City Weekly November 24, 2022

BY NAOMI CATANO MOHR

Best of Utah Issue, Nov. 17,

Worst Utahn: Sen. Mike Lee

Editor’s note: This is the fourth consecutive year that City Weekly readers have chosen Mike Lee as the worst human being in the Beehive State, and they had a lot to say about his continued success in the category. He may be Utah’s senior senator, but he’ll always be junior in our hearts.

He needs to be careful. Rep. Burgess Owens is hot on his tail for this award.

MICHELLE SAMANTHA GATLIN Via Facebook

He won because people in this state always vote for the person with an “R” after their name. It’s just ignorant.

TRACY MILLER CLAY

OSHUN

JENNY

And

SHANE LARSEN Via Facebook

RYAN HERRMANN Via Facebook Is Salt Lake City Weekly just a Democratic Party operative? Do they do any objective journalism?

RUSSELL CLEVELAND

Via Facebook

Best of Utah Corrections:

When publishing a monster edition like “Best of Utah 2022” (Nov. 17), something’s bound to slip through the cracks. In this issue, it was the readers’ pick for Utah’s Best Food Influencer! Our apologies to winner Jennifer Burns and the runners up. The category was added to our online edition and is, as follows:

Best Food Influencer on Social Media

Jennifer Burns, @jbcookinghost

With more than 3,000 cooking/entertainment TV segments under her belt, Jennifer Burns is that class act people hire to rep their brands. Her experience certainly shines through in her Instagram feed. Can you say “production values”? Not content to post “food porn,” Burns creates images and videos that are works of art, accompanied by the perfect musical snippet to match the mood. She proves that being an influencer is not only about the number of followers you have—it’s about impact. The cookbook author, TV creator, produc er and spokesperson is “working it” whether in front of TV camera or as an emcee at a gala. Her IG reflects her professionalism: It’s top drawer. hostjenniferburns.com 2. @slcfoodie

We used the incorrect post-nominal letters to refer to our Best Veterinar ian, Dr. Robert Bagley, and runners up Lynette Sakellariou with Neighborhood Veterinary Care and Kanda Hazelwood with Mountain View Animal Hospital. The letters for all three should have been DVM, short for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Additionally, in describing this year’s Best Elected Official, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall , we mischaracterized the duration of her administration. Mendenhall will soon complete her third year as mayor, after her election in 2019. In that time, she has overseen the planting of 3,000 new trees on the city’s west side.

Care to sound off on a feature in our pages or about a local concern? Write to comments@cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media. We want to hear from you!

THE BOX

What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving

Scott Renshaw

The “I made the food, so I don’t have to clean up after” part.

Benjamin Wood

It’s a perfect kickoff for “the holidays”— always feels like a kind of seasonal reset button. Also, candied yams and pie.

Annie Quan

I love Thanksgiving. I love cooking and having friends and family together for a huge meal. It’s just a predetermined guaranteed party, one at which everyone knows we will get to see each other.

Eric Granato

Going down to Carbon County to my girlfriend’s parents’ home for their turkey day festivities.

Bill Frost

Tweeting at MSNBC to bring back their Thanksgiving Day To Catch a Predator marathon. That was always quality holi day viewing.

Carolyn Campbell

I like my daughter’s sweet potatoes, be cause I don’t have to cook them. Pump kin pie is great, too. You can have a piece for breakfast. Nobody checks.

Kelly Boyce

Sleeping in and then napping after we eat.

Paula Saltas

Friendly competitive games of back gammon after we gorge.

Via Facebook

In Heaven, There Is No Beer

If you are a sheikh from Qatar, you can convince soccer’s ruling body, FIFA, to award your tiny country the World Cup. You can buy a bunch of Airbus jetliners from France to capture its vote for the most prestigious soccer tourna ment in the world—only held every four years.

And, if that’s not enough, you can dump truckloads of cash on FIFA’s driveway. Just pretend they didn’t ask for it.

It matters little that your country is mostly sand dunes where scorching summer temperatures can bake shawarma. It matters little that hundreds of foreign workers die dur ing construction of World Cup facilities and stadiums. But don’t, under any circumstances, ban beer from the matches. That could draw criticism from every corner of the globe and make FIFA look bad for screwing up the beer. How do you ex pect European and American fans to watch a match without beer? It’s insanity.

Alcohol is not illegal in Qatar but drinking it in public is. The sheikhs had 12 years to prepare but they banned beer just two days before the kickoff. So, organizers shifted gears and will serve non-alcoholic Bud Zero at the matches.

Allahu Akbar (God is great). There may be plenty of virgins in paradise—but there ain’t no beer. And that, friends, is why we drink it here.

Eaten Alive: Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

You are hereby sentenced to 1,000 mosquito bites. Imag ine a judge meting out justice that way. Well, if the lawbreak er is sent to the new $1 billion Utah State Prison, it won’t be far from reality.

Under the headline “Eaten Alive,” The Salt Lake Tribune re ported that Utah Department of Corrections officials didn’t expect mosquitoes to be such a problem. But the staff here at Smart Bomb sure did, as reflected in our July 19 edition: “[I] nmates took the scenic bus ride from Draper to the new joint on Mosquito Flats west of the airport.” (No applause, please.)

Inmates and prison staff were covered in bites until the weather turned cold. The mosquitoes will be back in May, and executives have yet to devise an abatement plan. One option would spray pesticides over the prison from air planes—an added bonus to a stint at the big house. (Carcino gens, anyone?)

Fact is, Corrections brass didn’t have much choice but to move to mosquito habitat because the land under the old prison had become too valuable. “Visionaries’’ and their buddies on Capitol Hill have a great plan: A 600-acre “mod el live-work community” that would create 40,000 “great, cutting-edge jobs” and a gold mine for a few on the ground floor—the ground floor in Draper—far, far away from Mos quito Flats.

Let the Inquisitions Begin

Now that Republicans have taken control of the House, Americans can finally get what they really want: investiga tions of the Biden Crime Family—Hunter Biden, President Biden and his dog Major, who bites Republicans visiting the White House. There will be other probes, including one of the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 and where Liz Cheney gets her hair done; Attorney General Merrick Garland; FBI chief Chris Wray; and probably Ken Jennings and Jeopardy.

These inquisitions are bound to pay dividends in lower gasoline prices, reduced inflation and interest rates, afford able housing and decreased carbon emissions—with luck, they will destroy Biden’s socialist agenda for the under served in health, education and economic opportunity. It’s a whole new ballgame, folks, with cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and green energy.

Leading the way will be the Republican patriot from Ohio,

Rep. Jim Jordan, who never wears suit coats because they make him look like a sleazy politician. Just because he called the story of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who got an abortion af ter she was raped, “another lie,” doesn’t mean he’s not a statesman. What is a statesman, anyway, but someone who screams at House committee witnesses. Hey, Dr. Anthony Fauci, better watch your six!

Postscript—That’ll just about do it for another fun-filled week here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of Elon Musk, so you don’t have to. While he was giving the boot to 3,700 Twitter employees, Musk tweeted, let’s make Twitter “maxi mum fun.” Right.

Here’s something from our “Life Elevated” file: Frog eye salad has a special place in Utah lore. Last week, Smart Bomb reported on psychedelic toads from the Sonoran Desert, but their eyes are not in most recipes for frog eye salad (since it’s the acini de pepe pasta that gives this ambrosia-type dessert its amphibian eyes). No one is sure how it came about, but the buzz at the Relief Society is that Latter-day Saint women whipped up frog eye salad with saltpeter to keep their frisky husbands down on the farm—no pun intended.

There’s a mean joke that public schools have litter boxes in restrooms for kids wearing faux animal tails—but this is for real: Herschel Walker, the Georgia GOP candidate for Sen ate, said: “I don’t want to be a vampire anymore. I want to be a werewolf.” Can you beat that?

Try this: Right-wing podcaster Ben Shapiro says Martians would be against same-sex marriage. “You could be a visitor from Mars, and you could see that all of human procreation relies on man, woman, child.” He later said he hadn’t actu ally talked to Martians, but he’s pretty sure Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has. CW

Private Eye is off this week. The Smart Bomb column is pub lished every Wednesday at cityweekly.net. Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net.

HITS&MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

MISS: Life Dictated

Boy, those old white men are not giv ing up their war on women. You know, women—those people who can’t be trusted with their own bodies and who take every opportunity to kill babies. That’s why Sen. Dan McCay, RRiverton, told the Deseret News, “Utah has been at the forefront of fighting for life.” Who knew that pregnant women have been at the forefront of fighting for murder? Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, thinks the U.S. Supreme Court “got it right” in overturning Roe v. Wade because, of course, families should delight in pol iticians overseeing all uterine issues. Yes, these are the politicians who will surely take care of an unwanted child and even stand at the bedside of a woman whose life is being sacrificed to save that of an unviable fetus. And it makes so much sense for bureaucracy and paperwork to be the rationale for abortion after rape. Karrie Galloway of Planned Parenthood said she was disappointed in the Legislature. Most women have a stronger word for that.

HIT: Anyone Listening?

With all the back-and-forth over The Gondola, KUTV 2 decided to find out what people really thought. And they did it without those inane man-on-thestreet interviews. “2News Investigates read through every single comment and found that the majority of people are against the project.” Yes, reporters read through 35,000 comments—the most ever made on the UDOT website. The result? Sixty-one percent of those opposed the gondola. So does the Salt Lake County Council and environ mental groups. But that doesn’t mat ter. UDOT was required by law to take comments—but not to take them seri ously. Instead, a spokesman said UDOT is looking at “how well the alternative meets the purpose and need (and) the environmental impacts associated with the alternatives.” Sure, they are.

MISS: Always Watching

The state of Utah can’t help but look for solutions in search of a problem. Let’s take the 2022 midterm elections, for example. In the final days of the last legislative session, conspiracy wannabes passed laws to ensure the integrity of the election—even though Utah has been a poster child for safe and credible elections. Never mind re ality, it’s the unfounded perceptions that matter. Even though each ballot has an individual code to identify it, legislators worried that people would be dropping off tons of fake ballots, so they required 24-hour cameras to be placed at ballot boxes. Yes, it was a big expense, and KCPW 88.3 FM brought up the issue of people being secretly filmed and perhaps unfairly target ed. Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said poll workers were being harassed, and a police presence was necessary. This is the new normal in a country that trusts nothing.

ON THE STREET

I’m Thankful

Being Thanksgiving week, I thought I would spend a little bit of time talk ing about two of the less-heralded as pects of our city that I am personally thank ful for this year. At the top of the list is the successful campaign championed by the local transportation advocacy group Sweet Streets to get most residential speed limits reduced to 20 miles per hour. [Disclosure: City Weekly editor Benjamin Wood is a volun teer Sweet Streets board member]

As any pedestrian, bicyclist or run ner can attest to, excessive speeding is a chronic problem in each and every one of our neighborhoods. Therefore, I was pleas antly surprised when, earlier this year, the Salt Lake City Council swiftly adopted the reduced speed limits and quickly rolled out new speed signage across the city (above photo), all within a matter of months.

