Musings from the basement...

There’s a Reason So Many Beers Are Named After Myths, Gods and Monsters

May 14, 2020 0 Comments

Originally published in the Philadelphia Weekly, May. 30, 2012, but long since taken offline (though available on the Internet Archive). So here it is in full. Drinking beer: It’s an act that transcends mere enjoyment, isn’t it? Throughout history, we’ve had an almost spiritual connection with our beer, one that leans toward the most fierce, primal part of who we are as human beings. Whereas wine is seen as civilized, refined, and at times erotic, beer conjures up something quite different—something wild, something untamed. In ancient days, triumphant warriors returned home from a day of plunder to down their ale while bragging of victory—intoxication swelling each boast into a bloated, fantastical account of deeds that defy human abilities. Small wonder, then, that so many modern…
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Craft Beer, Works by Eric

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J.R.R. Tolkien, Hobbits, and BEER

May 11, 2020 0 Comments

Originally published on Celebrating the Suds, September 23, 2011 So, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Yeah yeah yeah, I know what you’re thinking. “This is a beer blog. Why the hell are you posting about the dude who wrote about elves and hobbits and all that?” I’m doing it because Tolkien and beer go together like me and Kate Beckinsale. (Just go with me on this, please.) Tolkien loved his beer, something reflected in his fiction by way of the Hobbits’ passion for a pint and the way in which a good pub is shown to be central to finding true contentment. Throughout The Lord of the Rings, for example, Merry, Pippin and Sam are forever looking for…
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Books & Authors, Craft Beer, Geek Stuff

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New zone out music: Second Slumber – Empty Nest (2020)

May 8, 2020 0 Comments

Unlike writing, I’ve still kept music “pure.” By that I mean it’s still something I go to when I just want to freely express myself, pushing out what’s in my head and heart and soul in an abstract way without worrying about whether or not it’s “right.” So when throughout 2019 I was working on an album I knew would end up being called “Empty Nest,” it wasn’t a formal project I was working towards — dear lord I do too much of that — it was just something I gravitated to when I wanted to escape my thoughts, cares, and worries of the day. Plug in the guitar, put on the headphones, and hope for the best, right? The following is the result, culled…
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Music, Works by Eric

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Planting Onions for the End Times (and other veggies you can store)

March 23, 2020 0 Comments

When the nearby strip malls and shopping plazas are in flames, rioters tearing one another’s hair out and stomping one another to death in the blood-and-covid19-soaked parking lot, my onions will be just about ready to harvest. Onions are easy to plant and grow, and depending on your growing zone, now is the time to plant. You want to aim for early spring, when the soil is no longer frozen and can be easily worked. We’re talking a solid six weeks or so before you’re plant your tomatoes and peppers, give or take. Onions require a pretty long growing season, though one nice thing is that you can harvest them pretty much any time you want, either for green onions and/or as scallions, as smaller…
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Gardening, Random Musings

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Gardening at the End of the World

March 21, 2020 0 Comments

Since fully immersing myself into the gardening hobby — some would say obsession — my primary focus has always been on growing food. Growing lots of stuff to eat. Producing. Not from any kind of necessity, but because good production is a nice, tangible result of your efforts. All that food, those jars of pickles, those hot sauces you share, the jars of salsa that are 17x better than store bought, all of that stuff is something you can see and touch and enjoy. To me, it’s not much different than recording music at home or writing or painting. When you’re done, there is something to show for your efforts. As the world is lit on fire, this is the first time it actually feels…
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Gardening, Random Musings

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