Like all changes it offers us – we who are here, and affected by it, the art, daily – a chance for a proper experience, meaning one of a roller coaster nature. It is, in effect, a divorce from one, and a falling in love with another. All in the confines of a day’s time. We are – I am – certainly sad to see DeAnna’s great stuff go away. Watching it come down, bit by bit, this morning, was not at all unlike the undressing of  a Christmas tree, or witnessing the attrition of presents beneath it on Christmas morning, for that matter. It is, really, a dismantling of something that has made you…well, feel.

And like all changes, too, there is in there a rebirth, an embrace of something new, and that is, of course, cathartic, and good, and…well, the point, really.

Starting tonight, meet the material manifestation of Kelly Einbinder’s perspective: it is an awesome one. She hung her stuff today, and she will be here for the better part of the evening tonight, and we will be donating 10% of the evening’s total sales to her, as usual.

So. In the immortal words of Mr. Thorogood, come down here. Tonight. Because I promise you, you’ll see something good. This woman has put some things on canvas that ought to be witnessed. And if you’ve not the interest, come down here because this is how we can support local art, and artists, without ever buying a piece, or even having interest in doing so. By having a beer, by having a bite, tonight, at Counterpoint.

We open at 5, and close with the day at midnight. And hope sincerely to see you at some point between the two.

She works in support of the Jackie Robinson Y, specifically with their youth programs. They serve a very at risk community, and push pretty tirelessly to provide these kids free camp experiences, so they might enjoy exposure to art, or sports, or teambuilding. Obviously, these kids will otherwise have no chance to take part in these really very special experiences all kids ought to enjoy.

So what they have been doing, in part, to support themselves is a children’s art show and silent auction. And this year, we get to be a part of it. The way it is going to work is this: Jo is going to come in on Thursday morning and hang the place with a whole mess of small canvas tiles that the kids from the Y have painted, all up for auction.  We will all be able to bid on them while they hang throughout the weekend, we will try very hard to convince everyone under the sun to come in on Sunday, so we can rack up as big a donation as possible to the Y; the entire day’s profits will go the them, in support of the program.

Additionally, of course, all money from the auction, closed on Sunday, contributes as well, with the added bonus of putting a pretty big smile on a kid’s face; I would imagine the feeling of validation offered to a child when something they created gets sold for money that materially contributes to their ability to do things that make them happy…well, I would imagine that is a feeling beyond description or price.

So if you have the time, please, please come by on Sunday; as usual, just having a beer will make a difference. And, to beat the horse already on its back, bidding a few bucks on a kid’s painting will make several differences, in ways no amount of money can buy or provide for a human being…affirmation, validation, encouragement for participation in their lives…all nearly essential things for a child, and utterly, completely, without price, though there for the doing for any of us.

This is our holiday party. This Sunday, 4 December. Come join us, with good cheer, and help out some kids who can use it along the way.

I got sidetracked by my opinion that Ryan is one of those people, in the middle of one of those moments in life, where a whole lot of struggle, and a whole lot of no, wind themselves out in the province of satisfaction. Ryan has wanted to be a cop, and has actively pursued doing so, for the better part of the last ten years. I think it takes a tremendous amount of guts to keep pushing at your dream, in the face of recurring rejection, failure, whatever, and that is just about exactly what Ryan does, has done, in the time that I have known him. I’ve been pleased to watch it, and as happy as one man can be for another to see him stand with goal in grasp.

And because all of us here can see that pretty clearly, and respect him so much for it, we find ourselves at the confluence of two separate emotions.  We are unspeakably proud of, happy for, our friend, even as we all  lament his leaving, the loss of his near constant presence in our lives.

Add to that, the occasion of his 31st birthday this Thursday, and it seems that to not celebrate both of those things on that day would be to spit in the face of happy coincidence.

So we all hope you’ll find the time to come in on Thursday, to congratulate our friend on both attaining a new year, and crossing a pretty cool finish line, the kind which only visit themselves after great challenge, and tend to take part in our definition. Rest assured he’ll not be working Thursday (anymore then than previously, anyway)…his last shift, as mentioned, is tomorrow. He’ll likely be found on the far side of the bar, hand wrapped around a pint, which will be the better for him to regale you with his literally ludicrous commentary on life in general. Sometimes it gets really pretty good…other times…well, shit, Ryan. Happy Birthday in advance. Consider that your gift.

