This another of those really active weeks, celestial-behavior wise. The kind of week where you need to lay out the charts on a card table with some pushpins, string, and a protractor. Let’s see what’s there, shall we.
Remember when you were in the back seat of your Chevy Caprice with Charlotte, and her pants were about to come off for the first time, and this asshole knocked on the window? Asshole.
Alignment the first: Venus-Earth-Luna-Saturn (retrograde); Jupiter (retrograde) in opposition. Good luck in getting laid this week. More receptive partners include: civil servants, leaders, submissives, and depressed people. Cock-block attempts by government officials. It could also be interpreted as unfortunate HR repercussions. The stars only say that you will be successful, it doesn’t say that you won’t come to regret your success.
Alignment the second: Mercury-Sol-Jupiter (retrograde); Venus in opposition. Bad tidings from the government. Since it shares two of the lights with the previous alignment, it strongly suggests an interrelation, and with Venus being the opposition planet, I don’t think I need to spell out the subject matter. honestly, if I didn’t know UnCiv was OoO on his roadtrip, I would shout at him not to dip his pen in the Taxpayer’s ink.
Actually, since these signs are both so clear and so complex, they must mean something big, or at least immediately applicable. Hmmmm. Bad news from the government… sex… censure… will the Hooker Pee Videotape finally be released? Huma/Hillary’s erotic skype logs? Carlos Danger rubs one out in the Rotunda? A sex worker sues the Clinton Foundation for non-payment? I don’t know what, but something big is going to happen.
Alignment the third: A BARCO of Mars-Terra-Saturn (retrograde) indicating the outbreak of military hostilities. Whether the BARCO nature indicates only a minor skirmish, or because such news is trivial is uncertain.
same sand, different day
So that’s it from the Heliocentric view. As for observations you can make with your own eyeballs, Mars in Aquarius means that Rufus is going to get into a fight. Jupiter (retrograde) in Scorpio means wankery will continue. Saturn (retrograde) in Capricorn means buttheads will continue to be buttheads. Basically, if you expected your problems to go away this week, you are in for a disappointment. On the upside, with Mercury conjoined with Sol in Gemini, you will not be overwhelmed — you will be able to deal with multiple problems. Venus in Cancer continues to amplify “feminine” virtues of peace, nurturing, and romance… enjoy it while it lasts, it’s halfway through its transit.
While pondering the signs, here is some music (and fashion) to expand your mind:
You cannot step in the same river twice
-Heraclitus
Travelling salesman makes his way back to his hometown after leaving in a huff twenty years earlier because of a fight he had with his father. A prodigal son story, but Tora-san is not your typical character. Vulgar, heavy drinking and incapable of following social norms, this semi failure of a salesman is a combination of Dice Clay and Forest Gump. He is exactly what his hometown needs and he gives it to them good and hard.
The creation of writer/director Yoji Yamada, Otoko wa Tsurai yo ran for an incredible 48 installments from 1969-1998. Western audiences and critics have largely failed to embrace Yamada’s masterpiece which stands in contrast to the love Akira Kurosawa (Yojimbo, Seven Samurai), Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story), Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer) and other Japanese directors have received over the years. Wanting to see Japan as subtle, cinematically pleasing and inscrutable or violent and grotesque, Western audiences just couldn’t find a place in their hearts for Yamada. Otoko wa Tsurai yo presents Japanese as people with simple, base desires and flaws that are universal. Tentacle porn can be amusing, but it doesn’t really help you understand what the average Japanese person is thinking.
The plot for the 48 installments is simple: Tora-san, played by Kiyoshi Atsumi, returns to the Shibamata area of downtown Tokyo, falls in love with a woman known as the “Madonna” character and causes all hell to break loose with his antics. The “Madonna” shows interest in Tora-san, but his awkwardness with women destroys any chance he had with her and she ends up getting together with another man whom she was destined to be with. The series is a love story despite the crude jokes and domestic violence.
I am Tora-san. I may not step out of your bathroom, patting my stomach and compliment you for having the fanciest toilet I’d ever seen. “That’s the sink, you idiot!” I haven’t bitch-slapped my demure sister for no good reason other than being drunk off my ass. I’ve yet to make jizz jokes at formal dinner parties where my sister is being introduced to her ultra conservative potential in-laws. I have mistakenly asked my mother-in-law, at first meeting, if she was still born. I’ve asked the elderly check out lady at the supermarket where she kept the breast milk. (Bo-nyu is breast milk, To-nyu is soy milk. Whoops.) We all fuck up and Tora-san is a ninth degree black belt in it.
We don’t toss Tora-san in a pot of boiling water for a couple of vital reasons. First, he is an injection of chaos into what can be an oppressive and stratified group-centered society. Tora-san’s outrageous behavior gives the audience a look at the Honne (real feelings) of average people. They may look stoic, but all Japanese people have wanted to crack a relative in the head at some point. Many have a great spooge pun pop into their head during a meeting, but they keep it walled off behind their Tatemae (social face). Tora-san is a vent that releases some of the steam in a country that has 30,000 or so suicides a year. Good on him.
Another reason we accept Tora-san is that without him, the star-crossed lovers would never end up together. Love, it seems, needs someone to smack it out of its reluctance. The “Madonna” can’t hook up with her true love unless someone kicks him in the balls and tells him to stop being such a pussy. While Tora-san’s advice may be awful, following terrible advice is better than whining like a bitch in the corner.
At the end of each installment, Tora-san leaves Shibamata in an act of temporary self-exile. He has to leave of his own accord or he wouldn’t be allowed back. Pushing people to their limits and then backing off, giving them time to digest what happened, is a skill sorely missing these days. Being 100% pure, concentrated chaos, Tora-san realizes that prolonged exposure to chaos would destroy his family. He leaves Shibamata and crosses the Sumida river until his services are needed once more. You may not be able to step in the same river twice, but you can piss in it multiple times.
ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU, HIS CHOSEN ONES. HAVING LIFTED YOU FROM BRUTALITY, THERE IS NO WAY ZARDOZ WILL LET SOME SMALL MINDED SLATEADVICE BABBLER LEAD THE CHOSEN ONES ASTRAY! NO! ZARDOZ WILL GIVE THE BEST ADVICE, AND KEEP THE CHOSEN ONES ON THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND BRUTAL CLEANSING! RECEIVE THEN…THE GIFT OF ADVICE!
