The Alchemist Weekly

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Gaming culture thrives in the Valley p. 10

by Cindy Dauer

Bump events calendar p. 6

2 • N O V E M B E R 2 3 - N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 0 • T H E A L C H E M I S T • W W W . T H E A L C H E M I S T W E E K L Y . C O M W W W . T H E A L C H E M I S T W E E K L Y . C O M • T H E A L C H E M I S T • N O V E M B E R 2 3 - N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 0 • 3

SYMPOSIUMsymposiumVOLUME 3 NUMBER 151:20, NOVEMBER 23-NOVEMBER 29, 2010

EditorialEditors Courtney Clenney, Stanley TollettStaff Writers Courtney Clenney, Noah Stroup, Stanley TollettBump Editor Courtney ClenneyContributors Robin Canfield, Ella Marie Canus, Cindy Dauer, Dirtstir, Michael Thomas ArtArt Director Freddy RuizLayout Editor Courtney Clenney

AdvertisingAccount Executive Noah Stroup

BusinessPublisher Noah StroupThe Alchemist Weekly is published by:CorvAlcheMedia LLCPO Box 1591Corvallis, OR 97339

Alchemist MissionAs a publication, our goal is to facilitate greater understanding and appreciation for the diverse social and cultural groups found in the area. In doing so, we hope to create a greater sense of community between Oregon State University and Corvallis, between Albany and Corvallis, and between Philomath, Leba-non and Corvallis-Albany.The Alchemist recognizes the various interests of these groups and is dedicated to being as fluid as the community it serves.

The Alchemist is available to you for free. Please limit yourself to one copy. If your picture is in it, you are welcome to take enough copies for your family.Subject to availability, back issues can be purchased by mail for $5. Send your request with specific issue date to PO Box 1591, Corvallis, OR 97339 and include a check or money order payable to The Alchemist.

VOICEOpinions and Editor ia ls ,

be they ours or yours , this i s where they be.

Dirtstir

VERDICTWe’ l l be the judge. You be

the jur y. . .you trust us r ight?

Cee Lo

BUMPIt ’s the ca lendar of a l l

things Albany, Cor val l i s , Lebanon, and Phi lomath.

Crossword

WORDJournal i s ts ca l l them fea-

tures ; we say i t ’s the word.

Gaming thrivesAl-Jebal

L ITERATIAmateur prose, poetr y and

fict ion st i l l has a home.

A pasture at midday

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In case you haven’t heard, The Beatles have finally invaded iTunes. For years there has been conflict between the re-maining members of the fab four and Apple over The Beatles/iTunes interface.

In the past, I remember being flabber-gasted that I couldn’t get Beatles music from iTunes. I would wonder aloud to anyone who would listen why some of the greatest music ever recorded wasn’t available to the white earbud set. But if any band could pass on such an obvi-ously lucrative deal, it was The Beatles. Because, of course, they were the greatest band to ever exist, and were above any trend or funny internet computer down-loading thing.

Now that it finally has come to pass, however, I find myself a little sad and a little scared. I’m a bit unsure of what to make of this final vestige of musical his-tory entering into the iTunes universe. (Technically AC/DC, Kid Rock, Def Leppard and a few others have held out on iTunes, but who cares...were talking The Beatles here.)

So what does it mean? What does this signal for the future of music and hu-manity?

In conversations with record shop gu-rus and general music lovers, the general sentiment is that it is just the next logi-cal step in the progression towards total internet dependence. The lack of tactile connection to music. And, the downfall and sanitizing of our once vibrant so-ciety. Why leave your home and touch public things like door handles and re-cords and CDs, when you could experi-ence the world and its fruits from the comfort and cleanliness of your cell...I mean home. God forbid you have a con-versation with a stranger.

But I digress. The real issue here is the digitization of human life. Turning everything from your life savings: your credit scores, your personal history, your deep personal thoughts, if you are igno-rant enough to write them on the inter-

net, all the way down to you and your wife or girlfriend’s “special song” in 1’s and 0’s, binary. Little bits of data. Does that sound nice? It makes me wanna gag. But ,I do like the convenience.

One of the questions I keep asking is “what if a huge virus hits? And twenty, or thirty years from now all the vinyl and CDs have been recycled or something....then songs like “Hey Jude” and “Hold Your Hand” would be lost forever!!! My God! John and Paul would prob-ably laugh at my paranoia. Or maybe not. Does there come a time when those with large and popular voices stand up against the tide of society, which I think we can all agree is prone to well, MAS-SIVE SCREW UPS, and say...ya know, ‘we don’t agree with these things, we’ve got the clout to stop it, so....sorry luv, but we’ve stopped selling things years ago.’ Now we just buy.

The Beatles changed music history for-ever. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that they changed history itself. Their story, the timing of their rise to fame and worldwide stardom, was so unique be-cause the changes that took place within the group seemed to mirror those of the changes that were taking place in soci-ety. They challenged us. They entertained us. We’ve all got a favorite album, song, member, or maybe we just can’t choose.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I’m sure there are arguments on either side of the issue. But, more importantly, I think it is an indicator of where the future is headed, to a culture which prizes con-venience over almost all other consider-ations. Am I becoming an old fogie for even worry about this? I remember be-ing younger and thinking that every new thing that came along was the coolest, thinking nothing of the broader cultural considerations. But now I’m smarter and wiser and a little anxious, but perhaps I should listen up and just...”Let it Be.”-Stanley [email protected]

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The Alchemist Weeklywelcomes freelance

submissions.Send material to

[email protected] or snail mail to PO Box

1591, Corvallis, OR 97339. Manuscripts will be

returned if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

YOUR VOICE:[email protected]

YOUR SCOOPS:[email protected]

YOUR WORDS:[email protected]

CONTACT US: [email protected]

[email protected]@thealchemistweekly.com

D I R Tstir C O RVAL L I Svanities

The thoughts, views, and opinions expressed in Voice are of theirauthors and do not necessarily represent the thoughts, views

or opinions of CorvAlcheMedia, LLC.

voice

Downward Mobi l i tyHey now, wasn't that "cash for clunkers"

program a flash in the pan? There are nu-merous online sites espousing the positive and negative impacts of the Car Allow-ance Rebate System. Although the pro-gram has sunset, one can still navigate the site at cars.gov. Just being at the site feels dead, anticipating the langolier. Like being the last person leaving the concert venue, house lights up and the place trashed. Someone had a good time, but it probably isn’t the folks who get to sweep up the next morning.

Critics identified the federal adminis-tration's intent to spur people into buying something that would be purchased in the not too distant future anyway. Other data shows that contrary to critics' concerns that it would cause a later sales slump, sales were about half-a-million automobiles above Edmunds.com's concerned predic-tion for the final quarter of 2009. This sales trend continued at an annual average rate of 10.5 million vehicles as of April 5, 2010 (whitehouse.gov).

Since then...AW CRAP! Go online yourself, look for the information and make YOUR interpretation of the data! To me, it looks like a wash, with no overall gain or loss of sales. Problem is, the gov-ernment gave away nearly $3billion in the process, sent tons of steel to China, and made it more difficult for lower income families to afford an automobile. How so? It was lower value automobiles—the ones lower income persons can afford—that were scrapped. What part of this program is "sustainable"?

