Friday, October 3, 2025

Bowling with Corpses

Next up in the Brinkmann Book Reading Club is Mike Mignola's Bowling with Corpses. As it happens, I read it earlier this year, but everyone else wanted to read it so I agreed. Also, it fits nicely after the last book.

I'm looking forward to reading it again.

The book.


Thursday, September 4, 2025

The Village Beyond the Mist

The inaugural book of the Brinkmann Book Reading Club will be The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kasiwaba. There seems to be some debate on the internet about how much Spirited Away was based on / inspired by this book. Certainly the edition we have plays up the connection. I guess we will soon find out.

The book.


Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Route 66

We got this bottle (and many others) at a Root Beer Bar in Golden, Colorado. Actually the root beer bar was just a walkup window in a strip-mall antique store. And it was closed, but the fridge cases of root beer were still available. We got 8. When we checked out (by a very friendly old guy from Naperville), we were informed that they had a punch card and our 10th bottle would be free. Not sure when we'd be back in Golden (it isn't far from where Jo's water polo club practices, but it isn't really close either), we went back and got bottles 9 and 10. This was one of those...

It has good body (lots of foamy head) and great aftertaste (left my mouth very wintergreeny), but hardly any "foretaste" - not watery, just not flavorful. They did a lot of things right, but was disappointing. 

Amy joined Jo and I drinking the bottle so we made her give her thoughts too: "It tastes like root beer."

Monday, July 28, 2025

National Bird of Gumi

The great blue heron is the national bird of Gumi. They live year-round south of the great lakes, and venture to the northern coasts for breeding season.

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Scramble

It has occurred to me as I walk and bike through the city and its surroundings, that every stoplight should have a "scramble." East-west cars go; north-south cars go; pedestrians go (in any direction, even diagonally). No turn on red; no peds in the intersection with cars. I tend to bike as if I'm a car OR a pedestrian, whichever works better for me - but maybe that isn't the best solution (bike lanes with their own lights perhaps?).

In general, I feel as though we've spent the last 100 years or so making it more convenient for cars to alleviate traffic congestion. But that just encourages more cars and more traffic (and makes walking less convenient). If we reverse that and make walking more convenient, there will be less cars and less traffic - everybody wins!

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Point

It's definitely root beer.

Not too creamy, not too spicy.

It's not exceptional, but there is nothing wrong with it - it's good.

Potosi

Walks the line really well between fruity and spicy. Leans slightly toward creamy-style. Very good; better than I remember.

We think it could use just a shade more bite.

Better balance, but not quite as good as the 1919 we had yesterday.

Bowling with Corpses

Next up in the Brinkmann Book Reading Club is Mike Mignola's Bowling with Corpses. As it happens, I read it earlier this year, but every...