The Derringers had an anniversary Friday — 22 years. Someday we’ll have to come up with a new idea for celebrating other than the usual, i.e., going out to dinner. Maybe we should play miniature golf, or volunteer at a homeless shelter, or do improv on open-mic night. I think our first anniversary we went to Hartley’s in Fort Wayne. There must have been many others in 22 years, but I don’t remember most of them.
This year’s was Republic, here in Detroit, a small-plates place — is there any other variety of new-hot-now restaurant, these days? — with a certain modernist take on things, which is to say there were items like pickled shallots on cheese thingies, and marrow fritters and beef-tallow fries with salt (which you’d expect) but also sugar (which you probably wouldn’t) and lamb sausage with pea smash. At least, I think the waitress said smash, but I couldn’t be sure, because it was very loud in there.
Can you tell I’m growing tired of loud restaurants? The food was very good, the drinks ditto, but I’m sort of done with loud. In the course of our marriage, we’ve gone from an entree that protein/starch/green to marrow fritters.
Anyway, 22 years. I’ll have another!
Alas, we didn’t see the new Mad Max movie yet. It was a beautiful weekend packed with activities, and it didn’t seem right to spend a few hours or even an evening indoors, watching a post-apocalytic story unfold. Maybe next weekend. But! The yard is shaped up and off to a good start, the laundry is done, the groceries bought for another week. Apocalypse whenever.
Besides, you never know when you’ll be caught in the crossfire of a multi-gang-plus-police shootout, and be one of nine cooling corpses. AMERICA.
I expect all of you want to talk about “Mad Men,” anyway, so do so. I’m off to a work week that will proceed at a gallop. Good thing the yard’s in good shape, because I don’t think we will be by Wednesday
Dexter said on May 18, 2015 at 12:42 am
It sounds like the Waco bunch probably weren’t heading to Washington, D.C. to wave flags for Rolling Thunder. I heard some biker talking who is going; he’s old but he shunned an offer to have his mc trailered and he’s riding all the way from Texas to D.C. for the event. I got caught in Rolling Thunder once; we had to sit in our car for hours as motorcycles slowly headed for the Vietnam Memorial. They were spaced out too far from each other , the cops had closed the rads for them, what a frustrating situation, as we were simply leaving for home.
Sorry if I missed it, but nance, did you get your boat into Lake St. Clair yet?
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Deborah said on May 18, 2015 at 1:43 am
Happy 22nd Nancy.
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Dexter said on May 18, 2015 at 2:35 am
And by all means, congratulations on 22 years of bliss.
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Dexter said on May 18, 2015 at 3:11 am
Anybody think this was funny? Louis CK stirred the pot again.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/louis-cks-snl-monologue-child-796233?utm_source=twitter
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Jolene said on May 18, 2015 at 3:28 am
The NYT wants us to know about Mad Men’s costume designer.
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alex said on May 18, 2015 at 6:20 am
Harley Davidian.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on May 18, 2015 at 6:58 am
I liked the ending, but you’d expect a meditator and a romantic to enjoy that “Mad Men” finale. The Daily Beast’s recap is downright funny in how angry they are about it . . . I get that a woman doesn’t need a man to be happy, but it’s written as if Joan’s story wasn’t even woven into the mix.
From the opening shot of the Bonneville Salt Flats and Don in goggles driving too fast, I loved it all. The fall holiday decorations throughout were WAY too familiar looking, but that’s just part of the morbid attraction this show has had for me.
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Jeff Borden said on May 18, 2015 at 9:16 am
Congratulations, Nancy and Alan. Sorry your dinner was a bit hectic. Count me in the same camp. I’m tired of expensive but tightly packed and noisy eateries. I’m also done with lines. There are just too many other places to eat to waste time trying to get into a place with a long line.
It will be interesting to see how coverage of the Waco wackos plays out. Can you imagine how Fox would be playing this if two black gangs staged a rumble and gunfight outside a restaurant? Will Sean Hannity’s head explode with the same kind of sanctimonious rage he has for black violence? Will Bill O’Reilly blame the violence on those biker flicks churned out by Roger Corman as he has blamed rap music for the decline of society? Of course not. . .Hell, the bikers were wearing their colors not hoodies.
