Bar area on the first floor of One Restaurant and Bar, 600 Hampshire.

Schlipmann

If you haven’t noticed a trend by now, I like to do things that are not only fun but also for a good cause. I also like to eat. So, when I heard that One Restaurant and Bar donates food sales to non-profit organizations on Tuesdays from 4 to 9 p.m., my heart about burst. I discovered this philanthropic food fest last Tuesday when One was donating 10 percent of its food and non-alcoholic beverage sales to Quest, a local organization that rescues horses, re-introduces them to riding and utilizes them for therapeutic riding for children. As it turns out, they are booked solid every Tuesday for a different organization.

Most of you have probably been to One and have raved about its awesome Thai dishes, but if you haven’t been in a while, please check it out on a Tuesday! There are some new items on the menu, but all the classics are still there. I, as always, had the red chicken curry and paired it with a Skinny Girl blueberry/pomegranate vodka water with a twist, and I had a grand old time for charity. Kudos to you, One, for feeding our bellies and our community’s charities.

Abby Schlipmann

Busch Stadium

Take Mom out to the ball game! This Sunday, May 13, is not only Mother’s Day, but also it is a Cardinal’s game in St. Louis. This is not just any Cardinal’s game, either: the Quincy Blue Devils Varsity baseball team will be playing against Pittsfield at Busch Stadium after the big game.

Schlipmann

I don’t know about you, but this is pretty amazing. How many of you get to say that you played in Busch Stadium? Not many. These kids are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. My only high school claim to fame is that I once got to sing on stage with Art Garfunkel, not even Paul Simon. While that’s still pretty cool (OK, not really), it is small fries compared to playing on a professional field.

Anyone can go. The two high school teams will be playing each other directly after the Cardinal’s game, and you can get tickets for just $30 by calling the QHS athletic office at 224-3771. The Cardinals are playing the Braves at 1:15, so forget the flowers this year: get your mom some peanuts and cracker jacks and root, root, root for the home team!

Abby Schlipmann

Participants prepare for Bridge the Gap 2011

One of Quincy’s biggest and baddest events is this Saturday: Bridge the Gap. If you don’t already know, Bridge the Gap is a walk/run to benefit MedAssist, a non-profit that provides medications to the needy. There are competitive 5K, 10K, and half-marathon runs and 10K and half-marathon walks. If you’re not into competitions, you can leisurely run or walk any of the routes.

Schlipmann

This event attracts people from all over: St. Louis, Columbia, the Quad Cities, even Chicago. Why? Participants get to run across both of our beautiful, characteristic bridges. Lanes are shut down to traffic to accommodate thousands of runners and walkers. Yes, thousands. Last year, it was estimated that more than 2,000 people participated in this incredible event.

Other than the obvious draw of being able to say you ran across the Bayview and Memorial Bridges, this race has lots of other bells and whistles. The Senior High drumline boosts runners’ morale as they are running, McDonald’s milkshakes and a hot dog greet everyone at the finish line, and live music and a beer tent provide entertainment in the early afternoon. To top it all off, participants and volunteers alike can celebrate the day later that night at Johnny Bang Bang’s with no cover charge (but be sure to bring your finisher’s medal if you’re a participant and your yellow card if you’re a volunteer).

I, for one, can’t wait for this colossal event. You can still register to participate or volunteer at http://bridgethegaptohealth.com. I am actually a runner, but will be volunteering this year and am looking forward to running (leisurely!) in 2013.

Abby Schlipmann

Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday. While I love our local Mexican restaurants and will most likely celebrate my “Mexican heritage” (Everyone is Mexican on May 5, claro que si!) at one of these fine establishments, I would like to offer an alternative to the cuisine that Americans think authentic. So break out the sombreros and have your amigos over for some bona fide nachos and margaritas.

