Assateague Island as therapy...

Growing up, my parents and I went to Assateague Island, Maryland every summer. Usually in July, as my Mom always had that month off from work. We had a home-made camper on the back of our four-wheel drive International Harvester "Scout", and we would go as far down the island as allowed, and camp right there. It was fabulous. I loved it.

I had not been there since 1989. Unbelievable, but true. Somehow I knew that I had; HAD, to go this summer. So my daughter, my dog and I went; the last weekend of August and into the first week of September. It was a total healing experience. All the depression that had been affecting me since late Summer 2008 just melted away as soon as we hit the beach. I felt centered and alive. It was also the Full Moon that week, so I was inspired as well.

Rhiannon & I took early morning walks every day. The surf was rather rough, so she did not enjoy getting in the water. We still made a game of it, and enjoyed ourselves. She was into the sandpipers, that was her favorite beach experience.

Melian got a bit of sunburn the second day, but that did not deter her from having a very enjoyable time. At one point she asked me, "Mommy, we are coming back here next year, right?" To which I responded with a enthusiastic, "YES!" I had taken her to Rehoboth Beach in Deleware, and Virginia Beach before, but this was her first trip to Assateague. She dug the ponies and the Sika deer. We had a campsite rabbit pal, and red-wing blackbird visitors.

Is it next summer yet?

the deeper question

tonight on this rain dark shine
blacktop driving road
my only concern is
which one of these are leaves
and which ones hopping tree frogs

dream segment...

in my room (which seems like the way it was when my grandfather had come to live with us and my parents had their bed in next to mine for a while...) there is a rectangle shaped box of soil that contains the possibility of a plant of unknown origin, but that it just might grow...after i have discussed this with some of the other people who live here, i watch the plant grow...it is not unlike a carnivorous plant, the top fronds seem mouth-like...it is known that if this plant is fed something (or watered? much like "Gremlins"!!) it will become a feral animal...this has occurred; and i am sitting on the floor in my room, feeling the presence of the animal/monster in another room of the house, and the dread that accompanies that knowledge...it means to do us harm, and i can feel it...i have a hollow pit of fear in my abdomen, and i want out...i tell the others there in the room with me that i cannot take it any longer, and i am leaving...they are upset with me for this, and block me from re-entering the house briefly to retrieve my camera...i say "fine" and take off down the driveway, my father comes out on the porch and hollers at me to return, he has $325 for me, i decline and keep going...i pass through many towns, mostly on foot, sometimes in vehicles...i come to an auto-repair shop, and hang out in the garage with the mechanics*, talking and feeling at ease: safe...my father and mother (?) find me there, how did they locate me?... they drive into the garage and we are talking...i look out one of the windows and see some people next door, it seems to be a school yard activity of some sort, next thing i know, the police are bringing in three animals that belonged to the monster, in cages...i begin to feel fear again...next the police bring in the monster, and my father decides to kidnap it, he hooks the monster's box/cage to his car and we take off...i am so alarmed!!! i can see the monster, and it looks like a cartoon of a dead animal, with black X-s for eyes, but i KNOW that it is still alive and could come to and get us at any moment...i am crammed down in the floorboard of the back of his car (mom is there also) as far as i can go, but i can still see it out the window, and feel the fear too strongly...


*Later I read Charles de Lint's book 'The Mystery of Grace', and don't you know a lot of it takes place in a garage? Grace is a mechanic!

Dream segment...

We are on our way to a music festival...we go into a resturant, but the other people we are with freak out at the prices, so we leave...at another location up the road a bit, Melian see a sign for coffee and asks to stop there, she & I do...the place is also an Irish pub! she gets her coffee and I order a pint of Guiness...I strike up conversations with the bartender and his brother & a couple of other regulars, there are a lot of Irish rockers & punks there! it's great fun...one of the brothers gives me his card as we are leaving, I show it to Melian as we walk out...we walk to the festival entrance...

Thank You, Keith Olbermann (as always)...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Happy Birthday Jerry Garcia...

Jerry, I miss you so much. I am very glad that my daughter got to see you before you clocked out. RFK 1995.

Tuesdays @ Fosters...

I'm sitting at the bar reading the poem
"All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace"
which Brautigan wrote in 1967. 1967!!
And suddenly I'm welling up with tears for the beauty of him,
and the loss of him,
and I want the entire world to read this poem.

