Inlander 01/27/2022

JANUARY 27-FEBRUARY 2, 2022 | IMPROVING THE INLAND NORTHWEST SINCE 1993

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year ago, we published a guide to do-ityourself projects to tackle around the house, assuming that all the quality time we were spending at home in hopes of squashing the pandemic might as well be put to good use. A year later, the world has thankfully opened up a bit despite the ongoing health crisis, but we know there’s still work to do to make your house or apartment all you want it to be. Hence, this week’s HOME IMPROVEMENT section (page 21), where you’ll get advice on picking the perfect plant, making old wood furniture look like new and so much more.

Also this week, we introduce you to Spokane’s new planning director (page 12), talk to comedian Paul Reiser about his return to the stand-up stage as he visits Spokane Comedy Club (page 14), and take a trip to the islands, musically speaking, as we chat with Hawaiian legends Keola Beamer and Henry Kapono before they perform at the Bing Crosby Theater (page 42).

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Every week, we ask our followers on social media to share their thoughts.

WHAT PROJECTS AROUND THE HOUSE DO YOU PLAN TO TACKLE THIS YEAR?

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PIA HALLENBERG: Does starting tomato plants count as a project? I always say I will start plants indoors, but it rarely happens.

KERRIE FERNLUND: Moving our kitchen into where our dining room is. My husband is even making the kitchen cabinets himself.

KAREN MOBLEY: A gate to keep the neighbor’s dogs from chasing the cats of the corporation.

CHRISTINA WEBER: The garden.

I’m finally going to build that giant garden in my empty yard space and figure out how to plumb my sprinklers into it. Fresh veg here I come!

LINDA SAFFORD: I have a long list and high hopes: expanded primary bedroom to add an en suite bath, new fireplace insert in the basement, big yard sale and some painting.

We’ll see how it goes!

SCOTT CHAPMAN: Does having someone else do it count? If so, put me down for new front and back doors and perhaps a new roof.

Seems like all the neighbors had their roofs done last year so it must be our turn. Check back with me in the summer about that one!

THOM FOOTE: I own a small farm, Footehills Farm, and I have a list literally as long as my forearm. n

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 5

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I

BY CMARIE FUHRMAN

have found it hard to accept that I will never hear my late husband’s voice again. Though nearly everything can be found archived on the Internet, there’s not a clip, not one recording of him speaking. Of my late father’s voice, I have a cassette from 1976. Recorded for my grandparents, miles away in Montana, is the sound of me talking as I open Christmas presents, my dad and I singing “Rudolph.” For years after his death, I would sit in my truck and mouth memorized answers to decades-old questions. But I sold the truck, the tape deck with it. I had Dad’s voice transferred to MP3 but now twice removed, it’s

not the same.

I can describe my childhood in sound. Cartoon jingles, the front room drapes closing, sprinklers on the lawn. 56 KLZ-AM Country coming from the kitchen, interrupted only by the oven timer’s racket that let us know the cinnamon rolls were done.

Outside was another soundtrack. One that connected me to wonder. Helped me to sleep.

Even as an infant, the window had to be open, just a crack, that I might hear the night sound. A symphony composed of wind, river, the shiver of deciduous leaves. A dog’s bark meant deer or skunk. A thunderclap signaled rain. Come morning, I woke to robins. Meadowlark. Mourning doves calling from the cottonwood. The buzz of mosquitoes.

The Salmon River Mountains are teaching me a new soundscape. Though it is still the robins’ cheerily cheer up that greets my summer mornings, I’ve also learned the crick of the Western tree frog, scratch of osprey and mimicry of Steller’s jay. I know the sound of wind soughing through the tall ponderosa whose limbs gather snow that, when they let it go, will thud hard on this cabin’s metal roof. And though I startled the first few times I heard it, I now listen with aplomb.

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Even as an infant, the window had to be open, just a crack, that I might hear the night sound. A symphony composed of wind, river, the shiver of deciduous leaves.

W

hen I first moved to Idaho, nights were beaded with the music of coyotes. Hearing the yips and howls glide through the open window comforted me the same way hearing my parents murmuring at the breakfast table comforted me as a child. Just as my parents’ voices assured domesticity, the coyote song assures me of wildness. Reminds me that beyond the pandemic, jobs, bills and deadlines, there is a much deeper life, one that has and continues to nurture us all. The one that sustains all sound.

There is no coyote song in my nighttimes now. No fox gekkering either. The high nest that held the baby ospreys first cries is gone. The snag will be felled. The old pine’s a risk to the increasing number of people driving Highway 55. I often wonder if sound is held in the rings of trees. If so, in this one would be chittering of chipmunk, sigh of a buck deer rubbing velvet from his antlers, caws and hoots, and perhaps, because of its centuries, the sound of its first name, spoken by the Nimiipuu.

I understand the ephemerality of human life. I can reckon with knowing I will never again be unraveled by my late husband’s whisper. And though technology can do much, it cannot take me back to 1976 or bring my father to 2022. But there are new voices, new whispers. Laughter from my partner and the putter of the snowblower. Sounds I invite into my room when I ask students to leave their mics on. Humansong. Sounds that connect us to one another, even from afar.

But what about the wild song? The one issuing from the throat of the land. From coyote, fox, and osprey. From the golden beaks of songbirds. Just as a recording of his voice cannot replace my dad, a sound clip of a howl cannot replace the coyote. We need this wild soundtrack to assure us that we are still connected to the land, still part of this great, wild wonder. We need it to remind us that we are merely one of the earth’s voices in a choir that depends on every voice to survive. That when we open that winter window, the only sound won’t be our own, that our howl won’t be the answer to whose life ends when those wild songs are no longer heard? n CMarie Fuhrman is the author of Camped Beneath the Dam: Poems (Floodgate 2020) and co-editor of Native Voices (Tupelo 2019). She has published poetry and nonfiction in multiple journals including Emergence Magazine, Yellow Medicine Review, Cutthroat a Journal of the Arts, Whitefish Review, Platform Review, Poetry Northwest, as well as several anthologies.

Fuhrman resides in the mountains of West Central Idaho.

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FIRE PROTECTION

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT How can Spokane ensure its urban forests benefit from wildfire lessons in recent years?

I

n July 2021, 86-year-old Donna McArthur got a cellphone alert to evacuate her home immediately.

From her dining room overlooking Latah Valley, she could see smoke from the Andrus Fire, several miles to the south.

“It was too far to be hazardous to me, but it got me thinking, ‘What would I do?’” McArthur says.

Not only did she prepare a “go bag” with some clothes and money in case she had to quickly get in the car, but she also later moved irreplaceable items from her home into storage for the remainder of the fire season.

“Pictures of my grandparents, all these things I could not replace, including pictures off the wall, I put them in storage,” McArthur says. “It was a terrible job for me.

I filled about four boxes, and my son-in-law helped me carry them. … But I shouldn’t have to do that. It’s not my land causing me the problem.”

Shortly after her husband of nearly 64 years died in early 2019, McArthur found herself noticing how thickly the pine trees had grown on the property down the hill from the home they built about 30 years ago, she says.

Compared to when they purchased their lot in the Grandview/Thorpe area, McArthur guessed there were now three to four times as many trees. Between climate change bringing record-breaking hot summers and the younger growth filling in between larger trees, she was worried how a fire might burn up the hill toward her home.

The undeveloped lots below her property border the train tracks, where she worries errant sparks could start a fire. She says people have also been found camping with fires along a trail there.

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL When she looked into it, she was reminded that the City of Spokane owns a 30-foot-wide right-of-way for “A Street” immediately next to her property on the hillside.

The road was never built, and McArthur wanted the city to come in and trim the trees on its property so that hers wouldn’t be at risk.

But after having Councilwoman Lori Kinnear and Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer out to the property to confirm that there was indeed a lot of potential fuel there, McArthur says she felt like no one had a good solution for her.

She was told she could cut the smallest trees down herself, but at her age that means paying someone, and her limited income makes that difficult. A deputy fire marshal who visited her home said there were no code violations to force other property owners to do anything unless problem trees were within 10 feet of her house.

And private companies she invited to the property voiced concerns about hauling trimmed trees up or down the steep hill.