To the naysayers who think this change won’t amount to much, similar limit-reduction campaigns around the world have been stud ied and show improvement in overall driving speeds. No doubt, not every driver will follow the new 20 mph limit, but if it collectively re duces the speed in our neighborhoods, it will unquestionably increase safety and save lives.

Another thing I’m thankful for—espe cially in autumn—is our beautiful treelined streets, like at the intersection of Ramona Avenue and View Street (below photo). Some of my other favorites include Blaine Avenue between 1400 East and 1500 East, Michigan Avenue around 1900 East, and Denver Street just west of Liberty Park. These mentioned streets point to a certain east-side bias, but it should surprise no one that the amount of west side foliage has long lagged behind its geographical counterpart.

This is why I am encouraged by Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s “1,000 Trees Initiative” completing its third year of adding 1,000 trees annually to neighborhoods on the west side. The benefits of urban tree canopies are huge for communities, as they reduce heat island effects, improve air quality, reduce driving speeds, enhance walkability and beautify neighborhoods.

So, for all who struggle with coming up with answers at the dinner table for what you’re thankful for, feel free to plagiarize and mention the often overlooked street signage and foliage that help make our city a better place to live—I guarantee you’ll be the only one with that response! CW

Ziegfeld Theater’s Rent @

Park City Egyptian Theatre

Utah’s theater scene is so rich that it’s easy to miss something, even if you’re trying to pay attention. In October, Ogden’s Ziegfeld Theater wrapped its production of Jonathan Larson’s Rent at its own space, but if you didn’t catch it then, you’ve been given a reprieve of another … well, I’m not sure exactly how many minutes, in order to make a clever play on the popular Rent tune “Seasons of Love,” but it’s enough.

Park City’s Egyptian Theatre (328 Main St.) hosts Ziegfeld’s Rent, a 1980s-set tale of strug gling, aspiring artists in New York inspired by the classic Puccini opera La bohème. While the legend of Rent is now inevitably linked to the tragic death of writer/composer Larson on the eve of the show’s Broadway debut, it’s no mere act of sympathy and charity that has carried it to lasting popularity. The play earned both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1996, and the power of the story—including tragic romances and creative struggles—has touched audiences for nearly 30 years, along with memorable songs like the aforementioned “Seasons of Love.”

Rent plays at the Egyptian

Theatre through Nov. 26, with evening perfor mances at 8 p.m. Tickets are $23 - $35, visit parkcityshows.com for tickets and additional event information. If you want to catch what’s going on right now at the Ziegfeld in Ogden (3934 S. Washington Blvd.), Elf the Musical takes off with the beloved holiday story of Buddy the Elf on Dec. 2, running through Dec. 23. Tickets are $22.95 - $24.95; visit zigarts. com for tickets. (Scott Renshaw)

COURTESY

PHOTO

Utah Symphony & Chorus: Messiah Sing-in

If you haven’t already officially started your holi day season—and it does seem to begin earlier every year—Thanksgiving weekend certainly feels like the launch date. That’s one reason it has been the usual time for one of Utah’s most beloved Christmas season traditions, as the Utah Symphony & Chorus invites guests to sing along with the powerful music of Handel’s Messiah Conductor Benjamin Manis leads the sym phony, and chorusmaster Michaella Calzaretta leads the chorus (pictured), as the 1741 oratorio rings through the concert hall. Though inspired by the Biblical story of Jesus—including the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament and Jesus’ life, death and resurrection—its structure was inspired by Handel’s devotion to the three-act structure of Italian opera. Perhaps surprisingly to those unfamiliar with the entire work, it’s most famous individual section—the “Hallelujah” chorus—comes not at the end of overall work, but at the end of the second act, which signals the triumph over death. And audience members, as is part of the performance’s long-standing tradition, are invited to sing along in celebration.

You can join the Utah Symphony & Chorus for the performance of Messiah on one of the two performance dates—Saturday, Nov. 26 or Sunday, Nov. 27—at 7 p.m. at Abravanel Hall (123 W. South Temple). Tickets range from a family-friendly $7.75 (less than the cost of a movie ticket) to $41. Performance scores, courtesy of Riverton Music, will also be available in the lobby for purchase. Visit utah symphony.org for tickets and additional event information. (SR)

COURTESY

PHOTO

REDEEMher: How I Screwed Up My Perfect Mormon Life

In actor Tatum Langton’s auto biographical one-woman show REDEEMher, she addresses some thing that could make anyone feel vulnerable: being involved in an extra marital affair, and how that experi ence was tangled up with her faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And she acknowledges that it’s a challenge to present that experience in a way that recognizes the complexities of a strained marriage.

“It did take me about 10 years where I could get to the point where I could [tell this story],” Langton says by phone. “This isn’t a story that gets told a lot, from the perspective of someone who did the adultery. … Everyone knows there’s two sides to every story, but we’re always reluctant to listen to the person we perceive as ‘wrong.’ Every time I perform it, I question, ‘Am I making myself too much the victim, and my ex-husband too much the villain?’”

Langton has performed REDEEMher previously, but this week marks the first time performing the show in Utah County,

Broadway at the Eccles: Moulin Rouge!

Fun bit of trivia: Director Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge! was the first feature review I wrote for this publication. The filmmaker brought his extravagant visual style to the turn-of-the20th-century tale of a young aspir ing composer and an actress fall ing in love at the legendary Paris cabaret club, set to classic pop hits of the subsequent decades. It was a narrative full of big emotions and bold stylistic choices—which, as it turns out, made it a perfect candi date to adapt for a theatrical musi cal, which hit Broadway in 2019.

Moulin Rouge!: The Musical keeps the cen tral relationship involving songwriter Christian and actress Satine, involving a bit of mistaken identity as Satine originally believes that Christian is the wealthy Duke whose fortunes might save the financially-strapped club. Additional complications inevitably ensue, including threats of death, against the back drop of plenty of great tunes, many of them familiar from the movie version: Elton John’s “Your Song,” Madonna’s “Material Girl,” U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

where the events took place. Though some friends and family have already seen it in a virtual presentation, Langton acknowledges “there is a bit of anxiety around [performing it in Utah]; I do hope people will have an open heart and open mind about it.”

REDEEMher plays for one performance only on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m., at Velour Live Music Gallery in Provo (135 N. University Ave.). Tickets are $15 general admission, avail able via 24tix.com. Visit tatumlangton.com for tickets and additional event information. (SR)

and many more, plus the only original tune, the love ballad “Come What May.” Add in the spectacular production design and costumes, and you have the stuff of a show that won 10 Tony Awards.

Broadway at the Eccles brings Moulin Rouge!: The Musical to the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) Nov. 30 – Dec. 11. Evening per formances are Tuesday – Sunday with varying showtimes, including matinee performances on Dec. 1, 3, 4, 10 and 11; tickets are $50$119.50. Visit arttix.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

DAN SRIPUNTANGOON

MATTHEW MURPHY

Tip of the Top Hat

Bidding farewell to Utah’s last remaining video store.

BY CADE HANDLEY comments@cityweekly.net

Since I’m a lifelong Davis County resident and avid film lover, the an nouncement of Top Hat Video’s clo sure was quite devastating to me. Having been born in the late 1990s, I was in the somewhat unique position to be among the last of a generation who got to experience what it was like to grow up with a video store being a major part of the local com munity, but I was in the very unique posi tion of having that experience last all the way up into my early twenties, in the Year of our Lord 2022.

Now, however, an era is ending. Top Hat Video—apparently the last remain ing video store in the state of Utah—is set to close its doors after 40 years of opera tion. K nown as Adventureland Video for its first few years of existence, Top Hat opened in its original location at the now-defunct Five Points Mall in Bountiful in 1983. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, Top Hat Video was just one of many locally-owned and -operated video stores in Davis County like 3D Video, Cosmos Video and Video Express that com peted alongside the bigger chains like Hol lywood Video and what many independent video store owners considered to be public enemy No. 1, Blockbuster.

Many of these stores would come and go over the years, and by the early 2010s, they were pretty much all but distant memo ries—except for Top Hat Video, which,

despite the ever-changing climate of the movie rental/viewing experience, was able to keep the lights on. Until now.

“We would love to stay open forever, even while losing money—which we have done almost every week for the last couple of years,” said Melissa Handley, co-owner of Top Hat. “We bought the store a couple of years ago when Lee and Lona Earl, the original owners were looking at closing up shop if they couldn’t find a buyer. Our son was working there, and really loved the atmosphere and his co-workers. When he told us it might shut down, we decided to buy it and give it a go.”

When I was kid, hopping on my bike and riding to Top Hat with some friends was just as much fun as actually watching a movie. But the reality now is that it has just become too easy for people to stream almost anything they want, without ever having to get off of the couch.

While this is convenient, it lessens the film viewing experience in a major way, taking what was essentially an event/out ing and turning it into just more random “content” to scroll through on Netflix. The process of loading the family up into the station wagon and choosing a movie to gether was just as much a part of the expe rience as the film itself.

I love physical media, and places like Top Hat were important for film preserva tion. The store has a library of about 35,000 titles. Yes, you can get a lot of them from an online service, but many of them are not available for streaming anywhere. Some of these titles will fade away and become literally unwatchable, similar to how many of the great silent films were lost forever to the relentless brutality of time. That is real loss, not hypothetical.

The critical human element of the vid eo-store experience will also be deeply missed. Unlike with streaming, where an algorithm just spits out what it thinks “you may enjoy,” the video store provided a cul

tivated space where we could meet and form relationships with like-minded indi viduals who could truly get a sense of our movie taste. It was a much-desired outlet for people like myself to go and talk about what they thought of that week’s newest re leases, or to debate who is better between Kubrick and Kurosawa? (It’s Kubrick, by the way.)

“Certain clerks just know my style, and always have great recommendations that are right in line with my eclectic taste,” says Jeff Wadsworth, a customer of Top Hat for over 20 years. “I’ll be really sad to turn that over to some algorithm on Netflix, but I guess that’s where we’re all headed.”

All of this is what we are losing with the closing of Top Hat Video.

Shanna Earl, the store manager at Top Hat for 27 years, is also the daughter-in-law of

“I

miss the employees, customers, and day-to-day interactions so much. It’s been such a special experience getting to work with my daughter Matti, for essentially her entire life, along with many other family members, and friends who have become just like family to me.”

I invite/implore you to take a trip—liter ally “while supplies last”—to Bountiful, as Top hat will start selling off its inventory on Black Friday. Purchase a well-loved copy of one of your favorite films, or just peruse the aisles, smell the popcorn and remember the “good old days” while you still can. CW

original owners Lee and Lona Earl. “Al though we knew this day would eventu ally come, it is still very sad,” Earl said.

will

Rows of movies at the soon-to-beclosed Top Hat Video in Bountiful.