So, here:

"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace"
I like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.

I like to think
(right now please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.

I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal
brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace.

Thank you, Richard

I love a night-bloomer!

The last of the Evening Primroses (Oenothera) in their full glory. There would have been more this year, but the deer found them too tasty to resist. (Insert heavy sigh here)...

And yet, as it turned out, the remaining stalks continued to bloom right up until the first frost; just one or two blooms at a time! Fabulous!

Beer & a Book...

'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' is an intriguing, deep story. Dogs! Complex emotions, unexpected events! I loved it.

"Scarlet Lady Ale" is a delightful ESB from Stoudt's Brewing Company in Adamstown Pennsylvania. Lots of flavor, lovely color. I must find more brews from this company.

"Catch-22"

Exercise cures depression.
When I am depressed, it is a monumental act to just get out of bed.

Propriety...

I walk down my driveway to the mailbox, a cup of coffee in one hand and the outgoing mail in the other. I am mildly embarrassed; I am wearing my pajamas! Later in the day I walk down to retrieve the mail which has arrived, a cold beer (Sam Adams Cherry Wheat) in hand. I am not embarrassed. I am wearing my string bikini!

Beer & a Book..."Spring Edition"...

'Fire In The Lake' by Frances Fitzgerald is a deeply researched and intimate foray into the mind of Vietnam. It was a fantastic & interesting read. I've had this book for so long! Finally read it, and very glad for the fact. I learned a lot.

"Troegenator" is a tasty, carmel-y double bock out of the Troeg Brothers brewery in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Highly recommended.

Piece of a dream...

i am watching a video about a band named " ---", one of the guys reaches out and squooshes anothers face as he says the band's name, he has red curly hair and a beard... they've just had a new album come out...they are a Scottish rock band, one female & three males...the music sounds really good!

(eclogue)

the morning mist lies heavy
on the fields in
the lowlands

there is a chuck jones cartoon playing across the sky
sam & ralph clock in
and it begins

Word of the Day

eclogue
Meaning: a poem in which shepherds converse

Thank you, Merriam Webster, for this entry. But, seriously? What a niche genre!!! Would any one care to submit a poem in this style?

(untitled)

longing for the sound
whip-poor-will on the back stoop
singing summer nights

rain like drums

i am terrified
i am scared
i am not centered
time is roaring past me
i need to stop
and see
i need to feel
i need to be

unease

I am not centered.
I am scared.

5:00 a.m.

clear mind of chatter
focus on lilting bird song
early spring morning

dream segment...

i am hanging out with a Gypsy performance troupe which has come to the area...one of the men and i fall in love with each other...it is sweet and dark and intense...as the days go by, he is talking about some of the trials of his life, as he speaks, the pain is visible on his face, even to the point of physical change, as if the pain causes a rash which is an indicator of the severity of experience...another time he says that soon one of must go or one of us must stay to which i reply, "oh yes"...another time i am looking deeply into his face, clear now of the pain...as the troupe is packing, getting ready to depart, it seems that i have decided to go with them, he throws a beautiful brown dress (which is folded) at me,but i note a frown in his eyes and don't know why, then one of the troupe members, a female, naked, with long curly red hair dances up to him and they do a tease routine together...i notice that he looks at me sidelong and i realize that he is testing me, that he must gage my reaction to this routine...after all, they are a performance troupe, and do this stuff every town they visit...i look on thinking all this, and trying to figure out how i feel about it, i give a smirking laugh then.....

the alarm wakes me up and i don't know how i decided to react...

midnight

i reach deep into my innermost being and
bring out a ball of pain which i
hold in my hand, saying "this is that which is holding me back from life"
you reach out, and lifting the orb from my palm
say "i will take this from you and
destroy the anguish"

dream segment

i find a broken skateboard (which is Melian's i think) and instead of throwing it away, i inspect it closely, then begin skating on it...i coast around the patio, cruising over to say "hi" to someone who lives there (is it my house???) then i coast over past Melian to show her...

Russian dream...

i am walking around a department/clothing store in Russia...as i pass through the Men's Department, i notice that there are a lot of very cute young men looking through the shirts...they all have hipster haircuts...some of them are wearing headbands, some sunglasses...most all of them are wearing and/or looking at open plaid oxford shirts...i think of how i need to tell Melian about this amazing array of cute Russian guys, so i call her on my cell phone...