“It’s been frustrating. I feel kind of like I’m pounding on the door and nobody’s answering, and I’m angry,” McArthur says. “I spent three years talking to everybody I could be referred to.”

Donna McArthur describes her concerns with trees that have grown in below her property.

SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL PHOTO

W

hile McArthur’s situation may be somewhat unique, the larger strategy of making the wildland-urban interface more resilient is one the city is working to adopt. As dense neighborhoods continue to butt up against thick stands of trees and other natural environments, the need to prepare grows.

Especially after seeing the destruction of places like Malden, Schaeffer tells the Inlander that the fire department has shifted priorities.

“There were a number of lessons that were learned and that made us reevaluate very quickly,” Schaeffer says. “Our fire department’s direction is based on a larger national cohesive strategy for how we as a nation prepare for and proactively prevent wildland-urban interface fires.”

With a dedicated wildland staff member set to be hired in the fire department, recently adopted codes enabling the city to enforce more fire safety measures, and creative solutions like using goats to clear the underbrush, Spokane appears poised to expand its prevention efforts.

In some cases, when a property has dangerous “ladder fuels” such as small shrubs and brush that can catch larger trees on fire, the fire marshal could issue a code violation requiring a property owner to clear the property to specific distances.

Spokane Fire Marshal Lance Dahl says one issue is that his office has simply not had enough staff to enforce the code as it is.

That’s changing this year, with the hiring of a wildland-urban interface employee (that position is still being recruited) who will help create safety plans for urban forest areas, improve relationships with ...continued on page 11

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 9

10 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

NEWS | FIRE PROTECTION “TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT,” CONTINUED... the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and ideally help apply for state and federal grants that can help the city and property owners treat their land, Dahl says.

“We’re going to use that person to not only evaluate these wildland-urban interface areas, or parts of town with this type of fuel in them,” Dahl says, “but also to get homeowners pointed in the right direction for DNR grants and how to modify their property and get monetary help.”

Dahl’s office is also getting five more deputies (adding to the five he already has) just to be able to meet national standards for conducting all kinds of inspections.

While McArthur was told there wasn’t a code violation unless problem trees were closer to her home, she worries that the stand of highly flammable pines downhill from her property won’t care about a 10-foot buffer.

Until last fall, Dahl says he didn’t have the authority to force developers or communities to clean up their properties more significantly. But since the City Council has now adopted a full wildland-urban interface code, he says he’ll be able to require not only forest health measures, but also things like fire-resistant construction materials in certain areas.

The code, he says, also can require modifying potential fuel sources 30 to 100 feet from a home, depending on the different risk level, from moderate to extreme hazards.

O

ne of the most frustrating pieces of advice for McArthur was that she should hire a city-approved contractor, who would need a permit to remove larger trees (if needed) from the right-of-way.

Spokane city code requires that abutting property owners care for pruning and maintaining “street trees” even if the right-of-way those trees are in is “not actively used for public travel.”

“We did give permission to [McArthur] to remove the small trees, shrubs and brush without needing a commercial arborist, and for anything bigger they need a permit with a licensed, certified arborist,” explains Angel Spell, the city’s assistant director of natural resources.

To McArthur, who works as an interior designer but mostly has a very limited income, that seemed insulting.

“I thought it was arrogant to say, ‘Yes, you can do what we should do, but we want to control who you hire,’” McArthur says.

“It just made me mad.”

Kinnear sympathized at least in part, saying the city does have a duty to maintain its own properties in a safe way.

In recent years, the city has actually created incentives to grow the urban canopy and maintain ponderosa pine trees on new developments.

“But this is different,” Kinnear says. “This sounds like the perfect circle of hell quite frankly.”

While DNR offers some grant programs that can help fund projects to protect homes and livelihoods, the city does not reimburse for that type of treethinning work, Spell says.

LETTERS However, in addition to Send comments to hiring new fire staff and hoping editor@inlander.com. to increase collaboration with DNR, the city is also trying some unique approaches to improve its own prevention work.

Spell says the city has used goats in recent years to clear out underbrush on public properties that are otherwise hard to reach and treat with human labor.

The city also collaborates with volunteer groups who can handle smaller trees and vegetation, and sometimes workers with Washington Conservation Corps are able to help deal with larger projects and more technical work, Spell says.

Still, in some areas, people like McArthur may be left wondering where the city’s responsibility ends and theirs begins.

“I don’t think I should be responsible for clearing however many trees as a gift to the city,” McArthur says. “So I’m just kind of between a rock and a hard place right now.” n samanthaw@inlander.com

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 11

NEWS | HOUSING

The Cautious Revolutionary Spokane’s new planning director says being both careful and bold isn’t a contradiction

BY DANIEL WALTERS

F

or nearly four years, as the city of Spokane careened deeper and deeper into a housing availability crisis, Spokane was without a permanent housing director. But Kendall Yards developer Jim Frank, frequent critic of Spokane’s land use policies, says the leadership deficit goes back even further, since Planning Director Scott Chesney was fired in 2014. The result, Frank argues, was “a reluctance to take a chance, a reluctance to be somewhat bold.”

He argues that there were people in the planning department who felt like there needed to be the kind of big zoning changes he’s been fighting for, but “if you’re just an interim person, how much are you going to stick your neck out and fight for anything?”

It took Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward’s administration two years and three different hiring processes, but she has finally found its planning director.

“We did an extensive national search for this position,” Woodward said at Monday night’s City Council meeting. “It has been a real challenge to find the right person.”

But it turns out, that person was already living a short bike ride away from City Hall: Woodward nominated local resident Spencer Gardner, who has a dozen years in private sector planning experience and had recently served on the City Council’s Sustainability Action Subcommittee.

Already, the choice has received praise from prohousing advocates from across the political spectrum, including Frank.

“I’ve worked with Spencer for the last year in a lot of the work that I’ve been doing in the West Central neighborhood,” Frank says. “I think Spencer will be a great planning director.”

But with a housing emergency facing Spokane, Gardner’s leadership style will be put to the test. Is he a revolutionary, the Inlander asks, who wants the city to take radical steps? Or is he more of the cautious, move carefully type?

“I think I’m a paradox of both,” Gardner says.

STRONG OPINIONS

Sure, you can get a vague sense of Gardner by looking at his résumé: He has a master’s in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a board member of Spokane Housing Ventures. He worked for Toole Design, a nationwide bike-and-pedestrianfocused planning and architecture firm.

But City Council President Breean Beggs says his first encounter with Spencer was reading his work at “a very innovative planning website” called Strong Towns.

Kicked off by a Minnesota Republican who regretted his role in perpetuating sprawl, Strong Towns makes a fiscally conservative argument for denser cities: By subsidizing roads and artificially preventing housing from

12 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

From “passionate observer” to City Hall: Spokane’s new Planning Director Spencer Gardner was officially hired Monday night. being built close together, most cities have run up an unsustainable bill.

Gardner’s first post on the site, in 2016, took aim at the hidden costs of golf courses, questioning the priorities of subsidizing facilities “that serve a small sliver of the population” while cutting back on homelessness services. Over the next four years, Gardner wrote thousands and thousands of words about his views on city planning, harnessing metaphors — dominoes, washing machines, radio presets, astronauts repurposing shaving cream — to portray parables of risk, complexity and innovation.

Some posts take a historical lens.

“In 305 BCE, Demetrius, the eventual king of Macedonia, laid siege to the city of Rhodes,” Gardner begins one post on the colossal hubris — both ancient and modern — of overextending infrastructure.

Some drew from personal experience. One post focuses on how his Mormon faith shaped his approach to planning. Another details how Madison, Wisconsin, regulations prevented him from building a smaller secondary “accessory dwelling unit” on his property.

And then, in 2018, he moved to Spokane.

He happened to land in Frank’s own Kendall Yards — the kind of planned development filled with the sort of townhomes and cottages that Frank says are effectively illegal to build in most areas of the city today. Spokane provided plenty of fuel for Gardner’s writing about planning. After he arrived, he concluded that it suffered from a malady that had inflicted many cities.

“The malaise brought on by low growth seems to have suffused the entire city, affecting more than just the municipal budget,” he wrote. “Once a growing city has lost its mojo, it’s exceedingly hard to get it back.”

