This is something of a confession, because it's hard to say straight out that I hit poor Hoover when backing the car out of the garage. It's the undeniable truth, and Hoover has the shaved leg and inability to walk, at least until the damaged tissue around his luxated hip heals in a week or so, to show for it. The vet was able to pop his femur back into his hip socket pretty easily, but she needed to take a few x-rays to find the exact cause and point of obvious pain.
It makes me feel guilty and incompetent, and every time I have to pick Hoover up to move him to another room to be with us or to take him outside to exercise his functions, he wails pitifully in pain. It's as if the sound were part of my punishment for carelessness. Fortunately, Hoover will be fine, but it's a misery he shouldn't have had to endure.
To make matters worse; actually there are two matters making matters worse, but I'll address them one at a time. The x-rays showed that Hoover's knees are fairly rotted with arthritis, which I can't take the blame for. However, about 99% of the world's dog lovers are convinced that Glycosamine is the answer and yet there are no studies to prove this. I suspect that I will be paying for large quantities of this product. That's the bad part. The good part is that they're beef flavored and Hoover loves them.
The second matter is that Rufus—cuddly, cute, adorable, irresistible puppy that he is, gives Hoover an inferiority complex, though he seems to have noticed that Hoover doesn't feel like playing. But there's nothing like a peppy puppy to make an aging beast feel old.
I also worry, because even five-days after the accident, Hoover is still pretty much immobilized and obviously uncomfortable. He's more alert and hasn't lost his appetite, but there's no real evidence of healing. He's getting lots of pats, though.
Day 6
We've decided Hoover needs to visit the vet and have made an appointment. No sooner is this done, then we take Hoover outside and all of the lack of function we've just explained to the vet suddenly disappears. He hobbles around, does what he needs to do, and though still rather obviously in pain, looks pleased with himself. (Am I guilty of anthropomorphizing?) No vet today, and we're feeling better, too.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Coffee ad absurdum
My personal coffee roaster, Zero Profit Coffee, sent me a fresh batch of Colombia Huila Concurso San Pedro last week. What I didn't realize without a lengthy explanation, is that the name says it all, but we'll get to that. Nick, the coffee-obsessed poet and head roaster of Zero Profit, likes to know what I think of his efforts, so I dutifully do might best to come up with some adjectives to describe my inevitable pleasure with everything he provides.
I think I mentioned something about a pleasant unctuousness and remembrance of chocolates past. I may even have stuck myself out on a limb to declare it well-balanced and without any sour notes—nothing terribly specific. Mainly, it makes a fine cup of drip, extracts a pleasingly thick shot that stands up well under steamed milk.
But I did recently state that I wished there were a way to categorize coffee more clearly and consistently, so after I sent my comments, Nick sent me the following from his supplier of green beans. I think it' a rating from www.coffeegeek.com:
Colombia Huila Concurso San Pedro (2.5 Star?!?)
Country: Colombia
Grade: Estate
Region: Guadalupe, Huila
Mark: Guadalupe Municipal Competition Winner, Saint Peter Competition
Processing: Wet Processed
Crop: October, 2008
Arrival Appearance: .4 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen
Varietal: Caturra, Typica
Dry Fragrance (1-5) 3.7
Notes about the San Pedro coffee competition: "Hector Alfonso Vargas Mayor of Guadalupe, Huila since 1/1/2008 was elected with the Support of coffee growers and promising an agenda of improvement in the social development and change to the political manners in this remote municipality in Huila. His aim is to encourage the citizens' participation (with the support of the local Church / Pastoral Social) and foster development ("Guadalupe Comunitario" and "Guadalupe Sostenible") by doing "Politics" in a different manner than what this community has seen up to now." So one of the first steps was to hold a small, local coffee "concurso," a competition, judged by national cuppers and an exporter, with the top prize being a brand new coffee pulper! The top 25 received awards and a new coffee maker, and all receoved a premium price for the coffee. This was in June, the product of the mid-year "mitaca" harvest and not the main crop. And the concurso was part of the general celebration for the Dia del San Pedro, hence the name.
