THE AMERICAN COCKTAIL is the first book from the visionary writers of IMBIBE MAGAZINE. the staff combed the country for the most creative cocktails to include in one concise hard-covered collection in lieu of their usual monthly glossy. if you haven’t noticed as of yet, bartending is hot. in the last month alone i’ve gotten three requests to teach the skills of the trade to curious beginners. i don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t appreciate this book as a stocking stuffer. (CHRONICLE $20)

japan might just be the coolest country in the world. after all, the entire world shops japan for new fashion, product and eco trends—tokyo, specifically. apart from their little whale fetish, the japanese people have it going on, big time. because of this, i am really proud that intoxicated zodiac candles are sold in japan, and i can’t wait to get over there myself! when i do finally make it to the “coolhunting” destination of the fashion world, this book will be packed in my suitcase. “DRINKING JAPAN: A GUIDE TO JAPAN’S BEST DRINKS AND DRINKING ESTABLISHMENTS” by chris bunting, is not only a fascinating and comprehensive read, but a charitable one as well. with every purchase a portion is donated to japan earthquake relief—and yes, the effects of the quake are still an unlivable nightmare for those affected. (just because it’s never mentioned on USA TV doesn’t mean it’s not still beyond bad over there.) one more reason to buy this book and go to japan asap—they need all the tourism support the world can give them! but, even if you are not traveling in japan, this book is still really great. anyone who is fascinated by the wonderful world of spirits will take pleasure in flipping the pages of this entertaining and insightful book. so, for christmas this holiday, get your friend this stocking stuffer along with a bottle of saki, and they will be instantly cool… cool, like japan. ($24.95 USD)

BTW, japan is a libra! betcha didn’t know that…

if you live in the northern california region, check out my big interview on tv! how ironic that it’s earth day, a holiday that honors what has come to be a very large component of IZ: environmentally products and practices. so, that’s this friday, april 22, at 7 pm, channel 5: EYE ON THE BAY. don’t miss it! happy earth day! cheers!

The three of us had been hiking since just before noon in the Hellhole Canyon portion of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and were in the final quarter-of-a-mile of the return trip when the encounter occurred. Musing over potential resolutions for the Solar New Year and enjoying the cooler temperatures in the long shadows of afternoon had gotten us through the previous few hundred yards but we were hoping for a wildlife sighting, something more substantial than the explosion of quail tracks that kept pace with us off to the side of our footpath.

No telling how many there had been, but they’d been in a hurry by the looks of it, and they had been gone long before we had arrived to even begin our hike. Other than that, the hummingbirds had been our only companions, and they weren’t particularly pleased to see humans traipsing through the territory. They let us know with annoyed little “chirrup” sounds as they whizzed about our heads. It was hard not to be amused at how ineffective they were in their irritation, and we reflected on the Medicine of Joy they are known to possess whilst we made our way out of their personal territories.

We could see the truck in the distance, waiting patiently for us to return to the parking area at the trailhead, and I turned back to let the two behind me know we were close. When I turned to face forward once more I stopped so suddenly that the pair behind me did likewise, peering around me to see what had caused the traffic jam.

There was a jackrabbit sitting sedately not ten yards ahead of us, right in the middle of the path. The light shone through its enormous ears as it swiveled them in our direction. It stared at us. We stared back. One of the two hikers behind me moved off the path to the right and quietly readied her camera, taking up a spot on the other side of a mesquite bush. And still, the jackrabbit sat right in front of us, observing.

Then the dancing began.

First it scratched at the ground quickly, washed a bit, then sat upright and looked at me, first over its nose, then giving me its profile. After a moment it leapt up and bounded around the outside of the mesquite bush to take up a position in front of our companion’s camera. It repeated the sequence. It capered and bounced, around the bush one way and then the other to take a seat in front of both of us in turn. At one point it took off straight across the path into the chollas and we waited half a minute or more before conceding it had probably moved on when suddenly it was back to take up its dancing spot in front of the camera. Back and forth it danced for us, and at one point it was so close to me that I had to stifle a laugh. The ridiculous proportions of the ears and whiskers to its head were absolutely comical. It stayed its ground, pausing for a moment before resuming its dance.

This went on for almost ten minutes. With a few departures and careening returns when we had almost given up hope of seeing any more of it, the jackrabbit was being very deliberate in its time with us, and once it was truly gone from our midst we just as deliberately gave it some of our time in return.

