Talking about 5Ks I’m starting today, training for the first 5K in June (C25K). I haven’t really started training for the In To The Mud challenge that’s at the end of this month.  I’m suspecting that the 3 training sessions I have scheduled for C25K before the mud run should help.  It’s mud, everything is different in mud.  I’ll keep you posted on my training for them all.

By the way these are a first for me, I’ve never done a 5K or any type of event. (excluding walk-a-thons)

What events are you doing this year that you’ve never done before?

We arrived at The Brunswick a bit too late to see Jacko Hooper, but did catch most of Choice’s folky set, which involved a multi-instrumentalist using looping pedals alongside a live drummer. By this point, it was good to see that the venue was already full.

Amy Hill has been hosting the monthly Brighton Folk night for years. Every month she plays a song or two inbetween acts, solo and acoustic, but it’s a rare treat to see her playing a full set. On Thursday some songs were stripped back to just Amy and her guitar, but others were played with a full band who included Phil and Beth from The Galleons – regulars at Brighton Folk. This extra dimension shows an added depth that you wouldn’t see at one of her regular nights and is a welcome addition, elevating her sound above folky singer songwriter fare to something somewhere between Beth Orton and Sheryl Crow. Amy sung about life’s simple pleasures – friends, music, nature – and it’s safe to say that everyone in the room was sharing in that pleasure. At the end of the gig, after she had performed all of the tracks on the album, Amy was called back on stage an encore where she played a b-side from an earlier EP. Apparently it was her first ever encore, and it was obviously a very special moment – a fitting end to a great night.

The next Brighton Folk takes place this Sunday night at the Brunswick and features Mike Newsham, Donna Fullman and Sam Green.

I wrote THE HUNTED in an attempt to reach the young adult audience that enjoys books like the HARRY POTTER series, the TWILIGHT saga and the most recent Stephanie Meyer’s series, THE HOST. My sixteen-year-old daughter is an avid reader, so I thought I would aim something in her direction. THE HUNTED stars Suyape Goncalves who is an Ipanao Indian living in the midst of the Amazon rain forest of Brazil. Her people have been hiding in the forest for thousands of years. Hiding from what? From alien beings who had reached earth during the ice age and had left their DNA behind. Suyape’s DNA is not totally human. In the language of her people, her name means ‘she remembers’. What she remembers is now coming back to her, as a 17-year-old high school student adopted by two anthropologists and now living in Brunswick, Maine. Her memories, partially restored through past lives regression, are a threat to those aliens who have returned to earth to eliminate their half-human ancestors. I hope those of you who stumble upon this blog or upon my new web page at http://www.peterclenott.net will consider purchasing a copy. THE HUNTED is available at iUniverse, Amazon or Barbes & Noble in hard cover, soft and kindle. (Kindle very cheap)

Visit us between 10am and 2pm at any of the following locations,
1. Woodlake Apartments (Woodlake Rd) in Guilderland, NY
2. Towers of Colonie (420 Sand Creek Rd) in Colonie, NY
3. Hampshire Apartments (2150 Rosa Rd) in Schenectady, NY
4. The Woods Apartments (400 Brunswick Drive) in Brunswick, NY
5. Regency Park North (140 Cronin Rd.) in Queensbury, NY

We have enjoyed hosting this event in celebration of Earth Day and we have been thrilled with the turnout and support. Last year we collected over 36,000 pounds of E-Waste. We are excited to see what this year’s event will bring!

This event is open to the public and we accept a large variety of items including printers, scanners, computers, televisions, and more! For more details, please visit our website – www.tcrgreenliving.com

Our Proud Partners:

It’s sad that the artists and people that make Brunswick such a cool place to live are now being pushed out because they can’t afford to live there.

No prizes, just want to see how well you know the Midcoast Maine area! Oh, and this week, my grandson is featured in the photo!

Goat and lamb kidneys (I think the smaller grey one is lamb) from Apple Creek Farm in Bowdoinham. Surprisingly delicious if first soaked in salt water and then alcohol, to remove much of that urine-y essence.

