Coffee Lovers, Assemble!
Posted on January 21, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 8 Comments
Recently I was scrolling on Instagram (big shocker, I know) and came across an ad for a cafe passport. In the past couple years I have seen many a brewery trail, winery booklets that you get stamped at each one you visit, even donut trails! But this was the first time I’d seen a coffee shop passport. And the best part was it wasn’t for some wildly far away location, it was for Cincinnati. My area of Ohio was finally getting some love.
(Image courtesy of thecafepassport.com)
After checking out their website, it turns out they have over 40 locations in the US and 16 options for Canada. These booklets feature between 25 and 100 different cafes in the area of your choosing, with Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Detroit being the low end of the scale and NYC, New Jersey, and LA being on the high end.
Each booklet has descriptions of each cafe, including the address, phone number, and website of each, as well as QR codes for their menus. There’s even a photo or two included of the cafe or their beverages, and a recommendation of what to order from that specific cafe. On the other side of the page is a space to rate the cafe you visited and write about your experience there.
(Image courtesy of thecafepassport.com)
With products like this, I always worry that when they come, it won’t look like how it does in the photo, or it’ll be poor quality, but I am happy to report I bought three of the Cincinnati ones (it’s 25% off if you buy three and I have two friends in Cinci I just know would love this), and all three were perfect! My expectations were honestly exceeded, this is a great little book and I’m so happy I stumbled upon them.
As someone who is constantly Googling “best coffee shop near me” and skimming tons of Yelp reviews, I actually think this book is a really great way to disconnect a little bit and stop staring at my screen for a minute. Every time I go somewhere to review the food and whatnot, I use the notes app on my phone to write my thoughts down, but I think I will actually enjoy writing my thoughts down in their cute little rating section with like, a pen.
I’m tempted to get one for Chicago or LA just so I have it for the next time I go. And I think they’ll make a perfect gift for someone you love that lives in a city.
I realize that I say all this as someone who posts reviews online and works strictly on a digital platform, but books are good! Tactile, real books are a treasure! And I recommend this one.
Currently, Cincinnati and a few other locations are sold out, but I would definitely keep an eye on when they restock, because I think these are super fun and worth buying. Make sure to check them out on Instagram. They are also branching into pizza and burgers, but only have a limited selection of locations for those, so we’ll see if they add more locations later on.
Have you seen these before? What’s your favorite drink to get from a cafe? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
This Just In: Another Novel Done
Posted on January 21, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 43 Comments
The Shattering Peace, the seventh book in the Old Man’s War series, done on January 21, 2025 at 12:34 am. 80,008 words, not counting acknowledgements. It’s late by a couple of months, but (gestures at world). It’ll be out in September(ish).
Gonna write some acknowledgements, and then I’m going to sleep for a month.
— JS
Here’s A Banger Song To Help You Get Through This Work Week
Posted on January 20, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 7 Comments
When I was a sophomore in college, there was one song in particular that I had on constantly. I mean this song was on repeat for months on end. When I think back to that school year, this song is the soundtrack to that year.
And here it is; Science by Allie X:
I had forgotten this song existed until the other day when YouTube asked me if I wanted to “watch it again.” It was a deep cut to be certain, but I’m thankful YouTube reintroduced me to it. I really like it, and I hope you do, too!
Funny enough, I have never heard any other music from Allie X. Have you heard of this artist before? Or heard any of her other songs? Let me know your thoughts on it in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
New Books and ARCs, 1/17/24
Posted on January 17, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 15 Comments
Temperatures are about to drop all across North America, so what better time to peruse a stack of new book and ARCs! What here would you like to snuggle up with on a chilly winter weekend? Share in the comments!
— JS
What I’m Expecting From the New Administration
Posted on January 17, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 92 Comments
Nothing great!
I was going to write a longer and more serious piece about this, and who knows, later I might, but right now I’m behind on a book deadline and it has priority. Nevertheless, I would feel remiss not at least posting some bit of commentary about this now. So, briefly, here it is:
We let back into office a corrupt, rage-filled actual criminal felon and sex offender who cannot be punished for “official acts,” elected on a platform of bigotry, oligarchy and graft. This administration will live down to all of that, and fast.
Or if that’s too complicated:
You fucked around, US voters. Now you’re gonna find out.
(“I didn’t vote for him!” Well, thank you, neither did I. Got some bad news for you, though.)
If you did vote for him, congratulations, you have likely traded what little safety net and good governance we have in the US for a chance to be mean to immigrants, trans people and Californians. Enjoy your tariffs! You do understand that you will have to pay for them, yes?
On the other hand, you are very likely to have handed me and other well-off folks yet another substantial tax cut, so thanks for that. Bear in mind, you won’t get anything, or not enough to matter, unless you’re already rich. But you sure told Kamala Harris to fuck off, so you have that going for you, which is nice.
None of this is a surprise. Trump and his pals didn’t hide any of this. People who were voting for him knew what they were getting when they pulled the lever. If they didn’t, that was on them, alas for the rest of us.
I could be wrong about this, mind you. I would be happy to be wrong! But I wasn’t wrong the last time. This time is going to be worse.
A lot worse.
(Unless you’re already rich! In which case you’ll (possibly) be (somewhat more) insulated from a lot of the worst of it, at least economically. But, you know, there’s a reason why they call the richest Americans “the one percent.” If you’re part of that other ninety-nine, well. Hey, did you know that the 1% in the US have twelve times the wealth of the bottom 50% of all Americans, and almost as much as the entire bottom 90%? Who do you think all the billionaires in Trump’s cabinet care about more?)
Anyway, the next four years at least are probably gonna suck real bad, and even in the best case scenario we’re likely going to spend all the rest of the time I’m alive recovering from it. Again, it’s not great! But it is what the plurality of the US voters wanted. So, here we go.
— JS
Linda Louis, RIP
Posted on January 17, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 19 Comments
One of my favorite stories about Linda, who was Krissy’s aunt and who passed away earlier this month, was how she welcomed me when we moved to Ohio, 24 years ago now. When I arrived at our new house, Linda was there with the rest of the family, and when she saw me, she came over to me with a necklace that consisted of a buckeye on a string. She put the necklace on me and said, “You’re a Buckeye now. You know what a Buckeye is? It’s a useless nut!”