CADE HANDLEY

BITTER PILLS

A Utah family’s tragedy after months in pharmaceutical hell.

A PERSONAL ACCOUNT BY NAOMI CATANO MOHR COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET

Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

On April 30, I returned home from running errands, and my life was completely upended. Entering the bedroom, I discovered that my 51-year-old husband had committed suicide.

Even more traumatic than finding his lifeless body, however, has been examining the five months that preceded it and discovering that our family’s tragedy might have been prevented. Ultimately, I believe the fault for my husband’s death lies with a broken medical system and all-too-common negligence around the prescription of psy chotropic drugs.

More than 10% of Americans use psychotropic drugs—including antidepressants and antipsychotic medications—up from 6% in 1994, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). During that same period, the ratio of Americans prescribed more than one psychotropic drug at the same time more than doubled, from 1.2% to 3.1%.

And following COVID-19, roughly one-fourth of Americans took

or are taking some form of psychiatric medicine, a broader umbrella of mental health drugs. In this category, the United States “leads” the world.

“Six in 10 practitioners reported that they no longer have open ings for new patients,” an advisory at the top of the APA’s website states. “Nearly half said they have been unable to meet the demand for treatment, and nearly three-quarters have longer waitlists than before the pandemic.”

While psychotropic treatments are beneficial and helpful to many—especially when appropriately prescribed, administered and monitored—various studies have shown that as many as 85% to 90% of patients report experiencing at least one adverse side ef fect on these medications. And while those side effects can be minor, they can also manifest as severe disruptions with all-too-often cata strophic consequences like an increased risk of suicide, particularly in cases of “polypharmacy,” or the taking of more than one psycho tropic drug at a time.

My husband, John Hastings Rogers Mohr, worked as a registered nurse for almost 30 years. He thrived taking care of his patients, and he took pride in providing for me and our two sons. For most of his life, he had no record of depression nor had he ever been suicidal.

John Hastings Rogers

Mohr took his own life in the spring of 2022 after experiencing an acute deterioration of his mental health.

John was a much beloved employee, friend, son, husband and father. I would learn later that such descriptions are not unusual among those who take their own lives, and particularly those whose deaths coincide with negative reactions to medication.

John and I would have celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary in May. We loved each other’s company and did almost everything together.

He was a hands-on dad from the beginning. I never had to ask him to feed, change, hold, get up in the night or care for his boys. John loved nothing more than being with his family, which was obvious to everyone who knew him. I n September of 2021, John was promoted to a new position at work that increased his stress level, but no more than would be expected. The bigger stressor was that his mother was having health issues, and she was one of the most important peo ple in his life. Having lost his dad the previous year, John had been consistently helping and worrying about his mom and thought he might even have to stay at her nearby home in order to provide care.

By early December, and unbeknown to me, John’s primary care physician had prescribed olanzapine—the generic version of Zyprexa—for the anxiety he was ex periencing, and that’s when things shifted for the worse.

Change of Soul

A few days into his taking what I would later learn is a powerful psychotropic—de veloped to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, John’s doctor texted asking how he was doing on the medication. John responded that it was helping with his constant worrying but giving him a little bit of a flat affect. “Stick with it,” the doc tor said.

My crash course in modern medicine following John’s death would reveal that today’s medical practice contains a strange contradiction.

The word “psychotropic” is from Greek and literally means “soul turning” or “mind changing.” Initially developed to treat severe emotional and mental condi tions, psychotropic drugs were intended to be dispensed by mental health profes sionals. However, over time, general practice physicians also began prescribing these medications.

John’s primary care physician was an internist, whose focus is on the internal organs of adults rather than the mind. He was someone John had known since childhood. Around Christmas 2021, I started to glimpse the changes occurring within John and remember telling him that he seemed distant. He had always loved the holidays and sitting in the family room with the lights, tree and decora tions. This time, he retreated to the bedroom.

We had two Christmas parties and, in the past, he was always helpful and the one to initiate games. This time, that didn’t happen. I just chalked it up to the stress of work, because his mom was actually doing better by then.

John started to comment on his memory and not being able to remember things.

I told him it was normal, we were getting older, but he said I didn’t understand. Later, I would come to learn that a loss of memory and the ability to retain in formation is not unusual for patients on olanzapine and similar medications. I’ve since joined Facebook support groups where patients or their surviving loved ones share harrowing tales of “brain fog” while on or coming off their prescriptions.

A great deal of controversy is currently raging in both the scientific and lay com munities regarding the effectiveness of psychotropic drugs. One extreme claims the medications offer almost no positive benefit to offset the serious risks, aside from the mind-tricking placebo effect. The other extreme boasts that up to 90% of patients find some relief in taking their prescriptions (the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, reports a success rate between 70 and 90 percent). And of course, a wide range of opinions exists between those two poles.

But these divided schools of thought are relatively close to agreement on the rate of serious adverse drug reactions, reporting a range from roughly 5% of pa tients on the low end to 20% of patients on the high end. Even if the smaller per centage is more accurate, it speaks to the need for patients on psychotropics to be monitored closely and their treatment regimens carefully adjusted. If not, that’s when tragedies can happen.

Following Christmas, John became more distant with us. He struggled to make it through each day and wasn’t himself. He wasn’t sleeping well; he worried and got anxious about minor things. In late January, he had a panic attack at work and was told to take a few days off. At the time, unaware of his prescriptions, I thought he might be having a midlife crisis.

Warning Signs

At home, John would pace or—if he sat down—constantly move a knee up and down while rubbing it, a common drug side effect known as akathisia . His new job involved working with the homeless and individuals with addictions, and John came to believe that he, too, was an addict.

He would look at me as if he were the most horrible person on earth, and he would remind me that for many years he had been taking a daily half-tablet of the pain reliever Ultram (tramadol) to treat chronic pain from a hip replacement and fused ankle. I asked if he had lied about his dosage, but he swore he hadn’t. And when I later reviewed his pharmacy records, they indicated that he was on sched ule with the proper dosage. I told him that he was beating himself up unnecessarily, but he announced that he had flushed his pain meds down the toilet.

In January, John made the sudden, seemingly irrational decision to resign from his job. I pleaded that he take the time off that his boss had offered him to seek help, but he said that he was upset with himself for not being able to do something he was qualified for. He complained that he couldn’t remember anything, which made his new position too much to handle.

My new, much-too-late-in-coming awareness about how some people react to

By early December, and unbeknown to me, John’s primary care physician had prescribed olanzapine—the generic version of Zyprexa—for the anxiety he was experiencing, and that’s when things shifted for the worse.

John Hastings Rogers Mohr worked as a registered nurse for three decades but quit his job after reacting poorly to a medication.

Naomi Catano Mohr and her late husband John, far right, with their two sons on a family trip.

COURTESY

PHOTO

COURTESY PHOTO

these drugs stems from the many peo ple I’ve encountered who fought simi lar battles. They report experiencing severe anxiety that kept them in bed or from work with dark thoughts of want ing to end their lives, especially if they tried to come off their medications too quickly.

A 2022 study published in the online journal Addictive Behavior Reports found that after quitting (or attempt ing to quit) antipsychotic drugs, 72% of patients reported classical withdrawal symptoms like nausea, tremors, anxi ety and agitation. But 52% categorized these effects as “severe” and 18% re ported experiencing psychosis.

“These findings are consistent with a small but growing body of literature on this topic,” the report states in its sum mary conclusion. “Prescribers need to inform themselves about the nature, frequency and intensity of withdrawal effects from [antipsychotics], and about withdrawal psychosis.”

I found a therapist for John and, after the first session, his primary care doctor texted asking him how it went. John answered that he could “take it or leave it,” but that it was nice to talk through his anxiety and get tips on how to deal with it. His doctor suggested continued counseling as treatment.

And yet, there was no discussion of possibly stopping the medication, so John continued taking it. Olanzapine carries a warning label that states it should only be prescribed for major de pressive disorders and only after two failed attempts using other medica tions. Nowhere does it state that it is for treating mild anxiety.

I learned that John’s medication was approved by the FDA to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But in 2009, it’s maker settled a $1.4 billion lawsuit after its representatives were accused of marketing the drug to pri mary care physicians by misrepresent ing its intended use.

That settlement was just one of sev eral in the company’s history related to the “off-label” marketing of its products, meaning the issuance of prescriptions to treat conditions other than those for which a drug was intended for an approved by regulators.

But for a major drug manufactur er, even a billion-dollar penalty is far from a fatal blow. And while recent re forms have narrowed the scope of offlabel marketing, the practice continues among individual physicians with or without the encouragement of pharma ceutical representatives.

It wasn’t until after John’s death that I discovered the published warnings for his medication. Like many drugs prescribed to treat anxiety and depres sion, olanzapine is shown to backfire for some patients , causing them to become agitated, irritable or to display abnormal behavior.

Journals like Medicine note that side effects can include a deepening of de pression and anxiety, and the inability to fall or stay asleep.

System Failure

On Feb. 4, John texted his doctor that he had gone down a “rabbit hole,” overwhelmed by work and simple dayto-day tasks. He attributed this to his imagined “addiction” to tramadol.

On Feb. 9, John’s doctor got him in to see a psychiatrist. She noted his pre scriptions, his feelings of hopelessness and that he had guns in the house. No medications were changed.

On the 10th, John was distraught and pacing constantly. I called his physi cian, who told me to take John to the hospital emergency room.

He was displaying many of the serious side effects listed for his medica tions but to the best of my knowledge, none of the medical professionals who treated him asked why he was on a drug for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder when he had experienced neither.

John was admitted to the psychiatric unit, where he was also prescribed an SNRI (serotonin and norepinephrine

reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant. He left the unit after two days, more hope less than ever.

For some patients, such a crisis oc curs shortly after going on such medica tions, which is especially pronounced in younger patients. For others, severe mental anguish can set in when try ing to go off the drugs, which John may have tried to do.

One frequently cited study (Valuk, Or ton, Libby: 2009) hosted on the National Institute of Health’s PubMed database concludes that while there is “substan tial confounding” in the link between antidepressant use and suicide, discontinuing a prescription and the initial pe riod of a new medication regimen carry “significant risk for suicide attempt.”

“The highest risk was associated with initiation, a finding consistent with other studies, closely followed by periods of dosing changes and discon tinuation,” the report states. “Patients should be closely monitored during these periods.”

Facebook support groups are flooded with accounts of suicidal thoughts, at tempts and “successes” when people go too quickly off psychotropic drugs. John’s medical records do not have any notes that his doctors alerted him to this or took any intervening action when he reported extreme adverse re actions and other serious concerns.

I’ve now heard from several indi viduals who have—or their loved ones have—been taken off these drugs too quickly, or who have reduced their dos

ages or stopped taking them on their own. That rapid shift in gears can pro duce jarring results in the mind, and suicides can occur under such circum stances. Two nurse practitioners I know are reluctant to use olanzapine for this very reason and told me they would never have prescribed it for the simple anxiety John initially experienced.

