Sweet Dreams

Snuggles

Growler: Surlier than a suds stein

The New York Times dining section today tells how Brooklyn beer buffs are discovering the joys of "The New Old Way to Tote Your Beer": the growler.

By midafternoon on a recent Saturday, Bierkraft, the beer emporium and grocery on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, was half-filled with customers, many of them parents with babies or toddlers in tow. They were browsing the more than 1,000 varieties of bottled beer or surveying the listing of selections available on the 13 taps and 3 cask lines. Some carried a good-sized satchel.

Diaper bag? Gym clothes?

No. It was a tote for their growlers.

Growlers — 64-ounce glass vessels that look like a moonshine jug — have become the beer accessory of the moment. And the jugs, filled at taps in bars and stores, are not just the toys of the bearded, flannel-shirt, beer-geek set.

The painful truth is that Floridians can't enjoy fresh-from-the-tap beer at home, unless it's from a larger operation that bottles its product (or cans it - had a Dale's Pale Ale lately?), because the state limits retail beer containers to 32 ounces and growlers hold a full gallon. But beer lovers in the Sunshine State have grown accustomed to this sort of disappointment; you'd be hard-pressed to find many brewing establishments at all 'round these parts. Just look at the tragicly brief list of breweries on this here peninsula and compare it with the litany of options in, say, lager-lovin' California or perhaps that hops haven we call Colorado.

So, when we have a beer event it's kind of like the second coming ("You mean to say they're bringing the beer TO US?!"), and several shindigs are happening in the coming months. This weekend, Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter will turn into a Field of Hops, when the Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival will offer samples from more than 100 breweries as well as a beer tasting and pairing event. A handful of the showcased breweries are from our home state, and God bless 'em for choosing to brew suds rather than squeeze orange juice.

Be beautiful

"Be as beautiful as you can be, for yourself first, and then to anyone else with enough good sense to see it, too." ~ Maya Angelou


Barrow Falls Road in Abbot, Maine, by Tracy Crawford
Courtesy of the Sierra Club's Daily Ray of Hope

Being out there

A recent Daily Ray of Hope from the Sierra Club:

"What makes life in our cities at once still tolerable, exciting, and stimulating is the existence of an alternative option, whether exercised or not, whether even appreciated or not, of a radically different mode of being out there, in the forests, on the lakes and rivers, in the deserts, up in the mountains … we cannot have freedom without leagues of open space..."

~ Edward Abbey, author of "Desert Solitaire"



Kankakee, Illinois, by K. K. Condon

I lick you, & I like you to like me to lick you.

"I want you, but I don't need you" ~ Amanda Palmer

I like you, and I’d like you to like me to like you. But I don’t need you. Don’t need you to want me to like you. Because if you didn’t like me, I would still like you, you see. La la la la la la.

I lick you, and I like you to like me to lick you. But... I don’t need you. Don’t need you to like me to lick you. If your pleasure turned into pain, I would still lick for my personal gain. La la la la la la.

I fuck you, and I love how you love me to fuck you. But I don’t fucking need you. Don’t need you to need me to fuck you. If you need me to need you to fuck, that fucks everything up. La la la la la la.

I want you, and I want you to want me to want you. But I don’t need you. Don’t need you to need me to need you. That’s just me. So take me or leave me, but please don’t need me. Don’t need me to need you to need me. Cuz we’re here one minute, the next we’re dead. So love me or leave me, but try not to need me. Enough said. I want you, but I don’t need you. La la la la la la.

I love you, and I love how you love how I love you. But I don’t need you. Don’t need you to love me to love you. If your love changed into hate, would my love have been a mistake? La la la la la la.

So I’m gonna leave you, and I’d like you to leave me to leave you. But lover believe me, it isn’t because I don’t need you (you know I don’t need you). All I wanted was to be wanted, but you’re drowning me deep in your need to be needed. La la la la la la la la la la la la.

I want you, and I want you to want me to want you. But I don’t need you. Don’t need you to need me to need you. That’s just me. So take me or leave me, but please don’t need me. Don’t need me to need you to need me. Cuz we’re here one minute, the next we’re dead. So love me or leave me, but try not to need me. Enough said. I want you, but I don’t need you.

Articulate Alan

Who knew Alan Greenspan's talks on finance might produce gems?

~ "I guess I should warn you. If I turn out to be particularly clear, you've probably misunderstood what I've said."
Consider yourselves warned.

~ “There's potential for individual disaster there."
Every day.

~ “Look at it! Look at it, damn you! This is the result of your consistent, persistent, grinding, impoverishing inflation, you despicable loathsome morons!”
For full effect, insert other action in place of "inflation." Perhaps "selfishness" or "rampant disregard for animal welfare" - ya know, whatever fits.

~ “How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values?"
Again, for full effect, replace "asset values" with, say, "our expectations" or "my opinion of you." Hehe.



And the Most Germane Award goes to...

~ "I know that you think you know what I said. But I'm not sure whether you understood that what you heard IS what I meant."

I don't know what to say

I really don't. You just have to watch.



If you need to take just one more look, look here while he explains how he "just wasn't getting any enjoyment out of it. Although the heat does normally stimulate every joint, muscle and organ in my entire body."

Take a break

Today's beboppin' fave.



Look, Ma - freehanded!



Paste's round up of "16 albums to look forward to this fall" is worth a peek.
~ Pearl Jam's got a new record, and I finally (!) dig Eddie again.
~ Bob Dylan does Christmas; not sure what else I could say on the matter.

Ways I waste my time

Have a quick moment of reflection with the Sierra Club's Daily Ray of Hope.

"Let life happen to you. Believe me; life is in the right, always." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke


ellowstone National Park by Windy Torgerud

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Check these "perfectly sculpted melons" on Environmental Graffiti, which always has something cool going on. I mean, really, they titled their blog post "perfectly sculpted melons"; what's not to like?





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No Room Service, Just Snacks and Shit is hilarious. Honestly.

"I'm the kind of nigga that'll kidnap your kids, take 'em home, fuck 'em good, and send 'em back to you in bandages." - Keith Nut, "Watch Out" by Fat Joe

Oh. Then you're going to have trouble keeping friends and getting people to trust you and all that stuff. Can you imagine trying to get a job ten years after making this song? ...

~ "You have most of the qualifications we are looking for but we're just going to have to go with the other guy."
~ "Is this because of when I said I'd fuck your kids... and stuff?"
~ "One hundred percent."

Also, what's up with "Fuck 'em good"? It's not like it's going to be enjoyable for the kids. Filed under: Worst guy ever.

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WebUrbanist compiled some cool examples of light art and graffiti such as this:





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I know I can't explain Homies and Honkies, so I won't try. Just click the link.

Today in Pictures

"An organic rice field featuring a sculpture created using two different types of rice is ... planted in Thailand’s Central Plains & occupies an area of 16,000 square meters... The first variety, Chai-nat 1, is an irrigated local rice variety and... the second is Khum Phayao, a traditional black rice variety. Greenpeace is demanding that the Government issue an outright ban on GMOs, particularly GMO rice." (AFP/GETTY)



"Ice sculptures by Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo melt on the steps of Berlin's Concert Hall at the Gendarmenmarkt on Sept. 2. The event, which saw participants place some 1,000 ice sculptures, was sponsored by the WWF to attract attention to the ...earth's melting poles due to global warming." (AFP/GETTY)

They love coffee even more than you do.

As seen on the Telegraph's Pictures of the Day:

"Artist assistants stand next to 3,604 cups of coffee which have been made into a giant Mona Lisa in Sydney, Australia. The 3,604 cups of coffee were each filled with different amounts of milk to create the different shades."

It is yours.

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists. It is real. It is possible. It is yours." ~ Ayn Rand


Dedham, Massachusetts, by Kerry Hawkins
Courtesy of Sierra Club's Daily Ray of Hope

If this doesn't make you grin...

...you're a miserable sod.



How cool when people throw off old conventions while hanging onto just the traditions that matter the most to them, making the day their own. They certainly seem like fun folks! Of course, I could be biased, as I really like this song and somersaults and hot pink...

Stumbled upon...

Interesting way to keep growing your veggies during longjohn season. AND, it comes with your very own ladybug army!




