My Thoughts on the Enneagram

In grad school, I was introduced to the Enneagram as a system for personality types. At the time, I received the book Personality Types, written by psychologists Riso and Hudson. Now, four years later, I've actually taken the time to read (well, skim some parts) the book, and I believe I'm better off for it.

For those of you unaware of the Enneagram: For all intents and purposes for me, the book, and how I am relating to it, it is a system for understanding personality types from a psychology approach. It is based in a lot of old philosophical and mystic sources but that's another conversation. It's great for those that find other systems trite or limiting in their approach. There are nine different types, divided into three triads: feeling, thinking, and instinctive. Each person is not distinctly one number or another, rather one lies on a spectrum (around the circle) so a person might be a Four with a Three Wing. For each person, you Integrate and Disintegrate based on how healthy you are. So when an Eight is at their healthiest point, they exhibit signs of a Two, and at their worst, Five. There's obviously a lot more to it, but that's the dumbed down version.

As the authors point out in the closing chapter of the book, the Enneagram, or any personality test, is not perfect and it cannot save us from ourselves. At the same time, recognizing our motivators in life helps us work in healthy directions. "As wisdom has always recognized, it is only by dying to ourselves - that is, to our ego and its strategies - that we find life" (Riso & Hudson, p. 458). 

As far as I know, there's no quizzes you take to identify for which personality you are. Rather, one should self-identify (something I value). When reading through each description, I identify strongly with the Six the Loyalist, and I think I have a slight 5 Wing. As Riso and Hudson propose, "For Sixes, security comes from a rock-of-ages allegiance and an investment of themselves in something outside themselves which they believe will give them stability and safety. Sixes want to feel protected and secure by having something bigger and more powerful than they guiding them" (p. 218). This is totally me. There are other descriptors of Sixes which I don't feel strongly connected to but then there are other parts of Sixes (and my Five Wing) that also jive a lot with my lived experience. 

Why is this helpful or relevant? Well I think it helps me understand why I am good at writing research papers where I pull trusted information from outside sources. And it helps me understand why I'm not the best at making in-the-moment decisions when I don't have a protocol or previous experience to fall back on. It pushes me towards finding trusted friends and colleagues who are trustworthy and proficient at the role they fill. It also pushes me toward taking time to move past my internal anxiety and ambivalence - doing things like blogging or writing in my journal help with this. It also pushes me to analyze myself during times of watching a lot of TV or movies - am I doing it to avoid myself? Or have I sorted out myself and am able to integrate what I'm consuming into a healthy self? 

To the three of you reading, any thoughts on the Enneagram and the way you've utilized it?

References

Riso, D. R., & Hudson, R. (1996). Personality types: Using the Enneagram for self-discovery. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Podcasts. And the Way I Think, Process, and Learn.

A few weekends ago, I took a quick road-trip out to Indiana for the wedding of my good friends Kate and Steve. Within a three day span, I spent about 20 hours in the car by myself, spending that entire time listening to NPR Podcasts. To be specific (and in ascending order in regards to time spent with each): This American Life, Serial, All Songs Considered, and Pop Culture Happy Hour.

Upon arrival in Indiana, the inevitable question was asked: "How was your trip?" As I was relaying the quality of my ride, I more fully realized why I love listening to Podcasts. I'm an internal processor.

With the two Podcasts to which I primarily listened (Considered and Happy Hour), the format involves professionals sitting around talking about a subject or theme. With the way I learn, I am perfectly content to listen to others (at least professionals) work out the intricacies of a particular topic while I also do the same in my own mind.

My question is this: is this a positive process for learning/processing?

Yes, a particular, albeit surface, style of learning fitted towards my mind. And the car-ride alternative is listening to music/nothing.
No, enables a passive form of learning and processing in which I should be pushing myself.

High Fives for Summer: Music

As I've spent most of my summer cooped up in my apartment, occasionally doing laundry but mostly just reading, listening, and watching, I thought I might pass along the media highlights that I've come across. To do so, in this four-part blog series, I'll list five of my favorite TV shows, books, albums, and movies that I've consumed this summer, thus creating my "High Fives" for each medium.