The taste-buds of toddlers, even the most omnivorous of ones, seem to grow pickier near the age of two. That’s certainly been the case with Theo. We depend upon green smoothies, fortified with kale and carrots, to get vegetables into him now. He tends to favor plain starches, bananas and peanut butter, granola and other sweet items these days. So we were delighted to discover he had a taste for lamb kidneys and liver, and tripe soup, at a recent special Greek diner menu at our beloved Trattoria Athena here in Brunswick. I was also happy to discover I had a taste for kidneys, after my unpleasant experience with rabbit ones a while back. And pleased to discover Apple Creek Farm in Bowdoinham sold delicate lamb and goat kidneys at my Brunswick farmers’ market for an affordable $3 a pound. Apple Creek farmers Jake and Abby said the only other customers who ask for them are mothers inspired by Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions.

“Odd bits” such as kidneys are a great farmers’ market find for those on a tight budget.

I’ve bought lamb and goat kidneys twice from them now and found them delicious. I think the goat ones had a more off-putting barnyard aroma, but by eating time, I got confused which was which. To remove the kidneys’ urine flavor (hey, urine is sterile anyway:)), I soaked them in heavily salted water and then some beer the first time and sweet vermouth the second time I made them. For a recipe, I adapted Mark Bittman’s one for breaded veal kidneys sauteed with shallots and sherry, from his How to Cook Everything. I drained the kidneys and discarded their liquid, removed tough white membranes, sliced them into tender medallions, salted and peppered them, then dredged in flour and pan-fried in butter. I kept them warm in a 200 degree oven while I sauteed shallots with more butter in the pan, and then deglazed it with sherry and sweet vermouth and a touch a maple syrup for sweetness. That sauce goes over the kidneys. Serve warm with crusty bread.

A kidney cross-section. I realize not for the faint of heart.

Unfortunately, now-finicky Theo refused the kidneys both times at home. Mama sure enjoyed them as an appetizer, but their richness, like liver but with a sweeter, less metallic flavor, meant I couldn’t make a meal of them. A little goes a long way with offal. Let’s hope this kid becomes omnivorous again when he turns two in June. What happened to my keen sardine eater?

The pan-fried kidneys. They could be a pricey app at a trendy Portland restaurant. All yours for $3 a pound.

Artists

Donald Byrd (t) Doug Watkins (b) Art Taylor (d) Bobby Jaspar (ts, fl) Walter Davis Junior (p) recorded l`Olympia Paris,  22 October, 1958

Feb 1958: “A 7,600 pound Mark 15 hydrogen bomb is lost in waters off Savannah, Georgia”. That is so Bob Newhart. We lost a bomb, Sir. A Hydrogen bomb. Yes that’s right, a nuclear Hydrogen bomb. No, we don’t know where it is. It’s lost. Does it work? Well, we haven’t actually tried it, but yes, mostly they do.

Music

A great live set from the young Byrd which features Bobby Jaspar’s feisty tenor playing as well as his more familiar position behind the flute. One thing to note, the selected opening track Dear Old Stockholm begins with a slightly disconcerting sound of Byrd playing off in the distance, I confess giving rise to a degree of panic on first play: is this a dreadful bootleg recording? We have all heard those tinny early recordings, preserved for “historical interest”. Thankfully it is just a theatrical gesture at the start of the set, Byrd playing while walking slowly towards the microphone at the centre of the Olympia stage.  Effective in the theatre, no doubt, but for a minute it had me worried.

It was around this time Blakey and his Messengers also recorded live concerts at the Olympia, Paris, in parallel to sessions at the Club St Germain. Both give you the audience interaction and the sense of live performance, but in the theatre setting you don’t also get the buzz of conversation and people calling the bartender for drinks, though some people prefer it I gather.

Recorded early in his musical career during a three month stay in Paris, one of several occasions Byrd spent time in France. A clue to Byrd’s  French connections is suggested by his full birth name Donaldson Toussaint L’Ouverture Byrd II. Sounds a little more French than “Don Byrd” and he looks like he might actually be reading Le Figaro. At least it’s the right way up. NBFA – Not bad for an American.

Vinyl: Brunswick ‎– LPBM 87 903  pressed by Deutche-Gramaphon.

Originally released in 1958 in France as “Byrd in Paris” and in 1959 in Germany as “The “New” Donald Byrd Quintet” Brunswick – 87 903 LPBM. This is the German release. This recording and more tracks from Byrd’s 1958 Paris sessions are released on a two-volume CD, Parisian Thoroughfare, but not elsewhere available on vinyl. A great cover, a bonus for followers of the less-evil black disk.

