St. Barbara’s Day
Lest we forget, the patroness of brewers.
Unrelated coffee notes:
I was going to do a review of each coffee shop’s version of Egg Nog (whatever) but when I asked at Halcyon, they were out. Had a shot of espresso. Little City? No such thing, there, just a shot to go. Hideout? Again, no luck, one more for the road. But that was three shots of espresso, so I figured I could emulate regular media and just make up reviews. Isn’t that how it works?
But the deal is, most of the places, in fact as far as I know, all of the places but Starbucks use straight nog in the mix. Makes for a rich, creamy variation on a theme, but it’s still the same thing, and to my unrefined and decidedly unsophisticated palate, the straight nog mix is too rich. Has enough empty calories to fuel a person for a whole day, too.
But at the ubiquitous Starbucks, the mix is part skim milk, part nog. Makes a difference – not too rich.
Unrelated fishes:
I was supposed to meet a Pisces in the afternoon, but she called and begged off to take a nap or something, so I wandered home and put the last of the worms on a hook. I had a little perch playing with the worm for a while and then, the bobber went under and didn’t come back. I reeled this little girl in:
(on live nightcrawler, no less)
It’s not the best picture, but she was flopping around pretty good. Plus, I was trying to include the pole’s brand, it’s a crappie rig, which meant the little girl almost broke it. That was fun – not much is better on winter afternoon than a feisty fish on a really light set-up.
Best of 2004?
Time for a best of 2004 list? Not like this is anywhere near objective. And it’s not like I care. Instead of a top ten list, how about three? Kind of like Thursday’s Three-meat platter?
Best books:
Best novel is going to have to be the Quicksilver trilogy, Quicksilver, Confusion and System of the World, which, all in all, as I was reading the last 100 pages of the final book in the series, I got to thinking about how tightly woven the entire tale was, combining history, myth and a little hard science plus some “stuff blowing up” – always integral in a good bit of action fiction.
Related to book notes, I got meet author Tim Dorsey at a book signing, while he was on tour. I’ve grown rather found of one of his main characters, in my mind, a typical manic Gemini, just picture perfect. What disturbed me, and still disturbs me, even to this day, Tim Dorsey looked so normal. “He seemed like such a nice guy, you know.” But his novels are brilliant. Even fun. Weird, Tim Dorsey is an Aquarius. And he never did explain about waking up in Miami on couch, wearing nothing but a Viking helmet.
I was looking for a third book note to fill in the three here, and when I glanced through this last year’s reading list, I realized that there were two books that had a lot to do with both my education and spiritual background, as well as connecting me with that Quicksilver trilogy: The Clerkenwell Tales and Thunder God. I picked both of them up overseas, and while I can’t specifically say they are that good, they are the other books that I really remember from the last year. Thunder God (Norse myths) might have something to do with the Viking helmet, though.
Best Theatre:
Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. And, of course, a little ham.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, personally, my favorite charity in the world, usually does a pretty good job with Shakespeare plays. Other than adding ambient lighting, fireproofing the thatch, and making the fire exits a little more modern, the theatre recreates – to the best of our scholarship – what the theatre experience was like 400 years ago. Before landing in the UK, I already had tickets to just about every one of the plays available last summer. Notable amongst them was Measure for Measure, which is either a comedy, a farce, or even a little bit of tragedy. It’s a problem play. The Globe’s version was straight-up Elizabethan in staging, direction, interpretation, and delivery. The Scottish lad playing one of the main roles, by the end of the play, if I hadn’t been upstairs, I would’ve wanted to run on stage and slap the boy, “Oh just tell her you’re sorry, dammit, it’s all she wants!” Sheesh, some guys are so stupid.
Sister went on and on about Theatre Complicité, and that company had a production of the same play, on stage at the National. We had last-minute, front-row seats to that one, too. In and of its own, it was a very, very powerful production. This was further enhanced by seeing a more traditional version of the same play back-to-back. One was modern, one wasn’t. Same play, as in the same text was used, but the way the material was presented was very different. Minimalist – (post) modern approach with multimedia tacked on top. One of the best experiences I’ve ever had, seeing the same play, done so differently, and yet, similar, too.
There was a final theatre experience that was remarkable: Hamlet at the Old Vic. Or New Vic, I don’t know, it’s that one across the street from that station, easy to get to. The Hamlet on stage there was one of the very best I’ve ever seen. The actor playing Hamlet carried the performance but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the crew was shabby. It’s just that he had Hamlet’s feigned madness down so real, so evocative, that nothing else mattered. It did matter, but it was all over-shadowed by the most definitive Hamlet I’ve seen thus far. That one will be hard to beat. He looked like his character, on stage, the 24-year-old actor looked about 14.
Best movies:
I can only think of one major studio release that I saw, that I thought was worthwhile, Troy. Don’t gag, or swoon, if what’s-his-name evokes such a reaction. The movie played fast and loose with the myth, but in some respects, it did bring the story to the masses, in movie form. The opening shot of the sea, with all the boats, the glyphs or symbols for the various signs (and deities)? That tickled my little “archetypal symbologist” heart.
Ah, but best movies that I saw? For a remarkable movie experience, nothing, but nothing, beats the Alamo Draft House downtown. Just plain weird stuff. Good food. And rather strange programs. Still a “best of” mention. With the Alamo downtown, though, it’s less about the product showing and lot more about the process – the experience.
The Serge Leone Spaghetti Western trilogy was re-cut and re-released, and I got to see it on the big screen. That was a definitive movie experience in my lifetime, and I wound up with the soundtrack, in one form. I even started putting one of the cuts on most of my mixed CDs.
Best Music:
Best new music I encountered, it all started when I hopped in Bubba’s ‘bu to head over to Sandy’s for a Thursday special (burger, fries, drink, $2.59 plus tax). He spooled up a CD, and the opening sample was about “long haired freaky types…” Norman Cook’s Fatboy Slim new CD.
Linked, but not in a direct way, other than falling in the same classification as “music,” Hank III’s show at Stubb’s was the best show I saw, must’ve been, even though it was almost a year ago. Hank III is the most amazing performer. From pure (just like his granddaddy) country to Hank III’s “second set” (death metal, punk), he is really worth the price of admission. A must.
Spurred by interaction with the staff at one coffee shop, I wound up with a Dead Kennedys’ recent live release. It has a 2004 copyright notice on it; therefore, I can include it in the 2004 list. Probably should make the “definitive” list, too.
Which needs a fourth graph for a best place to shop for music: this one’s odd. Executive Surf Club, a Corpus Christi venue, has a little kiosk of a record store nearby.
Best fish:
There were three fishing experiences that were like no other. One was “the big one” last spring, right here, with Bubba in attendance.
The second, another big fish, that was worthy of note, an old cow of a bass, lives in the lake right by me. I tossed a worm out one fall evening, and I had that fish within three minutes. Big fish, too. Impressed a neighbor mightily. Impressed me, too. What it’s all about.
Finally, it was, perhaps, one of the most remarkable experiences ever, fishing with a weird rig called a “Launcher,” (plus a tiny spoon on light leader), and cloudy day at the lake in September, when the fish were schooling – I caught 19 Large Mouth Bass in one day. Plus, there’s personal, favorite picture, me with the smallest of the lot. Danged ole fish. Tried to eat me – it wasn’t much longer than my finger.