(Below my "High Five," I've listed a few Honorable Mention albums; albums that have been on regular rotation though who knows if I'll be listening to them a year from now.)

Music

It's been a slow year for music and the summer has not been much different. That said, it's not as though I've stopped listening to new music... that'd be ridiculous. Here are some albums I've been listening to a decent amount this summer.

Coldplay || Ghost Stories

May, 2014 || Alt-rock, Post-Britpop || Website

Being old friends, I was obviously going to give the new album a listen or two. And, well, it's not bad. After X&Y, I was starting to question my belief in these alt-rock-pop superstars but then Viva La Vida came along and contends for one of my favorite albums of theirs. Then the ultimately annoying Mylo Xyloto followed and made me question everything about them. And then, here we have Ghost Stories. Perhaps the most adult-contemporary of their albums. But then again, I'm just about a full-fledged adult so that's not inherently a bad thing, I guess. Track Midnight had a pretty awful music video and there were some fairly blatant rip-offs of Bon Iver but, hey, I love Bon Iver. Listening through the album with the lyrics in front of me didn't help but when played while driving, getting ready in the morning, or reading, this album works rather well. 

Stand-out Track: Ghost Story, Another's Arms

Ages and Ages || Divisionary

March, 2014 || Indie-folk, Raw choral pop || Website

Listed on Paste editor Josh Jackson's top songs of the year (so far) list, I checked out this yet unheard of Portland-based band and found them delightfully upbeat, choral (as the genre suggests), and filling my Of Monsters and Men / The Head and the Heart hipster-folk void. As with any album involving more than two people on vocals, the listener is invited to sing along and just about every song does that wonderfully.

Stand-out Track: Divisionary (Do the Right Thing)

Phantogram || Divisionary

February, 2014 || Electric rock || Website

I originally heard of these guys about four years ago as they opened for The Antlers at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. They definitely had a good, beats-produced sound to them and their first LP had some good tracks on it. When their follow-up released earlier this year, I gave the album a few spins in my office but moved on. As Jorjette has recently found a growing interest in indie-music (beyond allowing me to play whatever I'm currently listening to), she independently got into them and, once we bought tickets for their 9:30 Club show in D.C., we were hooked. The new album is certainly a major-label affair though, in my opinion, they needed a little more accessibility, making for a still off-kilter summer album. 

Stand-out Track: Fall in Love

Sam Smith || In the Lonely Hour

June, 2014 || Pop, Soul, R&B || Website

Remember when this guy performed on SNL earlier this year? It was kind of boring but he was intriguing, at the very least. Of course that Disclosure released single that he is featured on, Latch, is irresistible (with radio stations finally catching up, playing the track a year and a half after it released...). His single Stay with Me had Jorje and I hooked but then the album got mediocre reviews. The album finally released on Spotify, allowing us to get a full listen to the whole album. While there are still a few misses, album opener Money on My Mind is fantastic and his British R&B vocals soar throughout. 

Stand-out Tracks: Money on My Mind, Stay with Me

Sylvan Esso || s/t

May, 2014 || Electric, Indie folk || Website

Briefly introduced to their single, Coffee, via a mix CD a former co-worker gave to Jorjette, I was formally acquainted with this band when visiting friends Matt and Allison in NYC while playing Sorry in their living room. Looking at their genre, I'm a total sucker for anything slow-moving, ethereal but with a purpose.

Stand-out Track: Coffee

Honorable Mention: First Aid Kit, Kishi Bashi, How to Dress Well

High Fives for Summer: Television

As I've spent most of my summer cooped up in my apartment, occasionally doing laundry but mostly just reading, listening, and watching, I thought I might pass along the media highlights that I've come across. To do so, in this four-part blog series, I'll list five of my favorite TV shows, books, albums, and movies that I've consumed this summer, thus creating my "High Fives" for each medium.