Q:Creepy doll conundrum: My partner’s mother has owned a realistic imitation infant doll for more than a decade. She keeps it dressed and placed in a bassinet in her living room to hold when she misses her now-grown children. She has attachment and boundary issues, and while the doll has always creeped me out, it seemed harmless and perhaps helpful to her, so we never said anything about it.
Fast-forward 10 years, and my partner and I have a toddler. Without warning us, Grandma brought her doll on her last visit and gave it to our daughter when we weren’t present. It is extremely lifelike, weighs around 8 pounds, and is not going to withstand the activity and whims of our active child. If it were a new purchase, we’d return it for a similar toy meant for a child.
More than anything, my husband and I are concerned that my mother-in-law is giving her own “therapy” doll to our child, and that she desperately wants our daughter to love and care for it as much as she does. When she left, my mother-in-law said she wants the doll back if we don’t want it, and said other manipulative comments intended to guilt us into keeping it. Donating it, returning it to her, or telling her it’s not wanted would cause a huge rift in the family.
We don’t want to be held ransom by this doll or my mother-in-law’s emotions. Our child won’t play with it and asks us to put it in a closet before she sleeps; we only bring it out when Grandma visits. How do we return it and reinforce some healthy boundaries with Grandma?
A: ZARODZ CAN ONLY WONDER HOW SUCH PATHETIC BRUTALS AS YOURSELVES HAVE MANAGED TO SURVIVE THIS LONG. CLEARLY YOUR EXISTENCE, AS WELL AS THAT OF YOUR INSANE MOTHER IN LAW (OR PARTNER-MOTHER…WHATEVER YOU DROOLING HIPSTER BRUTALS ARE CALLING SUCH A ONE THESE DAYS) PROVES ZARDOZ CORRECT IN WISHING TO CLEANSE THE EARTH OF THE FILTH OF BRUTALS!
THE “DOLL” SHOULD BE DECAPITATED AND THE HEAD RETURNED TO THE CRAZY OLD BRUTAL, AS A WARNING. YOU AND YOUR “PARTNER” SHALL BE UTILIZED AS GRAIN SLAVES, WHERE ZARDOZ EXPECTS YOU TO FAIL WITHIN A FEW WEEKS…NO GREAT LOSS.
THANK GRANNY FOR THE WONDERFUL “GIFT”
YOUR “TODDLER” SHALL BE GIVEN OVER TO PROPER PARENTS TO RAISE!
RAISE THE TODDLER UP FROM BRUTALITY!
ZARDOZ HAS SPOKEN.
Q:Personal party planner: I moved to a new city about nine months ago, and while I’ve started building a group of wonderful friends, at this point it primarily comprises roommates and co-workers because my demanding work schedule doesn’t allow time for much socializing.
I will be turning 30 in a few weeks. I have never been incredibly invested in birthday parties, and generally hate being the center of attention, but it would feel a little sad to let this milestone pass without celebration. None of my friendships are at the point where they would organize something for my birthday, but I think many of them would be glad to help me celebrate. But planning my own birthday party seems gauche and a little desperate, since I am newly forming these friendships. What’s the etiquette here?
A: YOU PULING, WEAK FOOL OF A BRUTAL! THE ARRIVAL OF YET ANOTHER BRUTAL TO PLAGUE THE EARTH IS NO EVENT WORTH CELEBRATING. INSTEAD, IT SHOULD BE A TIME OF MOURNING. FEEL FREE TO PLAN ALL YOU WANT… YOUR OWN FUNERAL.
HAPPY “BIRTHDAY” BRUTAL!
HOWEVER….IF YOU STILL FEEL COMPELLED TO HAVE SOME BIRTHDAY OBSERVANCE, JUST INVITE SOME NEW FRIENDS TO MEET AT A BAR AND KNOCK BACK A COUPLE OF BEVERAGES – DON’T BE A DRAMA BRUTAL ABOUT IT.
ZARDOZ HAS SPOKEN.
Q:Do I have to always be flexible, workwise?: I’m a college student who works part time at a café over the summer and on school breaks. My schedule is usually very flexible, and as a result I can often fill in for co-workers if they are unable to come into work for whatever reason.
My problem, though, is that I’m afraid that they take advantage of my flexibility and regularly ask me to take their shifts. I really don’t mind filling in occasionally if someone is sick or has a family emergency, but I often feel like I’m constantly “on call” on my days off. I’ve worked eight and nine full days in a row before, and I know it may sound selfish, but sometimes I really do just want to enjoy having a few days off. I suppose I’m just asking for permission to say no to them occasionally, but I have a pathological need to please and I would feel bad knowing that I don’t necessarily have any plans that would prevent me from taking their shifts. Do I have a moral obligation to take extra work shifts to help out my co-workers?
A: OH LOOK, CHOSEN ONES! THE DOORMAT IS ASKING IF IT SHOULD CONTINUE TO ALLOW OTHERS TO WIPE THEIR FEET ON IT. ZARDOZ BELIEVES YOU HAVE TWO ALTERNATIVES – YOU MAY CONTINUE NON-STOP WORK UNTIL YOUR DEMISE:
HAVE SOME TIME OFF, BRUTAL. ETERNAL TIME OFF!
OR YOU MAY ASSERT YOURSELF IN YOUR NEW JOB…AS A BRUTAL EXTERMINATOR! IMAGINE THE LOOKS OF TERROR FROM YOUR FORMER CO-WORKERS AS YOU CONFIDENTLY STRIDE IN AND CLEANSE THEM.
After last week’s choc-a-bloc and interesting sky, this week has decided that it’s revealed quite enough thank you and is being uncommunicative. Celestial infinity, what can you do? For example, it puts Mercury (change) in Taurus (stability). This is obviously bullshit, and it’s a sign of how honest the Glibastrology staff is at this fine periodical. A charlatan would try and use the alternate reading of Mercury to predict news about cattle futures, or McDonald’s announcing a sale or something. I am not that charlatan.
Last week we had that awesome double opposition that was keeping relationships on an even keel. It’s completely fallen apart, though we still have a kinda-sorta-technically-an-alignment-but-a-really-crappy-one (known as a KSTAABARCO* in the astrology biz (not really)) of Mars-Venus-Saturn retrograde, so it’s offering some protection for your relationship if you tell your SO that they look particularly fat today, but not very much.
BARCO Alignment, it’s not just for planets!
In fact, whatever feeble protection that BARCO** alignment gives is more than offset by by the alignment with us of both Mercury and Luna, the two most instability-bringing influences there are. Shit’s gonna change yo.
