Gearharts Fine Chocolates’ Maya Holy cow. That’ s the initial reaction to the flavor explosion when you nibble the Maya. Underneath the layer of cocoa dust, the tiny dark chocolate nugget first offers a faint, smooth orange taste quickly overpowered by the spiciness of cinnamon. But that’ s just a precursor to the earthy zip […]
Gearharts Fine Chocolates’ Maya Holy cow. That’ s the initial reaction to the flavor explosion when you nibble the Maya. Underneath the layer of cocoa dust, the tiny dark chocolate nugget first offers a faint, smooth orange taste quickly overpowered by the spiciness of cinnamon. But that’ s just a precursor to the earthy zip […]
In American Motel, a short film by local writer and director Alexandria Searls, a man uses a piece of string to illustrate for a young woman the various connections, or "lines," in life. Gently, he wraps the string around her neck, her feet, a lamp on the wall, etc. Then he tugs. "Pull on one […]
On a recent afternoon, Sharon Tate turned her GMC pickup onto a rutted dirt road branching west off Route 29, and knocked on the door of a white cottage. The door opened, and a stooped man looked up from his walker and beckoned Tate inside. Sitting at a kitchen table strewn with Tylenol bottles and […]
We know a lot more now about the dangers and disasters of U.S. empire building in Iraq—the ongoing bloodshed on the ground, expansion of terrorist activities, the huge budget-busting costs of occupation, the stretching and undermining of the military and the increased sense of fear and insecurity that many Americans feel as a result of […]
The meltdown began just before 3pm. On the first Saturday in September, the visiting UVA football team was trailing South Carolina 10-7 when a Cavaliers fumble gave the Gamecocks the ball just a skip away from the end zone. The play, which sunk the Cavs, was the moment that launched a thousand quips into cyberspace. […]
Q: Who the heck are you, Ace, and how do you know so much? A: The details of Ace’s life are quite inconsequential. But, since you asked (and Ace never could resist a question), he’ll give you the need-to-know details. Ace was found on a dark and stormy night on the doorstep of Albemarle County […]
Labor Day is a bittersweet holiday, a day off for many but also the occasion to bid summer goodbye. Out with the cool of ice cubes on the tongue, in with the earthiness of pumpkin in the belly. So long, head-in-the-clouds; hello, nose-to-the-grindstone. But before we all break out our flannels, remember that summer’s end […]
Since its birth on September 5, 1882, Labor Day has provided every workingman and woman at least three crucial with things: an excuse for a picnic; a chance to sit in shore-related traffic; and an occasion to complain about work. For the al frescolunching and OBX traveling this Labor Day, you’re on your own. But […]
Once upon a time, Virginia had clear air. From the northern end of Shenandoah National Park, people often say, you could look east and see the Washington Monument, more than 65 miles away. Today that almost never happens. Average visibility from Shenandoah has decreased from 115 miles to just 25. Shenandoah perennially appears on lists […]
The urban symphony Asleep like the dead in a womblike curl of blankets, the silence is perfect. Snoring is the only sound, like a tree falling in the woods over and over, except no one is awake to hear it. Then at 6am my alarm clock honks, honks, honks, prying my eyes open. I go […]