Tolerance? We Don't Need No Stinking Tolerance

So eleven years ago, a Portland police of-ficer created a memorial in a Portland park. Over a period of two years, five plaques were nailed to a tree to honor five World War Two German soldiers. Media tells us he took them down a couple years later at which time he was being investigated for excessive force, giving the materials to Portland's Attorney General's office. This officer has since become a police captain, and Tuesday was suspended without pay for two weeks after an internal affairs in-vestigation of the issue determined he vio-lated professional conduct standards (or-egonlive.com).

I agree. It's not OK for anyone to erect a memorial on public land. Besides that, the officer had a serious brain blockage ignor-ing the fact that some ignoramus wouldn't appreciate the memorial for what it was, and have some kind of "WW2 German = Nazi Jew Killer" freak out. I mean, taste-fully display the stuff at home, but don't create a shrine. Your friends will let you know if you get kooky, others will simply avoid you.

Me? I want to see the plaques (any "SS", any swastika?). I want to know why he gave the plaques to the attorney general's office (dumb ass, unless they knew of them and requested said plaques). Finally, how and why were the plaques recently un-earthed, and what were the grounds for the investigation? I'm not being insensi-tive to those who may have been offended, I'm just wondering why it took ten years to get around to it. Is someone trying to em-barrass him, or feeling challenged, insulted or threatened?

Imagine a world in which you could be persecuted for anything you may have done in your past at any time in the present or future. Oh, besides the two week sus-pension, the officer will attend "Tools for Tolerance" training at the Simon Weisen-thal Center of Beverly Hills. Ironically, the bosses demonstrate an intolerance of a perceived intolerance demonstrated by memorializing another nation's soldiers.

Dude, Where's My Country?

A Klein Collins High School student was suspended May 6. The student took down a Mexican flag prominently dis-played in the school. Five boys at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California were suspended for wearing shirts or ban-danas with American flag motifs on Cinco de Mayo. November 12, a 13 year-old at Denair Middle School in Denair, Califor-nia was threatened with suspension if he did not remove an American flag he had been flying on the back of his bike for sev-eral weeks.

Please, folks, what the hell is going on? Can I fly a Confederate battle flag, a Con-federate States national flag (which is dif-ferent from the battle flag), or any other nation's flag, contemporary or historical? Can I get in trouble for my Hulk Hogan shrine? -Cjt [email protected]


verdict

Most musicians think it is best to go with just one genre on an album. In consequence, many people think they need to go to a mu-sic festival to hear a range of music in one go. On The Lady Killer, Cee Lo is not an artist so constrained. Luckily for listeners, i.e. soon-to-be fans, he is a man of excep-tional talent and he applies that talent in many forms.

Perhaps you are asking yourself, ‘Cee Lo, who is Cee Lo?’

Without question, you have heard of, or from, this man before. Starting with The Goodie Mob perhaps, or his several ap-pearances on The Lyrics Born Variety Show. Cee Lo Green The Soul Machine, or And His Perfect Imperfections, has put out solo efforts before, as well. If those don’t strike your memory, Gnarls Barkley certainly will—Cee Lo sang over the beats laid down by Danger Mouse. Cee Lo pops up in lots of places; he even voiced Rollo T. Goodlove, formerly of Parliament—a character on the Adult Swim animated series The Boondocks.

If you have passed any time on the Inter-net in the past two months, be it Facebook or YouTube, then you are probably already familiar with the first big hit off The Lady Killer, ¨F*** You.¨ A hip-hop song about love and spite, it contains some of the most catchy beats to be released in years. The beats and playful lyrics will stick in your head for hours, not to mention the laughs in the playful video, as well.

¨Georgia,¨ is another song that Cee Lo leaked much earlier this year. It showcases his abilities to take it slow, to croon, and, as many artists do—to pay homage—in this case to Georgia, his home. All this within another fantastic catchy tune. ¨Georgia,¨ however, did not make the final cut of the album and will perhaps remain an individu-ally downloadable song, if not bundled as an extra with The Lady Killer downloads.

Luckily, ¨Georgia¨ isn’t the only song Cee Lo croons on. Öld Fashioned¨ is another slow, serious, lilting song where Cee Lo waxes lovely about his fancies to a tune that The Platters would envy.

In keeping with his playful new lady kill-er persona for this album, Cee Lo recorded ¨Love Gun.¨ Featuring vocals by Lauren Bennett of the Paradiso Girls, this song swings with guitar riffs and rhythms that sound as if they were lifted straight from the opening credits of a James Bond film.

Both ¨Wildflower¨ and Ït’s OK,¨ are more reminiscent of Gnarls Barkley songs with their rock-based beats and less blunt, less hip-hop oriented vocals.

¨Wildflower¨ is a song, true to its title, about the unfolding of a wildflower—pos-sibly floral, possibly female. Hand-claps, finger-snaps and a saxophone are thrown into the mix for a classy tune that is much more radio-friendly than ¨F*** You.¨

Ït’s OK¨ brings back the finger-snaps, and keeps to the more playful side, both musi-cally lyrically. This is somewhat of a surprise as it is a song of love and loss, of finding his love in the arms of another in fact, but if Cee Lo can make ¨F*** You¨ come off as more of a fun, jocularly self-reflecting song, then there should be no reason Ït’s OK¨ could follow in the same vein.

If such songs verge on the edge of too-painful, the listener can always fall back on songs like ¨Fool For You,¨ which sounds like a mix of rhythms from Cee Lo’s own roots and 80’s Motown.

The Lady Killer really has a taste of ev-erything.

If Motown isn’t the 80’s style you are looking for, try ¨Bright Lights Bigger City¨ the first song on the album itself. Some-where between rock and hip-hop, this song opens with a classic 80’s keyboard intro, quickly followed by a heavy R&B rhythm, with a beat that is reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s ¨Billie Jean.¨ Loud and strong, there is no rapping in the song, just Cee Lo at his singing and nearly-spoken word best.

¨Bright Lights Bigger City¨ is a fantastic prelude of the things to come. Afterwards the album jumps around from style to style, always linked by inventive rhythms, catchy beats and Cee Lo’s signature vocals. The Lady Killer is an album sure to please.

Re-introducing Cee Lo, The Lady Killerby Robin Canfield

voice

Letter to the Editor :

After reading Steven S. Hunter's recent music review on Brian Smith, I was con-fused, then annoyed, and finally, I just felt heavy-hearted. It reminded me not only of an inexperienced writer, but it left me thinking about the recent wave of bullying that has created such a negative impact on our society.

First, I don't claim to be a good writer, but, I do know how to read and process in-formation. Besides making no sense in his judgements, Hunter's intent to be clever only made the review worse. The article made too many assumptions and mislead-ing statements. As the reader, I am unsure if maybe he was just a previous lover, if there was some skewed revenge, or if he just had cruel intentions. Either way, his article was written in such a strange, elusive way.

Second, this is Corvallis. Not New York. Not L.A. Not even Portland. We are in Corvallis and he is writing for our only re-liable independent weekly. We should be supporting local artists, especially young artists. Please, write a review with construc-tive criticism rather than one that judges the personal character of someone Hunter may not even know.

Writing a review like that is something you do for musicians that have a following - a band that already has broken the industry barrier. Not a local, small town kid, SELF PRODUCING his very own CD, with his own money, in his spare time -- all vocals, all instruments; everything.

I just ask that Hunter climb down off of his horse, respect the local scene that we are trying to build, support our artists, and pro-vide a constructive form of entertainment. When he goes to Sasquatch Music Festival or Austin City Limits, he can write as many bad reviews as he like.

