Home Grown

Greetings all...

Well, it appears I can no longer hide from the Spring (although at current there are heavy-looking clouds moving in over the tree line). All yesterday the sun was shining and Nevada County was full of good tempers. Sitting outside Flour Garden I encountered a pair of 8-week old Great Pyrenees puppies that looked like squirmy, wriggling teddy bears. I would seriously have considered buying one except for the fact that in just under three weeks I am going to be beginning my trek up to the great Pacific Northwest and then down into the woods of the Stanislaus National Forest to begin my summer job at Berkeley Tuolumne Camp. In light of my quickly approaching departure, I wanted to focus this post on some things that are home grown and share a few shiny objects around the house.

First, we have a little beauty I discovered last night in town. I think I have found my new favorite way of bringing in the spring with Lagunitas Brewing Co.'s "Wilco Tango Foxtrot" Ale. This spring ale is, just as described, hearty, malty and smooth with a chocolaty finish. Although the brewers deny a link between the beer and Jeff Tweedy's mellow rock band, they both derive their names from short wave radio lingo (as evidenced by the band's classic album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot") and the recording from which the name comes from. The beer packs a pretty solid punch at 7.3% alc. by vol., and weighing in at nearly 1.5 pints, each bottle will is enough to have you singing in the streets (or on the disc golf course, as the case may be). I suppose this is why they subtitle it a "jobless recovery ale". While researching this beer I uncovered what is perhaps the best piece of Lagunitas drinking advice I have yet discovered. Each beer comes with a unique story/explanation printed sideways on the sides of the label. Thanks to Pitchfork for suggesting we empty the contents of the bottle before trying to read its label! For more on Wilco-related things, go here!

Well, time is running short so I will leave you with some photos sans descriptions. I'll let your imagination do the work on these trinkets I found around the house. Enjoy the Springtime weather!

The Sun is Shining, Birds are Chirping...

... dirty men with dirty dreads and dirtier dogs are walking around outside my window. Alright, there are other people walking up and down the street too, but these fellers are the most noticeable. Other noticeable things? The sun for one, which has been making its presence known in authoritative fashion the last several days. I have been sporting shorts for the first time in 2010 the last three days and am hoping a trip to the Yuba might be in order before the week is out. All around town dogwood trees are in bloom, daffodils on the sides of the highway are flowering and people are dressed in Spring dresses, t-shirts, sandals and the likes. While waiting here, watching as life passes to and fro in front of the cafe window I have started wondering whether it is some instinctual change occurring in us all leading us to shed our extra clothes and brave the still lingering winter breezes. Or, could it be that it is our defiance of the truth of the season and our insistence to rock the shorter sleeves that instills in our minds that the Spring is indeed here. Either way, I suppose the call to the outdoors is too great for me. I have been sitting behind this computer screen for too long and the time has come for me to head out into the world. I hope wherever you are you have a chance to enjoy the weather, one way or another. Take a walk and smell a flour, yeah?

Happy St. Pa(r)tty's Day

To all of you and yours from me and mine, Happy St. Patty's Day - just one of the days each year where I pretend that the true origin of my name (McDaniel) is Ireland. It just sounds so much cooler than having to tell people "Well, my great grandfather was Hungarian ..." I suppose it is a technicality. Regardless, enjoy your green things today - hope your mouths don't turn green from all the excess food coloring!

The reason I decided to grace you with my literary presence this morning is a post I found on the failbook relating to a struggle I continually find myself, er, struggling with. Please enjoy:

Happy (Belated) Pie Day!

Hello and greetings, friends. First and foremost I would like to extend a warm and heartfelt Happy Pie Day to you all! I know, 3/14 was in fact yesterday, but seeing as the circumstances of my schedule didn't much allow time to blog, I figured delaying the post a day wouldn't hurt anybody too much. Mid-March this year in Grass Valley has brought with it some serious sun and I now find myself sitting and roasting away at a coffee shop as the sun pours through the large storefront windows. Life is good in the warmth! Other news: new glasses came in today, hereby marking my transition from wire-rimmed skinnies into some thick(er) framed and ultimately more stylish specs.

Also, made an appointment with our local Arthroscopic surgeon to check out my left menial meniscus, which I think has a good chance of being torn. Apparently the surgery isn't that big of a deal so I am not too worried. I might even get ice cream out of the deal!

