We arrived a bit late and came in during the trailer for Supergirl.
Not sure why I cannot find a non-short version of this one.
20 May, 2026
Coming soon, 17 May 2026
Seen before a screening of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It's hard to believe that it was released 26 years ago. Will Hero and House of Flying Daggers return to cinemas too? The early and mid-2000s were a good time for wuxia.
...and noodles
A few people I know have raved about Taigu and their freshly-made noodles but I had never dined there until just a few days ago.
It was a bit weird to see what the interior of the old Knoche's grocery store had become.
Their flatware is gold-colored. I felt like an aristocrat.
I sampled the noodles and they were very tasty indeed. Cooked al dente they were quite hearty and soaked up plenty of sauce.
I ordered the wonton soup along with a side of chili in oil.
Oh mama, it was good. It brought back warm memories of eating at the late, lamented Wah Kee. The only thing missing was more bok choy.
We'll be back.
Spreading the gospel
Here in Madison Memorial Day weekend means Bratfest while in Chicago it's about hot dogs. We are united by a common love of sausages. No ketchup!
Even fewer bare walls
Last weekend I picked up my prints from the frame shoppe and now they decorate some of my walls.
Bathroom:
My office:
I just adore this picture - birds, a cat, and snow. Lovely.
Finally, in my bedroom:
A lovely, natural woman with curvaceous hips and a big, beautiful beaver. Ha! Now, how long before my photo hosting service deletes it?
Nervous
This morning I am feeling nervous, feeling anxious for I am to meet this pretty lady this evening:
I hope she likes me. Nothing would please me more than to have a new feline friend in my life. Someone to come home to, someone to cuddle in bed. Look at those saucer eyes and all those tickler whiskers!
A meal months in the making
Several months ago a friend vowed to take me out for a steak dinner when my divorce was final. While my marriage was legally dissolved last week, it took a few days for our schedules to mesh with openings at The Tornado Room. It was worth the wait.
Our reservation was on the early side and the dining areas had not yet filled up with hungry patrons, although the bar was fairly well-populated. I almost had a glass of wine but instead ordered a Packerland Pilsner from Hinterland. I've always liked this brew and I found that it remained tasty and went well with our vorspeisen, shrimp cocktail.
Note the horseradish garnish on the sauce. The little extra zing was quite welcome.
The French onion soup was excellent, perhaps the best in town. The cheese was not merely melted but browned to perfection allowing me to revel in Maillard gluttony.
For the main course, I had a sirloin and green beans.
Grilled to perfection (medium), it was absolutely delicious and will go on to make for 3 meals before it is exhausted. The green beans were tasty too though I normally love giving them a generous shower of vinegar. The onion ring was thick and not overly battered.
Dessert was cheesecake. New York? I have not committed to memory the many varieties of cheesecake. The waiter had brought a candle with him thinking it was a birthday or anniversary. However, he lit it up anyway even after being told it was a meal to celebrate a divorce.
My ex-wife and I had dined at The Tornado Room a couple times and I was happy to find that the place wasn't tainted with memories of her and that dining there was a wonderful experience. Part of my divorce is about reclaiming places, songs, foods, traditions, et al from the clutches of a failed marriage and making them my own. A slow process but worth it. (However, I will likely never go to Everly again, though. Just driving by it makes me shudder.)
"Invisible Touch" is 40?!
Holy crap! Genesis released "Invisible Touch" as a single 40 years ago yesterday. I recall that day and my friend bought the 45 and we both liked the b-side, "In the Glow of the Night" better. Ha!
Scenes from a walk, 20 Mai 2026
My walk this morning began with squirrels in the tree next door looking down upon me. "Hooman!"
The trail along Starkweather Creek was just wonderful. Everything was so verdant and it smelled like summer.
Birds were everywhere. Even if I couldn't see them, I could hear them as the air was rife with song, calls, chirrups, and trilling which was a nice contrast to the morning commuters. I managed to get a few photos of our feathered friends that were in focus.
I am taking some tentative steps checking out the Carpenter-Ridgeway neighborhood. Today I found this lovely willow tree. Since none of my photos were quite what I was hoping they be, I intend to return. This is my favorite of today's bunch.