Schlipmann

Original nachos are actually very different than those we know today. Unlike today’s nachos, the first nachos were a neat, precise, uniform snack. Each triangular fried tortilla was topped with a small serving of cheddar cheese and a pickled jalapeno. Invented in the 1940s for some soldiers who came to a restaurant after hours and wanting to accommodate the soldiers with a limited kitchen stock, Ignacio Anaya became the forefather of the nacho. While I am a huge fan of the sloppy, gargantuan pile of beans, cheese, meat and guac, sometimes it’s refreshing to get back to my “Mexican heritage” and keep it simple. To make, just cut corn tortillas into fourths, and fry lightly, both sides on low heat in a cast iron skillet. Take the tortillas out of the skillet and place on paper towels to drain. Put the tortillas on a baking sheet and top each with a hunk of cheddar cheese. Bake these at 400 degrees just until the cheese is melted. Top each tortilla with one pickled jalapeno. Serve these up with the most refreshing bebida in the mundo, and you’ve got a fiesta.

The true margarita has three — count ‘em — three ingredients: triple sec, tequila, and lime juice (and salt on the rim, que sabroso!). A shot glass of triple sec, two shot glasses of tequila and one shot glass of lime juice shaken and poured over ice is all it takes to make the original concoction that has somehow over time been degraded to a sugary, corn-syrupy , 0 percent juice margarita imposter.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos!

Abby Schilpmann

What is the only animal that can’t look up? Which president was not married while serving in the White House? Who was Tom Cruise’s first wife?

Schlipmann

Do you know the answers to these questions? Then you should be at trivia night. Every Tuesday starting at 8:30’ish the Blind Pig hosts trivia night. If you’ve never been to the Blind Pig, it is a Chicago-style bar — where the owner wears Cardinals baseball caps and leaves the St. Louis Blues games on when there is a Cubs game on, just sayin’ — that has great hot dogs, pig tails, homemade chips, and lots more. (As you continue to read my blogs, you’ll find that most of my outings and experiences revolve around food.) They also offer a great selection of beers, local and imported, that you don’t see everywhere else. Blind Pig always has great seasonal beers on tap, like Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy or Shiner Holiday Cheer. It’s a low-key alternative to the mainstays like the Abbey or Spring Street, and Tuesday Trivia makes it especially unique.

I have been going to trivia for nearly a year now, and it really never gets boring. I have a regular team, and every week we come up with team names inappropriate for The Local Q blog. We try our best to place in the top three as the top three winners get gift certificates to the Blind Pig, which we inevitably use on beer and shots of Jaeger. Rarely do we win — those darn Pirate Monkeys and Underwater Panthers always stealing our thunder — but it is just fun to sit around, hang out, and realize how little you actually know.

Abby Schlipmann

The interior of the Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center

Editor’s note: The Local Q is pleased to introduce Abby Schlipmann, our newest blog writer. Abby is a native of Quincy who did some traveling and educating before returning home to Quincy. Read more about Abby here.

Schlipmann

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, free diamonds are a girl’s soulmate. I was given a diamond necklace by a relative about six months ago and couldn’t help but let the tears roll. A friend of mine was given a free diamond ring from the Sturhahn’s randomly one night at the Abbey, and she nearly married the man. Exactly what is it about diamonds that make a girl do crazy things like bawl her eyes out, commit to marriage with a man she doesn’t know or dive into a pool? That’s right, this weekend women (and men!) will be diving to the bottom of a pool in hopes of finding a diamond. As a kid I would dive to the bottom of pools in hopes of finding quarters, so I can see the attraction.

Luckily, it is all for a good cause, so these “Diamond Divers” won’t look as crazy as they sound. The Kroc Center is hosting its first ever “Diamond Dive” this Saturday, April 28, from 10 to 11 a.m. If memory serves me correctly, there has never been such an event in Quincy (if I’m wrong please correct me). There is a fee to enter, but all participants win something, albeit maybe not a diamond. No worries, though, your money goes toward providing scholarships to the Kroc Center for those in need. This is a great chance for those who have never been inside the Kroc Center to check it out. It really is a fantastic place. So this Saturday, I am putting on my goggles and flippers and diving for some diamonds.