The Brunswick label, a rather fine looking label, the only example I have.  In early days, the Bruswick label was once a rival to Columbia and Victor, best known for the recordings of Bing Crosby on 78′s. Around the time of the Byrd recording it was part of American Decca stable under Coral Records, famed for artists like Buddy Holly and The Crickets. Brunswick appears here to be American Decca’s vehicle to get into Europe (and around UK Decca), using its partnership with classical music specialist Deutche Gramaphon for manufacture.The main business of all these labels seemed to be licensing shenanigans and litigation, with only a small sideline in releasing records

The liner notes consist of a rambling and unremarkable interview with Byrd by a French journalist, which adds very little of interest, and is extremely demanding on the eyesight.

Collector’s Corner

Source: Ebay

Sellers Description:

VINYL IS GRADED VG NICE AND GLOSSY  PAPER SCUFFS UNDER STRONG LIGHT PLAY TESTED AND SOUNDS GOOD. NO DISTORTION OR JUMPS.

How annoying is this sellers description? Just listen to that gloss man, its so ..err..glossy. And the record has no jumps. That’s a relief, I though for a moment it might be several grades below the VG. A few paper scuffs under strong light though, must mention that in case you mistakenly thought it was mint, sealed and unplayed. Ah, it sounds good. What the heck does that mean? He forgot to mention FROM MY PERSONAL COLLECTION, MEGA RARE 1959 ORIGINAL PRESSING, VERY SOUGHT AFTER AND HARD TO FIND, ESPECIALLY IN THIS CONDITION,,

I decided the fact the seller was a plonker was not going to distract me from the desirability of the record, and to bid for it anyway. I’m glad I did. This one’s welcome on my turntable any day. And I hate to admit it, but the vinyl is actually very, very glossy.

The Green Refectory is a narrow cafe tucked in next to a shoe store and a tram stop just South of Weston Street on Sydney Road. There is nothing to invite the casual passer-by to enter the glassy facade – no outdoor dining to suggest that this is a place of joyous consumption (and I am not referring to happy Tuberculosis, found in much more tropical climes). Indeed, the bustle of trams, humans and narrow footpaths is a most inhospitable setting for exterior eating and so I commend the Green Refectory for not trying. Do note that for those that enjoy eating in the elements, there is a backyard to this place that I cannot fully remember sitting in but of which I have a vague sense of quaint, leafy claustrophobia.

One of the perks of going anywhere to eat at 8:30 on a week-day morning is that a fair proportion of the breakfast-populace has either eaten earlier and gone to work (respectable) or just gone to work (understandable). Happily this allows those with more flexible schedules – at the moment – to swoop in and claim a seat unchallenged. In a place like the Green Refectory where the long wooden tables are often bustling with communal diners and the smaller private tables are much coveted by less sharing individuals (such as myself), an easy week-morning seat was a relief. That relief, however was countered somewhat by the anxiety of having to squint myopically up at the menu etched onto a blackboard above the counter, and then recite accurately my decision to the friendly wait staff. A warning, the busy nature of the Green Refectory is such that I have always had to chase up my coffee, sometimes even having to reorder it. Or at least, I hope this is due to busyness and not disdain for me!

On this occasion, my breakfast hinged on an order of:

Bircher Muesli w sweetened or natural yoghurt or cream

I was presented with a submenu of dairies to decide upon – luckily I have the nous to understand that cream is for cakes and hot chocolates, and sweetened yoghurt is for putting ice-cream in, not oats. My natural yoghurt-Bircher combo eventually emerged:

Yes, a tower of pink muesli is really what we are seeing here. As if modelled on the Egyptian pyramids, complete with strawberry capstone and sandy-cinnamon perimeter garnish, this flamboyant number is one out of the box. Once I calmed my overstimulated eyeballs, I was able to mush the absurdly, delightfully placed yoghurt into the muesli-proper and eat. What I encountered was a crisp density of apple and nuts. The Green Refectory does not skimp on almonds and hence this meal is a crunch-fest. Between hard foods I also found a strong presence of soft ones, happily including banana – king of breakfast fruit – and a saturation of berries. Indeed, the violent colour of this muesli is most likely not due to a manic chef squirting red food dye/cordial/blood into the breakfast but rather from the natural ooze of broken berries.The Green Refectory muesli also contains the culinary triple threat of the aforementioned banana, cinnamon and honey. Lots of honey. I felt my pancreas thank me for not ordering the sweetened yoghurt as the tartness of the natural yoghurt was all that stood between me and blood-sugar central.