Television

Television has been described as being in the "golden age" for the last decade or so and I would tend to agree. Although there's certainly more trash out there than ever before, the broadening of the television market created by cable networks and, now, internet based programming has created both quantity and quality.

Maybe I'm imagining things, but it seems as though this golden aged television has delivered dramas in waves. The Sopranos, The West Wing, and The Wire all aired relatively alongside each other in the early '00s. Mad Men and Breaking Bad dominate(d) for their runs in the following six or so years. And, now, a new slew of heavy hitters are just starting up with House of Cards, True Detective, and Fargo. Of course, this ignores a few shows like Homeland and Downton Abbey and disregards the comedy side of television programming but regardless of my wave-theory, if these next young guns are as fantastic as the last few waves, we're in for a good ride.

As for my "High Five" selections, many of my picks were decided heavily by their availability to me. Namely, whatever I could get my hands on at the local library and whatever is on Amazon Prime Instant Video, which recently added a ton of HBO shows in addition to their FX offerings. That said, here are some television highlights for the summer, old and new, funny and serious.

 Bored to Death || Season 3

HBO, viewed on Amazon Prime || 2009-11 || Comedy || Website

This three season sitcom finished it's course a few years back though I'm not sure why this little gem didn't get more attention. The premise is fairly simple and absurd: Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) is an aspiring New York author who works as a P.I. in the evenings and is assisted by his two friends, George Christopher (Ted Danson) and Ray Hueston (Zach Galifianakis), both of whom are cast brilliantly. The writing is smart, if not a little smarmy, and the actors are allowed to play off each other in ways a sitcom should allow their characters. Nothing about season three stood out as better than the rest of the series but if a Wes Anderson / Judd Apatow style HBO sitcom sounds intriguing, check it out.

Orphan Black || Season 1

BBC, viewed on Amazon Prime || 2013- || Canadian sci-fi || Website

Generally speaking, sci-fi shows aren't necessarily my cup of tea (e.g. I couldn't get into Battlestar Galactica for the life of me) but this brilliantly paced sci-fi thriller had Jorje and I flying through. Reminiscent of J.J. Abrams' Alias, this felt a bit tighter and had the added foreign-produced spunk. For those unfamiliar, the premise of the show follows orphaned, street thug Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany) after she witnesses the suicide of a woman who looks identical to her. It's a fun one, perhaps specifically for a long summer afternoon.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee || Seasons 3 & 4

Viewed on the internet || 2012- || Comedy web series || Website

This internet-based interview series hosted by Jerry Seinfeld is quaint and unique and could only be successful with Seinfeld's notoriety and this day of internet programming interest. True to it's title, the episodes include Seinfeld driving some cool car, picking up a comedian friend, and going to get coffee. The episodes range in length from six to twenty minutes, rarely lagging too long or depicting a lull in the conversation. Sure, there is some over-reminiscing with the older comedians and the product placements are overwrought (intentionally, though not as tongue-in-cheek as, say 30 Rock pulled them off) making for a package of a show that might be a little too tidy at times. Still, what distinguishes this series from any late-night show is the off-handedness and strangeness of the locations and activities. Who doesn't love going for a drive in a cool car? Grabbing a cup of coffee? Somehow these household name comedians feel rather relatable. In season three, Tina Fey is herself, which is hilarious. On Patton Oswell's episode, their DeLorean breaks down. But of course they have a back-up at the ready. And Louie C.K. shares about how his favorite thing to do is get high and go to the IMAX, a story which is preceded by a heartwarming story about taking his kids out on his boat (which, by the way, is only another example of Louie showcasing what, I would contend, makes him the best entertainer able to blend the sacred and profane). Season four was recently posted. All episodes are up on the site.

