All Consuming : Don LaVange

Decent Beer, but not exceptional (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 02:35:17 GMT

by united breweries

I drink this beer when I eat Indian food, but my buddy brought it to our weekly tasting. Bottom line, it’s ok, nothing to rave about. It’s pretty good when I’m eating great Indian food—not sure why that should be, but by itself it was just ok.

A story about "Midnight's Children: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 03:12:48 GMT

Midnight's Children: A Novel

by Salman Rushdie

test

Sweet, low carbonation, and strong

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:31:21 GMT

Brother David's Triple Ale

by Anderson Valley Brewing Company

I didn’t love this beer as much as the double that they make. I think I’ll try it again in the winter, it was a bit sweet and under-carbonated for a summer afternoon.

Fragrent, refreshing and slightly sweet.

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:26:43 GMT

Brother David's Double Ale

by Anderson Valley Brewing Company

This is a wonderful Abbey style ale from those folks at Boont speaking Anderson Valley Brewery in California. This has the most delightful nose, but runs a tad under carbonated to my taste. Still, I could drink a lot of this beer. It has a pretty high alcohol content (something like 9 percent) and the huge bottle makes for a very “spirit”ual experience.

Delicious, clean, malty

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 15:04:31 GMT

Affligem Dubbel

by Abbey Abdij

This lovely brown ale has a wonderful malty nose and a clean robust flavor. I’d like to try it with something creamy to eat as I think the crisp, clean flavor will help cut right through it. For some reason, it also seemed to hint that it would love to be paired with fish.

A fairly pricey beer, but wonderfully delicious. This week it’s on sale for half the regular 10 dollar a bottle price.

One of the best books I've ever read (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:23:34 GMT

The Satanic Verses: A Novel (Bestselling Backlist)

by Salman Rushdie

This book utterly transcends the nonsense of it being somehow offensive to a religion. It rises to attack racism, notions of good and evil, religious power among others. Like other Rushdie works, it’s pages are filled with poetry and power. I will read it again.

Why I recommend "A Thousand Splendid Suns"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sun, 27 May 2007 18:20:20 GMT

A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini

A beautiful story set about women, children, families, love and religious and cultural bondage. It’s emotional story mirrors the nightmare that has been Afghanistan for decades, culminating in the hard line religious oppressive climate of the Taliban. A good way to take in all the turmoil that is Afghanistan and useful as well for making one realize the things that are important.

A story about "It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:28:31 GMT

It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking

by Kasma Loha-Unchit

I picked up this book somewhere years ago, read the first chapter and then put it on the shelf. For whatever reason, I thought of it today and have been reading it since I woke up. Needless to say, I’m in the mood for Thai food.

A story about "The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 20:21:28 GMT

The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century

by Howie Carr

My father sent me this book a couple days ago. He had enjoyed it and had Howie Carr autograph it saying:
To Don: The Lone Liberal in the State of Utah!

Why I want to consume "Full Sail Rip Curl"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 02:04:44 GMT

Full Sail Rip Curl

by Full Sail Brewery

This delicious beer is surprisingly on sale in my local liquor store. I live in Utah, where beer is strangely overpriced, but you can get pretty good deals on wine, and hard liquor is about the same as it is everywhere.

Just why is beer so verbotten in happy valley? Something about the notion that the common man drinks beer, and he has to be stopped. Anyway, this was supposed to be about Rip Curl. It’s a delicious beer—I don’t have the language to describe why I like it other than it’s clean and balanced feeling, it has a delicious flavor, very straightforward. I want another one!

My Favorite Stories (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 19:35:38 GMT

Sudden Fiction International: Sixty Short-Short Stories

by Robert Shapard

This is a wonderful collection of fiction. I especially loved Leslie Norris’ “Blackberries” and Kenneth Bernard’s “Preparations”. These stories, so quickly over, so packed with life continue to reverberate in my brain. I heartily reccommend.

A story about "Sudden Fiction International: Sixty Short-Short Stories"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 18:23:12 GMT

Sudden Fiction International: Sixty Short-Short Stories

by Robert Shapard

I first bought this book years ago. I read a few stories and then never returned to it. Everything I’ve read in it is wonderful, so for the next while, I’m going to read a story every day in it.

Why I recommend "Boston Legal - Season One"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:04:47 GMT

Boston Legal - Season One

I love Boston Legal. The repartee between “Denny Crane and Shore” seems to come out of equally unlikely pairing of Shatner and Spader. I’d missed most of the first season, and saw a good deal of the second. I’ll be buying the second season when it comes out in Septermber of this year. Good T.V!

Why I recommend "Syriana"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 14:50:47 GMT

Syriana

by Stephen Gaghan

I quite liked this show (although my copy of the dvd had some sound problems, very quiet in some spots). Had some very intense scenes of torture I could have done without, but it was part of the story, part of the anger of the problem. A complicated story with powerful deep currents that move the apparent players like flotsome on the surface as they go about their true ends.

Why I want to consume "Boston Legal - Season One"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 16:21:02 GMT

Boston Legal - Season One

This is really the only tv show I watch now. I bought the first season, which I missed most of, so that I could catch up with what I’ve seen in the second season. I will probably buy the second season when it’s available.

Why I want to consume "Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 16:16:12 GMT

Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries

by Ramsay MacMullen

A very interesting look at the changes that result in the pagan traditions being replaced by the christian ones, from the fourth to eighth centuries.

A review of "Ilium"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 16:24:07 GMT

Ilium

by Dan Simmons

Fun, because the story stays nicely in synch with the Illiad.

A story about "The Eyes of a Flounder: Poems"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 21:36:10 GMT

The Eyes of a Flounder: Poems

by Laura Hamblin

She’s my dear friend. She read poems from this book the other day where I work:

http://research.uvsc.edu/lavange/reading/

A story about "Being with Rachel: A Personal Story of Memory and Survival"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 21:33:07 GMT

Being with Rachel: A Personal Story of Memory and Survival

by Karen Brennan

I saw Ms. Brennan the other day, reading at my college. Here are my shots of the event:
http://research.uvsc.edu/lavange/karenbrennan/

A story about "Roma Eterna"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 20:27:37 GMT

Roma Eterna

by Robert Silverberg

Honestly, this was a pretty sloppy work. I like Silverberg normally, and I like the subject matter, but I felt that it was poorly written. I think this was a re-write of earlier stuff of his.

A story about "Real World Adobe Photoshop CS (Real World)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Don LaVange) — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 18:36:06 GMT

Real World Adobe Photoshop CS (Real World)

by David Blatner

I’ve been reading this for awhile, mostly as a reference.