Beer here!

My immune system is occupied with trying to fight off a cold, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to do an entry. I’ll busy my brain with this while my immune response kicks in. Do your thing, immune system! You rock!

Last night we went to the newly renovated and renamed LaSalle Kitchen & Tavern (née Club LaSalle) for a beer dinner featuring Boulevard Brewing Co. out of Kansas City, Missouri. We had been to one of these before and really enjoyed it, so when Ken get the email that another one was coming up, we thought we’d do another one! This was also our first opportunity to see the renovations at the place. I really didn’t notice much in the way of changed decor, although the sectional couch seems to have been replaced with tables. I’m guessing it’s more about revamping the menu then the decor.

It was a cold and blustery night, and the snow was really flying by the window of the third-floor restaurant, but the place is warm and inviting, and we were happy to enjoy a four-course dinner of yummy food paired with various Boulevard brews. The area rep for Boulevard was there and came around to talk about the brewery and the different beers. Really enjoyed talking to him, even though he didn’t know who the Rainmakers are. (Yes, we asked.)

We started with appetizers, paired with the 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer and the Bully Porter. I’m a big fan of wheat beers, so I really liked that one. The appetizers were grilled ham/provolone/Swiss sandwiches, mashed potato balls, and macaroni and cheese. The mashed potato balls sound weird, but they were pretty tasty, with some earthy mushrooms in there, and a good flavor. The sandwiches were also good, but I stuck with one, because I didn’t want to eat too many appetizers! I made an exception for the mac and cheese, which was the standout for me. Nice and creamy, with a hint of garlic. Delicious! I would eat that for a main course.

The first course was Jerked Shrimp & Scallop with a black bean empanada and mango & papaya salsa. This was paired with Pop-Up Session IPA, a nice smooth, low alcohol IPA. The scallop was wonderful and tender, and the salsa was a fresh, sweet addition to the spiciness of the seafood. The empanada was also very tasty.

The second course was Smoked Rainbow Trout with grilled brioche, fennel & apple horseradish jam, and Bull’s Blood micros. I wasn’t sure what that latter thing was, either, but turned out it was microgreens on top of the other stuff. We had Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, which was a little heavier than the previous beer. I loved this trout...it was moist and flaky, and the horseradish jam wasn’t spicy at all. It all combined really nicely for a great flavor.

Third course was Braised Short Rib with parsnip purée, thumbelina carrots, and mustard & raisin jus. The beer served was Sixth Class Quadrupel Ale, and yes, that is the way it was originally spelled, so they kept the spelling. Of course, I had to make jokes about quadruped ale and quadriplegic ale. Inppropriate? I don’t know, but I amused myself, if not Ken. I thought this was the weakest course, but maybe I was just getting “fooded out.” The short rib was nice and tender, but I’ve never been a fan of short ribs...I find them overly fatty, and I can’t abide blobs of fat on my meat. [shudder] We both thought the parsnip purée was bland, and the carrots were nothing to speak of. The flavors just weren’t as interesting as the shrimp and scallop, or the trout, in my opinion. However, it was perfectly cooked, not dry at all. The Quadrupel was also a little heavier, but I didn’t find it as one that stood out for me.

The fourth course was dessert, and oh MAN, was it ever good!! It was a chocolate & stout flan with a coffee candy chard. I don’t know if that was a typo and it was supposed to be “shard,” because I know of chard as the leafy greens. This was a chunk of what was basically rock candy, with apparently a little coffee in it. This dessert was absolutely delicious...smooth and creamy, almost mousse-like in texture, with a nice chocolatey-coffee flavor. The beer served was a 2013 Special Limited Release Imperial Stout, and it was perfect with the dessert. Some stouts have a definite mocha flavor to them, and it went well with this. Mmm, thinking back to that flan, I wish I had some more right now!

This was a very pleasant experience for the middle of the week, and we both enjoyed it a lot. I’m sure we’ll do more in the future, when we’re in the mood for a special treat. Club LaSalle may have changed its name, but as LaSalle Kitchen & Tavern, it will remain one of our favorite places in downtown South Bend. It’s a great place to go for a drink after a show, and they usually have musicians on the weekends. I think we’ll keep it in mind for dinners before the show, too. It’s a little more reasonably priced than its downstairs sibling, LaSalle Grill, but the food is also very good. Approved!