EARTH HOUR 2009

Candles and woodstove fire. Talk about movies we've seen recently, and Roman history. Laugh a lot. Play with and love up Rhiannon. Melian plays "Animal Crossing" on the DS. The cats lounge about and come over for head rubs. Joonie attacks my hair, and purrs. (March 28th, 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.)

slice of dreaming...

i come back home from work and there is a lot going on at the house where i live...lots of people...preparations being made for some sort of event...joey is there helping with the music...i am trying to remember a certain song, and am having no luck, so i grab a laptop that no one is using and try to search it out...the laptop grows increasingly difficult to use; the buttons grow smaller and the search capabilities more and more esoteric...

3/16/2009...moon in Sagittarius...

apply myself in detail to those things that matter to me
pay attention to
those things that i love
settle into
what brings me peace of mind and contentment

of late
my attention diffused and wandering
in depression/it
has given me a sense of time flying away
a feeling of fatality and pointlessness
of self

dream segment...

i am on my lunch break from work, and i am in a grocery store buying something to eat...i look across to one of the other registers, and there is Tracey (Ray's ex- wife) buying some stuff also...i have not seen her in a long while, so i try to get her attention, finally somebody else gets her to look over at me, and we walk over and talk...soon we are taking our lunch together, then drinking a few beers...we never go back to work, we walk and talk, then drive to my house...i apologize for the mess, i tell her that i have not vacuumed in a week...we hang out some more, i worry about not having returned to work, she doesn't seem to care...she used to work at the place where i do now, she calls a guy who works there on her cellphone and tells him that i have gotten drunk...that kind of makes me angry, i have had only 2 beers, i am not drunk! so we sit on the couch/bed talking more, i say we should go get some more beer...she stands up and stretches and says that she needs to leave...this also angers me, as i have not gone back to work mostly at her suggestion, and now she is leaving? what am i to do? i have been upset the entire time by the nagging fact that i do not know the phone number to my place of work, so i could not call them and tell them of my plight, and Tracey was no help with that at all...

amalgam of workplaces dream...

i am at work...i am doing something around the back of the store, which is like Crown Books, but i am also working with groceries...i move to the front of the store and notice some customers who look like they need some help...i assist them in making their ice cream selection (oh no! Coldstone Creamery!), actually it is sorbet that i am going to pack for them and they will pick it up on their return...they are quite happy as they leave the store...then i begin putting the sorbet blend together for them, but the flavors keep changing, and the containers keep morphing, so it is rather difficult...the flavor containers are on shelves on the wall, the wall that was the fiction paperback wall at Crown...

dreaming of breakfast...

i ask Melian what she wants for breakfast, and she tells me, "Pancakes. Today and forever."

I am in the kitchen doing dishes when i remember this dream piece. The memory is so strong that i am not at all sure whether it was a dream or not. So when i am doing my shopping after work, i make sure to buy some all-natural pancake mix just in case!!

dream segment...

my partner (male) and i are going to start a resturant, we have bought a fabulous space in which to do this...it's an old farm-type building, just beautiful...as we are making plans for opening, we are garnering the assistance of a friend (female) of ours in the food preparation...next thing i know, she is bringing dishes in and setting up...it all starts to take off without me, i don't know what to do! i am getting frustrated and worried and confused as each moment brings something else along that has been done without any input from me! we're open, we have customers, we have all sorts of new employees: waitstaff, chefs/cooks, etc. i am walking around trying to get a grip on this, it's crazy...i go to clean tables, put out clean silverware...i find a lot of dirty untensils and ask someone if we have a place for washing the silverware! i find a tray of soapy water for the purpose of soaking the dirty untensils so i drop them in...then i try to get clean stuff out on the tables, put it's all so unorganized that it makes the task very difficult...we even have plastic forks & all to keep up with...i wonder if i will be able to get it all under control...

Beer & a Book

"Hazed & Infused" is a dry-hopped ale from Boulder Beer Company in Colorado. Tasty, with a really good aftertaste. Part of their 'Looking Glass' beer series. I've been on a real hop adventure recently, and this one fits right in quite well. Unfiltered also, yeah!

'Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers' by Daniel Ellsberg is truly riveting due to the in-depth detail of his research, clearances, education and emotional perspectives on the Vietnam war situation. I am learning ever more about this historical period during which I grew up. Recommended quite highly. Visit Ellsberg's website here...

@ the 9:30 Club, April 7, 2009...

Oh, yes, yes, yes! I hope to go to this show. I am a big fan of Digable Planets.

Look What I Found! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Hie thee quickly to The Beer Mapping Project. It's stinking amazing.

"Court Rules Cleanup Tab For Mines and Other Hazardous Sites Should Not Fall to Public"

Here is an article that is just fantastic news:

"WASHINGTON - February 26 - A federal court has ruled [2] that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must close a loophole that -- for more than 25 years -- has made it easy for mining companies, coal ash dumps, and a host of other polluting industries to skip out on costly cleanups by declaring bankruptcy. The case concerned EPA's failure to issue "financial assurances" standards that ensure that polluting industries will always remain financially able to clean up dangerous spills and other contaminated sites.

Attorneys Lisa Evans and Jan Hasselman with the public interest law firm Earthjustice represented the Sierra Club and environmental groups in New Mexico, Nevada, and Idaho in the case, decided late yesterday by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, based in San Francisco.

Environmental advocates hailed the decision as a victory that paves the way for new federal rules that would require hardrock and phosphate mine operators, metal finishers, wood treatment facilities, and other industries to post bonds covering the cost of potential future cleanups.

"By not promulgating financial assurance requirements, EPA has allowed companies that otherwise might not have been able to operate and produce hazardous waste to potentially shift the responsibility for cleaning up hazardous waste to taxpayers," Judge Alsup wrote in the decision. The undisputed evidence before the Court demonstrated that such financial assurance requirements result in better environmental protection and faster and more thorough cleanups.

When the Superfund law was passed in 1980, lawmakers gave EPA three years to start putting financial assurance regulations in place. More than 25 years later, these regulations remain unwritten. Under the terms of the decision, EPA has until May 4 to identify the industries that will be first subject to these financial assurance requirements.

"This victory paves the way for the new administration to correct a longstanding environmental problem while saving taxpayers billions of dollars at the same time," said Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman, who argued the case before Judge Alsup. "New standards will push companies that deal with toxic substances towards more responsible practices."' read the rest of this good news here...thank you Earthjustice and Common Dreams!

Febura's Closing

kreeee-ar skyward hawk
yellow crocus blooming now
iris shoots appear

Another Installment of "Beer & A Book"...

Yes, your favorite series is back with two more heavily-enjoyed selections. Visit the 'Family of Secrets' website for ongoing information about this book and the research involved (and evolving). Visit Victory Brewing for information about this delightful Imperial stout, "Storm King".

Rhiannon Haiku

she is atoms pulling
themselves together into
my beer loving dog

Oh, Joy; cuppie cakes!

On February 8, Melian & i went to the theatre to see "Coraline"...we got there a wee bit early so we browsed "Borders" before the film. We had been having cupcakes on the brain for a while , so i looked at the cookbooks and found THIS fantastic, delightful cuppie cake cookbook. Yay! So far we have made:
Banana Cupcakes
Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
Basil Pesto Cupcakes

We also found 'Screaming Monkey' there...with eyes that burn!!!

"Hop Devil" I.P.A.

This brew from Victory Brewing Company (located in Downingtown, PA) is just fabulous. The hops flavor is multi-layered and perfect. It tastes green. It smells wonderful. Highly recommended.

"A Commodity Called Misery"

"HOPKINS VILLAGE, BELIZE -- Sitting down here in Central America happily abusing my health, occasionally, between the hangovers and the bouts with sand fleas and mosquitoes comes an insight or two, or at least what passes for insight in my lowbrow take on life. One of these is just how damned lucky the Third World is that it cannot afford a sophisticated mental health system. By that I mean the kind in the "developed countries," where murder and suicide rates are quintuple what they are here in this village. Not that we are without own village resources. My Garifuna buddy Eljay, was in what we would call a depressed state a few months ago, and went to a local "spirit doctor."....."read article in its entirety...Joe Bageant @ his blog 'Deer Hunting With Jesus'...