A couple closer to home on the home stretch.
16 May, 2026
The way of nature and the way of grace. You don't have to choose which one you'll follow.
When the Zoom call ended, I clapped and yelled "Woo hoo!" Not missing a beat I then raced into the living room and kissed the photograph of Piper on my living room wall as emotions swelled within me. I'd waited ten and a half months for this.
********
I almost didn't get divorced this week.
Less than 24 hours before our allotted hour in court, I received word that my wife was going to delay the final hearing unless she received information about some trusts of which I am a beneficiary. She had no right to any of the money in the trusts and had been aware of this for some time. This was ridiculous and extremely frustrating.
She claimed that she was unaware of one of the trusts despite the fact that I had listed it in a filing that was sent to her and her lawyer and filed with the court last autumn. That filing also answered another of her questions. Why was she doing this? Her excuse was for "full disclosure" but the only answer I could come up with was that this was her last hurrah, her final chance to harass me and spew her contempt.
I answered the questions as best I could that night and sat by my inbox the next morning like an expectant father. An email bearing bad news appeared saying that she had asked her lawyer to file whatever it is you'd file with the court to delay the hearing. My wife's lawyer was apologetic for and incredulous of her client's behavior.
I met my neighbor outside shortly after this and chatted with him briefly. I told him that my divorce was not going as well as hoped and he said he'd pray for me. He must have done so right away because an email came shortly thereafter in favor of the efficacy of intercessory prayer: my wife had finally agreed to hold the hearing today. It was close - maybe only an hour and a half before our scheduled time.
********
The hearing began a bit late as my wife had issues logging into the call. The court representative made sure that all of the needed paperwork had been filed. That being done, our lawyers then played 20 questions with each of us. When my wife answered her questions, the video switched to her face in full screen and I noticed how much she looked like her father. She had little, if any, make-up on which was a change from the past several months that we lived together when she would apply it very liberally. With closure now within our grasps, the haggling and bickering over, she looked pretty again to me. Pretty in a way she hadn't for a few years. It was very odd how my feelings had changed on such short order.
With the questions done, the court representative said that everything was in order and pronounced us ex-husband and ex-wife. Then we all left the call.
Despite my joy and relief, I couldn't help feel sad that this was all it took. A 15-minute Zoom call to end one of the most important relationships of my life. My marriage had been reduced to a mere contract, a contract with terms about money and nothing more. It felt anti-climactic and a bit demeaning. Shouldn't there be more of a to-do?
********
Piper should have been here for this, the finalization of my divorce. My plan had been to come home from court or log off the Zoom call, hold her in my arms, and then hug & kiss her excessively before looking into her lovely feline eyes and telling her that it was over, that we had survived my now ex-wife. Liberal application of treats would have followed and dinner for her that night would have been tuna AND salmon. Or perhaps something even more fancy. Gluttony would have been the order of the evening.
But she wasn't around for the big moment so kissing her picture would just have to do.
On the one hand I was happy that my wife had become my ex-wife and that the legal process of divorce had concluded but on the other I was sad. I was sad due to Piper's absence but also because I felt like I had two decades plus of memories that no longer served a purpose. That and I didn't want them anymore.
While there are definitely memories of my time with my ex-wife that I want to keep with me to my end, the ones of my wife, especially of the last three and a half years or so can go. We organize our lives in stories and years of those memories were for her and me to tell our story to each other as well as the people in our lives as we grew old. But our story had come to an end.
I've told the stories to my friends and family, they need not be told to a lawyer any longer - not that they ever did - they've just outlived their usefulness. But I am stuck with them.
********
I thought about my dearly departed cat as I stood outside waiting for my ride. It was so lovely out with the trees soaking up the life-giving rays of the sun while I missed Piper more than words can say.
Dinner was to be steak. Next week my new ladyfriend and I are going out to The Tornado Room for a fancy meal to celebrate my divorce - she promised to buy me a steak when it was finally over - and so this was merely a practice run.
I also had a fine lager beer and a salad dressed with Thousand Island, my brother's favorite. Both he and Piper may be gone but they've never left me.