He says Spokane was overbuilt, taking a look at the long-in-the-works North Spokane Corridor project and lamented that “we’re still bulldozing poor central neighborhoods for a billion-dollar highway.”

Yet he also writes that he sees Spokane as lively and filled with potential.

“I don’t think I’m critical of Spokane, so much as I’m

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

just a passionate observer of how challenges are playing out here,” Gardner tells the Inlander today.

So, for example, he wrote a Strong Towns piece praising a long-vacant historical corner store in the West Central neighborhood that was resurrected as the Batch bakeshop, now Made With Love Bakery.

“Having suffered decades of abuse and neglect, it is now a real asset to the neighborhood,” he wrote.

It’s a larger parable, he argued, that showed how Spokane and many other cities had been “blind to the enduring value” of places like West Central. There had been an unconscious consensus “virtually hellbent on destroying” low-income neighborhoods, as they focused on building more highways and suburbs.

RAPID GRADUALISM

At times Gardner’s writing about how, say, we “have 100 years of accumulated regulatory barnacles that need removing” to reform our “bloated, modern zoning codes” can make him sound like he’s the type who will bring swift and radical change to Spokane’s planning department.

But forcing that change is not how he sees his role here, he says.

“In terms of public policy, my goal isn’t to come in here and revolutionize planning in Spokane overnight,” Gardner says. “I feel like that would be foolish of me, given my lack of experience within the planning department.”

The challenge is considerable. After all, the previous mayor, David Condon, terminated both of his planning directors.

To begin with, he’ll have to straddle working with the City Council, the mayoral administration and the independent Plan Commission. So far, so good: Monday night, the council unanimously voted to approve Woodward’s appointment of Gardner.

“My only complaint, Spencer, is you should have applied the first round so we didn’t have to wait this long,” Beggs says.

According to the city’s recruitment materials, he’ll also have to reestablish “trust, open communication, and

a sense of cooperation between City staff and the Spokane development community.”

Gardner says that’s a matter of taking the time to listen to both the developers and the local neighborhoods, and helping them identify the goals they have in common.

“Really, we’re trying to steer…,” Gardner starts to say, before revising his word choice, “we’re trying to facilitate the conversation.”

Sweeping, top-down reforms, he says, risk big backlash from neighborhoods — and unintended consequences.

“When you try to make one massive revolutionary change all at once, you might be wrong. And then you’re way worse off than you were before,” Gardner says.

Even writing for Strong Towns, he was unsure about whether, say, it was a good idea for the state of Washington to override local zoning restrictions. Yes, he supports lifting many of these restrictions. But, “because we live in a complex system, we can’t predict the ways in which tying a city’s hands could have perverse outcomes.”

Yet, one of the biggest complaints from those concerned about the housing crisis is that those working the problem at the local level have had a lack of urgency.

In 2019, Gardner wrote that it was a “blessing and a curse” that you could buy a house for under $200,000 in Spokane, though he knew that was changing. It meant living in Spokane was affordable, but also that it lacked the “economic dynamism” needed for local businesses to thrive. But according to a report released last month from the Counselors of Real Estate, the median price of a home in Spokane skyrocketed last year to over $450,000 — a price tag that only 15 percent of employed Spokanites can afford.

Gardner argues there’s still a way to make changes quickly that could add more housing but also protect neighborhoods from the kind of catastrophic change that you hear about in some of those nightmare scenarios.

“We need to bite off those changes at small bits and process them rapidly, rather than some kind of giant whole scale reimagining of planning in Spokane,” Gardner says. “It’s not that it’s slow change; it’s incremental change.”

“THE CROWD GOES WILD!” —The New York Times

“When you try to make one massive revolutionary change all at once, you might be wrong. And then you’re way worse off than you were before.”

HISTORY LESSONS

As an example of what that kind of rapid but organic change can look like, he cites, of all cities, Spokane. But he’s thinking of the Spokane of more than a century ago, when a tiny village suddenly exploded. Spokane turned from a city of only about 9,000 people in 1895 to over 100,000 by 1910. Imagine going from a city about the size of Othello to one larger than Yakima in only 15 years.

But that wasn’t because of one or two big developers, he argues, it was because of the community itself: hundreds of individuals all making their own small bets, their own personal gambits. Sure, there were growing pains, but “every new increment of development that happened during that era was not seen as the enemy of the well-being of the residents of Spokane,” Gardner says. “They recognized that that growth was actually providing them opportunities.”

He says he doesn’t have any illusions that this is an easy task, especially because, if Spokane is to bring about the sort of changes that he believes are necessary, it can’t just be him pushing for it.

“Planning should not be something you do to communities,” Gardner says. “It should be something that happens with communities.” n danielw@inlander.com

FEBRUARY 11-13

FIRST INTERSTATE CENTER FOR THE ARTS BROADWAYSPOKANE.COM

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 13

14 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

Live Lounge Entertainment Live Music is back at Coeur d’Alene Casino!

Every weekend, you’ll find live music at the Nighthawk Lounge with local bands playing past midnight. For a more relaxed vibe earlier in the evening, choose the option of live acoustic music in the Chinook Lounge.

COMEDY

BACK STANDING UP

The Phoenix FRIDAY, JANUARY 28 TH & SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 TH NIGHTHAWK LOUNGE 8:30 PM – 12:30 AM

It took Paul Reiser decades to return to his first love — the comedy stage

Join us in the Nighthawk Lounge with special musical guests, The Phoenix! This dance band will be performing hits ranging from Top Hits to 70’s Funk!

BY DAN NAILEN

P

aul Reiser was an omnipresent comedic force not too long ago. During the ’80s, you’d see him doing stand-up on latenight talk shows or HBO between jobs adding comic relief to movies like Diner, Beverly Hills Cop and Aliens. During the ’90s, he co-starred with Helen Hunt in Mad About You, a long-running NBC sitcom that kicked off evening lineups that included Friends and Seinfeld.

Mad About You’s success led Reiser to more movies and television, both as an actor and writer, and for most of the past two decades his Hollywood work kept him from his original passion — stand-up comedy. Before the pandemic, Reiser started doing some shows, and after a global pause, he’s back hopping on stages to reconnect with audiences, including at Spokane Comedy Club this weekend.

We talked with Reiser about getting back in the game, his early years, and the loss of friend Bob Saget. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

INLANDER: Why get back into doing stand-up in clubs?

REISER: My buddies, we started together; we just wanted to be comics. Stand-up, that was it. The TV and the movies were like an accidental surprise, a nice accident. That worked out well.

But it was always my goal to get back. And I hadn’t done it since Mad About You started. It ended up being a long time; I just didn’t do it. But I had Paul Reiser is mad about always been itching to do it. doing standup again.

And then, finally, I just ran out of MICHAEL BROSILOW PHOTO excuses and sort of started from scratch. It took about a year really to get comfortable again, to get that muscle back. I was out right before the pandemic; it’s been a year, almost two years, since I was out. And I said, let’s go do some clubs, because there’s something about the clubs that feels more at home. There’s more interaction, you’re looking at the people, they’re right there. ...continued on next page

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CULTURE | COMEDY You want to get out there, and you want to get laughs. I wasn’t itching to do Shakespeare. My idols weren’t necessarily De Niro, Pacino or Brando. It was George Carlin and Robert Klein and Mel Brooks.

There were some people who said, “I just want to get noticed and do stand-up so that I can get a movie.”

But that wasn’t us, we just really wanted to do stand-up.

And so getting back to it was so refreshing. It feels like this rush of nostalgia, but also of newness, because it’s like, “Wow, I remember going to the clubs when I was 20, when I was 19.” And it feels like the same struggle.

You’re still looking at a joke on paper: “Why did that not work tonight? But it worked yesterday. Let me fix that.”

That’s the fun part.

“BACK STANDING UP,” CONTINUED...

That itch was always there — was it hard to actually get started doing jokes again?

Mad About You was kind of all-consuming, because you’re writing it, you’re getting ready for next season in between the seasons. So I knew I wasn’t gonna do it until the time was right. But it was always my intention to get back.

