that place. You can purchase a growler in a recyclable half gallon glass jug. The make a great Coffee and Cream ale. Flights are the best way to sample unusual fermented beverages for those of us on an unemployment check budget.
So, what is your beverage du jour and what did you do this week? Reno a kitchen? Go on vacation? Transfer all of your 401K nest egg to cash? Grab some chips and guacamole and some seven layered dip and chill.
Filed under: General |
The Confluence 
so, according to Ghaemi, Gandhi was a depressive and suffered some nasty bouts of mental illness as did Martin Luther King Jr.
But the Nazis, other than Hitler himself, were all mentally healthy. Yep, George Bush as well. The problem with Bush is that he isn’t able to think in parallel mode. Well, most people can’t.
Ghaemi mentions Bill Clinton in passing but he bears a striking resemblence to FDR who was hyperthymic. I’m going to hazard a guess that if the Big Dawg were in the White House right now, we would be seeing New Deal 2.85 with New Deal 3.0 (a major upgrade) right around the corner.
Damn, if we’d gone with Hillary, we could have gotten a twofer.
Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Gandhi. I probably should. What’s an apple TV for?
if you have never seen Gandhi, you really should. It is inspiring, though maybe not as much as when we were in our, what, twenties, when it first came out?
You can probably buy it from Amazon for about 59 cents.
I’ve been reading The Game of Thrones novels (Ice and Fire series?) … I’m on book 4 and really enjoying it. I think that there is some of the best character development in this series — people actually grow and change over the course of the novels. Not done yet though….
Loved Game of Thrones but Clash of Kings kinda dragged. The HBO series was fantastic. The last scene of the season sent a chill up Mu spine.
For me book 4 is the slowest. I think because he’s suddenly introduced a bunch of new characters and not focusing much on the regulars. Still, I’m pretty enthralled. And it’s giving me something to do when I come home half-crippled from exhaustion after helping my dad sort (and toss) papers.
I agree. It was frick’in awsome.
I’ll have to get it from the library when it’s available on dvd.
I have not read the latest book yet. It would seem that they have to tie up a lot of threads and yet another book is needed to do so. But, it the last one took years and years…
djmm
He said in the intro (or somewhere) that there are 2 after this (no. 5) But, I think you’re right — it’ll be a long time before they’re published.
Love a good series like that. Seems that it’s not too uncommon to drag a bit towards the end. A marathon is a tough thing to do right.
Sterno.
I’ve gotta go to sleep but, I’ll be back for breakfast on the deck. See you all in the morning!
Talking about which – Cocktail Party – I recall travelling in China with a friend some years back. One night having arrived in a small city we went exploring, and passing a liquor store we decided to buy a bottle of “something or other” for a night-cap.
The shelves in the store were filled from floor to ceiling with bottles, all depicting a version of dragons, one more wild and furious than the next. As we were debating which version to pick – from the look of the label as we didn’t know any Chinese signs – the store, and the street outside filled with giggling, openly curious Chinese. Whether they were intriqued by the tall, blonde, big nosed, round eyed strangers or just puzzled and amused about us being in that store, we’ll never know.
We finally agreed on a bottle – that is: a label, depicting a vicious, fiery dragon, to the utter amusement of everyone present.
Back at the hotel it dawned on us what could have caused the amusement among our audience in the “liquor” store: The bottle contained … vinegar, lol. So much for our night-cap. 😦
Though later I used the vinegar to rinse my hair after having washed it, and never before, or after, did I have such beautiful shining hair. 😉
OMG! Was that a vinegar store or what?
If I had the energy I’d go downstairs to MY patio and do some patio blogging but, since I’m way too lazy I’m gonna just sit her and take advantage of Riverdaughter’s.
I’ll hit refresh now and then to see if anyone’s joined me.
It was a Vinegar Store, yes. Amazing isn’t it? Still wondering if our Chinese “audience” somehow knew that we expected the content to be … something different, lol.
One of the specialized stores “back home” I remember most fondly was the one selling exclusively buttons. And the decor was exquisite‚ wood panelings and drawers and such. But as I say below, I do miss this concept of specialized stores – the shopping mall will never, ever provide that kind of charm. Or for that matter, imo, any.
