An Ode

Well are you my darling dear
Sweet and bouncing through my life
Warm my hands and warm my heart
Give me love and give me calm.

All my troubles are nothing
All my fears are nothing
All the world is nothing
When you lie beside me.

Little nose that bumps
Little voice that trills
Eyes that glow and search in turn
Toes that click in walking.

Lounge and roll my darling dear
Grab and sniff and wiggle
When you go, I will remember
You are the frame to fill.

Do Your Morals Think?

The greatest gotcha question believers think they can ask an atheist seems to be, "But where do you get your morals from?"  Their smug promotion of this question makes it seem as if we all get our morals and values through some kind of divine ESP, without requiring any sort of human support for what gets transmitted to us.  At least, that is how it should be, but we certainly do receive teaching and reinforcement of what are moral actions from the people around us.  Are our parents playing God when they tell us not to lie?  Are our teachers doing so when they tell us to treat our classmates well? And what about our friends who tell us we said something offensive last night at the bar after a few drinks?  Obviously, our morals come from other people in our society, not directly from on high.  "But, but, but what about the original morals?" believers may whine.  It does not take much imagination to think that these so-called original morals were worked out through trial and error, much as we continue to refine our social morality today.

Still, many believers are not comfortable without some kind of scripture to lean on, a physical testament of the accepted behavior of followers of whatever supernatural being.  The Ten Commandments (cue angelic choirs) is trotted out in Western Countries to fill this role, despite the fact that Christians' own New Testament supposedly makes them unnecessary and perhaps supersedes them with the more loving Beatitudes.  Hardly anybody learns the Beatitudes, however.  Nobody demands to post them outside the court house or city hall.  It is always those Ten Commandments.  Now, several internet writers pointed out just over a year ago that the Seven Tenets of the Satanic Church were actually more moral and better guides to good behavior than the ever-so-sacred Commandments.

It comes down to this: The Seven Tenets put the responsibility on the individual to act in kind and unharmful ways towards others; the Commandments demand obedience without explanation.  Those who follow religious teachings do so without analysis or understanding, even when they are asked to understand their obedience.  It would be difficult to pay serious attention to the Tenets without understanding the reasons, goals, and results.  Without blind obedience, there must be thought and decision-making.  For this reason, atheists have said that believers have no real morality of their own, since they do what they are told, whatever it is.  This is how people commit great crimes as a people, by adhering to obedience to authority instead of true morality, or at least a morality that recognizes the value of the individual.

from northern shores

While strolling through the beer store, I spied something new on the shelves - Cyrillic.  Yes, a Russian beer had landed on Spanish shelves.  Top Fuel, from a brewery in St. Petersberg, but brewed at Latvia's Latgales Alus, stood proudly among the now familiar Scandinavian labels.  I had thought to seek out a black beer, but the call of novelty can be irresistible (I had a porter on Sunday anyway: Magic Rock Common Grounds - exquisite). 

It's lighter than I expect imperial IPAs to be now, sort of a straw color.  The sharp, sweet-acidic scent is about right, though.  There's also a firm, white head crowning a most beery looking of beers.  The flavor is heavy on the citrus, alternating between bitter and sweet, and filling the mouth well.  There's something of a fiery aftertaste, making you wonder if there isn't some hard alcohol hiding in the ingredients list; there's a lot of Russian on the label, so I could miss it.  The English ingredients are standard beer, at least.  While refreshing, I have to say there's a little clinginess to the taste, I can feel a sort of sticky bitterness on the back of my tongue.  It's not entirely unpleasant, but the cleanness the beer starts out with makes you think the aftertaste would be minimal.  Getting to the bottom of the glass brings out more bitter than there was at first, but the feel of the beer remains the same.  It's a good, solid drink, although bright and snappy.  A fine beverage for spring evenings.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €4.57

Woody Guthrie - Songs Of The People

What else does a people have that holds them together like song?  And who holds on to that song like a folk singer?  Folk singers, like Woody Guthrie, keep the soul of a people or a nation bright and shiny, ready to face its past, present, and future with bravery and optimism.

Guthrie's life began appropriately for a folk hero - in a poor, rural family in a "less respectable" part of the country.  Tragedy left its mark, with a sister dying in a house fire, a mother whose illness led her to an institution before her death, and a father whose financial dreams ended in failure.  Both parents were musical - Guthrie learned a variety of traditional songs from both of them.  The oil boom in his Oklahoma town ended in the 1920s, leaving Guthrie amidst a population of disappointed inhabitants, all with motivation for mobility.  The tragedies of his early life forged Woody Guthrie's humor and wandering personality, his need for the freedom of the road.  For the rest of his life, he would change homes and coasts a number of times, often leaving his family behind.  As he moved, he composed songs about the work programs of the Depression, patriotism and duty to country during World War II, and always about the regular people who were the basis of that country.  His friends and musical collaborators also made names for themselves: Pete Seeger; Lead Belly; Sonny Terry; and many more besides.  Their group of performers preserved traditional songs, and wrote new ones about the issues affecting the people of the day, including unions, peace, politics, and human rights.  Guthrie began to show erratic behavior on his last road trips in the early '50s, eventually being diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, the same disorder that had killed his mother.  Another generation of musicians was being inspired by Guthrie's work in the '50s and.  '60s, and some of them visited him in the hospital.  Bob Dylan in particular was enthralled with Guthrie's music and played Guthrie's own songs for him in his hospital bed.  Woody Guthrie died in 1967, leaving pages of words, published or not, hours of recordings, and a love of life carried on by his friends.