Joe's article seems to me to be in the spirit of evolving happy. Check it out.

dream segment...

i am going to see Prince in concert...Alice (from work) is coming with me...i have gotten a large amount of hardback books from somewhere, and i plan a huge bookcrossing book release! i put together all the books i have under "available" plus these new ones, it takes a lot of planning to get them all transported to the venue...a couple of other people are helping us...while we are in the parking lot picnic area i realize that there is no way that i am going to be able to take any of the set-up stuff into the venue, so i ask if i may keep all of it out here during the show...the 'official' person says "yes", so i do the book release right there, i make a big announcement about the release with as much fanfare as i can muster! then, i realize that i have not registered any of the new books with bookcrossing! they all are without BCID numbers! oh no...with a sinking feeling i tell Alice...we resign ourselves to that error and go to the show...

later, i am at home, talking with Melian & Chuck in the living room...outside we hear a huge grizzly bear who is growling, roaring actually, right at the other side of the wall, Chuck says, "watch him put an arm through the wall", and i say, "don't say that because he will"...so of course no sooner are my words out that here comes the bear's huge paw through the wall, wood splintering...Melian & i run out to the car, she has grabbed an umbrella...when we get in, i realize i don't have my keys, but there they are in the driver's seat! I tell Melian to press the clutch pedal...in our haste & fear i have gotten in the passenger's side and she the driver's...we are going to start the car and swing by to get Chuck as he runs out of the door...the car is my 1966 Bug...

What is Bookcrossing, you may ask? Well if you had not noticed the widget to the left, here is a link for you!!!

Look Who's Gone Organic!

Oh, yes, it's Oxford Raspberry Wheat. Fantastic! I am thrilled that Oxford has taken the organic ingredient path. I've been consuming their Raspberry Wheat for six years , and find myself even more enthusiastic now...visit the website...enjoy the beer...save the world!!!

this one is for you, derek_

Confused? Try this link (see #5).

Oh, I Don't Know, I Think I May Prefer a Nice Velvet

Here is a remake of a graffitti from the early 1990's which used to reside near the post office. Eventually the original was painted over.

I Love Rachel Maddow...

She drinks Guinness.

"The World's Top 10 Pesticide Firms - Who Owns Nature?"

NOTE: Further extracts from ETC Group's recently released report, "Who Owns Nature?" These are from the section about the pesticde industry. For the full report:
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pu...

According to the report, the world's six largest agrochemical manufacturers, who control nearly 75% of the global pesticide market, are also seed industry giants.

It's worth breaking this down by company.

Bayer: the world's biggest agrochemical company is also the world's seventh biggest seed company.

Syngenta: the world's second largest agrochemical company is also the world's third largest seed company.

Monsanto: the world's biggest seed company is the world's fifth largest agrochemical company.

And DuPont: the world's second biggest seed company is also the world's sixth largest agrochemical company.

All these companies are gene giants.

Weed killers (herbicides) account for about one-third of the global pesticide market, and around 80% of GM seeds involve herbicide-resistance.

The worldwide market for agrochemicals grew last year by nearly 10%. this article from Organic Consumers Association...be sure and click on the link to the ETC Group report in full...

Just finished reading this wonderful book...

Thank you for loaning this one to me. Wink, wink; you know who you are.
And, "What?", you may ask, is the next logical step in reading material? Well, it is:




The 'Fermenting Revolution' website is here. This book is so "me" that it is hilarious. When I had my first microbrew (Anchor Steam Beer) back in the day, I was in love, and never looked back. One of my standard sayings is, "Quality not quantity". I've done a bit of homebrewing also, and find it a very enjoyable experience. I used recipes from 'The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing' by Charlie Papazian. Two favorites were "Dark Sleep Stout" (roundly viewed as "Orgasm in a Bottle"), and "SandiBottom Red Bitter". Visit Seven Bridges Cooperative for some supplies & ideas.

Sunrise Window Ice...

morning of
texture and
bringing of light
finding chill
of color and shadow

Snow Turns To Ice...

Another mug meets its sad end...

Who would have thought that placing a half mug of espresso down on the counter would have caused a spontaneous explosion? Much less with a 3-second delay? I thought the espresso carafe had exploded, certainly not this heavy glass mug! Oh no! MY 'PEACE COFFEE' MUG!! I have such bad luck with these clear glass mugs. My "Snowpea" mug, my Grateful Dead dancing bears spiral, and now...