The Wire || Season 1

HBO, viewed on Amazon Prime || 2002-08 || Crime drama || Website

I originally tried watching this show a few years back during my "gap year" between undergrad and grad school but I had just come off watching the entire The Sopranos series and couldn't handle another slow-paced though brilliantly constructed show. I'm glad I returned. The hour long episodes move along not slowly, like I originally felt, but at a pace true to life, taking time to allow the viewer to get to know its varied characters ranging from the Baltimore Police Department, drug addicts, the drug dealers and gang leaders, and the kids from the projects growing up among all of it. No one is overtly vilified or made to be a hero. The police slowly work to bring down the network of drugs and murders. Avon Barksdale serves as the calculating and well-reasoned leader of the network of drug distribution. I've also been watching 24: Live Another Day this summer and contrary to that show's handling of death, The Wire appropriately gives each life the respect any human life deserves, a rarity among television and movies these days, specifically for a show set in one of the roughest parts of the country and focusing on the homicide police department. I'm excited to work my way through the remaining four seasons as they focus on different areas of Baltimore.

True Detective || Season 1

HBO, viewed on Xfinity On-Demand || 2014 || Mystery crime drama || Website

I'd heard great things about this one and, I'll be honest, it catered to my faux-deep side. It's gotten some well-founded criticism for the lack of three-dimensional female characters but the acting, writing, and sepia-toned shots of deep-South Louisiana is gorgeous. The show does a marvelous job of creating mystery in the first few episodes, moving back and forth through time, using interviews of leads McConaughey and Harrelson as voice-overs, occasionally telling the truth, occasionally not. While the conclusion focused more on the inherent bro-mance and general worldview of the two leads, the lack of a mind-blowing mystery ending felt right, I suppose.

High Fives for Summer: Books

As I've spent most of my summer cooped up in my apartment, occasionally doing laundry but mostly just reading, listening, and watching, I thought I might pass along the media highlights that I've come across. To do so, in this four-part blog series, I'll list five of my favorite TV shows, books, albums, and movies that I've consumed this summer, thus creating my "High Fives" for each medium.

(Below my "High Five," I've listed a few books that certainly got a passing grade and come with a recommendation.)

Books

I like to read books and the summer (usually) provides ample time to do so. This summer has been no different. Here were a few of my faves.

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? || Beverly Daniel Tatum

1997 || Anthropology, African-American studies || Amazon

I'm not sure why I've waited until now to read this classic guide to understanding race relations, specifically for kids, adolescents, and students. The book helped me understand much, specifically things that, as a white person, I am ambivalent towards. Perhaps most importantly, it caused me to further realize that our society is not inherently moving towards a more racially sensitive and welcoming place but we, conscientiously or subconsciously, move the other direction. Thus, the emphasis must be put on actively working towards better understanding our own prejudices, allowing space for those of color in my own world, and intentionally working on dialogue with those other than me.

The Fault in Our Stars || John Green

2012 || Young adult || Amazon

Read in two days time, this young adult fiction novel, like the movie made after it, is filled with half-cheesy quotes of love and carpe diem living and a desire for understanding how to deal with grief. If all the kids are reading this one, I'm fine with that. And if all the adults who read young adult fiction are reading this... there could be worst things, I suppose.

Gone Girl || Gillian Flynn

2012 || Fiction, Thriller || Website

I'm going to go ahead and say this was the most exciting read of the summer. Definitely the biggest page-turner. Clocking in at over 400 pages, I read it in a three or four days, even as a dreadfully slow reader. This story of a marriage and of suspected murder is intriguing on multiple levels. Split into two parts, the story is told from both husband and wife, past and present, leaving the reader in constant suspense as to what really went down and, eventually, unbelief as to how things unfold. Of course, one could read the whole thing as allegory for relationships/marriage or conspire down a lot of other rabbit trails. Suffice it to say, I'm pretty stoked for the David Fincher directed film-adaptation coming this fall.

Torn || Justin Lee

2013 || Biography, Gender & sexuality || Website

Justin Lee recounts his experience growing up in a Christian home, stable family, leader at school and youth group, and, eventually, coming to terms with his gay identity. The book primarily focuses on Lee's experience in working through his identity, specifically as it relates to the Church, though he also touches on the nature/nurture, Biblical commentary, and appropriate response topics as well. Ultimately, Lee creates the Gay Christian Network, an organization hoping to spur dialogue and support for LGBTQ people and the Church. In the book (and elsewhere), he has helped people converse with each other, even with strongly held oppositional viewpoints. Way to go, Justin.

