Three is not always a charm.

Bill Walsh, Ingmar Bergman, and Tom Snyder have all recently died.

There is a superstition that deaths come in threes.

Enjoy.

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. Mark Twain (probably)

Tonight Dr. John Walker performed at Jones Coffee, my local coffee shop. He is still really great and will have another cd out around September. Another Lincoln music demagogue Terri Jo Dotson did a few numbers with him, and before the night ended Chris Sayre was in attendance too. Anyway I took note of a couple lines. He sings a line in St. James Infirmary about how tough the neighbor hood is: So tough they'll cut off your head and throw it in your face. The other line that struck me was in his Child of God song. "If they ask me who I am, who I am, who I am, I'm a child of God . . ." The line that got me was "If they ask where love is, where love is, where love is, it's in the darkest hour."

This speaks a bit to the interchange Buffy and I had on our MySpace comment boards (you're welcome to spy on us to see the details, my comments are on the second page of her boards). She shared a quote with me about a wisdom not born of sorrow, just joy and questioned the ability of joy to not come from sorrow. I took the stand that joy can exist without sorrow, and that the angels had joy though they had no sorrow. She rebutted that it was a different species of joy. I'm not saying it is the same joy, but joy nonetheless. So that brings us to where love resides. It resides in the darkest hour. I really think this is a very good place for love to reside, because it does the most good here. This isn't to say that love isn't welcome on a sunny day, but it is more than welcome (When I asked Katie what is more than welcome, she wisely answered: wanted.) in the darkest hour.

In lighter matters, Dr. Walker's lab pup is named Muddy Waters. Other dog names I've gathered since last sharing some names are an Australian Shepherd Dog named Keidis (the owner was glad I made the connection with the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) and a new chocolate lab pup that when I first met her was named Lily (probably with two 'l's they just got her and hadn't written her name yet) but was later changed to Alexis when the patriarch of the family had his say. So who knows what her name is now. I also previously met a brindle grey hound mix named Aries.

For food tonight I had some gouda cheese on a pie crust that I left in the oven a bit too long (too long to use for an actual pie). I was very pleased with myself.

Simplify.

I think the quote from one of those Transcendentalists is actually "Simplify, simplify, simplify." I've always thought that was hilarious. Brilliant really.

I believe it was on the Fourth of July maybe, I was driving on the Interstate nonetheless, it could have been the weekend before. Anyway, I was listening to a Terri Gross Fresh Air interview replay with Paul Simon. Gross asked him if he and his father, who was also a professional musician, ever argued over control of the radio. Paul answered that that wasn't the case, but his father didn't think much of the music Paul liked (do-wop, early pop rock)--he thought it was too simple. Simon then excused his father for not realizing the talent and difficulty in making something simple good.

I previously shared this anecdote with Michael and Ashley. Ashley and I were talking about her and Ben's wedding and its elegance and simplicity which belied the increased effort and difficulty necessary to achieve it. "You want to do what?" was frequently asked of Ashley by the various caterer types.

I was reminded of this as I read through the blog for Bread & Cup {Simple food and drink.} This is a new restaurant that is opening soon in the Haymarket. If you're looking for some interesting reading, I recommend going through the archives. I started in January of this year, but it looks like I only missed his introductory post.

Here are some posts I liked: The Importance of Growing Roses, The Symbol, Serve food we LOVE to make and eat, How to eat at bread&cup. (I got a bit verklempt when he mentioned the chocolate espresso bread pudding.), Carbs (I like his bit about Moderation and Variety at the end.), Beer. They also have a website here.

"Like a Kick in the Head"

I really enjoyed myself quite thoroughly on my trip to Des Moines with Karen, Friday. I'll give you an overview and then Break. It. Down.

We left at 10 and arrived uneventfully right on time to join Nathan for lunch at the Art Center's "five star" restaurant. Then we had a wonderful two hours absorbing the art. After getting a bit derailed by the one way street system, we had twenty minutes to buzz through the Capitol building. We then mastered the aforementioned street system and had supper at Court Avenue Brewing. This left us with enough time for me to 'av a pint at The Royal Mile, a British type pub, and another at El Bait Shop, with 100 taps from which beer comes. We arrived also on time for the Squirrel Nut Zippers concert (the main reason for the trip). The Dex Romweber Duo opened, and the Zippers headlined. And again we arrived uneventfully back at Lincoln right at 2.

Des Moines Art Center was really more than I had hoped for. I remembered that they had an Andy Goldsworthy sculpture from a documentary I'd watched on him. But the rest of their collection was really great and Karen and I really liked it. Some pieces I particularly enjoyed: Man and Pegasus, Women, Bird, Stars; Light over Gray by Rothko, A Panic That Can Still Come Over Me: Salvages II by Jess, Ballet Girl in White, Jasper Johns' Tennyson (a favorite of mine), Phantom in a Wooden Garden, Range by Brice Marden, Giacometti's Man Pointing, another one that was one of my favorites was a Samurai Tree by Gabriel Orozco, but I can't find a picture of it.