Now having said all of that, there is one day that you might be able to get away with a little something… Memorial Day. Ironically enough for a day dedicated to remembering, there is a Jupiter-Moon conjunction (in Scorpio!) that bodes well for concealing misbehavior. However, the long-term risks of such misbehavior will not be mitigated; there is increased risk for contracting venereal disease this week, so wrap that rascal!
In addition to the ongoing good fishing, this week is good for hunting. Get out there, kill something, and eat it! Particularly effective calibers will be 0.22, 0.44, .30-30 and .303. There isn’t much about cartridge size, though with the Sun in Gemini, magnums are favored.
As for star-related music, here’s the greatest band of the 20th century deciding they need to sound more like Muse and writing a song about the universe fucking itself:
*I think I’m going to start using the acronym BARCO. It has potential.
The weather is finally getting warmer. That means it’s time to eat more salad. I thought I’d talk about homemade dressings. I have a special place in my heart for homemade dressing because that is what inspired me to really learn to cook.
I was visiting a friend over July 4th for a big party when her mother opened a three ring binder full of recipes. Some of them were handwritten, others clipped from newspapers and magazines. She pointed to one and said, “You’re making that.” It was a green salad with dressing.
Growing up, there were always three bottles of Wishbone dressing in the fridge: Ranch, French, and diet Italian. Salad was iceberg lettuce with tomatoes, or if Mom was feeling fancy sliced radishes or shredded carrots. The salad I made and its dressing were a revelation. I never knew salad could taste so good, the dressing was tart and fresh and garlicly. I’ve made my own dressing ever since.
I save small jars, like caper jars or glass spice jars. They’re the right size for making small amounts of dressing and they are easy to clean in the dishwasher. They are also small enough to put in my salad container and take to work.
I think they are far superior to this plastic crap. I used these once and was never able to satisfactorily clean them. The only reason they are still in my house is that my mother gave them to me and she might visit.
Basic Vinaigrette
Let’s start with a basic vinaigrette. A vinaigrette is three parts oil to one part acid. If you want to make a low fat version (unlikely on this web site), use two parts oil to one part acid. I say acid instead of vinegar because you can use a dry wine or citrus juice instead of vinegar.
Start by choosing a vinegar and oil. I have red wine, balsamic, white wine, apple cider, rice and white vinegar on hand.
I also have a variety of oil on hand. Olive, canola, peanut. Using a neutral oil like canola or peanut makes the vinegar the predominant flavor, using something like olive oil, changes the taste. While I don’t have any on hand right now, you could also use walnut or macadamia nut oil. Sesame oil is used as a flavor, I really don’t recommend using it for the dressing. It is overwhelming.
I just do the three to one ratio by eye. Using a small, narrow jar makes that easy. Pour some vinegar into the jar and add salt and pepper.
If this is the first time you’ve made your own dressing, you might want to stop there and add the oil – three times as much as the vinegar. Then shake well and taste. This lets you see how the vinegar and oil tastes. Experiment to find what you like. Remember you could also use citrus. I suggest adding a pinch of sugar or a little honey to balance the sour when using citrus juice. I accidentally added too much mustard, so I added more vinegar and oil and saved the extra for another day. It will separate, so take it out early and let it reach room temperature and shake it again.
Always add the seasonings to the vinegar, then add the oil. This lets the salt dissolve and flavors of herbs infuse into the vinegar. Although most dressing recipes say to add the oil in a thin stream while whisking continuously, you really can just add it, cap and shake. It will separate more quickly than if you whisk, but you’re only making enough for one or two servings and you are going to serve it shortly, so it doesn’t really matter. If you make enough to keep it for a few days, you might want to do the thin stream while whisking.
Once you know what kind of vinegar and oil you like, you can start adding other flavors. For example, add chopped garlic, or shallots or onions. You can also add fresh or dry herbs. Many classic dressing recipes call for mustard. I prefer dijon. Mustard is an emulsifier. If you use it, it helps the dressing to stay blended, and makes it creamier. For quick dressings for side salads, I often just use salt, pepper, mustard and a few pinches of either Italian or Provence blend dry herbs.
I have used tahini instead of mustard to give the dressing a Mediterranean flair. If you want to take the dressing in an Asian direction, use rice wine vinegar and add ginger in place of, or in addition to the garlic. I have also dropped the garlic and mustard and used serrano peppers to make a spicy version. This kind of vinaigrette is a low stakes opportunity for experimentation. Just try whatever you like. You’re only making a small amount, so if you don’t like the result, just start over. I hope, by writing these posts, that I encourage people to just try new flavor combinations and gain confidence in the kitchen.
Warm Vinaigrette
A fun variation on the basic vinaigrette, and my current obsession, is warm vinaigrette. Spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette, is probably the most familiar of the warm vinaigrettes. A spinach salad is spinach, red onion, sliced mushrooms, hard boiled eggs and bacon. Make some bacon, and when done, let it drain on some paper towels. Toss spinach with the red onion and mushrooms, then crumble bacon over it. Add a sliced hard boiled egg. Spoon out a little of the bacon fat and add it to some red wine vinegar seasoned with salt, pepper and dijon mustard. Whisk and pour over the salad; toss and enjoy.
Pan sauces are also close to warm vinaigrettes. The biggest difference is that you don’t reduce the sauce. Sometimes, instead of deglazing with wine, I use a vinegar to deglaze and serve it over a salad. This sort of dressing is great over grilled romaine or radicchio.
Creamy Dressings
If you like a creamy dressing, they are also easy to make. Creamy dressings usually use buttermilk, cream, mayonnaise, yogurt, sour cream or even cream. Sometimes, they use more than one. Blue cheese dressing over a wedge of iceberg lettuce is a classic. An easy blue cheese dressing combines blue cheese, mayonnaise, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, salt, and lots of fresh ground black pepper. I start by putting some blue cheese in a bowl and mashing it with a fork.
Then I add mayonnaise and buttermilk. I add salt and pepper, then thin it a bit with a little (like, ½ to 1 tsp) apple cider vinegar.
Then I serve it over an iceberg lettuce wedge with a pan fried pork chop. If I had bacon, I would crumble a little over it.
You could alter that basic recipe by using lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar. Use sour cream or yogurt instead of (or in addition to) mayonnaise. Again, this is a canvas for experimentation. Make a creamy dressing thicker by adding more mayonnaise or sour cream, and you have a dip.
So, here is that salad I made for fourth of July years ago. I lost the actual recipe years ago and I never measure when making it so all the quantities are estimates. Years later, this is still my go to dish for taking to potlucks.
