Craft Beers

Anheuser-Busch Brewery

Several weeks ago, when the boys and I were golfing, the Starter paired us up with a high-level executive for Anheuser-Busch.  We learned several things, some of which I’ll share with you today.

The first point he made answered a question I have pondered for several years now, ever since Stella Artois became available in almost every venue in the United States.  This beer, purported to be among the oldest brewed in Europe was purchased by Anheuser-Busch, primarily for distribution rights.  It certainly qualifies as a crafty beer, but may be brewed in other places than its native Belgium.  At least that might account for a statistic I saw a few weeks ago saying the Belgians no longer find it attractive.

Anchor-Steam

Our golfing companion said that Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch) had purchased 175 craft breweries  the rights to distribute them in the last year.  The movement to consolidate small breweries began in the United States when Anchor Steam, a San Francisco Brewery, found itself in financial troubles and was bailed out by Frederick Louis Maytag III in 1965 and subsequently by an investment company and most recently by Sapporo.  Anchor Steam remains brewed in San Francisco and, at least to my taste, is much the same as it was sixty years ago.

It would appear that the Budweiser move (which includes replacing most of the Pabst-brewed beers in Milwaukee with craft beers and some historic brands, such as Stroh’s, Schlitz, Ballentine’s, Andecker and more than a dozen others.) reflects a trend in American beer consumers.  It is not unusual nowadays to find even modest bars with half a dozen or more craft beers in tap.

A far cry from the days when I was at Marquette.  One of my favorite jokes is about a couple, driving into Milwaukee in the early morning hours.  The breweries were all lit up, with steam pouring out of their smokestacks.  The wife says, “Do you see all the beer they are making?  There’s no way you’re going to drink all that beer.”  To which he replied, “Well, I’ve got them working nights.”

Although Coors still advertises they make their beer in the Colorado mountains, Budweiser is brewed in at least four American cities, and no other traditional brew has a major market in the U.S.  Instead major breweries like Sam Adams bring different beers to market seasonally, craft beers, such as their Rebel IPA are harder to find.

Another possible attraction of the craft beers might be thed choice of alcohol content.  When I first tried beer, in Iowa, the law limited alcohol content of beer to 3.2%, a rule I am, sure passed away many years ago.  O'Shea's seels a Double IPA with an alcohol content of 7.4%, the "double" relating specifically to the alcohol. I can't remember the last time I got a "buzz" from beer, but in my younger days there were times, even at 3.2%.
More likely, the beer content effects the smoothness and "bite" of the brew, and tastes will vary on both those issues.

I have a kegerator and my sons insist I stock it with craft beer.  Their recent favorite is Elysian Space Dust, but O’Shea’s, where I buy my kegs doesn’t routinely stock that.  Similarly, the Rebel Ale and Goose Island IPA.  The one I can depend on is Sculpin, a San Diego craft beer that is one of my favorites.  It is a little pricey though, about $115 for a five-gallon keg.

Making one’s own beer has become increasingly popular, possibly because of cost.  O’Shea’s estimates they service more than 200 occasional brew-masters in Orange County.  Even Mary went to a presentation by a home beer brewer, but hasn’t shown any interest in brewing herself.

Oh well, I still have my Sculpin.

My next Post is borrowed from NPR which had a short feature connecting the dots between dead cows, rat poison, and a life-saving drug called Warfarin.  I hope you will join me.

Junk Mail and Solicitations

I’ve taken to taking a nap, usually for 30-60 minutes, and usually, somewhere between 2:00 and 4:00 PM.  There are a couple interesting points.  First, I am blessed to be able to set an internal clock for 30, 60, or 120 minutes and wake, almost to the minute after sleeping deeply.  Second, almost every other day my sleep is interrupted by a solicitation call.  So often, that I have taken to napping with both of my phones: landline and cell, within easy reach.

I am sure that, like many of you, I have seen an increase in the number of solicitation calls.  I saw a recent statistic that said the cost of such “Robo-calls” is less than 1/10^th of one cent, which explains why many are to a dead line, and return calls from caller ID are seldom able to be completed.  I have one particular nuisance call, a heavily-accented Indian or Pakistani male who, mostly identifies himself as representing a pharmacy service.  On one occasion, I engaged him, since he was explaining how I could get a Federal Grant, a scam I recently had seen on Snopes.  Even when confronted, he was unapologetic and persistent.  I have blocked more than four dozen numbers, but still receive calls from all parts of the United States and the Americas.

I was at a conference where an FBI Agent was discussing fraud and asked the agent how I could report this company.  He confessed they are virtually powerless to stop them unless someone has given them serious money and federal laws have been broken.  But, I was also having problems with legitimate charities.