Overall: The Green Refectory muesli is a sight to behold and sweetly pleasant to be-taste. It is also very cheap. So if you are after a crunchy wake-up meal and are not afraid to go chasing coffees, roll in to the Green Refectory and grab a muffin as you roll out.

Good Muesli, Melbourne!

MM

Currently in Australia the two major political parties compete to demonise ‘people smugglers’, the people who assist refugees to get to places of refuge, and to abuse those seeking refuge. The Australian government’s deliberately cruel, degrading and illegal policies on refugees (piracy is still a crime even if carried out by the Navy) have been going on for decades now.

But back in the early 1980s in Australian policy towards ‘people smugglers’ was very different. Although Australia has long had an immigration policy that expressed racist xenophobia, the results of the Vietnam War lead to a brief period when refugees were welcome in Australia. It was during this period that Phuong Ngo’s father assisted others to leave Vietnam and arrived in Australia. The evidence that such things happened is in photographs and videos, including his father’s talking about his experience in people smuggling.

Not that I expect that this exhibition will have any effect on Australia’s current policy on refugees; it is safely in an art gallery and will just contribute to the mixed messages that exist in our society.

Michelle Hamer’s exhibition of small tapestries “I send mixed messages” is in Gallery One of the Counihan Gallery in Brunswick. The mixed messages are everywhere, as the Situationists loved to point out, the billboards, signs, stencils and tags all contradict each other. “Stop the madness,” reads a stop sign (stop me if you have seen this before). Clement Greenberg argued that kitsch was the inappropriate translation of art to the wrong media; I wouldn’t say that Hamer’s work is kitsch but I don’t know if the media is appropriate. As tapestries, the focus and much of the detail of the original photographs has been lost. I last saw Hamer’s work at Bus in 2010 but the work seems very familiar as there are a lot of artists creating needlework tapestry of urban scenes in recent years including Catherine Tipping, who will be having an exhibition of tapestries at Tinning Street Presents… later this month.

No prizes, just want to see how well you know the Midcoast Maine area!

so here’s how it went down before we left:

“guess what we are doing today?”

“we’re going bowling!” (oh yeah, oh yeah dance photo)

“do you know what bowling is?”

“yeah, that’s a great story about spiderman.”

“are you excited to go bowling?” (not so genuine excitement photo)

then we hit one of our local lanes and lo had a blast.

not bad 60s (give or take 10ish years, i don’t know) architecture at the old lane (at least the part i’m showing).  view from the front and underneath:

always so stylish picking out his bowling ball:

let’s do this:

teaching dad how to keep score:

amazing brunswick art…

Melbourne Gigs

This weekend I’m travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne, to appear, with very talented fellow Adelaide poet Kerryn Tredrea, at two gigs:

• The first is at 2 pm on Saturday 13th April at the Dan O’Connell (pictured above) in Carlton
• The second is a Spoke n Slurred gig at The Brunswick Hotel, Sydney Rd. Brunswick on Monday 15th at 8 p.m. (M.C. Kerryn Tredrea)

If you’re anywhere near Melbourne, please come along.

Vote for This Blog

On the right of the screen you can see a “Vote for me now – Best Australian Blogs 2013″. If you like this blog, and you haven’t already voted for it, please take a few seconds to click on the button and vote. It would be really good for a poetry blog to get some recognition.

Poem of the day is coming later. And I have to figure out how I’m going to post a poem a day when I’m in Melbourne.

BRUNSWICK, Ohio-Have you ever thought of a great invention you were eager to create? Well, the perfect place to begin is at Camp Invention.

The 5th annual Camp Invention is open for kids going into 1-6 grades. “And, if you are a student going into grades 7-9, you can register as a counselor in training,” explained Carli Brasacchio,camp counselor and Hickory Ridge Elementary teacher. “In this program, you shadow a counselor and get the experience so that one day you can be a counselor, which is a paid position,” she said.

As a camper, students join groups that rotate to various classrooms and participate in hands-on activities. “The camp is a great way to learn creative thinking, cooperative learning and skills that will help in science/math and other school related activities,” said Brasacchio.

If you are interested in registering and/or getting more information about Camp Invention, email Carli at cbrasacchio@bcsoh.org or
click here.