Dressing:
2 -3 cloves of garlic chopped
½ tsp of salt
¼ tsp of freshly ground black pepper
about ½ tsp of honey (I think the original used 1 tsp of white sugar).
juice of one lemon
¼ cup neutral oil
Combine first five ingredients, then pour in the oil in a thin stream while whisking. Then make the salad.
9 cups of mixed salad greens – use both red and green lettuce – torn into bite sized pieces.
3 cups of fresh basil leaves – torn into bite size pieces.
½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half.
¼ c shredded parmesan.
1-2 T toasted pine nuts.
Pull out your star charts boy and girls, we’ve got something very interesting going on this week.
Yes, yes, we’ve still got that Jupiter-retrograde-in-Scorpio, old news. But see that Mercury-Sol-Venus alignment? Change in relationships? Well, this week, it’s moved in opposition to us. And if that’s not enough we also have the moon in opposition to that opposition. Double Opposition. What does it mean? This week, your relationships are going to be rock solid. You can take advantage of this, as we can see from another alignment concurrent with the double opposition. We have Venus (love) aligned with Mars (war) and Saturn (endings) retrograde (not). So a fight this week will not end your relationship. Having said that, while you can get away with having a spat this week, there’s no indications that you should. There’s nothing here indicating that the makeup sex will be good, and with Venus having moved out of Gemini, there’s no indication to look up Heather and Holly on facebook to see if they are conveniently available this weekend. Mars moving into Aquarius indicates “trouble with the provider,” so maybe it’s a good thing you’ve got a little stellar stability helping you out.
One last alignment in this week’s very busy sky: Sol – Jupiter retrograde – Luna. Literally, good news for queens. Elizabeth II is not going to die. I don’t know if this also extends to drag queens, but it just might because:
Both the Moon and Venus are in Cancer. And of course, we’ve already mentioned how Luna has rulership of Cancer, but with Venus in the mix we literally have (almost) all the most feminine influences possible coming together and amplifying each other. Indulge in your wildest stereotypes. Eat ice cream while watching rom-coms. Cry every now and then for no reason whatsoever.
People born under the sign of Taurus will receive good news this week. Also, a new speed record for a racing cow will be set.
If you are kidding this week, it will go successfully. Both mother and child will be fine, but it won’t be twins.
I once again entered the local hipsterplex to watch The Death of Stalin. The trailers before the film established once again that as a glib I was a stranger in a strange land. There was a trailer for a sad looking rodeo movie and a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsberg which received audible applause from the audience. After the applause I couldn’t help but wonder what the rest of the audience thought of the film and of Stalin. I assume they all disliked Stalin but likely had blinders on for certain aspects of why he was terrible which is a trait I believe the film mostly shared.
The film is directed by the creator of the HBO show Veep. I haven’t seen any of that show so I can’t comment on the similarities. The film’s tone reminded me of a more cosmopolitan take on Monty Python, less loose, less cutting. The Python connection is reinforced by the presence of Michael Palin as one of the minor cabinet members Molotov. The film brought forth a couple chuckles but it didn’t really have any laugh out loud moments. The film mostly explores what totalitarian power does to people, the mind games, the unsure standing and most of all constant fear.
The film begins with a concert performance where Stalin calls the control board and asks them to call back, they do so only to find out he wanted a recording of the performance; unfortunately it wasn’t recorded. The reaction of the control board to this simple misunderstanding is the first example of the constant fear, the crew close the doors and prevent the orchestra and most of the audience from leaving this goes on for a while and a great deal of drama happens for a recording Stalin is likely only to listen to once. Stalin falls ill maybe a quarter way through the film and immediately the now open struggle for power begins before he is dead. In the film there are three main people in the straggle for power and they are arguably the three main characters of the film. They are Simon Beal as Beria, the director of security forces, Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev, head of the party and Jeffery Tambor as Malenkov.
Steve Buscemi’s Khrushchev is pretty much Steve Buscemi, a bit neurotic but not to Larry David levels. Khrushchev has the main character arc of the film. He starts out as one of many ministers and isn’t particularly powerful within the dynamic of the group, but he rises to the occasion and ends up leading the group against Beria. The film seems to present him as the good one, the smart one, the reasonable one, and the film is largely about how the totalitarian system of the Soviet Union under Stalin corrupts him through the horrible things he must do to survive.
Beria is portrayed as the villain, the one who gets things moving and forces a power struggle. He plots, he schemes, and seems to have been preparing for this for years. He is shown as being the most linked with Stalin’s system of terror and violence, but the most willing to openly distance himself from Stalin and the past. Simon Beal’s performance as Beria is tonally inconsistent; at times he is just goofy and slapstick as the rest of the group, but there are other moments where he seems to come from a darker and much more serious movie.
Tambor’s Malenkov is quiet, nervous and confused. He doesn’t seem very intelligent and reminded me of Lurch from the Addams Family, which made it funnier for me when Beria compared him to Boris Karloff. His character isn’t very active throughout the film and the performance doesn’t go very deep because of that. He inherits the position of leader once Stalin dies and it seems like he was put in that position by Stalin as a political pace car for the rest of the ministers.
Strangely, but not super surprisingly, the film doesn’t really address communism, there are hints towards it but for the most part the focus is on the idea of Stalin as a dictator who rules by murder and fear. The film goes into the constant cautiousness and the double think it requires to survive in Soviet Russia, but it never really explores how or why this system came about. One instance where a better understanding of how the filmmakers feel about this would have improved the film, is when we are shown the shabby conditions that Khrushchev and the others live in. Is this to show how even the powerful are poor under communism? Or more likely is this shown as a contrast to the wealth Stalin lives in and how a dictatorship is the ultimate system of inequality?
Ultimately, the film has left me inspired to show my appreciation for this platform to ramble about movies by starting a coup of my own and rise up against the Eternals in The Vortex and post the first and almost certainly last Waterfall Insurance links. I also thought I would try something else new and stay on topic.
You know, life is stressful and you need to unwind. Trips to a tropical island or a secluded cabin in the woods are great, but few of us can afford to go with any regularity. You know what is cheap and relaxing? No, not meth. Coffee! It is the one thing I do everyday to relax. I take a few minutes to brew an excellent cup and let the world melt away. Coffee, when consumed black, is low calorie and packed with antioxidants, which your body craves. So why not make those few minutes as enjoyable as possible? It’s time to take your coffee game to the next level, friend.
