LAST MEAL / FLAME / BEER

TWT fired up the Last Flame so the steaks for the Last Meal could be grilled. This year, TWT enjoyed peppery tri-tip steaks, with Rice-a-Roni and white corn. The Wife had a Dungeness crab salad. The Child had pasta-and-cheese, carrots-and-peas casserole.



Teisnacher 1543 Festmärzen. Advent Beer Calendar day twenty-four.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.4% abv. • *****

Last Meal was accompanied by the final beer from the 2023 Advent Calendar box.

The pour was orange body and thin white head.

Flavors were broth, nuttiness, light orange, and light bitterness.

Medium mouthfeel leads into a brief bitterness. This was an excellent way to end the box and dinner.



After dinner, we played games: Betrayal at House on the Hill and Dutch Blitz. It was also time for the final beer of the year, as well as the final beer for a year!

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Aldersbacher Urhell. Advent Beer Calendar day twenty-three.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.1% abv. • ****

On the pour: yellow body and crisp white head.

Notes are leafy hops, yeast, undetermined spices, light butterscotch, biscuit.

Medium mouthfeel. Medium crisp and clean finish. Leaves and biscuits are on the end.

This is a great hell.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Black Forest Dark Lager. Advent Beer Calendar day twenty-two.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.7% abv. • *****

 
The pour presents a black body and a thin tan head.

Flavors include cocoa, burnt log, dark chocolate, light spices, cinnamon. Hints of vanilla and cream.

A medium and creamy mouthfeel leads into a brief dry finish.

This is most excellent and one of the best in the box. So enjoyable!

THE GREAT WAVE

Today, we visited the Seattle Art Museum to visit the Hokusai exhibit. The highlight for me was getting to see an original print of 神奈川沖浪裏 "Kanagawa-oki Nami Ura," "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," sometimes known as "The Great Wave." Hokusai's use of negative space and a mixture of outlined and "boneless" forms is exquisite. I also imagined it to be a much larger work than it is, so that was a bit of a surprise. Ultimately, though, it was one of my great moments experiencing art. A truly holy moment!

REBEL MOON

Rebel Moon (2023) directed by Zack Snyder. OMG. Spoiler alerts, maybe?

Odin the Robot narrates the tale of the Battleship Yamato as it makes a pit stop at a farm world for food. Space Nazis from BY express their cruelty upon the population.

Space Nazi troops attempt rape. Brooding refugee kills rapists.

Campout in front of fantastic Frank Frazetta planetscapes after riding horses-not-horses to seek rebels.

Cue slomo-slaughter battle scene backstory.

Then Old West saloon with aliens. "These aren't the droids" moment meets Greedo shot first.

Trope stumbles over trope stumbles over exponential filmed references. Accents galore! More slomo!

Insert griffin taming. (No joke.) It's Tarzan/John Carter of Mars meets How To Train Your Dragon.

Next up: Bladerunner mining world to pick up medieval Korean noble, yet a woman in men's garb. Plus lightsabers. Versus Hunger Games spider. Seriously. SERIOUSLY.

Then Frozen backstory.

Every scene we are given a wink. Or is it a fart?

One of the gladiators from Gladiator. Bounty hunters. Betrayal. Jar Jar Binks as quiet king. The Bloodaxe siblings arrive.

NOW we have our Seven Samurai.

Nazi goes full Negan. Sell out. Guns blazing. Denouement.

Standoff! "Shoot out!"

Mutated 2001 Star Child after meeting Dumbledore in the afterlife.

Resurrection?

Ready for part two in April.

Streaming on Netflix.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Hallertauer Hopfen-Cuvée. Advent Beer Calendar day twenty-one.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.3% abv. • ****

Notes forthcoming.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Herrnbräu Bayerisches Festbier. Advent Beer Calendar day twenty.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.5% abv. • ***½

The pour is a clear yellow body and a white head.

The flavors are crisp and clean, cereal grains, light leaves, and light fruitiness.

The mouthfeel is medium with a bit of buzzy bite. Short finish of light fruitiness.

It's good.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Memminger Brauerei Hell. Advent Beer Calendar day nineteen.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 4.9% abv. • ****

Clear, clear, clear light yellow body sits beneath a crisp white billowy head on the pour.