It’s a silly story but it shows Linda’s sense of humor, her love of her family, and desire to make people welcome. Those are good traits to have, and a fine legacy to leave in the hearts of the people who knew you. I’m glad to have known her all these years, and will miss her.
— JS
Attending A Cocktail Class + Book Launch At Joui Wine
Posted on January 16, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 18 Comments
Joui Wine is a chic wine bar in Dayton that I adore, but have not frequented, and I find that to be a downright shame. In an attempt to remedy this, I signed up for a cocktail class they were hosting that doubled as a book launch event for, wouldn’t you know it, a cocktail book.
Despite having been to many a wine tasting and fancy dinners, I had never been to a cocktail technique class. While I am quite good at drinking cocktails, I can’t say the same about making them, so I was really excited to see what all we’d be learning and doing in this two and a half hour class. Plus, the ticket said you get to drink three cocktails, so I was looking forward to that, as well.
I actually got to Joui an hour before the event because I wanted to have a snack. Not only did I want something in my stomach before drinking, but I had been interested in trying their food for a while and hadn’t had the chance to yet.
When I walked in, it was relatively empty, so I sat pretty much smack dab in the middle of the bar and took a look at their small plates menu:
Also let’s take a moment to appreciate how pretty their bar is:
It’s such a unique design, and I love the lighting!
Though it was a tough call between the deviled eggs, the charcuterie, and the dirty martini dip, I decided to have the charcuterie board:
This came with a fennel salami, a 14 month aged prosciutto, an Italian black truffle cheese, an aged goat’s cheese, lingonberry jam, honeycomb, a dijon mustard (if I remember correctly), Marcona almonds, Peruvian sweety drop peppers, and cornichons. Crackers came on a separate plate, so even though they’re not pictured rest assured there was a vehicle for all that lingonberry goodness.
I finished eating, all the other attendees shuffled in, and it was finally time to start the class.
Everyone got a welcome cocktail, which consisted of Cocchi Americano, Lillet Blanc, Dolin Blanc, Dolin Rogue, and Carpano Antica Vermouth. This was truly unlike any cocktail I’ve had before, as I don’t normally have vermouth. It was unique and very complex.
So, the cocktail book is called This is a Cocktail Book, and is by cocktail extraordinaire and writer Branden von Fugate. Branden was also the teacher of the class, so after introducing himself and explaining how the class was gonna go, we got these papers:
Basically, you get to pick one drink from each category and make it yourself. And then drink it!
Before being let loose to self-bartend, Branden showed us some techniques. For shaking, he played some songs that were specific BPMs so we could know how quickly to shake, told us all about when shaking is a good idea vs stirring, when to strain with a fine mesh strainer rather than a Hawthorne or a Julep, how much dilution is ideal, all that good stuff.
For my first drink, I picked the Caipirinha over the Penicillin because I don’t like whiskey, plus the Caipirinha has demerara sugar in it, which I am a fiend for.
The Caipirinha is made with cachaça, which Branden told us is different from rum because it’s made with sugarcane juice rather than a by-product like molasses, and has to come from Brazil. I’d never even heard of this spirit before, so I was excited to try it for the first time.
I measured the cachaça, muddled the lime and demerara sugar cubes, shook it all with ice, and instead of straining this one you just dump everything into your glass, lime wedges and all. As Branden said, you get little bits of sugar to nibble on throughout the drink.
Here was mine:
A little bit of user error there, since it seems to be on the side of glass half empty, but this drink was so tasty! I loved the sweetness of the sugarcane flavor, the lime was so bright and fresh, and the molasses-y sugar crystals really made all the difference. I honestly really loved the muddling part of this cocktail. It was so much fun to pulverize the sugar cubes.
For our next drink, I chose to make the Vesper over the Sazerac, again because I don’t like whiskey. Basically every drink choice I ever make is in favor of avoiding whiskey.
We were told that drinks that consist mostly of spirits are the ones you want to stir, whereas drinks with things like dairy or egg whites are the kind you want to shake. So the Vesper was the perfect one to stir, as it only has gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc. Though it turned out the bar had some Cocchi Americano on hand, so he swapped out the Lillet Blanc for Cocchi Americano.
Branden showed us how to perfectly hold the stirring spoon and how the pros stir, and then it was off to the races:
There was only supposed to be an ounce and a half of gin in it, but it came out so quickly I definitely poured at least two ounces of gin if not more, and this was a dry gin so my drink was strong tasting. I still liked it but it was definitely different from what I’m used to drinking.
For the final drink, we got an extensive history lesson in Tiki drinks, which was honestly really fascinating. It was pretty clear Branden knew a lot about this topic, and it’s something I never would’ve looked into myself, so I’m glad I got to learn about it!
While both Tiki options sounded good to me, I decided to go with the Jungle Bird rather than the Three Dots and a Dash because it had a few less ingredients and I was the one making it instead of a bartender, so I figured I’d make it easier on myself.
Rum, pineapple juice, simple syrup, what’s not to like! I love tropical-type drinks like this, they’re always so bright and sweet, and this totally transported me from 15-degree Ohio to the beach. I loved the fun color of this one, especially since the last one had been basically clear.
All in all, the cocktail class was a lot of fun. I was glad to have tried several new things, and learned even more. Branden was a super-informative instructor and also pretty dang hilarious. None of the information was boring, and all the drinks were delicious. I would be happy to attend another class in the future.
While there had only been about a dozen people for the actual cocktail class, the afterparty/book launch event was much more populated. Joui made a special cocktail menu for the event:
Some of these cocktails sounded absolutely wild to me, like the one with Tabasco and beef broth. I almost got it out of sheer curiosity, but I opted for the Sherry Cobbler instead since it had lemon, sugar, and berries. It was a little more my speed.
Also how cool is it that if you backed the Kickstarter for the book, you get a free drink!
