today, after the election...

I thought this was going to be a lucky year but it has hit a slump. Not only did the Republican take Kennedy's seat, a relative of mine expressed happiness at this happening, which made me feel sick. That is the belly I have now, uneasy seasickness that my relative is of such a different ilk than I. Is she against improved healthcare? I scratch my head over it. I would rather stop having any kind of relationship with her than to discuss it, of course. It fills me with wonder that a woman of my generation would have the same political flavor as my father. Whoa.

After the returns but before reading my cousin's fb reaction to my dismay, Husbear, myself and three friends motored down River Road in Nashville to Norm's River Roadhouse where I read in the paper would be a bluegrass jam. We walked in and there was the circle, upstairs in the restaurant-grille area and we were welcomed by Norm and the bartender who asked if any of us played anything and wanted in on the jam and then told us that it was three dollar special night, some beers were three dollars, hamburgers were three dollars, fries were three dollars. We had already gorged ourselves on DbR's pork and ch0w ch0w-filled steamed buns and drank a round along with dinner so we weren't the most receptive group to the three dollar offerings but we climbed into a booth and Emily and I went to order beers. I asked for a coke for DbR and looked at the beer options. I didn't really like anything they had and told the bartender (who was very tall and lanky like a brunette, less-buff Micah) that what I really wanted was something very hoppy, perhaps and IPA and the only thing I could see they had which was anywhere in the county of what I liked was the Sam Adams which I didn't really want. He agreed that Sam Adams was no where near the hop neighborhood and that maybe I would like a beer he could recommend which was downstairs in the other part of the bar, telling me the name of it. I reacted noncomittally, weighing the worth of really getting into it with this guy about the beers. Meanwhile, Norm brought DbR's coke to the table and Chris grabbed it, thinking it was his (Emily told him she would get him a soda whereas I just ordered it without relaying my plan) causing Mr Russell to have to order his own sodapop. Lanky Barman came up and showed me a bottle that seemed to have potential, based on its packaging but I saw the word, Stout. "I don't really like.." "I know you said IPA not Stout but this stout is the hoppiest you'll ever taste, it is really light." He said something along those lines and against my second judgement, I agreed. He handed me the bottle and I unscrewed it and turned away. Emily asked, "Did you taste it yet?" and I realized I hadn't. I did take a sip and it was exactly like he described and I was pleased I had accepted the beer. I turned to tell him and he was back up at the bar.

A little while after that Lanky came back over to where I was sitting and had a huge mug which was very heavy but not from its contents because there was only an ounce or so of beer on the bottom. "Try this," he offered and showed me the bottle of Fat Tire Amber Ale. "That is good." I said after my swallow and felt pleased he would be interested enough in my beer palate to come over unsolicited. "If you like hoppy beer, you know what you should try? Rogue Brutal Bitter."

We discussed the price of a 6 pack of Brutal Bitter at the different beer stores in town and he suggested one we had gone to and he suggested one we had not. I asked him if he knew of it on tap anywhere and he shook his head with wonder as if seeing a dog play the banjo was more likely. I bought a bottle of the Fat Tire without finishing the first. I noticed that the Stout tasted less hoppy as it warmed.

The music was okay. At one point between songs the musicians talked about a recent report that hunters had killed 555 black bears this season in Tennessee. "If that many were killed, imagine how many are out there." One guy said. The other guy said that bear wasn't that good to eat and a third guy said it depended on how you cooked it. The first guy wondered aloud if he had any bear meat in his freezer.

No one spoke about the Massachusetts election.