Will work for food

Aberdeen Barn Barn Potatoes Why is the potato the king of vegetables? Because it requires so very little to make its majesty known. Consider the truly excellent Barn Potatoes at the superior steakhouse that for lo these 40 years has been owned by the same family in the same location. On paper, these quartered spuds […]

False alarm

Dear Ace: Why is it that every time I turn around in Charlottes-ville some kind of emergency vehicle is blazing by me with sirens blasting? Is Charlottesville perpetually in a state of emergency or are our civil protectors siren zealous?—Ears Ringing Dear Ringing: First of all, does Ace know you? You seem so familiar—the colorful […]

SEE AL RUN

Al Weed has been doing a lot of thinking.    Since November 2004, when he lost his U.S. Con-gressional bid to Fifth Dis-trict incumbent Virgil Goode, Jr., Weed has been pondering the big question: What’s wrong with the Democrats?    “Politics are not like I thought they were,” says Weed. “Demo-crats think if they just tell people […]

Talkin’ ’bout their generation.

Rock ‘n’ roll lives The Sandridge house in Ivy is an unlikely home for rock ‘n’ roll. A yellow Labrador runs laps in the backyard of this cedar-sided ranch home with a mountain view while two girls, just home from elementary school, bounce a kickball back and forth on the patio. The SUV and a […]

Why ask why?

Dear Ace: I’m confused about the sales tax law. I bought some over-the-counter laxatives today at Wal-Mart and was surprised when they charged me 5 percent sales tax. I thought over-the-counter-drugs weren’t supposed to be taxed. What gives?—Constipated and Confused Dear Confused: Sorry to hear about your, er, problem. But your question does raise an […]

Top of the world

On the cusp of a new tour that brings him to town to open for the Rolling Stones on Thursday, the former Phish frontman speaks out.   Interview by Spencer Lathrop pluggedin@c-ville.com   My friend, Eric, has seen Phish 55 times, and frontman Trey Anastasio solo at least eight times. He states emphatically that Anastasio […]

Jefferson worship

Dear Ace: What is this Jefferson Bible? And why are the Unitarian-Universalists so into it?—Newt Estament Dear Newt: Jefferson had a Bible? It might be a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but that TJ sure was a shameless self-promoter!    To find out about the Jefferson Bible, Ace called David Takahashi-Morris, co-minister of […]

Brush with greatness

There’s a cliché in the art world: the reluctant teacher. Many artists take teaching jobs for the steady paycheck and to stay connected to art—not because teaching itself is their calling. And often these teachers are just a little resentful: students, grade books and faculty meetings come to seem like burdens that eat into studio […]

Jefferson worship

Dear Ace: What is this Jefferson Bible? And why are the Unitarian-Universalists so into it?—Newt Estament Dear Newt: Jefferson had a Bible? It might be a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but that TJ sure was a shameless self-promoter!    To find out about the Jefferson Bible, Ace called David Takahashi-Morris, co-minister of […]

A space odyssey

On July 26, NASA launched the shuttle Discovery, the first manned space mission since the Columbia disaster in January 2003. The Discovery’s mission was to deliver supplies to the orbiting International Space Station as well as test new equipment and procedures. But during the 15 days in space a problem was discovered with the shuttle. […]