We looked up all we could find on rabbit and hare lore, legend and spiritual significance, poring over it together and taking turns reading aloud items that we found to be of interest or significance. The most consistent thread connecting all that we found was a description of the progression of tasks, projects or life changes occurring in great leaps and bounds, which was interesting and even apt in some cases, though we definitely felt our rabbit had danced for us rather than leapt or bounded about the hiking trail.

In the end what we ended up focusing on was the rabbit’s connection to the moon and as a guide to new worlds and adventures. Think Alice in Wonderland here and you’ll have a perfect idea of the wonder of our experience. It was actually the following day when we realized that the Chinese New Year was not far off and on a hunch looked up what sign would rule 2011. And were we surprised? Nope. There it was: The Year of The Rabbit.

Since all of us on the hike that day are artists and performers, we took it as a particularly fortunate sign that a rabbit had chosen to join us after the challenging day hike was nearly complete. We had overcome our obstacles, and now we were given an unexpected reward, a theme recurrent in many Asian legends, proverbs and folk tales. So in addition to a brilliant and multi-faceted feast (two of us were carnivores and one vegan) it was necessary to brew up a celebratory potion so that we could raise glasses in thank to our friendly rabbit for reminding us that acting on some of our long-held dreams and ideas in 2011 is not only good policy, but the very best thing we could do for ourselves and our lives. We all three have promised to keep up with one another throughout the year to see what sort of excitement unfolds.

What followed was a vodka drink that materialized as an organic group effort. Interestingly, I had much less on hand in the way of ingredients than I usually like, but these things have a way of working out. I took the first three ingredients and muddled them thoroughly in the shaker before adding the ice and the vodka. The shaking was quite energetic let me tell you, but the Agave nectar really needed the extra bump and grind to get it to mix, especially with the ice added to the equation. It’s totally worth the athletic portion of the program to get there. Trust me.

And I blame the name on the fact that we tested two or three drinks each before realizing we needed to give it a title. Happy Year of the Rabbit!

RABBIT PUNCH
Fresh grated ginger
Teaspoon of fresh lime juice
Teaspoon of Agave nectar
3 to 4 parts vodka (to taste … we kept adding more to cut the sweetness down a bit)

Cheers~Charon, The Most Dangerous Beauty Alive
theswordswallowers.com
oddangel.com

Charon Henning is one of a handful of female sword swallowers in the world today. She’s performed on carnival midways and at wine tastings, on theater stages and grassy lots.

Charon also reads tea leaves professionally, a skill she inherited from her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. Tea-leaf reading is a wonderful and elegant form of entertainment, suitable for many time periods and venues.

Charon loves being on the road seeing new places and meeting new people. Want to catch Charon on the road for her live show? View her tour schedule here. Or, book Charon’s talent for your next event!

(photo) As I have mentioned in previous columns, autumn is my favorite time of the year. I love the colors, the smells, the snap in the air, the transitional nature of absolutely everything, including my self and my life on the road. It is this time when Best Beloved and I, amid fond visits by the fire with family and friends, begin to prepare for the trek to the southwest where we will spend the winter. This year in particular, the transition from Virgo to Libra, practicality toward balance and harmony, coupled with the full moon a day later, seemed an ideal combination of heavenly influences for our next to last work-related trip to the DC Metro area. We had visions of joyous reunions and much fellowship and merriment with those dear to us. We looked forward to sharing plans for the slow season in the show biz and the tattooing biz as well. We felt certain it would be a cozy, reflective and low-key visit to our old stomping grounds.

(photo) To put it bluntly, we could not have been more horribly, horribly mistaken.

This first autumn following the Grand Cross has been anything but a time of flowing transition for those around us. Our little family unit, safe and snug in our Silver Palace, is well fed, warm and living within our means, having cut out much in the way of material things in favor of space, mobility and adventure. Most unfortunately, many friends and family members still in the area of our visit have had homes foreclosed upon, vehicles repossessed, work evaporate and relationships fall apart. Loss was the predominant transitional theme at work here.

Lest you think we merely considered ourselves fortunate and shut our doors, I must tell you, dear readers, that we made the choice to set out on the road because we were quite close to such circumstances in our own lives. We chose to opt out and now we were on hand to witness the fallout we had avoided. This also put us in a position to assist where we could and with what we had to offer.