I thought it would be interesting to ask what the Art Center's guards' favorite piece was. Three out of five said John Singer Sargent's Portraits of Edouard and Marie-Louise Pailleron. Other favorites of the guards were Childe Hassam's Bridge in Snow, and Gerhard Richter's Landschaft. I liked the other John Singer Sargent they had there, Study of an Old Man, more. My favorite guard was Milton Bruce Jr. who had been at the center for 8 years after working 35 years mixing rubber for tires. He had worked at the same machine in the same room for 35 years. He said coming to the Center was like a kick in the head. I suppose so. It should also be mentioned that three different architects have designed segments building which is compelling in itself.

Karen and I were repeatedly impressed by Jean Dubuffet. We first saw his Villager with Close Cropped Hair on the main floor. And there were a couple others I really liked including The Gardens of the Highway. Another piece I couldn't find images of but enjoyed was Leon Golub's Colossol. And to fully document the rest of the pieces I liked: Ernst Barlach's The Avenger and Ritman's Nude in Landscape.

The Capitol Building was impressive. My opinion was that I liked the art of the Nebraska Capitol and the structure and ornament of the Iowa building.

Court Avenue Brewing was good. Karen liked her Porto Bomb sandwich and I my Black and Tan Reuben. They even had a very good bread pudding for dessert (though Famous Dave's is still tops). I tasted three of their beers and their root beer. I didn't care for the Blackhawk Stout or the Kaplan Hat Hefeweizen, but I did like the Capital Raspberry Wheat and their root beer was quite good with just enough kick. We then hit the Royal Mile where I had Fuller's London Porter. I liked it, but it was really sweet, so much that a whole glass was almost too sweet. At El Bait Shop I had Bell's Oberon, a wheat beer, that had very nice citrus overtones. Bell's is from Michigan.

By now it was time to head over to the Hoyt Sherman Place for the concert. The Dex Romweber Duo opened and did a fine job. I was thinking of how to describe them to you, and I decided that their style and music is what would have happened if the White Stripes (Dex's sister Sara plays the drums.) were born in the early 40's and had matured musically with the rise of Rock and Roll. And sure enough, if you click on my first link to them, there is a quote from Jack White about his influence. Dex is reminiscent of a winner of an Elvis contest at the Kremlin.

The Squirrel Nut Zippers were great. The last few concerts I've been to are Sufjan Stevens, Of Montreal, Ryan Stupe and the Rubber Band, and Gym Class Heroes. Sufjan opened his Austin City Limits concert with butterfly wings on his back, The Of Montreal lead singer opened his Sokol Underground show in a wedding dress so that he could legally make love to the audience. Ryan Stupe plays the fiddle and they have a song about a Banjo Boy.

Well Katherine Whalen opened the show with cowboy boots, a wedding dress, and butterfly wings, oh and she also played the banjo. The wings were the only thing that didn't last the whole show. I must say I was quite smitten. I'm definitely glad that our seats were in the center of the second row with no one sitting in front of us. They played all their hits from their previous three or four albums; this is their first tour in seven years. And then we got to participate in that great charade where they pretend they are done with the show and the audience pretends they have the power to control musicians by merely standing and clapping. Good stuff.

Between Dex and the Zippers I walked around the lobby and noticed the name Mrs. Galusha Parsons. I don't know if that is her husband's name or hers.

Still It

So Michael tagged me, and I might be the last of the 8 to post my facts.


1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.

2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

3. People who are tagged need to write in their own blog about their eight things and include these rules in the post.

4. At the end of your post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

5. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

________

1. I can't spell accompaniment. Never mind, but seriously, I struggled for a solid minute right before this trying to spell it: accompianment, accompniment, accompinament , all very bad and not right.

2. I have a brother who was given up for adoption who has been reunited with his birth family.

3. I can't prove my own birth in this fine nation of ours.

4. My uncle has won two Olympic medals in Greco-Roman wrestling and is now the chiropractor for the Minnesota Vikings.

5. I secretly like paintings more than poems. Never mind, that cat's out of the bag too.

6. I derive an inordinate amount of joy from successfully transferring freshly rolled pie pastry to the dish.

7. I'm a poor driver.

8. I enjoy singing Lip Gloss as much as I do singing Your Cheatin' Heart.

Taggees a)Ben Yancer b) Katie c) Wendy d) Karen e) Ellen f) Angela g) Scott h) Donna

Lil Mama - Lip Gloss Video

Jagshemash!

A maybe better title would be "Salvation a la Mode and a Cup of Tea," but I really wanted to use this post's title on my previous untitled post, so I'm gonna use it now.