Speaking of the Kickstarter, if you would like a copy of This is a Cocktail Book, it is on Kickstarter right now, and just got onto the “Projects We Love” page. Not only can you buy yourself a digital or physical copy of the book, but you could even have Branden come to you, hand-deliver your copy of the book, and host a cocktail class for you and up to 15 of your comrades! (Only two of these are available, so definitely a very exclusive offer.)
You can also follow Branden on Instagram, as well as his page for This is a Cocktail Book. And of course be sure to follow Joui Wine on Instagram as well, or check out their website! They were wonderful hosts of this truly awesome event. I’m so glad I attended.
Which drinks would you have made? Would you have tried the beef broth cocktail? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
David Lynch, RIP
Posted on January 16, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 28 Comments
For fuck’s sake, 2025, ease off the pedal, already.
Beyond that, Blue Velvet was one of the very few handful of films that I came out of going “what the fuck did I just watch?!?”, and knowing that whatever answer I eventually came up with, I had seen a masterpiece. The film scared me and made me feel weird and alienated and I loved that about it. Lynch could also fail, sometimes spectacularly (see: the 1984 version of Dune), but even Lynch’s failures were more interesting to watch than some directors’ successes.
As I wrote over on Threads, “Who else could have done what he did? Who else could have done it for so long? Who else could have done it mostly with studio money?” I’m coming up a blank on that. A life well and weirdly lived.
— JS
A Little Lucy Dacus For You
Posted on January 16, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 13 Comments
Lucy Dacus is one third of boygenius, whose album The Record is my favorite of the last couple of years, and she has a solo album, Forever is a Feeling, coming in March, of which this song, with its utterly charming video, is the first single. I can’t imagine I won’t be getting the album when it comes out. In the meantime, enjoy this.
— JS
Taking Leave
Posted on January 15, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 1 Comment
If you want to know when I pretty much drew a line though my friendship with Neil Gaiman, it was when Neil acknowledged that he made moves on his early-20s nanny on her first day of employment. This meant that the absolute best case scenario of this whole situation was that he didn’t have the sense or wisdom to understand that making a move on a woman 40 years his junior, economically dependent on him, and whom he had met just literally hours before, was an extremely questionable idea. And by extremely questionable I mean dude what the fuck how do you not understand the actual consent issues involved here. The answer I came to is he probably did understand, and that when all was said and done, the “absolute best case scenario,” which is still very terrible, was not where we would end up. And indeed, that’s not where we are today.
And, while you should in no way consider me anywhere but on the periphery of any of this, please direct your attention and care to those who rather persuasively allege harm at his hand, it still fucking hurts. Neil’s been a friend, he’s someone whose work I’ve admired immensely, and it’s not entirely inaccurate to say that I owe a fair amount of the trajectory of my career to him. In 2006, he declined a spot on the finalist list for the Best Novel Hugo, which meant that the next book in the vote tally moved into the list. That book was Old Man’s War. We didn’t know each other at the time and he didn’t know which book would benefit from his action, but that doesn’t matter. It was a huge boost for me in the SFF community, and I thanked him for it when we finally did meet in 2009. He’s been kind to me and to my family and I’ve been happy to know him, and I think he was happy to know me.
Nothing about him having been my friend or boosting my career excuses or mitigates his actions, both alleged and admitted. This is not a defense of him. He’s done what he’s done and as noted above, the absolute best case scenario is still terrifically bad. The acknowledgement of friendship is context.
Here are two things about me, one which you know and one which you may not. The first is that I’m well-known for having public opinions on the internet, and the second is that when I get stressed and upset about things in my personal life I get real quiet and internal about it. I acknowledge this seems at least superficially contradictory, but I don’t think it is: there’s “public persona” me and there’s “private life” me. They’re both me, tuned differently, and I’ve made the point over the years that both modes exist. Usually having both is not a problem! But when someone you consider a pretty good friend who is also a public individual fucks up badly, well, then it becomes a problem. Or at least, complicated.
When the first set of allegations came out last year, I made a brief post about it and then otherwise kept quiet, because this was my friend and I needed to work out what was going on, and how a person I had as a friend had this other part to his life that was for me new and rotten information, and also there was the rest of my life to deal with, which is not insignificant. This was not enough for some people and maybe still isn’t, and that’s their opinion to have. Likewise, when I decided for myself that I was out, I didn’t make a public declaration of it. No matter how public he or I are, our friendship existed in that other sphere too, and that sphere is where I made that decision. I was out, and when it was done, in my head, it was done. Again, this will not be enough for some people, and again, that’s their opinion to have.
Why bring it up now? One, because I know other people who are being run through the same wringer with this, dealing with the person they knew and this other person they didn’t, but they’re actually the same person and now they have to integrate all of it into their understanding. I want them to know, from the bottom of my heart: fucking same. Some of these folks are friends of his. Some are fans. Some are both! All of us are sitting with it, and while, again, we are all on the periphery of harm here, it’s still something we have to work on. Some will do it publicly, some will do it privately, some will take more time than others to get where they’re going with this. They should be able to do it how they want. Maybe others should offer them some grace about it.
Two, because I’ve done my thinking about it, made my decisions, and have had time to live those decisions and am at a point where talking about it doesn’t make me feel sick or pressured to say something more than I’m prepared to say. Neil’s been a friend, and an important person to me, and someone I’ve been happy to know. But the friendship has been drawn down and done, and at this point, given everything I’ve written above, I don’t think he’ll complain much about that. He’s got a lot of work to do, and I hope he gets to it soon.
(Three, because I see some deeply shitty people hoping I’m “next,” which among other things means they are explicitly hoping that I’ve done things close to what Neil is credibly accused of, to actual other people, just so they can have the satisfaction of seeing me “owned.” And, well. Those people can go fuck themselves.)
This has been a bad crazy week, and it’s just Wednesday, in a year that’s been pretty terrible a mere fifteen days in, and which I don’t think is going to get any better from here. Take care of yourselves out there, folks.