In music-related news, the two CDs in rotation in my car stereo are the Mumford and Sons album and the James Mercer/DJ Danger Mouse collaboration Broken Bells. Sounds a lot like the Shins with a distinct electro-funk reminiscent of the Gorillaz. I would defin

itely recommend checking it out, if the fact that James Mercer is involved is not enough. The most exciting thing, for me at least, about this project is that Broken Bells' touring ensemble includes two Nevada County natives, one of which is responsible for the majority of my devotion to Nevada City's music scene. Dan Elkan, singer/guitarist for Pocket for Corduroy, Hella, Them Hills, et al was tapped by Mercer to strum and sing backup and can be seen in this video of the band performing on Letterman's Late Show. He's the feller behind and to Mercer's right. I always get excited when musicians get big breaks and can make a living doing something that they love. I hope it all works out for you, Dan.

In other news, I am now shopping for a flash to be used in conjunction with my Canon 40D for general illumination purposes and to have the ability to conduct a moderately professional portraiture set-up if need be. This comes following a commission by a friend to do some promotional photography for her dance studio. The initial date had to be postponed due to snow but hopefully the shoot will commence in the next couple of weeks, new flash included! I am leaning towards the Canon Speedlite 270EX, feeling that the higher models slightly exceed my comfortable price-range to necessity ratio. The 270EX seems like a good compromise between affordability and quality and will hopefully serve me well. If anybody has thoughts/feelings on this matter, please, I am looking for guidance.

This morning I had coffee with Christopher Seal, rector of Trinity Church in Nevada City and, coincidentally, my girlfriend's father. We always have good conversations and he

encouragement and assurance that the place I am at in my life right now is completely acceptable and normal for a 23-year-old is welcomed and generally leaves me feeling quite content in my endeavors. As per usual, I am now feeling at ease with myself and my surroundings. The unfortunate side-effect of these meetings is that, almost without fail, Christopher gives me some new book or piece of literature effectively adding the the massive pile of a reading list cluttering my desk. Alas, the perils of a literature student! I suppose I should probably spend some time on them

there books rather than typing away or hunting for a new camera gadget. Other options: take a walk by the river. The whether's lovely. That being said, I'll now sign off. Hope wherever you are the sun is shining, or at least the day is going swimmingly. Until next time...

The Bay

Hello and greetings, friends. Hope this finds you warm and cozy, or at least more so than here in snowy Nevada City where, against all odds, a woman just walked into my coffee shop in shorts. Strange. As I have been waiting here, pondering a blog post and some chicken salad on toast I started thinking about a sweet girl I know who came to visit for the last few days and who I drove back to SFO for a late night flight back to Seattle. It's funny how driving long distances in darkened hours tends to let the mind wander. I noticed how I tend to play different music depending on whether I drive in the day or night and that music affects me differently. Ah yes, basic observations of human emotion I make!

Anyways, as I was about to call this girl and tell her about how much I was going to miss her, I reached up to flip up the passenger side visor that she continually flipped down (annoying because it always messes up the rear view mirror). By flipping up the visor I of course knocked the mirror out of place so I was looking back at my own reflection. When I reached up to adjust the sight line to something more useful, the entire mirror fell off my windshield and there I was driving through Berkeley with hindsight held in my right hand. I am not sure what this all means, but I felt it was quite poignant considering the context of my trip to the Bay. The first verse of my favorite Mumford and Sons song kept running through my head:

As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts

Oh the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms
Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night?
For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt

When I got back to Nevada County it was snowing and I made my way back to my bed through a flurry of heavy flakes. This morning I awoke to a sunny world covered in a fresh white snow. If only the cold would bring a certain someone back into my arms...

Peoplated Dials

So, apologies for the absence. It has been a few days since I last updated ye olde blog and much has happened. For one, I have vowed to write more interesting and important things. Three cheers for relevance! Alright, so that being the case, I have a new band (well, I suppose they're not all that new - in fact, you all have probably heard of them already, but still...). None other than London's own Mumford and Sons. They made their network television debut on Letterman last week (can be seen here) and then hopped over to the west coast for Craig Ferguson (visible here). If the case may be that you haven't heard of them yet, watch and learn, watch and learn and love. Anyways, it's a rainy day here in Nevada City and I have some glasses to choose and a lovely girl to find. Hope the day is lovely where you are and you enjoy the sweet tunes.