Cereal grains, leaves, sage, other light spices, and a hint of toffee are the noticeable flavors.

The mouthfeel is medium. The finish is short with a bit of lingering leafiness beyond.

This is a bit more subtle than some of the other Hells I've had, but rather enjoyable.

BONSAI SOLSTICE

Tonight was the annual Bonsai Solstice at Pacific Bonsai Museum, an event I anticipate each year. This year's display of trees had three that were adorned in lights. One was dressed in "classic" Christmas bulbs, another was framed with angular blue LED tube lighting that looked like neon tubing, and my favorite looked like it was draped in radioactive yellow pasta noodles.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Alte Liebe Dunkle Weisse. Advent Beer Calendar day eighteen.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.2% abv. • ***½

On the pour, a brick-red-brown body is topped with a thick and bubbly light tan head.

Flavors are bark, broth, berries, earthiness, nuttiness, and light spiciness. 

The mouthfeel is medium. The finish is medium and very vegetal. This is interesting but a bit unbalanced.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 顎

Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of 顎 (ago / jaw), my "Musashi oar" suburito.



I took advantage of some rare late-fall sunshine in the backyard dojo today to celebrate with it.



We ran through some suburi (practice swings), as well as shonen sozoku (literally "true awareness," a series of kamae (stances)).

WALKING

I took up walking during the COVID-19 pandemic of a way to escape my house, my work, and the fact that everything somewhat collapsed onto my art desk. What was once a space for me to visit and lose myself in the creation of art became the focal point of every day. I spent time there on what felt like constant Zoom video calls and conferences, as it was one of the main ways to stay connected to family members, coworkers, friends, and other members of organizations I belonged to. So walking became a way to just get out.

For more than three years, it has been something that I've turned to frequently. It's become somewhat of a habit. On days that I don't workout (and even on some I do), I choose a "vague" destination in one of the quarters of the city where I reside and head off. I never know exactly what path I will take, although I oftentimes have a street or landmark or two that I plan on passing.

These walks are ways to ground myself, to meditate, to pray. These walks are moments of connection to my body, my mind, my spirit, my breath, nature, the other, God.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Schwarze Tinte Collab Stout. Advent Beer Calendar day seventeen.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 6.2% abv. • ***½

Pour = black body + tan head.

The flavors are heavy of broth and earthiness, with hints of dark chocolate, cocoa, and coffee.

The mouthfeel is medium, with a short cocoa finish. This is good, but I remember it being more—more flavor, more mouthfeel, more body and fullness.

THE FAREWELL

The Farewell (2019) directed by Lulu Wang, is a family drama exploring a family trying to have final moments with their dying matriarch without telling her she's dying. Everyone's in on the lie, including her doctor. It's about East versus West; wedding versus funeral; living versus dying; the individual versus community, family, and society. Melancholy dominates much of the celebration, but Nai Nai's (the matriarch) joy of life and family is infectious. Ha! Ha! 

Streaming on Netflix.

LEAVE the WORLD BEHIND

Leave the World Behind (2023) directed by Sam Esmail, is a dystopian black comedy that visits territory similar to that of Melancholia, White Noise, and Don't Look Up. We never have all the answers to what is going on because we inhabit the same chaos and lack of control as the characters. (And there's plenty for everyone.) There is a bit of hope injected into the fray as an innoculation, but whether or not it works for you will depend upon your worldview. Getting to watch Julia Roberts play a misanthrope was worth the price of admission for me. "I fucking hate people." The four principal actors were great, as was Kevin Bacon.

Streaming on Netflix.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Klosterbräu Bamberger Rauchbier. Advent Beer Calendar day sixteen.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.3% abv. • *****

I love me some Rauchbier, and this particular beer does not disappoint!

The pour is a dark brown (almost black) body capped with a thick tan head.

The smell is of smoked sausage. (Yes!)

The flavors are campfire, smoked meat, roasted malts, and a hint of cocoa.

The mouthfeel is medium, with a smoky and dry finish that lingers.

Most excellent. My favorite of the box so far.

DARUMA

This is the fourth "Daruma doll" I've made. It is cut paper, mailing labels, art marker, and adhesive gems on a spray painted beer coaster. 

I ended up claiming this one for myself because I was smitten with him, and have already put him to work, hence the pupil colored in on his left eye.