— JS
New Interview With Me at Strange Horizons Magazine
Posted on January 14, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 11 Comments
Strange Horizons, for those of you who don’t know, is the magazine where I had my very first science fiction short story published (well, the very first I ever submitted for publication, and which also turned out to be the last I ever submitted for publication, but I’m getting ahead of myself), way back in 2001. As part of their 25th anniversary celebration, they had me on for a podcast — complete with a transcript for those who prefer reading — where I talk about writing the story and submitting it to the magazine, why it’s the only short story I’ve ever submitted anywhere, how I use humor in science fiction and how the genre is different now than it was 24 years ago when I wrote the story and sent it in.
The podcast and transcript are here, for your listening and reading pleasure. Enjoy.
— JS
I’m About To Blow (Dry) Your Mind
Posted on January 13, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 42 Comments
Yesterday, I had a nice event to attend, and less time than I would’ve preferred to get ready for said event. I really needed to wash my hair, but I was out of conditioner. I knew I didn’t have time to go all the way to the closest Sephora, buy my conditioner, come all the way back and then wash my hair, so I came up with a wild plan. There’s a Great Clips right next to the highway I needed to get on to go to the event, and one of the services they offer is a shampooing. I could just go to Great Clips, get my hair washed, hop on the highway and go straight to the event.
And before y’all judge me for not just going like five minutes to Dollar General to buy Pantene or something, I care about my hair a lot and like the products that I like, okay. So, yes, I do spend way too much on shampoo and conditioner from Sephora, and you know what, it smells amazing and I will not tolerate slander on this matter.
Great Clips back in the day was a place you just walked in to and waited your turn to get your hair cut for real cheap. With today’s technology, you can go online and view a live waitlist at your local Great Clips, and put your name down to reserve your spot in line. So I did just that, and it said they’d be ready for me in thirty minutes, which was just enough time for me to change my clothes and get there right on time.
I was taken back immediately, thoroughly shampooed and conditioned by a very nice lady, and then she took me over to her chair, brushed through my hair and parted it just where I like it. She then asked if it was okay if she blow-dried my head, as she didn’t want me to walk out with wet hair into 20 degree weather. You see, blow-drying would cost extra, as the shampooing doesn’t include it, but she didn’t want me to freeze out there. So she blow-dried the heck out of my scalp so it wouldn’t really count as a “styling” but it was certainly very helpful.
And then on top of all of that she put some great smelling anti-frizz oil in my hair! In total this probably took like twenty-five minutes, as I have a lot of hair. And my total came out to six dollars.
You heard that right, six smackaroos for all that. And, yes, technically the blow-dry was a nicety, so I got more bang for my buck simply because my stylist was extra nice, but I couldn’t believe it! It was so quick and easy and so cheap.
Like, did you know you could just do that?! I only wash my hair once a week, and honestly with how much my shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and hair oil cost, I’m thinking it might just be financially smart for me to go weekly to ol’ Great Clips.
Now, for what it’s worth, I tipped twenty dollars. I know that seems like a lot on a six dollar service, but not only was the service incredibly cheap compared to what I had anticipated, but my stylist saved me from the thirty dollar styling fee, spent almost a full half hour on me, and was very nice! I’m not saying you have to do the same if you go, but for all her effort and time I can’t picture myself tipping 20% because that would’ve only been, what, like a dollar fifty? It just seemed too low. As did the cost of the service, but I’m not complaining.
Like, six dollars would make sense to me if I had very short hair, or even medium length fine hair, but there’s no extra charge for having a ton of hair. I don’t know, maybe this isn’t as revolutionary as I think it is. Maybe I’ve been sleeping on Great Clips and y’all have already been knowing about this.
I know this seems like a silly story to share, but I honestly found it so helpful and convenient in a time where I was in a pickle. Plus, sometimes I struggle with washing my hair right on wash day because it really is a full on TASK for me, so maybe if I have a particularly tough day, I could just do this instead. Maybe you’re someone who struggles with that kind of thing, too? Especially if mobility is an issue, I feel like this could be a huge help. Or if your power is out or you’re traveling and don’t have access to shampoo, conditioner, or even water.
I don’t know, I just think it’s neat, I guess. I hope you find it helpful, too!
-AMS
Winter at the Scalzi Compound, 1/12/25
Posted on January 12, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 14 Comments
Overall it feels like we get less snow here in Bradford than we used to when we first moved in, but if the snowfall averages I’m looking at are correct, in the last few days we’ve gotten more snow (6+ inches) than we usually do for the entire month (4.9 inches). So, well done, January 2025, you’re above average. I’m not personally a huge proponent of snow — this is my Southern California heritage talking — but I have to admit it does make for a nice picture.
— JS
Attending Salar’s January Wine Dinner
Posted on January 11, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 22 Comments
Last April, I posted about my favorite restaurant, Salar, and covered one of their monthly wine dinners. As much as I love their monthly wine dinners, I wasn’t able to make it to any others in 2024. Thankfully I managed to kick 2025 off with their January wine dinner.
If you didn’t catch my previous post, Salar is an elevated Peruvian restaurant in the Oregon district of Dayton. It offers fantastic food, wonderful cocktails, and superb service. They do an array of events, one of which is a monthly wine dinner, where you get to enjoy five courses alongside five carefully curated wines. The wine expert of the evening comes around at the beginning of each course to tell you all the info you need to know about what exactly is in your glass. It’s informative and yummy!
So here was the lineup for January, the theme of which was a tour of France:
This menu had a lot of words I didn’t know. I’m not all that familiar with French foods, or French wines for that matter, so this was more of a “I have faith in Salar putting out good food” moment than a “I love this menu” moment.
Let’s get right into it with the first course of the evening:
This was our starter, a salad of endive dressed with a lemon vinaigrette. I had recalled the menu saying there would be green beans with this dish but I didn’t see any, so I figured they must have just changed the menu last minute or something. Jokes on me because the green beans, Boursin cheese, and toasted walnuts were all completely hidden underneath the endive! So while it is not pictured, rest assured that there were in fact green beans and whatnot, it just took me a minute to find them.
