Hello Again,
Sometimes analog works!
In the days between, I find myself riding some deep waves of grief as the one year anniversary of my mother's passing nears. We shared so much through the years - laughter and heartbreak, hers and mine. I will forever be grateful for every moment.
Admittedly, the past several years have been a bit of a blur. Still doing what I can to separate the treasures from the trash, and am starting to see some light at the end of the clutter. I know I will feel better after this long task is complete, and will then choose to dwell in the best of the memories and allow love to guide me to living the rest of this life. Love, music and service.
Something else happening in San Francisco:
News of Anchor Brewing's plans to shut down operations at their Potrero brewing facility hit the Bay Area and the beer world hard; a rush to buy remaining inventory was evident in retail outlets, many already sold out.
As seems to be the case with most business closures, the analysis and finger pointing will ensue. I have read many articles about this, and have my own opinions, but will trust the brewers and folks who were on the inside. I read an article that non-alcoholic beer sales are on the rise at retail, which led me to envision "Anchor Steam AF" (the AF being short for alcohol free) complete with a cool label design by Jeremy Fish, who did a previous collaboration with the brewery. raising funds for our SF bartending community during Covid. Another idea: a yearly San Francisco Rock limited edition brew, complete with labels designed by our rock poster community. Here are a couple of invites to that rabbit hole:
https://haightstreetart.org/pages/about-us
Perhaps there are several billionaires in and around the City who could use some positive PR points, but who knows if any of them care about craft beer, or have an interest in saving the ONLY steam beer brewery in America? We see how that whole Twitter thing is working (?) out, so maybe getting a bail out by a billionaire is not such a great idea. They would have to be extremely benevolent.
Anyway, after the initial shock and various online blame and brainstorming, a glimmer of hope for the historic facility has emerged, along with a Change.org petition started to "create community" and perhaps gauge public interest in saving the SF institution. Of course I signed it. We will see. I hope it can be saved and restored/resurrected. To often, we don't realize what we have until it is lost, and that little brewery holds a special place in the heart and soul of SF history. Kind of feels a bit like a tipping point to me.
More info:
https://www.hopculture.com/anchor-steam-beer-anchor-brewing-history/
You can find more articles on this subject by searching for yourself. It's fascinating to read the various takes on the situation. Btw, I recommend consulting various sources for any news, because it gives a broader perspective and helps to reduce confirmation bias. Tunnel vision causes division, and now, more than ever, we need to get out of our myopic viewpoints. But I digress.
Hope to see you on the 22nd
In the meantime, be kind to yourself and others. It makes living more pleasant!
Ox,
Mari
p.s. Over the weekend, there was yet another Twitter kerfuffle about musical instrument airline baggage handling, so I'm sharing a bit of info about that subject, with the hope that it might be helpful to someone.