After dinner my lady and I went to visit Piper.
The park was lovely and green, although it was yet to reach its peak verdant glory. We made our way to the arch where I had scattered Piper's ashes and I fell to my knees. I touched the ground and said hello to her.
"It's over, Pipey," I told her. "We survived {ex-wife's name}. I love you, Pipe. I miss you."
She should have been alive to witness this but at least I have a place to go to be with her in spirit.
********
The next day my ladyfriend and I went out for a traditional Wisconsin Friday fish fry along with the woman who had officiated my wedding ceremony. The place was hoppin' and the staff were earning their keep. It didn't take us long to find a booth and soon we were seated with our drinks waiting on the arrival of the fried ocean goodness.
The woman had joined my ex-wife and me nearly 11 years ago. It was her hug, kiss, and words of encouragement just a week or so after I was served papers that let me know I was wanted, that life would get better. Her kindness gave me hope and set me on a better path.
None of us were angry at my ex-wife despite the ways she had exited all our lives. A little sadness, perhaps, but, in the main, we were celebrating new lives, new possibilities. I found that, with my marriage truly over and with the work I did in the woods a couple weeks ago to free myself of anger, I wished peace and happiness for my ex-wife. As our marriage spiraled downwards to divorce, I extended a lot of grace to her and I found that I was still willing to do so.
My friend was happy for me and it seemed a fitting bookend for the person who had created my union with my ex-wife to raise a toast to its end.
14 May, 2026
From Niger to Texas
Back in the autumn of 2024 I had hoped to see Mdou Moctar on his tour stop here in Madison but I didn't go for reasons that I cannot recall. 2024 was in some respects a lost year but in others a time of great joy and punctuated by encounters with the sublime. For the life of me, I just do not remember why I didn't go to that show.
Having missed it, I resolved to keep an eye out for a return visit and that happened last week. This time it was a solo show. Curiously enough, his backing band played at Gamma Ray just a couple weeks ago. That too I sadly was unable to attend.
For this show it was Moctar alone with his guitars. He warned us early on that, since he was without his band, he was expecting us in the audience to provide the rhythm and the audience did his bidding with clapping more or less throughout each song.
Moctar hails from Niger and I've always heard his style of playing referred to as "desert blues", a reference to the northern and western parts of Saharan Africa. While I can hear traces of American blues in his playing, it really sounds more African than it does the Mississippi Delta or the south side of Chicago. His guitar tone was usually clean so it has this tinny sound that perhaps mimics an acoustic stringed instrument from that part of the world.
Whatever the case, he played songs that were on the lengthier side. They settled into a groove early and then built in tempo and intensity with hypnotizing results. If I wasn't clapping along, I would get lost in the eddies of the swirling, meandering melodies which felt elusive, as if I could reach out and grab them only to find that they had slipped through my fingers.
The encore, a song whose title I do not know, saw Moctar go into Jimi Hendrix mode. His guitar took on a dirtier sound and instead of trying to charm us with it, his playing took on a coarser, almost obscene, flavor. Something more primal.
What a fantastic evening. He only played for about an hour but he did chat with folks at the merchandise table after the show. I am looking forward to his return already.
A couple weeks back I was also at the Majestic with a friend to see the Reverend Horton Heat. It had been something like 20 years since I'd seen them and I was really hoping that they'd play "Galaxie 500", one of my divorce songs. But before there was a psychobilly freakout, there were two opening bands, neither of which I'd heard of.
First up was Piñata Protest and I was pleasantly surprised to see the singer strap on an accordion. Soon enough they made it clear that they were not messing around. They were hitting on all cylinders right out of the gate and did not let up for their entire set. Singer/squeeze box maestro, Alvaro Del Norte, immediately started to career around the stage and spin widdershins while spitting out lead accordion riffs like a whirling dervish on speed. He came to party and would not take no for an answer.
Drummer Chris-Ruptive kept a steady and fast tempo, threatening to maniacally go off course like Animal from The Muppets. Lukily bassist Mike Aguilar was there to keep him on the straight and narrow. Kinda. Guitarist Regino Lopez bolstered the sound with his speedy rhythm licks and he kept up the energy with his own kinetic stage presence as he bounced from his spot on stage to the top of his monitor and back.
