I’m Thinking Arby’s And Dagmar Tonight!

Paste Magazine Issue #23 Last night I got a chance to poke around the Decatur offices of Paste , the independent music-slash-entertainment-slash-culture magazine with the free sampler CDs stuck to its face. Those offices were less what I expected and more what I’d hoped for: rough and reclaimed concrete floors, exposed ceilings, lots of shelving lined with lush CD boxed sets and sample discs from hopeful bands, high-dynamic-range photos of folks like Michael McKean and Jane Ly... more

I’m a migratory creature, a rootless caffeinéaste, a wandering beanophile. I go from coffee shop to coffee shop, sipping the wares and moving along again. I thought I’d found a place to settle down a few times, but every time I’ve been wrong. Before long, I’m off to another exotic island in the archipelago of java joints. Without pretending that I’m a regular anywhere, that I have any true favorite coffee shop, I’ll pop in here every now and again to spotl... more

The bold, brushed-steel sign of The Grange public house. It probably isn’t fair to judge a new restaurant on its opening night.[1] I’m sure The Grange doesn’t want me to do that and, honestly, I don’t think I want to do that to them. So let’s call this a first impression, with the understanding that we’ll meet again soon. I found out The Angel was closing the hard way: I showed up and no one was there. The place was lights-out and empty. Uh-oh, I th... more