News of my World
40 Years in Beer, Part Thirty Seven: Andy Warhol, the Tatras,...
Previously: 40 Years in Beer, Part Thirty Six: One fine evening in Košice with Pilsner Urquell at the Zlatý Dukát.
While I was living in...
Archipelago Travels
Technically Challenged
Hip Hops: Craft beer, still “brewed for flavor and drinkability”
I may be missing someone, but it appears that with the possible exception of Louisville Ale Trail, I'm the only writer currently devoting attention...
Miscellany
The war in Afghanistan turned out like it did because of...
It’s absolutely true, as well as inarguably tragic, that ordinary soldiers must die while trying to facilitate the conclusion of a mistake. It is...
Most popular
Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, et al (Part One)
A Duke Named Ellington was a two-part "American Masters" film on PBS in 1988.
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974) was a musician and orchestra leader...
My curious habit of conversing with other people over beers, and why I won’t...
Today's dual cover photos depict beers in the act of being consumed, three years apart, illustrating my fundamental position affirming the value of conversation,...
Books and politics, with Roberto Bolaño and “The Savage Detectives”
In the year 2015 I ran for mayor of New Albany. During a candidate Q & A, I became the first mayoral candidate in...
40 Years in Beer, Part Thirty Five: Košice comes into view and the Zlatý...
Previously: 40 Years in Beer, Part Thirty Four: In 1991, a smoky Bamberg sojourn with Happy Helmut.
On a sunny September morning in 1991, the...
Diary
Out and about, in America, in Europe — and in my cups
This one was written in 2009 and revised in 2014. It hasn't appeared anywhere since, which makes it ripe for a rerun. The biggest...
R.I.P. Ralph Griggs … it is belated, but no less heartfelt
Originally published at NA Confidential on October 8, 2015.
And then you get sidetracked — and feel like crying.
30-odd years ago, when I was working...
Diary: Let’s keep those mine shafts to a minimum in 2025
(Cover photo: Split before surgery.)
Twenty-three days ago I had hip replacement surgery (left side), and the recovery proceeds apace. Gradually strength is returning, and...
ON THE AVENUES: A design for life
Originally written in 2016, lightly edited here.
Throughout my decidedly mediocre high school basketball career, members of the coaching staff often administered what they surely...
Beers with a Stoic: Sacraments, sanctuaries and homes away from home
Several iterations of this essay were published at the old NA Confidential.
A few years ago one Sunday we went for a stroll and passed...
Recipes for Chaos
What I do that occasionally equates to a monthly house payment
For those who've just tuned in to my periodic "Notes from the Underground," kindly note that I hold two minor positions inside the New...
LATEST ARTICLES
Latest article
40 Years in Beer (Book II), Part 78: We just had to get to...
Previously: 40 Years in Beer (Book II), Part 77: A “tight” 1998 European summer (San Fermin & the French Alps).
The whole point of convening in...
Euro Pilgrimage ’85, Ch. 1: Three months that shook my world
Introduction to the 2025 Edition
1984 gets all the ink, but it was the year 1985 that changed me forever. There was no keeping me...
40 Years in Beer (Book II), Part 77: A “tight” 1998 European summer (San...
Previously: 40 Years in Beer (Book II), Part 76: A boy can dream – about beercycling (and a Requiem for Moose).
Authors note: My installments have...
