…for Jacques (pronounced Jock-see)
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Don Van Vliet RIP
I learned of this from Zeus is watching…
Mr. Van Vliet was a painter, but was better known in the public imagination as a musician – Captain Beefheart. His music was intensely personal and imaginative and always memorable.
Black Swan
We just got back from seeing Black Swan, the new Darren Aronofsky flick. It’s a very intense psychologically twisted ballet thriller (also the only ballet thriller I know) (um, also the only ballet movie I know). This is a really dark, layered, thoughtful film, with some terrific performances, particularly by Natalie Portman.
I also thought it was an ambitious film, and one in which the director was unafraid of taking risks and falling flat. And there were moments, brief ones, that didn’t quite come off. All is forgiven though, here in Anchovy-town. There were many times during the film when I when I thought, no, this whole business is going to fall apart…but in spite of myself, I thought it was an amazing work.
On the five fish Anchovy rating scale, this one gets a heaping plate of salties. Go see this one.
It’s Tango Time on 27th Street
El Choclo
La Cumparsita – Juan D’Arienzo
I love the conductor in this video and that whole line of bandoneons is totally exciting for a free-reed freak like me. Spectacular!
And one more piece to really show off the bandoneon.
The bandoneon looks very much like the Chemnitzer concertina, and in fact they are similar instruments. Today the Chemnitzer concertina is typically associated with the Chicago style of Polish-American polka music, while the bandoneon is at the very heart of the tango.
A Blast from the Past
Here’s a painting called Underground #3, which my alter ego did back in 2002. The photo is a bit deceptive because the edges of the painting are not in fact regular on two sides. This series was done with oil paint on aluminum. There were eight in the series and I still have three around.
The Good Die Young
I came across this photo while looking through some of the Anchovy Archives. I was searching for some photos of some paintings I did a few years ago. I took this shot at one of my favourite spots. Do you know where it is? The clue is: I was walking from my car down a trail to a great trout stream.
Pierogi
I made a big batch of pierogi this evening, close to 100 of them. They take me a long time to make so when I do it, I like to make quite a few. I freeze them in bags of a dozen, uncooked. The trick is to freeze them on a plate first, and once they’re hard, put them in a freezer bag. That way they don’t stick together as they freeze, becoming one giant pierogi.
Occasionally I try to convince myself that it is possible to buy commercially made pierogis that approach home-made, but after sampling a few tonight I declare it simply isn’t so. The real difference is in the dough. I try to make them as thin and delicate as I can without them breaking open during cooking. If you use lots of sour cream in the dough you shouldn’t have any problems.
Salt (a small rant)
Anchovy World Headquarters has thus far been immune to the nasty snowstorms around us. This morning on the radio, I heard that on Highway 402 near Sarnia there are all kinds of stranded motorists being brought to community warming centres by snowmobile and ATV, and the army is on it’s way.
We have experienced just a sprinkling of snow so far. The City has decided to prepare for the worst though, and has seen fit to salt all the sidewalks in our area. What’s up with that? When we first moved to Long Branch I was very surpised to see the City plowing sidewalks. Back in the former location of Anchovy World Headquarters, near St. Clair and Caledonia, the City only removed snow from our street twice in eight years. There was no room for the snow so we created piles on the street. When it finally started to melt, the City would have trucks drive over the piles to spread it around. Getting in and out was a constant challenge. I understand the problem The City faced. The street was narrow and there was parking on one side and there was no room between houses to pile the snow. Removal was the only answer, an option I only recall seeing two times in all the years I lived in the area. The first winter we lived in Longbranch, on the other hand, I was out shovelling the sidewalk one afternoon when along comes Buddy with his little plow tooling down the sidewalk – not necessary, but nice just the same.
Now they’ve decided to salt. Salt has its place in very icy conditions. Occasionally, we have to put some down so nobody gets hurt passing the house. We didn’t need a preventative dose though. It’s really excessive, and it’s not good for the dogs to walk on all that salt. Here’s one way for the Mayor to save some dough. Stop salting the sidewalks. If they really need salting, we can take care of it, thank you very much.
How does it feel?
I stumbled onto this while cruising around YouTube this afternoon.
It seems so strange now, in the fullness of time, that Mr. Bob was playing these fantastic riveting songs and people were booing him.
Around the Corner
I don’t get out for breakfast very often, but this morning I met up with my old friend A for a leisurely breakfast at Around the Corner, down the road in New Toronto. We were on our own as Tuffy P was working on a big batch of Christmas baking.
Around the Corner just opened this year. It’s run by Mark Ali who is also the proprietor of The Village Butcher, which is in fact just around the corner. The butcher shop is on Lakeshore between 6th and 7th and Around the Corner is on 6th. The Village Butcher has become well known in our area for excellent quality organic meats. Around the Corner also features organic foods as well as gluten free and nut free breakfasts.
Excellent breakfasts. Excellent conversations.
27th Street 