Mandi Christensen, a physician’s as sistant and founder of Healing Path ways Medical, described Zyprexa as a “dirty drug,” due to its lengthy list of side effects.

“Lots of metabolic problems and weight gain are associated with it and, in my opinion, there are so many other better medications out there that I don’t believe it’s even necessary to prescribe at all,” she said. “However, that comes with so many other complexities: cost of medication; insurance and plan cov erage; availability to gain access to the better meds; and so many more broken, complex, systemic factors.”

Christensen said she’s concerned about the complacency of some provid ers in not staying up-to-date on current research and medical evidence. But she attributed some of that to doctors feel ing justifiably overworked and burned out, and she pointed to the outsize role of insurance companies in dictating the terms of medical care, including the amount of time that a provider is able to spend with their patients.

“Bottom line, to treat a patient cor rectly, you have to take time and lis ten,” Christensen said. “An intensive

COURTESY PHOTO

“[Prescriptions] come with so may other complexities: cost of medication; insurance and plan coverage; availability to gain access to the better [medications]; and so many more broken, complex, systemic factors.”—Mandi Christensen, founder of Healing Pathways Medical

patient history is imperative and that includes any history of trauma—espe cially as a child—family history and the symptoms the patient is reporting throughout time. It’s a failing system, and it’s repugnant, in my opinion.”

John tried a ketamine treatment, but reacted to it poorly—thinking he wasn’t going to make it out of the room alive— and never wanted to try again. He had sessions of EMDR therapy (Eye Move ment and Desensitization and Repro cessing) but stated that it did not help.

A therapist wanted him to recall trau ma from his life, but he didn’t feel like he had any. I reminded him that he had lost two brothers and his father, but he responded that those were sad events but just a part of life that he didn’t see as traumatic.

In one neurotherapy session, John said with a look of desperation, “I just want to be myself and be a normal fam ily again.” I now believe that these at tempts at treatment weren’t apparently helping while John was under the influ ence of his medications.

‘You Don’t Want What

I’m Taking’

We agreed that John should stay at his mom’s house for a few days to do some “soul searching,” but we texted and talked every day. I asked him what brought him joy and he responded, “It’s you and the boys, and I don’t know why I can’t snap out of this for you and them.

John was on medical leave and had up to three months available, but chose to resign after one month. He was now out of a job, had no insurance and was becoming paranoid, irrational and ex tremely depressed.

I later obtained John’s medical re cords from his primary care doctor, which contain no entries as to why these drugs were ever prescribed, that John had ever experienced anxiety or depression previously, or that his doc tor had warned John of the potential side effects and adverse reactions.

John’s doctor told me that it could take four to six weeks for his meds to fully kick in and his symptoms improve. But at the time, I was only aware of the SNRI prescribed in the psych unit. By that point, John had been on olanzap ine for two months.

The doctor made no mention of the fact that an antipsychotic he’d pre scribed for a case of mild anxiety could have been a factor in any of this.

B y mid-March, John was having a to tal meltdown. He was trying to prepare for a job interview and wasn’t sleeping because he was staying up all night pacing and studying flashcards. He continued telling me that he couldn’t remember anything.

I texted his doctor, reminding him of a stroke John had in 2014, and asked if he could get an MRI. When the results showed everything normal, John text ed his doctor stating, “Then I’m just crazy.” His doctor replied “Yep,” fol

Between December 2021 and April 2022, John had been taking different combinations of five prescriptions. The night before he died, I got upset with one of our son’s lacrosse coaches, and joked to John that I needed to take his medications because he managed to re main so calm.

“You don’t want what I’m taking,” he said emphatically, looking me straight in the eyes.

We were together the next day, even lying down for a nap. But I left for an hour and a half and came home to find that John had taken his life with a .22 caliber rifle.

It was only after John’s memorial ser vice and hours spent wondering what had happened to the amazing, devot ed husband and father I’d known for a quarter-century that my unwanted education on the powerful side effects of psychotropic drugs began.

What if a physician messes up and prescribes drugs that are doing more harm than good? What if medical pro fessionals fail to closely monitor a pa tient and take corrective action that could have prevented tragedy?

Suing for malpractice is hardly a sure bet, as Utah is one of the 34 states that severely limit the amount for which doctors can be held liable. Currently, our state’s maximum for damages is $450,000. With the typical attorney charging 33% or higher from a poten tial settlement amount, the fees are not lucrative enough to attract many firms.

Another avenue is a complaint with the Utah State Medical Board, which can be filed free of charge. The public agency assigns panels of specialists to evaluate treatments that go badly and, where deficiencies are found, take cor rective or disciplinary action.

But my motivation in sharing our family’s tragedy is less about seeking a monetary award than it is about help ing others avoid the excruciating heart break of losing a loved one because of therapies that were sought after to help, but that can do harm.

If experiencing mild anxiety or de pression, first try lifestyle modifica tions, which might include altering habits of diet, exercise, sleep or nu tritional supplementation. Seek talk therapy from a highly recommended psychologist or other therapist and perhaps try something like biofeed back, holistic medicine, hypnotherapy, EMDR or other “alternative” therapies. Meet with a trusted regular physi cian, but if you or your loved one is prescribed a powerful psychotropic like an antidepressant or antipsychot ic, do your homework before starting. Even Wikipedia has good summaries of pharmaceuticals and lists their side effects and formal cautions. Discuss these with doctors and ask what they’ll do if problems arise.

If a regular physician doesn’t inspire confidence or is too quick to pull out the prescription pad, seek an opinion from a qualified mental health profes sional. And if the decision is made to take a psychotropic medication, alert family and close friends and ask them to keep an eye out for mood or behavior changes for the worse.

When it gets to the point of stopping such medications, scrupulously follow a lengthy timetable for tapering off. For many people this needs to happen even more slowly than the published sched ule from the drug manufacturer.

Tap into resources like the National Suicide Prevention Program, which operates a lifeline that can be reached by dialing 988. If what I’ve learned through unwanted experience can help even one person avoid going through the living hell that John went through for five months and that his sons and I have endured since, it would help soft en our pain. CW

Naomi Catano Mohr is an orthodontic treatment coordinator who looks forward to snowboarding with her two boys and enjoys watching them play lacrosse.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

lowed by two laughing emojis.

If the decision is made to take a psychotropic medication, alert family and close friends ... to keep an eye out for mood or behavior changes.

ISTOCKL

Wishbone Wishes

Putting together the Thanksgiving lineup of my dreams

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

Let’s say it’s Thanksgiving 2021, and I have just finished dining with you and your family or friends. After you’ve finally gotten over how strange it was to have the food writer for City Weekly just show up at your dinner table, we have a moderately good time, and agree to com pete in the age-old wishbone pull.

Though you put up a stalwart effort, it’s my yank that secures the bigger piece of the turkey bone. After knocking over a pre cious heirloom vase during my victory lap around the dinner table and getting kicked out of your house, I stare at the calcified remnant in the cold November silence and make a wish. I wish for a perfect 2022 Thanksgiving menu furnished by some of our local culinary all-stars—and I guess you can come. Seeing as how I wrecked your vase and all.

To start, I want to talk sweet potatoes. I think all savory options at the Thanksgiv ing table should be able to double as des serts, and sweet potatoes are one of the only dishes that can pull that off without being disgusting. The Magic Potato at The Choco late (9120 S. Redwood Road, 801-566-5330, thechocolate.cafe) is one of the few local dishes that truly take advantage of this sweet and savory alchemy. It’s a roasted, buttery sweet potato coated in pecans and topped with brown sugar, liberal scoops of vanilla ice cream, and caramel. I’d have a whole serving plate full of these lovelies.

I know Utahns are super horny for dinner rolls around this time of year, but I’ll take a couple trays of Mile High Biscuits from Ruth’s Diner (4160 Emigration Canyon Road, 801-582-5807, ruthsdiner.com) over those yeasty bastards any day of the week. The fact that these come free with your meal at Ruth’s is one of my favorite things about living in this state, so keep those coming all day long. I’ll stuff whatever leftovers are still hanging around by Black Friday between one of these bad boys before I fling myself into the consumer abyss for cheap Blu-ray discs and a new flatscreen TV.

A salad should be present on principle, so I would go with the Meatball Salad from Moochie’s (multiple locations, mooch iesmeatballs.com) because, as you may have guessed, it’s a salad with a big ass meatball in it. I picture this being served in a large delft blue salad bowl that showcas

es the peaks and valleys of a meatball and mozzarella mountain range.

As we get closer to the main course, it’s time to pass the mashed potatoes. Though I love them, I’ve never had mashed potatoes that dazzle me to the point where I stop eat ing and whisper “fuck” to myself as I try to regain composure. But, only a few weeks ago, this describes my experience with the Mustard Potato Puree at Bambara (202 S. Main Street, 801-363-5454, bambara-slc. com). One whole third of my table space would be reserved for hot serving dishes overflowing with this wizardry.

Seems like I’m a bit light on the veggies, so let’s fix that with some Shaved Brussels Sprouts from Porch (11274 Kestrel Rise Road, Ste. G, 801-679-1066, porchutah. com). It’s a side dish that could hold its own on a table with these other rock stars, and the cider glaze in which they’ve been roast ed would give the meal a nice acidic bite to cut through the layers of richness.

Now for the main course, and perhaps my hottest of hot takes: Get rid of the stuffed bird that has become the official Thanksgiving mascot. It’s a pain in the ass to make proper ly, and the leftovers make the fridge smell like farts. Instead, I want a heaping plate of the smoked turkey sandwiches that they make at the Utah State Fair. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of this barbecue vendor, but their thinly sliced smoked turkey slath

ered in homemade barbecue sauce has been the most satisfying interpretation of turkey that I’ve ever had. A giant platter piled high with these sandwiches would make me light up like a Christmas tree.

So what am I drinking throughout this dream-laden feast? I’ll keep it simple and go with a bottle of bourbon from High West Distillery (27649 Old Lincoln High way, Wanship, 435-649-8300, highwest. com). No need for bells and whistles—just set the bottle and a small glass of ice next to my fork and I’m good to go.

In reality, all of this deliciousness would be enough to put me into a food coma that lasted the rest of Thanksgiving weekend, but we’re not living in reality right now, are we? So on to dessert. Here we’d have a loaded platter of hand pies from Pie Fight (937 E. 900 South, thepiefight.com), half of them Blueberry Lemon and the other half Cranberry Almond. A perfect sendoff for a perfect Thanksgiving meal.