My annual baseball journey took me to Kansas City, MO., as Dexter knows from our Facebook exchanges. Folks, I did not have a bad meal there –we even ventured into the Randian wilds of Kansas to eat at the famed Kansas City’s Joe’s BBQ and Gas Station– but that is the emptiest city I’ve ever been in. We walked and walked and walked without ever passing a soul. . .and this was on Friday. When we went to have a drink at a place we had stopped out on Friday evening, we found it was closed on Saturdays. It was just weird. We thought at times we were in an old Charlton Heston movie like “Omega Man.”
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brian stouder said on May 18, 2015 at 10:14 am
I can report that Pam was unhappy with the Madmen conclusion, at least initially.
Yesterday my two sons and I spent the e-n-t-i-r-e day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and therefore witnessed a minor national news story, as it unfolded.
Meanwhile, we literally walked about 6 miles (if Grant’s phone app is accurate…I’d guess more than that!) and had a generally pleasant day at the brickyard
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Suzanne said on May 18, 2015 at 10:18 am
Jeff B, I had the same feeling years ago in Milwaukee. Hubby & I were going out to eat on a Friday or Sat evening (been so long, I can’t remember) and there was no one on the streets of the downtown area. It was very strange & I didn’t feel terribly safe. We walked because we were staying downtown & didn’t want to drive the 5 or 6 blocks to the restaurant. I’m guessing things have changed by now, but who knows?
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Dorothy said on May 18, 2015 at 10:20 am
Happy anniversary to you both.
We went to a fancy gala on Saturday night for the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. They had live music but it was entirely too loud. We had to shout to be heard, even to the person seated right next to you. And we were in the back of the room. What’s the point of getting all dolled up and having good food and seeing modern dance if you can’t chat with your table mates about pleasant things?! I was unsure of what to wear since I’d never gone to a gala before, so I dashed out at lunch time on Saturday and found a long dress at Elder Beerman. It was on sale 50% off, and the sweet clerk let me use a 20% off coupon she kept in the register drawer. I got a new long dress for under $35! It is summery and comfortable and now I’m gonna have something nice for the next wedding I go to. I didn’t realize “maxi dresses” were back in fashion – there were dozens to choose from. Lots of women had on short dresses but they were sparkly cocktail ones, which I don’t have.
I liked the Mad Men finale. I found it mostly satisfying and I already knew they could not please everyone. Tom and Lorenzo worked through the night to get their review up. Later tonight I’ll have to read several more.
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brian stouder said on May 18, 2015 at 10:39 am
…and indeed – Happy Anniversary to our Proprietress, and her very lucky spouse!
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Charlotte said on May 18, 2015 at 10:47 am
My twitter feed EXPLODED with black activists enraged by both the coverage of the Waco thing, and the way the cops did not have all those guys face down on the sidewalk cuffed, but just casually sitting around texting on their phones. Charles Blow was especially good.
And Suzanne — downtown Milwaukee is kind of hopping these days — my mom was in an apartment there for a few years, and lots of new restaurants, a cool food market, the riverwalk. I was astonished at the makeover.
Rain here. Lots and lots of rain — 1.32 inches on Saturday alone, a single-day record for Livingston (yes, we’re in the high desert). And so, our mushroom season might be saved after all … Himself came home with two pounds of gorgeous big yellow morels the other evening. Found a new stand too, which is always exciting …
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beb said on May 18, 2015 at 10:52 am
Loud restaurants are good for telling your wife/girlfriend you’re breaking up or for taking small child out to eat. Who cares if a kid starts to cry when you can’t hear yourself think!
beef-tallow fries? My stomach lunged just reading the name.
Supposely the police in Waco were expecting trouble and were in position before the fighting broke out. Didn’t seem to help any.
