Old School Freight Train

Tim, Stacey, and I visited Ashland Coffee and Tea this past weekend to see Old School Freight Train, a band that plays folk, bluegrass, and some tidbits of rock.  We always enjoy listening to music at AC&T since they actually have a listening room, and not just a bar where people socialize while musicians play in the background (there was even a “shh-ing” by the AC&T staff when one table refused to quiet down after intermission).

Anyway, Old School Freight Train is a group of talented musicians – they all are extremely proficient on their instruments (guitar, violin, mandolin, bass, and drum).  Their covers of traditional bluegrass tunes and other suitable songs are excellent (their renditions of Louisiana by Randy Newman and Superstition by Stevie Wonder are truly good).  However, their original numbers, except the ones that are in the traditional bluegrass vein, leave something to be desired.  I think the original tunes sound too much like easy listening; Tim thinks the problem is that they have not gelled as songwriters.

Regardless, if you have a chance, go and check them out – they are great live performers.  You can also see and hear them on My Space if you would like a sample.

Cafe Rustica

Tim and I visited Cafe Rustica a number of weeks ago when we read that it was expanding its hours in order to serve dinner and realized that it was located downtown, near to our home.  We were pleasantly surprised with the setting – it is a small restaurant with a long, pretty bar running the length of one wall.  Against the other wall was a series of booths – the backs of each booth was made from old wooden doors, which looked neat.  Tim and I were seated next to the front plate glass window, at a two-top cafe table with tall chairs.  It was a romantic yet comfortable setting.

Our waitress was knowledgeable yet friendly.  We were served bread quickly and it was good.  Tim ordered schweinschnitzel, which was served with red cabbage and spaetzel.  The pork was flattened and took up half of his plate (obviously, quite a big portion).  Tim ate most of his food.  I ordered a beef dish served with a rich, hearty brown gravy.  I also received side dishes of red cabbage and spaetzel.  I am not a big red cabbage fan, but Rustica’s cabbage was truly excellent.  My meat was tender and the gravy was flavorful (I believe it was made with red wine).   I almost cleaned my plate.

There were additional German-themed selections on the menu, as well as several fish dishes.  German is not my favorite ethnicity for food, although Tim adores it (and now that our beloved Acapella is closed, I believe the only German fare available in Richmond can be found at Cafe Rustica).  We grabbed a paper menu on our way out and salivated over the breakfast and lunch offerings (some breakfast items include the rustic skillet, crab omelet, and several varieties of poached eggs).  We will definitely be visiting some time soon for breakfast.

I highly recommend Cafe Rustica and hope that Richmonders will go out and enthusiastically support it.  However, if you have a large party this is not the place to go, as they do not have tables big enough for more than four or perhaps five people.

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20th Century Genocide: Did the Armenian Massacres Lead the Way?

Tim and I attended this panel discussion last Thursday at the Virginia Holocaust Museum.  Panel participants included Retired Ambassador Joseph Pressel, VCU Professor Herbert Hirsch, William & Mary Professor Roger Smith, and Retired Ambassador John Evans.  Although the title of the discussion seems to indicate otherwise, the dialogue was focused on whether the Armenian massacres that took place in 1915 under the Ottoman Empire should be reclassified as genocide (rather than a discourse as to whether the Armenian genocide was the first genocide, and whether or not the lack of repercussions during that time led to further genocides in the 20th century – e.g. the Holocaust, Serbia, Rwanda, etc.).

The panelist with the most interesting background was John Evans.  Mr. Evans was the U.S. ambassador to Armenia who was dismissed from his position and from his diplomatic career for labelling the Armenian genocide as a genocide.  As a mouthpiece for the U.S. government, he was not supposed to term the killings as genocide (the United States, despite the urging of Armenians, has not officially acknowledged that the 1915 killings were, in fact, a genocide).