On the other hand,  if you’d like your beer or wine or food forgotten one more time, stop down for a bit tomorrow (or today, for that matter)…Ryan will be lazy, smiling and slow behind the bar then and now. Howver, with regard to tomorrow, please note we’ll be closing two hours early, at 10:00 p.m., for some Staff Fun. Serious apologies for the inconvenience, in the event you had just made up your mind that coming down for 10:00 beers on a Monday was exactly how you wanted to finish off the start to the week. We will always have next Monday, when we’ll be back to the usual, minus one Averill.

To start things off, we’re hanging new art Friday morning. And not just new art, but Sweet DeAnna Connolly’s art. Well, sort of. Her muse, this time around, was sort of…um…commissioned. As an aside, D will for sure be hanging her very own art, driven by her very own perspective and soul, and it will hang for the usual eight weeks starting sometime next week. But on Friday she is going to plaster this place with the product of her own wandering around Counterpoint with a camera for the past few months to taking what her eyes see and putting it on paper for us to see. Pictures of all the CP boys, of course, but of our usuals, too, and plenty of them. Her photography will hang for the weekend while all of us celebrate all of us, and a good year on the shelf to boot.

And then, Saturday, we’ll be enjoying a day of ridiculous beer. We don’t like to think of ourselves as a beer bar; in our minds we are a place for people first and last. We happen to like good beer, and we serve it, but we try hard not get too carried away. Except on our anniversary. Lisa Penwell, of Stone, went out of her way, and worked with our wandering tastes and desires to deliver us some beauties again this year, and we will be tapping them Saturday morning. We are also starting a bottle program, complete with a bottle menu, of beers we love, but can’t bring ourselves to put in kegs. They all age well, and represent some traditional styles and favorites, as well as, not to be too technical, a whole crapload of sours.

Doors open at noon, and Ben, Ryan, Alex and I will be here smiling, hopefully not because we had beers for breakfast. But maybe, in fact, because we had beers for breakfast. Sweet DeAnna Connolly to follow, batting in the clean-up slot at 4pm, riding herd over us boys, making sure we all get to the finish line at midnight (or later, who can say?) in something approaching a productive manner. And for that we ought to apologize; no one likes being the designated driver, as it were, but, DeAnna, who better than our sister to walk us to the door?

On a final note, and not relevant to anything, but not for nothing either, I just slapped down a baseball metaphor and a cowboy metaphor, back to back. That is very nearly magic, and I feel pretty good about it.

Our two year anniversary is here, it is this Saturday, and apparently (I wouldn’t know, it has been decided I should be surprised, and I am certain I will be) Sweet DeAnna Connolly has near burst her ovaries in effort to put together something special, art-wise, for our space, for this coming weekend. I can’t hardly wait to see it. All I asked was that we enjoy a wee bit of narcissism regarding both ourselves and you all on our walls for the weekend. Word on the street is, there are stupid cool pics/installations of the goings-on here at CP over the past few months.

And…of great sorrow and joy, both, simultaneously, Little Ryan Averill is leaving the building for the last time 17 November. Much more on that later – we will for sure send him off with a blistering hangover, hopefully with all of you in attendance – but I wanted to throw it out there now, so you can easily not miss an opportunity to come laugh at him while you can. Soon you’ll only be able to do that in Hawaii, and he will be a cop, with a gun, and a radio to call other cops, similarly equipped, and will likely not have nearly as good a sense of humor about himself. Which is a shame. So much stuff to laugh about there.

For sure, it won’t be the same without him…you just can’t imagine the ongoing childlike enthusiasm he offers to us all. That said, He and I (Cam) will be here at CP tonight, all night…come poke fun.

At either one. We’re not particular.

And for us, Thank You always comes in the form of a beer, a glass of wine.

So we will be offering Happy Hour all night on Mondays for the rest of the month. Open to close, five to midnight. Three dollar pints on select beers (changes with the beers, but see below for what is on the Happy Hour list right now…) and select wines…consider it a primer for the anniversary party, coming soon…

See you tonight, and here’s what’s on tap:

Mad River Extra Stout

Stone Levitation

Alesmith Nautical Nut Brown

Alesmith X

Avery Joe’s Pils

You’d be a fool not to stop in….