In the beginning, I’d go on stage, and I had, you know, three minutes, five minutes of new stuff. And the audience is looking at me like, “Hey, you’re the guy from TV? What are you doing here?” And I’m looking at them going, “I don’t know what I’m doing here either.”

It took awhile to get comfortable again, but the thrill of it and the excitement of it was there. I tell people there’s not a lot of things you could do at 60 that feel the same way you did when you were 20, but stand-up is one of those things.

Is there a noticeable difference between now and the old days, in the audience or the clubs?

In many ways, it’s the same old, same old. There’s always a pool of comics who want to get on. Audiences are maybe a little different and a little more savvy.

They’ve watched the last 20 years of content and the last 20 years of news. It’s a different world. You didn’t have a cell phone joke, you didn’t have an internet joke 25 years ago, so your references have changed, but the way you do it, it is the same. With stand-up, it’s low tech, it’s just you talking to people.

Was Bob Saget a peer of yours?

We were exactly on parallel paths, even to the point of having shows on the air at the same time, and then

Paul Reiser was nominated for an 2021 Emmy for his work on The Kominsky Method. SACHA MARIC PHOTO getting back into stand-up at the same time. I think he got back a little earlier.

I hadn’t seen him for ages, and then just last summer, we had a couple of lunches together, a group of us. And it was impressive, I had just forgotten how funny he was.

You don’t see it coming. He doesn’t look like he’s trying for it. He just puts together a sentence that you go, “Well, that’s absurdly funny.” And as gentle as everybody has been saying, you know, he was just a gentle, sweet, really supportive, good guy.”

I’ve always been as conscious of you as an actor as a stand-up. Were both things always intertwined for you?

I did some acting in college. But I think it’s because I hadn’t discovered stand-up yet. It’s the performance bug.

When you grow up in New York City, it just seems like the world is your oyster for entertainment.

You don’t know enough to appreciate it when you’re a kid; you don’t realize that this isn’t everywhere. But yeah, as a kid, I’d go with my parents to see Neil Simon comedies on Broadway. And going to see classical musicians at Carnegie Hall, going to hear blues bands in the Village, going to hear jazz. In high school I had a group of friends, and we’d go to Grand Funk Railroad and Led Zeppelin concerts at the [Madison Square] Garden. But the other group of friends would be going to the Bitter End, a club in the Village, and we’d see George Carlin and Robert Klein play for 112 people. I can vividly picture sitting in the back of the club and watching Robert Klein, and not really thinking, “How do I do that?” but it being sort of a ray of light like, “Wow, that’s really fun.” n Paul Reiser • Fri-Sat, Jan. 28-29, 7 pm and 9:30 pm • $25-$35 • Spokane Comedy Club • 315 W. Sprague • spokanecomedyclub.com • 509-318-9998

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JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 17

CULTURE | THEATER

The Right Way to Go Wrong The Civic is resuming live theater with The Play That Goes Wrong, a show about the pitfalls (and pratfalls) of live theater

BY E.J. IANNELLI

A

fter a nearly two-year hiatus brought on by the pandemic, Spokane Civic Theatre is resuming live productions with the regional premiere of The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy that promises exactly what its title says.

Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, the play captures the opening performance of the Cornley Drama Society’s The Murder at Haversham Manor, a fictitious Mousetrap-style murder mystery as rickety as the set itself and as shaky as the actors’ grasp of their lines. The real-life audience becomes increasingly aware of just how wrong things are going for the play-within-a-play when the amateur troupe compounds the usual opening-night hiccups with a furious succession of flubbed dialogue, overacting, missed cues and their personal idiosyncrasies.

“It’s a good choice for coming back,” says director Jean Hardie. “The cast is small, and I think the thought was that an ensemble piece, rather than something huge, like Funny Girl, might be a smarter move” on account of pandemic precautions. She’s also of the opinion that a goofball farce will strike the perfect tone after the stresses

18 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

If it can go wrong, it will go wrong (and hilariously so) in the Civic’s return. of the past couple of years.

But however right The Play That Goes Wrong might seem in format and spirit, “the demands of the scenery are large,” Hardie says. That led to some initial reservations. How would they pull off some of the trickier — and, quite frankly, dangerous — gags involving unreliable floors and tumbling props? Would the actors be able and willing to perform the pratfalls that the play calls for?

“Every actor is in some way involved in either falling or fighting or climbing or swinging around on things,” she says.

Set designer Denny Taylor managed to solve the mechanical challenges of carefully controlling what appear to be accidents. And auditions proved that there was no shortage of actors eager to answer slapstick’s call.

The cast of eight includes local stage veterans like Kathie Doyle-Lipe and Kelly Hauenstein as well as relative newcomers like Bryce Clifton and Micah Sybouts.

For Sybouts in particular, two years away from the stage seems like nothing. The Play That Goes Wrong is her first time treading the boards in more than two decades.

“I’d been thinking about trying to get back into theater for a long time,” she says, “but I didn’t say anything to my husband. Back in November, we were sitting there one morning, and he goes, ‘Have you ever heard of the Civic Theatre?’ I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ He was on Facebook, and KHQ had posted a story about Civic holding open auditions for their first play since the pandemic hit.”

He suggested that she give it a shot. Sybouts, who hadn’t performed since her days at Rogers High School, took it as a “sign from the universe.”

“Of course, I went into the whole process knowing that I was not going to get a part.”

H

ardie and the casting team thought otherwise.

Sybouts landed the role of Denise Tyde.

“I’m playing a woman who’s been cast as a male butler, and she’s not terribly great at being male.

One of my character’s traits is also that I can’t remember certain words. I have them written on my hands, and I

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

pronounce each one of them shockingly badly, to the increasing consternation of my fellow actors.”

Sybouts points out that one of the more amusing aspects of her return to theater is that she was chosen for being good at acting badly. Hardie says that ability actually forms the crux of the play: “They have to achieve badness in the very best way possible.”

“As a director, one of the challenges for me was to block it badly well,” she laughs, “blocking” being the process of planning actors’ movement on the stage. “It’s a chance to take all the things you’re not supposed to do and do them purposefully, hoping that the audience understands why they’re doing things the way they are.”

Yet, on some fundamental level, the real-life actors in The Play That Goes Wrong aren’t all that far removed from the fictional actors in The Murder at HaverMORE EVENTS sham Manor. All of them Visit Inlander.com for share an earnest desire complete listings of to put on the very best local events. show they can. Tapping into the shared “sincerity” of their intent rather than mocking it, says Hardie, is key to hitting the right comedic note.

“The Cornley Drama Society actors are just as much in love with doing theater as we are in love with this show about them doing this show,” she says. It’s a sentiment that Sybouts echoes wholeheartedly.

“As excited as people are about coming to see live theater again, nobody’s as excited about this play as the actors and the crew are. This is the Civic’s inaugural post-pandemic production. It’s a big deal, and we know it.

Not one person is taking their role for granted.” n The Play That Goes Wrong • Jan. 28-Feb. 20; Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm • $35 • Spokane Civic Theatre • 1020 N. Howard St • spokanecivictheatre.com • 509-325-2507 • Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative test taken within 72 hours required for all guests 12 years of age and older

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BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

F

DISAFFECTED ANGELS

It’s a shame Netflix has funded so many shows canceled after a single season.

But just because you might be in for a cliffhanger doesn’t mean a show is a waste of your time. The quirky Brazilian series Nobody’s Looking explores the idea of what would happen if guardian angels were really just cranky office workers assigned to you in order to stop small mishaps from changing your life. While the ending of the first and only season leaves plenty of unanswered questions, you will be hooked from the start on the show’s The Good Place vibes and ethical conundrums.

NOT SO TRANQUIL

Let’s assume that after Squid Game, you’ve been looking for another Korean thriller. When the world is running out of water in the frightening future, a space crew is sent to an abandoned moon lab to look for potential answers to save humanity. But what if those answers involve unpalatable truths about heinous govern-

20 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

ment experimentation? What if salvation comes at an immense moral and physical cost? The sci-fi series The Silent Sea explores the stakes, keeping you on the edge of your seat until the bitter end.