Speaking of our veterans. There was a kerfuffle last week because some edgy t-short company brought out a short that took the iconic picture of raising the flag at Iwo Jima and turned it into a silhouette of people raising a portable basketball hoop. Oh the horror! The dishonor to our troops… I liked it. I thought it was funny, but then here in the hood people take basketball pretty seriously. Sacrilege? I suspect it has a lot more to do with the assumption that the people putting up the hoop were all black.
Speaking of racism… After the US military announced killing “the number 3 man” in ISIS, the terrorist organization vowed to behead Pres. Obama. Did the Right wingers rally around our beleaguered president? They did not. One went to far to offer a plane ticket to ISIS. As much as I hate Geo. W. Bush I would never cheer on anyone planning to kill him. No with the right. Fifth columnist all.
The Boston Marathon bomber has been sentenced to death. Generally I’m opposed to the death penalty but in his case – whatever. However sentencing him to death and killing him are two different matters since the supply of injecting death solution is in short supply and make-shift alternatives are working well.
Then the democratically elected, now deposed President of Egypt has been sentenced to death, for participating in a jail-break. Executing democratically elected presidents, even if they were corrupt, is no way to start democracy flourishing there.
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Jeff Borden said on May 18, 2015 at 11:21 am
The depths of hatred and contempt for Barack Obama will never, I pray to god, be repeated in my lifetime. The right-wingers have proven themselves to be the very caricature they’ve always protested as unfair. What a despicable group.
Regarding Waco, I must point out that not a single biker was wearing a hoodie. So there’s that.
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brian stouder said on May 18, 2015 at 11:26 am
I must point out that not a single biker was wearing a hoodie
…and we have an early leader, for Thread Win for today (but it’s still early!)
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Sherri said on May 18, 2015 at 12:03 pm
Happy 22 years, Nancy!
I’m sure mine can’t be the only Twitter feed this showed up in, but…
https://twitter.com/sickjew/status/600065525792792576
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susan said on May 18, 2015 at 12:08 pm
Jeff @15 The depths of hatred and contempt for Barack Obama will never, I pray to god, be repeated in my lifetime.
If Hillary Clinton wins not just the primary but the general election, I think the hatred and contempt displays by the wingers and misogynists will be even more undisciplined and execrable. It will be dreadful. Truly, that is one reason I hopes she just drops out. Fat chance…
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Jeff Borden said on May 18, 2015 at 12:16 pm
Damn, Susan, you’re probably correct. I am so not looking forward to a Clinton candidacy, but I will never vote for a GOP presidential candidate until the party pulls itself out of the tar pits of racism, misogyny, homophobia, anti-intellectualism, bellicose foreign policy outlook, fealty to plutocrats, etc.
Fat chance that will occur any time soon.
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brian stouder said on May 18, 2015 at 12:25 pm
Sherri – interesting link. Over the daylong car-trip/race track/return car trip, my sons and I discussed/argued/cajoled on all manner of social and political subjects. I had the ‘dad privilege’ of (occasionally) dropping my chin at this or that comment.
Nobody’s minds were changed, but I’m confident that genuine ‘hearings’ were experienced (both ways).
Susan – no doubt you’re right about the reaction to HRC; no doubt exacerbated by (in that case) the crushing reality that the nation as a whole keeps rejecting the right-wing road show and Klown Kar, in favor of “the grown-ups” over at the Democratic party.
I think Hillary’s #1 challenge is NOT losing people like you or me, over financial shenanigans (at their foundation).
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Sherri said on May 18, 2015 at 12:29 pm
With the state of permanent outrage and persecution that Fox News keeps the base in, I don’t expect anything to change.
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Sue said on May 18, 2015 at 1:06 pm
Suzanne, do come back to Milwaukee. It is a happening place, and has a statue of the Fonz.
Really though, I love Milwaukee. It’s kind of an accessible and affordable Chicago (say that around here though – or in Chicago – and you might be in trouble). Take a tour:
http://www.mptv.org/localshows/around_the_corner/where_weve_been/
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Sue said on May 18, 2015 at 1:08 pm
There is a restaurant in my city that has had several different owners and makeovers, but apparently no one has ever considered fixing the acoustics in the main dining room. Right now it’s a Mexican place, but as with all the previous ones, you can clearly hear the conversation at the table next to you but can’t hear your own dinner companion.