We also decided, after a series of rather heated and thoroughly pleasant discussions about our town, and what is going well and wrong with it, that we wanted to know more about who is running for mayor of this city. Tired of relying on websites and blog posts, all with decided slants and personal asides, we put the feelers out to see what odds there exist of having a candidate come in here one night, and talk to us a little bit, about what they think is going not as well as it could, and what they might do about it to make it better, even good. From the horse’s mouth, so to speak.  We decided we want very much to hear voices, irrespective of whether they are given in dissent or agreement with our own opinions.

And, happily, we got some interest. Nathan Fletcher will be here on Monday night, at 7:00pm. This isn’t an endorsement, and it isn’t a fundraiser. It is a chance, an opportunity, for what we hope will be a useful conversation, with everyone a little more satisfied, a little more engaged, for it.

We are thankful to Nathan for giving up a few hours of his time, and we hope that those of you with any thoughts, or questions, or concerns about our little village, and the goings-on within it, will take the chance to mosey (mosey) in for a beer, and, if nothing else, hear about a guy who thinks he can do some good for our town, directly from the guy. It is, after all, the most authentic way to determine the compatibility of personal definitions of “good.”

So we’re looking forward, Monday, to having a chance to form an opinion, based entirely on direct input. We hope, truly, to see you here.

Todd is an advocate for redevelopment, affordable housing, urban infill, walkable and generally pedestrian friendly communities. Todd works tirelessly to bring the proposed re-development of our Hill into reality; his track record proves this out far better than my own commentary.

The upshot it this: The Boys Upstairs, otherwise known as Craig and Mike – owners of this fine building in which Counterpoint does its thing – have decided to put together a meet and greet/fundraiser with/for Todd Gloria in the courtyard of the building on September 29th, between 6:30 and 8:30pm. Click on the link, below, to take a look at the invitation…if you have the time and the inclination, rsvp and stop by. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet and speak with Todd, in an informal setting. And, if I know Craig and Mike, a thoroughly pleasant one at that…those boys can put on an event.

Todd Gloria at mxd830

Ian is an architect by training, and his work, while obviously deeply influenced by that, is far too involved, or maybe evolved, for a guy like me to describe or comment upon, beyond saying I really, really like it. A lot. I’m going to try and find a way to communicate that sentiment in a way that sounds less…well, less like a small town kid from Indiana.

I will likely accomplish that by grabbing pen and paper and following Ian around peppering him with questions, likely bordering on the irrelevant, in hopes he will, if only out of exasperation, offer some comment or thought that I will be able to memorize and recite without knowledge or comprehension, while silently praying no one asks me follow-up questions exposing me for the charlatan that would make me.

Or, I’ll just stick with ”Come see it. It‘s really, um, cool.” A truer statement you’ll never find. Thursday. That’s tomorrow. Come see some great local art, and contribute just a little to keep it going. It’s worthwhile, at the very least.

Seriously. We’re going to be emplaced forever in the golden pantheon of innovators. Among symphonies of joy, clashing of cymbals and the rolling drumbeat of new things ushered in. From now until mother earth herself stands on her ear and shuts the whole thing down, you’re going to wonder how in the name of all thing good and great we got our arms around it.

We’re calling it Thursday. And we’re starting it tonight. Yep…read it again. It’s what you thought.  Say it aloud if you must.

Thursday. It just sounds good, doesn’t it? The flavor of the word itself as the embodiment of an idea too good to be true is nothing short of intoxicating.

Here’s how we’re going to rock this thing:  Alex will be here. Laser Eyes himself will stroll in at some point, likely nowhere near when he is supposed to, but screw it. When they call you Laser Eyes, you do what you want. There will be beer, the wine will flow like water. Steven and Fred will be doing their thing in the kitchen.  Cam will undoubtedly get bored and say dumb things. Again. If the idea takes off, if it feels right, if the energy is coursing about unfettered by rhyme or reason, this way and that, like two puppies stuck in a just-from-the-dryer-pile-of-warm-laundry, then we’re going to do it again next week. And every one thereafter. Between Wednesday and Friday. Bringing power to the people through causeless cause for celebration.

It is a lot. It is so novel. So freakin edgy. It begs a new idea about the very consideration of ideas. We’re so taken with it, so blown away by it, we’re pretty sure it won’t be long before everyone is doing it.

But we’re doing it. Tonight. And you should too.

Thursday. Its time has come.