The panelist with the best argument, to me, was Joseph Pressel.  He is a proponent of realpolitik and stated that it is not in the U.S. government’s best interest to anger Turkey by classifying the Armenian killings as genocide.  You may remember some flak from last year when Congress drafted a resolution acknowledging the Armenian killings as a genocide.  Turkish officials created quite an uproar and threatened the Turkish alliance with America.  Turkey also spent millions of dollars on lobbying efforts to persuade U.S. officials to reject the resolution, which they eventually did.  I don’t necessarily disagree with this position: obviously, all historic facts and accounts point to the killings as fitting the definition of genocide and I believe that most people who know the story of the Armenian massacre believe it to be a genocide.   But what good would calling the Armenian killings a genocide do now, except make Turkey very angry?  If labelling the Armenian killings a genocide would consequently save lives now, I would be all for it.  I do think it is ridiculous for Turkey to deny its past atrocities and disallow both its citizens and Armenians a chance to heal.  However, Americans officially calling the Armenian genocide a genocide will only result in grave consequences for American foreign policy in the Middle East.  (There is also the additional concern of America acknowledging its own past atrocities – when will we have an apology from the U.S. government about the genocide of the Native Americans or the enslavement of Africans?)

Of course, there is quite an argument against my support of this notion of realpolitik in respect to the Armenian genocide.  At the discussion on Thursday evening, we heard about the pain of many Armenian Americans whose ancestors suffered at the hands of the Turks.  They want acknowledgement of their losses and that the lives and deaths of their family members meant something, and I do not blame them for this.

So what is the answer?  I am uncertain, and I am sure my perspective would be different if I was Armenian or Turkish.  How much do we value in a name or a label?  What does a label mean?

The Oscars

Every year Tim and I attempt to see all of the films nominated for Best Picture.  We’re not sure why, as we seldom agree with the Academy on their selections and can often think of other films we have seen that are better than those actually nominated.  Nevertheless, we set out again this year to watch all five and I am proud (or perhaps a little embarrassed) to say that each of us we forked over $45 to view these films.  Since last night was the Oscar ceremony, I thought I would give my thoughts on each of the films nominated for best picture:

• There Will Be Blood: As much as I love P.T. Anderson’s other films (especially Magnolia), I thought this movie was overly long and overly boring.  The film started out strong – several minutes with no dialogue, stark music, and Daniel Day-Lewis, alone in the foothills of Texas, introducing us to his character Daniel Plainview.  Plainview is a man encompassed by greed, hard work, and his basic hatred of people.  The first hour or so of the movie was good – Day-Lewis performs magnificently, and the developing relationship between Plainview and his adoptive son is interesting.  Then the movie drags on and on and on and on.  Plainview becomes so evil without any motivation that the audience has absolutely no sympathy or understanding of him as a human being.  Plainview’s overreaction to the charlatan preacher Eli Sunday seems ridiculous and unfounded, and the final scene of the movie is the most over-acted piece of drivel ever filmed.
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• Michael Clayton: I actually had very low expectations for this film: I think most people were surprised that it was nominated for Best Picture.  But this dark legal thriller was better than expected.  George Clooney plays the title character, a lawyer at a high-powered firm who is called the Janitor – Michael Clayton cleans up the messes of wealthy clients and his fellow lawyers.  Michael is called in to “clean up” when one of the firm’s partners, who is a manic depressive and is not taking his medication, strips at a deposition.  This lawyer has been working on the same case for many, many years, representing a biochemical company that is being sued by people who were made sick by their product.  The biochemical company takes drastic measures to try to win their lawsuit; Michael has to decide his ethical stance as a lawyer working on a case that is essentially unethical.  The movie was good, the acting was understated yet superb (great supporting cast anchored by Tom Wilkinson as the manic depressive lawyer), but the film did not wow me.
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• Atonement: This film, too, was better than I thought it would be.  It takes place in the 1930s at the estate of a wealthy family.  The youngest daughter, Briony, witnesses her sister, Cecilia, having sexual relations with the son of their housekeeper, Robbie.  Later that night, her cousin Lola is raped.  Briony thinks she sees who is raping Lola and accuses Robbie of the rape.  Robbie is sent to jail.  Cecilia and Robbie are in love, and Cecilia leaves her comfortable family life because they believe that Robbie is guilty.  Robbie is eventually given the choice to either go fight in World War II or stay in jail.  He elects to go fight.  Cecilia promises to wait for him.  Briony comes to realize that her naive and selfish views made her accuse the wrong man of raping Lola.  She tries to make amends but is uncertain as to how.  The ending is extremely sad and slightly surprising, although satisfying.  The acting was excellent, especially the child actress who plays Briony, although I was distracted by the extreme bony-ness of Keira Knightley, who played Cecilia.  
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• Juno: What a funny, witty, and endearing film!  Ellen Page is perfect as the quirky and jaded Juno who becomes pregnant after having sex for the first time with her best friend Paulie.  Her family accepts the pregnancy and helps her deal with it.  Juno decides to birth the baby and find the perfect couple to raise it.  She puts an ad in the paper and finds the Lorings, the quintessential yuppie couple who are desperate to adopt.  Juno develops a relationship with the Lorings and also discovers what love means.  Yes, it is a little corny, but it was well done.
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• No Country for Old Men: This film is the latest movie by the Coen Brothers.  Llewellyn Moss is out hunting one day when he stumbles across a drug deal gone bad.  All the drug dealers are either dead or almost dead.  Llewellyn steals the money sitting there and begins running.  He is soon being trailed by Anton Chigurh, a hit-man working for a drug kingpin to get back his money.  We watch as Anton chases Llewellyn, leaving a bloody wake of bodies.  Also on the hunt is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, trying to save Llewellyn from his inevitable fate at the hands of Anton.  The movie is stark, violent, and sad.  There is such a sense of loss and the desire to survive – what will a person give up in order to survive?  Is a life with no meaning better than no life at all?  Tim really disliked this movie whereas I thought it was excellent and heartbreaking.  The ending is abrupt and profoundly depressing.  I believe this movie, unlike any of the other nominees, stretches the boundaries of film-making.  I do admit that that the film could have used some editing, tightening some of the lengthy parts in the middle, but overall it was an excellent film.
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Sophie