We agreed to buy the winning lot, which is a mix of the top coffees, and I wasn't quite sure if it would be good (since I wasn't one of the 3 judges). But we were promised we could reject it if it was just average, and I really WANTED it to be good, and support the event and the efforts of the Mayor and the farmers. Happily, the lot arrived and I love it.
[This is where things start to strain credulity.]
The coffee has intense-yet-subtle aromatics. In the lighter roasts, sweet raisin notes are embedded in layers of chocolate. Darker roasts have a triad of chocolate-spice-raisin, dense and somewat pungent to the nose. There are some unexpected fruits that surface in the wet aroma; a touch of baked pineapple, blackberry, and apple turnover. It has a sumtuous, darkly sweet character. The cup flavors have strong raisin and dry plum notes. There's clove-like spice accents…, but it's this creamy, thick body that gives the cup such balance in overall character. As it cools, an apple flavor is fleshed out, more specifically, spiced baked apple and apple pie. It finishes with chocolate bittersweetness. Such a balanced coffee, I immediately thought of S.O. espresso, and it is a fantastic shot, even at lighter roast levels (FC) than are possible with other coffees.
2.5 Star???: We have a new approach in Colombia, with 4 tiers of coffee: 1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star, 4-Star. This lot doesn't quite conform, since it was a competition lot, but I did not personally go to Colombia and select it. It was also not vacuum-packed in Colombia, like our 3 star lots, but it is every bit as good. So, rather jokingly, we call it 2.5 Star. I know, that's a lot of stars to keep track of. Consider that 1-Star = fine Specialty coffee you might find at a good local roaster, 2-Star is regional specialty lots that sometimes can be remarkable (so when we offer a 2-Star, you can assume it really stood out on the cupping table). 3-Star and 4-Star are our direct trade program, Farm Gate Coffee, and involve cupping hundreds of tiny farm-distinct lots.
Wet Aroma (1-5) 3.8
Brightness - Acidity (1-10) 8.7
Flavor - Depth (1-10) 9.1
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5) 3.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10) 9
Cupper's Correction (1-5) 1 Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium-Bold intensity / Creamy body, fruited notes, chocolate, balance
add 50 50 Roast: City+ to Full City: FC makes a great, balanced espresso as well
Score (Max. 100) 89.1 Compare to: This Huila cups a bit out of character, perhaps like a Tolima coffee, with great balance. This coffee is part of our direct trade Farm Gate pricing tranparency program.
If you made it to the end of this absurd description, then welcome to the club! I like the story of how this particular bean came got it's name and that the quality is a result of local pride and even free-market competition. There's a lot of silliness here, but I'd be happy to drink these beans in the Zero Profit roast every day.
I think I mentioned something about a pleasant unctuousness and remembrance of chocolates past. I may even have stuck myself out on a limb to declare it well-balanced and without any sour notes—nothing terribly specific. Mainly, it makes a fine cup of drip, extracts a pleasingly thick shot that stands up well under steamed milk.
But I did recently state that I wished there were a way to categorize coffee more clearly and consistently, so after I sent my comments, Nick sent me the following from his supplier of green beans. I think it' a rating from www.coffeegeek.com:
Colombia Huila Concurso San Pedro (2.5 Star?!?)
Country: Colombia
Grade: Estate
Region: Guadalupe, Huila
Mark: Guadalupe Municipal Competition Winner, Saint Peter Competition
Processing: Wet Processed
Crop: October, 2008
Arrival Appearance: .4 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen
Varietal: Caturra, Typica
Dry Fragrance (1-5) 3.7
Notes about the San Pedro coffee competition: "Hector Alfonso Vargas Mayor of Guadalupe, Huila since 1/1/2008 was elected with the Support of coffee growers and promising an agenda of improvement in the social development and change to the political manners in this remote municipality in Huila. His aim is to encourage the citizens' participation (with the support of the local Church / Pastoral Social) and foster development ("Guadalupe Comunitario" and "Guadalupe Sostenible") by doing "Politics" in a different manner than what this community has seen up to now." So one of the first steps was to hold a small, local coffee "concurso," a competition, judged by national cuppers and an exporter, with the top prize being a brand new coffee pulper! The top 25 received awards and a new coffee maker, and all receoved a premium price for the coffee. This was in June, the product of the mid-year "mitaca" harvest and not the main crop. And the concurso was part of the general celebration for the Dia del San Pedro, hence the name.