Finally!! Some Snow!!

dream memory...

melian & i have gained passage on a spacecraft...after i talked with the captain, he went off to his quarters at the back of the ship...he wasn't social at all, and a little gruff, he had on a large hat...so, we are sitting, and i am looking out the windows at the stars and planets as we go through space...after a while, we arrive at our destination planet, and begin our entry...a towtruck ship grabs us and pulls us to a campground, and into a "parking" spot...i go to get the captain, as there are some people who are trying to board, and they seem angry...he emerges, looking rather sleepy, but ready...as we calm these people down, he & i work well as a team, and i have gained his trust/respect; he says as much...as we try to move into another spot, two of the next-door campers accost me, i must hit one of them, but i am able to de-fuse the situation, and we leave for our new camping spot...

O.K. Two days after i have this dream, Gwynne calls me in the a.m. to tell me of a dream that she has just had about me: she has come from the space-time continuum to tell me that i need to be with Chuck...she has come to my house, and brought him with her...

a study of dead squirrels...

why is it that people driving will
try like hell to not run over an animal
in the road
that is already dead
but
will not even slow down
to avoid hitting one
that is
alive?

tonight
as i was driving home
i was
thinking about squirrels
and drove right past
the library...

"where are you allen ginsberg?"

how am i supposed to react when i
realize
that a person i was kind to has
stolen
my autographed copy of 'Howl'
and it is
long gone to the other coast
by now?

Pete Seeger - "This Land is Your Land"...

Farmer's Markets on the increase...

Here is a chart with encouraging numbers for a change! (I've been reading 'Bad Money' by Kevin Phillips which is jam-packed with charts of a discouraging nature...) So, to find a farmers market in your area, visit the Organic Consumers Association/Greenpeople directory or, the Piedmont Environmental Council "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" website. Highly recommended!

Inspiration like crazed cloud-cover melancholy...

I've finally begun reading Bukowski...
'Betting On The Muse: Poems & Stories '...released posthumously in 1996 of previously unpublished work...

Books & Coffee...

'Pirate's Dilemma' makes its way to "Deja Brew" and into the hands of these lovely people, Roberto & Val. I've got to say that my Raspberry Mocha (big mug on the table in the left of the photo) was not only delicious, but had me fully caffeinated for hours. We had a grand time talking and sipping our java. I doubt that there were any subjects we left uncovered. They brought me three books to read while they have 'Pirate's Dilemma', as Roberto said he reads slowly. Looking forward to those. All in all, one of those times that makes you glad you're alive. Oh!, I also did a book release while we were there.


and YES, that's my co-worker/pal Rick in the upper right hand area of the photo!

mortality meditation...

creative ideas!
photographs to take
books to read
poems to write
dog adventures to go on
cat naps to share
food to cook
beer to drink
places to travel to,
i'm not afraid of dying,
i just don't want to miss out on anything
i don't want to stop having
creative ideas

so...later on at work, one of my customers asks me if i know the secret to a long life...i say,"laugh a lot?", and he says, "no. the secret is: don't die."

Artist Huong's Peace Mural...

The Peace Mural has come to Washington, D.C. through January 20th...here is a photo slideshow from the exhibition..also check out the Foundation website for more information about the creation of this piece and the artist, Huong...tonight's event is 'The Warmonger's Wake' at 7:30 p.m. (reservations required)...

Three recent dream segments...

i am at work at the grocery store, and Rick has come back already from after his surgery...i am talking to him, asking how he is and why is he back, it's way too soon! also, he is lifting things onto a U-boat, and i know he shouldn't be lifting, so i try to assist...he says he just couldn't sit around the house doing nothing...

Joonie has an injury that is not healing, she's licking & chewing trying to take care of herself and there are actual pieces of her fur and flesh around the house, it's awful... i make an emergency appointment with the vet, they send a woman out to pick Joonie up...later i am on the phone with the vet who says that it's serious, but she will be alright after further healing from the surgery he has done...

i am at work back at "Crown Books", working the register and meeting the other employees...there are bulk magazines stacked up all over the floor behind the register just like there used to be, and random crap piled everywhere, i start to attempt a clean-up, a young lady who comes into work later finishes it, to my surprise...trying to ring up some books for a guy, i ask out loud, "what's my number?", and i key in '25' and think, "that's my old one"...can't find the prices on these two remainders which are in pretty poor shape...during another sale, a woman walks away before i've handed her her receipt because it has taken so long for the machine to print it out, i call out to her asking if she wants the receipt...the register equipment is the same old stuff we used to have back in 1980, the same register keys and all...

