Crazy Enough by Storm Large

I've reviewed movies on this blog but not any books.  The reason is largely that I can't seem to find many books that I like.  Well, I found one.  Crazy Enough by Storm Large; yes, that's her real name.

I got introduced to Storm as the stand-in front singer for Pink Martini by a guy a work who saw her perform in Oakland.  My wife and I went to see Pink Martini at Berklee in Boston just before Xmas, great show and a powerful singer.  Then I learned she wrote a book that was a raucous story of her early life, living with her mentally ill mother.  Storm fought through years of emotion, pain, regret and along the way escaped to sex, drugs and rock & roll.  The story is full of extremes, pain and pleasure, low points and successes, love and self loathing, friendships and family and lonely despair.  She was the kind of teen you wouldn't wish on anyone.

But the story has a happy ending (she survives, not a spoiler).  She's become a very impressive voice and entertainer, being a finalist on Rockstar: Supernova, as a solo artist and still performing with Pink Martini.  I also saw her with some friends at the Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco; the place was packed and the show was great.  She's funny on stage and a great story teller between songs, a talent that extends from the raw honesty displayed in her book.

This is a different story than the usual memoir.  If you're looking for summer camp and family vacations or a romantic comedy, this ain't it, not even close.  I zoomed through this book in a week, which for me is lightning speed.  (It took me two years to get through Ted Kennedy's autobio, I'm a year into Rob Lowe's book and Steve Job's book from Xmas is still waiting on my nightstand).

Get ready to really enjoy something really different.

The book is available at Amazon:  http://amzn.to/ADz0yS
Here's her promo clip on her book and why she wrote it:  http://youtu.be/s3YjHztXo4k

Step outside your box (we all need to), try something very different.  You'll enjoy this.  Then find her next gig and go see her alone or with Pink Martini, or both.

Get a Flag from the US Capitol

Interested in getting a high quality US Flag, perhaps even having it flown over the US Capitol, all for a very reasonable price?  They're easy to order, very affordable and available from every US Senator's web site. Start your search at senate.gov, find your state's US Senator and go to their web site.  The web pages are all different to navigate so you may have to search around for the link where you can order a flag.  The flag request form from my state's junior senator, Scott Brown's web home page is clearly visible.  Here is a sample flag request form.  

Flags are available in cotton and nylon in sizes 3x5', 4x6' and 5x8', starting at $13 including postage for the 3x5' nylon flag.  Some Senator's sites list the flag and postage separately, other price them postage included; don't worry, all the prices are the same.   The price from these flags is excellent and so is the quality.  A modest $4.05 charge is applied to fly your flag over the US Capitol, something you can't get with any retail flag.  There is literally a team of people running flags for a moment's ride up down flagpoles at the Capitol. You can even dedicate your flag to a relative, friend or honoree, whether they are a veteran or not.

The Weber Charcoal Grill Review

25 years ago I bought a Weber kettle grill at a yard sale for $10.  I loved the flavor of food grilled with charcoal.  But I didn't know what I was doing, for example, chicken burned on the outside but was still pink inside over the hot coals.  Gas grills were easier, faster and I lost interest after the novelty wore off.

I recently bought another with plan of learning how to grill foods properly with charcoal.  There are also a lot more resources to learn how to barbecue better; YouTube videos, Food Channel shows, especially the grilling master Bobby Flay, and web sites in general.  So properly equipped, I took on the Weber OneTouch 22 1/2" Kettle Grill.  I also took the approach that it is not a charcoal OR gas grill world, it wasn't going to be all one this time around.  I use both because they're both useful for different kinds of cooking.  When we just need to grill a couple burgers or hot dogs especially for a quick lunch, no need to fire up the charcoal.  Gas is quick to set up and shut down. For really big cookouts, have two grills is also a capacity convenience.

The Weber charcoal has been great for things like grilling a whole chicken with indirect heat off to the side and the chicken in the middle with a drip tray below.  One hour and ten minutes later, without touching the chicken, it was done.  Some applewood chips for smoking added a really nice flavor that would have come out entirely different on a gas grill.

Overall this grill is great.  Some features that make it particularly special are:

• Weber Chimney Starter.  Lighter fluid is fun to play with but the fumes change the flavor of foods.  The chimney starter is easier and faster than lighter fluid.  A must have.
• The ash collector.  Emptying my first Weber was a pain, tipping the grill over, spilling ash.  Now fins inside the bowl direct ash through vent holes into an ash collector that makes disposal easy.
• Folding grill wings. The sides of the grilling grate are hinged and fold up so it is easy to add more coals for long grilling.
• Weber briquet holders.  This option lets you hold charcoal in specific areas of the grill, especially for indirect cooking.  The coals stay off to the side and not under the food.  You can also place the holders together for concentrating the coals for smaller grilling jobs.

One feature that is missing is a thermometer.  Grilling temperature is important for smoking and for direct & indirect cooking, yet Weber decided to leave out a thermometer.  I say "decided" because the thermometer was part of this grill years ago.  A very inexpensive part and no easy way to add one.  I wrote a lengthy note to Weber and am waiting for a reply; I'll let you know what they have to say.


Grilling is great fun and lots of different cooking options.  Conventional grilling, indirect grilling, and smoking.  The Weber Kettle grill is an icon for charcoal grilling.  It is like an Apple product, superior in its simplicity, lots of options for you to buy and highly useful in beginner and expert hands.  Next I need to upgrade my gas grill and yes, I'm looking at the Weber Genesis.  It's quite a bit more expensive so it will require a bit more searching and research.