We cooked food on several occasions for our parking hosts and their employees, since we were at a place of business. We took aside the employees who were also close personal friends and offered what we could to assist them in getting through these trying times. We did these things because we wished someone had done them for us when we were struggling, and we will forever remember the few who did so. We wanted to share the moment of Zen that occurs when you realize unexpected help has indeed arrived and has relieved a burden that has been keeping you up at night.

(photo) That is a truly lovely and delicious moment, one to be savored and recalled often.

We got to watch this moment over and over again as friends entered the Airstream, sat down and breathed deeply. The stress would fall off of them, their faces would relax and break into smiles as one or both of the cats began to cuddle up and solicit attention for a moment or three. They would begin to talk about things they wanted to do, futures they wanted to have and dreams that were currently deferred. We would serve tea and snacks and, after the workday was done, beer, wine and cocktails. I created the following drink out of ingredients on hand to satisfy a request for something sweet, fruity and rummy, and gave it a name I felt was appropriate to the circumstances.

It is our hope that things will continue to transition to a place of manageability for everyone we know and love. Times are difficult for many and some are making very tough choices that will alter their hearts and lives forever. It is also our hope that we, all of us, will take the time to remember what is truly important in our lives this season, stand in gratitude for it all and pass that quiet, joy-filled moment of Zen among our fellows with genuine love for the potential for greatness we know sits within us all.

Happy Autumn, Dear Readers. May you have many, many warm and sweet moments to offset any difficulties you may encounter along your path.

TRAVELER’S MOMENT OF ZEN:
3 parts Pineapple Juice
1 part Grenadine (Always best to make your own. Gwen has a killer recipe for how to do it over here … )
1 part Sake
1 ½ parts Light Rum
½ part Triple Sec
Mix all ingredients in order and shake or stir thoroughly. I garnished this with a couple dried cranberries. As I said, sometimes, it’s about what you have on hand.

Cheers~Charon, The Most Dangerous Beauty Alive
theswordswallowers.com
oddangel.com

Charon Henning is one of a handful of female sword swallowers in the world today. She’s performed on carnival midways and at wine tastings, on theater stages and grassy lots.

Charon also reads tea leaves professionally, a skill she inherited from her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. Tea-leaf reading is a wonderful and elegant form of entertainment, suitable for many time periods and venues.

Charon loves being on the road seeing new places and meeting new people. Want to catch Charon on the road for her live show? View her tour schedule here. Or, book Charon’s talent for your next event!

Hello again dear IZ Readers! I have been away for quite a while and have missed being here in the starry, shaken and stirred world of our lovely and intrepid Gwen. For reasons that shall be clear shortly, I missed out on tippling with you in February, so this month I am giving you not only one recipe for your use and enjoyment, but two! This month I give you the medicinal and the indulgent, which spans the particular Zodiac traits we’ve encountered since I’ve visited with you last.

It seems that the transition from the thoughtful and ordered daydreaming governed by Aquarius to the highly emotional and occasionally volatile aspects of Pisces has hammered many of us between the eyes with slews of interpersonal and immediate environmental mishaps, catastrophes and other sundry difficulties. And waiting in the wings later in March is, of course, another chaotic transition into the just-as-volatile-in-a-different-way demeanor that signifies Aries. (cool appletini painting $650)

One would think that with the past month being absolutely filled with much gray, dreary, cold and inhospitable weather, the best course of action would be to curl up in bed with a good book and stay there.

Until Spring.

While I highly endorse this course of action it was neither practical nor desirable for me to do so, and while I’m sure many of you found the same to be true, I’m sure you also found that Mother Nature sometimes takes it in hand to give a bit of an assist to the notion of staying in bed. When we push too hard, do too much, cram too much activity into too little time and space, there are consequences. Sometimes these are dire, but more often they are inconvenient and just plain yucky.

In short, dear readers, I got sick during the cusp in February. Completely and utterly miserable with throat and sinus wars raging I was unpleasant to be near from the standpoint of noise pollution alone, not to mention feeling as though there was a cubic yard of cotton stuffed in my head, neck and chest cavity. Organic or conventional notwithstanding, Best Beloved reminded me that the surest way to get rid of my “congestion cotton” was to employ a tried and true recipe for the Hot Toddy. (photo)

I put great stock by this one. This recipe helped me heal my throat following invasive surgery (swordswallowers have bad days at work too, after all), and my swordswallowing mentor, Red Stuart swears by it as well. I have used it to great healing effect for friends, family, colleagues and neighbors on and off the road. I still have friends contact me to clarify this recipe for them every winter during flu season. It is powerful and it is effective. Use wisely.

