Day: November 2, 2020

Two after midnight — t r e f o l o g y

1. I don’t think it has ever been fully explained, why the Frankenstein monster wore lifts.

2. I think I could out-run the Mummy.

And handedly, too. I might even slow down a bit to let the Mummy catch-up.

That way, at the end of the day, we both have a story to tell. […]

Two after midnight — t r e f o l o g y

Kokoro by Natsume Sōseki — HappymessHappiness

I don’t quite remember how I first got across this book but as many of you know, I have a soft spot for Japanese literature and I haven’t read any from Natsume Sōseki so of course, I shouldn’t pass on this. Kokoro is a Japanese classic about betrayal, self-isolation, guilt, bitterness and loneliness. It tells […]

Kokoro by Natsume Sōseki — HappymessHappiness

David Bruce: The Funniest People in Books, Volume 3 — Alcohol

Alcohol

• Famed portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh did research on his subjects before taking their photograph. For example, the evening before taking the photograph of author Ernest Hemingway, Mr. Karsh visited Mr. Hemingway’s favorite bar, La Floridita, and sampled Mr. Hemingway’s favorite drink, a daiquiri. The next morning, Mr. Karsh arrived at Mr. Hemingway’s home to take his photograph, and when Mr. Hemingway asked him what he wanted to drink, Mr. Karsh thought that he had the perfect answer: “Daiquiri, sir.” Unfortunately, Mr. Hemingway responded, “Good God, Karsh — at this hour of the day!”

• Kingsley Amis enjoyed drinking alcohol a lot, and he drank a lot of alcohol. He even wrote three books about alcohol: On Drink, Everyday Drinking, and How’s Your Glass? He once attended a stand-up (not dinner) party at which he was offered his choice of red wine or white wine. However, he explained that drinking wine without eating food upset his stomach, but that he would enjoy spirits. Unfortunately, his host said, “Sorry to hear that. I’m afraid there’s nothing else in the house.” Mr. Amis says, “My stomach took five minutes to change its mind.”

• Some people know their wine. British wine writer Oz Clarke once sampled a red wine without being told anything about the vintage. He sniffed, and he tasted, and he finally declared that he knew that the wine was a Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle, but that he could not decide whether it was from 1982 or 1983. As it turned out, the mystery red wine he was drinking was a blend of a 1982 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle and a 1983 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle.

• Michael Harrington, who wrote many, many books, including The Other America, on the divide between the American rich and the American poor, enjoyed conversation, including arguments, and beer at the end of a day’s hard work. During one such conversation, he raised a glass of beer and remarked, “The great thing about beer is that it’s one of the few good things in life that the rich do not begrudge the poor.”

• The Irish grandfather of Dinty Moore (author of The Emperor’s Virtual Clothes) — yes, he’s a real person and that’s the name he pays taxes under — smuggled booze from Canada during Prohibition. In one memorable case, he put nuns on his boat then traveled across Lake Erie to Canada. On the trip back, the nuns were carrying bottles of booze under their habits. Why would nuns do this? They were Irish, and they liked a drink now and again.

• Some high-proof drinks can affect you much more than you might think — and much quicker than you think, too. One day, Kingsley Amis shared with two friends a one-half liter bottle of 140-proof of Polish Plain Spirit. He spoke twice. First, he said to a friend, “Cut out that laughing — it can’t have got to you yet.” Shortly thereafter, he said, “I think I’ll go to bed now.”

• John Steinbeck and Nunnally Johnson were drinking at Chasen’s one day when Robert Benchley walked in. Mr. Steinbeck didn’t know Mr. Benchley, and so he asked Mr. Johnson who had just walked in. Mr. Johnson answered, “His name is Robert Benchley. I don’t think you’d care for him. He drinks” — then Mr. Johnson fell off his bar stool.

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Copyright by Bruce D. Bruce; All Rights Reserved

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The Funniest People in Books, Volume 3 — Buy

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Music Recommendation: Lonesome Doves — “Black Water”

BRUCE’S RECOMMENDATION OF BANDCAMP MUSIC

Music: “Black Water”

Album: WAITING FOR STARS

Artist: Lonesome Doves

Artist Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Info: “Original Country/Americana from Chattanooga by way of New Orleans.”

Erika Lewis- vocals, guitar 
Shaye Cohn- vocals, fiddle 
Matt Bell- lap steel 
Pete Olynciw- bass 

Joshua Stearns, a fan, wrote, “Erika Lewis … What can I say? The most amazing voice that I have heard in many, many years. I loved her work with Tuba Skinny and I love The Lonesome Doves. Her voice, to me, is perfection. Soulful, powerful. I hope to one day see her live in concert. Until that day, there will be a piece of me missing in this life. Cheers to her and everyone else in the band for releasing such a truly amazing album. Favorite track: ‘Bottles and Cans.’”

Price: $1 (USD) for track; $10 (USD) for nine-track album

Genre: Country. America.

Links:

The Lonesome Doves on Bandcamp

https://thelonesomedoves.bandcamp.com

WAITING FOR STARS

https://thelonesomedoves.bandcamp.com/album/waiting-for-stars