I had a full day today. I got out of bed at a quarter to 8 and went to the Farmer's Market, where I purchased not only a couple pounds of rhubarb but also a rhubarb plant. Yes you read that correctly, I'm going to be responsible for a life other than my own. Amy is inspirational. I'd like to maybe not put it in the ground and increase its growth before I let it go dormant. It will take some research and time, but I've made the plunge; can't back out now.

On the way back from the market there was a nice woman with a Basset hound sitting in front of The Mill. I walked past, and then I realized I wanted to know its name.

So I went back, "Excuse me ma'am, what is your dog's name?"

"Oliver."

"Wonderful, thank you."

I've decided that in addition to "collecting" names like Pornsook Tantrarungroj. I'm going to accumulate dogs and their names. If you would like to assist me, please feel free to submit the breed of dog and its name whenever; a quick comment on this or my other blog will be all that is necessary. The other dog that planted this seed of interest was a blue weimaraner named Dexter, who is owned by my sister's 4-H dog training instructor's daughter. I met him the first weekend in July at West Bend. I also met a Visla/Laborador mix named Reba.

Quickly a few other dogs I know right now:

Walker Treeing Coon Hound, Slade
Blue Tick Coon Hound, Hank
French Mastiff, Captain Jack
fat German Short-hair Pointer, Mustafa "Mus"
St Bernard, Colbert "Bear"
mostly Golden Lab, Molly
German Shepherd, Molly
German Shepherd, Smokey
black Lab, Remington
chocolate Lab, Dakota
Lab/Retriever mix, Max
puff ball, Ernie
Husky, Kodi
Pomeranian, Foxy

Now near the bus stop, I sat at a bench to read the Saturday paper I snagged from atop the newspaper vending machine (This is better than the law firm I stole one from last week. Apparently the delivery persons are fined if they get too many complaints. Thanks Ashley.). I was reading the paper when I noticed a butterfly on the ground next to my foot. It slowly crawled onto my shoe and since its right wing was torn a bit near the bottom; I waited for it to die. It was a yellow Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). I decided I was going to wait an hour, and if it wasn't dead by then, I was going to take it home with me. Instead Jose and Joshua, two Catholics from Miami and Dallas respectively, wanted to share with me the happiness and peace they have found in following Jesus. At some point during our discussion, the butterfly flew. :(


Their main reason for me to follow Jesus was to bring myself happiness and fill the emptiness in my heart. I respect their desire to share what they have found to work for them and their ability to not be belligerent in their efforts. Jose identified Original Sin as Selfishness, or Egoism, manifested by wanting to be our own god. I asked how the self love that drives us to want a good life from following Jesus is different from the selfishness of Original Sin. After they left, I thought this was still a good question: What is the line between Self Love and Self ish?

Since I had no butterfly to wait for, I went home, showered, called Wendy, and toured (links on left progress you through the tour) the State Capitol Building. Then we went to a Chinese restaurant and finally Ivanna Cone.

At Ivanna Cone, I had the Meadowlark Sherbert (lavender, honey, lemon, and herbal tea) I had spurned last Tuesday when I went there with Michael, Buffy, and Deidra. I enjoyed it.

Once home alone, I was looking through the classifieds and saw this ad:

BLUE brindle & blue fawn, 7 wks. old, MUST SEE!

I concurred, so I called the number and went over to the owner's apartment directly. They were pit bull pups, and according to the owner, since their eyes are still blue, they will stay that way. There was a stocky boy and a girl pup that were blue with the brindle markings. The girl came up to me of her own accord, but if I were to get one, I would prefer the boy. I think I might be able to talk the guy down to $100, but I'm still reluctant to bring a puppy, or any dog for that matter, into my current apartment. And in case you were wondering, his "blue fawns" didn't seem very blue to to me.

Last night I had a Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale. I liked it. According to the Rogue website, soba, or buckwheat, is a member of the rhubarb family. I can't tell you how much this news excites me.

Bad Things

So I took a nap this evening for a couple hours, and it ended in a not great dream.



I was driving a rental car that was not dissimilar to a BMW Z. It was white. Wendy, Angela, and Kyle were in the car with me, so you can imagine it was a bit crowded. We had gotten out of a rest stop and Wendy got into a white BMW Z and put in my key and the car started up, but I was somehow able to identify that it wasn't the car we had rented. I think at this point I took the key from her and we got into the right car, but the mistaken car was still running. (Here is where you need to start suspending disbelief.) So I get out onto the freeway and both cars are running and moving, but the mistaken driverless car is going in the other direction. The freeway itself is straight out of hell with clovers and left turn exits galore, and the traffic is so intense that you have to keep driving very fast with no space or time to change lanes. The end effect being that you are just trying to survive. Meanwhile I know that everything I'm doing in my car is happening to another car that I can only sometimes see, as the freeway mix master has many levels that allow you to see traffic below you, and you're always turning around so you see traffic going both directions. This adds great consternation to me because I'm just sure I'm causing all sorts of wrecks with the driverless car. Also, the whole time I'm driving, my kind friends are reminding me what a poor driver I am and how fortunate I am that I haven't been pulled over yet. Eventually, traffic slows down at like a toll and then Kyle wants me to lower the convertible top, but that wasn't working either, so I woke up and ended that very silly dream.