After reading the article, I literally fell into the CD. It was being handed out at a local coffee shop. And you know what? It was a new sound. Hints of a new sound and of the old sound and even a hint of the old westerns filtered out. This is a young man, still growing, learning, and experiencing,

emanating potential and talent. He needs your support, my support, and the com-munity's support. When the day comes that he hits it big and moves away to become famous, take the time to sit down, review his album and, whether negative or positive, write a well-written, reputable review.

And I will leave you with your own words:

"As a publication, our goal is to facilitate greater understanding and appreciation for the diverse social and cultural groups found in the area. "

-- Thank you for your time, Jessica Brothers

To the Editor of The Alchemist Weekly,

I just finished reading the “Strip Clubs: the unofficial taboo of Corvallis” by Steve Hudson, this was very well written article and very in-teresting.

I can tell you some stories that have been told to me about what went on in the local area when Camp Adair was up running strong.

There were ladies around called “Ladies of the Nite” that offered their service for a small charge.

Not many years ago the Tavern at Cotton-woods (now closed and gone) was for sale. A man wanted to buy the Tavern if he could start a strip club - the Linn County said “No Way”.

Did you know Astoria has a club - Annie’s Dancers?

I agree 100% it would good for the economy, it would create a lot of jobs - Right on.

Plus it would be good for the whole area.I want you to know I read your paper every

week, keep up the good work!! This area needs this.

Thank you for your time for looking at this!!

Al Severson

Letters to the Editor may be edited for grammar or clarity.

Get noticed, and advertise your business.

[email protected]

Letters to theeditor


verdict

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the video gaming world and the Call of Duty first-person shooter series, it’s kind of a big deal. There has been a version of the smash hit released every year since I became enthralled in a baptism of fire with the blockbuster release of Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare in late 2007. Since then, whether through peer pressure or just the need to see what the game engineers will come up with next, I have purchased every new installment in the series with gusto.

Last year I went to Wal-Mart at 11:45 to get Modern Warfare 2 with all the rest of the “fanatics” so we could get our copy at exactly midnight. It was an event. There were already people in line when I made my way to the electronics section and they were handing out free energy drinks and posters to keep us up all night “ranking up”, mean-ing unlocking more guns and attachments, which is definitely one of the more compel-ling reasons to spend hours on end playing the game.

This latest edition, Call of Duty : Black Ops, takes on a historical fiction aspect in

Duty cal ls out to history buffsCall of Duty: Black Opsby Stanley Tollett

it’s single player sto-ry line as well as the multi player maps. But, it is really the multi player gaming, where you can compete with players from all over the world, that make the Call of Duty games so much fun. You can talk smack, you can talk gibberish. You can make friends and enemies and then throw computer gener-ated napalm on them. For me, it’s all about the Xbox Live experience. Home of the newb, home of getting pwnd. A man’s skill level at Call of Duty online is tantamount to perhaps his jousting abilities in years gone by; it is a somewhat less gentlemanly, but all the same. It is bragged about, and for good reason. Sometimes you just feel like launch-ing an RPG at that annoying British guy that keeps making fun of the “colonials”. But it’s all in good fun. Although, I have heard some people literally lose their shit when things don’t go their way.

Throughout the years I have cultivated a set of friends from all over the country that I play Xbox Live games with on a weekly basis. Most are better than I, and they are not shy about letting me know. In fact, these gamers are so fond of the multi player ex-perience that they eschew the single player mode entirely, achieving ridiculously high levels at breakneck speed.

I usually get around to playing the single player game just to justify the $60 cost of the game. And, there are some definitely cool parts in this one. History buffs will en-joy the Cold War theme to the game as well as the conspiracy and “black ops” that play into actual real life historical situations like the Bay of Pigs.

One of the cooler things about the new Call of Duty installment is the inventive ways of well...”neutralizing” your en-emies. There are little RC cars that have bombs strapped to the them that you can

drive up to enemies and detonate. There are flamethrowers, shotguns, machine

guns, assault rifles and surprisingly ef-fective pistols. This is one thing that I noticed immediately about the

game play of this new COD. You can totally blast someone with a pistol just as effectively as with any other weapon. It’s all about

proximity and speed. In other words, its all in the wrist.

So if you’ve had a long day entering data down at the bean counting factory and feel like strapping on a mini-gun and mowing down online opponents to their screaming frustration before dinner. You will not be disappointed by this game. Oh, and remem-ber to keep your eyes peeled and when you see that enemy soldier, dive to prone and start throwing lead!


24wednesday

live musicCorvallisSunnyside Up Café116 NW 3rd St.Bluegrass Jam [BLUEGRASS]7:00 pm, FREE

TangentDixie Creek SaloonBattle of the Bands 7 pm

singLebanon Merlin’s Bar & Grill Karaoke Nightly

danceAlbany Albany Eagles Lodge 127 Broadalbin StAlbany Senior Dance 1:30-3:30 pm, $3

Riley’s Billiards Bar and GrillPure Country Night - Country Dancing with DJ 9:00pm

CorvallisOld World Deli341 SW Second St.Belly Dance 8 pm

Peter Gysegem’s StudioArgentine Tango Classes 7:15 pm, [email protected]

eat/drinkCorvallisCloud 9 126 SW 1st St.Beer & Blog 5 pm

Enoteca Wine BarWine Tasting 7 pm, $10

shopCorvallis Corvallis Farmers’ Market2nd & B Street 3-6 pm

23tuesday

sing dancelive musicCorvallisOddfellows Hall223 SW 2nd St.Feed Your Head, Feed the CommunityLoaded for Bear, Sunnyside, Swamp Creature, & Nat Lefkoff [BENEFIT] 7 pm$3 or 2 cans of food; proceeds benefit Philomath Food Bank

Sunnyside Up Café116 NW 3rd St.Celtic Jam [CELTIC] 7:00 pm, FREE

CorvallisPeacock Bar & Grill Karaoke, 9:00 pm, FREEOn the Top: DJ Big Cheese, 9:00 pm FREE

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis2945 NW Circle Blvd.Corvallis Community Choir rehearsals 7-9 pm, $50

Lebanon Merlin’s Bar & Grill Karaoke Nightly

Corvallis Corvallis Elks Lodge 1400 NW 9th St.Beginner Line Dance 7:00 pm

OSU Women’s Building Room 112Salsa Dancing 8:00 pm

LebanonCascade Performing Arts Center800 Harrison St.Beginner Adult Ballet Classes7:30-8:30 pm, $5

eclecticCorvallisEnoteca Wine BarGirls night out! Knit night[CRAFT] 7:00 pm

WineStyles2333 NW Kings BlvdTuesday Trivia League [THINK] 6:00 pm; $10 per team

PhilomathSynergea Chiropractic111 N 20th St.Wellness Workshop: Reducing Stress [LEARN] 6:30 pm

bump

Diff iculty: Mediumwww.sudoku-puzzles.net

U UKODS

DROWSSORCInkwell Crosswords by Ben Tausig

Across1. Beating device6. Earn11. One up from med.14. Fancy French mayo15. Friend, in Florence16. Hotmail alternative17. Book club selection or, with

a comma in between, “new”19. Yamaha vehicle, for shor20. Mescaline source21. City of 13 million that is