First "New Beer" of 2009...

This brew has more bubbles than i thought it would. It's not quite stout-y enough for me, but it has a good first taste that is unusual and smokey. The mid-taste is weird. Then it's gone and you decide to have another sip. Happy New Year, i'm going to go back to reading 'Angler' now. (Subtitled: 'The Cheney Vice Presidency', written by Barton Gellman) What a good book. Wow.

Rainy Day Fainting Couch

Happy New Year chronicle...

Last book read in 2008 & champers I bought at 50% off...The book was interesting and exciting, even though the writing style was a bit light, there are also a bunch of links/references to other related things worth checking out...the champers was mellow but not so flavorful that I would ever buy it again...but not to sound too negative! A fine, festive night it was...beautiful sky with the crescent moon and Venus shining bright...

YEAR OF VIRGINIA WINE - 2008

• Syrah - 2006, Whitehall Vineyards, Whitehall
• Wineworks Red -Virginia Wineworks, Keene
• Cabernet Sauvignon -2005, Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville
• Viognier - (?), The Winery at La Grange, Haymarket
• Melange -2005, The Winery at La Grange, Haymarket
• Wineworks White -(?), Virginia Wineworks, Keene
• Pinot Grigio - 2006, Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville
• Viognier - 2007, Barrel Oak Winery, Delaplane
• Totally White Wine - Lake Anna Winery, Spotsylvania
• Petit Manseng - 2006, White Hall Vinyards, White Hall
• Petite Verdot - 2005, Barrel Oak Winery, Delaplane
• Chardonnay - (?), Jefferson Vineyards, Charlottesville, VA
• Rose of Merlot - 2007, The Winery at La Grange, Haymarket
• Cuvee Blanc - 2007, The Winery at La Grange, Haymarket
• Viognier - 2007, Barrel Oak Winery, Deleplane
• Petit Manseng - 2007, Lovingston Winery, Lovingston
• Rotunda Red - 2005, Lovingston Winery, Lovingston
• Cabernet Sauvignon - 2005, Barrel Oak Winery, Delaplane
• Cabernet Franc - 2005, Barrel Oak Winery, Delaplane

YEAR OF BEER - 2008

• Olde Richmond Brown Ale - Olde Richmond Beer Company, Hampton VA... very tasty
  

• Festie - Starr Hill Brewery, Charlottesville VA... i just love this one
  

• Jomo Lager - Starr Hill Brewery...drinkable on an average
  

• Chocolate Porter - Legend Brewing Company, Richmond VA...very rich & yummy
  

• Octoberfest - Harpoon Brewery, Boston MA...drinkable on average
  

• Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock - The Boston Beer Company, Boston MA...amazing, delightful sipping beer, tasty and rich
  

• Backdraft Brown - Hook & Ladder, Baltimore MD...real good brown, flavorful
  

• Golden Ale - Hook & Ladder...drinkable

• The Raven - B.W. Beer Works, Baltimore MD...adore this one, very tasty
  

• Pomegranate Wheat - Saranac Brewery, Utica NY...nice and different
  

• Longboard Island Lager - Kona Brewing Company, HI...drinkable

• Wailua Wheat - Kona Brewing Co...i adore this fruity & refreshing beer
  

• Fire Rock Pale Ale - Kona Brewing Co...lighter, but tasty
  

• Pipeline Porter - Kona Brewing Co...i really like this porter, yummy
  

• #9 - Magic Hat Brewing Co., Burlington VT...a different take on an apricot brew, which i love
  

• Odd Notion - Magic Hat...this was fun, and tasty
  

• Roxy Rolles - Magic Hat...dark and yummy
  

• Circus Boy - Magic Hat...good Hefeweizen
  

• Chipolte Ale - Rouge Ales, Newport OR...OMG this is so good
  

• Mocha Porter - Rouge Ales...i adore this flavor
  

• Santa's Private Reserve Ale - Rouge Ales...tasty

• Trader Joe's Frugal Beer...