Word of Mouth 42-50

What we’re reading

Andy Moore, contributor:

Even though Sherman Alexie's tragic and hilarious new memoir about his mother is called You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, you can sense that, well, maybe once would have been nice. His mother was a liar, a manipulator, a card-carrying monster. The thing is, you really want to meet her yourself by the end of the book, which says something about Alexie's huge gifts. The narrative leapfrogs in style from poetry to prose, alternately fracturing your heart and your funny bone. Bonus: it's also an unexpected peek into the near-spiritual tie Alexie's American Indian upbringing has with the game of basketball.

What we’re watching

Dylan Brogan, staff writer:

I’m rewatching old episodes of Maude on a website with a lot pop-up ads.

What we’re listening to

Bob Koch, calendar editor:

Innovative guitarist/singer Davy Graham's 1960s albums never saw the light of day in the U.S., despite the post-Beatles frenzy to release all things British. However, "Folk, Blues & Beyond" and "Large as Life and Twice as Natural," his second and fourth solo albums, have finally seen release in the United States (at least, I think these are U.S. releases), via high-quality reissues by the mystery label Bread and Wine. Any fans of British folk along the lines of The Pentangle or Donovan should snatch these up with no delay if you see them in the bins. 

What we're eyeing

Allison Geyer, staff writer:

Bitcoin. Once the cryptocurrency of choice for libertarian nerds and black-market traders, Bitcoin is now the most mainstream of the decentralized digital dollars. In fact, my three-month-old niece Sasha has a baby Bitcoin wallet with 50 MilliBits (0.001 BTC) inside. The price of Bitcoin has always been volatile, but this week has been the craziest in its (short) history, with the price jumping from $13,000 to $17,000 over 24 hours. What does it mean? I don't know! Maybe Sasha can explain it to me when she learns how to talk. For now, here's an Atlantic article.

What we're drinking

Courtney Lovas, events director:

Just Coffee Co-op posted a recipe to their Facebook page for a Coffee Old-Fashioned via The Spruce. It consists of:

1 1/2 ounces bourbon whiskey
1/2 ounce dark creme de cacao
1 1/2 ounces water
1 ounce chilled espresso (They suggest their Bourbon Barrel Blend, of course)
1/4 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes orange bitters

Sounds like the perfect night for a test run before bringing this home for the holidays.

Perfect day

Todd Hubler, staff artist:

With the holidays getting closer, it's time to make a cheese run to Decatur Dairy in Brodhead. We jump in the truck, turn on the R&B show Soul Sessions (formerly The Dusties Storm) on WORT 88.9 FM, and head south. Forty minutes later we’re in cheese heaven. Some of our favorite cheeses from Decatur are the Stettler Swiss, Havarti Dill and Buffalo Curd. If you want really fresh curds, let them know, they may go back to the factory and grab some that are still warm. For lunch we swing over to Monroe and visit Baumgartner's Cheese Store for a pint and a limburger sandwich. Even comes with an Andes mint.