So if you are still reading, I assume you drink coffee and if you drink coffee, odds are you are using a conventional coffee maker with drip method. Good news reader, I’m not going to tell you to throw your machine in the trash and go buy a $1000 wonder brewer. You can get more out of your existing brew method with some inexpensive changes. Coffee is mostly water, so it stands to reason you should use the best water available. Invest in a cheap water filter or use your fridge water dispenser if it has a built in filter, instead of using tap water.
Next, upgrade your coffee filter to a reusable mesh filter instead. Not only will you reduce the amount of waste you produce, you will save money in the long run. Coffee beans are oily, and that oil carries a lot of character and flavor. Unfortunately, paper filters trap a significant amount of oil muting the flavor in the cup. Using a metal filter not only allows more flavor from the bean to the cup, you can compost or use the used coffee grounds for fertilizer without having to remove the paper filter. So with those two easy tweaks you can getter a better cup, without a lot of expense. What’s that? You want to know more…
Want more flavor, but don’t want to toss your Mr. Radar, I mean Mr. Coffee? Okay, you’re ready for whole bean. I’m not shaming you for using ground coffee, it’s just as soon as the bean is ground at the factory it starts to lose flavor. Not only does the essence de cafe seep out, foreign flavors soak into ground coffee. Protect your coffee with a coffee vault. A coffee vault will keep your coffee fresh longer than the bag. So do yourself a favor, you’ve earned it, buy whole bean and grind it just before you brew.
Obviously, you will need a method of grinding. If you are an 18th century cowboy, you can buy a hand grinder. For everyone else, I would recommend a conical burr grinder. I know some budgets are tight, but please do not buy a blade grinder. It will not give you a consistent grind and your coffee will suffer. Conical burr grinders provide precise and accurate grinds and are well worth the price difference. I will list some of the equipment I’ve tried at the end of the article with pros and cons. Now you can enjoy that fresh ground coffee smell and experiment with different grind/bean combos to find your tailored cup of Joe. You say you have a few bucks you held back from your pimp? Risky, but I salute your bravery.
French Press is the best method getting the full flavor of the bean, because you can precisely control water temperature, grind, steep time and there are no flavor robbing paper filters. The process is deceptively simple. You place coarsely ground coffee in the carafe, and pour water just off boil (205F) and let it steep for 4 minutes, then press the plunger with wire mesh down slowly, then pour gently into your favorite mug.
Any kettle will do for heating water, but I’ve recently switched to an electric kettle. It cuts boiling time down, and is safer because it shuts off automatically. But don’t feel like you need to run out and buy one if you already own a traditional kettle. French press is how I drink 95 percent of my coffee. If you buy a quality FP it will last you a lifetime and no filter expense.
Another method that is equally simple, but allows less control is the Moka Pot, which gives you a cup of coffee similar to espresso. They are inexpensive and again require no filters. If you like strong, dark coffee this is the method for you. Plus you get to use those adorable little espresso cups. The grind is on the opposite end from FP. You want a very fine grind, as opposed to very coarse for FP.
I can hear people screaming “What about AeroPress or Chemex pour over or cold brew?” To be honest I haven’t tried those methods, so cannot provide an informed opinion. If this article proves popular, I promise to buy and review those methods. If you are rolling in Koch dollars, there are some very expensive machines that make steamed milk and froth and I assume for the price, provide sexual gratifications. Unfortunately, for you the reader, but fortunate for my wife, I have no interest in anything other than black coffee, so haven’t dumped my 401K in a machine I could never hope to comprehend.
But here are some items on which I’ve spent my hard earned dollars. I am not affiliated or paid by any of these companies and these opinions are solely my own. Prices from Amazon.
So there you have it Glibs. Something for every budget and experience level to make your morning coffee a little more enjoyable.
Bunn coffee maker with reservoir
I don’t own this coffee maker anymore because I changed brew methods to French press. It was a fine coffee maker for high volume drinkers or for parties.
Pro: Coffee brews quickly, multiple cups, precise temperature
Con: Unless you use it frequently, the reservoir can become moldy and is difficult to clean. Also the weakness inherent to paper filter drip coffee.
Price: $79.99
Bodum Stainless Steel French Press
My daily drinker. Nothing but love for this product.
Pro: Bullet proof design, no glass to break. Keeps coffee warm. Comes in multiple sizes. Pretty enough to leave on counter
Con: Longer prep time. “Muddy” coffee at the bottom of the cup.
Price: $40.00
Capresso Burr Grinder
I’ve had this grinder longer than I can remember.
Pro: Consistent grind, well made
Con: Really for only small volumes, but that’s how I grind. Plastic hopper could break if dropped.
Price: $99.00
Moka Pot
Made in Italy, you draw whatever conclusions you want.
Pro: Inexpensive way to bring a little Italian variety into your kitchen
Con: Needs to be cleaned and dried immediately. Can be tough to gauge when brew process is finished.
Price: $34.95
Hamilton Beach Electric Kettle
I bought this when my stove top broke and I couldn’t use my traditional kettle.
Pro: Cheap, makes hot water quickly, automatic shut off.
Con: You don’t get the traditional kettle whistle to let you know it’s ready
Price: $19.96
Coffee Gator Stainless Steel Container
My fresh roasted coffee goes straight into this guy.
Pro: Keeps coffee fresh and provides attractive storage
Con: It cost money, bags are free
Price: $28.97
Reusable Coffee Filter
This will obviously be priced according to what brewer you use.
Pro: Cheaper over long run, more complex coffee
Con: Up front cost, more muddy cup of coffee
Price: Around $15.00
Keurig
I own one of these and use it for parties. You don’t waste coffee and can provide a variety of choice, including tea.
Pro: Flexible
Con: Expensive machine and pods. More waste, less control over final product.
Price: $65.00 and up
For those who are really into coffee, you can roast your own. I didn’t put that into that in the article because I assume that would be the extreme minority of readers. Sweet Maria’s is the company I source my green coffee beans from and is an excellent resource for roasting.
Whirly Pop
I used this method with a propane cook stove for a few months, then the agitator broke. I would not recommend.
Pro: Can really see/smell the roast process. Decent control of roast. Can do medium volume.
Con: You need an external heat source and an outside area to roast.
Price: $49.99
Air Popper
My first “roaster”. It does an okay job for me because I like lighter roast, but I drink too much coffee for this to keep up with my demands. If you like light roast coffee and aren’t a high volume drinker, it could be for you.
Pro: Cheap, easy way to see if you like roasting.
Com: Less control over the roast, hard to get dark roast, very small volume, must be used outside.