What does folk music mean today?  Is it just a relic of a past, where people spent time together, paying attention to each other and carrying out common activities?  The views of Woody Guthrie and his contemporaries seem to indicate that folk music cannot become a fossil from a past time if the people still make music for themselves.  We do not have to sing about nobles or ladies lost, but songs of our own pain and joy tap into the same need.  Professional music might be more available today than it was in the past, but the songs that we sing to ourselves, in the shower, in the car, at the bar, are our new folk music.  Folk songs do not need to come from unknown or anonymous sources, they only need to reflect the feelings of the folk and be simple enough for amateur performance.  Guthrie was, in fact, a great supporter of "sharing culture" before that was a thing, encouraging people to freely share and perform his music.

The folk musician and folk music itself must connect on some deep level with the listeners, giving them a story they identify with in a way that stays in their heads.  A way they can relive any time they like.  Woody Guthrie and artists like him tell us what is in our hearts and souls when we cannot see it ourselves.  We might think that folk songs are simply laments from the powerless, or at most a call to action that only the most irritated will heed.  However, folk music describes the human condition in all its glory and its filth, insisting that we look upon our mistakes and our excesses as well as our problems and joys.  Guthrie was a fervent anti-fascist and had a keen eye for social injustice of all kinds.   His songs celebrate outlaws, not as criminals, but as vigilantes fighting a cruel and corrupt system.  How many heroes of traditional songs fought an unjust king or lord?  How many highwaymen took from a wealthy traveler to feed a poor peasant family a la Pretty Boy Floyd?  Guthrie's vision reflects a universal human reality, a desire for justice and righteousness, a good world for all of us.  For this reason, his work can only be called true "folk".

drink your milkshake

One of my favorite beers is Vanilla Black Velvet, a collaboration stout from La Quince and Guineu.  It seems they have another stout prepared, and I couldn't resist snatching it up.  This one is Vanilla Milkshake Stout, which sounds like it should be even smoother and creamier than the other one, which would be quite a feat.

It's a bit pungent, but the color is appetizing and the head is solid and fluffy.  It's quite bitter at first, then gets a little chocolate-vanilla mix of sweet, but suddenly there's a rush of almost licorice.  Now, some people would undoubtedly appreciate that, but I'm not a fan of licorice.  It's the first sip that has the big blast of flavor, the following sips are a little more subdued.  The shifting flavors continue, but the sweetness seems to hang on for longer.  After a while, a sort of peppery taste develops, giving the beer a little kick where it could have been just smooth and sweet.  Maybe not for everybody's taste, licorice, pepper or not, but it's a good beer to contemplate.  Possibly a little heavy for a warmer day, but it's only spring.  Well, almost spring.  A cool breeze just makes a good stout better.

Supplier: La Birratorium
Price: €4.25

green leaves and apples

Yeah, I was a little late with the last beer, for philosophical reasons.  Or maybe I should say meaningful ones.  Anyway, here's a chance to make up for it with a double - my regular Saturday and St. Patrick's!  Oddly, I didn't see any Irish beers on the shelves, but there was a small selection of cider.  I wavered between two, in the end picking up Craigies, mostly because the little vehicle on the label made me smile more.  It looks like the bicycle with an armchair on it.  Just the sort of thing you might create after five ciders or so.

It's very fizzy and a little cloudy, what you might expect from an apple product.  The smell is like apple juice (of course) but also a little buttery and smoky.  It's not nearly as sweet as some more commercial ciders, and not as dry as most Spanish ones, but the apple flavor is definitely present.  There's also the sharp taste of fermentation, reminding me of our non-alcoholic ciders and pleasant fall weather.  It's a nice, naturally sweet tasting drink, with its features linking up to all parts of the year: sharpness and fizz are refreshing for spring and coming summer; apple essence and a little spiciness bring October and December to mind, with cider or spiced drinks for the cold weather. 

Supplier: La Birratorium
Price: €4.45

take pride in your work

What kind of beer do you need when summer comes too early?  One that quenches thirst!  One that cleanses the palate!  One that makes you feel warm and fuzzy about warm and sticky evenings!  In short, one that gets the job done.  I don't think I've had Cornish IPA before, but there's little chance that English beer will be disappointing.  There's some chance, but not that much.  At least I'll have a nice big bottle if it turns out bland.

It has a clear yellow beer color, but not much head.  There's a delicate scent, not as heavy as most hop-heavy craft ales, with just a touch of citrus.  Of course it has a slight citrus taste, more mellow than expected, but not unpleasant.  The beer is fully bitter but not biting, with a barely sweet beginning that ends in plainly bitter finish.  It's very smooth, no surprises develop while going down the bottle.  It's full flavored enough that it could stand on its own, but not demanding with startling flavors, so it can safely accompany food.  It could also go well with a friendly but serious conversation.

Job well done!

Supplier: Prost Chamberí
Price: €3.50

poking into something different

Fábrica Maravillas has branched out into retail!  Sort of!  One of the cool stores of Malasaña is vending some of their bottles for them, and I thought I'd check it out just to see something new.  It's a home decoration store, so not much that I would pick up for myself, lazy decorator that I am, but the bottles of Malasaña Ale were on the shelf, and for the same price as in the brew pub.  Well, who can resist that?

Hey, that bottle looks familiar...

It smells just like memories of the Fábrica, a little appley and barely citrusy.  It also has the most perfect of beer looks, with the dark yellow color and the bright fluffy head.  The flavor is very mild, like I remember, although maybe a little more bitter than what I thought I should expect.  It's not at all unpleasant; I remembered a bit more fruitiness, but maybe that was just the batch I had.  This bottle is pure ale bitter, but nicely balanced with an unidentifiable sweet that makes for an extremely smooth drink.  If there was a beer to define modern beers, Malasaña would probably be it.  Nothing about the taste or smell is pushy, and everything is gently pleasing.  In spite of my fascination with black beers, I have to admit, it's a damn fine beer, and not one to be missed.

Supplier: El Moderno
Price: €4.50