At the end of the dinner, you’d forgive me for breaking that vase last year and tell me you actually hated it, and were glad it was gone. I’d tell you that I forgot about that ever happening but was sorry all the same. We’d clink our glasses of bourbon, turn on a slasher movie and sink into the couch. Slowly, the tryptophan, alcohol and warm glow of the TV would lull us to sleep, and we’d never have problems again. CW

onTAPonTAP

2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com

Avenues Proper 376 8th Ave, SLC

avenuesproper.com

On Tap: Less- West Coast IPA

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com

On Tap: Gluten Reduced Kolsch

Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com

On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Craft by Proper 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC craftbyproper.com

On Tap: Do Less - West Coast IPA

Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: Pomegranate Sour

Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com

On Tap: Gingerbread Baptist Imperial Stout

Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com

On Tap: Fisher Beer

Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com

On Tap: Extra Pale Ale

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: Stonewall Sour Saison

Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, S. Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Wet El Do-Rye-Do Pale Ale Ales & Allies Game Night Tues at 6pm!

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com

On Tap: Squeaky Bike Nut Brown

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: Wet Hopped Cider

Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/ On Tap: DOPO IPA

Ogden River Brewing 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan prodigy-brewing.com/

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: East Side Paradise - Rice Lager

Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Gypsy Scratch

Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com On Tap: Munich Dunkel

Red Rock Kimball Junction Redrockbrewing.com 1640 Redstone Center

On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC

RoHaBrewing.com

On Tap: Bramble Brown

Roosters Brewing

Multiple Locations

RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion

SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, S. Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com

On Tap: Summer Sessions NEIPA

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: 2 Hop 2 Furious- Double Hopped Belgian Pale

Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC

Scionciderbar.com

On Tap: Colorado Cider Orchard Run 8.35% ABV

Shades Brewing

154 W. Utopia Ave, S. Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer

On Tap: Prickly Pear Sour Ale

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Squatters

147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com

Strap Tank Brewery

Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout

Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter

Stratford Proper 1588 Stratford Ave., SLC stratfordproper.com

On Tap: Lake Effect Gose

TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com

On Tap: Edel Pils

Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com

On Tap: The Patriot

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com

On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com

On Tap: Trail Rye’d - Amber Rye Ale 5% abv

Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Wasatch 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com

Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

OPENING SOON!

Helper Beer 159 N Main Street Helper, UT 84526

Apex Brewing 2285 S Main Street Salt Lake City, UT 84115

Black on Track

Two black beers that range from rich and boozy to light and crisp.

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Epic - Big Bad Baptist GingerBread :

This new variant from Epic is just in time for those who are craving dark holiday stouts with familiar Christmas flavors. Gingerbread Stout has very little head, and isn’t brown like the treat after which it’s named. This jet-black beer is dark as coffee/espresso, but it’s not as flat. It looks not only like it goes with dessert, but could also serve as dessert in and of it self. The aroma smells like dessert alright; gingerbread cookies are at the top of the list, along with black forest cake, hazelnut chocolate truffles and a big frothy cup of latte.

The first sip reveals a tasty, richly-fla vored spiced stout that is quite nicely bal anced. Caramel and molasses sweetness, together with that unshakeable ginger bread flavor, give this stout a hearty, gen erous feel—sort of like a cake, or perhaps a (gingerbread) muffin. Nuances of choco late and roasted malts dwell mostly in the background, while cinnamon and ginger spiciness provide an added kick on the tail end, with suggestions of coffee, choco late and roasted malts, which effectively dry the palate. It’s full-bodied, with low carbonation levels that weakly nudge the tongue; the mouthfeel is smooth and soft, as if there are oats in here, and it’s highly quaffable at 11.5 percent ABV.

Verdict : The BBB Gingerbread Stout is a seriously well-made stout that should pair perfectly with your Christmas dessert of choice. Its flaws are minor and generally forgivable; the body’s on the full-side, and

the roasted malts don’t come through as well as I’d hoped. The spices, however, have been added in precisely the proper quan tities—strong enough to complement and add complexity, but not so strong that they drown the other elements out. Excellent stuff; I’ll be buying another bottle or two for later enjoyment.

Kiitos - German-Style Black Lager : There are quite a few dark lager styles float ing around out there. You have Czech style, German style, American, Schwarzbier and Baltics. Aside from the Baltics, they should have dark roasted qualities, but light bod ies, unlike stouts and porters. This beer qualifies as a dark lager for sure.

The dark brown, almost black beer with reddish tinges pours out into a typi cal Kiitos curved glass with a 3/4-inch tan head that soon recedes to leave some large patches and legs of lacing on the sides of the glass. Sipping creates several small patch es of lacing, many of which slide back down the sides of the glass. Most of the foam on the surface is gone well before mid-way through the beer. The aromas are all about the dark roasted malts that have both some chocolate and some dark caramel. There don’t seem to be any hops noticeable.

The flavors are much as expected from the nose, with the dark roasted malts pro viding some chocolate and caramel sweet ness. A very light bitterness in the back ground seems more from the dark roasted malt than from the hops. The mouthfeel for this 5.0 percent beer is on the light side of medium-bodied, with moderate carbon ation. The moderately long finish begins as the chocolate and malt sweetness begin to recede, leaving some light dark roast bit terness to close the semi-dry ending.

Verdict : While the flavors and aromas are not particularly complex, this is a rea sonably tasty Schwartzbier that touches some of the right bases, and I’d have it again in a heartbeat.

You can find the German-Style Black Lager on draft and in 16-ounce cans at the brewery, and it will likely be at stores and bars anytime now as well. Big Bad Baptist GingerBread is cold at the brewery to enjoy there or to take home. Some are making their way into DABS stores as we speak, so keep an eye out. As always, cheers! CW

MIKE RIEDEL

MIKE RIEDEL

the BACK BURNER

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

Les Madeleines Announces Closure

Pastry Chef and baking pioneer Romina Rasmussen recently announced plans to close Les Madeleines (216 E. 500 South, 801-673-8340, lesmadeleines.com) after 19 years of operation. In the time that Les Madeleines was in business, it effectively introduced Salt Lake to the buttery kouign amann, a Breton pastry that soon became all the rage with local bakers. Her bakery and café was always the scene to something special, whether it was the European-inspired brunch menu or the delectable baked goods that lined the shelves. Rasmussen plans on keeping the bakery open until December 30, so there’s still some time to get your French pastries before she moves on to bigger and better things.

Baking Hive Moves Online

In other shocking bakery news, Pastry Chef Elisa Crockatt announced the closure of The Baking Hive’s (3362 S. 2300 East) storefront in an effort to take her business online. In an Instagram post, she mentioned wanting to shift the business model to spend more time with her family, and that she’ll focus on wholesale items, pop-ups, wedding cakes and online baking classes for kids. I’m glad that The Baking Hive presence will continue online—I gotta get those Dirty Jonnys and Caramel Jaguars somehow—but I’ll miss popping in on Chef Crockatt and her team at the storefront and chatting with them while I indulge my sweet tooth.

Cookie Decorating at the Leonardo

If you’re in the mood for some post-Thanksgiving activities that still involve food, then you may want to check out the cookie decorating setup at The Leonardo (209 E. 500 South, theleonardo.org) this weekend. On the November 25, the theme is sugar cookies decked out with all the icing and sprinkles you need to create an edible hol iday masterpiece. On November 26, it’s all about gingerbread cookie decoration. With its celebration of all things scientific and wondrous, The Leonardo is an excellent place to let that holiday cookie creativity loose. Registration can be completed via The Leonardo’s website, and each event lasts from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Quote of the Week: “The pleasure lies not in the cookies, but in the pattern the crumbs make when the cookies crumble.” –Michael Korda

Amour Café

This quaint café near Liberty Park comes from John and Casee Francis, the owners/founders of Amour Spreads, which makes award-winning jams and mar malades. The espresso beverages, in-house baked pastries, small plates, breakfast items, gelato and more—all made with fresh, seasonal ingredients— are just as praiseworthy. Need more motivation to visit? How about this: Pastry and dessert chef Amber Billingsley is in charge of the kitchen. 1329 S. 500 East, 801-467-2947, amourslc.com

Himalayan Kitchen

Got a merger or acquisition to propose? A life insur ance policy to hawk? Want to discuss a promotion with your boss? The whole conversation will flow much more smoothly after first filling a plate at Himalayan Kitchen’s sumptuous Nepalese buffet. From vinda loos, saag paneer and butter chicken to aloo tama bodi, chicken tandoori and lip-smacking charred naan, the buffet appeals to most every taste—no fretting or mulling over a menu necessary. The invit ing downtown location is a magnet for government workers, Matheson Courthouse folks and, of course, City Weekly employees. Not only is the buffet a great place to hobnob, it’s gentle on your expense account. 360 S. State, 801-328-2077; 11521 S. 4000 West, South Jordan, 801-254-0800, himala yankitchen.com

Purgatory

This is not your daddy’s bar food—unless your pop was used to eating things like pork belly nigiri or a protein salad of tomato, carrots, chickpeas, quinoa, cucumber, dill, beet hummus, herbs and yuzu vinaigrette. Other standouts include the nearly incendiary heat of the spicy chicken ssam, a DIY lettuce wrap with a red chilepowered mix of chicken, leek, jicama and carrot morsels. There’s a large french fry selection, and the accoutre ments are unique, ranging from versions like nacho and Buffalo to K-Pop fries, curry, enchilada and rosemary. For those looking for something a bit more mainstream, try the mozzarella/Parmesan/crema cheese sandwich; it’s one of the best grilled cheeses in town. 62 E. 700 South, 801-596-2294, purgatorybar.com

Soy’s Sushi Bar & Grill

Located in the heart of historic Murray, this eatery is vibrant and bustling. Start with the seaweed salad: a scrumptious plate of julienned seaweed, cucumber, squid and sliced strawberry and avocado, seasoned with a light gingery sauce and sprinkled with white sesame seeds. In the 10-piece “small” sashimi platter, you’re treated to an artistic arrangement of fresh, raw salmon, escolar, tuna and yellowtail, adorned with microgreens, fresh ginger, avocado slices and flying-fish eggs.The Snowbird roll—yellowtail and jalapeño, topped with escolar and served with jalapeño vinaigrette—is also exceptional. 4923 S. State, Murray, 801-278-8682, soysushiutah.com

Crime Seen

Glass Onion continues a mystery series suffused with righteous anger over obvious wrongs.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

Without revealing too much about the latest case, it seems clear that writer/director Rian Johnson’s Benoit Blanc mysteries—2019’s Knives Out, and the new Glass Onion—have a particu lar thematic bent. Blanc (Daniel Craig) may be the world’s greatest detective, but he doesn’t apply that skill indiscriminate ly. He investigates in worlds of power and privilege, and there’s more than a touch of righteous anger in his ability to see through the lies and manipulations endemic to those worlds. As entertaining as these ad ventures are—and they are very entertain ing indeed—they’re entertainments tinged with acid.