Beth’s Books: It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

I decided to read this book because it was referenced in the previous book I read (and reviewed here), Christian Nation: A Novel. A quote from the Lewis book was used in Christian Nation, and I was intrigued enough that I thought I should read the Sinclair Lewis book.

Boy, am I glad I did.

While the premise of Christian Nation was that the Christian right dominionists take over our government and make America a theocracy, the premise of Lewis’s book is that the far right gains a toehold and fascists take over America. This book was originally published in 1935, when the Nazis were coming to power in Germany, so the timeline makes sense. What is frightening is that both results are eerily similar. In fact, it struck me that Christian Nation drew quite a bit on this book, modeling its theocracy on Lewis’s fascist dictatorship.

In this book, we get everything in fascist America that Nazi Germany had: rapid erosions of freedom, including free speech and freedom of assembly; roving bands of government-sanctioned militia thugs (they’re even called Minute Men...I’m looking at YOU, Arizona!); persecution of seditionists, “intellectuals,” Jews, and Negroes; execution of real and imagined political enemies, or anyone who dares to question the regime; concentration and labor camps; book confiscations and burnings; takeover of the press as part of the propaganda machine.

As in Christian Nation, I was very disturbed at how plausible it all seemed. Check out some of these passages from the book:

Why are you so afraid of the word ‘Fascism,’ Doremus? Just a word—just a word! And might not be so bad, with all the lazy bums we got panhandling relief nowadays, and living on my income tax and yours… [from one of the leaders in the new regime] 

All women now employed shall, as rapidly as possible, except in such peculiarly feminine spheres of activity as nursing and beauty parlors, be assisted to return to their incomparably sacred duties as home-makers and as mothers of strong, honorable future Citizens of the Commonwealth. [from the platform of the new president, Berzelius ‘Buzz’ Windrip] 

...one tenth of 1 per cent of the population at the top have an aggregate income equal to 42 per cent at the bottom. [from a character in the book who is a Communist] 

In the little towns, ah, there is the abiding peace that I love, and that can never be disturbed by even the noisiest Smart Alecks from these haughty megalopolises like Washington, New York, & etc. [from Buzz Windrip’s book—gee, who does that remind you of?]

Any of that sound familiar? If you’ve been paying attention to our current atmosphere in politics, it should. Remember, this was written in 1935.

All is not lost in this alternate reality America. There is a committed Underground group who works to smuggle people across to Canada and to get out the truth about what the fascist regime is doing to its citizens. The main character in the book, Doremus Jessup, begins the book as the editor of the local paper in a small Vermont town. After tragedies in his own family and eventual imprisonment, he wonders:

I am convinced that everything that is worth while in the world has been accomplished by the free, inquiring, critical spirit, and that the preservation of this spirit is more important than any social system whatsoever. But the men of ritual and the men of barbarism are capable of shutting up the men of science and of silencing them forever.

This book is very much worth reading. You might find it a little slow at the beginning, as I did, but once I got about a third of the way into it, the shit really hit the fan, and I tore through the rest of it. If you’re like me, it will make you resolved that such reactionary thinking will never be allowed to flourish in our country, at least beyond a small but vocal minority, and it will make you wonder which side you would be on. Would you go along to get along, or would you work to put an end to such obviously unconstitutional acts? Would you stand by as your colleagues are taken into “protective custody” because you fear for yourself or for your family, or would you fight such tactics in whatever way you could? Would you risk your own life to save others from death or imprisonment? What if members of your own family joined the oppressive regime?

This is a very thought-provoking and disturbing book that will make you realize that its title is a fallacy. I highly recommend it.

Sensory overload

I’m feeling slightly overwhelmed, but in a very good way.

I have so many interesting books I want to read, so much great music to listen to, and so many fun movies and shows to watch that I’m not sure how I’ll ever find the time to do everything that I want to do. I’ve got six months of Rolling Stone issues to catch up on...but that’s okay, because I like saving those for the summer when I’m sitting out on the deck and catching some sun.

It’s a dilemma. First world problems, right?

I find myself wishing that I didn’t need eight hours of sleep to feel my best. If I could get by with six, or even four, think of all the extra time I’d have! I also found myself speculating today that if I had the chance to become a vampire, I just might go for it, because think of all the time I’d have then! Too bad they’re fictional. Lestat, if you’re real, call me!