The Cocktail Sword’s Hot Toddy

In a coffee or tea mug mix the following:

1 jigger of rum or whiskey (personal preference on this one … )

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

Fill with boiling water

Drink it while it is as hot as you can stand it without burning your lips. The heat and steam will work wonders for throat and sinuses, the honey and lemon will open breathing passages and the liquor will relax even the most irritated of muscles about the affected areas. For an extra effective cold-arse-kicking concoction, add a ¼ to a half a teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper to the mix. It will make you sweat whatever sickness is lingering right on out.

***gwen advises boiling chopped ginger in the water, and using that water in the toddy. if your throat’s been sore, it will be no more!

When you are recovered and strong and feeling frisky around the imminent arrival of Spring on the Vernal Equinox, some celebratory mixing is most definitely in order. Apples are a favored food of mine this time of year, with all the Eros and Eve implications that go along with them, and I found that while I was working part time behind a bar, the apple was favored among my clientele as well. Washington Apples were a favorite cocktail in the DC Area among lobbyists in particular. Others preferred a lovely spicy piece called the Indian Summer. By far the runaway hit, probably as people geared up for getting out of doors (and for yours truly, the carnival season), was the Appletini. I always did my level best to give my Appletinis a bit of tartness in addition to a bit of circusy sweetness and judging by the number of repeat customers I had who drank almost nothing else during my shifts, I seem to have hit on a wonderful flavor combination.

The Cocktail Sword’s Appletini

2.5 parts Vodka

2 part Sour Apple Pucker

1 part cranberry juice

Half part Midori

A splash Butterscotch Schnapps (optional, but good for that circusy touch)

So dear readers, a recipe to help get you back on your feet and another to sweep you off of them again, just in time for the fiery shifts that Aries brings us in preparation for some Springtime goodness. Enjoy in good health!

Cheers~Charon, The Most Dangerous Beauty Alive
theswordswallowers.com
oddangel.com

Charon Henning is one of a handful of female sword swallowers in the world today. She’s performed on carnival midways and at wine tastings, on theater stages and grassy lots.

Charon also reads tea leaves professionally, a skill she inherited from her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. Tea-leaf reading is a wonderful and elegant form of entertainment, suitable for many time periods and venues.

Charon loves being on the road seeing new places and meeting new people. Want to catch Charon on the road for her live show? View her tour schedule here. Or, book Charon’s talent for your next event!

And so it begins, another Solar year here at IZ. Hands up, gentle readers, who among you have already stumbled on, broken, or otherwise, like yours truly, completely demolished their New Year’s Resolutions?

I’d like to think we’re in good company. Our human nature makes a perfectly fine and reasonable cause for toasting, don’t you think? Perhaps next year I’ll resolve to get over my growing sense of perfectionism (which, if you saw me typing this entry, you would understand completely. Bless you little spell checker!), but right now I truly believe it is time to let myself off the hook, and for all of you to do the same.
Every day is a good day for new beginnings. We don’t need it to be a Monday or a holiday to start a new project or change a habit. We can empower ourselves by truly stopping to consider our needs and then making desired changes according to the way we understand our minds, bodies and spirits to work. We know them best, after all.
I have had a lot of time to consider this while on the road. I spent the first part of 2010 in the desert, replete with all the silence and saguaros that I could stand, and was able to take the time to step outside of my long-held notions of self in order to find out what changes I truly wished to make, in what order and how important each truly was to my health and happiness.

It is heady stuff, and good food for thought on long hikes to the rare spots of water hidden in the mountains. Once back to the familiar and safe environs of my Silver Twinkie, though, I tend to ruminate on the lighter side of things, and perhaps have a laugh at how very human I am after all.

When I am struck by the humor of such things, and when I need to stop taking myself so very, very seriously, I have been known to put together a lovely and wonderful concoction called the Sake Martini.

In this particular martini manifestation, sake is substituted for vermouth, and being a white wine as well, brings a soothing and feminine quality to a cocktail traditionally associated with drab-suited businessmen seeing just how quickly they can ingest them before returning to the office or, more tellingly, before returning home. While I admire business savvy, I am very particular about what I consider good business savvy. Speedy consumption of good spirits is bad business, IMHO, so the only traditional element I retain in my mixing of martinis is the classic main ingredient: Gin.