Glass Onion drops a hint about where it’s headed early on, as Johnson sets the events specifically in May 2020, with Blanc joining a group of guests on a getaway to a private Greek island owned by tech billion aire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). Bron’s friends—including fading ex-model Birdie (Kate Hudson), social-media influencer Duke (Dave Bautista), Connecticut gover nor Claire (Kathryn Hahn) and Bron’s lead researcher Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.)—are surprised to get a dose of an unidentified throat spray before they board the yacht taking them to their destination. Johnson never underlines the notion that this rich guy, just a couple of months into the pan demic, already has some sort of anti-COVID treatment/vaccine that nobody else knows about, and that he’s fine with keeping it to himself for his own purposes.

The plot, as they say, thickens once the island party starts. Bron plans to turn the weekend into a murder mystery with him self as the victim, but all those attending might have real-life motivations for wanting him dead. That’s particularly true of Andi (Janelle Monáe), Bron’s ex-business partner who recently lost a court case denying her any part in the company she co-founded. Not surprisingly, an actual dead body turns up—but whose, and for what reason, is best discovered through watching.

It shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who watched Knives Out that Johnson seems to have a blast building his puzzle-box plots, which manifests initially as literal puzzle boxes that the characters need to solve be fore getting their invitations. Every word and every bit of business holds the poten tial to be a Chekhovian gun destined to fire at some point, and Glass Onion deftly sets the stage before circling back in time to add more context. And somehow, Johnson manages to do it all while dropping some great jokes and bits of physical humor.

If there’s anywhere that Glass Onion feels a bit less effective than Knives Out, it’s in the crafting of the supporting characters.

Partly thanks to the wonderful casting, Knives Out felt stacked with fully-realized suspects, not merely broad types. Glass On ion’s performers are certainly no slouches, but there’s also less detail in their charac ters’ connections both to Bron and to one another; Odom in particular feels desper ately in need of something to flesh out Lio nel’s personality. It’s a bit odd that a random houseguest of Bron’s who wanders through the background seems to be more worth following around than some of the principals.

As for Benoit Blanc, he’s still a bit of an enigma, as the great fictional detective characters tend to be with their preternat ural deductive abilities. But what Johnson and Craig do give the character is not just a wild confidence in his own abilities, but that aforementioned fury when confronted with those who are acting on base motiva tions like greed. In some ways it feels like a fortuitous coincidence that Norton’s Bron begins to bear more than a slight resem blance to a certain super-wealthy tycoon currently dominating social-media head lines, but it’s also a case of the odds being in Johnson’s favor. If you’re making a story

that is in part about people whose position leads them to believe they’re much smarter than they are, the real world is going to of fer you plenty of counterparts.

The title of Glass Onion is also pretty overtly connected to some of the same ideas, suggesting something that might appear to be layered and complex but actu ally isn’t hard to see to the heart of. Maybe that could be used as a backhanded swipe at a mystery if you wanted to criticize its lack of imagination. Or maybe it’s a way that a filmmaker can use satisfying genre fare to show us how many corrupt actions we should be raging against, since they’re generally hiding in plain sight. CW

Daniel Craig and the cast of Glass Onion

Workin’ on a Come Up

Rapper T-James unveils his best work yet

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl

For those who create, doing so often becomes a massive part of who they are. It becomes as vital as water; without it, existence becomes difficult. For rapper T-James, creating music is a huge part of who he is, and that shines through on his newest album Workin’ on a Come Up.

T-James hit the SLC scene in 2016 when his partner was accepted to the University of Utah for medical school. Upon moving from Portland, he wasn’t finding as many open mic nights as he was hoping for, so he started them on his own. “I ran the local artist showcase for a better part of three years, and every month we would put on a new show, and it was one of the most fun things I’ve done in my music career for sure,” he said.

Of course, the pandemic interfered with the joys of live shows, so T-James hunkered down and created more music. “I really just had more time with myself, and I used that time to put out more projects,” he said. “I did solo projects, I did collaboration proj ects, really anything I could get my hands on. I enjoy the process of making music, probably more than anything else that has to do with music.”

Since the world has opened back up, T-James has been steadily releasing new music. He loves creating music, but to him, his music has lacked depth and a bigger picture. That is, until now. “I think this one does kind of have that complete pic ture where you’re kind of seeing all sides of me,” he describes. “Where I’m talking about my wife and her indecisiveness on one song, or talking about trying to make

it in the game in another song.”

Workin’ on a Come Up starts out with its title track, getting listeners instantly hooked. The happy-go-lucky feel creates a cheerful mood, but then as T-James’ sharp and technically driven lyrics come in, the relatability of the song sinks in. The theme of the song is empowerment, with a mes sage of a never-quit attitude.

“At the time, I was going through quite the slump at work. Things just were not go ing my way. I was trying, just scrambling to keep my head above water. And financially, things were kind of on a downturn. And so I wrote this song as almost like a self-coach ing song for me,” T-James said about the track. “Whenever I sing that hook, I feel em powered. You know what I mean? Cause it’s like, no matter what’s going on, it doesn’t matter, because I’m working on my next come up. And it’s like that kind of neverquit attitude that I wanted to bring to that song. And so that’s really how it came about was trying to dig out a hole that I was in.”

Interestingly, the title track ended up be ing the very last piece of the album. T-James wrote the song on a whim, then realized it had to be part of the story. “It just fit so well with the theme of the rest of the project that I was like, ‘Dude, this could be the title track and the name of the album,’” he said.

Later in the album, T-James collaborates with other musicians on the same label, LSTBYZ. “We all click so well together. We all have similar visions of what we want to do with our music. We’re all very driven in making more content and we all bring something else to the table. We all have our own sort of style and we’ve learned that our styles mesh pretty well,” he said.

It’s hard to pick standouts on the album because it’s great from start to finish. Part of the reason for that consistency is the vul nerability and realness T-James wove into the album. It’s easy to write music alone at home where it’s comfortable, but it’s diffi cult to share this sensitivity with the world.

“It can be challenging for sure,” he said. “And then once I’m uploading to Distrokid I’m like, ‘Oh man, people are going to hear this,’ and so that’s when I start feeling vul nerable.”

Despite the fear of putting work out into

the world, T-James hopes that people are willing to give his music a try. “I want lis teners to know that I make authentic mu sic. Music that’s authentic to me,” he said. “With local artists, if it doesn’t have that big budget behind it, nobody really pays attention to it, other than the little local shows that you get the little local follow ing, and I feel like it’s hard to break in and actually just get that initial consideration.”

Workin’ on a Come Up is streaming now, and

T-James is planning a release show sometime in mid-December. T-James put his heart and soul into this album, and it’s evident from the moment the play button is pressed. Creat ing music for him is essential for life. “It just feels like it’s a part of who I am. It’s just like, why do you drink water? Well, it’s just like I’m made up of water,” he said.

Keep up with him on his Instagram, @ tjames.music, and find more information on him and his label LSTBYZ at lstbyz.com CW

T-James

ALAN LUCCHETTI

beabadoobee, Lowerton @ The Depot 11/25

Reigning bedroom-pop indie-pixie princess beabadoobee will grace SLC as part of her North American tour, following her July release Beatopia. On this album, beabadoobee’s vocals dare to dabble in the angsty, Avril Lavigne-esque pop-punk ballad as well as the sing-song, tell-all Taylor Swift sound (who she’s joining on tour, by the way). In the backdrop, beabadoobee incorporates more explicit static-electronic influences, as showcased on the track “10:36,” which contrast the lonely guitar strings that characterized her early hits such as “Coffee.” Despite these new and powerful elements, Beatopia never forgets to dip its toes back into the sometimes sad, yet always lovely breathy tone and wistful thinking that put beabadoobee on the map. The album’s myriad influences suggest a live performance fit for fairies, sprites, thick eyeliner, ripped black tights, as well as hopeful and hopeless romantics alike. beabadoo bee will be joined on tour by the dark-edged and wonderfully doldrum duo Lowertown, who you might recognize from their overnight sensation singles “The Gaping Mouth” and “Best Person You Know.” Their new album I Love to Lie maintains some of the delicious despair present in previous tracks, but also shocks with unexpected shoegaze influence and punchy riot grrrl deliveries. A feat that is hard for anyone to achieve, Love to Lie holds songs both for swinging lovers and for punching white walls. See the unexpected yet foolproof pairing beabadoobee and Lowertown for yourself at The Depot on Friday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets

Beabadoobee

By Emilee Atkinson

Svdden Death, Space Laces @ The Great Saltair 11/26

Svdden Death is the final boss in DOOM who found a passion for summoning raves after deciding to leave his 9-5 to create Earth’s most haunting EDM. Labeled the Riddim King, Svdden Death pushes the genre of dance music to the darkest corner of the dungeon, trading in the quick and boppy melodies of house for a dark, kinetic, screeching bass line. Fear isn’t an emotion tradition ally utilized by musicians to captivate an audience, but SD champions the notion, transporting his listeners to his delicious underworld. Svdden Death’s performances elevate his music to make the transportation nothing short of authentic. Utilizing smoke, strobes and flashing lights, his shows are a wonder to behold. Prepare to enter another plane of existence along with thousands of others, all following the command of a lanky black figure covered in spikes, donning a stag’s skull. Svdden Death is touring his highly praised latest album, VOYD Vol. II, which proves that SD is at the top of the genre, with an hour-long track list that flows wonderfully while making room for each track to have standout moments. “Thirst for Revenge” has an industrial combativeness that sounds like it’d be playing in Neo’s Airpods if not only was he the “one,” but he was also the “rageful one.” “Dream Sequence’’ has the same energy as Alice going down the rabbit hole, only to find flames at the bottom. If the Riddim genre of EDM is new to you and you’re interested in dipping your toes in, but also cover your eyes during horror movies, “Crusade” by Svdden Death and Marshmello is a great place to start, blending Marshmello’s expertly crafted dance sound with the intensity of SD. Catch Svdden Death and Space Laces at The Great Saltair Saturday, Nov. 26. Tickets are $35 for the 18+ show and can be found at thesaltair.com. Doors at 7 p.m. (Caleb Daniel)

Svdden Death ALEX VARSA

MUSIC PICKS

Secret Shame @ The DLC 11/27

As much as we all want to move on from the dumpster fire of the last few years, it’s undeniable that the pandemic changed the world in many ways. The pandemic also brought out some of the worst parts of our society, and it’s hard to move on from that. Post-punk group Secret Shame dive into themes such as transphobia, substance addiction and systemic abuses on their latest album Autonomy. “The songs are not specifically about the pandemic, but some of the songs make references to being alone and trapped with yourself and not being able to get away from yourself and your mind,” lead singer Lena Machina told Blueridge Public Radio in March. “I don’t want to hide myself anymore,” she said. “I am trying not to be afraid of what people think.” Autonomy is a melodic force throughout; enchanting vocals paired with urgent and chugging music create a dismal soundscape that matches the dark themes of the album. While reflecting the world outside, Machina detailed that the album also focuses a lot on her mental health and her struggles with it. “The songs are not specifically about the pandemic, but some of the songs make references to being alone and trapped with yourself and not being able to get away from yourself and your mind,” she said. Catch this punk group at The DLC on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $10 and can be found at quartersslc.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

July Talk @ Urban Lounge 11/28

Toronto-based rock band July Talk are gearing up for a new album coming at the start of 2023, from which they’ve shared three singles so far. The group is eager to show the world their latest project, saying that this work is July Talk starting anew. The album will start out with one of these singles, “After This,” which sets the tone and pace of the project. The track starts out strong with high energy and a spicy bassline; its frenetic energy will make listeners curious to hear what’s next, especially if the band is saying this song sets the vibe for the rest of the album. The next single “Certain Father” features Spencer Krug and “embraces extreme anti-melodic dissonance as it faces the discomfort of acknowledging That Guy,” according to the band in a press release. “‘Certain Father posits that we uphold the patriarchy even when we don’t want to, even when we know better, out of comfort, out of fear, out of habit, out of being born into the systems that maintain these mechanisms. Squelchy and industrial in equal measure, ‘Certain Father’ is a beacon in the sludge, a message of hope to those who engage in conflict with this paradigm.” Catch these new songs from July Talk on Monday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $16, and can be found at urbanloungeslc.com. (EA)

Yung Gravy, BBNO$ @ The Union 11/30

A lot of rap/hip-hop artists utilize sampling in their songs, taking bits from other songs and using them on their own. That’s how Yung Gravy rose to stardom in 2018 with his internet smash hit “Mr. Clean,” which samples “Mr. Sandman,” a 70 year barbershop bop by The Chordettes.