The crowd fed off their energy and moshing was to be had. While I personally did not mosh, the energy in the room was so thick you could cut it with the wrong side of a knife.
At one point Del Norte slowed things down and divided the crowd into red salsa lovers vs. aficionados of the green stuff. Having encountered this gastronomic dichotomy in its full glory in Albuquerque a couple months back, I appreciated the sentiment and voted green.
My friend and I ran into Lopez at the bar after their set and he was a really friendly guy. We, well, my companion bought him a beer and we chatted for a bit. He voted for green too.
Black Joe Lewis came next. Another muso I'd never heard of. He played fairly old school blues and R&B with some rock in there too.
While he and his band couldn't match the fiery, kinetic energy of Piñata Protest, they did find their own groove, slower than the manic Tex-Mex punk but grittier. Lewis' singing was really spirited as was his guitar playing which alternated between tasty rhythms and frenetic, dirty solos that conjured the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and others in my ears.
Lewis was a nice change of pace that night and, sadly, it had been a while since I'd seen and heard some live blues so it was great to end that dry streak.
When the Rev. Horton Heat came on, it was yet another change in style - psychobilly.
I think I last saw them in c.2003. Where does the time go? The Reverend still has Jimbo by his side on upright bass while Jonathan Jeter was on drums. They opened with "Bullet", the opening song on their first album and segued into "Baddest of the Bad", the night's first busted relationship lament. As it chugged along at breakneck pace, I found myself singing in time, if not necessarily in tune, with the Rev, "Young girls and gin may be the cure". Ha! It was a friend of 35+ years and Yuengling that night but it was cathartic nonetheless.
Some newer stuff came next. "Let Me Teach You How To Eat" dates to 2014 while their cover of fellow Texan Johnny Carroll's "Crazy Crazy Lovin'" appears on their 2023 album Roots of the Rev (Volume One). While the more recent tunes may not have been at balls out, catch us if you can tempos, the Rev still writes fun songs with blatantly catchy guitar riffs.
Then came that quiet strumming. I knew those hushed chords that could explode at any moment instantly. "Galaxie 500"! This song quickly became part of the soundtrack of my divorce last summer and hasn't gone away since. As the kids out front were moshing, I was singing along to every fucking word of that song. When it came around to the couplet "You get the house/I get a cheap motel room", I sang especially loudly as that really hit home. My wife is getting the house and I really did stay at a flophouse motel - twice. (As some kind of consolation, I got a raincheck for a blowjob out of the second stay. Haha!)
It felt so good to sing that tune as it captures some of the anger, some of the intensity of my situation perfectly. And it has a happy ending: "But things ain't so bad 'cause I got a Galaxie 500" although in my case it's "But things ain't so bad 'cause I got a Mazda 5".
They could have ended the show there and I'd have been elated but there was much more to go including my friend's fave, "400 Bucks". "I Found Blue" was written at the behest of Billy Bob Thornton for the TV show Landman while we were told that "Gravel Farmer" dates back to lockdown when the band were doing livestream shows and inventing fake song names. Well, this one stuck and the Rev got Jimbo to write the lyrics. On stage that night Jeter took over guitar and vocal duties while the Rev setup shop behind the drums.
The night ended on an unexpected note. The Rev told a tale about how Hank III bowed out of a tour with them and that he had approached Lemmy as a replacement. The Englishman agreed but refused to play Motörhead's biggest hit despite the Rev's pleas on behalf of fans. And so they left us with "Ace of Spades" which rocked the house and reignited the mosh pit.
There was a running gag that night whereby the Rev would remark that it was Saturday night instead of Thursday. But it felt like a Saturday night with people moshing and carousing as if they had the following day to recover instead of having to work. It was a party and folks were letting loose, though I didn't see anyone get naked.
13 May, 2026
Fude, 12 Mai 2026
Yesterday as I was walking home, I saw a rabbit scamper away from me into some shrubbery. I turned and looked only to see a squirrel having dinner.