MOMENT OF ECSTASY

Undercover is a Belgian-Dutch production, with at least three seasons to keep you guessing. When undercover cops try to take down an international party-drug kingpin, two agents go deep into the trailer park to befriend the head honcho and build a case against him. Rules are broken, lies are rampant, and it’s only a matter of time before everybody gets hurt, with sometimes deadly consequences.

COOKING MEETS THERAPY

In each 25-minute episode of Midnight Diner (as well as Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories), visitors to a late-night Tokyo diner share deep tales of human error and tribulations. But the uniting theme is that the characters reminisce about specific Japanese dishes as they cope with everything life has thrown their way.

The self-contained storylines make each episode an easy escape (even when deep trauma is involved), making this one of the most comforting shows I’ve watched in a long time.

WEIMAR REPUBLIC

Clocking in as the most expensive nonEnglish show ever made, Babylon Berlin offers an extravagant look at Germany in the years just before the Third Reich.

While not everything is about the money, the elaborate costumes, sets and manpower needed to tell the noir crime story show the value of a good investment. Multiple scenes in the first season not only make you feel as though you were there in the 1920s, but also showcase the sheer manpower everyone was willing to bring on board to make that magical retelling immersive for viewers everywhere. n

READY SINGER ONE The new film BELLE has all the ingredients to be a messy disaster: It’s an anime with high school romance; it’s a story of a Ready Player One-esque virtual reality world; it’s a musical about a mousy and grieving girl becoming VR pop star; it’s partially a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast.

The fact everything actually comes together makes it a cinematic treat, one of the best films of 2021. With vivid animation and an emotional core that wrestles with loss, family trauma and the poisonous aspects of social media, it balances the magical and the real thanks to director/writer Mamour Hosoda’s deft touch. Did I mention there are also flying whale backup dancers? They rule. While Belle is getting a short theatrical run right now, hopefully it will earn a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination so it can garner a wider audience. (SETH SOMMERFELD) CRANE KICKS AND MISFITS One of the things you count on from COBRA KAI is self-awareness. As in, the reboot of the ’80s teen flick Karate Kid knows how cheesy some of its moves are, and typically acknowledges them with a winking nod to the audience. The fourth season, now streaming on Netflix, has a few such moments, but as a whole doesn’t quite have the same punch as its predecessors. The new villain is pulled from one of the ’80s sequels you probably didn’t see, and when other seasons culled a variety of hilarious fighting and training montage tunes from ’80s heroes like Survivor, this season of Cobra Kai tries to make its own anthem — and for some reason chose country star Carrie Underwood to deliver it? As Johnny Lawrence would say, that’s so not badass. (DAN NAILEN) THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online Jan 28: ALICE GLASS, PREY// IV. After leaving Crystal Castles due to alleged abuse by her bandmate, Alice Glass sets off on her own musical path with a debut solo album full of entrancing, dark and glitchy electro-pop.

PINEGROVE, 11:11. In a world full of bleakness, 11:11 finds country-tinged indie rock band Pinegrove trying to focus on unity and community over anger.

The Silent Sea

ANAÏS MITCHELL, Anaïs Mitchell. After years away adapting her 2010 album Hadestown into a Tonywinning Broadway musical, the singer-songwriter returns to her folk roots. (SETH SOMMERFELD)

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 21

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

SUPPLEMENT TO THE INLANDER

Creative stories from around the world are more accessible than ever or much of the world, American and English-language entertainment is pervasive in pop culture, from movies to popular music. But it’s been much rarer for the U.S. to celebrate content created elsewhere.

Thankfully, that appears to be changing, and weekend sloths like me are welcoming diverse narratives into our screentime regimen. Netflix especially has made a point of exposing Americans to international talent as the platform adds shows from around the world. No longer are foreign shows and movies relegated to film-snob territory; any viewer with the willingness to read subtitles can now easily enjoy work from incredible, creative minds outside the English-speaking world.

If confirmation is needed that dubbed audio or translated subtitles can work in our aggressively ethnocentric country, you need not look further than last year’s explosive success of the Korean thriller Squid Game.

There are dozens of international gems on Netflix you don’t want to miss.

Here are a few:

E YO ALL UR SPA C IT C AN B E E

M AK

INTERNATIONAL BINGE

THE BUZZ BIN

Ryan Flanery working some midcentury magic.

CULTURE | DIGEST

Ryan Flanery working some midcentury magic.

MAKE

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

YOUR SPAC ALL I E T CA N BE

SUPPLEMENT TO THE INLANDER

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 21

HOME IS WHERE

THE HEART IS

L

ast year around this time, most of us had been spending an insane amount of time at home. The pandemic inspired us to start thinking of ways to make our TV rooms, backyards and new home offices as comfy as possible, places we could spend days on end rather than just a few hours between outings on the town or in the wilderness. While the world has opened up a bit since, there are still plenty of home projects that need your attention. This issue will help. Whether you’re trying to save that antique wood chair, add a little greenery to your apartment or decipher just which items on your homeinspection report call for a pro and which you can do yourself, there’s a story for you. So grab your tools, fire up YouTube and get ready to be inspired.

— DAN NAILEN, editor

Green living things in your indoor space are always a plus. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

INSIDE INSPECTIONS 26 FURNITURE 28 RENTING 30 BATHROOMS 32 FIRE PITS 34

22 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

Viridescent Investment

A local expert helps you maximize the benefits of houseplants with minimal effort

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

CREDIT UNION

HOME LOANS & HELOCs

H

umans literally couldn’t survive without plants, whose very existence enables us to breathe oxygenated air.

Indoors, however, the relationship is more symbiotic; we contribute to plants’ well-being with what we hope is ideal habitat, including water and light. In turn, plants can improve air quality, and both physical and mental health, according to ongoing research. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, plants brighten and enrich our personal spaces with an ever-changing visual dynamic and verdant pop of color — especially welcome on drab days.

Yet, especially for beginners, curating a collection of houseplants may generate as many questions as there are cultivars.

We found answers at the Greenery, Spokane Community College’s environmental science horticulture program, of which Tyler Beasley is an alumnus and the longtime greenhouse manager.

Beasley’s advice: Choose appropriate plants, follow best practices, and know where to get help.

NATURAL SELECTION

Ficus benjamina is one of Beasley’s favorite indoor plants — technically a tree and also known as a weeping fig — because it fulfills his ideal in a houseplant, he says.

“I want it to look good, I want it to be living, but I don’t want to have to baby it,” says Beasley, whose job includes managing three overflowing 2,000-square-foot greenhouses and the Greenery’s retail shop.

Beasley recommends starting with smaller, low-priced plants until you’re sure you like them and can sustain them. Choose slower-growing plants with bigger leaves, which are more forgiving of mistakes, like overwatering — the most common cause of houseplant fatalities, he says.

Pothos, spider plants and philodendrons all fit the bill.

Also known as devil’s ivy, pothos works well in both hanging and tabletop applications, Beasley says. Pothos’ vines grow long and can be easily clipped back to maintain the plant’s desired shape. Stick the clippings in a container of water to propagate new growth. Pothos tolerate high- to low-light conditions, and will communicate their need for water by showing a bit of leaf wilt, Beasley says.

WATERING 101

“When people have a problem with their plant — it’s turning brown or yellow — I ask: ‘What are the roots like?’” Beasley says.

Brown roots typically indicate too much water.

He also looks at the color of the soil; dark brown means it’s damp enough. If dirt is light brown and pulled away from its container, give your verdant friend a drink, he says.

Beasley recommends tap water that’s come to room temperature or, even better, been sitting out overnight to allow chlorine to dissipate. Filtered water is another option, says Beasley, who at home uses water from his aquarium. ...continued on next page

globalcu.org/home OAC. Insured by NCUA

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 23

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Avoid watering overhead which can leave spots on leaves and make the plant more vulnerable to disease, Beasley says. Instead, put the pot in a shallow water-filled tray and let it soak up what it needs.

THE DIRT ON SOIL

“One of my very first houseplants was my

great-grandmother’s Aglaonema modestum [Chinese evergreen] and it was in soil from the outdoors — literally dirt — and a container with no drainage holes,” Beasley says. Plants can tolerate poor soils more than we realize, he adds.