[If you prefer vodka martinis I won’t hold it against you, but I’ll forever and steadfastly maintain that you aren’t drinking a martini. You’re drinking vodka in a martini glass.]

Gin is a tricky alcohol in the wide and wonderful world of mixology, and I think it’s probably safe to say that most first time gin samplings end in unmitigated disaster due to it’s very potent, as well as pungent, nature. To further complicate matters, juniper, gin’s reigning ingredient, is a fiery and masculine sort of plant, ruled by the sun. Additionally, the Brothers Grimm identified it with extreme feminine angst (most often applied liberally and vengefully) in their myriad works, so the foundation plant that allows us to have gin has enjoyed a rather confusing and powerful reputation for many generations, one that lingers on our psyches to this very day.

This is why I am particularly fond of one brand of gin amongst all the marvelous offerings out in the world today. Above all others towers the Great Shining Black Pillar that contains none other than Hendrick’s, a gin touted by its makers as both “ridiculously good” and “loved by a select few”, and with good reason, dear readers.
Hendrick’s methodology with one particular ingredient not only calms the fiery rage of sun-ruled juniper, but also makes their gin the perfect foundation alcohol with which to blend an appropriate cocktail for the turning of the Solar year AND the transition in Pisces within the first month. They have added a generous amount of the cooling and calming flavors and effect of cucumber. Being ruled by the moon and having a watery disposition, as well as being best planted during the turn of Pisces in the heavens, cucumber makes the very best partner for the vivacious juniper, and with it, Hendrick’s creates a flavor absolutely unique in the world of gin.

Your choice of sake in the matter is strictly yours. I sometimes prefer unfiltered for a sweeter drink, and it creates a lovely and wonderful snow globe in the martini glass that I’ll get lost in from time to time. Filtered is my main squeeze, though, and I mix them 2 parts gin to 1 part sake in a cocktail shaker full of ice.

Shake, strain, enjoy. It’s a simple as that.

And now, gentle readers, I believe it is time for me to get down to the business of figuring out how best to salvage 2010 from my ridiculous initial batch of resolutions and plotting something more realistic and forgiving for fostering long term change. And, since it’s strictly business, a martini is most definitely in order.

Cheers~Charon, The Most Dangerous Beauty Alive
theswordswallowers.com
oddangel.com

Charon Henning is one of a handful of female sword swallowers in the world today. She’s performed on carnival midways and at wine tastings, on theater stages and grassy lots.

Charon also reads tea leaves professionally, a skill she inherited from her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. Tea-leaf reading is a wonderful and elegant form of entertainment, suitable for many time periods and venues.

Charon loves being on the road seeing new places and meeting new people. Want to catch Charon on the road for her live show? View her tour schedule here. Or, book Charon’s talent for your next event!

OPEN SKY has decided to donate 100% of their profits for any sales made friday through the end of Sunday to help the people of Haiti.

as luck would have it, OPEN SKY sells intoxicated zodiac candles. IZ candles make AWESOME birthday & valentine’s day gifts. buy that special someone’s pressie now and give the gift of aid to haiti at the same time…

road trip planned? IZ travel (shot) candles are great, because according to the jet set girls, “some hotel rooms smell funny.” true that.

cheers to OPEN SKY for their humanitarian generosity in this dire time.

This new year, write down those resolutions! Place them in a box to be opened this time next year with a shaker full of Yule Tide sweetness…

THE YULE TIDE

2 oz. Cranberry Pomegranate juice (Northland, Lakewood and Knudsen all make an excellent organic cran-pom juice blend)

1/2 oz. Orange Juice

1/2 oz. Grand Marnier

Dry champagne of your choosing

Mix first three ingredients in mixer with ice. Chill, shake & pour. Fill remaining space with champagne.

This year, for the first time, I will not have spent either of the traditional family gathering holidays with my immediate family. On Thanksgiving I was with extended family in Southern Louisiana. There was more food than our small army of folks could feasibly handle and a good deal of it left the house with us the following day, packaged securely for transport to northern Alabama, to be delivered to more extended family there. It was humbling, really, that so much abundance was in evidence at both locations. The houses were warm and full of light and family and there was always plenty of food and drink. Even the animals were slightly corpulent from seasonal overfeeding. It was impossible to feel as though one wanted for anything in such environments.