NOT the largest in its own country

23. TV schedule section26. Like a reasonable deal or,

with a comma, “comely”28. Sullen30. Benito Ju·rez’s state31. Genre with time travel32. Similar35. Basketball violation or, with

a comma, “repulsive”41. Con’s handles42. Source of the sample in

Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)”

44. Hebrew bible bigwig49. Wiped out50. Thing bestowed by a con-

stitution or, with a comma, “OK”

54. Terrible spots for a date?55. Programming language

named after playwright Capek

56. Atmosphere that may smell salty

58. Word after pale or ginger59. Worst team’s privilege in

next year’s draft or, with a comma, “premium”

64. “___ Mis” (theatrical staple, for short)

65. Too big, in a way66. More mellow, perhaps67. Spring collection agcy.68. Playground game stalemate

resolutions69. Filipino’s pocketful

Down1. “The Hurt Locker” subject2. Get going3. Gp. that accepted Michael

Phelps’s apology for smok-ing weed in 2009

4. Dealt with, as a hangover5. Strong, as bud6. Lord’s house7. Be histrionic8. Grip, in a theater9. Winter walking peril10. “See?”11. Yellow Teletubby12. Like 13-Down’s look13. The “Mistress of the Dark”18. Compose, in a way22. Hip-hop’s Das ___23. Text option24. Spanish nuts?25. Brigitte Bardot’s “Don Juan

(___ Don Juan Were a Woman)”

27. Pitch29. “Sprechen ___ Deutsch?”32. Charge33. Sportage maker34. Hosp. drips36. Hair removal brand37. American overseer: Abbr.38. Fresh out of the can, say?39. Like cracker and Kraut, e.g.40. Repo man’s document43. Dutch crossword puzzle city44. Acid neutralizer45. Connection for a dime?46. Grendel’s mother, e.g.47. Burnsian negative48. Totally in support of49. Opposite of legato: Abbr.51. “My Name ___” (1998

Orhan Pamuk best-seller)52. Painting primer53. Is unduly critical, in slang57. Chain with waffles60. “What should ___ doing?”

(volunteer’s question)61. Licenses, e.g.62. Golden parachute holder,

perhaps63. Orator’s stumbles

In Other Words

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stageCorvallisMajestic TheaterAuditions for "Del Sorid"6 pm

It's aneveryday thing

AlbanyDowntown AlbanyHistoric Albany Victorian Christmas [HOLIDAY]Through November 24

Heritage MallSanta [HOLIDAY]7 am-10 pm Friday through December 24

CorvallisThe Arts Center700 SW MadisonWhere Birds Dream [AUCTION]12-5 pm Tuesday-Satur-day

First Congregational Church4515 SW West Hills Rd.Gifts for a Better World [BUY]10 am-6 pm through November 28

OSU LaSells Stewart CenterGiustina Gallery875 SW 26th St Call & Response: The Conversation Continues Exhibit [SEE] through November 30

See’s Candies holiday gift center113 SW 3rd St. Ste. A[BUY] 9 am-7 pm through December 26

TEAL Artist Cooperative120 SW Fourth St.Local Art Display [BUY]10-6 pm, through December 28

LebanonLinn County Arts Guild680 Main St.Handcrafted in Linn County gift store [BUY] 11 am-6 pm through December 23


bump

25thursday

live musicCorvallisFireWorksMichael Mandrell [FINGERSTYLE GUITAR] 2 pm

singLebanon Merlin’s Bar & Grill Karaoke Nightly

danceAlbany Riley’s Billiards Bar and GrillLadies Night with DJ Unofficial 9 pm

CorvallisPeacock Bar & GrillKaraoke, 9:00 pmOn the top DJ Mike, 9:00 pm, $2

eat/drinkAlbanySybaris442 1st Ave. SWSybaris Thanksgiving ABC House Benefit Dinner 1:30-2:30 pm, $15-$40

eclecticAlbanyNorth Albany PlazaNorth Albany Rd.Oregon Mid-Valley Road Race [RUN] 7:30 amCorvallisOsborn Aquatic Center1940 NW Highland Dr.Turkey Trot 5K & Little Gobblers 1K [RUN] 8 am, prices vary

honeylet's go out

AlbanyALBANY CIvIC THEATER111 First Ave. SW 541.928.4603

ALLEYOOP LOUNGE901 Pacific Blvd 541.941.0977

BOGEY’S BAR & GRILL129 W 1st Ave. 541.929.8900

CALAPOOIA BREWING140 Hill St. NE 541.928.1931

CAPPIE’S BREWHOUSE211 1st Ave W 541.926.1710

CASCADE GRILL110 Opal St. NW 541.926.3388

CHASERS BAR & GRILL435 SE 2nd Ave 541928.9634

DIxIE CREEK SALOON32994 Hwy 99E, Tangent, OR 541.926.2767

FAvORITE MISTAKE SPORTS BAR5420 Pacific Blvd. 541.903.0034

FRONT STREET BAR2300 Northeast Front Ave. 541.926.2739

GAMETIME SPORTS BAR & GRILL2211 Waverly Dr. SE 541.981.2376

HUMPTY’S DUMP BAR & GRILL916 Old Salem Rd NE 541.926.3111

JP’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE220 2nd Ave. 541.926.5546

LARIAT LOUNGE901 Pacific Blvd SE 541.928.2606

LINGER LONGER TAvERN145 SW Main St. 541.926.2174

LUCKY LARRYS LOUNGE1296 S Commercial Way SE 541.928.3654

RILEY’S BILLIARDS BAR & GRILL124 Broadalbin St SW 541.926.2838

WILHELM’S SPIRITS & EATERY1520 Pacific Blvd SE 541.926.7001

CorvallisAqUA SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & BAR151 NW Monroe Ave. 541.752.0262

THE BEANERY ON 2ND500 SW 2nd St 541.753.7442

BIG RIvER RESTAURANT & BAR101 NW Jackson Ave. 541.757.0694

BLOCK 15300 SW Jefferson Ave. 541.758.2077

BOMBS AWAY CAFé2527 NW Monroe Ave. 541.757.7221

CHINA DELIGHT RESTAURANT325 NW 2nd St. 541.753.3753

CLODFELTER’S1501 NW Monroe Ave. 541.758.4452

CLOUD 9126 SW 1st St. 541.753.9900

CROWBAR214 SW 2nd St. 541.753.7373

DARRELL’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE2200 NW 9th St. 541.752.6364

DOWNWARD DOG130 SW 1st St. 541.753.9900

ENOTECA WINE BAR136 SW Washington Ave. 541.758.9095

FIREWORKS RESTAURANT & BAR1115 SE 3rd 541.754.6958

FLAT TAIL PUB202 SW 1st St. 541.758.2219

GREENBERRY STORE & TAvERN29974 HWY 99W 541.752.3796

HARRISON BAR & GRILL550 NW Harrison Blvd. 541.754.1017

IMPULSE1425 NW Monroe Ave. 541.230.1114

LA BAMBA MIx NIGHT CLUB126 SW 4th St. 541.207.3593

LOCA LUNA136 SW Washington Ave, Ste. 102 - 541.753.2222

LUC134 SW 4th St. 541.753.4171

MURPHY’S TAvERN2740 SW 3rd St. 541.738. 7600

PAPA’S PIzzA1030 S.W. Third St. 541.757.2727

PEACOCK BAR & GRILL125 SW 2nd St. 541.754.8522

SqUIRREL’S100 SW 2nd St. 541.753.8057

SUNNYSIDE UP CAFé116 NW 3rd St 541.758.3353

SUDS & SUDS1045 NW Kings Blvd. 541.758.5200

TROUBADOUR521 SW 2nd St. 541.752.7720

TYEE WINE CELLARS26335 Greenberry Rd. 541.753.8754

WANTED SALOON140 NW 3rd St.