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Deborah said on May 18, 2015 at 1:35 pm
Acoustics aren’t that difficult to design around, you just need a few more soft surfaces, fabrics, etc. I think restaurants mostly want the noise, because they think it makes people think it’s a happenin place, and maybe people don’t have real conversations anymore anyway, they just joke around and tell funny stories loudly. Or something. I suppose it’s cheaper to leave surfaces bare too. After all, form follows finance. I hate, hate, hate going to parties with really loud music. But I must be the only one, because every large event I’ve ever attended like that has been unbelievably loud.
Sue, I’m a notorious eavesdropper so I wouldn’t mind being able to clearly hear the conversation at the next table.
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Connie said on May 18, 2015 at 1:57 pm
Jeff, I had the same experience at a conference in Kansas City some years ago. No restaurants within walking distance of the convention center and its nearby hotels. The McDonalds across the street from the hotel closed at 5 p.m. Luckily a large group of us had chartered ourselves a bus to get there and we had access to it during our stay. Which let us sponsor a barbecue tour night of sorts which was fun.
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MichaelG said on May 18, 2015 at 2:35 pm
Happy Anniversary, Derringer’s!
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Judybusy said on May 18, 2015 at 2:35 pm
Happy anniversary, Nancy! I so enjoy good love stories!
Count me in with the cantakerous crew regarding loud restuarants. My partner and I always have our most serious discussions about life, goals, how we’re doing over dinner and wine, and a quiet spot is definitely needed. We also have a few friends with hearing aids, so quiet places are a must when we hang with them. Interesting comparison with the two bombers, Sherri. Thanks for the link.
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alex said on May 18, 2015 at 2:51 pm
Deborah, do you remember the pan-Asian place called Hi Ricky that had multiple locations around Chicago about 15-20 years ago? I could swear that restaurant was intentionally designed to encourage quick turnover of tables with its shrill acoustics and uncomfortable chairs. The meh food too. It was always packed but never a pleasurable experience, unless maybe you were on a Ramen budget and didn’t feel like cooking your own.
And happy anniversary, Derringers!
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LAMary said on May 18, 2015 at 4:46 pm
“If Hillary Clinton wins not just the primary but the general election, I think the hatred and contempt displays by the wingers and misogynists will be even more undisciplined and execrable. It will be dreadful. Truly, that is one reason I hopes she just drops out. Fat chance…”
I so agree. As a racist mysogenist relative of mine said, people will vote for a n—– before they’ll vote for Hillary.
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MichaelG said on May 18, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Derringers. If you’re looking for a place with good food and drinks and where you can converse quietly, I can recommend the Iron Grill in Sacramento.
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Deborah said on May 18, 2015 at 5:33 pm
Alex, I don’t remember that particular place but there are bunches of places like that. It’s a weird business model, no wonder they don’t last long.
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Deborah said on May 18, 2015 at 6:17 pm
Well, who is surprised that Bristol Palin has abruptly called off her wedding this coming weekend?
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Bill said on May 18, 2015 at 6:38 pm
Alex: Hi Ricky is closed: http://www.yelp.com/biz/hi-ricky-noodle-shop-chicago
And the Iron Grill sounds like a pickup joint for seniors.
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alex said on May 18, 2015 at 7:09 pm
So Hi Ricky bit the dust, eh? Good riddance. May Bill O’Reilly soon follow suit.
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MarkH said on May 18, 2015 at 8:57 pm
No, Deborah, the question is, as with all things Palin, who cares?
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Sue said on May 18, 2015 at 10:16 pm
So it appears that the people who thought Don Draper was going to think up the ‘give the world a coke’ ad were the winners in the ‘what’s gonna happen’ race.
I didn’t realize that ad was ‘iconic’. I only remember it as being very, very annoying.
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