I have never been a huge fan of endive, as I find it to be too bitter in most cases. I did, however, really enjoy the super bright lemon vinaigrette. It was quite acidic, and the rich creaminess of the Boursin cheese helped combat it from being overwhelmingly so. Overall this was a nice, light salad to start off with.
And here was the accompanying wine:
We started off with a sparkling rosé, which was much to my delight because I love bubbles. We were told this wine came from a region called Bugey, and that from the moment this wine ships out to the moment it arrives, it is continuously kept in a temperature controlled vault. It is lower in alcohol than a standard wine, sitting at around 8-9%. It is a touch sweet up front, but finishes slightly drier, which was truly unlike any wine I’ve had before. It was crisp and perfectly bubbly, and I really enjoyed it. This ended up being my favorite wine of the night, and I took a bottle home for about thirty dollars.
When I Googled this wine, I actually found some very interesting and informative descriptions of it. If you were curious to learn more about this unique wine, you can check out Kermit Lynch’s page or Depanneur’s page.
This is also the only photo I took of the wine throughout the evening, because the other glasses of wine just looked like regular white and red glasses of wine. This was the only one I found visually interesting enough that I felt I needed to share what it looked like.
Onto the second course:
Mussels are certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but I really enjoy mussels, and was excited to see them served. They came with a fennel cream sauce, which I was not enthralled about because I generally dislike fennel. However, the fennel ended up not being unpleasant at all! I really thought the fennel would be overpowering but it was rather inoffensive. The bread was crusty and totally soaked in good juices. I hate eating mussels in front of other people because they’re a bit awkward, but all’s well that ends well.
The wine it was paired with was a white from the Bordeaux region. We were told that if a wine comes from this region, it must be red or white, no mixing is allowed. As for this white, it was made with three grape varietals, and was more Sauvignon than Blanc. This wine only saw stainless steel, no oak. If you’re someone that doesn’t really care for the grassy taste of a white from New Zealand, have no fear because this white is rather toned down in that department, with more of a minerality type taste to it, really. It comes from a clay-limestone soil, after all. I accidentally spilled half of my glass, but what I did have of it I enjoyed. And if you’re curious about the three types of grapes used or learning more about this wine, you can check it out here.
Moving to the third course:
This was Trout Almondine, a traditional French dish of pan-fried trout with a sauce made from almonds, butter, lemon juice, all that good stuff. It was served with fondant potatoes, which I definitely thought were scallops at first. The trout was cooked perfectly, flaking apart beautifully. It wasn’t overly fishy at all, and with the slight crunch from the almonds plus the brininess from capers, this dish was truly balanced. The potatoes were honestly next level. I have never had fondant potatoes before but they were so soft, so flavorful, and I was absolutely devastated there were only two on the plate, as I could’ve eaten enough of them to feed an army.
As for the wine, it was a red from the Sancerre region, and was 100% Pinot Noir. While it spent most of its time in stainless steel, it did spend just a moment in some oak vats, giving it minimal oak influence. The wine expert said that the acidity of it made it a perfect choice to pair with fish. There was also a very limited amount of cases that made its way to Ohio, making it a bit more of a limited offering. Now, y’all already know how I feel about dry reds. They ain’t my cup of tea (or wine, I suppose), so when I say a dry red is good, that really means something special. And it was pretty good! I was pleasantly surprised.
Fourth and final savory course:
This was another traditional French dish, a veal stew with carrots and mushrooms. This stew came with a jasmine rice that was perfect for soaking up all the extra liquid. First off, the rice by itself was phenomenal. I have no idea what they put in their rice, but it was so flavorful. I can only imagine they must have cooked it in stock and not water, but it was wildly delicious. As for the stew, the sauce was very cream-of-mushroomy tasting, which I enjoyed, and the carrots were super soft and sweet. I’ve never had veal before, but have always heard that it’s more tender. I think the veal in this stew might have been slightly overcooked, as it was just a touch tough compared to what I was expecting, but still had good flavor.
The wine was another dry red from southern France, and made with three grape varietals (pretty inexpensive ones at that), making for an inexpensive blended red. One of which was a Mourvèdre grape, which the wine expert said made for a silky texture (not that I really noticed that at all). This wine saw half stainless steel, half oak, and is said to be good to pair with things like lamb, stews, and surprisingly, spicy foods. I found this one to be more bitter than the previous one, and didn’t really care for it much. But if it sounds like something you’d like, you can check it out here.
Finally, dessert!
Here we have Crêpes Suzette, a French dessert in which the crêpes are in a sauce of caramelized sugar, butter, orange juice and/or zest, usually Grand Marnier, and lit on fire tableside. Sadly no pyrotechnics happened at our table, but at least this dish was astoundingly delicious. I absolutely love citrus, especially in dessert form, and this dish was a perfect example of why. The way the sweetness of the house-made vanilla ice cream contrasts with the bright, fresh flavor of the orange is truly heavenly. Amidst the indulgent creaminess of the ice cream, the candied orange peel on top provided some interesting texture. I am really having a hard time expressing how insanely yummy this dish was, but just know that when I finished it I genuinely felt saddened it was over.
The wine we finished with was my least favorite of the evening. Hailing from Southern Rhone, it was another blended red. This one had a smell I really did not care for, and a taste I couldn’t tolerate. I took one sip and decided that was plenty. Usually even if I don’t like the taste of a dry red, I at least sort of enjoy the smell, but I really hated this one. It was so bitter, and it was unfortunate to end on it. But I can only imagine some people there did like it! I am no wine expert, after all.
Another one of Salar’s wine dinners in the book! I believe this was my fourth or fifth one, and as always I enjoyed it. I will certainly try to make it to more than one this year, and I highly recommend this event if you live in the area!
Which dish sounds the best to you? Do you prefer sparkling wines or still wines? Are you well acquainted with French food? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
P.S. If you don’t partake in alcohol, they actually sell a cheaper version of the ticket that omits the wine pours! For this particular dinner, regular tickets were $100, and wine-free tickets were $75.
-AMS
The Big Idea: Kristina W. Kelly
Posted on January 10, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 3 Comments
Author Kristina W. Kelly is here today to entice your senses. Specifically your olfactory sense! Follow along in the Big Idea for her newest novel, Tavern Tale, as she introduces you to an aspect of magic you may have never previously considered.