Raising money for charities is Big Business and a specialist in the field can command a mid-six-figure salary.  I discovered a website that tracks how much a charity pays in overhead, the biggest part of which goes to raising money.  If you haven’t checked out your favorites, do so at www.charitynavigator.com   Having that knowledge gave me an idea: my biggest problem was continual solicitations from charities to which I contribute.  I was receiving letters from some on almost a weekly basis.  So, I sent them all a response in their own envelope: 19 in all.  The letter I included was one of two, depending on their Charity Navigator rating, but both were identical in the message that said, “If I receive a request for money and have contributed within the last 12 months, I will NEVER send you money again.” The difference in the letters referred to their rating on Charity Navigator.  I received two responses, one confessing they didn’t know about Charity Navigator and would comply with disclosing their financials to receive a rating.  A second said they would comply and only request money annually.

Apparently, there was some positive effect as I receive fewer requests than I used to, but Mary still supports at least two charities who regularly remember her birthday, acknowledge her gift, or other nuisance requests, which I would have stopped paying.  My alumni requests are pretty good now, as are some of my charities.

As I write this, we are seeing appeals for the Texas and Louisiana victims of Hurricane Harvey with Irma in the wings.  The American Red Cross is being criticized for the donations that reach the victims, a problem they still confront in Haiti.  The Wounded Warrior Project got rid of some of its highly-paid administrators and greatly improved its Navigator rating.  I had stopped contributing, but am making an annual contribution now.

My next Post will feature what has happened and is happening to craft breweries and how the change has affected our drinking habits.  I hope you will join me.

Piano Duet

Several weeks ago, Mary and I attended a performance in the Cabaret Series we subscribe to at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.  A young married couple played two pianos in a classical recital, including works by Tchaikovsky and Mozart.  While the themes were familiar, the husband’s duet pieces were unique and very complimentary.

When they finished, the wife asked for questions and I asked, “Being someone whose knowledge of piano duets begins and ends with Heart and Soul, I wonder if your husband has a written score or if he improvises?”  She responded that they write his parts together because it would be unfair to him if he had to improvise.

Hoagy Carmichael

When I got home I wondered where did my reference to Heart and Soul come from.  When I thought about it, it came from when my sister and I were taking piano lessons; she about 12 years old and me about eight.  I did some research and found out that the song was written by Hoagy Carmichael in 1938, and remained popular well into the 1960s because, among other reasons, it was an easy way to introduce students to using the left hand.

You may remember it.  It starts with the A key and progresses up and down to the words, “Heart and Soul, I fell in love with you.  Heart and Soul, and no one else will do.  Madly, that’s how I feel when I am around you.”  The left hand (or the partner) meanwhile is playing, “Dumdee, dumdee, dumdee, dumdee, dumdee, dumdee. Dumdee, dumdee, dumdee, dumdee, dumdee dumdee. Dum.”

I probably can fault my sister for two things; encouraging me to quit lessens when she did, and never developing a left hand.  However, when I was courting Mary, I scored points by showing her I could play Claire de Lune” with one hand, while most people needed two.

When I was in the Corporate World after retiring from the Navy, I worked for at least two companies where the Holiday Party was Black Tie and special.  At one WellPoint event in downtown LA the hotel we stayed at had four or five different areas for entertainment.  A popular one was “Dueling Pianos” with a lively sing-along.  I still remember the most popular song they played, which was to the Sound of Music song, Doe, a Deer”.  The words went like this,

“Dough, the stuff that buys me beer. Ray, the guy I buy beer from.  Me, the guy I buy beer for. Far, a ways to go for beer. So, I think I’ll have a beer.  LA, the place I go for beer. Tea, no thanks, I’ll have a beer. And that brings us back to Dough.”

If you can imagine about 100 people, many of whom had a few beers, singing at the top of their voices; well, you get the idea.

Of course, the song also fit very well into the Hash House Harrier On-On celebrations.

I suspect I’m not the only one who still gets solicitation letters for charities.  I may be more bothered than most by repeat requests from those I to whom I donate.  In my next post, I’ll tell you about what I did to stop that and how successful my program was.  I hope you’ll find the time to join me.

Comets, Asteroids, and Shooting Stars

Comet

A few years ago, when my grandson was in fourth-grade, there was a lot of interest in Comets; mostly because we had one coming as close to earth as anyone could remember.  There were plans to take samples in an effort to explain more about the creation of our universe, and there was even talk of the feasibility of landing on a comet.

Asteroid

I decided that I would ask my grandson what he might know about comets.  “Do you know anything about comets?” seemed a reasonable question.