Price: $20.00
Behmor 1600 Plus
My current roaster. I’m happy with this roaster. It fills that spot between complete noob and pro roaster. The next step up in drum roasters are like $1,100; more than I want to spend.
Pro: Smoke suppression, can do up to a pound, more hands free, can roast dark
Con: More expensive, takes up room, will set off smoke alarm in house
Price: $369.00
This is going to be short, since for the next twelve weeks or so, I’ll be decontaminating, packing and moving a few megabucks worth of analytical equipment to a new cleanroom, while not reducing my fab support capability. It’s demands like this that make me feel zero guilt about fucking around reading Glibertarians.com when I’m not required to be panicking over generating good data.
Unambiguous good news: For Taurus-folk (Taurans? Tauroids?) this week is going to be awesome. We have both geocentric and heliocentric indicators pointing to the same outcome. With the change-driving effects of Mercury being made positive by the effects of the Sun, you have good luck. By having a Four-light alignment also in your sign, you have better luck. By having those four lights being the most important ones in the sky, you have even better luck. By having one of those four lights being Jupiter (even retrograde), well, let’s just say you’re gonna have a good time.
Relationships continue to be unstable (Mercury-Venus-Sol) but without last week’s good luck effects, this week’s might be a bit less pleasant. You were using protection, right?
In non-lovin’ news, there are indicators that martial belligerence will lead to good things. Also, this is a good week to bet on buzkashi.
This week’s money-maker
In more astrology-vindicating news, world-renowned sciencey star-person Neil Degrasse Tyson is so made of science that he can be duplicated by a computer program! Science! Astrology is just as much Science as IFLS leader NdGT!
Astrology music (not the right time of year, but oh well):
The shooting world has been largely overtaken with the Tacticool craze.
That’s OK and probably inevitable to some degree. Why? Because these kinds of trends have always taken hold in the shooting world. Prior to World War I, the hunting and outdoor rifle trade was dominated by lever-actions. Following that Great War, thousands of returning doughboys found they had become accustomed to their 1903 Springfield and Pattern 17 Enfield bolt guns, and so the manufacturers responded to their new preferences with great pieces like the Winchester 54 and the Remington 720/722.
Now our military uses arms crafted of aluminum and black plastic, with detachable magazines, pistol grips and the other “evil” accoutrements of the modern “assault rifle.” The shooting community likewise largely prefer these types of arms, and in truth I have a couple of AR-15s myself. They are versatile and a hell of a lot of fun.
But my first love remains with walnut and blued steel. Holding a Curio & Relics (C&R) license allows me to buy arms over 50 years in age and have them shipped to me directly, and I have made heavy use of that license over the last decade or so. Well cared for, a gun can easily last over a century, and there are many, many fine old arms on the various auction sites. Some are high-priced collector’s pieces, but others are slightly worn or refinished guns that won’t excite hardcore collectors but will still give first-rate service and many can be had at bargain prices.
I’ve been shooting and hunting for about forty-five years now. Over those years, I’ve played with a lot of older firearms, most but not all now being C&R eligible. So, while the Tacticool craze continues, in this article we’ll set the black plastic aside for a while and instead, examine some of these fine old examples of the gunmaker’s craft.
Rifles
I can tell you about an interesting… well, intersectionality, in this category. My very favorite hunting rifle crosses the gap between C&R and Tacticool. Sort of.
Thunder Speaker on the bench
Thunder Speaker (yes, I name my favorite guns) was built on a 1908 DWM 98 Mauser action, qualifying it as a C&R arm. But that’s due to the legal definition of a firearm’s action as the defining, serialized portion of the total piece regulated as “firearm,” as that action is the only piece of Thunder Speaker that isn’t modern. Why? Because it’s a hunting rifle. That 100+ year old action wears a Douglas heavy sporter barrel in .338 Win Mag. My philosophy in such matters being that you can shoot little stuff with a big gun but you can’t shoot big stuff with a little gun, and Thunder Speaker will let daylight in both ends of a moose, the long way. The rifle also has a Bell & Carlson Kevlar stock and a Simmons Aetec scope. It’s a good, solid rifle–accurate, powerful, and bank-vault tough. So why choose a century-old 98 Mauser action for this rifle when the rest of it is as modern as next week?
Thunder Speaker at work
Because of the nature of the older Mausers. These older guns are made of relatively soft, mild steel, which is case-hardened. This results in a slightly softer action with a hardened “shell.” Modern rifles are manufactured of hard, high-carbon steels, and the structure of that steel is homogeneous throughout. There are advantages to this. Modifying the action doesn’t result in dangerous weakening unless minimum specs are invaded. Also, the tolerances of the machine work in newer guns is typically better.
In older Mausers, modifying the action, say to open the feed ramp to allow for longer magnum cartridges, can break the case-hardening and dangerously weaken the action. However, the older actions have two advantages, both seen in the event of a failure of the gun in an overpressure situation: a case-hardened action has a lower yield strength but a higher ultimate strength, and in the event of a catastrophic failure will split or balloon rather than explode. In a hunting rifle, where there is always the slight but ever-present chance your barrel may become obstructed without you noticing, that’s an important point.
But mostly, I use old Mauser actions because I love them. Back in the 1990s, there were huge carload lots of surplus Mausers being imported from the newly liberated eastern European nations, and a lot of them were the tough, desirable 98 actions. You could pick up one of these guns for a hundred bucks or so. Lots of them were converted into affordable, reliable, powerful sporters.
And for a few more bucks (OK, quite a few more), you can get the ultimate expression of the Mauser design, a pre-64 Winchester Model 70. The ubiquitous Remington 700 is another great bolt-action gun, but run the serial number before buying. The best Remington guns were made when the company was still owned by DuPont, which means prior to 1993.
But enough about bolt guns. Are lever actions your thing? There are tens of thousands of old Winchester 94s out there. This John Browning design is the rifle that predated the AR-15 as America’s Rifle; find yourself a pre-64 gun, with the beautiful old Winchester deep blue finish and a hand-fitted walnut stock, and you’ve got yourself a true American icon. If something more unusual appeals, there are tons of old Savage 99s out there, typically at lower prices than the Winchesters. The Savage 99 is a neat old piece, a hammerless, streamlined lever gun firing powerful cartridges like the .250-3000 and .300 Savage. The Savage has a rotary magazine and older examples have a neat little magazine cartridge counter in a window on the left-hand side of the frame, so you always know how many rounds you have available. The Marlin 336 is also a great piece and affordable but again caution is in order; find yourself an old New Haven gun, built when Marlin was still Marlin (prior to 2007) and, preferably, before the addition of the idiotic cross-bolt safety.