The Complete Stories || Flannery O'Connor

1971 || Southern gothic || Amazon

You can't argue with Flannery. Admittedly, I'm not as well-read with short stories but Flannery is able to pack more description, character depth, and life commentary into twenty pages then most fit into full-length novels. Mostly set in the South, most characters are both sympathetic and hypocritical and full of surprises.

Honorable Mention: A Storm of Swords, The Violence of Scripture, A Walk in the Woods

High Fives for Summer: Movies

As I've spent most of my summer cooped up in my apartment, occasionally doing laundry but mostly just reading, listening, and watching, I thought I might pass along the media highlights that I've come across. To do so, in this four-part blog series, I'll list five of my favorite TV shows, books, albums, and movies that I've consumed this summer, thus creating my "High Fives" for each medium.

Movies

Summers are notorious for their mindless offerings, opting for explosions rather than depth of character, etc. That said, there have been some decent offerings this summer ranging from well-made blockbuster action movies to teen and kids movies doing an excellent job within their genre. And of course I'm not only watching newly released movies; the summer is a time where I can catch up on all those little indie or foreign films that escaped my grasp from yesteryear.

(Below my "High Fives" are a few Honorable Mentions, movies that I saw and got a passing grade. And then some Highly Anticipated, movies about which I hear great things and were released in theaters but I haven't gotten to yet.)

Short Term 12

2013 || Coming of age / Drama || Website

Although I had always heard good things about this one, I missed it in theaters and its on-campus showing this past school year so when I was able to watch Short Term 12 through Redbox, I jumped at the chance. Set on a residential treatment facility for minors, the story closely follows the support staff as they interact with and live alongside of the kids. When introduced to the characters and setting, it originally feels cool and hip, like they're all young and struggling but, since they have each other, they're alright. Though as the movie progresses, it becomes apparent that the support staff isn't as functional and stable as one would like, progressing through and past addiction isn't easy, and, sometimes, those we're working with don't always make recoveries. As someone who works in a live-in position with students of all sorts (though, let me be clear, very different than the treatment facility of the movie), I sympathized with the themes of simultaneously growing as a person while helping those around me. One last note, the lead actress, Brie Larsen, has appeared in a number of movies over the last few years but this is easily the standout role. Look for more of her in the future.

The Fault in our Stars

2014 || Romance / Comedy-drama || Website

The latest teen-sensation book-turned-movie, The Fault in Our Stars has a lot of the elements of a cliched movie packaged up nicely and sold to teenagers and they spend their summer job money on the latest. And yes, if you Google the title, there's plenty of quotable fan-art that's been created. Let's be honest, if this movie came out fifteen years ago, I would have thrown a quote or two into my AIM Away Message to show how emotionally in-touch I was. All that said, the movie (and book) get a lot of things right. Shailene Woodley shines (as always) as Hazel and Ansel Elgort plays the good-looking Gus with ease. (In fact, these two are about the only positive take-away from the otherwise disappointing Divergent.) The movie deals with cancer and death is distinctly teenage, authentic ways while maintaining a deeply meaningful approach to life as showcased throughout the coming-of-age elements throughout. Lastly, the movie takes place in Indianapolis... which I realize isn't really an objective positive quality of the film but it's cool to recognize a few landmarks here and there.

The Broken Circle Breakdown

2013 || Romance / Music / Foreign-language || Website

Stuck at home without Jorjette one evening early this summer, I was scrolling through Amazon Prime's movie offerings and stumbled across this foreign-language Oscar-nominated film from 2013. I had vaguely heard of it but had no official recommendations. I'm glad I took the time to watch. The movie follows the two leads as they deal with love, parenthood, sickness, grief, commitment, and belief. And yes, it is a Belgium movie, set in Belgium, yet they love to sing folk music. The acting is fantastic and the music, an accent rather than the dominating force, gives Inside Llewyn Davis a serious contender for the best soundtrack of 2013.