What is it that he sees for me? Time will tell.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Husaren Trunk. Advent Beer Calendar day fifteen.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.3% abv. • ***½

Golden yellow body and a generous white crown appear on the pour.

Primary notes are graham cracker, bitter leaves, and leather. There are also some light caramel notes.

Medium mouthfeel. Good.

2023 ADVENT BEER CALENDAR

Schnitzlbaumer Lagerbier Hell. Advent Beer Calendar day fourteen.

500 ml/16.9 oz. • 5.0% abv. • ****

The pour provides a clear light yellow body and a white head.

The flavors are lemon, light and airy (yes, it's a flavor), leather, hint of leafiness, light spices.

Medium mouthfeel and a short, fleeting finish.

This is good.

THE FORTRESS

The Fortress (2017) directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk is a film of court intrigue as the king of Joseon (Korea) and his people hunker down in the fortress of Namhansanseong during the 1636 Qing invasion. Battle scenes are few and far between, but when they occur they are brutal. The story moves at a glacial pace (to mirror all of the snow) but is a perfect match for the siege the characters endure. It's as though we are behind the walls with them. This won't be for everyone, but I was intrigued throughout and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Streaming on Netflix.

LIGHT

We attended LIGHT: A PLU Christmas this afternoon. It was two hours of holiday music performed by Pacific Lutheran University's Choir of the West, University Chorale, and University Symphony Orchestra. We got to watch our favorite violinist play, as well as other students we know that participated in the performance.

MAY DECEMBER

May December (2023) directed by Todd Haynes is a slow intense burn of a character study. It's both an allusion to the relationship between Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau and a meditation on acting. The acting by Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman is phenomenal, especially in scenes where they share the screen. There's a Single White Female undertone at play. Cinematography is spectacular, with a bright, bleached, desaturated tone throughout. And, as with most films by Haynes, plenty of nods to other films and directors. I will definitely be seeing this again.

At times, the movie is uncomfortable to inhabit as it explores damaged individuals, family dysfunction, the nature of truth (and lies), but all aslant.

See this!

Streaming on Netflix.

ADVENT QUIET MORNING

This morning, I presided over my annual Advent Quiet Morning prayer service. The 2023 version of AQM was one of the most difficult to put together, but I think it was ultimately one of the best presentations. The content was probably the most "conservative" of those I've put together but I think that worked in its favor. It was also the most structured version of AQM, with each of the three sets structured in the same manner: song stanza, scripture passage, devotion/reflection, prayer, poem as part of each.

I used the three verses of the carol "What Child Is This" as the departure point and (loosely) built upon them.

—

The set lists:

Mother

• Verse one of "What Child Is This."
• Psalm 139:13-16.
• "Vulnerability" from Honest Advent by Scott Erickson.
• "Prayer for Women Who Endured Abortions" from A Book of Uncommon Prayer by Brian Doyle.
• "A Penitent Considers Another Coming of Mary" by Gwendolyn Brooks.

Manger

• Verse two of "What Child Is This."
• Luke 13:31-35.
• "Jesus Our Mother" from Unscheduled Grace by Katherine Fleck and Matthew Marohl.
• "God Became a Child" from God Is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
• "The Infant Jesus of Prague" by Paul Claudel.

Myrrh

• Verse three of "What Child Is This."
• Matthew 2:10-12.
• "Christmas Joy" by Emmy Arnold, as found in Watch for the Light.
• "As a Child Enters the World" from To Bless the Space Between Us by John O'Donohue.
• "Star of the Nativity" by Joseph Brodsky.

—

There was a joint baby shower for three young couples who are expecting infants in December and/or January that followed a couple of hours later in the church. The theme of Advent Quiet Morning was selected prior to this event being scheduled, but the connection was perfect!

 

 

 

MINDFULNESS in McDONALD'S

Practicing mindfulness in McDonald's. Seriously. Trying to be present in the moment and engage the meal for what it is.

These are probably the worst two (McDonald's) cheeseburgers I've ever had. Is it because I'm focused on them as food? Because my awareness is directed upon them? Or because they were simply bad this time around? (Or all of the above?) They were overcooked and the edges were burnt. Is the equipment they were cooked in to blame? Or the person operating the equipment? Were they cooked more than once?

•

I need to do better than indulging an appetite that is addicted to sugar, salt, and fat.