“I know the difference between comets, asteroids and shooting stars,” was his response.

Meteor (Shooting Star)

“What is the difference?” I asked.

“Mostly it has to do with their size and the distance they are from earth,” he replied.

That got me thinking.  Some college counselor told an incoming freshman class that at graduation, half would be working in a job that had not been invented yet.  I heard that story fifty years ago, and it certainly has been prophetic.  What might my comet-wise grandson be doing when he graduated from college?

At the time of our conversation, They had picked thirteen candidates to train as astronauts to live on Mars.  As I understand it, their journey would require being placed in a “sleep-state” to survive the long journey and in a life-imitating-art they would subsist on potatoes in much the same way as Matt Damon in Bring Him Home.

By the time Ethan (my grandson) is old enough to be an astronaut, that will probably be too blasé for his interest.  He stays current with the times.  For example, he has a small drone now, albeit without a camera. He built his first rocket in third-grade and scored second in his class for distance, height, and time aloft.  And he has a wide variety of interests: for example he learned the violin in fourth-grade and the flute in fifth.

He enjoys swimming, tennis, is learning golf, and has seen two Chicago Cubs games in Wrigley Field. He makes friends easily and is very social, showing empathy and concern with those who may not have his level of intelligence.

I did hear last week that NASA was interviewing for a position as a Planetary Protection Officer.  There are only two positions in the world; one with NASA and the other with the ESA.  As I understand the position it entails knowing and limiting the harmful effects of earth visits to other planets and the effect on earth of samples intentionally or unintentionally brought back from space exploration.  Background would include knowledge of “clean rooms” and ways to assess and limit contamination.

So what if there are only two positions right now.  Who knows what might exist in 10 years, when Ethan enters the job-market?  And if there are still only two, my mother used to say, “They have to choose someone.  It might as well be you.”

Good luck, Ethan.

Please join me next time when I recall how an old memory of a piano tune; Heart and Soul entered my life and what I learned from the memory.

Wedding Dances

Weird Al Yankovic

What is that tune you’re humming?”  This to my teacher son sitting in the back seat.

“What do you think it is?” was his response.

“Well, it’s familiar but I don’t know the name.”

“I’ll give you a hint. It’s often played at weddings.”

And then he explained that he was teaching a dance class at his elementary school, and three of the dances were wedding-specific; The Chicken Dance (which is what he was humming), the Macarena, and the Polka.

That got me thinking of how each of those and several other dances played a role in my upbringing, and a wonder as to what has happened to dance with our grandchildren.

I never actually danced the Polka until I went to Marquette, in Milwaukee, where it seemed ubiquitous.  

The Chicken Dance

The Macarena has an even stranger history. I was working as a Dental Director for a company whose major clientele was Las Vegas Culinary.  When the owner decided to marry for I think the third time, he had the wedding and reception in one of the hotels on The Strip.  The service lasted about 4 minutes, and might have been longer had the person performing the service had a more imaginative material writer.  The Macarena had just been introduced and wedding guests were having a ball at the reception learning the dance, Mary and I among them.

The Chicken Dance was introduced into the US in the early 1970’s, so I would have had some contemporaries getting married then and several nieces and nephews along the way.  That was probably my introduction.  

Tinikling

It is easy to see why Tim would chose all three of these dances as part of a Physical Education curriculum, since they are all very energetic.  A fourth choice, probably because he spent two of his formative years in the Philipines, was Tininkling.

When I was growing up, we actually went to Dance Classes, a sometimes-bitter experience as we tested our popularity.  Sock Hops were routine in high school, and American Bandstand was there for all of us to help us hone our skills.

I was always considered a pretty good dancer until I reached an age where, as I would tell Mary, “I could sit her and dance all night”, moving my feet and my hands while seated at the table.  With my iconic love of jazz, music was more to be listened to than to participate, but when dancing was expected I was comfortable joining the fray.

It seems to me that dance for the young is less frequent and perhaps more special.  I know Tim and other school chaperones keep a watchful eye on the sensuality of danced.  I’m not seeing the proclivity of film and concerts featuring dance as they did a generation ago.  I did find it interesting when someone commented that this young generation of Millennials is the first not to have their “own” music since before WW II. Fandango and Hula allow for eclecticism never before possible.  What’s on your play list?  Another pundit said you can tell when someone was born by the music they remember from high school; a fact I reminded a friend who was more than a little forgetful about when she was born.

In my next Post I will exercise a grandparent’s right to boast about their grandchildren.  I hope you will join me.

Vacations

Sacking of Rome

At this time of year when people are talking about and planning their vacations, I find myself remembering a theory about the Fall of the Roman Empire, that I came across when I was in college.