Ida

2014 || Drama / Foreign-language || Website

While visiting family in the Midwest this summer, my mother, lover of all things Eastern European and Jewish culture, suggested going to this little Polish film playing at the arts cinema in Bloomfield Hills. I had never heard of it yet when checking it's glowing critical ratings, happily agreed to join. What resulted was perhaps one of the most beautiful movies I've seen in quite some time. Utilizing a 1.37 aspect ratio (basically, a square frame), the black and white movie is like a series of beautiful photographs. Yet more than a pretty picture book, the film, set in 1960's Poland, follows a young Catholic girl as she prepares to take her vows after a childhood in the convent. Before doing so, she is asked to meet an estranged aunt, a successful Jewish judge. There's lots of self-discovery, few words, and yet more striking images. 

How to Train your Dragon 2

2014 || Fantasy, Action || Website

Beautiful, empowering, and dealing fully with the realities of kid-life (set in a different time/place/etc.). If all kid movies were this good, I'd... go to more kid movies.

Honorable Mention: Snowpiercer, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Highly Anticipated: Boyhood, A Most Wanted Man, Locke, Edge of Tomorrow, Obvious Child

Midwest Tastes Best: Ann Arbor

This three-part blog series highlights the food and coffee in the three cities Jorje and I visited on our bi-annual Midwest trip. My hope is to document the week of food and, if you happen to be looking for very specific recommendations for three Midwestern cities, you may get something out of it as well.

Part one: Indianapolis
Part two: Grand Rapids
Part three (this blog): Ann Arbor

Listed is a little bit of our experience and info on each place including what stood out, links to their websites, and the location of our visit though many have multiple locations in the designated city.

Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor has long had a reputation as a college-town full of artsy folks with quality food options. As I grow older (or rather, into full adulthood), Jorje and I are able to more fully enjoy this and, now having close friends Dauthan and Amanda living a few minutes outside the downtown area, we have friends who can give us the up-to-the-minute scoop on what's new and exciting.

Zingerman's

Kerrytown || www.zingermans.com

Zingerman's is a staple of Ann Arbor though this was our first visit to the famed deli, creamery, etc. Dauthan promptly asked one of the very knowledgeable employees for "an authentic Zingerman's experience." This led to trying fifteen or so different cheeses including both goat and cow varieties with a full explanation of each - all with little pressure to buy. My biggest take-away was that these people loved food and went all out to create the best products. As way of a full meal, we got sandwiches, a side of soup, and cane sugar sodas and then Jorje opted for a tiny dish of gelato to finish things off. 

Must-have: a sample of everything

Frita Batidos

Downtown || www.fritabatidos.com

Described as "Cuban Inspired Street Food," Frita Batidos has some legit, unique options. The staple dish is a frita, a Cuban burger made from chorizo with shoestring fries on top. Add some garlic cilantro fries and a rum infused fresh lime batido (milkshake), and you'll be good to go. We stopped by this place over New Year's Eve last year but I opted out of the burger to save room for further courses - I was glad to have the full experience this time around. 

Must-have: Chorizo Frita, Garlic Cilantro Fries

Lab

Downtown || www.labannarbor.com

Upon typing this review up, I'm realizing that I really just like well-made coffee more than any other special feature and with their use of Intelligentsia coffee, they didn't disappoint. With that said, Lab offers a few froyo flavors in addition to their coffee. Additionally, they are intentional about creating a space for people to interact and converse with each other (like Silicon Valley's labs where people are consistently building off of each other) they try to pour into the local community. To be honest, the service was fine though felt a little bit elitist. Coffee was delicious.

Must-have: anything coffee

Midwest Tastes Best: Grand Rapids

This three-part blog series highlights the food and coffee in the three cities Jorje and I visited on our bi-annual Midwest trip. My hope is to document the week of food and, if you happen to be looking for very specific recommendations for three Midwestern cities, you may get something out of it as well.

