Sunday, April 1 – Saturday, April 7
The Week in Opening Day Redux: The Cincinnati Reds began their 2018 season last week, but due to scheduling around Easter, the 99th annual Opening Day parade took place this week. It was a weird Opening Day-esque feeling but not quite the same as real Opening Day. The weather was overcast and chilly with the Reds already having lost 3 out of 3 games adding to the gloom. I contend that a sunny and warmish day Opening Day (with parade and game on the same day) is the greatest day in Cincinnati. This year, felt like just a place holder to one of those upcoming days.


The Week in Quick Reads: I love a dense, thought-provoking book, the kind of stuff that most people (even avid readers) tend to find boring. That being said, every now and then I like to set aside my critical literature eye and read a book that tells an interesting story. This week I read Killer Choice by Tom Hunt, a serviceable thriller that just churns along and kept me entertained.

The Week in Upbeat Music: The Indie band Of Montreal played at The Woodward Theater this week. I love their brand of upbeat indie music mashed with retro psychedelic visuals and modern sensibilities. I love indie music in general, but I don’t know why it’s so damn depressing. Of Montreal gave me a chance to jump up and dance a little bit with a smile on my face!

The Week in Seasonal Conflict: Winter is holding on with force this year, snowing all over buds and keeping my clothing choices in constant flux. Not that this matters at all, but I don’t like it.
The Week In Flashbacks: When I was in college, Murphy’s Pub was a place we’d hang out at when we needed a break from the main strip of bars. It featured a great jukebox, darts, a lax policy on id-ing, and cheap beer. In other words, college-student-bar-heaven. I stumbled back in this weekend with some college age friends and it was the exact same place. Like, exactly the same. Like I half expected to glance up and see my people from 30 years ago. Like, completely untouched by time.

The Week in Surprises at the Movie Theater: I saw Wes Anderson’s movie Isle of Dogs, a completely charming and quirky movie. Of all things, there is a random mention of Cincinnati in the film. It really got the attention of the Cincinnati audience because. Cincinnatians can’t believe a real Hollywood film would mention our humble city. We get all Midwestern embarrassed and proud at the same time.