Yung Gravy weaves his comedic style rap into the traditional pop song, and it took the internet by storm. In the time since then, Yung Gravy has become a staple in the meme rap era, as well as becoming well-known for his retro style and penchant for dating older women. His latest album Marvelous released at the end of October, and is already largely popular with fans. Generally, Yung Gravy seems to want to have fun and that theme shines through on this new album. He continues to utilize sampling from soul and old ies while coupling them with electronic beats. The album is also geared towards the humorous side, relying on tonguein-cheek quips, which isn’t for everyone. But, if this type of music is your jam, this show is for you. Joining Yung Gravy is Canadian rapper BBNO$, who gained fame similarly to Yung Gravy, via viral tracks online. Catch Yung Gravy and BBNO$ on their exciting tour on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $84 and can be found at theunioneventcenter.com. (EA)

COLIN MEDLEY

SIR JOHN WILLIAM CHIARAVALLE III

July Talk

Yung Gravy

By Emilee Atkinson

Danksgiving 2022: Utah Medical Cannabis Sale’s Information

By Cole Fullmer, Publisher at Salt Baked City

Happy Danksgiving, Utah! We love the holidays at Salt Baked City – especially the ones that revolve around the munchies.

To ensure you save some green while elevating for Turkey Day this year, we gathered all of the sticky-icky sales information going on in the state. Plus, it shouldn’t break your bank making sure you have an appetite when you dive into Aunt Cathy’s “world-famous” funeral potatoes, right?

There are 14 different medical cannabis pharmacies found in Utah. Take a look at the locations below to find sales information for a dispensary near you. Remember, you need a state issued medical cannabis card to legally shop for medical cannabis in the state.

All Utah pharmacies are CLOSED Thursday, November 24 – so make sure you plan before you make the trip.

Dragonfly Wellness (Salt Lake City)

Buy three eighths of Dragonfly Flower and get a baby bud for $1.

Buy three eighths of Betty Flower and get a fourth for $1.

Save $10 on $100 or more purchase

Save $20 on $200 or more purchase

Dragonfly Wellness is closed Thanksgiving Day

The Flower Shop (Ogden & Logan)

Sales are happening Monday, November 21 through Saturday, November 26 at both Ogden and the Logan locations.

30% OFF all orders – all week long! This offer can only be combined with 10% OFF 420 point discounts when available. Product limitations may apply, so get in quick.

Both Flower Shop locations will be closed Thanksgiving Day, November 24.

Beehive Farmacy (Salt Lake City & Brigham)

Sales are taking place Wednesday through Friday.

Buzz Sampler – Buy 3 eighths for $150

Buzz Quarter Ounce for $90

Buzz Half Ounce for $160

Select products are 20% OFF Tryke products are 20% OFF

Seed & Strain products are 20% OFF

Riverside Bundle (Buy a cartridge and an edible and receive 20% OFF)

Both Beehive Farmacy locations will be closed Thanksgiving Day, November 24.

WholesomeCo Cannabis (Bountiful)

25% off top brands Wednesday through Cyber Monday. WholesomeCo Cannabis is closed Thanksgiving Day.

BLOC (South Jordan and St. George)

20% OFF ALL Flower Wednesday

25% OFF any Order on Black Friday

Both BLOC locations are closed Thanksgiving Day.

Curaleaf

Buy one get one 50% OFF (Select products)

Buy 2 eighths, get one for $1

Buy one get second Hygge edibles for 50% OFF

Buy one get second for 50% OFF (Curaleaf products)

The first 50 patients inside Curaleaf on Black Friday will receive 20% OFF. This discount is stackable.

Curaleaf is closed Thanksgiving Day.

Deseret Wellness (Park City & Provo)

20% OFF all medicated products all week long (November 21-27)

Both Deseret Wellness locations are closed Thanksgiving Day.

Cannabist

But One, Get One 50% Off

Green Wednesday + Black Friday Savings on Tryke, Curaleaf, and Boojum. Please visit location for sales information on these products.

Cannabist is closed Thanksgiving Day.

Pure Utah

Thanksgiving

Week

20% OFF All Week (Monday through Saturday)

Pure Utah is closed Thanksgiving Day.

Zion Medicinal

Offering 20% OFF on select products during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

Audiohoroscopesalsoavailablebyphoneat877-873-4888or900-950-7700.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

One of your callings as an Aries is to take risks. You’re inclined to take more leaps of faith than other people, and you’re also more likely to navigate them to your advantage—or at least not get burned. A key reason for your success is your keen intuition about which gambles are relatively smart and which are illadvised. But even when your chancy ventures bring you exciting new experiences, they may still run you afoul of conventional wisdom, peer pressure and the way things have always been done. Everything I have described here will be in maximum play for you in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Your keynote comes from teacher Caroline Myss. She writes, “Becoming adept at the process of self-inquiry and symbolic insight is a vital spiritual task that leads to the growth of faith in oneself.” Encouraging you to grow your faith in yourself will be one of my prime intentions in the next 12 months. Let’s get started! How can you become more adept at self-inquiry and symbolic insight? One idea is to ask yourself a probing new question every Sunday morning, like “What teachings and healings do I most want to attract into my life during the next seven days?” Spend the subsequent week gathering experi ences and revelations that will address that query. Another idea is to remember and study your dreams, since doing so is the No. 1 way to develop symbolic insight. For help, I recommend the work of Gayle Delaney: tinyurl.com/InterviewYourDreams

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

The TV science fiction show Legends of Tomorrow features a ragtag team of imperfect but effective superheroes. They travel through time trying to fix aberrations in the timelines caused by various villains. As they experiment and improvise, sometimes resorting to wildly daring gambits, their successes outnumber their stumbles and bumbles. And on occasion, even their appar ent mistakes lead to good fortune that unfolds in unexpected ways. One member of the team, Nate, observes, “Sometimes we screw up—for the better.” I foresee you Geminis as having a similar modus operandi in the coming weeks.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

I like how Cancerian poet Stephen Dunn begins his poem, “Before We Leave.” He writes, “Just so it’s clear—no whining on the journey.” I am offering this greeting to you and me, my fellow Cancerians, as we launch the next chapter of our story. In the early stages, our efforts may feel like drudgery and our progress could seem slow. But as long as we don’t complain excessively and don’t blame others for our own limitations, our labors will become easier and quite productive.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Leo poet Kim Addonizio writes a lot about love and sex. In her book Wild Nights, she says, “I’m thinking of dating trees next. We could just stand around all night together. I’d murmur, they’d rustle, the wind would, like, do its wind thing.” Now might be a favorable time for you, too, to experiment with ever green romance and arborsexuality and trysts with your favorite plants. When was the last time you hugged an oak or kissed an elm? Just kidding! The coming weeks will indeed be an excellent time to try creative innovations in your approach to intimacy and adoration. But I’d rather see your experiments in togetherness unfold with humans.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

In her book Daughters of the Stone, Virgo novelist Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa tells the tale of five generations of Afro-Cuban women, her ancestors. “These are the stories of a time lost to flesh and bone,” she writes, “a time that lives only in dreams and memories. Like a primeval wave, these stories have carried me, and deposited me on the morning of today. They are the stories of how I came to be who I am, where I am.” I’d love to see

you explore your own history with as much passion and focus, Virgo. In my astrological opinion, it’s a favorable time for you to commune with the influences that have made you who you are.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

In accordance with astrological omens, here’s my advice for you in the coming weeks: 1. Know what it takes to please everyone, even if you don’t always choose to please everyone; 2. Know how to be what everyone wants you to be and when they need you to be it, even if you only fulfill that wish when it has selfish value for you; 3. Do not give others all you have and thereby neglect to keep enough to give yourself; 4. When others are being closed-minded, help them develop more expansive finesse by sharing your own reasonable views; 5. Start thinking about how, in 2023, you will grow your roots as big and strong as your branches.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

Even if some people are nervous or intimidated around you, they may be drawn to you nonetheless. When that happens, you probably enjoy the power you feel. But I wonder what would happen if you made a conscious effort to cut back just a bit on the daunting vibes you emanate. I’m not saying they’re bad. I understand they serve as a protective measure, and I appreciate the fact that they may help you get the cooperation you want. As an experiment, though, I invite you to be more reassuring and welcoming to those who might be inclined to fear you. See if it alters their behavior in ways you enjoy and benefit from.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Sagittarian rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z has stellar advice for his fellow Sagittarians to contemplate regularly: “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with the aim; just gotta change the target.” In offering Jay-Z’s advice, I don’t mean to suggest that you always need to change the target you’re aiming at. On many occasions, it’s exactly right. But the act of checking in to evaluate whether it is or isn’t the right target will usually be valuable. And on occasion, you may realize that you should indeed aim at a different target.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

You now have extra power to exorcize ghosts and demons that are still lingering from the old days and old ways. You are able to transform the way your history affects you. You have a sixth sense about how to graduate from lessons you have been studying for a long time. In honor of this joyfully tumultuous opportunity, draw inspiration from poet Charles Wright: “Knot by knot I untie myself from the past / And let it rise away from me like a balloon. / What a small thing it becomes. / What a bright tweak at the vanishing point, blue on blue.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

In accordance with current astrological rhythms, I am handing over your horoscope to essayist Anne Fadiman. She writes, “I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things, but where edges meet. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international borders. There are interesting frictions and incongruities in these places, and often, if you stand at the point of tangency, you can see both sides better than if you were in the middle of either one.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

I have been fortunate to work with 13 psychotherapists. One of them regularly reminded me that if I hoped to get what I wanted, I had to know precisely what I wanted. Once a year, she would give me a giant piece of thick paper and felt-tip markers. “Draw your personal vision of paradise,” she instructed me. “Outline the contours of the welcoming paradise that would make your life eminently delightful and worthwhile.” She would also ask me to finish this sentence: “I am mobilizing all the energy and ingenuity and connections I have at my disposal so as to accom plish the following goal.” In my astrological opinion, Pisces, now is a perfect time to do these two exercises yourself.