KRISTINA W. KELLY:
People don’t often ask how magic smells. But that’s what I asked myself when I started imagining the world my MC, Divine lives in. The narrator or protagonist of fantasy novels will often explain how magic feels or what it looks like (it’s hot and it’s red because…fire). The narrative might talk about how the user focuses their energy or even what ingredients are needed like blood or metal. Maybe they exist, but I found that I couldn’t recall magic systems that had distinct sounds, tastes, or smells associated with their use. I went with the latter. What if magic had a scent?
Like most of my ideas, what started as a simple thought to write a cozy fantasy story inspired by side quests in the RPGs I love, Tavern Tale quickly added in trumpet fanfares. This time the embellishments were of the worldbuilding I love in epic fantasy. This sapphic fantasy remained cozy, but had higher stakes. Divine is pursuing her stolen talisman and the source of her magic. Which is pretty important considering without that talisman she’s powerless. And she’s lamenting the loss of the magic’s distinct scent.
In Tavern Tale, the magic system has three main components. First, the deity that you follow. When a person pledges their devotion and becomes a servant of a deity, like my MC Divine did with the Goddess of Souls, the magic abilities manifest in relation to that deity. For Divine, this means healing abilities, protection wards, and empathic influence. But to access the magic, she needs component number two.
The second component is the well to her deity-blessed source of power. You could think of it as a literal well filled with water. How deep that well is will be different for each person, but they won’t know how deep that is until…you guessed it, component number three. In order to access the essence of power, Divine had to create a talisman. The process of binding herself to a significant object (a necklace) and accessing her deity-blessed source of power defines how big, or how much power, she’ll be able to use from her personal well. The talisman must be in contact with the user for the magic to work. No one knows how strong of a magic-user they will be until the talisman creation process. And this is when they find out what scent their magic has.
Thankfully, for everyone around them—in the case of magic that smells like dead carcasses—only the user of that magic can smell it. For Divine, this is the scent of her mother’s rose garden. Pleasant, sweet, with a hint of citrus. Like an afternoon walk in an cottage rose garden. Like Divine’s family connection, my family grew roses when I was growing up and I carried on that love to my own home, often to my own frustration on how often those roses would die. I found so far, leaving them alone has allowed them to grow the best. They sort of find what kind of plant they want to be.
I was also intrigued by the idea of losing magic. In memorable books with magic systems, readers always want to know the cost of using the magic. Does the sorceress lose ten years of her life each time? Does she get a nosebleed? In Tavern Tale, if you don’t protect your talisman from being stolen, you’ll no longer be able to access your well. Divine wear various diversions from hairclips and boot charms to bracelets and rings. She even has a large mermaid buckle. But, alas, her talisman was stolen and our story begins.
And so, our heroine has been chasing her talisman across half of the continent and finds herself in a tavern. To get her power, and the lovely scent, returned, Divine will need to locate her betrayer before the talisman’s connection to her well decays. Luckily, the flirty tavern owner Saph will help—if Divine will help Saph with a quest in a chest. Along the way, maybe Divine will find out that it’s not the scent of her magic or the depth of her well that defines the impact she can have on the world around her. And you, dear readers, chasing your magic—may you open a chest and find who you really are.
Tavern Tale: Amazon|Barnes & Noble
Some Thoughts On “The Fire Inside”
Posted on January 9, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 13 Comments
When I went to see Nosferatu last week, there was a trailer for a movie about boxing. I really didn’t pay it too much mind because I can’t stand trailers and was more focused on my Sour Patch Kids. Two days ago, I wanted to go see a movie, so I looked up what was currently showing. Sadly, there was pretty much nothing I wanted to see (I almost thought about seeing Mufasa just so I could boo and throw popcorn at the screen the entire time). Then, all the way at the bottom of the page, was The Fire Inside.
I was sure I hadn’t heard of it before, so I clicked on it to see what it was about. Sure enough, it was the boxing movie I had seen a trailer for. Turns out, it’s actually about women’s Olympic boxing. Do I know anything about boxing? No. Am I really all that interested in the Olympics? Not really. Do I even really like sports movies that much? Nope! But something about this movie called to me, so I went and saw it, and boy am I glad I did.
The Fire Inside was a fantastic film that I thoroughly enjoyed, and am happy that I saw on the big screen. Despite not knowing anything about boxing or how the Olympics really work, The Fire Inside never made me feel like I didn’t know what was going on, but also didn’t info-dump and spend a ton of time explaining things through unnecessary exposition. It was super easy to follow and didn’t feel like it was holding my hand through explaining the technical aspects of the sport.
The Fire Inside is an MGM film based on the true story of Olympic athlete Claressa Shields, who won gold in women’s boxing in 2012 and 2016, making her the first American boxer to win gold medals back to back. The movie follows Claressa, played by Ryan Destiny, through her childhood in Flint, Michigan from the time she started training at eleven, to her win at just seventeen years old in 2012, to her going off to college to pursue amateur boxing.
So many of the reviews I saw for this film call it “inspiring” and “powerful,” and usually I’m of the belief that those words get tossed around far too often in the movie world. Was it really inspiring or are y’all just being hammy? Well, I can confirm it genuinely was powerful stuff. I honestly did feel inspired and moved by Claressa’s story.
From the beginning, the film makes the gender inequality in the world of boxing apparent, with Claressa initially not being allowed to train because it’s a sport for boys. The movie takes this further by showing how the female boxers competing in the Olympics, despite being athletes that punch each other, have to adhere to society’s beauty standards and still be appealing to look at. Claressa is even advised not to tell interviewers that she likes boxing because she likes “beating people up,” as it comes across as aggressive, which women are obviously not supposed to be.
After winning gold, Claressa can’t seem to get sponsors or brands interested in partnering with her, because none of them think the world cares enough about something as ridiculous as women’s boxing. She ends up getting an offer that involves a $1,000 a month stipend, which she rejects because the men in the program get more than that, despite them not having won an Olympic gold medal. Later on, she accepts the offer under the terms that she gets paid exactly what the men get paid and all the other female athletes get paid that, too. Not just her.