Great Success!

That is my summation of my week and particularly Thursday night Bean Bags and Rhubarb.

My week started with the Fleishkuechle feed and late night trip home. Monday Karen called and we went to Ivanna Cone for ice cream. Tuesday Karen and Wendy and Michael and Buffy came over and played Phase 10.

Wednesday was the Fourth and was everything I'd hoped it to be. I started my day making rhubarb crisp and steamed squash with coconut custard. Then Wendy, Karen, and I went to Seward, NE for their Grand Parade. I saw Marsha and Tomas Bartulec and also Michelle Wehling. The parade wasn't that grand but entertaining enough. It helped that we were at the corner where the parade turned, so you got the drama of the different floats having to navigate the maneuver. After the parade, we came back to Lincoln and went to the fireworks at Oak Lake Park where we were joined by Michael, Buffy, Travis, Deidra, Randy, and Becca.

Thursday, as I said before, was great. Michael, Kyle, Scott, Tanya, Ben Yancer, Katie Carlson, Leslie de Flutier, Karen, Pauline Deeb, Wendy, Buffy, and Deidra all came over. I don't know if I forgot anyone; I really hope I didn't. We all played bean bags and ate the crisp and squash with custard that I'd prepared the day before. There was plenty of after party too: hanging out, talking, laughing.

Friday Wendy, Karen, and I went to Yia Yia's for pizza and such (I had a Left Hand Brewery [out of Longmont, CO] Black Jack Porter that was fine, but not close to Free State's Blackjack Porter). Then we came back to my place an played Phase 10, which Wendy won, and Monopoly, of which I was the victor.

Saturday I got some rhubarb from the farmer's market. But I was kinda worried because I only saw one booth selling it. Rhubarb might be going out of season, which changes the dynamics of my Thursday Night Rhubarb and Bean Bags. At the very least, it changes the dynamics of the recipes. Then Karen and I went to Something Else Sabbath School, Michel's Ville Grille (because Alladin's was closed for carpet renovations), the Something Else Sabbath School picnic in Pioneer's Park, and finished our day at Becca and Randy's with Buffy, Michael, Casey, Deidra, and Chris with some singing, talking, and munching of popcorn, fruit and ice cream.

So this week was brought to you by the letters K, W, B, and M, and the number 4.

langoustine du murauskas

I left for SD about an hour later than I wanted because I was slow getting out of work because it was the end of our fiscal year. This put me at the camp site at 1:30 am and in bed in the back of my car, so's to not bother the others with rustling up more comfortable sleeping arrangements.

My Saturday was for my intents and purposes about 15 hours long from 8:30 to 11:30. There was an hour and a half of swimming (the first hour between 1:00 and 2:00, with no sun screen, the remainder at night with the "bear moon"* coming up), another ninety minutes of reading, maybe an hour eating, so that leaves 11 hours for bean bags and sitting around talking. I would say that I easily played two dozen games of bean bags on Saturday.

Sunday was a bit lazier. I got up an hour later and took another hour to get the bags going. Then after just two hours of bags, I helped roll out the dough to put the spiced burger in for the fleishkuechle. After that point, I read some and stewed in my own selfish juices, wanting the frying of our masterpieces to begin so that I wouldn't have to get back to Lincoln so late.

HERE'S SOME ADVICE: If you're camping with thirty other people, any personal agendas you have might want to be put on the back burner if you want any inner harmony.

What can I say; I'm selfish. I should have seen the church sign in Columbus earlier: "A chip on the shoulder indicates wood higher up."

Ultimately, I had a lovely jaunt back to Lincoln, with my orange moon as a companion and thirty miles of entomological orgy that is field after field of lighting bug mating on Hwy 81 north of Norfolk. I'm no A.S Byatt, but I think these gatherings should be called "insex."

* I say "bear moon" because it was a blue moon (second full moon in a month) and was also orange because of atmospheric interference, hence blue and orange at the same time just like my Bears.

"I'm a Survivor"

I'll do one better than Michael, and actually share my scribblings to tease my next, more thorough, post of my trip.

a Chip on shoulder
indicates wood higher up.

Bear moon

insex

ex-otic

"Bollixed up"

Coming up Milhouse

1.5 h. swimming
1 hr eat.
1.5 read
rest - Bags
8:30 - 10:30 Apercus

(mental note: big sprinklers are scary)