Last week we had a friendly visitor stay with us for a few days:

                                                       

My sister and her husband travelled to Omaha to look for a new house (they are relocating to Nebraska in early March).  Tim and I were entrusted with the care of Sophie.  We went on walks, barked at shadows in the backyard, hid under the bed, and took numerous naps.  All in all, we had a pretty good time.

Best name for a rock band ever . . .

Hookers N’ Blow. 

Of course it is fronted by former Guns N’ Roses keyboardist Dizzy Reed.

Even more surprising, Dizzy Reed is a philatelist.

If you want to see Hookers N’ Blow, they’ll be at Toad’s Place on April 3.

The Echo Maker

The Echo Maker begins with a horrible car crash in which Mark Schluter is trapped in his car on an icy road in Kearney, Nebraska.  We don’t know what caused the crash.  Mark is eventually rescued and in the hospital for quite some time with brain damage.  It is not until Mark begins recovering that his doctor realizes he has Capgras syndrome: a belief that people (or a person) close to the injured person is an impostor.  Mark believes that his sister Karin, who returned to their hometown of Kearney to care for Mark, is a shadow of his “real” sister.

We follow Mark as he recovers and how he learns to develop a suspicious relationship with the “impostor” Karin.  We also see how Mark’s denial affects Karin: she feels betrayed and unloved.  Yet, at some point, Karin becomes afraid that Mark will realize that she is truly his sister.  Her fear arises because Mark idolizes his idea of his “real” sister and constantly talks about how supportive and loving she was.  In fact, Karin knows that she was not like this, and is concerned that Mark will drop his idealized image of the “real” Karin once his syndrome is cured.  ”She’d gotten used to the doubling, to being this woman. It let her start from scratch with him, even while the other Karin improved so drastically in his memory.  A chance to rewrite the record: in fact, two chances at once.”

Another main character in the novel is Gerald Weber, a renowned neurologist, who hears of Mark’s case and comes to Nebraska to provide a consultation.  Gerald is also a popular writer who uses case studies to explain different neurological phenomena.  Although Gerald’s past books were bestsellers that were widely respected by other scientists, his latest book has been a critical failure.  He travels to Nebraska feeling uncertain of himself and his career.

Mark spends much of the book trying to figure out how his crash occurred and who called the police to rescue him.  The author, Richard Powers, starts building the suspense of the cause of the accident from the beginning, but you don’t notice his subtle machinations until you are near the end of the book, discovering how and who caused the accident.  Powers was very effective in creating this suspense.

Throughout the novel the primary symbol is the crane.  Kearney is a travel stop for thousands of cranes in their annual migration.  Tourists travel from around the world to view the cranes.  A sub-plot connected to the cranes is Karin’s reconnection with her old lover Daniel who is an environmentalist working at a wildlife refuge.  Daniel is fighting the proposed development of the crane’s natural setting.  Here is one excerpt comparing the cranes and humans:

For an instance, as the hearing turned into instinctive ritual, it hit her: the whole race suffered from Capgras.  Those birds danced like our next of kin, looked like our next of kin, called and willed and parented and taught and navigated all just like our blood relations.  Half their parts were still ours.  Yet humans waved them off: impostors. 