Aside from the gender equality message of The Fire Inside, there is also the message of perseverance, which is a highly sympathetic tale. Claressa desperately wants to win gold so she can finally support her family and not be struggling immensely in the financial department. As previously mentioned, despite having won gold, there was no money to be seen. No brand partnering, no sponsorships. Nothing seemed to have come from the win, despite Claressa dedicating pretty much her entire life to training for this win. She was assured that all the training would pay off, and that if she won at the Olympics it would have all been worth it. But that wasn’t the case.
Seeing someone put their everything into something, only for it to not have meant anything or do them any good, is a sad thing to see. Despite not being able to relate to Claressa at all, as I’ve never been in her situation or lived her type of life, I still felt very connected to her as a character. I genuinely felt for Claressa, and was angry on her behalf. I also felt excited for her when she wins, and grieved with her when she lost. It really was powerful!
But was anything good about the movie besides the inspiring story? Actually, yes! I really enjoyed the music of this movie, I was very surprised how good the soundtrack was. Literally as soon as the movie started with the opening scene, I was like, dang I like that music. The soundtrack was done by Tamar-kali and she absolutely killed it. Even the use of licensed music was sparing and perfectly fine, which is something a lot of movies struggle with.
The cinematography and editing was extremely well done, with fantastic camera work and some truly stellar shots. The fight scenes were filmed amazingly, and there was never too much slow-mo. It was a visually appealing film, which is not something I ever expected from a movie about boxing. Even the shots of wintertime in Flint, when everything was grey and bleak, were still shot impressively. I especially loved the juxtaposition between Flint and Shanghai, when Claressa sees all the astounding colors of the city.
Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry give truly great performances in this film. This was my first time seeing Ryan Destiny act before, but I already knew I liked Brian Tyree Henry from his performance in Bullet Train, as well as his voice acting role in Transformers One. I even said in my post over Transformers One that he was a fantastic pick for Megatron! So, seeing him in this was a very different role compared to what I’ve seen him do before, but he totally nailed this role as Claressa’s coach, and him and Ryan Destiny work so well together on screen. Their relationship throughout the film is amazing to watch.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie, and I highly recommend it, even if you’re like me and don’t know anything about boxing! I was shocked to see that it was already out of theaters for me as of today, since I just saw it yesterday, but if it’s in theaters near you still I would say go and see it.
Have you already seen in? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
On the Depressing Doings of Trillion Dollar Companies, January 2025 Edition
Posted on January 8, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 28 Comments
There’s a lot of a to-do about Mark Zuckerberg announcing that moderation teams on Meta’s social media properties are being largely phased out and replaced by a system similar to X’s “community notes,” and that Meta will now basically allow people to be particularly awful to LGBTQ+ folks. As one result, lots of people I know are thinking about leaving Facebook/Threads/Instagram (many of them presumably for Bluesky); I saw several posts on the subject, one after the other, on my Facebook feed today.
So I wrote a post on Facebook about my current thoughts about remaining on that service, and I’m posting them here for archive purposes, and because I think the general discussion might be interesting for the folks here. After this bit, I’ll add an additional bit about companies lining up to kiss Trump’s tuchus.
No, I’m not leaving Facebook, but then I’m also not under the impression that Meta’s recent moderation choices represent a heel turn. I think people sometimes forget that until Elon Musk’s ketamine-fueled narcissism took up all the oxygen in the social media room, Zuckerberg was understood to be a bloodless sociopath who didn’t particularly care if (for example) Facebook was used as a tool to engender a genocide in southeast Asia, until or unless it messed with his business in general.
They made a whole movie about Zuck being a bloodless sociopath! It won awards and shit! The latest turn of events with Meta is more about a return to form for the organization than anything else, and the company’s shareholders are probably happy not to have the expense of moderators anymore.
It’s trite and simplistic to say that we’re all complicit under capitalism, but it is true enough to say that nearly every choice we make comes with shit attached, and sometimes what we get to decide is what flavor of shit we’re willing to swallow and how much of it we want to stuff down. We all make the decisions that make sense to us and that (generally) align with our sense of being, and use the tools we have in front of us in ways that we find acceptable.
In my case I use Facebook because there are lots of people here I don’t imagine will relocate elsewhere, because this is the tech they know and are comfortable with, and anything else has a learning curve don’t want (and in some cases, should not be expected) to engage with, and because I’ve actively designed the way I use Facebook so that many of its worst aspects – most notably shitty people/bots divebombing into one’s feed and/or comments – are things I can mostly avoid. Plus, it’s the one place online where I don’t actively talk politics, and especially these days I kind of really need that sort of oasis.
Does it make one a hypocrite to use Facebook, but not (as examples) X or Substack, inasmuch as all have substantial and substantially overlapping ethical issues? It’s possible! But then very few things are on a straight line. I find Elon Musk personally odious and most people I followed on X were other places I could find them, so leaving X was something I did. I don’t use Substack, and what it’s used for is already covered by my blog, so not using Substack is not exactly a trial for me where it might be for others. The multi-dimensional plot of “stay here but leave this other place” is, uhhhh, multidimensional. Facebook has shit attached to it. For now, what I get out of it is worth that shit.
Somewhat tangentially related to this, a bunch of folks in my circles are incensed that companies like Apple, Meta, Amazon and Open AI have donated seven figures to the Trump Inauguration committee, likening this — not unreasonably! — to the leaders of these companies puckering up to the once-and-future president. They are not wrong, and I am not here to try to excuse or mitigate just piling cash over to the Trumps. What I will say is that $1 million is extremely cheap for these trillion dollar companies (and Open AI, valued at a “mere” $150 billion) to stay on the good side of a vain, petty, criminal and vengeful rage monster in the early days of an administration that will be picking targets early and often.
It’s the opening set of bribes to a corrupt regime, in other words, and as such, they offer good value for money, if what happens is these companies are now at the front line for advantages in a newly-lax regulatory environment, or (in the worst case scenario), simply ignored to do their own thing. Welcome to the new economic and political realities of 2025. It’s not pretty, but it is realpolitik as fuck.