Abby Schlipmann

Dear History,

I remember you so fondly when we were growing up. I was in grade school and junior high and you were so cool. I would spend hours glued to your great historic educational programming. Whether it was “Tales of the Gun,” “Mail Call,” “Wild West Tech,” or “The Presidents,”  the programming on the History Channel had at least one thing in common. It was about history. Sure, there were problems: everything was about WWII, you only had two guys to do voiceovers, and you were guilty of over promoting any movie about history (“Braveheart,” “Black Hawk Down,” or “Titanic”).

Hahn

But now I barely recognize you anymore. You have a tried to chase after the popular kids’ Discovery Channel, A&E and TLC. You saw the success of “Deadliest Catch” and have become so self-obsessed that you can barely see past “Pawn Stars.” You’ve started to hang with a rougher crowd too: “Ax Men,” “Swam People,” “Mudcats,” and Larry the Cable Guy — sure they’re good people but you’ve forgotten your roots, remember where you got your start.

The middle ages, ancient Greece, Egypt, the wild west  and, of course, WWII — this is where you grew up and where I fell in love with you. Of course, there are still things I love about you, “Modern Marvels” and “Histories Mysteries,” but that isn’t enough for me to ignore “Ancient Aliens.” You even changed your name: you abandoned your real name, your just “History.” What would your parents think?

So as hard as this is for me, I can’t see you anymore. It’s not me, it’s you, and let’s not be friends.

Kevin Hahn

I feel like I broke some kind of law at the Broadway Walgreens last night around 11 p.m. I was minding my own business, buying a Neti Pot with some friends; I was captivated by a strange but dangerous notion. Slowly, I approached the counter. Nervously, I pushed my appalling merchandise across the counter to the judgmental looks of the cashier. I pulled out one crumpled dollar and slid it over. Meekly, I took my change of four pennies and slinked out the door. I didn’t keep the receipt. When we got back to my friend’s house, I cautiously unveiled my terrible purchase: one Cadbury Caramel Egg.

Hahn

The reason why I have made such a big deal of buying this confection is the fact that it’s Easter candy. Candy designed for consumptions after Easter and ONLY after Easter. Whether it was Lenten doctrine that I broke or some principle of natural law, I felt wrong, just wrong.

Obviously, the egg was delicious, milk chocolate and caramel delicately danced on my palate. In two bites, it was only a memory, except to my stomach, which churched and groaned with the massive influx of sugar. I was in mysterious agony and joy.

This was the first Cadbury Egg I have had since last Easter, but for some reason, I have a lingering guilt over eating this egg, which traditionally, for me at least, has been reserved for after the end of Lent. Maybe it’s a sign of growing up or maybe it’s just guilt for eating pure sugar after 11 p.m. Either way, I think the point I’m trying to make is: Cadbury Eggs are delicious, and, while their side effects might include diabetic shock and nagging guilt, they are worth it.

Kevin Hahn

Jennifer Lawrence portrays Katniss Everdeen in a scene from "The Hunger Games."

As a political science major who is about to graduate I am constantly looking for ways to apply my education to real life. I have found that one of the best uses of my time is to apply modern political theory to young adult literature and movies. It’s a swell time. I spend hours apply Hegel’s “Phenomenology of the Spirit” to the “Harry Potter” franchise, and I had a blast last weekend applying Marxist principles of class consciousness to the “Twilight” saga.

Hahn

I was especially excited this weekend when I had the chance to catch the latest craze amongst preteens, teens, tweens, college students and my friends’ boss, Jeff: “The Hunger Games.” This Sunday, I prepared for what was expected to be a great exercise in applying my studies to pop culture.

I have yet to read the original books but what I knew going into theater was puzzlingly and terrifying. I knew:

1.) The books are addictive.

2.) The movie is set in a dystopian future where there are a lot of poor and starving people.