The Echo Maker was well-written and interesting.  I truly was interested in Mark and Karin and how they dealt with the Capgras syndrome.  The idea of identity and how a person identifies him or herself was interestingly explored.  I wasn’t as excited about Gerald Weber’s character.  The relationship and dialogue between he and his wife was annoying and uninteresting.  I liked the novel but did not love it.

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As a side note, I wanted to see if the cranes truly come to Kearney every year.  They do!  From the Kearney Chamber of Commerce web-site:

Almost 500,000 sandhill cranes, or 90 percent of the world’s population of the birds, migrate through the region, and people from all over the world come to view the spectacular animals.

At approximately 3 1/2 feet tall and with an almost-6-foot wing span, anyone who has seen the annual crane “convention” can tell you the cranes are a must-see.  

Cranes, one of the oldest known bird species alive, have been stopping on the Platte River for thousands of years, since the last ice age formed the Platte, researchers believe.  Sandhill cranes mate for life.  The pair flies the same path every year from their nesting grounds in Canada, Alaska and Siberia to their wintering spots in Texas and New Mexico.

Now that my sister and brother-in-law are moving to Nebraska, I have a good chance of going to see the cranes.
 

The Phoenician

For the past three years on February 14, Tim and I have made reservations, dressed up, endured long waits in painful high heels (the high heels was just me, not Tim), and spent a lot of money on some good and some not-so-good food.  We have tried eating at Pomegranate (not-so-good for V Day), Millie’s (very good, but extremely long wait), and Zeus’s Gallery (very good).  Unfortunately, Tim and I haven’t enjoyed these Valentine’s Days of past.  One of us has been sick, or grumpy, or sad on all of them.  This year we decided to be free and just go to a normal dinner and a movie. 

To that end, we took the recommendation of RVA Foodie (who, incidentally, I have started using as my personal consultant – I followed his advice on voting day and on Valentine’s Day), and visited the Phoenician, the new Lebanese restaurant on Broad Street.  I’m glad we did.

We were crunched for time because the movie started at 7:00 and we worked until 5:00.  We got to the restaurant and admired the interior – very lush, very romantic.  Gentle lighting, maroons and golds on the walls and in swaths hanging from the ceiling, and nicely spaced booths and tables throughout the premises.  We were seated quickly, and after only a moment, our friendly waiter came over to take our drink orders.  The Phoenician had a nice selection of Lebanese and Armenian beer, as well as some domestics, and a pretty extensive wine list.  While our waiter got our drinks, Tim and I perused the two pages of appetizers on the menu – everything from hummus to babbaghanoush to Lebanese cheeses to spinach pastries to falafel.  Although we wanted to sample all the appetizers, we held off, saving our hunger for the main courses. 

The menu featured about 10 entrees for dinner.  There were also about 10 sandwiches on the menu, but they were served for lunch only.  Tim ordered beef schwarma and I ordered chicken schwarma.  Our entrees came very quickly.  The chicken was very tender and juicy, and was nicely seasoned.  It was served with rice pilaf and green beans with stewed tomatoes.  On the side, we each received an order of tahini sauce.  I of course, drizzled the entire side dish of tahini all over my chicken – it was delicious and added a lot to the taste of the meal.  I gobbled up all of the chicken and rice and tried to cram the last few forkfuls of beans in, but I couldn’t make the space.  Tim was equally impressed with his beef schwarma.

We didn’t have time or room for dessert.  The entrees were reasonably priced – about $14-$15 each.  I do wish that they offered the sandwiches for dinner so there would be more variety (I was really craving a falafel sandwich for my meal, but could not get it after 3:00).

I highly recommend that everyone go to the Phoenician and savor the pleasures of the atmosphere, the staff, and the food.  It was all very good.  And Tim and I actually had an enjoyable Valentine’s Day (even though the movie was quite long and a bunch of binders fell on Tim’s head when we got home).  Thanks for the suggestion RVA Foodie!