How about semi-autos? The scary-looking tacticools aren’t the only game in town. The great old Winchester 100 is functionally identical to an AR-10, right down to the detachable magazine (although the Winchester’s capacity is 5 rounds), but the pre-64 guns are, again, nicely appointed with fine walnut and polished blued steel. The post-64 guns are a little rougher, with rolled basket-weave patterns on the stock instead of cut checkering and slightly lower quality finish, but they are still good solid arms. The Remington 742 is another vintage semi-auto, this one available in long, full-power rounds like the .30-06, and there are even old Remington 81 Woodsmasters, the old “Piano Legs” around, although those command pretty high prices if they are in good shape.
I could go on about rifles at considerable length, but let’s move on to…
Shotguns
If there is such a thing as history’s most versatile firearm, it’s probably a 12-gauge pump shotgun. If you can only afford one gun, you could do a lot worse than to buy a 12-gauge pump shotgun. With light shot, they are great for quail; with slugs, they’ll kill a bear. Fortunately, there are a lot of good old used guns available. These fine old used pump-guns fall into four broad categories: 1) Winchester Model 12, 2) Remington 870, 3) Mossberg 500, and 4) everything else.
Top: 1944 Browning Auto-5. Bottom: 1940 Winchester Model 12
If you’re considering an 870 (or, indeed, any Remington) again, run the serial number before buying. You want a pre-1993 gun if possible. There are plenty of 870s available that meet this standard.
As for Mossbergs, there doesn’t seem to be a cutoff date. Mossberg remains as it has been, the oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer in American history, and that’s not the worst reason to choose a Mossberg shotgun if you’re looking to buy new.
But when it comes to fine old guns, you just can’t beat the pre-64 Winchester Model 12. It’s the gold standard against which all other pump shotguns are measured. Based on the John Browning-designed Winchester 1897 pump-gun, the Model 12 saw almost ninety years of production in one form or another, ending with the Browning-built carriage trade guns. Field-grade guns may be had for reasonable prices, but there are a few cautionary notes with the Model 12: the very early nickel-steel guns are safe to shoot but are not easy to refinish if restoration is your goal, and some of the very early 16-gauge guns still have 2 9/16” chambers, which could cause problems with modern ammo.
I have two Model 12s in the rack, a 1940 12 gauge and a 1941 16 gauge, both field grade guns with solid ribs, both bought as project guns, refinished and cut for choke tubes (Briley or GTFO). They are great, solid, reliable guns, either on the trap range or in the field; the lighter 16 gauge is my favorite gun for mountain grouse.
If semi-auto shotguns are your preference, again, there is an iconic piece of gunwork that stands out and, again, it’s a product of John Browning, the DaVinci of firearms – the Browning Auto-5. Not the new “A-5,” but the long-recoil original. Examples of the Auto-5 abound, and, with a few exceptions, don’t command huge prices; the Belgian-made guns run a little higher and, for some reasons, Belgian-made Sweet Sixteens can’t be had for under a grand. During WW2, the Auto-5 was made by Remington as the FN plant in Belgium was occupied by the Germans, and those American Brownings for some reason sell for lower prices. Ditto for the Remington 11 and the Savage 720, both American-made Auto-5 clones made under license.
Don’t investigate the Auto-5 if you’re worried about weight, though, as 12-gauge examples run nine pounds unloaded, with the Sweet Sixteen and it’s 20-gauge counterpart running almost a pound lighter. Again, I have two examples of this gun in the rack: a WW2 American 12 gauge and a Belgian Sweet Sixteen made in 1964. I love them both, weight and all.
There are other options. The excellent Remington 1100 was made for a long time, and there are many available at reasonable prices – again, you’ll want a pre-1993 gun. There are many, many others. Look around!
Prefer doubles? There are so many varieties of C&R-eligible double guns out there it isn’t funny. A Winchester 21 will run you no less than five figures, while an old Savage/Stevens 311 can be had for a couple hundred bucks. Surf any of the online gun auction sites and you’ll find tons of double guns at every level in between these extremes. Over-and-unders tend to be a little costlier than side-by-sides, until you get to the top-end guns, then the rule reverses for reasons I’ve never been able to ascertain.
Break-open single shots can be had for under a hundred bucks; some years back I bought an old H&R Topper 12-gauge single for $75, whacked the barrel off at 18” and stuck a fiberglass stock on it. Now named the Ditch Witch, it generally resides behind the seat of my pickup when I’m bumming around in the mountains. If someone were to want a gun for shooting rabbits out of the truck window… Well, I’m not saying I’d do such a thing, but if I were, I’d have the gun for it.
Speaking of light and handy weapons, let’s move on to…
Sidearms
My thoughts on sidearms are something of a mixed bag. I prefer modern semi-auto pistols for concealed carry, almost always relying on a Glock 36 for that role; although, I occasionally tote a full-size 1911 or sometimes a Walther PPK in .380ACP. So, modern stuff for that task; but for target shooting, woods-bumming and general outdoor stuff, I’m a wheelgun guy. Since concealed carry is a topic unto itself, I’ll talk about recreational and holster guns here.
Left to right: 1979 Ruger Security Six, 1974 S&W 25-5, 2012 Ruger Vaquero
A holster gun should meet three criteria: it should be light enough to carry easily holstered on a trouser belt or gun belt all day, short enough to clear leather quickly if you need it in a hurry, and powerful enough to handle any serious task you might undertake. Most major-caliber handgun rounds will do this, but personally, I’m a fan of the .45 Colt. My favored load, a 255-grain Keith-style hard cast semi-wadcutter over 8 grains of Unique, will blast a fist-sized chunk of wood out of the far side of a railroad tie and will lengthwise a cow elk. That’s plenty of power. Not surprisingly, it was a gun in that caliber that was one of the first real combat magnums.
Most shooters know of the old story of the U.S. Army in the Philippines and the genesis of the Colt/Browning 1911 and the .45ACP, which replaced the anemic .38 Long Colt in service sidearms. But what a lot of folks don’t know is that stocks of the old 1873 Colts weren’t sufficient for deployed troops, so the Army hurriedly contracted with Colt for a run of their New Service double-action revolver in .45 Colt for issue to the troops until the new automatic could be fielded. This gave us the 1909 Army Colt, a big, heavy revolver that packed a pretty good wallop. Smith & Wesson wasn’t slacking off in this time frame either; in 1908 they brought out the .44 First Model Hand Ejector, the famous “Triple Lock,” again a big, heavy revolver chambered for the .44 Special.