Thinking of this vinegar store, selling exclusively one kind of product, I’m reminded of stores in days of yore – well, actually not necessarily that long ago – that specialized both in stock and knowledge. And I miss the charm of shopping in that kind of store. Ever the nostalgic, heh.
We really need to get back to this sort of thing. Sometimes on my walks I dream about what sort of store I’d open if rents fell to the floor…..
Oo, Oo, I’d open up a chain of communal workspaces like the one profiled in the NYTimes yesterday about the Ace Hotel lobby. With a sandwich/lunch shop attached to be run by number 1 child.
During my arduous period of umemployment in the 80’s, (Reagan, busting the Air Traffic Controllers’ union, in Atlanta), we founded the Peachtree Road Rollers & Travel Club, created an 87 mile skate race from Athens to Atlanta and hit the streets. We convinced Anheiser Busch to launch the “know when to say when” campaign and skated sober to every outdoor restaurant space for one drink and a video game, some fun interacting with the other bar-stool bound unemployeds trying to fake that they weren’t devastated, and founded a philanthropy. In the process, we discovered our inner strength, the concept of “spiritual family” and toured an Atlanta enjoying the “legacy of the Presidency.” While everything else in our lives sucked, those Wednesday Night Buckhead Bar Rolls were the greatest fun, Sundays in the park skating cones and taking the elevators to the 12th floor of the Federal Building downtown to shoot the parking ramps was awesome. Rescuing me from the depressing lack of employment was the inch-by-inch discovery of how elating it is to be in great shape and KNOWING you can kick the ass of any low-life who threatens your personal “security.” All that work (skating 17 miles to Stone Mountain and back listening to headphones at dawn on Sundays) evolved the balance you “find” and never lose riding a bicycle, taken up a notch. The wind just takes you with it, birdlike and sweeping. I learned that when you cantelever your fears with the will to persevere, add enthusiasm, then something MUCH GREATER takes over. Evolution is the product of WE, the Earth-bound giving it all, then listening to the still Voice within, telling you to “sense” what’s actually there, and ignore the illusion being “sold” by those taking you to the cleaners while you trust, try to “please” them and never get invited to THEIR parties while they always come to yours. Will Bowers’ moving the PUMA conference to a secret location was the stroke of genius (nurtured by the “higher powers,”) to thwart those hosers’ efforts to crash and disrupt. Perhaps another PUMA Conference Deck Tour to which you arrive via bike, skates or other “self-powered” conveyance. I spent yesterday observing the 3rd Anniversary of the Murder of Bill Gwatney, a week after he was the first State Chair to sign the Petition of 300 circulated by Michelle Thomas.
I was poking around our blogroll and came to this great post at Acid Test
I saw that post and went to PLoS to get the paper but their server was down. It would probably give me a little more comfort if that paper was in Science or Cell or Nature but maybe I’m just being a snob. Anyway, i saw what looked like some related protein structures at the RCSB site but need to see the papers to see if they are a match and can understand the mechanism of action. A long time ago, I did some modeling on CARDs, which are death domains associated with caspases. So, the whole area is tweaking my curiosity.
I thought it might — I love the thought. Although one of my cousins pointed out that evolution could have a thing or two to say about the long-run cure.
Give the Chinese embassy a call, there might be a company in Asia that would love to pick your brain. You don’t owe the suits that threw you out on the street a thing.
nice party R.D,
let’s kick back and have a beer (or two). )hic :))
I’m more of a mixed drink gal then a beer drinker. However, I am a sucker for the odd or a local drink. The last brew I had was banana bread beer followed by a beer from a now defunct Floyd brewery(The couple divorced and the dude didn’t want to continue on his own.)
We’ve got a neat little place called The Cellar that has tons of beer from all over the world as well as local stuff. Next door they have a small restaurant with Cajun Shrimp Dip served with pita chips is a regular for me and hubs. They have locals who come to play music most days of the week so you even get a live music performance.
I just watched this amusing text-into-movie bit:
read the piece, cool that the DRACO becomes a Harry Potter reference.
katiebird, the suggestion to tell Debbie Wasserman-Shultz to nominate Clinton is a WINNER…
can she do that??wow!! great idea.but she is BO,s girl. 😦