To increase the odds of success, use a general soil-less houseplant mix, which has things like peat moss and perlite to help retain water and to

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promote good aeration so roots don’t drown, Beasley says. Actual soil, by comparison, might have more organic matter, but also poor drainage or potential pathogens harmful to tender plants.

Even slow-growing plants may need to be “potted up,” transplanting established plants in a succession of slightly larger containers. Don’t stick a small plant in a big container, advises Beasley, because as you water all that dirt, the tiny root ball is likely to get too much.

Large decorative containers can be a fun addition to home decor, however, so do what Beasley does in his home: leave the small plant in its regular pot and nest it inside the larger container. Elevate the smaller pot on something like an overturned plastic tub to make it look like it’s the same level as the decorative container.

TO FEED OR NOT TO FEED

Beasley doesn’t fertilize in late fall, winter or early spring.

“The soil is a lot cooler in those short days, and the plant is not as active,” says Beasley, who limits transplanting and fertilizing to April to August.

Beasley likes slow-release, balanced fertilizers like Osmacote, which he typically applies only once per season in June and only to the soil.

Still have questions? For any level of houseplant enthusiast, reputable books like The Ortho Problem Solver and educational institutions — try extension.wsu.edu — can be a good resource, says Beasley, who fusses less over his plants now that he has a family and children.

“I think more people kill [their plants] with kindness,” Beasley says.

His final bit of advice for people whose plants are beyond saving is pragmatic. “It sounds cutthroat, but I tell them ‘Just put them in the compost pile.’” n

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Time to DIY? Common home inspection issues in the Inland Northwest and whether you should fix them yourself

BY QUINN WELSCH

S

o you’ve had your potential new home inspected. Or perhaps it’s your old home, and you want to know just how good its condition is before you list it. Well, it turns out the flooded basement you call an “indoor pool” isn’t exactly kosher, and neither is the gaping hole in your roof you call a “skylight.”

To top it off, you just learned there’s a sentient mold growing in your ceiling that calls itself Jessica. Hmm. Fortunately for you, your home inspection isn’t necessarily a pass or fail thing, says Aaron Storer, an inspector and co-owner of Golden Star Home Inspections in Spokane. It helps buyers negotiate prices and sellers find out what they need to fix before listing.

“Getting your home inspected is your chance during the buying process to get a third-party, unbiased opinion on your property,” Storer says.

But just how much of this work will you need to do yourself?

What is best left to the professionals, and what can you save a little money on by rolling up your sleeves and DIYing?

We spoke to a handful of local home professionals about the most common issues they see.

ROOFING

“As a homeowner, there are two things you’re fighting: gravity and

moisture,” Storer says. “If you can hold those two things back, your home will be in great shape most of the time.”

Roofing can seem simple enough, but it is one of the most important defenses against gravity and moisture for your home.

That one shingle that fell off your home during a storm last year can create the smallest opening for rainfall or snow. That tiny bit of moisture can slip into your home and turn into a major mold problem if left unchecked, he says. Most roofs only last a few decades at most.

Storer, a DIYer himself, says this is one task that you want done right, and having a professional do it for you should give you some peace of mind.

ELECTRICAL WIRING

Another common home inspection issue is electrical. You can find a lot of older homes in Spokane with outdated electrical wiring, says Greg Kappus, a Spokane electrician and real estate agent.

You can also find a lot of loose connections from shoddy DIY work, commonly found in recently “flipped” homes, he says.

The loose connections he’s referring to are commonly found in DIY projects where the electricity functions, but the wires are not properly fastened inside of a box. A connection that

Some DIY electrical projects you can do yourself, but you’re going to want a pro for most.

26 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

becomes loose — either over time or due to poor craftsmanship — becomes hot, says Kappus, who has been working as an electrician for nearly 45 years.

“I’ve seen wires completely melt the insulation up the wall of the house,” Kappus says. “A loose connection over time will start sparking and arcing. Arc flashes can be tremendously hot. It melts the wire nuts. It melts the insulation and receptacle.”

He recommends people put in the time and energy to learn basic electrical skills, considering how expensive fixes can sometimes be. However, he also recommends that DIYers get a second opinion on their handiwork from a city inspector before calling it a day.

“120 volts is your basic house wiring,” Kappus says. “Anything over 120 volts can get seriously dangerous if you’re not knowing what you’re doing.”

HEATING, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING

A common issue across the board for home inspectors is what’s known as HVAC — heating, ventilation and air conditioning. It’s one of the biggest things home inspector Keith Robertson says doesn’t get regularly serviced in many Inland Northwest homes.

You’ll want to hire an HVAC technician for this, not your “dad, uncle or brother,” says Robertson, owner of Pillar to Post Home Inspectors in Spokane. “They check the flow rate, the air-gas mixture. They make sure all of those settings are correct because they can get out of adjustment.”

Along with providing proper comfort in the home, a home with a properly functioning HVAC system also prevents moisture and mold from growing indoors.

HVAC technicians can also do a service or cleaning on your furnace or air conditioning unit, says Spokane Realtor Marie Pence. She estimates that about 90 percent of home inspections will come back with potential buyers requesting a service or cleaning on an HVAC system anyway.

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FOUNDATION

Another common issue that can be easily addressed without the help of a professional is some light foundation work, says Robertson, of Pillar to Post. It’s not always as complicated and expensive as jacking up the house and repouring concrete. Handy DIYers can easily prevent major issues with a few bucks at the hardware store and a little bit of landscaping.

If you’re gonna do it yourself, do it right.”

Flooding basements can often be repaired by grading the terrain outside of the home so rainwater drains away from the home and by installing or repairing gutters, he says.

Faulty gutters are one of the biggest items that come up on home inspections, Realtor Pence says. Also, be mindful of “woodto-earth” contact. “Make sure any of your wood siding at the basement of the home isn’t in contact with the earth because it just eats away at it,” she says.

Cracks in the concrete can also be repaired easily with some concrete caulk, Robertson adds.

SHOULD I DIY?

Fixing any of the above issues is all about finding your comfort level, Golden Star’s Storer says. Depending on your skill and comfort level, you can take care of most home inspection issues yourself after watching some detailed internet tutorials, he says.

Of course, this isn’t recommended for everything, and most serious home repairs by professionals include warranties on their service.

“If you’re gonna do it yourself, do it right,” says realtor Price.

“In this market, people are paying more because they are pickier.”

A lot of people think they know what they’re doing, she adds, “and you can see it when you go into those homes.” Do it wrong, “and it will come back to bite you in the ass.” n

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 27

Ryan Flanery has turned revitalizing wood into a career.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS

I’ve Got a Wood Feeling About This With a little elbow grease and advice from a virtuoso, you can revitalize your wooden furniture yourself

W

hether you’re an avid vintage furniture hunter or you just have a piece of wooden furniture that’s seen better days, caring for it and understanding the needs of that piece can be time consuming and daunting at first. When it comes to improving our living spaces, furniture is at the center of it all. We sit on chairs, we eat off of tables, we throw our keys haphazardly onto antique hutches. (I admit— I’m guilty.) The least we can do is give our furniture some love from time to time.

Ryan Flanery jumped into the deep end of furniture restoration in 2020 — influenced by going to vintage stores as a child with his parents. Now he runs Howard

28 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

BY MADISON PEARSON House, an online vintage furniture store based in Spokane, where he brings midcentury furniture back to life.

“Learning the ins and outs of revitalizing a piece of furniture takes time,” he says. “There’s so much information online from so many sources, but the best way to get started is to understand what you have and what its specific needs are.”

WHATCHA GOT THERE?

It’s time to analyze your wood furniture piece like never before. This means opening drawers and doors and looking over every inch of your piece for identifying elements.

This could be a stamp from the company that created the

piece, a signature, even elements that commonly pop up from a specific designer.

“Take B.P. John, for example,” Flanery says. “You can often tell that a piece was made by B.P. John if there are tapered legs with silver caps on them.”

Other furniture companies, like Harmony House, tend to stamp all of their pieces with an easily identifiable marker. These stamps are most likely located in a drawer, on a door or on the back of your piece. Once you know what you’re looking at, it’s much easier to Google around and figure out what kind of wood you’re working with and what products are going to be best.