I’m enjoying the book I’m reading at the moment, but I find myself wanting to finish it as soon as possible so I can move on to the next one. I feel like some sort of intellectual sponge, wanting to suck up as much as I can before I join the choir invisible. It’s not really possible to multi-task with stuff like this, either, not if you want to give things your full attention. I’ll listen to music while I’m reading, but if it’s new music, I want to pay attention to it and listen to the lyrics; I can read while I’m watching TV, but then I’m paying more attention to the book than I am the movie or show.

I feel very fortunate that I have the time to do all of these things and even try some new ones, and none of this is a complaint. Just a happy conundrum! Like the saying goes, “So many books, so little time.”

But how will I ever get to all the stuff I want to do?!

Keys of happiness

I recently mentioned that along with wanting to learn to play a little guitar (that “little” is both literal and figurative!), I also wanted get back into playing the piano.

When I was on Amazon recently, I somehow came across a couple of sheet music books published by Rolling Stone, with some of their 500 best rock songs. It was for easy piano, and I thought it would be a fun way to dip my toe back into the piano pool. Well, I got one of them today, and man, was that ever fun! The first song I played was “Lola,” and then “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” I had to laugh when I saw “Iron Man” in there...that should sound interesting on the piano! I’m also looking forward to putting on some shades and playing “What’d I Say.” Ha!

I’m glad these are super easy, because it’s been quite a while since I played, and I need to ease back into it. It’s not that easy for me, because I never had lessons. I taught myself to play. I’m happy that I had music classes in grade school, and I think I had some in high school, too. Even though I didn’t play in the band, I learned how to read music. I’ve enjoyed playing throughout the years, and I’m happy to have the piano that Mom and Dad gave me. It eases my mind to go downstairs and play for a bit. Sometimes I want to play really loud, but other times I like a slow, quiet song.

I’ve always played mostly classical music, but I can remember buying sheet music for popular songs when I was in high school. I think it will be fun to learn to play some of the songs in this Rolling Stone collection. I know that I’m not very good, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have fun doing it! I suspect it will be the same with the guitar. When I first manage to play a chord, I’ll probably be like, “This is AWESOME!” Haha!

One thing I’ve tried to break away from is feeling like I have to be some kind of expert at something in order to do it. Very few people are experts at anything, and we shouldn’t let that hold us back from trying and enjoying something. Would people want to hear me play? Probably not! But I know that I have fun doing it, and it makes me happy. I think it’s okay for some things to be just for you, do you know what I mean? Play a tune, sing a song, draw a picture, write a poem, do a little dance, get down tonight! You might surprise yourself, and this extremely rational and scientific person has enjoyed stepping outside my usual boundaries to be a little adventurous and creative. It doesn’t come easy to me, but I like trying.

I see so many people who are afraid to do new things. It’s okay to be cautious about certain things (you won’t see me surfing or whitewater rafting anytime soon—hey, I can’t swim!), but don’t be afraid to take a chance and do something out of your realm. You might have a lot of fun!

Beth’s Books: Christian Nation: A Novel

This is the review I wrote on Shelfari. I wanted to include it here, because it became an instant favorite of mine. I’ll add a little more commentary after the review.

***

If you're a fan of the separation of church and state and feel like having the bejeebers scared out of you, this is the book for you!

The premise is simple, but almost too horrifying to contemplate: instead of losing the 2008 election, the McCain-Palin ticket narrowly prevails. When President McCain unexpectedly and suddenly dies, the vice-president is immediately sworn in, and President Palin begins to take the country in a more religious direction. Thus, a Christian Nation. America becomes a theocracy.

"President Palin." Just let that sink in for a moment. You're welcome for the nightmares.

The country continues to spiral downwards through the two terms of Palin's presidency, and the presidency of her successor. No one is spared. Homosexuality becomes a crime and the gays flee to countries who offer asylum; books are burned; blasphemy becomes a capital offense; Ivy League schools are taken over by the federal government and liberal faculty are forced to resign; the teaching of evolution is outlawed and a Christian perspective is required to be taught.

This is a liberal's worst nightmare, and I found it an absolutely chilling book. The tone is a little preachy at times, but I was okay with that. I see it as an important cautionary tale, and it illustrates exactly why many of us fight for separation of church and state. Conservatives would absolutely hate this book, especially because the last bastion of freedom is none other than that east coast pocket of "liberal elites," Manhattan.