Part one: Indianapolis
Part two (this blog): Grand Rapids
Part three: Ann Arbor

Listed is a little bit of our experience and info on each place including what stood out, links to their websites, and the location of our visit though many have multiple locations in the designated city.

Grand Rapids

Although I grew up in Michigan, my family spent little time on the western side of the state. Although a few visits to Calvin College during my college days introduced me a little more to the city, my little brother, Kenan, has done the majority of hosting our tours. It should be noted, we didn't have a chance to visit East Grand Rapids, a place full of more great eateries - next time.

Hop Cat

Downtown || www.hopcat.com

Voted a top bar by a number online beer sites, this super cool bar has a ton of options on tap and some great burger and Crack Fries to go with it. Jorje, Kenan, and I made sure this was our first stop to get the burger and drink happy hour special for dinner. Although the in-house brews aren't mind-blowing, the selection and venue vibe makes it well worth the stop. And yes, the Crack Fries are addictive.

Must-have: Crack Fries, the burger and beer happy hour special

Founders

Downtown || www.foundersbrewing.com

Founders brews some fantastic brews that are well-known all across the country. In addition to having a great selection of in-house (and out), Founders had a super cool atmosphere. Huge building that housed their brewery, a large indoor area complete with a stage for shows, and a beautiful outdoor beer garden area where we hung out for a while. The place was packed though in a good-spirited way, such as when one of the delivery trucks pulled out and passed by the garden, it honked its horn and the crowd broke out in applause. Though we were too full to eat anything, the Beer Cheese Dip looked amazing and has my brother's full recommendation.

Must-have: Beer Cheese Dip

Rockwell Republic

Downtown || www.rockwellsrepublic.com

Rockwell Republic served as a perfect end to the night. This multi-storied place was super swanky inside but we opted to sit out on the upper-level deck, right in the middle of the city. The service was great, it was a beautiful night, and the martinis were delicious and half-off.

Must-have: Thursday night martinis, specifically, the Pomegranate one was fantastic

Lantern Coffee Bar & Lounge

Downtown || www.lanterncoffee.com

I haphazardly discovered this coffee bar a few months ago before Kenan's graduation, stopping in while walking around the city to hopefully get a good cup of coffee before a long day of graduation ceremony. Delightfully, they had wonderful coffee with a limited menu not dissimilar to Little Amps (for you Harrisburg-area people). Sidebar: aren't we all past the extensive menu selection option at coffee shops? Do we really want quantity (of options) over quality?? End sidebar. Anyhow, this place has great coffee and, once you go past the coffee bar, there's a great sitting area a level below with exposed brick walls and cool tables and all those coffee lounge type things we love. This was our last GR stop, perfect to get us through the two hour drive east to my hometown.
Must-have: Pourover

Midwest Tastes Best: Indianapolis

This three-part blog series highlights the food and coffee in the three cities Jorje and I visited on our bi-annual Midwest trip. My hope is to document the week of food and, if you happen to be looking for very specific recommendations for three Midwestern cities, you may get something out of it as well.

Part one (this blog): Indianapolis
Part two: Grand Rapids
Part three: Ann Arbor

I'm not sure if I would describe myself as a "foodie" though Jorje and I definitely enjoy a good, local restaurant whenever we visit a new place or return to our hometowns. Last week, during our Midwest trip, we had a crazy amount of great food stops leaving us in food comas each afternoon only to get refilled with greatness in the evening. Listed is a little bit of our experience and info on each place including what stood out, links to their websites, and the location of our visit though many have multiple locations in the designated city.

Indianapolis

Despite being my birthplace, my wife's hometown, and the nearest large(r) city to my college, I didn't really get acquainted with this wonderful city's food until grad school and beyond. I love the many districts of this mid-sized city, each with a little bit of their own personality and flavor.