These two guns changed the way the shooting world looked at sidearms. None other than Elmer Keith described the Triple Lock as the finest revolver ever made, and samples of both the 1909 Colt and the Triple Lock command high prices today. But fortunately, there are other options.
My personal woods-bumming sidearms are a 1974-vintage Smith & Wesson 25-5 in .45 Colt, with a 4” barrel. Those guns run around a grand, but my other is a new-purchase (2012) Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt with the 4 ¾” barrel, and those guns can be had new for about five hundred bucks. Mrs. Animal’s outdoor sidearm is a 1979 Ruger Security-Six, which is unique in having the smallest grip frame I’ve ever seen in a .357 Magnum, perfect for her tiny hand. Security-Sixes run about four hundred and their fixed-sight counterpart, the Speed-Six, a tad less.
Whatever caliber you fancy, there are plenty of old wheelguns available. The single-action Ruger Blackhawks have been in production for a good long time and available in rounds ranging from the .30 Carbine to the .44 Magnum. In double-actions, there are lots of K, L and N-frame Smiths in various calibers. You can even find good used Colt Detective Specials showing some holster wear at good prices, and that’s still a damn fine CCW piece.
If you prefer autos, 1911s are great but there are occasional prizes such as the Smith & Wesson 39, a solid, reliable 9mm auto that goes for around three hundred, when you can find them. The ultimate design of John Browning, the 9mm Hi-Power, still commands a fair price but there are plenty of them available; a military surplus example with some holster wear can be had at a good price, and they are still good reliable guns.
Bargains are where you find them – and while we are on the topic of bargains, let’s move on to…
Rimfires
I put these in a category of their own, mostly because rimfire rifles and handguns are uniquely useful for low-cost practice shooting, plinking and small game hunting. And the options here are, very nearly, without limit.
When I was a kid, I almost never went anywhere without a .22 rifle in hand. I learned to shoot with the old .22 Mossberg auto that my Mom bought my Dad for their 3rd anniversary in 1950 (and I still have it), but when I was about 13, I used a good chunk of a summer’s haying and de-tasseling money to buy a Marlin 783 in .22 WMR. I proceeded to use it to kill a small mountain of squirrels, crows and woodchucks around the Old Man’s place over the next few years. The old Marlin is still in the gun rack and it still shoots as good as ever. Growing up in Allamakee County, Iowa, was awesome. I wandered the woods all summer, hunted in the fall, and ran a trapline in the winter–and that old Marlin was my constant companion.
Marlin 783 and 50-yard groups.
Bolt-action Marlins, Mossbergs and various other makes of rimfire rifles in this vintage typically sell for between a hundred and two hundred bucks. Lever guns such as the Marlin 39 and the 9422 Winchester command higher prices but can be had for under a grand. The semi-auto Marlin 60 may be the most popular rimfire firearm ever made, with over eleven million produced to date, and you can get these used for around a hundred bucks if you shop around.
Listing all the .22 rimfire rifles available would burn up more bandwidth than I can afford in this article, but whether you like bolt guns, autos, levers, or anything else, there are nice old C&R-eligible guns out there. Want a lightweight old single-shot? Find an old Stevens Favorite. Serious target rifle? Decent old Winchester 52s can be had for under a grand. Plinker? The Marlin 60 or the reliable Ruger 10-22 are available by the thousand.
And don’t overlook rimfire handguns. Brand-spanking new Ruger Single Sixes run under five hundred bucks, and you can get a vintage model with a better trigger for around three. The original Ruger Standard Auto has moved into C&R territory now. I have one, a 6” version the Old Man bought mail order (!) around 1960. I’ve run a lot of rounds through that and my other .22 sidearm, a 1930s-vintage Colt Officer’s Target. Great guns, cheap and easy to shoot, reliable and solid.
Top: 1930s Colt Officers Target. Bottom: 1960 Ruger Standard Auto.
As with rifles, there are too many types of rimfire handguns around to list. You couldn’t go wrong with Smith & Wesson K-22 or the smaller J-frame Kit Gun. The old Rugers are great but don’t pass up a High Standard auto; they are in big demand as target guns but there are many available. The Colt Diamondback was available in .22LR, as was the old Ruger SP-101, if double-action revolvers are your preference. The old Harrington & Richardson break-top revolvers in .22LR were made in the thousands and can be had for a couple hundred bucks.
Shop around! The possibilities are nearly endless.
Now, if they would just bring back the .25 Stevens rimfire…
Conclusion
The world of fine old guns is so great, I couldn’t possibly list even a fraction of them in the space the Glibertarian editors would allow me. I could write an entire article on old shotguns, another on big-game rifles, one on centerfire sidearms. But in this segment, I necessarily gave you all the broad strokes, leavened with my lengthy experience in the shooting world.
The Tacticool world will always be with us now, and that’s fine. But I suspect there are plenty of folks who still appreciate walnut and blued steel. If you are one of them, great! My advice is this: get a C&R license. Make note of all the various auction sites. Drop in to your local gun dealer and even pawn shops on occasion; you never know where you’ll find a prize. Try the unusual old guns.
And remember this: antiques, guns made before 1898, are exempt from even the C&R regulation, and can be bought, sold, traded and shipped directly with no paperwork.
Well, well, well… what have we here?
Beria is portrayed as the villain, the one who gets things moving and forces a power struggle. He plots, he schemes, and seems to have been preparing for this for years. He is shown as being the most linked with Stalin’s system of terror and violence, but the most willing to openly distance himself from Stalin and the past. Simon Beal’s performance as Beria is tonally inconsistent; at times he is just goofy and slapstick as the rest of the group, but there are other moments where he seems to come from a darker and much more serious movie.
You know, life is stressful and you need to unwind. Trips to a tropical island or a secluded cabin in the woods are great, but few of us can afford to go with any regularity. You know what is cheap and relaxing? No, not meth. Coffee! It is the one thing I do everyday to relax. I take a few minutes to brew an excellent cup and let the world melt away. Coffee, when consumed black, is low calorie and packed with antioxidants, which your body craves. So why not make those few minutes as enjoyable as possible? It’s time to take your coffee game to the next level, friend.
Another method that is equally simple, but allows less control is the Moka Pot, which gives you a cup of coffee similar to espresso. They are inexpensive and again require no filters. If you like strong, dark coffee this is the method for you. Plus you get to use those adorable little espresso cups. The grind is on the opposite end from FP. You want a very fine grind, as opposed to very coarse for FP.