There are easily hundreds of theories as to why the Roman Empire collapsed with little or no agreement on even when exactly it happened.

Most prevalent is the theory that the reign collapsed because of the ferocity of the Goths and Visigoths, but equally as compelling is a theory that the Caesars, proclaiming themselves as deity, were struck down with hubris, or that the Romans became victims of hiring mercenaries to be their army.

The one I remember and like is that they had too many days’ vacation.

The article I read theorized that when days off work exceeded days spent working, it is only a matter of time before an empire collapses.

The Roman Circus certainly qualifies, much as do the Hunger Game series.

Roughin It

Our family is finalizing plans for the nine of us to return to Door County for our annual vacation.  We have had to make plans around Sean’s family vacations, which include: a trip to Orlando next week with Cecelia’s extended family to a time-share her father owns; a trip for her girls to Singapore to visit their natural father, a side trip from Door County to see the World Champion Cubs, and Tim’s summer vacation, which returns him to work in August.

Sean and Cecelia also were able to use our play tickets in New York when my health took a south turn and caused us to cancel the GNYDM, the five of us took a day in San Francisco to celebrate the Battle of Midway and Sean and Cecelia’s anniversary.

If summer vacation were extended, Sean might come close to that 50-50 work split.

I don’t begrudge them their trip plans.  They are fortunate to be able to have the time off work. When I was in the Navy, we got 30 days a year, but no one took all of them.  At 60 days, further accumulated days dropped off, so I had 60 days on the books when I retired.  My days at WellPoint were much the same, although when I started with them Sick Days were separate from Personal Days.  I remember when I retired the doorbell rang and I had a check for $15,000 for unused personal days.  A VERY pleasant surprise!

As a teacher in the Diocese, Tim has a use it or lose it policy on his personal days.  That benefits me because he uses many of his days restoring his mental health by golfing.

I heard recently that Middle Class is now defined as having time and money sufficient to take a vacation.  Upper Class was defined as having the means to buy a boat.  While we never owned a boat, we were able to ski as a family in the winter and SCUBA as a family in the summer for several years.  The memories for all of us have filled a lifetime.

When I wrote my book Harnessing a Heritage part of the motivation and all of the format was to instill in my grandsons a sense of their own heritage.  That has been a grand success, as they look forward to their vacations now with anticipation of familiar places and things to do.

Hopefully when and if they have their own families the tradition will continue.

In my next Post, I will recall somethings about dance that I remember and why I remember them.  I hope you can join me now that I am writing again.

Guillermo del Toro

Mary and I belong to several Museums.  Some local, like the Orange County Museum of Art and Bowers.  Others far distant, like the Haggerty Museum on the Marquette campus. Several in Los Angeles, most, purchased because of a certain exhibit that we wanted to see or that we wanted our grandchildren to see.  That explains LACMA with Van Gogh and the Natural History Museum with the Space shuttle.  The Museum of Latin American Art also falls into that category.

And there are membership perks.

In September of last year, we received notice of a Member’s Only preview of an exhibit soon to open at the Los Angeles County of Museum Art (LACMA). The promotional images were exceptional.  It turns out that they were lifted from several of the films del Toro has directed.

While this might be expected to make the show a disappointment, the fact is anything but.

It turns out that Mr. del Toro is a bit of an eccentric, even by LA standards.  He lives in the Hollywood hills in a seventeen-room house with each room a virtual museum in its own right.  He collects and displays sketches, objects d’art; even costumes and set pieces from his many, unusual films.

Since he was a child in Mexico, he has been fascinated by horror, terror, and fantasy.  This might seem strange for a child raised in a very Catholic upbringing, but he may have been affected by the violence in his home state of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.  He is now a self-proclaimed involuntary exile from his native country.

My favorite film he produced is Pan’s Labyrinth but he is also singularly responsible for the Hellboy series and is co-credited for The Hobbit series, although he left the project when MGM had multiple delays from financing problems.

One of the things that made the display unique and memorable was the staging.  There were several stations, each with its own identity: One with costumes from his films, another with film clips of unique sets from his films, a third with clips from the actors in his films, several with artifacts from his home, including early figures of Frankenstein’s Monster.

His obvious love for his country and his Mexican heritage were probably responsible for the collection displayed.  Los Angeles is, after all an essentially Spanish speaking culture.

I was reminded, as we went through the collection, that Museums are changing, as are libraries from traditional collections to collections focused on more timely subjects.  Even libraries now have Curators, who conceive and collect for more interesting events.

I am dedicated to returning to writing my Posts on a more regular basis.  Join me soon for a look at vacations and what they might mean.