3.) Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, and the girl from the most recent X-men movie were going to be in it (Jennifer Lawrence).

4.) It’s about kids killing each other.

Whoa, hold on really? A movie about 12-18 year olds killing each other?

Yes, in this dystopian future, for reasons explained in the opening minutes of the movie, different parts of the future-dystopian-America are forced to send two kids to kill each other with swords, axes, spears, throwing knives, and bow and arrows. It is a mix between a giant gladiator match, “The Most Dangerous Game,” and high school.

Are you serious? That’s pretty screwed up. Parents let their kids read this stuff?

Calvin and Hobbes

All of my moral judgments aside, this actually lines up perfectly with an old-school idea in political science, the state of nature. An enlightenment theorist, Thomas Hobbes (who is most notable for being immortalized as a imaginary tiger who pals around with the cartoon kid who pees on Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and IH) originally spelled out this theory. Hobbes’s state of nature is a theoretical world that will occur if governments fail to keep their populaces in line. Watch “The Walking Dead,” and you’ll have an idea of what his state of nature would be like. It would be a dog-eat-dog world, except there would be fewer dogs and fewer people.

The reason why a theory published in 1651 during the English Civil War has anything to do with this movie is because the actual Hunger Games in the movie is exactly what Hobbes was describing, exactly. In the Games and the state of nature, nothing should matter except for survival and killing anyone who tries to kill you. There is no room for morals, hesitation or empathy. If a 14-year-old is running at you with an ax, you either need to swing right back at him or it’s game over (like high school).

***Warning, here come some spoilers****

In the movie the protagonist, a girl named Katniss (played by Lawrence) gets swept into competing in the games, and, on the eve of the Games, she confides with her partner/angsty, pseudo-love interest that no matter what happens, they aren’t going to change. They’ll keep to their morals and stay true to themselves (like a conversation that could happen before going to high school). This is what in political science we call political idealism. (Everyone besides political scientists call it plain ole’ idealism.)

So the Games start, things go crazy, and a whole bunch of kids get killed with medieval weapons. Katniss goes through some adversity, tries to survive as long as possible by herself until she gets picked on by the successful popular kids with weapons training, survival gear and a sociopathic lack of empathy (a lot like high school). She soon figures out that she needs to work together with other kids, and slowly but surely she is able outfox the popular kids, come into her own, and lands the angsty, pseudo-love interest. (I think you get my point about high school.) The movie resolves with her and him returning home, some political unrest going on around future-dystopian-America, and ominous overtones to set up the sequel.

The only problem: she should have lost.

If Hobbes is right, anyone in a killing people contest who doesn’t want to kill people should never win. More so, anyone in a killing people contest who isn’t good at killing people should never win. It would be like Babe Ruth being afraid of getting a splinter.

I know that it is unfair to expect realism from science fiction. I love sci-fi, and I understand that you have to suspend disbelief to enjoy the work. However, you suspend that disbelief while the world you are watching is being created, in the beginning of the film. The beginning is when the creators set up the framework and the rules of their imaginary world. You buy into it and accept it. Everyone understands The Force is a big deal in “Star Wars,” so people don’t get upset when Luke uses superhuman aim to destroy the Death Star.

In the “Hunger Games,” from the beginning of the movie, everyone says how impossibly hard it is to survive the Games. You have to be the best possible physical specimen, you have to be ruthless, and you have to kill people. Katniss making it through the games by only really killing a few of the bad guys upsets almost every rule the movie created. It seems like Katniss just kind of lucks her way through the hardest most dangerous version of high school ever conceived. Thomas Hobbes and I would appreciate it if when dealing with young people dying there would at least be some serious physical, emotional, and psychological consequences for the people who make it through the ordeal. Anyway, my real point is Hobbes’s book has a cooler cover:

Note: I was just joking about that stuff about Hegel and Marxism, I’m not that big of a nerd. I stick to Morgenthau and Mearshimer.