I was fascinated by this book and found it hard to put down. It was like driving by a horrible car accident and being unable to look away. The slow erosion of personal freedoms and the slide into theocracy was a terrible thing to watch...and it seemed all too plausible. Highly recommended.

***

Since I try to keep things low-key on Shelfari, here are the things I didn’t want to say on there:

HOLY SHIT! Literally.

This book was truly horrifying for me. When I was reading it, there were times that I woke up in the middle of the night and would be unable to stop thinking about it. There really are people who want this to happen, who feel that Christianity should be the linchpin of our republic, and that our government should have a decidedly Christian bent. These are the people who call evolution a “socialist idea” and see nothing wrong with Ten Commandments monuments and Nativity scenes in our government buildings. These are also the same people who howl when others force the issue and erect Satanist displays or Festivus poles alongside the Christian displays.

Flying Spaghetti Monster displays and Festivus poles are kind of silly...but I totally agree with people’s right to put them up, as long as Christian displays are allowed. Personally, I’d rather see NO such displays erected in our government buildings, but as long as they continue to allow Christian displays, I say keep erecting those Festivus poles!

Here’s the thing: certain people are fine with religious displays, or prayers at the beginning of government meetings, as long as they are Christian displays and Christian prayers. Start pushing the envelope and ask for a prayer to Allah at the start of the local high school football game and see what kind of reaction you get. You should probably expect death threats in your future. If only Christian displays are allowed, that is favoring one religion over another, which is blatantly unconstitutional. I don’t understand why this is so hard for people to comprehend.

This is part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much, even though I found it quite scary. It shows how such extremist thinking (and yes, I think wanting only Christian displays and prayers is extremist thinking) can get out of control, especially when we have leaders who make it clear that they desire a Christian nation. I pay close attention to how people feel about science education and about the place of religion in our government, and I vote accordingly.

A person’s religion is their own business. I want to guard against them making it my business or anyone else’s business.

The Return of the Prodigal Blogger

As Jim Kerr and Simple Minds sang, I’m alive and kicking!

Did you know that Jim Kerr was married to Chrissie Hynde? True story.

Anyway, I took a little hiatus, mainly due to being really busy around the holidays. It seems like we had a lot of stuff going on, going to Notre Dame games and family outings. It was a busy but fun couple of months. Our super cool niece Jennifer was visiting from San Diego, and we did quite a few things with her; we had family get-togethers for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve; I made contact with one of my favorite musicians, Bob Walkenhorst, and we bought a painting from him; our online friends (now real life friends!) Winston and Jen came to visit and we took them to see Cornerstone Blues Band; we spent a weekend in Cleveland and visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and saw their amazing Rolling Stones special exhibit; we dealt with a bona fide blizzard and the ominous-sounding Polar Vortex, which was about as pleasant as it sounds!

With all of this stuff going on, I felt the need to hunker down and withdraw a bit in my downtime. You know how us introverts are...we need to recharge after social activities. I am resolved to be more diligent in my reading, and I will do better with posting book reviews here. I am also getting more immersed in music, and will post reviews of songs and albums, too. I even took a hiatus from politics, and am slowly working my way back into my usual political involvement (it’s easy to take a break when you’re so disgusted by their ridiculous behavior that you want to smack a bunch of them upside the head). I want to work on writing other projects besides this blog, and am trying to wrap my brain around that and figure out exactly how to go about it. I bought a ¾-sized Fender Strat and want to work on learning how to play (a full-sized one is too big for my hands). I would like to get back into playing piano.

Coming up in just a little over a month, we have the cruise with Ken’s Mom to the Southern Caribbean, and I’ll need to start laying things out for that soon. In May, we are planning on a house concert by the aforementioned Bob Walkenhorst at Shane and Matt’s house, and that is going to be an amazing opportunity to meet and listen to one of my all-time favorites! (More about that soon!) Ken will be spending some time in Indianapolis in April, and I may spend a few days down there with him (firefighter’s convention…!), then we’ll do our usual Florida trip in July, and we want to plan a big family and friends get-together in Vegas in October for Oktoberfest at the Munich Hofbräuhaus replica there. So it seems that I’ll get a breather here and there, but there will be things to plan throughout much of the coming year.

