John & Dorothy CALL ME!

John Brecher and Dorothy J. Gaiter have departed the now Rupertonian Wall Street Journal.

The former Wine Editors of the last remaining reason (Weekend Journal) to subscribe to the increasingly liberal-bashing paper, declared their last column their final column, and boom done. No explanation, no long goodbyes, nothing except a single paragraph buried in the last column.

Email to a writer yielded a reply from Weekend Journal News Editor John Edwards, which said simply "We're not sure of their future plans, and I'm afraid we're not at liberty to say more about the circumstances of their departure."

So, we have more nothing.

MY response? A public call to John and Dorothy. If you know them or can find someone who does, let them know I WILL DESIGN AND HOST THEIR NEW BLOG/SITE FOR FREE.

FREE.

I have now cancelled my print subscription. This was last straw as the "news" coverage is so ingratiatingly insipid in it's conservo-slant that it rarely merits a read-thru except as a means to keep closer to both sides of the argument. And truthfully, with the latest editions offering up poor photo-illustration to support even worse essays, the Weekend Journal had looked more like the "Weakened Journal."

So, no more. Screw you Rupert. Shame on the Bancrofts for selling out. And, John and Dorothy, DM me folks. Happy to help.

Sigh.

You Broke It You Should Fix It!

The get-even opportunity we all wish we'd taken. A musician (talented one too) witnesses baggage crews throwing his guitar cases on the tarmac and a $3500 Taylor dies in the fray.

United gives him runaround, claims no responsibility for his claim and ends up getting roasted (this is a food blog) via social media forums and video views.

Says Carrol in his blog:

In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say “no” to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise.

His 1st (of three) video below.

A Little Musical Interlewd

Sent to me by an esteemed member of the SaucyJoes Blog, this music is definitely a great way to kick off your week.

The magnificently indefinable Asylum Street Spankers began in 1994 at a booze and hallucinogen-fueled party at the Dabbs Hotel in Llano, Texas. There Christina Marrs and Guy Forsyth met Wammo.

The Beer Wench –- Beer w/ Breakfast

Ed Note: This post came across my desk today as I perused a Twitter dialogue of great import. Not only does this author have a great and expansive knowledge of great beers, she has an admirable grasp of all things Spamalot/Holy Grail.

Anyhoo, here's her introduction to a great essay on The Perfect Beer with Pancakes:

The Perfect Beer For Pancakes
January 14, 2009 by The Beer Wench
Whereas some people may frown upon consumption of alcoholic beverages before noon, I encourage it. (Some people may read that statement and tell me that it is an indicator of a problem. Those people are silly folks and prefer to ignore them.)

If you think like me, then you will agree that the consumption of alcohol is appropriate at any hour … day or night.

I am not opposed to drinking during breakfast. In fact, a great brunch is incomplete without some sort of hooch. Typically, The Bloody Mary (double vodka, extra spicy) is my poison of choice. It goes really well with savory breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, etc.

But as much as I love my extra spicy, double strong Bloody Marys … they are a horrible pair for pancakes, waffles, french toast, scones, danishes, blintzes, cobblers, muffins, fruit and all the other sweet breakfast goodies.

When it comes to the sweeter side of breakfast, one can always reach for a Mimosa or a Bellini (classic brunch cocktails). OR … why not try a fruit beer?

Normally, I would go straight for the fruit lambics of Belgium for this post. Although this blog is not about fruit lambics, they would make an excellent pairing with a number of breakfast items - particularly those made with fruit.

The other day I stumbled upon a bottle of Melbourn Bros. Strawberry Beer. The bottle said spontaneous fermentation … and we all know that The Wench is a sucker for wild yeast beers. So naturally, I purchased the beer and did some research on its origin.

To read the rest of her post click here

Getting BUSY at XMAS

Okay, so my neighbor Sonya is a NUT about Xmas decorating, festooning her domicile w/ all manner of whites, reds, candy canes and faux trees to create a spectacular display.

Evidently she placed third in a Grand Prairie Lights or Nottingham Neighbors Lights (our little slice of heaven in N. Texas) and she was hooked. Now illuminating our street at a feverish pace, she was gunning for the gold. While I personally have no idea whether this effort required massive caloric intake ala Michael Phelps, it does seem to require a Scotty-like devotion to the physical plant. We often see her out at all hours of day and night, attaching new accessories or repairing the grid.

It is an amazing effort, which makes our humble decoration look, um, humblish.

But, in comparison to Richard Holdman, she's a piker 1st class, and there's no mean intent or envy attached to that statement. Really. Honest.

We present exhibit #1


See, what we mean? This guy gets it in terms of what it takes to create a truly innovative and beautiful display. Not too far afield from what we at SaucyJoes do for a good fire, glass of wine or smoke-ringed brisket.

Now whether or not it is a truly great use of time, consider that his efforts do raise money for Make-A-Wish so he's got that going for him.

If you are considering ramping up a similar effort, be mindful that there are critics out there who rate and evaluate the holiday display and advocate handing out citations to those who would violate lighting etiquette. Now if we do a comparison of Holdman vs Perlow on good use of time we're siding w/ Holdman. We noted Mr. Perlow was willing to critique but had no displays of his own to offer up for comparison. Hmmm.

To quote a noted philosopher and cinema buff:
"I know you are but what am I?"
PW Herman