WINESTYLES2333 N.W. Kings Blvd. 541.738.9463

LebanonARTISIAN’S WELL LOUNGE2250 South Main Rd. 541.451.3900

CORNERSTONE CAFé & PUB180 S 5th St. 541.847.6262

DUFFY’S IRISH PUB679 South Main St. 541.259.2906

FIRE PIT LOUNGE2230 South Santiam Hwy 541.451.2010

GAMETIME SPORTS BAR & GRILL3130 South Santiam Hwy 541.570.1537

MERLIN’S BAR & GRILL541.258.6205

PEACOCK BAR & GRILL EAST76 E. Sherman St. 541.451.2027SPORTS SHACK & DELI1250 Grant St. 541.259.0800

PhilomathHIGH 5 SPORTS BAR & GRILL1644 Main St.-541.929.7529

MEET’N PLACE TAvERN1150 Mian St. 541.929.3130

WINE vAULT1301 Main St. 541.929.8496

WING SING RESTAURANT & LOUNGE658 Main St. 541.929.6255

CorvallisFireWorksAn Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving with live music 2-8 pm, $35 reservations required

FireWorks

Michael Mandrell [FINGERSTYLE GUITAR]2 pm Thursday

Contr ibuted Photo

FEED YOUR HEAD, FEED THE COMMUNITYOddfellows Hall (223 SW 2nd St. Corvallis, OR)

Tuesday, November 23rdALL AGES, 7:00 pm

$3 or two cans of food for the Philomath Food BankMusic by: Loaded For Bear, Sunnyside, Swamp Creature,

and Nat Lefkoff


26

l ive musicCorvallisThe Beanery on Second St.Moebius K [FOLK ROCK] 8 pm

Cloud 9 Hemingway & Parish Gap [ROCK] 8:30 pm

FireWorksJesse Meade [ACOUSTIC] 8 pm

Memorial Union Lounge, OSU CampusMusic a la Carte [CLASSICAL] 12 pm

LebanonMerlin’s Bar & GrillDown Side Up [ROCK] 9 pm

singCorvallis Peacock Bar and Grill Karaoke, 9 pmOn the Top: DJ Alex, 9 pm

LebanonMerlin’s Bar & GrillKaraoke Nightly

TangentDixie Creek SaloonKaraoke 9 pm

eat/drinkAlbanySpring Hill Cellars2920 NW Scenic Dr.Annual Federweisser Festival12-5 pm

CorvallisBelle Vallee Cellars151 NW Monroe Ave.Thanksgiving weekend open house 11 am-5 pm

First Alternative Co-Op South1007 S.E. 3rd St.Wine Tasting 5-7 pm

Tyee Wine Cellars226335 Greenberry Rd.Thanksgiving weekend open house11 am-5 pm

WineStyles2333 NW Kings Blvd.Friday Night Flights5-8 pm

PhilomathCardwell Hill Cellers24241 Cardwell Hill Dr.Thanksgiving weekend open house11:30 am-5 pm

Harris Bridge Vineyard22937 Harris Rd.Thanksgiving weekend open house12-5 pm

Lumos Wine Company24000 Cardwell Hill Dr.Thanksgiving weekend open house12-5 pm

Pheasant Court Winery/The Wine Vault1301 Main St.Thanksgiving weekend open house12-6 pm

Spindrift Cellars810 Applegate St.Thanksgiving weekend open house12-5 pm

fridaybump


stageAlbanyAlbany Civic Theater111 First Ave. SWMeet Me in St. Louis 8 pm$10-$13

CorvallisOSU Theatre, Withycombe Main StageThe Coming of the Rain7:30 pm, $5-$12

shopAlbanyVintage Roost935 NW Scenic Dr.Christmas in the Roost with local crafters 10 am-5 pm

eclecticCorvallisChristmas ParadeFourth & Washington to Fourth & Jackson [HOLIDAY] 7 pm

FireWorks

Jesse Meade [ACCOUSTIC]8 pm Friday

Photo by Lucas Spiegel


27saturdaylive musicAlbanyCalapooia BrewingAndrew Norsworthy [INDIE FOLK ROCK]8 pm

CorvallisFireWorksJim Page [FOLK] 8 pm

Novak’s Hungarian Restaurant 2306 Heritage Way SEStrings of Time [MELODIC JAzz] 6:00 pm, FREE

Troubadour Music CenterEric Hill & T.B.A. [META-INDIE]8 pm, $10

LebanonLebanon Coffeehouse & Eatery 661 Main Street Live Music 6:30pm

Merlin’s Bar & GrillDown Side Up [ROCK] 9 pm

singLebanonMerlin’s Bar & GrillKaraoke Nightly


CorvallisCorvallis Dance Center1935 NW Circle Blvd.Dance Lab with SabeyaCreating Choreographies 11 am-1 pm, $35Bollywood/Belly Dance Fusion 2-4 pm, $35

eat/drinkAlbany Spring Hill Cellars2920 NW Scenic Dr.Annual Federweisser Festival12-5 pm

CorvallisBelle Vallee Cellars151 NW Monroe Ave.Thanksgiving weekend open house 11 am-5 pm


LebanonLebanon Coffeehouse & Eatery 661 Main StreetSaturday Breakfast & Brunch (Mimosa's) 9 am – 2 pm






eclecticCorvallisBenton County Fairgrounds110 SW 53rd St.Thanksgiving Thunder Rough Stock Rodeo [RODEO] 7 pm

LebanonLebanon Coffeehouse & Eatery 661 Main StreetSaturday Afternoon Free Movie [SEE] 2pm – 4pm 28sunday

live musicAlbanyCalapooia Brewing Blues Jam 4:00 pm

CorvallisFireWorksKarl Smiley [AMERICANA BLUES]8 pm

LebanonMerlin’s Bar & GrillBlues/Rock Jam 7 pm

eat/drinkCorvallisBelle Vallee Cellars151 NW Monroe Ave.Thanksgiving weekend open house 11 am-5 pm




eclecticCorvallisEnoteca Wine BarBook Group[READ] 7 pm

29monday

live musicCorvallisFireWorksSouthtown Open Mic Talent Search8 pm

bump

eclecticAlbanyGreater Albany School District Admin Offices, Weatherford Rm.718 7th Ave. SWMasters of Art in Teaching Info Session [INFO]4:30-6 pmdance

CorvallisCorvallis Boys & Girls Club11122 NW Circle Blvd.Beginning/Intermediate Swing dance class 7-9 pm, $45

stageCorvallisOSU Theatre, Withycombe Main StageThe Coming of the Rain2 pm, $5-$12




Calapooia Brewing

Andrew Norsworthy [INDIE FOLK ROCK]8 pm Saturday

To be considered for a calendar listings,

notice of events must be received in

writing by noon on Tuesday, two weeks before publication.

Send listings to editor@thealchemistweekly.

com. If you want photo consider-ation please include a photo with

correct attribution.