We agreed to buy the winning lot, which is a mix of the top coffees, and I wasn't quite sure if it would be good (since I wasn't one of the 3 judges). But we were promised we could reject it if it was just average, and I really WANTED it to be good, and support the event and the efforts of the Mayor and the farmers. Happily, the lot arrived and I love it.
[This is where things start to strain credulity.]
The coffee has intense-yet-subtle aromatics. In the lighter roasts, sweet raisin notes are embedded in layers of chocolate. Darker roasts have a triad of chocolate-spice-raisin, dense and somewat pungent to the nose. There are some unexpected fruits that surface in the wet aroma; a touch of baked pineapple, blackberry, and apple turnover. It has a sumtuous, darkly sweet character. The cup flavors have strong raisin and dry plum notes. There's clove-like spice accents…, but it's this creamy, thick body that gives the cup such balance in overall character. As it cools, an apple flavor is fleshed out, more specifically, spiced baked apple and apple pie. It finishes with chocolate bittersweetness. Such a balanced coffee, I immediately thought of S.O. espresso, and it is a fantastic shot, even at lighter roast levels (FC) than are possible with other coffees.
2.5 Star???: We have a new approach in Colombia, with 4 tiers of coffee: 1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star, 4-Star. This lot doesn't quite conform, since it was a competition lot, but I did not personally go to Colombia and select it. It was also not vacuum-packed in Colombia, like our 3 star lots, but it is every bit as good. So, rather jokingly, we call it 2.5 Star. I know, that's a lot of stars to keep track of. Consider that 1-Star = fine Specialty coffee you might find at a good local roaster, 2-Star is regional specialty lots that sometimes can be remarkable (so when we offer a 2-Star, you can assume it really stood out on the cupping table). 3-Star and 4-Star are our direct trade program, Farm Gate Coffee, and involve cupping hundreds of tiny farm-distinct lots.
Wet Aroma (1-5) 3.8
Brightness - Acidity (1-10) 8.7
Flavor - Depth (1-10) 9.1
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5) 3.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10) 9
Cupper's Correction (1-5) 1 Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium-Bold intensity / Creamy body, fruited notes, chocolate, balance
add 50 50 Roast: City+ to Full City: FC makes a great, balanced espresso as well
Score (Max. 100) 89.1 Compare to: This Huila cups a bit out of character, perhaps like a Tolima coffee, with great balance. This coffee is part of our direct trade Farm Gate pricing tranparency program.
If you made it to the end of this absurd description, then welcome to the club! I like the story of how this particular bean came got it's name and that the quality is a result of local pride and even free-market competition. There's a lot of silliness here, but I'd be happy to drink these beans in the Zero Profit roast every day.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Perhaps the Worst Movie…, Ever
Not as bad as "Plan 9 From Outer Space," but we're talking about a big-budget feature of the 21st Century. I'm reminded of "The Producers," in search of a sure flop, but we're in on the joke. This time, there's no joke, and I'm not kidding.
Poor August Rush. He hears things. When he's not hearing things, he thinks about the thing that has never existed in his life; his parents. But fear not. The spirit forces are working in his favor. The spirits are working overtime: with the mother in Chicago, with the father in San Francisco, with the social worker, the black minister, the pig-tailed little girl with the big voice, and the guitar-playing black kid with rhythm. How are they all going to end up in the same place at the same time by the end of the movie and live happily ever after?
Well, it hardly matters. The parents, who don't actually know they have a son and spent all of one evening together in their lives, "it was a very special night," are playing Romeo and Juliet. August is living the life of The E.T., which I'm guessing is why he keeps looking to the stars for answers. Most of the other characters have bit roles in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and are inexplicably drawn to Central Park in New York on the same summer evening. On the other hand, the Pied Piper of musical street urchins, as played by Robin Williams, is really a musical Fagin straight out of "Oliver Twist," complete with hide out full of boys who share their day's earnings on the street with "the family." He spends a lot of time counting money; lots of it.
By the way, 12-year-old August is supposed to be a musical prodigy. Can you believe that he actually masters the guitar, the piano, composition, and conducting in six months? No problem. His parents are also unbelievably talented. We know, because the rockin' father can pick up a guitar that hasn't been played in 12 years and it's magically in perfect tune. The "virgin" mother's (we don't actually know that there was a conception or a birth) cello playing is so remarkable, that after twelve years of silence and an untouched cello, the New York Philharmonic mails her a letter to ask if she'll come play with them. Wow, this is special!
We sighed in disbelief, we groaned with pain, why the hell did we watch the entire movie of "August Rush?" There was one well-played role and it happened to be my mother-in-law, Marian Seldes, in the role of the Dean of Juilliard; a thankless role but one with a small shred of dignity. Marian actually taught Robin Williams in the first years of the Juilliard Drama Department, but it hardly mattered. Absurd plot, bad script, horrific direction, and inexcusably bad movie—its a script that appears to have been written by someone with no knowledge of reality and a high regard for coincidence and miracles.
On the bright side, I've heard anecdotally that the movie was shown on a lot of airplane flights. Pleasant dreams.
Poor August Rush. He hears things. When he's not hearing things, he thinks about the thing that has never existed in his life; his parents. But fear not. The spirit forces are working in his favor. The spirits are working overtime: with the mother in Chicago, with the father in San Francisco, with the social worker, the black minister, the pig-tailed little girl with the big voice, and the guitar-playing black kid with rhythm. How are they all going to end up in the same place at the same time by the end of the movie and live happily ever after?
Well, it hardly matters. The parents, who don't actually know they have a son and spent all of one evening together in their lives, "it was a very special night," are playing Romeo and Juliet. August is living the life of The E.T., which I'm guessing is why he keeps looking to the stars for answers. Most of the other characters have bit roles in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and are inexplicably drawn to Central Park in New York on the same summer evening. On the other hand, the Pied Piper of musical street urchins, as played by Robin Williams, is really a musical Fagin straight out of "Oliver Twist," complete with hide out full of boys who share their day's earnings on the street with "the family." He spends a lot of time counting money; lots of it.
By the way, 12-year-old August is supposed to be a musical prodigy. Can you believe that he actually masters the guitar, the piano, composition, and conducting in six months? No problem. His parents are also unbelievably talented. We know, because the rockin' father can pick up a guitar that hasn't been played in 12 years and it's magically in perfect tune. The "virgin" mother's (we don't actually know that there was a conception or a birth) cello playing is so remarkable, that after twelve years of silence and an untouched cello, the New York Philharmonic mails her a letter to ask if she'll come play with them. Wow, this is special!
We sighed in disbelief, we groaned with pain, why the hell did we watch the entire movie of "August Rush?" There was one well-played role and it happened to be my mother-in-law, Marian Seldes, in the role of the Dean of Juilliard; a thankless role but one with a small shred of dignity. Marian actually taught Robin Williams in the first years of the Juilliard Drama Department, but it hardly mattered. Absurd plot, bad script, horrific direction, and inexcusably bad movie—its a script that appears to have been written by someone with no knowledge of reality and a high regard for coincidence and miracles.
On the bright side, I've heard anecdotally that the movie was shown on a lot of airplane flights. Pleasant dreams.
What's wrong with Baseball
I was watching the fifth game of the World Series last night and thinking that it didn't seem like ideal conditions to show off the best in baseball. It was 40°, windy and raining steadily. Why were they playing?
Fast forward. The World Series is over and Philadelphia prevailed after a two-day delay and a two-and-a-half-inning continuation. We could change the subject and talk about how great and exciting this abbreviated evening of baseball was, but I'd like to stick to my original question: what's wrong with baseball?
It's easy. The answer is greed, which is often the answer to questions that begin "what's wrong with." TV is paying for the World Series. TV has it's reasons for wanting the game to be played despite the cold and rain. These reasons also have to do with greed. Sponsors, mainly Budweiser, are paying TV to pay Baseball to broadcast the World Series.
Aside from the obvious greed motive, why does baseball need so much money when the result is a watered-version of the game? It's obvious. Owners and players are also greedy. Owners couldn't pay the players nearly as much if it weren't for all that TV money. I think we're finding a consistent them in this discussion. Lots of the problems with baseball, and all of professional sports, have to do with greed, which has very little to do with the sports.
Interestingly, there's a big greed thing going on in the world of international economics these days, as well. If sports is a metaphor for life, why shouldn't greed permeate every aspect of the game? This one's got me stumped, though it does seem as though greed isn't the best thing in all cases when it comes to figuring out the world's finances. So maybe there is a lesson here, afterall.
Fast forward. The World Series is over and Philadelphia prevailed after a two-day delay and a two-and-a-half-inning continuation. We could change the subject and talk about how great and exciting this abbreviated evening of baseball was, but I'd like to stick to my original question: what's wrong with baseball?
It's easy. The answer is greed, which is often the answer to questions that begin "what's wrong with." TV is paying for the World Series. TV has it's reasons for wanting the game to be played despite the cold and rain. These reasons also have to do with greed. Sponsors, mainly Budweiser, are paying TV to pay Baseball to broadcast the World Series.
Aside from the obvious greed motive, why does baseball need so much money when the result is a watered-version of the game? It's obvious. Owners and players are also greedy. Owners couldn't pay the players nearly as much if it weren't for all that TV money. I think we're finding a consistent them in this discussion. Lots of the problems with baseball, and all of professional sports, have to do with greed, which has very little to do with the sports.
Interestingly, there's a big greed thing going on in the world of international economics these days, as well. If sports is a metaphor for life, why shouldn't greed permeate every aspect of the game? This one's got me stumped, though it does seem as though greed isn't the best thing in all cases when it comes to figuring out the world's finances. So maybe there is a lesson here, afterall.
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Obama Heard 'round the World
Of all the people I work with, including colleagues, freelancers, and authors, I only know of one who said he preferred McCain to Obama. He's an Israeli living in New York City who thought that if Iran needed bombing, McCain was the one most likely to get it done. Talk about your one-issue voters!
Even a sampling of international authors turned up nary a wiff of support for McCain. A colleague in the U.K. expressed great relief that Palin would not be representing the U.S. at World meetings. To him, that was the scariest thing on the Republican ticket.
An author in the Netherlands couldn't understand how anyone could believe Obama was a socialist. He seemed rather conservative by Dutch standards. He also felt that 90% of Dutch voters would have supported Obama.
A German friend living in the Philippines expressed horror at the thought of any more years of Bush's failed policies. How could American's have kept him in office for two terms?
Another colleague in the U.K. commented that he hoped the Secret Service was being particularly watchful, which seems to be something that many people are worried about, including the CIA. I read today that they've got a whole new team attached to Obama (almost literally).
The fact is, the person we elect to be President is important to nearly everyone in the world in a way that no other world leaders can quite equal. What has made this so painfully obvious is the current failed administration of Bush and his cronies. Our cowboy president's reckless, heedless, and greedy reign may have diminished our stature in the world, but not our importance. We really can wreck the world's economy without any help from our allies.
Obama makes me proud to be an American. When was the last time I could say that?
Even a sampling of international authors turned up nary a wiff of support for McCain. A colleague in the U.K. expressed great relief that Palin would not be representing the U.S. at World meetings. To him, that was the scariest thing on the Republican ticket.
An author in the Netherlands couldn't understand how anyone could believe Obama was a socialist. He seemed rather conservative by Dutch standards. He also felt that 90% of Dutch voters would have supported Obama.
A German friend living in the Philippines expressed horror at the thought of any more years of Bush's failed policies. How could American's have kept him in office for two terms?
Another colleague in the U.K. commented that he hoped the Secret Service was being particularly watchful, which seems to be something that many people are worried about, including the CIA. I read today that they've got a whole new team attached to Obama (almost literally).
The fact is, the person we elect to be President is important to nearly everyone in the world in a way that no other world leaders can quite equal. What has made this so painfully obvious is the current failed administration of Bush and his cronies. Our cowboy president's reckless, heedless, and greedy reign may have diminished our stature in the world, but not our importance. We really can wreck the world's economy without any help from our allies.
Obama makes me proud to be an American. When was the last time I could say that?
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