University of Utah Health and the Moran Eye Center will be destroying medical records created prior to 01/01/2001 for all patients. UUH and Moran will also be destroying medical records created prior to 01/01/2013 for deceased patients who passed away prior to 01/01/2013 and who were over the age of 18 at the time of death. If you would like to request a copy of your records prior to destruction, or if you have a legal right to access a deceased relatives medical information and would like a copy of their records, you must contact the facility at 801-581-2704 before 01/01/2023. After that date, records will no longer be available.

Sr. Integration Solutions Architect (SISA-RT) in Midvale, UT. Provide strategic & tech direction for distributed systems, sys design & sys dvlpmt. Estb & guide toward resilient, reusable & standardized solutions/platforms. Telecommuting permitted. BS followed by 6 yrs prog rltd exp. Send resumes to Zions Bancorporation at ZionsCareers@ zionsbancorp.com. Must reference job title & code in subject line.

F/T Structural Engineer (PE) needed to design & manage range of struct bldg design proj involving steel, concrete, wood & masonry bldgs. Must have master’s degree in civil engineering & 5 yrs of exp as proj engin. Exp must’ve incl seismic design of bldgs & non-structural seismic bracing; struct analysis & design sftwre such as RAM Structural System, ETABS, RISA; knowle of struct bldg design codes such as ACI 318, ASCE 7, IBC, AISC & NDS; bckgrnd in bldg materials incl steel, concrete, masonry, wood; prof Engineer (PE) license in Utah req’d. U.S. travel req’d 10% of time for site visits and to meet with clients. Mult pos avail. Resume: Off Mgr, KPFF, Inc., 420 East Temple, Ste. 485, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 or email crystal.olbera@kpff.com.

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

Park Love

Hopefully, you voted in the midterm elec tions. Salt Lake City residents passed an $85 million bond to fund parks and trails projects, which will cost the average homeowner roughly $54 per year for 20 years, beginning in 2024.

The biggest project to be funded will be the Glendale Regional Park, which will convert the former Raging Waters water park on 1700 South into a new, 17-acre park, comparable in scope to Liberty and Sugar House parks, but on the city’s oft-forgotten west side.

The attraction of a giant wave pool and wa ter slides—at times called Wild Wave and Sev en Peaks—fell into disrepair and shut down in 2018. The new plan includes community gath ering spaces, trails, a hilltop overlook, play grounds and sport courts, with the addition of unique elements supporting the surrounding neighborhoods’ identities and histories, in creased placemaking based on community in put and desires, and the addition of multilin gual representation and wayfinding signage.

Salt Lake City, itself, could use those kinds of funds around downtown to update the way finding signs from the Olympics that are out dated and faded.

Other bond items include completion of the Folsom Trail—where there is one critical sec tion missing between 1000 West and the Jor dan River Parkway; a new park in the Granary District; restorative landscaping along the Jordan River Parkway to help improve air and water quality; to-be-determined improve ments to at least one park in each city council district; replacement of the well-worn but ac tively used Rotary Play Park in the northwest area of Liberty Park; improvements to Fair mont Park—including enhanced public access and hopefully new uses of the Boys and Girls Clubs’ tennis courts; and landscape and pres ervation improvements to historic Allen Park across from Westminster College.

The city has surveyed residents and found that they were using parks more because of COVID-19, and with the city’s anticipated growth, it’s important to preemptively plan for green space in the city’s overall develop ment. I sat in on a charrette about our parks several years ago when I served as a volun teer planning and zoning commissioner for the city. One expert who came in to lead the discussion mentioned that he didn’t think the capital city, or the valley, needed more parks, because local residents could be in the moun tains within 15 to 30 minutes. Currently, there are more than 100 parks and numerous trails throughout the Salt Lake Valley.

Liberty Park was established in 1882 and is second in size to Sugar House Park. That park came as a result of the state Legislature pass ing a statute in 1947, setting aside the land from the old state prison as a state park.

Sugar House Park isn’t targeted for any major renovations under the bond, but rec ognizing that when it snows, we have a great sledding hill there, I would have suggested the addition of some infrastructure to assist sledders—such as a railing or stairs to use for climbing back up the hill—and possibly an ice rink and maybe some pickleball courts.

I also think we need a year-round space in one of our city parks for roller derby in the sum mer and hockey in the winter. CW

Not

Job

Mary K. Brown, 38, of Durand, Wisconsin, was charged with physical abuse of an elder person after she performed surgery on a man who was recovering under her care, WQOW-TV reported. Brown was working as a hospice nurse at Spring Valley Health and Rehab Center, where she cared for a patient suffering from severe frostbite on his feet. On May 27, Brown took it upon herself to remove the victim’s right foot—without a doctor’s order or permission. Another nurse, who held the victim’s hand during the procedure, said he was moaning and squeezing her hand, and he told yet another nurse that he felt everything, and it hurt very bad. Brown told one nurse that her family has a taxidermy shop and she intended to preserve the foot and put it on display with a sign saying, “Wear your boots, kids.” She is due in court on Dec. 6.

Bummer

College dreams were scattered across a highway in El Paso, Texas, on Oct. 28 when a UPS truck lost its load of SAT tests that had been completed on Oct. 27 at El Paso High School, KTSM-TV reported. Senior class vice president Santiago Gonzalez said the school called a meeting to discuss the lost tests. All but 55 of them were recovered; the College Board is working with those students to set a retest date. Student body president Zyenna Martinez is worried about identity theft: “(The tests) have all of our identification and information ... where we live, our address, our date of birth ... and it stinks because our identity is out there right now.”

One Man’s Trash ...

German collector Alexander Smoljanovic is on the hunt for a special item to complete his collection, Metro News reported. Smoljanovic wants a purple Sulo 240-liter wheeled trash can, available only in the United Kingdom, to round out his collection of more than 100 full-size wheelies. “I have miniatures and real wheelie bins from USA, Australia, France, U.K. and Germany. Almost every color is available. The most valuable colors are purple, gold, silver and transparent,” he said. He hopes for a donation, but he’s willing to pay for the elusive purple wheelie. “Some people tell me, ‘Now I consider my wheelie bin from another angle.’”

Goals

Alexander Tominsky, 31, of Philadelphia invited the public to assemble and watch him eat an entire rotisserie chicken—for the 40th day in a row, The New York Times reported. Dubbed “The Chicken Man,” Tominsky placed fliers around Philly to advertise his consumption of the 40th bird, and dozens of people showed up at a pier on the Delaware River on Nov. 6 to watch. “Eat that bird!” they chanted. And he did. Why? He told the Times that much of the world is in pain, so he needed to do something painful to himself that would make others smile. After 40 days of cramping and bloating, Tominsky was looking forward to a sushi dinner.

Unclear on the Concept

As 61-year-old James Hodges—who is legally blind—walked down the street in Columbia County, Florida, on Oct. 31, Deputy Jayme Gohde noticed the walking stick folded up in Hodges’ back pocket and thought it was a gun. She stopped him and handcuffed him after he refused to produce his ID. But, The Washington Post reported, she and her sergeant learned he had no outstanding warrants, and he clearly wasn’t armed, so she was prepared to release him. Then Hodges asked for her name and badge number, and her sergeant said, according to body cam footage, “You know what, put him in jail for resisting.” On Nov. 7, charges against Hodges were dropped; on Nov. 8, Sheriff Mark Hunter announced that the sergeant had been demoted and Gohde was suspended for two days without pay. Both will receive remedial civil rights training.

What’s the Point?

Japanese convenience store Lawson is testing a new candy that tastes like emptiness, Oddity Central reported. “Aji no Shinai? Ame,” or “Tasteless? Candy,” apparently has a slight odor but almost no flavor. The makers are hoping that people who use candy just to keep their mouths and throats moist will appreciate the flavorless variety.

Two Weirds for the Price of One

TSA officers at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport made a “hen you believe it?” (their pun, not ours) dis covery on Nov. 8 as they screened luggage: a pistol stuffed inside a raw chicken. The Associated Press reported that both raw meat and firearms are allowed on airplanes—just not packed together. TSA posted a photo of the bang-bang chicken on its Instagram account but did not identify the traveler or whether it made any arrests.

Look, Up in the Sky!

Dustin Procita lives in rural northern California among cattle ranches and farms. On the evening of Nov. 4, Procita “heard a big bang. I started to smell smoke, and I went onto my porch, and it was completely engulfed in flames,” he told KCRA-TV. Procita saved one of his two dogs from the fire, which he believes was caused by a meteorite landing on his house. Video taken by people nearby shows a bright ball of light falling from the sky; the Taurid meteor showers were happening in that area when the fire occurred. Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before getting it under control. Procita said he might have to buy a lot tery ticket: “They said it’s a 1-in-4 trillion chance.”

Least Competent Criminals

n Two unnamed thieves stole merchandise from the Ross Dress for Less store in Springfield, Missouri, on Nov. 5, KY3-TV reported. They apparently then hopped into two separate cars to make their getaway—and crashed into each other. Police said the suspects tried to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended; they’ll face misdemeanor theft charges.

n A man caught running out of a Vons supermarket in La Verne, California, on Nov. 8 with a cart full of Tide liquid laundry deter gent turned out to be a murder suspect, KTLA-TV reported. Police arrested the unnamed man, who had 20 bottles of the soap, and then realized he had a $2 million warrant out for his arrest. The detergent was returned to the store.

Cute

Farmer Richard Nicholson of Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley, England, wondered why his sheep were gradually turning pink, the BBC reported on Nov. 5. He thought farm workers were using spray markers “too enthusiastically,” but eventually realized the ewes were rubbing against a new, red feeder, and the color was bleeding onto them. “Visitors to the farm certainly do a double take when walking past,” Nicholson said. “They’re starting to look like a bunch of old ladies who’ve had the same hairdo.” His sheep get sheared only twice a year, so the flock will be “pink ladies” for a while.

But Why?

Stouffer’s—of TV dinner fame—has a new offering sure to appeal to ... Garfield? Stouffer’s Lasagna Inspired Bloody Mary Mix, the company’s first foray into drink mixes, claims to sport a “bold and savory” flavor, Food & Wine magazine reports. “For decades, Stouffer’s Lasagna has had a special place at holiday tables,” said Megan McLaughlin, the company’s brand market ing manager. Really? But here’s the good news: While you can’t buy the mixer, they’ll be giving away bottles starting at noon Eastern time on Nov. 14 through the online merchandise store. Mark your calendar!

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com