Let Them Eat . . . Bread

 The other day, there was a story in the news that one could really sink his or her teeth into. You might think I was referring to the seditious conspiracy conviction of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes or the latest kerfuffle surrounding Donald Trump.

But no . . . I'm referring to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and its designation of the baguette as an integral part of our collective cultural heritage. It joins other like designated items such as traditional tea making in China, sauna culture in Finland, a grass mowing competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Korean mask dance known as "talchum."

The designation, among other things, gives international recognition to the apparently heretofore lowly baguette. There is now also the opportunity to apply for funding to preserve the baguette's "intangible" heritage for future generations.

In announcing the addition of the baguette to its "intangible cultural heritage" list, UNESCO head Audrey Asoulay called the baguette "a daily ritual, a structuring element of the meal, synonymous with sharing and conviviality" and said it is "important that these skills and social habits continue to exist in the future."

Reading about the designation, I was surprised to learn that the baguette has only been the baguette since 1920. Before that, it was presumably just bread and therefore not culturally significant.

Much like Bottled-in-Bond bourbon, the baguette has a few standards it must meet in order to be a baguette and, again, not simply a loaf of bread. It must be 30 inches (80 centimeters) in length and weigh eight ounces (250 grams).

The UNESCO designation comes more than 18-months after France applied for inclusion on the UN's Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of good safeguarding practices. The title is quite a mouthful and it was probably even harder to say with a mouthful of baguette, as I presume many baguettes were consumed in the name of research and in order to come to a decision.

One bakery owner said the designation would "comfort bakers and encourage the next generation." French President Emmanuel Macron calls the baguette "250 grams of magic and perfection in our daily lives."

So, the next time you step into a bakery, pick up a baguette or two and instantly become a more cultured individual. Bon appetit!

In Memoriam - Thoughts on Loss

 Earlier this week, I got word that a friend from my younger adult days had died. We had lost touch over the years because of distance, both geographical and philosophical. From the occasional pictures that would pop up on social media, I gather that she had been in poor health for some time.

Hearing about her passing got me to thinking of the times when I lived in closer proximity and would spend many an hour with her and husband at their house, talking, arguing, laughing. Sometimes it would just be the three of us (and their young daughter). Other times, there would be more people around.

She and I fell out over politics, a sadly all too common occurrence in this increasingly polarized nation in which we live. Both of us were guilty of not being able or perhaps willing to hear the other person or to try to learn why the other person held the views they held. None of that really matters now.

I can't say there is ever a good time to lose a loved one, but facing such loss as people head into the holiday season has to be especially difficult. I would imagine that the holidays would take on a different tenor because they would always be a reminder that a loved one is no longer here to share the togetherness that many of us practice and experience at this time of year.

As we age, loss becomes more commonplace and more inevitable. It is both a sad fact and a reminder of the circle of life. So celebrate the people around you while they are still around you. Recall fondly the people who have been a part of your journey through this life, regardless of the stage at which you and they shared the path.

Finally, I want to share some advice I've give out over the years after people have suffered a loss, whether it be a loved one or an old friend or a long time pet. I don't think I'm the only one to ever come up with it, but I've never heard it said, so perhaps I am. That advice is this: as long as that loved one, that friend, that pet lives on in your memory, they are never truly gone. And that is something worth giving thanks for. Happy Thanksgiving.

An Ending or a New Beginning? (Book Review)

 

Last month, the 24th installment in Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series, A Heart Full of Headstones, was published. This latest installment from the master of Tartan Noir finds the author in fine form, aside from a couple of niggling nits I'll pick at later.

The usual suspects are present: the aging, yet still cantankerous and contrary Rebus, who battles both COPD and the powers that be in order to investigate the possible return of a long missing man (despite no longer being a serving police officer) at the behest of Rebus' nemesis (and perhaps the yin to his yang), Morris Gerald Cafferty, better known in police circles as Big Ger but now confined to a wheelchair after being shot.

Rebus' longtime sidekick and protege, Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke returns, investigating the murder of a serving police officer who, whilst in the throes of a bitter divorce, also threatens to dish the dirt on the corrupt goings-on at his station. DI Malcolm Fox is back as well, working the case with Clarke in hopes of nailing some of the corrupt but now-retired higher ups and perhaps snaring Rebus in the bargain.

As always, Edinburgh is itself a character in this latest offering from Rankin. Rankin showcases the ever changing Edinburgh landscape while also making it clear he has a bit of a soft spot for those seedier  and/or working-class areas now beginning to surrender to gentrification.

Rankin weaves seemingly unconnected threads together into a fairly cohesive story, one which I finished in a single sitting. The past and present come together and collide in various ways, not only for Rebus but for several other of the characters. Rebus himself reflects on whether or not he went too far in crossing the line with regard to cases he worked.

Rankin begins and ends A Heart Full of Headstones with Rebus in the dock, although we don't find out why until near the end of the book. In-between, we have an apparent mastermind who has taken over some of Cafferty's business, legit or otherwise, only things aren't quite as they seem. We have a missing man who stole from Cafferty years ago but who Cafferty now says he wants to forgive. (Does he?)