Tulip mosaics around the world.




My favorite tot's new favorite song.

And we should

"You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth."

~ Evan Esar

Found objects

Ask A Urinal

"It's impossible to be unhappy in a poncho."

"Why are you looking up here? The joke is in your hands."

Newsroom Quotes

"I do think that 99% of heads are bigger than arses."

"I have no luck. Last time I went out I ended up knocking on a murderer’s door."

Marghanita

"Perfect use for your plastic water bottles"



UrbanEye by The NY Times

"Can you use a thesaurus as a weapon? Tonight Opium Magazine
sponsors a Literary Death Match: competitive reading.
Readers, including the veteran SNL and comedy writer Alan
Zweibel and the novelists Rivka Galchen, Josh Weil and
Michael Muhammad Knight -- author of "The Taqwacores," which
has been called "'The Catcher in the Rye' for young
Muslims" -- will unspool some verbiage in the round at
Pianos. They will be judged -- by a New Yorker writer, a
"Project Runway" alum and a comedienne -- on their
showmanship, meter and sesquipedalianism, and everyone will
feel smarter when they leave."

Raft Clear Creek River w/ Mile-Hi Rafting


"Sure Shot: $37 Adults / $30 Child
Rafting on Clear Creek River’s mountain water is an experience that’s fun for the whole family. Get ready for some fun on our exciting ‘Sure Shot’ beginner-rafting trip. Begin with passing by the historic Charlie Taylor Water Wheel experiencing Class II rapids (ripples). While rafting through Historic Idaho Springs the Class III rapids of Castle Falls and Argo Holes test your newly developed rafting skills. Below town history and nature abound, with the occasional sighting of Retail Hawk, Deer, Fox, Bob Cat, Lynx, Elk, and Big Horn Sheep. Dizzy Lizzy, Power Line, Mountain Lion, and Box prepare us for the grand finale of Mr. Twister! The perfect beginner—starting with Class II water so you can practice, and then the Class III rapids. There is a 50 pound minimum for rafting to insure proper fit of the life jacket. Allow 3 hours for the trip."

311 really wants ya to watch "Hey You"

The band has hidden a phone number in the video. Call the number, leave a message, and the band might call you back. I love love love 311, but this song is just "eh". So, the only reason to watch the vid is for glimpses of hot Nick Hexum.



Parkour

Training class for the masses looks like a good workout.



Bike trials

Danny MacAskill, an in-feakin'-credible rider from the U.K.
(And this song by Band of Horses is fab.)



A smattering of Vincent Hermance in Colorado

And the To Read list grows...

Story of my life (pun a happy accident): I add to this list faster than I can check books off of it, sometimes tenfold. The newest addition is worth sharing with you, lest it go unnoticed in that ever-overwhelming list to the right.

"The Immense Journey: An Imaginative Naturalist Explores the Mysteries of Man and Nature" by Loren Eiseley seems as though it might speak to the same part of me that fell in love with "Desert Solitaire" by Edward Abbey. Those are big shoes to fill, though, Ed's are, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Who knows when I'll get to this book, especially now that I've added a fourth to my nightstand. After years of desiring to but waiting for the seemingly "right time", much as one might feel about buying a home or having a child, I've finally ventured into Ayn Rand's world, with her first endeavor, "We the Living".

Wish me luck.

Hope never stops at all

Another nice Daily Ray of Hope:

"Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." ~ Emily Dickinson


Bridge Creek Watershed area of Bend, Oregon, by Pete Marquess

Compare/Contrast

Found this an intriguing comparison, as each of the four vocalists produces such a unique sound. Peter's and Trent's voices are so distinct, making the collaborative version rich and interesting. But it's almost too much, as TV's vocals complement one another so well as a sufficiently groovy duo. Reminds me of a Mahler piece performed by a several-hundred-piece orchestra; the movement's tonality is incredibly complex and thus wondrous, but there's something equally spectacular about a seemingly simple violin solo. Perhaps there is no comparison to be made, just an appreciation for the individual performances...

The always cool TV On The Radio performing their tune "Dreams", infused w/ some Bauhaus and NIN flavor.



And here's "Dreams" straight up. (Sound's a bit distorted, though.)