The Tamale Place

Greenwood (South suburb) || www.thetamaleplace.com

Featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives at some point, this little joint, not surprisingly, specializes in tamales, perhaps distinguishing it from potential corporate competitors Qdoba and Chipotle. Our friends Bethany and Noah introduced us to this place and they loved their tamales though I strayed from the tamale and went with a steak taco along with the appropriate sides: some of the best brown rice I've had in a while and thick and hearty chips with a smokey salsa that is unlike any other salsa I've tried.
Must-have: the chips and salsa

Bazbeaux Pizza

Carmel (North suburb) || www.bazbeaux.com

A favorite of Jorje and mine since college, Bazbeaux has pizzas that outdo just about any other thin-style that I've had. Distinguishing itself primarily with it's fresh ingredients, you can't beat a pizza that has fresh basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Sharing a dinner with Jorje's family out on their patio made for a perfect summer evening.
Must-have: Bazbeaux Special

Patachou

Downtown || www.cafepatachou.com

Easily my favorite breakfast, anywhere. Jorje and I were able to introduce my little brother to this favorite. I'm a big omelette fan and these omelettes are ridiculous. Again, fresh and local ingredients make the difference here, justifying eating a huge potato, bacon, and cheese one filled every time. The serve-yourself coffee is delicious and the side of fruit is fresh enough to make even me give it a try. Oh, and if you're into mimosas, they've got options.
Must-have: The Omelette You Can't Refuse, the cinnamon sugar sourdough toast

The Brugge

Broad Ripple || www.bruggebrasserie.com

This Belgian place has fantastic Belgian fries and twelve dipping sauces to go with it. The rest of their very Belgian menu is great though be prepared to pay for it. Most importantly, The Brugge offers my favorite beer, the Tripel de Ripple, a 10% abv blonde with hints of vanilla and pear and they'll limit you to two... appropriately. We sat at the downstairs bar to watch the Netherlands v. Argentina World Cup game but if you can, check out their upstairs (open weekend evenings) if you're into shuffle board.
Must-have: fries and sauces, Tripel de Ripple

Bakersfield

Mass Ave. || www.bakersfieldmassave.com

This recently opened bar specializes in tacos, tequila, and whiskey. And they do all of those things very well. To be honest, I've only gotten their chips & salsa, tacos, and margarita, but everything was delicious. This hip place is located on the busy Mass Ave. and you'll probably have to wait for a table like we did (45 minutes on a Tuesday night), so be prepared.

Must-have: margarita, tacos

Oscars: The Shorts

It's that time of year. My favorite holiday that's not a holiday. The Academy Awards will be airing tomorrow night and 2013 had a ton of fantastic movies to celebrate. I would contend that Her is a generation-definer, 12 Years a Slave is the best of its genre, and Gravity was a technical and plot filled wonder. While I could give a lot of opinions on who should win and who got snubbed (something I did with a blog last year), there are plenty of other blogs and websites out there that can do that much better than I.

I would like to take a moment to focus on the short-films nominated for Oscar awards. Our local library out here in Pennsylvania so splendidly has viewings of all the animated, live-action, and documentary shorts that are up for awards. So I spent a solid chunk of time sitting in the Community Room of our library this weekend, watching fifteen fantastic little gems. There's nothing like celebrating under-represented cinema with a bunch of wealthy people over the age of sixty.

Alright, I would like to list my favorite from each category alongside which film I predict to win each category.

Animated Short Film Nominees

Feral

Get a Horse!

Mr. Hublot

Possessions

Room on the Broom

My favorite: Mr. Hublot

Who will win: Get a Horse!

Live Action Short Film Nominees

Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)

Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)

Helium

Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)

The Voorman Problem

My favorite: Just Before Losing Everything

Who will win: The Voorman Problem

Documentary Short Subject Nominees

Cave Digger

Facing Fear

Karama Has No Walls

The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

My favorite: Cave Digger

Who will win: The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

The Academy Awards air tomorrow night (Sunday, March 2) at 8:30pm on abc.