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The Bartimaeus Trilogy: Books One and Two

A while ago, I read about the young adult fantasy book The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, the first volume in his Bartimaeus Trilogy.  I finally received the novel for Christmas and dived into it earlier in the new year.  The book begins by describing the fate of Nicholas, a boy whose parents sell him to be reared and trained as a magician.  As you can tell, the magicians rule this society, although the history and countries are similar to our own.  Nicholas lives in Britain, the most powerful country in the world due to its adoption of modern ways and the leadership of its powerful Prime Minister (who is a magician – all the government leaders are magicians).

After a period of homesickness, Nicholas adjusts to his apprenticeship to a curmudgeonly old magician with minimal talent and little liking for his young ward.  Nicholas grows resentful and power hungry.  He is also quite intelligent and adept at practicing magic.  At the age of 11 (young for a magician) he decides to embarrass his guardian by summoning a demon named Bartimaeus and forcing Bartimaeus to steal a valuable amulet (the Amulet of Samarkand) from his guardian’s rival, a very powerful magician.

Bartimaeus is a demon (although they prefer to be called djinns and find the term demon very insulting).  Bartimaeus, like all demons, is required to do his summoner’s bidding (as long as the summoner did the magic correctly).  Bartimaeus is quite a humorous character with plenty of snide commentary and explanations about the difference between the demon and the human dimensions.  Bartimaeus has also lived through centuries of human time, and has been present at many significant historic events that he relates to Nicholas and the reader.

With the stealing of the amulet, various hi-jinks, chases, power struggles, thievery, and other misadventures occur, with Nicholas eventually saving the magician world and being lauded by the magical elite. 

I enjoyed The Amulet of Samarkand so much that I immediately went out and purchased the second volume in the trilogy, The Golem’s Eye.  This book takes place several months after the end of the first book.  The Amulet of Samarkand hints at some of the social differences between the magicians and the non-magicians in this society; in The Golem’s Eye, this conflict is magnified.  We are introduced to a young girl named Kitty who has a genetic resistance to magic.  A magician also attacks she and her friend, causing Kitty to have a fierce resentment toward all magicians.  She joins an underground resistance movement fighting against the magicians.

Nicholas is also back in The Golem’s Eye, only now he is no longer a lowly apprentice but a junior minister in the government.  He is charged with trying to stop terrorist attacks on various London landmarks, attacks that the government suspects the resistance movement of leading.  Of course, Nicholas calls on his old helper Bartimaeus to assist him in discovering the perpetrator of these attacks.  Again, more hi-jinks and adventures ensue.

After the second book, I needed a break from the series but I plan on purchasing and reading the third volume soon as I enjoyed them so thoroughly.  My only complaint is that Nicholas is so unlikeable.  He is a snotty little egotistical nit who has almost no redeeming characteristics.  On the other hand, Bartimaeus is extremely humorous and has many asides directed to the reader to make you chuckle.  The writing is smooth and well-done, although it is geared for a young adult audience.  But even so, the books were extremely enjoyable to me as an adult.  I highly recommend them for pleasurable reads. 

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I Hate Poodles!

Tim and I have been watching the Westminster Kennel Club’s Dog Show over the past few days.  Our house has been filled with lots of oohs, aahs, and aren’t you a cute little dog (said in a baby voice).  Every year I wonder how the judges select just one in each of the seven groups of breeds, and am perplexed as to what criteria the judges use to select a winner.  I know that each breed has certain standards to which they are held but I still cannot imagine how the judges pick one out of a seemingly perfect group.

As much as I like the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, it has developed in me a strong dislike for poodles.  First, poodles are the national dogs of France, and I have an unfounded and irrational hatred of all things French.  As if that is not enough, pure-bred poodles in dog shows are groomed in such a way that they appear repulsive.  Lastly, if I am recalling correctly, both this year and last year, two poodles (a miniature and a standard) have won their respective groups and been two of the only seven dogs to make it to the Best in Show competition.  I don’t want to see two of basically the same dogs make it to the finals.  Let’s have some diversity!

As much as I hate poodles, I have fallen in love with the schipperke.  I’ve never actually seen one in person, but they looked so cute on TV.

The history of the Schipperke dates back from Belgium in the 1600s, where he was known as an active, agile watchdog and hunter of vermin. A highly adaptable breed, the Schipperke was at home on the canal barges, herding livestock, hunting game, or simply guarding his domain. Although small and compact, he is not short on intelligence, courage or devotion. A true companion dog, the Schipperke is devoted to the family, particularly the children.