My mind is just spinning with things I want and need to do! This is not a complaint. I’m having a lot of fun, but it’s easy to reach a point of sensory overload. Thus the blog hiatus. Something eventually has to give, and this time it was the blog. I’ve found that if you start feeling pressure to write, and that you feel you have to make an entry, or feel guilty when you don’t, it’s time to step away for a bit. Once it feels like a duty, it’s just not fun anymore, know what I mean? So I stepped away for a bit. When I started thinking, “Hey, I’d like to do a blog entry soon...I miss it,” I knew it was time to come back. I can tell you that it feels good, and I’m smiling as I type this.

So I’m back, you little maniacs! You can’t get rid of me that easily!

Beth’s Music Moment: It’s the end, the end of the Seventies

I am finally caught up with all my online class lectures! It’s amazing how far behind I got with that week in New Orleans and my subsequent difficulty in adjusting back to normal life. Good thing, because I start a new class on antibiotics next week!

Today I finished up Week 3’s lectures in History of Rock Part Two, and I loved it so much that I got a little verklempt. It was about punk and new wave in the late ‘70s. That was MY time. It brought back so many great memories of Shane and I (and our friend Steve) discovering all this great music and being so caught up in this movement that was so far removed from what most people at our high school were listening to. They were into Kenny Rogers and Air Supply, and we were blowing pictures off the walls with “Death or Glory”! (Yes, that really happened, and we still crack up over it!)

We seemed to have a knack (Ha! Knack...get it?) for learning about groups before they hit it big here. I recall loving Tom Petty when I heard “Breakdown,” and had a couple of early albums before they hit it with “Damn the Torpedoes.” I had the early Cheap Trick albums before “At Budokan.” We always joked that we should be A&R people! For whatever reason, these small town kids were plugged into the broader music scene and so into finding new music. It was really a heady time in music, and there was so much happening and so much great music. That continued for Shane and I through much of the ‘80s as we loved telling each other about new bands, and it continues to this day as we turn each other on to music we think each other would like. We’re music buddies, so we’re usually in tune on that. Haaaa, I made a pun! In tune.

It was also interesting to me to hear the professor’s confirmation that yes, punk really did originate in New York City. I’ve maintained that since forever, but there are those that feel that it originated in London. No...its roots were in the US, with bands like the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, and the New York Dolls. There was an underground scene going on in New York, and Malcolm McLaren heard about it and created his own version of it with the Sex Pistols. Then it started getting attention because of the Pistols’ bad behavior, and it came back to the US and came up from the underground. The record companies defanged it quite a bit, because they weren’t going to risk their money on unreliable and volatile acts like the Pistols, who broke up very quickly. But what an influence they had! They were like a punk rocket, flaming out quickly but leaving a huge sonic boom in its wake.

Another interesting thing was that this period marked the end of what the prof has dubbed the “hippie aesthetic.” That is the idea that music should be serious and of substance, that the musicians should be seen as professionals and virtuosos in their craft, and that the songwriters, the songs, and the music should be “authentic.” Two very different musical styles set this idea on its head at the same time, for very different reasons. Disco was all about “let’s dance,” and it really didn’t matter who the artist was...all that mattered was getting out and shakin’ what your mama gave you. Punk said “fuck the virtuosity,” and you got kids who could barely play making records and up on the stage. Very much a DIY mentality. There were of course exceptions to that, but that was a pretty pervasive attitude. Definitely a garage band attitude. I had never thought of it in those terms, but that seems dead on to me.

I was also fascinated by the idea that this was a time when bands and artists were looking back to the roots of music and using irony in their approach. The best examples of that are Debbie Harry purposefully taking on a Marilyn Monroe look, and Elvis Costello and his Buddy Holly specs. Rock and roll was old enough by then that it could look back and plumb iconic looks and sounds from the beginning of rock and roll. A lot of us were old enough to understand the cultural references and to “get it.” It was a perfect time and perfect music for people of my and Shane’s age to plug into that.

I enjoyed this week’s lectures so much. I try not to get swamped in nostalgia and I still love finding great new music—and for anyone who says that there isn’t any good music these days, well, you just aren’t looking hard enough, because there is a lot of great stuff out there...seek it out!—but it was a lot of fun to revisit one of the most influential times in my musical development, and look at things a little deeper and in the context of the time.

Rock on, Citizens! You know I will!