A new book about bars

This book that has been getting some publicity lately. An idle moment of nothing much to do led me to download it onto my Kindle. Not a bad book, really. We get to go through the authors' Grateful Dead phase, her college in Bennington Vermont phase, her Ireland phase, as well as her various meanders through the bars of greater New York. An occasional habitue of bars myself, I can see that see has discovered those bars where people talk about the arts.

I have rarely gone to a bar where people talk about anything intellectual or artistic, save perhaps when I went to Zach's in Denver. However the author, no matter how many flannel shirts she may wear, is clearly from a higher caste than most of us. To get to hang it in a bar in Bennington, you first have to pay the tuition at Bennington. Drinking Jameson's in Manhattan requires resources beyond the jobs she describes.

The worst part of the book is that, if it's a hit, it will ruin a number of bars. Bars that are undiscovered and have reasonable prices and available stools will suddenly be places that are hard to get into, full of tourists that have read the book. I guess that's the price of success. Try getting into MacSorley's on a Saturday night nowadays.



Editor's note: A previous blog that dealt into a theoretical class on the art of barzology.

Walking to school in winter

Yes it was cold this morning. Maybe 15 degrees when I left the house. These here folks on the radio want to scare us with that wind chill nonsense. Yes it was negative 5 degrees with the wind chill factor. 

Good healthy January weather. Nothing to get excited about. I drove by a school on the way to work and the streets were loaded with cars. Mommy driving their poor charges to school. Too cold for the poor lambs to walk a few blocks in honest January weather. Balderdash.

How many times did my mother drive me to school because it was cold outside? Zero times. ZERO. Why in my day...

It's great being over sixty.

Mali or am I a man or a mouse

Last week a new word was introduced to my vocabulary. Mali. The first new entity in the news of 2013 that did not exist for most of us in 2013. It seems that after a coup or two, France has invaded Mali, a former colony, to drive out Islamist terrorists. Then they got mad and took over a natural gas site in Algeria. Then there was a botched rescue attempt. Somehow all the trouble started when Quadafi gave guns to men to fight for him. Now the guns are in Mali. Time for us to bone up on Algeria. The one thing I remember is seeing the Battle of Algiers in college. I think the French lost that one.

So what should America do? Are we men or  mice?

We are men!

We can't let the French carry all the water. This is a fight for freedom and America has interests in keeping the gold and natural gas out of the hands of Al-Qaida. Time has come for us to have a good fight in Mali. Love of freedom means troops in Mali. 

We are mice!
Let the French do it. It's their turn. We don't get any energy from that region. We have our own natural gas. America doesn't want to add Mali to a list of failed American ventures fighting terrorism. This whole thing could turn out badly. 

An interesting question

Two weeks ago I was coming down with a bad cold (or perhaps a weak flu) and I passed it along to someone I know. She got sick. The next day I emailed her sister and then she got a cold. My question is, if you communicate with someone online can you give them a cold? Can Facebook transmit viruses? Skype?

I have always been of the opinion that the best way to get rid of a cold is to pass it to someone else. And today, I feel swell.

The Golden Globes

This year for the first time I watched (well grazed through) the Golden Globes Awards.  I have heard the name but always ignored it since I always thought it was kind of a dumb idea. After tons of advertising for Tina and Amy, this year I tuned in. Not as serious as the Oscars, it is sort of schocky and has an inside Hollywood feel. You get to watch actual stars drinking and eating. Sort of fun. I Especially liked the bit where Tina and Amy drank cocktails on the stage. I also like Tina Fey appearing unexpectedly in weird teeth or costumes. They wouldn't do that at the Oscars.

I did watch Jodie Foster. Thought it went on way too long and I suspect I wouldn't care for her if she was my boss. Still, it was the Golden Globes.

Downton abby

For a certain socioeconomic type, over 40, college educated, upper middle class or so apiring, today is the first over hyped event of the year. It is the return of Downton Abbey. Will Mary marry Mathew? Will John Bates get out of jail? Does Daisy's new found in law have designs on the poor lass? Will Shirley MacLaine turn out to be a b--ch?

When they asked Michele Dockery (Lady Mary) how she liked working with the American from Irma La Douce she she remarked on  how quiet everything seemed after she left. It must have been exciting when she was there.

The dirty truth is that people love watching the show because it allows them  to enjoy a soap opera and at the same time impress people with their  ascetic tastes. "Oh I love Masterpiece Theatre" one can say at work and seem cultured and refined.  Sort of like rhapsodizing on Tschaikovsky or eating  Nutella and telling everyone it's a health food. Or watching Les Miserables and talking about how one loves French literature.

Editor's note: When I was going to college my father mentioned a family friend who loved Tschaikovsky and I told him that people who know nothing about classical music listen to Tschaikovsky to impress people and that true music patrons ignore him. At that moment my father smiled, knowing that every penny of my college education had been well spent.

Santa Claus is back in the garage

A friend wrote me that she gets depressed this time of year. She hates taking down the tree and putting the ornaments back in boxes. Most of all she hates putting her life sized Santa Claus back in the garage. I was so moved I wrote this poem:

Another Christmas come and go

The fun the tinsel ho ho ho

But now it’s over no no no

And Santa’s back in the garage.

We sang our hymns and cookies made

But now that cheery time will fade

Christmas visits have been paid

And Santa’s back in the garage.

Oh holy night is now forgotten

Old wool socks replaced by cotton

I was so glad now feeling rotten

And Santa’s back in the garage.

So here’s a toast to the new year

Hot spiced cider replaced by beer

Winter gloom instead of cheer

And Santa’s back in the garage.

Next to the gas for the lawn mower

Near the sand and the snow blower

Spirits high now getting lower

Santa’s back in the garage.