Later that same evening I was at a meeting where someone had brought sernik - Polish cheesecake.
This person had just started to learn to bake and this was her first effort. It was delicious! Not too sweet, soft but with a slightly granular texture. Great stuff.
What to do when you come to a fork
It was a lovely Monday morning in Bloomer and my vacation was coming to a close. Although it was to be a rather warm day, it was still cool when I awoke and clouds streaked the dawn sky as I stepped out of the hotel and moseyed over to Kwik Trip for coffee.
My plan was to take a leisurely drive home with a stop in Eau Claire at The Coffee Grounds for some local flavors to bring back with me.
There I got a cup of coffee, coffee beans, and some brews from Eau Claire's finest. Not being in a hurry I took Highway 93 south where I'd catch Highway 10 in Eleva. The drive showcased just how much the south of Eau Claire has been built up since I lived up there. What had been a sleepy area of town that led to the hustle & bustle of Oakwood and London Square Malls was now home to a senior living complex, stores, various businesses, dentists, and just all manner of things. It was no longer simply gas stations and fast food for those passing through on the interstate.
The drive between Eau Claire and Eleva brought back many memories as I had driven it countless times. Zipping past the road that led to my old man's former home I felt surprisingly unmoved. A little nostalgic but I mainly enjoyed the scenery. Once I got to the top of the ridge just north of Eleva, I looked around at just what a magnificent view it affords. Farms tucked into the rolling hills, fields bordered by woods, and the sun illuminating it all with its warming refulgence.
Heading east on 10 I looked to the north at one point and saw a lovely grassy hill beneath the blue sky and it looked just like that Windows XP wallpaper.
I refueled in Osseo and then hopped onto I94. The drive home went by quickly and traffic wasn't too bad outside of the usual convoys of trucks. After getting home I unpacked and got a load of laundry in the wash. I hadn't really bought much in the way of souvenirs this trip and everything I did buy was edible. Like this chocolate bar.
It's an Abu Dhabi Bar from Mayana Chocolate up in Spooner. I presume it is their take on the trendy Dubai bar, a chocolate confection with pistachio filling that is all the rage in confectionery circles these days, I take it.
Very tasty!
Plus I brought beer back to Madison that is otherwise unavailable here. First we have some Czech-style lagers from Eau Claire's Lazy Monk Brewing.
The Standard 10º brew has proven to be my favorite of the two. Light and crisp and full of Bohemian(-style) brewing goodness.
At Moonridge I picked up a can of their blonde ale as well as a pickle Gose from Half Fast Brewing Company.
I'd never heard of Half Fast. The can says the company is in Spring Valley, WI which is a bit west of Menomonie but that the beer had been brewed in Osseo, presumably by the now-shuttered Northwoods Brewing. I suspect the can was to be found at Moonridge as Half Fast appears to be veteran-owned just like Moonridge. Tasting soon, I hope.
I sat down to check my email and saw that the tree outside the window had come fully into bloom while I was away.
Beltane had truly come to fruition.
Settling down, I thought a bit about Piper as well as the end of my marriage which was likely to transpire the following week. My mind felt a bit weary after all of the contemplation it did over the weekend. It was very nice to not feel the anger that I had felt earlier in the week. At least nowhere near as intensely.
I realized that I had come to terms with most of the changes in my life regarding family the past several months. There don't seem to be any more depths of my marriage to plumb. I think I've examined it thoroughly and discovered the lessons it has to teach, found all the assignations of guilt to be had, and learned the myriad ways that it has affected me. My eldest stepson simply wants my money and so our relationship is on hold, if not over. My youngest stepson is beset by so many problems that I can do little to nothing about so I am resigned to take things as they come and do what I can, nudging him in what I think of as a more salutary direction occasionally.
While the fact that I married my wife remains a source of shame and embarrassment for me, I am content with that. I am content with knowing my mistakes and at peace with my regrets.
No doubt my thoughts on all this will change as time goes on. For now, though, I am trying to heed Henry David Thoreau's advice, "Never look back unless you are planning to go that way." I'm looking forward to my marriage ending soon, to getting a new cat, and treading new paths in life. I am anxious to see where they take me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)