The Rose & Kettle: A great place to hang out
There are plenty of unique watering holes and eateries in the Cooperstown - Cherry Valley area, but perhaps none quite a special as the Rose and Kettle. Where else can you find great food, prepared by a rock star chef, served by an award-winning author, all to the sound of local musicians?(On the left is Cherry-Valley singer Mike Hand performing with Cherry-Valley guitarist Carl Waldman.)
Clem Coleman works wonders in the kitchen (local grown treats like: Rosebrook Elk boneless eye o' the round roast with herb bread crumbs au jus; Gaia's Breath Farm organic pork shoulder roast cooked in Coca Cola, and the legendary Hanger Steak).
Front of house, Clem's wife Dana Spiotta keeps things welcoming and friendly (you'd never guess she has several novels under her belt, one of which won the 2006 National Book Award for fiction).
Spend an evening at the Rose and Kettle and you'll understand why it was voted Metroland's "Best Restaurant Worth a Drive" in 2007. Like many local institutions, the Roe and Kettle has fluctuating opening times, so to make sure you are not disappointed, check the blog before dropping by.
Blonde Faith: Why it's good to be able to trust an author
Just finished reading Walter Mosley's latest, Blonde Faith, and I wish I hadn't--finished that is. There are some authors who are so dependably good you just wish they'd write as fast as you can read, so you'd never be without one of their books. Almost all of my fiction reading is done just before I go to sleep and I look forward to that time as a reward for a hard day's work. If I don't have a dependable author to turn to, I get cranky and have a hard time falling asleep.
For me, Walter Mosley is one of the most dependable. Even though he has tried some very different genres over the years, I have enjoyed them all, from the spacey afro-youth novel "47" through the gritty tales of Socrates Fortlow to the darkness of "The Man in the Basement." For sheer enjoyment, the Paris Minton and Easy Rawlins series are the best and this is where Blonde Faith fits in. I don't want to give anything away, but this one could be a shocker for Easy fans. If you have not read any of the others in the series, don't start here, go for Devil in a Blue Dress. In fact, what I recommend--and literary purists are going to cringe at this--is first watch the movie of Devil in a Blue Dress then read the book. Why? Because then you will see Easy as Denzel Washington when you make your way through the rest of the series, and that really worked for me. Denzel Washington has the same wry smile of an angry soul that is so often an Easy's face.
And remember, with any Easy Rawlins novel you not only get night after night of suspense and intrigue and illicit sex, you also get a first rate education in what it felt like to grow up black in America in the forties and fifties (and probably the sixties through the nineties as well).
For me, Walter Mosley is one of the most dependable. Even though he has tried some very different genres over the years, I have enjoyed them all, from the spacey afro-youth novel "47" through the gritty tales of Socrates Fortlow to the darkness of "The Man in the Basement." For sheer enjoyment, the Paris Minton and Easy Rawlins series are the best and this is where Blonde Faith fits in. I don't want to give anything away, but this one could be a shocker for Easy fans. If you have not read any of the others in the series, don't start here, go for Devil in a Blue Dress. In fact, what I recommend--and literary purists are going to cringe at this--is first watch the movie of Devil in a Blue Dress then read the book. Why? Because then you will see Easy as Denzel Washington when you make your way through the rest of the series, and that really worked for me. Denzel Washington has the same wry smile of an angry soul that is so often an Easy's face.
And remember, with any Easy Rawlins novel you not only get night after night of suspense and intrigue and illicit sex, you also get a first rate education in what it felt like to grow up black in America in the forties and fifties (and probably the sixties through the nineties as well).
Brother Inkjet Issue Now on Blip.TV
Okay, finally found time to edit the video I make of the "empty" Brother ink cartridge and host it at blip.tv. Using a good digital kitchen scale it looks like at least 10% of the ink remains in the cartridge after the printer declares "cartridge empty" and refuses to print.
What Linguistic Neck?
In my last post I mentioned sticking my linguistic neck out. Then someone said "What linguistic neck?" Here's the rap:
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