Kevin Hahn

Hollywood has always loved a good remake. The latest to get the updated touch is the TV show that gave Johnny Depp his start, 21 Jump Street.  The buddy cop comedy stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.

Though I enjoyed this film a lot, it gave me a bit of shock. It wasn’t the language, drug use or raunchy humor that took me back.  It was how 21 Jump Street portrays people who graduated from high school the year I did as being a bit out of touch with youth today.  The two central characters who get the assignment of going undercover at a local high school as students often find themselves confused by the actions and mindsets of those they are trying to blend in with.

The reason why I was surprised is that 21 Jump Street promotes the idea of the Class of ’05 as getting old and dated. I was under the silly notion I was still young.

O'Donnell

Though it has almost been a decade since I roamed the halls of Hannibal Senior High I still felt like I had a concept as to what is hip and if I had to deal with the current students, I would relate to them and probably share a lot of common interests.  I felt I could consider high schoolers still my peers.  If 21 Jump Street is to believed, my old idea could not be further from the truth.

After seeing the movie I felt I had to do some research.  I looked back on the pop culture and popular news stories of my graduating year, expecting to get some relief and reassurance that the comedy was overstating its point.  Unfortunately, the information I uncovered only made me feel all the older and out of touch.  The songs and movies that were popular as well as what was going on in the world seem like so long ago.

Back in the year 2005, Hollywood gave the world a mix of awful and great films.  it was a great year for comedy with the release of “Wedding Crashers” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”  Then there was the final installment of George Lucas’ awful prequel series of his Star Wars franchise titled “Revenge of the Sith.” The only good thing about that movie was at least that meant old George would have to focus on ruining something else for a while. Finally there was the winner of  Best Film at the Oscars, the agonizing “Million Dollar Baby.”  The only time its necessary to see this movie is when torturing the world’s most evil villains.  When I think about that movie, I can’t help but think Clint Eastwood attempted to put the entire world in a dark depression.

Looking back at some of the popular music of 2005 makes me cringe a bit.  “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent was playing at almost every party I went to my senior year of high school.  It was hard to turn on the radio and not hear a Green Day or Gwen Stefani song.  What gives me the most nightmares is thinking back to how 2005 gave birth to the Killers and “Mr. Brightside.”  I played that song constantly and even though I loved it at the time even then I had no idea what that stupid chorus meant.  Thinking of “Mr. Brightside” reminds me of the terrible memory that there was a brief moment when I thought I could pull off wearing eye liner.  Seeing pictures from that time makes me want to shove my own face into a locker.

In that ancient time of 2005, it seemed like the news was dominated by a couple of stories.  The world got an awful reminder of the horror that was September 11th when the London train bombings occurred.  That wasn’t the only sad news of 2005.  Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast.  I remember watching the news coverage on television of the devastation, and how New Orleans looked like a war zone.  The footage of the New Orleans Saints football stadium that news programs often showed was mind boggling.  An arena that once was home to exciting football games was now home to so many who had their homes destroyed by Katrina.  Looking at the revitalization that city has gone through since, and how this weekend it will host the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, is pretty incredible.

Like every awards show, what would this “look back” at 2005 be without a “In Memory” segment.  Pope John Paul signed off from planet Earth that year as well as Rosa Parks.  Famed late night comedy icon Johnny Carson departed for the other side.  Then there was the writer Hunter S. Thompson.  The author of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” not only died but then had his ashes shot out of a cannon by Johnny Depp.  Not too bad of a way to go out.

I suppose it was only a matter of time till my bubble that I could cling to my youth burst.  I still cannot get over the fact that a light-hearted comedy was the vehicle to teach me that lesson.  Aging is unavoidable and we all will eventually have to face that moment when we realize our careless days of youth are something of the distant past.  Though I still have a bit of time before I will be booking my room in a nursing home, my days spent in the high school classroom are nothing more than a distant memory.  Thanks, 21 Jump Street for cluing me in that I may not be a hip as I thought.

Jordan O’Donnell