The divorce mentioned earlier also revolves around domestic abuse and the husband's attempt to escape punishment by threatening to blow the lid off of corruption at his station. As you might guess, said husband ends up dead, though not until more than 100 pages in, the only actual murder in the novel. One other death occurs very near the end, but I would chalk that one up to self-defense.

Now to my quibbles with this 24th Rebus installment from Ian Rankin. As I mentioned earlier, Rankin begins and ends his book with Rebus in a Scottish courtroom. Fair enough. The fact that we don't learn why until near the end is fine as well. However, Rankin leaves us hanging with regard to the fate of Rebus. I suppose that is a good thing, as it almost certainly means a 25th installment will be coming. Still, I would have preferred a resolution . . . just in case.

My other real issue is with how DI Malcolm Fox comes across. In the past, Fox could be seem as a bit sanctimonious and holier-than-thou, and his ambitions were never far from the surface. Still, he always seemed to me to be a generally good guy. Here, though, Fox seems to me to be a bit more craven in terms of his ambitions and a bit more obsequious in his willingness to brown-nose his superiors. He does redeem himself a bit toward the end of the book, particularly with regard to the career of DI Clarke.

In bringing together the past and the present while also hinting toward the future, Rankin has woven a fairly masterful tale. Despite the unresolved ending, A Heart Full of Headstones reads in many ways as both a beginning and an ending. The ending, if it isn't yet here, is surely coming for Rebus. After all, he can't live forever, can he? At the same time, Rankin's ending hints at the beginning of new and different adventures featuring DI Siobhan Clarke as the central character.

All in all, while perhaps not perfect, A Heart Full of Headstones is another worthy installment in the long-running Inspector Rebus series. Grab yourself a single malt and a comfortable chair and curl up with another fine read from the master of Tartan Noir, Ian Rankin. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

A Heart Full of Headstones, ©2022 Little, Brown and Company. 331 pp.

Rising from the ashes.

 It has been four years since my last post on this blog, the blog that began my journey back in 2008 down the rabbit hole that is the blogosphere. It seemed time for it to make another appearance.

I'm not yet sure what I will devote these "pages" to. Unlike my other blog, My Wordsmithing, which is devoted to my songwriting, I began this blog to talk about whatever was on my mind, some of which I expected to hit as if it had come from out of left field. Hence the blog's title.

My goal is to keep the subject matter somewhat eclectic. So readers (if there are any) can expect to find the occasional book review, samples of my meager attempts at poetry, discussion of news articles I find interesting, and so on.

I will try to be disciplined enough to post two to three times a week, but we will see how far that intention carries me. Some posts will likely be short; others may have more meat on the bones, as it were. Hopefully, none of them will be too boring or tedious.

I hope you will come join me on this new or resumed blogging journey. I suspect there will be plenty to see From Out of Left Field.

2018 in Review

I'm generally not one for taking stock, but as 2018 comes to an end, I thought I would take a look back at what has been a pretty eventful year. Doing so also gives me an opportunity to resurrect this somewhat dormant blog.

The year has been somewhat eventful where Christopher is concerned. He got a job, lost a job, and has begun looking for a job once again. The process itself seemed to take forever and could possibly do so again.

On the music front, we played 27 shows in 2018, not counting our participation in parties or the monthly forum of the Idaho Songwriters Association. Perhaps our biggest and best performance came at the end of June when we took part in an ISA Songwriter Showcase at the Riverside Hotel's Sandbar Lounge. The crowd is probably the largest one we have played for, and it was a blast.

We have one performance scheduled so far for 2019, though I am hopeful of perhaps doing as many as 30. As has been the case the last couple of years, farmers' markets will likely make up the bulk of those shows. Hopefully we will see you out at one of the markets. If so, stop by and say hello.

One of the biggest events for me personally was my decision to take a class in podcasting. That led to my launching Measured Voices, a podcast featuring conversation and music with area songwriters. Now 23 episodes in, I can say I enjoy doing the podcast as much as I do writing and singing my own songs. I am so thankful to everyone who has guested on the podcast and also for all of the positive feedback the podcast has received.

On the subject of music, it was a busy year on the writing front. I shared 92 original songs in 2018 on my songwriting blog, My Wordsmithing. Two of those were repeats of other songs shared in 2018, and two others were revisions of songs shared earlier in the year. In 2019, I hope to top the 300 post mark on the songwriting blog. (I have 33 posts to go.)

In 2018, I did something musically I had never done before - I played my guitar (badly) and performed one of my songs solo at a songwriting workshop. In 2019, I may try to play in front of an audience. I have a candidate or two in mind. Stay tuned.

We rounded out 2018 musically by doing some recording of acoustic guitar and vocals. The goal is to put together a new CD of original music in time for summer. It looks like we may also sign up for a subscription service so that we can sell downloads of individual songs.

This year was an eventful one on the relationship front. Teresa and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. We marked the occasion by opening our home for an anniversary party to both musician and non-musician friends and celebrated with food, drink, and, of course, music. We had such a good time, we are thinking about hosting a Second Annual 25th Anniversary party next year.

2018 saw us doing more music, less camping, and spending a lot more time with friends. Music has allowed up to connect with people and develop some meaningful friendships where we laugh and sing and share music, as well as sharing some good food and good wine and good conversation.

My 2019 wish is for more of the same for me and for you. Happy New Year!