Cloud Nine

Parish Gap & Hemingway [ROCK]8:30 pm Friday

Contr ibuted Photos

1 0 • N O V E M B E R 2 3 - N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 0 • T H E A L C H E M I S T • W W W . T H E A L C H E M I S T W E E K L Y . C O M W W W . T H E A L C H E M I S T W E E K L Y . C O M • T H E A L C H E M I S T • N O V E M B E R 2 3 - N O V E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 0 • 1 1

word

A redheaded cowgirl wearing chaps, boots, and a trench coat stands on a table. She holds a

sawed-off shotgun on her shoulder but is pretty much nude.

Though this cow-girl is virtually void of vestments, you have to look really closely to see the in-

tricate details of her body. This is not your average cowgirl; she is less than two

inches tall.

That ’s because

the cowgirl is a miniature

figurine, part of Warhammer

40,000 – a tabletop game of warfare set in a

futuristic dystopian society.Warhammer is one of many hob-

by games played regularly around the Mid-Willamette Valley and the rest of the world. Every week, a grow-

ing number of recreational gamers gather at local homes and busi-nesses to engage in games that, like chess and poker, require strat-egy, skill, and sometimes a little luck. These groups of gamers form a unique subculture of

hobbyists and number more than you may think. They play for different rea-sons, whether they are competitive, social, or collectors or the game memorabilia.

For Warhammer, there are “fantasy” and “40,000” ver-sions, which have different rules and

game pieces. The fantasy version is set in a fictional world where elves, dwarfs, and liz-ardmen wield archaic weapons and magic spells, competing in epic battles. The latter is set in the distant future, where soldiers, creatures, and vehicles of war clash on the battlefield with the goal of domination.

But, you can’t play Warhammer with just average game pieces. Players must assemble, paint, and upgrade their fighters. They use hobby glue, paint, sand, and other materi-als to add textures to their miniatures. Each army is unique in assortment, décor, and ar-ray.

On a drizzly fall Saturday evening, a group of Warhammer fantasy players re-turn to their games armed with bags of food from Burger King. They munch

fries and chicken sandwiches while they prepare for the semi-final round of the bi-monthly Warhammer tournament held at Pegasus Games in downtown Corvallis.

The players set up the 4 x 6 foot board, carefully placing their hand-crafted min-iature armies in strategic locations. Using measuring tapes, they check the distances between their forces and other board lo-cales. During set up, one player pauses mo-mentarily to take a drink from his soda.

After several minutes, the game board is ready and play begins. Suddenly, it is like they are speaking another language. They run down the progression of play – move-ment, shooting, assault, magic. Each player is incredibly focused, never breaking con-centration. Occasionally, they pick up a ref-erence book to look up spells and actions which follow each roll of the dice.

The winner of this round will go on the final battle where someone will earn the right to call themselves the victor of the night and to take the spoils of war – store credit at Pegasus Games. These players have already been competing for more than five hours (hence the dinner break) and they could be at it for several more.

In another part of town on another night, a different group of hobby game enthusiasts engage one another in simulated warfare – only this time they are playing with cards instead of miniatures. The game is Magic the Gathering and two handfuls of players have assembled in the backroom of Matt’s Cavalcade of Comics on Buchanan Street to compete in the Friday Night Magic tour-nament.

Tonight, they are “drafting”, meaning they play only with the cards they purchase that night. They buy four packs, three for their hand and one for the prize pool. On other nights, they play standard Magic, bringing cards from home and building the deck they want to play with ahead of time.

“The draft is like the game before the game,” explains Dustin Bailey, an avid

Gaming culture thrives in the Valley

CindyDauer


Magic player who has gone on to play in qualifier tournaments for Magic the Gather-ing World Championships and often plays Friday Night Magic at Matt’s.

Tonight, the players sit at long rectangu-

lar tables and check out the cards they’ve drafted. One player carefully slides his new-ly acquired cards into protective plastic cov-ers. He pauses to takes a bite of a rainbow chip cookie. All the while, a princess Leia cardboard cutout watches over the scene, and Tigger and Pooh Bear - the two house cats - prowl the perimeter.

None of the packs opened so far tonight have yielded a “mythic rare” card – the most powerful, coveted, and valuable Magic cards in the set. Statistically, that means there should be a rare card in one of the prize packs. This just upped the ante.

Sitting off to the side, Bailey’s wife cro-chets a colorful orange shawl. She moves to where she can see Bailey compete once the match-ups are announced (they are playing a round robin tournament).

They start playing at 7 p.m. and sometimes the tournament goes on past midnight. It’s nine-o-clock right now, which means there are several more hours in store.

Both Warhammer and Magic have been around for some time. Warhammer was cre-ated in 1983 and Magic came along ten

years later. While these games are not new, local gaming experts say they

are seeing resurgence in hobby games and gaming in

general.

“It’s more popular now than ever,” said Seth Morrigan, owner of Top Deck Hob-bies in Lebanon. Morrigan is referring to Magic the Gathering. He reasons that the increased popularity is tied to the evolving game design, which allows new players to pick up Magic easily yet still keeps veterans interested.

To keep the game fresh, a new Magic set is released four times a year. The next release will be in February. New Warhammer armies are rarer. The Dark Eldar army was re-re-leased on November 6. Before that, the last codex (book of rules) came out in 2002.

Another reason for the current popularity of hobby games is that they make financial sense to people in these hard economic times

“It’s essentially recession proof,” said Marc LeRoux, owner of Pegasus Games. He describes how you can easily blow more than $20 at the movies - between tickets and snacks - then your night is over. For the same price, you can buy a game and have several nights of fun.

Along with hobby games like Warhammer and Magic, the Settlers of Catan, Dominion, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Zombie Dice are also popular.

While gaming may be on the rise, it seems to be gender specific. Male customers between the age of 16 and 35 dominate the demo-graphics at all three Mid-Valley hobby game

stores. So why do these games appeal to men more than women? Nobody is

quite sure. Some say it is the war angle and the competitive

nature, others just shrug. Entire

b o o k s

have been written on the subject, and insid-ers say this is a question the gaming industry would love to answer. Women are not com-pletely unrepresented in the local scene how-ever, and some speculate that hobby games are growing in popularity among the female demographic.

What else about hobby games appeal to players?

“I’ve met some of my best friends playing Magic,” said Bailey, who wears thin-rimmed glasses, sports shorts, sneakers, and a grey fleece sweatshirt.

Others agree.“I play for the same reason that anybody

has a particular hobby,” said John Reeves, who takes a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew out of his backpack and has a swig. “I’ve met some of my best friends through Pegasus Games.”

In more gaming action, Matt Ashland, of Matt’s Cavalcade of Comics, hosts “Just-A-Game-Con” at the Benton County Fair-grounds in April. It brings out hundreds of gamers to face off in nearly every hobby game imaginable. This event starts at 10 am on a Saturday and ends at 6 pm the following day. Needless to say, it gets a little crazy.

While hobby game tournaments are played in local shops, there are also games going on in private homes around the Mid-Willamette Valley and online. However, players note that one advantage of playing at a store is the events are sanctioned, prizes are offered, and you get the social interaction.

So players go to Matt’s, Pegasus, and Top Deck for the tournaments, but they also drop by to play at other times. People are always in these shops, milling about, check-ing out merchandise, organizing their Mag-ic cards, or painting figurines.

While hobby games are maintaining a fan base and increasing in popularity, Ash-land, a local comic book connoisseur, said we may be seeing the end of an era with comic book popularity. Comic book col-lectors may be becoming a dying breed as gamers emerge as a faster growing population.