When searching for the perfect wooden piece to add

to your home, it’s important to determine what will fit in with the ecosystem of your home. For instance, in a home with children, a coffee table with a laminate top is going to be easier to clean and less prone to staining than a 50-year-old midcentury surfboard coffee table made of solid walnut. This also holds true for price. Is this piece worth what you’re paying?

“Obviously solid wood pieces are going to be on the higher end price-wise,” Flanery says. “But they’re going to last you awhile. They’re investments. A credenza in Seattle could easily go for double what it would go for in Spokane. It’s all about balancing logistics and price.”

MORE RELIABLE ENERGY. GREATER PEACE-OF-MIND.

SCRUB-A-DUB

The reality of hunting for vintage furniture is that it isn’t always in the best shape when you first lay eyes on it. The first step of the revitalization process is to get the wood as clean as you can — and no, soap is not preferable.

Run down to your local hardware store and pick up a steel wool rag and some mineral spirits. Mineral spirits are a great alternative to lemony-smelling furniture polishes and are safe to use on almost all varnishes and stains.

“Basically you want to remove any dirt and old paint,” Flanery says. “There’s probably some sticky residue from drinks that have been placed on the piece in the past. This will get rid of those easily. You need a clean surface before you can start tackling anything else.”

A dresser with a new lease on life.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

THE POWER OF GRIT

Now comes the “daunting” part. If you’re committed to revitalizing your wooden furniture, you should get your hands on an orbital sander. If you approach this with caution and patience, your efforts will be rewarded tenfold.

“If your piece is solid wood, you’re going to have an easier go at things,” Flanery says. “If your piece is particle board covered with veneer, be a bit more cautious... This is where knowing what you’re working with is important.”

Flanery recommends starting with 120-grit sandpaper and going up from there to achieve your desired finish. The higher the grit, the smoother the surface of your piece will be.

ALL WOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END

So you’ve done it — you’ve gotten down to the bare bones of your wooden furniture project. It’s time to stain it and seal up all of your hard work.

“The worst thing you can do is attack a mid-century piece with paint,” Flanery says. “I like to stain my pieces to achieve this really popular blonde color, it goes with most any other furniture you might have in your space.”

Finishing all furniture projects with polyurethane sealant is the best way to ensure that all of your efforts don’t go to waste, Flanery adds.

Congratulations! Your wooden furniture just got the spa day of its life and will thank you by looking its best for years to come. n

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Damage Control

What if your landlord won’t fix things, or your tenants keep breaking things?

BY DANIEL WALTERS

T

hese days, it’s common for public officials to hear both tenants and landlords expressing feeling a kind of helplessness: In the past two years, Washington state has passed a number of new tenantsrights protections, requiring landlords to jump through more hoops and exhaust more options before evicting problematic tenants.

But tenants push back by pointing out that landlords often own their only source of shelter — an incredible kind of power — and with so few apartments available, it can feel impossible to find a new place. Meanwhile, rent is skyrocketing.

“There’s a lot of frustration and fear out there right

Whether you’re a tenant or a landlord, documenting damage in a rental is key. now,” says City Council member Karen Stratton.

It’s not just a matter of dealing with rent, either.

Home improvement is a lot tougher when it’s either not your home or you’re a landlord not living in the home.

On the other hand, what happens when a tenant starts regularly causing damage to your property? Or what

happens when your water heater — or even sink — breaks and your landlord hasn’t fixed it?

“I’ve heard stories of tenants not having running water,” says local Tenants Union Director Terri Anderson.

“Or the plumbing is so bad, they need to keep buckets of water to fill the toilet.”

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SO YOU HAVE A BAD LANDLORD

Document everything. Start with the obvious. Before you move in, take pictures of all the existing damage or things that look like damage. Otherwise, that smudge could be used to dock your damage deposit. But that also applies to documenting your attempts to request repairs.

Michelle Lucas, managing attorney for the eviction prevention unit, recommends corresponding over email.

“If your landlord will only talk to you on the phone, you can always memorialize those conversations in an email,” Lucas says. Summarize your conversation accurately and send them an email. That can be a crucial legal protection — and can encourage your landlord to start paying attention.

Flag problems early. Lose hot water, heat or electricity? Your landlord is legally obligated to start the process of fixing that within 24 hours. Have a broken fridge, sink, oven or toilet? The landlord has to start the repairs within three days. All other major repair requirements have a 10-day window. But, crucially, that timer only starts when the landlord is alerted to the problem.

TenantsUnion.org offers easy form letters that you can send that helpfully outline the issues. Make sure the landlord has received it, either by confirming over text or email or — if it comes to that — by presenting it to him personally.

Keep paying rent. It may seem like refusal to pay rent — effectively a rent strike — could force a landlord refusing to make repairs to get on the ball. In fact, that usually just hurts yourself, tenant advocates say, putting you at risk of eviction. It might be possible to pay for minor repairs yourself and get the payments deducted from your rent later, but it’s usually something you want to get

clearance up front before committing to.

Call for help. Landlord-tenant laws are too complicated to summarize here. Fortunately, the Tenants Union has a tenants-rights hotline you can call. Anderson says the City of Spokane and the City of Airway Heights have great code enforcement departments that have helped tenants before.

“It’s completely acceptable to call your council member,” Stratton says. Part of their job is to help their constituents through crises. And Stratton says there’s one surprising agency that’s helped deal with bad landlords in the past: the local landlord association. They generally know who the problem landlords are, Stratton says, and have been willing to apply a little bit of encouragement so the bad apples don’t give the rest of the landlords a bad name.

“It’s completely acceptable to call your council member.

Part of their job is to help their constituents through crises.”

SO YOU HAVE A BAD TENANT

Document everything. Gone are the days when you can just boot out a month-to-month tenant by simply ending

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their lease. And considering that low-income tenants now have a right to counsel in Washington state, if you don’t provide a lot of detail, it’s quite possible you might not just lose an eviction proceeding but could be charged attorney fees, too.

“We’ve gone from doing one-page notices to 30-, 40-, 50-page notices,” says Rob Trickler, an Olympia-based landlord attorney and president of the Washington Landlord Association.

Forge loyal relationships with maintenance guys.

Ever since the 2008 housing crash, there’s been a shortage of maintenance and construction workers.

“Good luck getting a plumber out,” Trickler says. “I had clients that had pipes freeze. They spent days trying to locate a plumber with no success.”

But if you already have a good relationship with the plumber, he’s more likely to bump you to the front of the line in an emergency.

Check in frequently. “Stay on top of it,” Trickler says. He says statute recommends inspecting rental units four times a year, but there may be good reasons to inspect even more often. That’s the best way to detect the sort of issue — like a bunch more people living in a unit than are on the lease — that can cause much more wear and tear to a unit.

“Require that tenants report any damage, and act on it if they don’t,” Trickler says.

One of the best ways to get cooperation from your tenants — both the good and bad ones — is to let them know what’s happening. Is it taking a long time to find an available contractor to fix something? If a tenant doesn’t hear from you about a repair, they may assume you’re just ignoring them. n

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JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 31

DIY at Your Own Risk Tiling your bathroom is a project you can do yourself, with some time and patience.

Certain upgrades to your bathroom can be easily done, but leave the major stuff to the pros

BY CHEY SCOTT

T

ake it from a pro: If you’re not sure how to fix something yourself, you’re probably better off calling them first. Most of the time.

That’s the advice of 20-year plumber Tom Sanderson, who ran his business South Hill Plumbing for 12 of those years until recently deciding to change careers due to the physical tolls of the trade.

“People who try to fix their homes themselves screw it up, and that’s probably why you’re calling someone like me,” Sanderson says. “I think people are suckered into the Lowe’s/Home Depot ‘we can do it’ mentality, where in reality there is so much skill behind simplistic things.”

Experienced DIYers and self-taught handy folks may scoff at these claims, but Sanderson says, more specifically, it’s not a good idea to mess with your home’s plumbing unless you’re totally confident in what you’re doing.

Depending on that confidence and a person’s skill set, that might include a seemingly low-risk task like switching out faucets. On the other hand, maybe you’re savvy

32 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

enough to lay ceramic tile or install a new toilet or sink.