In stark contrast, Christmas will be spent on the road, most likely at a truck stop or someplace similar in the great state of Texas. Oddly, I’m very much looking forward to it because it will afford me the opportunity to reflect on the concept of family.

I’m one of those who has traditionally taken in “orphans” during the holidays, those friends who have no family (either nearby or existing at all) with whom to spend a time which rejoices in such connections. This season, at Christmas, I and my partner and our kitty will be orphans ourselves. We duly signed up for it, planning our time on the road as we did, but we never really stopped to consider the import of spending Christmas on the road. We’ll be certain to see and spend time with other orphans, as we’ll likely go into whatever truck stop we’ve decided to camp in, for tea, warmth, and hoping, I’m sure, with many others for some sort of silent fellowship.

Having family close at hand has been a practical consideration throughout human history, most especially during the winter months when help was needed to make sure food supplies were at the desired levels and the very young and very old were cared for with the extra attention that cold and damp conditions generally make necessary. The idea of several generations of a family sharing living space and resources has become rare in this day and age but we are seeing it spring up anew as we travel these days. Parents asking their college aged children to stay under their roof as long as they would wish, young parents asking their own parents to move in and assist with child rearing, and similar family dynamics that mirror those of days gone by are happening right before our eyes. There are financial considerations at work here, but more importantly, and more easily missed, are the bonds of love and friendship that encourage such decision making.

On the approach of the Winter Solstice, when the nights are at their longest, I can think of no better place to be than with family, be they blood or a family of one’s choosing. It is no mere coincidence that the sun sign being transitioned into is all about family, practical choices, reliability and a firm grounding in all that is necessary for not only surviving, but thriving. This is a time of gathering with those closest to you and deciding what is to be left behind in the Darkness since it either no longer serves you or is acting as negative ballast to keep you from reaching other goals. It is also a time for setting those goals anew, so that they might be nurtured by you as well as your immediate family, growing in strength as the days lengthen and coming to fruition even as the light returns to our lives.

As the sun moves from inventive and spontaneous Sagittarius into the more stable and dependable Capricorn, I and many others, will turn attention to practical matters of family, finance and health. New Year’s Eve is not the only reason we are resolution-minded this time of year. Capricorn’s resoluteness and desire to finish what has been begun also lurks in the sub-currents of our psyche around the Solstice when it begins its ascent in the Zodiac.

Rather that reflect on what we haven’t got or failed to achieve in the previous year, Capricorn urges us to look ahead at what opportunities still exist before us, and what we can do about them. We are encouraged to recall all of the sweetness that this year has afforded us and hold gratitude for each and every bit of it. We are reminded that what is important right now, in this moment, is always right in front of us, and that if we are not diligent in paying attention, we will miss it entirely.

With this in mind, I offer you a dose of the previous year’s sweetness in a wonderful little sparkly concoction I like to call The Yule Tide. Share it with someone close to you or sip it in solitary reflection. Mull over what your definition of family is, for there is no wrong answer. Family is generally where we find it, where we are moved to make an effort to connect with our fellow human beings and other living creatures. And it is mostly about the love that you have for all that you hold dear and your willingness to share it with your particular corner of the world.

May your holidays be filled with warmth and joy and the family of your choosing…

Cheers~Charon, The Most Dangerous Beauty Alive
theswordswallowers.com
oddangel.com

Charon Henning is one of a handful of female sword swallowers in the world today. She’s performed on carnival midways and at wine tastings, on theater stages and grassy lots.

Charon also reads tea leaves professionally, a skill she inherited from her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. Tea-leaf reading is a wonderful and elegant form of entertainment, suitable for many time periods and venues.

Charon loves being on the road seeing new places and meeting new people. Want to catch Charon on the road for her live show? View her tour schedule here. Or, book Charon’s talent for your next event!

my friend steve visited utah recently and shared with me something i did not know. and that strange bit of information has amazed me ever since, compelling me to blog about it. perhaps you are also unaware that in this largely mormon state, in order to patronize a bar, you must belong to it. yes, that’s right. you just can’t walk in to any bar on the street without paying an annual membership fee! of course, if one is not a millionaire, one must choose their drinking holes wisely. (see on the photo how it says “members.”) the only bar i know of retarded enough to voluntarily have this policy is milk & honey. and they just need to get over themselves all ready. snooty brits. utah really makes me love new york.