Still, Ashland maintains his comic book stock and now has more than 300,000 back issues (at least) of classic comics.

But overall, Magic and Warhammer bring in more people to local shops, and players are dying to get their hands on new merchandise.

On a Friday afternoon at Matt’s, one customer is browsing comic books while another is checking out Magic cards. Ashland is busy talking to the mother of a young girl who was in his store earlier that day. Ashland caught this teen shop-lifting. He has the incident on camera. What was this girl trying to lift? Magic cards.

Gaming culture thrives in the Valleyword

Matt's Cavalcade of ComicsMonday 5:30 p.m.Hero ClixThursday 5:30 p.m./when people showWarmachineFriday 7 p.m.Friday Night Magic Saturday 1 p.m. Magic the Gathering free play

Pegasus GamesFriday 7 p.m.Friday Night MagicSecond Saturday of the Month 11 a.m. Warhammer FantasyLast Saturday of the Month 11 a.m.Warhammer 40k

Top Deck HobbiesFriday 7 p.m.Friday Night Magic


word

For those who haven’t heard, there is a new restaurant in southtown, well worth the extra mile of commute for

us downtown denizens. Al-Jebal opened mid-August, right before Ramadan began this year. Which was a fortunate coinci-dence as one thing the restaurant prides itself on is being able to offer halal meals to Muslim customers. Think of halal as a set of rules, which devout Muslims use to regulate the kinds of food they put in their

bodies. Like Seventh Day Adventists who don’t eat shellfish, or Jewish people who abstain from pork and cheeseburgers, these are guidelines

created through religious philosophy to be used in daily life to better the adherents of those beliefs.

Zabiha meat, is meat slaughtered and raised according to halal practices. Curi-ous to find out what other halal options ex-isted within Corvallis before this restaurant (which includes at least one halal restaurant: Crystals café on campus) I began to research the topic. I found several different ways of looking at food through the prism of lawful (halal), unlawful (haram) and questionable (mashoob) dietary options.

According to www.muslimconsumer-group.com, forbidden foods include pork, birds of prey, carnivorous animals, improp-erly slaughtered animals or animal products from improperly slaughtered animals and alcohol. For example, vanilla in most of its forms is not halal and Gelatin is also a

no. Soy sauce is haram. Sunny Delight has fish gelatin, which makes it mashoob at best. However, the tuna sandwich at Sub-way and banana ice cream at Coldstone are ok. Navigating the waters of a halal diet in American society is no easy task, nor is it seemingly one for the lazy.

Dietary restrictions are nothing new these days. More and more people are seek-ing kosher, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free, non-dairy or other options. Across these labels it seems we are all trying to find ways to understand the ingredients which are going into our food, and what we should do about them.

Halal is more focused on the slaughter of the animal and how it was raised, ensur-ing that animals are slaughtered in a way that first and foremost gives respect to Al-lah. This over arching respect towards God is one of the five pillars of Islam. Much of the meat in the US is non halal because in-ducing unconsciousness in the animal be-fore killing it reduces the meat to a status of carrion- haram, haram. According to www.greenzahiba.com, it seems to become more and more obvious- thoughtfulness in the care of animals, including their slaughter, is the way towards eating halal.

There is also I found a number of foods which Allah, the centerfold of the Islam faith, liked or disliked. Among the lat-ter were onions – perhaps a throwback to the fact that onions were a favorite of the Egyptians who subscribed to one of the last largely polytheistic sect of beliefs in the Middle East before the arrival of Christian-ity and Islam. In Egyptian tombs, Pharonic

and otherwise, onions are the most promi-nent vegetable life portrayed according to www.egyptianonions.com. I speculate that this dislike of onions is perhaps representa-tive of a new religious leader trying to dis-tance himself from the numerous Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Egyptian belief system.

Kareema Elatchi and her sister Jamila Elatchi are the kind hearted women who run the day to day operations of Al-Jebal. Kareema doesn’t seem caught up by the nitpickiness of halal dietary restrictions. In-stead her overall attitude is one of inclusion and gratefulness for being able to provide high quality halal to her many customers.

It seems the populations following halal are slowly finding their way into certain ar-eas, Al-Jebal restaurant grew out of a life-style, and not the other way around. This space was seen as a possibility on many dif-ferent levels from many different people. It is an extension of a halal meat market in Beaverton, Ore. and, was brought down to the valley as a precursor to Kareema moving her family here and wanting there to be top quality halal food in the area. Kareema her-self is Morrocan and the menu reflects this with different Morrocan specialties daily. Not too mention the daily expanding selec-tion of pastries, kebabs, teas, coffees, hum-mus, baba ghanouj and just about anything you could ask for made to order and accom-modating the growing clientele.

For someone who is new to Middle East-ern cuisine I would suggest the veggie mez-za plate, an appetizer with an array of dif-ferent appetizers most of which are vegan.

New restaurant in southtownoffers halal-friendly menu

EllaMarie

Canus

Al-Jebal 2240 SW 3rd St 541.207.3478


word

Soups and salads are also a good lighter fare, and specials change daily. For meat eaters shwarma is a grilled cut of lamb or chicken dishes which are kabobs typically barbe-cued and both reflect a delicate complexity of flavor which is typical to Middle Eastern cuisine. It’s also a great place to grab some Turkish coffee and a pastry and spend a few hours studying, relaxing, or observing the variety and diversity in their clientele. It is

wonderful that Corvallis has a new restau-rant which supports those striving to have a more conscientious way of viewing their food whether it be for religious reasons or otherwise.

As I finish my coffee and conversation with Kareema the orange walls and people within them are comforting, warm, and glow cozy. Definitely not Mashoob.

Not too mention the daily expanding selection of pas-tries, kebabs, teas, coffees, hummus, baba ghanouj and just about anything you could ask for made to order and accommodate the growing clientele.


literati

They uncoil and string themselves across the meadow; the son toddles far afield, his mother after, and the father walks steadily behind with his daughter’s young hand in his gentle grasp. The grass rolls in the breeze and the daughter turns back and marks her father’s black pickup by the road. A fairground lies to the south in quiet attrition; its limbs rust in the sun. She is yet a child, but years later she can-not remember a day so bright. She can see all the cottonwoods that pock the earth in ambit to the field and in a blue haze to the north, she can make out a minster, some rooftops.

A single oak stands at the other end of the meadow. This is the form that the fam-ily moved towards, and in the tall grass it is only them and the other. Beside the tree, and strewn through the valley is the brown curl of a river. Brush drifts in its flow and gars move heavily beneath the waves, their hard antedi-luvian bodies and jaws stuffed with teeth be-longing to another time.

Nearing the oak the grass is matted and flattened by the trek of a crowd—traces of the night prior. The father notes other signs of their passing. Crumpled cigarette butts, the gleam of sun off a beer bottle, candy bar wrap-pers. He smiles.

“Must’ve been some show,” he says. The boy is panting when he reaches the

tree. He is worn from the walk and the excite-ment of the day.

“Merle,” his mother calls, “you just wait un-til your father gets there.”

“Yes, mam,” he juts between heavy breaths.“My, it is a gorgeous day, ain’t it? Most so

I’ve seen in quite awhile.”The father grins. “Certainly is,” he says,

“well, ‘cept ‘en our boys over at A and M beat out Tulane back in January. That day was too. Gorgeous, it was.”

The rough of his denim, the coarse hairs on his arm, the tuck of his flannel shirt and the way it ripples in the air. Of her father, these things the daughter will remember best. He still has her hand when they come to the oak.