— JS
A Musical Odyssey, No, Literally
Posted on January 7, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 24 Comments
I have been waiting so long to share with y’all a piece of media that I am absolutely obsessed with. Over the summer, I came across some strange songs on Tik Tok that were seemingly about the Odyssey. Upon further investigation I found that yes, they were in fact songs from a musical about the Odyssey, with the creator playing Odysseus himself!
When it comes to musicals, I have always been somewhat indifferent on them. I like some, I don’t care for others. I’m plenty happy to go see one, but there’s none I have ever truly felt the need to go see on Broadway or anything like that. But a musical about the Odyssey? Now we’re cooking with gas.
It’s called Epic. I found out that there is no official production of this musical yet, it’s basically labeled as a “concept album.” The creator, Jorge Rivera-Herrans, has been releasing the musical in parts called “sagas.” The final saga released on Christmas and I was waiting until the project was complete to share it.
There are nine sagas total, and it comes out to approximately two hours and fifteen minutes. It’s the perfect thing to listen to while driving, knitting, showering, basically any and all times of the day (that’s how I listen to it, anyways).
I came across Epic when there were only four sagas out, and the very next day the fifth saga released. It was a pleasant surprise. I listened to Epic so many times that Jorge became my number one artist on Spotify.
While Jorge plays Odysseus and is the main voice you’ll be hearing, there are plenty of other talented voice actors that have lent their awesome powers to this project. Some of my favorite performances are Hermes, Tiresias, Antinous, Aphrodite, Telemachus, you know what, actually just everyone. Everyone is amazing, I can’t even pick a favorite (it’s Hermes).
Aside from the vocal performances, the music itself is truly beautiful. So many of the characters have signature instruments that are unique to them. One of my favorite uses of this is Athena being paired with the piano. Jorge’s use of electric guitar for Odysseus will surprise and delight you. You will undoubtedly find every single one of these songs stuck in your head for days on end.
While you do have to use your imagination a good bit when listening, there are so many incredible animatics that you can watch from super talented fan artists. There is technically no official art, but Jorge has commissioned several different artists along the way, both for the album covers and for accompanying animatics, which I think is pretty cool of him.
You can totally listen to Epic by itself and still have an awesome time, but if you’re a visual creature or maybe just want to see some cool art, exploring different animatics can be a lot of fun. Though I know some people prefer to just picture it in their brains and interpret everything on their own without a visual.
So, if you’ve got two hours to spare and like the Odyssey and musicals, give it a try! Even if you don’t typically like musicals or know that much about Greek mythology, I still highly recommend Epic. It’s very approachable to someone new to either of those fields. You can listen on Spotify or YouTube.
If you are interested in some animatics, and don’t really mind spoilers (yes, I know it’s literally the Odyssey but spoiler warnings are still important!), here’s a few that I think are really extraordinary and might whet your appetite for the rest of the musical.
I really hope you guys give Epic a try, it truly is fantastic and so incredibly well done. I’m so glad I stumbled across it, and I can’t believe it’s over. It honestly was a journey! Some might even say… an Odyssey?! Come on, you knew that was coming eventually.
If you do give it a listen, let me know your thoughts in the comments. And have a great day!
-AMS
What I Have Eligible for Award Consideration This Year, 2025 Edition
Posted on January 7, 2025 Posted by John Scalzi 8 Comments
It’s Constituent Service, which is eligible in the Best Novella category, and, via Amber Benson’s terrific narration performance, in the Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form category as well. Constituent Service is currently still an Audible exclusive, so you will need an Audible account to listen to it, but if you are indeed an Audible subscriber, it’s part of the Audible Plus service, which means it comes at no additional cost to you. So there you have it.
And that’s it for this year! This time next year I will have several things for you to consider, including two novels. But that’s then. For now, it’s Constituent Service. If you listened to it and liked it, give it some thought when you’re nominating.
(Also, in a general sense: Hey, did you know that Audible is one of the largest publishers of original novella-length fiction, including in science fiction and fantasy? If you did not, you should check it out, there’s some good stuff there, and stuff worth your consideration when it comes time to fill out your award ballots. If you’re wondering how to figure out what’s novella length by run times, from personal experience as a writer, if what you’re listening to comes in at four hours or less, it’s likely novella length.)
— JS
Let’s Do It For Real Now
Posted on January 6, 2025 Posted by Athena Scalzi 39 Comments
Hello, everyone! If you saw my father’s post yesterday, then you know that some changes that have been in the works for a while now are finally here. Mainly, I have been passed the torch that is Whatever, and I plan to carry it proudly.
For a few years now, I have been contributing pieces to the blog. In these years I have gone through phases of posting somewhat consistently to barely posting at all. Recently, my contributions have certainly been infrequent to say the least. The blog has always been a part-time, mostly low priority thing for me, and was more or less just if I wanted to write something, I was free to do so.
But now begins a new era.
While this blog is still Whatever (meaning that the posts have been and always be varied content based on what we feel like posting), there are certain reoccurring segments that I would like to do. Some of these ideas are things that I have been doing already, some are relics from the past that I will be reviving, and some will be new.
For the most part, a lot of what you can expect from me is more of the same; like movie reviews, checking out restaurants, recipe testing, travel writing, etc. I’d like to reintroduce Small Business Saturday posts, do more artist features, and keep things fresh with random events and/or experiences that I go to and report back on.
I want to thank everyone that expressed their congratulations and well wishes towards me, my family, and the blog. I truly appreciate it! And I hope that moving forward I am able to do right by the blog, and do right by all of you.
I also want to thank my dad for entrusting me with something that he has had in his life for even longer than he has had me. I feel so grateful to have a father who not only supports my creative endeavors, but enjoys working with me as a fellow writer, and constantly pushes me to be the best, most creative version of myself I can be.
I am honored to be the one to watch after the site that has hosted me as a guest for so many years now, and I can’t wait to show you all my version of Whatever. I hope you’ll love it.
-AMS
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying