Venerable, Vulnerable, Blues

Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

David Ignatius wrote this ponderable piece in yesterday's Washington Post.

And this little kid has a lot of the blues, and a good bit of talent in his little body. Don't fret: this little man has never been to Reno.

Whale of a tale

Mila, a thoughtful and sensitive beluga whale in Northeast China, had a moment. Here's the tale. Have you hugged a whale today?

And no, Virginia, beluga caviar comes from the sturgeon, not the whale.

That's Entertainment...

I do not own a TV. I do not watch television. I must, therefore, find other ways to entertain myself.

Please note that I did not say that I don't watch TV shows. For that there is Hulu, among other things.

One entertainer in particular has kept me quite entertained this summer: Nathan Fillion. He has been on Firefly. which led to Serenity, with a detour over to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. Good stuff for procrastination galore.

Most recently, Nathan Fillion has appeared on the ABC series Castle as the main character Richard Castle. He has tweeted as himself, and (I just discovered) as his character. Well done, Mr. Fillion.

Tell me a story

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

This morning I came across this story, which tells of one man's photo-of-the-day chronicle. Some stories, as they say, take no words at all.

Don't overthink it

Harder for some of us than others to disengage from our regularly scheduled program. Here are a few pit stops on the way off the grid for the weekend.

Do something silly this weekend, but don't be a weiner.

This wedding entrance should get the party started.

Now go, roam free. Watch some Saturday morning cartoons, if you get the chance.

Don't be a Twit

Dictionary.com offers several definitions for the word "twit," both as a noun and a verb. Among them (as a noun) are "a foolishly annoying person," and "a weak or thin place in yarn caused by uneven spinning."

It is this second definition that came to mind while reading about the tweeting of the soon-to-be-former governor of the fourty-ninth state on Gawker.com. This is a cautionary tale, Gentle Reader. Let not the fabric of your moral nor mental fiber wear so thin as to make of yourself a twit. And of course, if a bear tweets in the woods, is it not better to simply let it be?

It seems she is not the only one to succumb to the the tempting vixen that is Twitter. This post presents some other examples. Seriously, folks, yes, you can report to the world your every thought and movement (in 140 characters or less), but does anyone care? And if they do, what is your audience's motivation?

Hey, if you are going to tweet, keep it light, like Nathan Fillion. At least he is aware that folks who follow tweets are voyeurs, and he posts appropriately. Yes, the man panders well to his target demographic. Thanks for that, Captain Tight Pants.

Target Demographic

I recently attended a wine and jewelry event at an upscale suburban mall with a friend of mine. This friend (let's call her Judy) LOVES things that are shiny and pretty with fancy packaging. She also loves wine. And she love a good sales pitch. Judy was in heaven.

The event was basically a progressive wine tasting, allowing the jewelry stores in the mall (surely hard hit by the current economy) to make showcase their wares to the progressively inebriated. Each time we walked into a new jewelry store, Judy would "oooh" and "ahhh" over whatever was shiniest until she had the attention of some eager salesperson.

"Your friend seems to be really enjoying herself," said one saleswoman, sidling up to me rather casually.

"Yes," I replied, "she IS your target demographic."

"Perhaps I can show you some of our bracelets," she said, eagerly reaching for her keys to open one of the display cases.

"No, thank you," I replied firmly but otherwise devoid of emotion. "I'm just the designated driver."

When it comes down to it, every single thing that is bought or sold or consumed or traded or marketed or shown on TV/the Internet/at the movies is created with a target demographic in mind. This may explain why my parents don't get the humor on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and why The View does not appeal to my nephew.

But whose target demographic are YOU? Have you ever stopped to think for a moment? Do you fall into the "wired teen hyper texting nano gizmo" crowd who MUST have an iPhone on their person at all times and post on Twitter no less than ten times an hour? Or are you with the "super crunchy peaceful karmic natural granola" crowd who only buy organic and know how to recycle anything? Perhaps you relate to the "instant info all access media frenzy" crowd, with their televisions constantly tuned in to CNN while surfing on MSNBC, TMZ and the Huffington Post.

Just something to think about today. Let's consider it a few minutes of self-contemplation procrastination. I'm not saying you have to share with your neighbors--unless you have something to sell and they are your target demographic.

We the People

I love it when questions from the current version of the US Citizen test are made available in quiz form, such as this one. As a natural born citizen of the United States, I never had to take one of these tests, but it is a source of great pride that I can take and pass such a test if required.

In Brian Williams' blog post from yesterday, he included this message emailed to him by a Medal of Honor recipient:

4th of July

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

*************

And in case you are curious, check out these tidbits about four founding fathers you might not have read about in history class.

If this is Wednesday, it must be the Food Section

Lots of interesting things are popping up on my radar in the food world, most of it from the New York Times.

First, there was this gem from earlier this week, featuring a photo of Kalustyan's on Lex at 28th. More about obscure history than food, but I'm going to look for that little plaque the next time I go there.

Oh, and check out Here is Where while you're at it.

I was surprised to read in "Off the Menu" that Payard Patisserie on the Upper East Side is now closed, due to a "rent dispute." They had such lovely Gâteau St. Honoré. It is a reminder that good food is fleeting. Eat it while you can.

And while the Fancy Food Show returned to Manhattan this past weekend, the UnFancy Food Show in Brooklyn was a much more interesting and entertaining. Put it on your calendar for next year.

My brother-in-law, who brews beer, may never have considered growing his own hops, but after reading this he might. I don't think he is much of a green thumb, so perhaps a bargain to barter can be struck. Fresh hops for beer seems like a good deal to me.

Speaking of beer, I've been noticing an increase in chile beers (as in flavored with chiles, not Chilean beer). Is this going to be like the chile peppers in chocolate fad? I'm really okay with my beer being beer (and my chocolate being chocolate). I love a good, complex wine. But please, let beer be beer. Is it too much to ask?

In Oakland, California, these folks are "urban homesteading." I sent this link to a friend and asked, "how do we find these people?" She replied, "you ARE these people."

I won't argue.

It's summer, and Thursday is Market Day. I have plans for some strawberries, peaches, and tomatoes.

Go eat something wonderfully tasty today.