It is hanging from a branch of the oak, just like Merle said it would be—blackened and smelling of char. Beneath it the soil is stained darkly and the wind sets its smoldered frame swinging. There is no semblance in its face to the soul that once dwelled there and none who knew it in life could read its flayed and crisping bulk and discern any likeness of the man that was. Dried ink paths in the grass where dogs have lugged his spilled viscera and gorged themselves.

The boy begins circling the thing, his eyes pass over it, his lips press together. He walks the body’s perimeter slowly, stumbling now and then in the earth, and fixes all of his atten-tion on it. Several moments pass before Merle realizes that the others have joined him. They stare silently as it turns by its rope.

“Which part should I take?” Merle says,

turning to face his family.The father’s eyes are thin

slits in the sunshine; his grip tightens on her wet hand. She looks up at him but he does not see her. Merle waits patiently.

“Well, they ain’t much left,” the father says finally. He takes a step towards the torso letting go of his daugh-ter’s hand. “I suppose what wasn’t took last night the buzzards probably picked off since.”

“My, my,” the mother says. The boy hangs his head.“Now Merle, don’t dis-

courage yourself,” the father says. He points at it and his son’s eyes follow. “Why don’t you give that toe a try?”

“Connie?” he calls to his wife. Her face jerks towards him. “You got a hank Merle could use so he doesn’t dirty himself too much?”

“Oh,” her hand draws forth a white rag from her breast pocket, “just this one,” she says and holds it out to her husband. He plucks it softly from her fingers, smil-ing at her before turning around and handing it down to his son.

Merle takes the rag and runs up to the body. He takes the sun hardened appendage in his palm and starts yank-ing on it. Squeak of black-ened rope as he pulls. He squeezes his tongue between his teeth and begins heaving at it with both hands. Small grunts escape him.

“Merle…” Connie speaks.“It won’t give,” he says,

tugging harder. “You keep at him like that

and you’re gonna be covered in him,” his father says.

“Dammit,” Merle yells.“Merle! You mind your

tongue!” Connie hisses. “Sorry.”Connie looks over at her

husband. She finds him grin-ning slightly and nods her head in the direction of the tree, their struggling child.

“Alright, alright,” he says, rolling his eyes. The father steps across the bedded grass and stands behind his son.

A pasture at middayby Michael Thomas

Her figure is like a pallid

creature set across the gold of the

field. She ambles over

the earth without

pattern or method, cutting a

strange path


literati

Ingredients:1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breastSaltPepperGarlic saltCelery SaltJohnny’s Seasoning1/2 cup of fresh celery, diced.1/4 cup of finely minced onions (Red or Walla Walla Sweets work best)1/2 cup chopped, salted cashews3/4 cup of mayonnaise

Chicken salad: season chicken breast with salt, pepper, garlic salt, pinch of celery salt and Johnny’s seasoning and grill it.

The chicken can be cooked in broiler in oven or in frying pan on the oven as well. Dice the chicken and mix with fresh celery, minced onions, and 1/2 cup chopped salted cashew pieces. Then add your mayo *just

enough to get the consistency that you like for your salad mix. The chicken salad will hold it in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Once you have your chicken salad, chose a tossed salad, this serves very well with butter lettuce, ice burg, spring mix and bok choy, but any combination of salad mix will work. Place salad in bowl top with your chicken salad mix, serve with sliced roma tomatoes, cucumbers and sliced avocado. Another good side suggestion is grilled cornbread.

[email protected]

Lelan Norquist has served as an Executive Chef for Riverbend Resort, as well as an owner of Cali-fornia Grill. He has been in the restaurant industry in various capacities for 25 years, and his cooking career began at a military cook school in Virginia.

ChickenCashew Salad

A pasture at middayby Michael Thomas

“Now look,” he says, then glaring down at his son—still at his work, “Come on and quit already, y’aint getting nowhere.”

Merle bolts upright, his hands drop to his side.

“Give me that rag.”“Yes, sir.”He passes it into his father’s callused palms,

but refuses to look at him. He feels something akin to failure. His sight is on the grass top, tumbling in the breeze. Smell of meat rot. But he feels the eyes of his father and there is quiet among them.

His father grasps the toe.“You’re making a fool of yourself,” he says,

“Now what you got to do is…Merle, look at me.” The son obeys. “Ya can’t just jerk on it like you’re trying to get yourself some milk. It won’t do. Not when its been out in the heat and such, long as it has. T’aint gonna do nothing but maybe shake him down on top of you. What you got to do is,” his fist clenches around the part, “twist it towards ya, and give it the most pull you can. And fast.” He grimaces, wrinkles trail across his face. He wrenches the toe and it rips forth from its holding in a dull snap, trailing cindery flesh from the belly of the foot.

“There,” his father says. He holds it in the pit of the napkin and with his other hand, wraps the corners of the rag overtop of it un-til the toe is concealed. Merle cups his hands beneath his fathers, eyeing the bundle. His father pauses. He waits until his son meets his gaze. Pupils touch, hold, and the thing is passed.

“Fiona,” Connie calls, “what are you doing over there?”

Across the meadow the daughter is shuf-fling through the high stems. The father brushes his son’s hair and looks over to his wife.

“I’ll get her,” he says, then pointing towards the rag, “make sure Merle doesn’t choke his-self on that thing.”

Her figure is like a pallid creature set across

the gold of the field. She ambles over the earth without pattern or method, cutting a strange path that her father follows to entertain him-self. Her way crosses, veers wildly, and circles in on itself. A scribbling in the grass. He finds himself lost in her trail, he finds that any new turn would only bring him back to the same place again. He is unsettled, though he does not know why, and quits the child’s web, cut-ting his own path to her.

Nearing her, he sees that she has been fol-lowing a bird. He watches it flit into the air, wobble, and then dive back into the grass. Fiona hops behind it, sending it skyward and when the bird falls, she dashes to its new land-ing. In the air, the bird flickers black and tan, its stomach a streak of white.

When he is close enough to touch her, she speaks to him. The father is startled. He did not think that she had heard him approach-ing.

“Daddy?” she asks.“Yes, Sunflower…”“What kinda bird is that?”It shakes in the grass, tweeting softly.“It’s a mocker.”“A mocker?”Black seed of an eye bounces in its avian

socket.“Pretty common bird actually,” he says,

kneeling behind her, “they’s in all parts of the state…most of the country too come to that. Can train themselves to sound like most other bird kinds. Called a mimicry.”

The daughter looks puzzled.“Don’t worry ‘bout that one Fiona, you ain’t

old enough to need to know what a mimicry is yet.”

They could hear it chirping, but its form did not break the grass again.

“I’ll tell you what though,” the father says, “you get a grouping of ‘em up in the air and the way they fly together, they look like a…a rope. They’s just like a rope snaking cross the sky together. They really is.”

TELL US ALL ABOUT IT! THEGOOD, THE BAD, THEUGLY. WE WANT TO TELL YOUR STORY.

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OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEYT H E LC H E M I S TA FREE WEEKLYalbanylcorvallisllebanonlphilomath

A L C H yAWARDS

2 0 1 0NOMINATION BALLOT

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LAST WEEK to get your nominations in!Mail your analog ballot to PO BOX 1591, Corvallis, OR 97339. Go to www.thealchemistweekly.com for the digital version.

All entries must be submitted by Friday, November 26th.

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