While this might make a guy like Sanderson grimace, the latter three are all projects myself or members of my family have taken on with great success. Even more, these efforts were actually done to replace past residents’ screwups, and I’m happy to report the walls haven’t caved in (yet).

T

he issue began when I noticed loose caulking around the bottom edge of the shower insert in our late-1940s, one-bathroom home. After cleaning it up to lay a fresh strip of silicone sealant, however, my partner and I noticed crumbly, damp bits of drywall falling down behind the shower insert. Uh-oh.

After a week of baths to keep the area dry and from getting worse, we started demo the following weekend, only to uncover even more issues hidden in the walls.

The water damage was extensive enough to begin rotting a 2-by-4 board in the outside wall behind the cast-iron tub. What we’d initially (and laughably) hoped would be a one-weekend project turned into a full month of nonstop repairs on weekends and after work every night to completely tile around the tub, an upgrade we chose in lieu of a cheap-looking fiberglass shower insert. And yes, living in a house with only one bathroom meant daily trips to a nearby family member’s home to bathe that entire time. This is also the reason I’m not ready to try

redoing the bathroom floors (yet).

While I don’t advise just anyone to take on correctly installing (and sealing) cement board, then laying and grouting subway tiles, I was able to research and learn by doing. And sure, a pro could probably point out two dozen things I did wrong or poorly, but the finished product looks a heck of a lot better than tons of tiling I’ve since seen elsewhere.

Last year, I took on my second-ever tile job, putting up an elegant kitchen backsplash for my mom as a Mother’s Day gift. Even with that job well done, I don’t plan on becoming a journeyman tile layer anytime soon.

At the same time, there are dozens of home maintenance jobs I’d never attempt on my own, including (after doing the detached garage solo) painting a home’s exterior, even though it’s probably much less complicated than putting up tile. I won’t mess with plumbing or electrical, either, or even installing an outside-access door.

Sanderson the plumber refers to the old adage “cheap labor is not good, and good labor is not cheap,” but when it comes to your own labor — at least based on my experience — that doesn’t always track.

I do, however, think it’s worth considering this piece of wisdom from Sanderson, who spent two decades fixing lots of well-intentioned homeowners’ mistakes: “If you’re going to spend money, spend it on [fixing] the things that can make a mess.” n

Have an event?

WE ASKED INLANDER READERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHARE THEIR RECENT HOME IMPROVEMENTS AL GILSON: Built a new deck by the pool. Re-landscaped backyard with 2 cubic yards of river rock where old, larger pool deck used to be.

JUDITH VAN DONGEN: I repainted my home office, making the walls a subtle light green rather than beige. I had to work from my dining room table until the project was finished, which made me empathize with people who don’t have a good workspace at home and have had to use their dining table or couch for an extended amount of time while stuck working from home.

JANEAN JORGENSEN: Our family gutted the living/dining room, rebuilt the porch, added a bay window and built cabinets around the refinished fireplace. Then my husband finally quit his day job and became a full-time remodeling contractor.

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CHARITY LUTHY: Built a recording studio out of a garden shed.

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ERIC REIS: I put new insulation in my crawl space. It sucked. But it seems to have made a big difference in lowering my heating bill.

ALISON KOCH: Painted the kitchen cupboards, painted master bathroom and cupboards, new carpet, added onto the patio, added a pergola and hot tub.

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Creating Ambiance Whether you want a permanent fixture or a portable fire pit, the Inland Northwest has many options to light up your backyard

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

I

n recent years, many have embraced the habit of enjoying the company of friends and family outdoors. But how can you make that even more comfortable?

Few things bring together camaraderie and storytelling as much as sitting around a fire, and there are many different ways to bring that joy to your own yard. From installing pavers and a wood-burning fire pit on your own to paying someone to design a custom, permanent pit with its own gas line, experts in the Inland Northwest are ready to help.

FREESTANDING FIRE

While you might find several freestanding fire pit choices at hardware stores, there are also locally manufactured and handcrafted options to consider.

Chris Sothen and Collin Schweikl, co-owners of Tohst Modern Living, spent much of the early days of the pandemic designing their stand-alone, portable fire pit called the NOMAD. The sleek, rectangular fire pit has rounded corners and comes in unique, modern colors, running on a standard 20-pound propane tank.

The product is all American-made right here in the Inland Northwest; the pits are designed in Spokane, manufactured in Liberty Lake and assembled in Spokane Valley, Sothen says.

Sothen and Schweikl, who also work as general contractors doing landscape design, wanted to create somewhat of a hybrid between cheaper, portable fire rings and aesthetically pleasing permanent fire pits that can run $8,000 to $12,000 or more if you want to run a gas line to your yard, Sothen says.

“We wanted to offer a high-end product that isn’t really seen in the portable world,” Sothen says. “You don’t necessarily need to redo your whole backyard to use this. If you have a condo balcony it’ll work perfectly there, or on a small deck. The cool thing about this product is it kind of works with what you have.”

Not only is the Nomad designed to last far longer than other pits that may get holes in them after just a year or two, it’s also designed to put out more heat than many propane-burning fire pits on the market, Sothen says.

The Nomad will run you about $2,350, and the company is working on another design that may be friendlier for camping.

Meanwhile, local welder and artist Scott Shumake builds custom geometric wood-burning fire pits that hang suspended above the ground on a metal tripod. The inspiration for the SOLID FIRE PITS he designs and builds came out of a kinetic sculpture art project he completed at Spokane Falls Community College.

“I thought, ‘How cool would it be if that sculpture, its light source was fire?’” Shumake says. “It’s the most primal. I wanted to

34 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

Solid Fire Pits’ designs are works of art.

5.5” wide by 11” high

mix my passion for sacred geometry with my ability to make and manipulate metal.”

The steel fire pits he designs range from as low as $500 for a small, simpler design to $7,500 for a monster-sized tripod with a fire pit that’s 4 or 5 feet in diameter. His midrange runs about $1,250.

“They’re not something you’re going to burn through in a season like something you’d buy from any other store,” Shumake says.

The option to customize the fire pit with panels featuring mountain scenes, a family name or other designs is the major draw for his customers.

2 9 TH

L ANNUA

They’re not something you’re going to burn through in a season like something you’d buy from any other store.”

DESIGN A BACKYARD PARADISE

On the pricier end of fashioning a warm gathering space, there’s the option of hiring a design firm and paying contractors to overhaul your yard.

Coppercreek Landscaping can help customers design everything from a fire pit with its own gas line to a new swimming pool.

Customers of the high-end design firm regularly spend anywhere from $100,000 to more than $1 million to design and build out their backyard paradise, depending on how complex it is, says Coppercreek President Matt Barton.

“Typically, I’d say on average our projects are in the $100,000 range,” Barton says.

Often, that’s because once you get talking about something like a gas fire pit that you can simply turn on and off, you realize that will involve digging a gas line and maybe tearing up a porch, Barton says. That’s when other ideas start to arise like putting in that pergola you’ve always wanted.

“Then, while we’re putting in the gas line, do you want the outdoor kitchen?” Barton asks. “Ever since COVID came on, we’ve been doing pizza ovens like crazy.”

If you want to go the DIY route and install your own fire pit, Barton advises that the main difference will be how much heat it can put out, likely making the feature more decorative.

“We use what we call an appliance-grade fire pit burner: It’s really meant to put out a lot of heat, and the flame control is fully adjustable,” Barton says. “On a do-it-yourself kit, you’re not going to have some of those features, but it’s a fraction of the cost, too.”

Between the pandemic forcing more people to stay home and spend time in their own outdoor spaces, and the surge in housing prices encouraging people to invest in their own homes, Barton says business has been booming.

In fact, the firm is already completely booked for 2022 and is now making a list for 2023 projects, he says. But Coppercreek is willing to design projects if a customer can find someone else to build it sooner, Barton adds.

They’re not the only ones keeping busy: Sothen says their design business, Blend Outdoor Design, is already booked through August. “[Previously] we would usually tell people we’re six to 10 to 12 weeks out to do your project,” Barton says. “We started taking deposits in June last year for projects this year. … It’s something I’ve never dealt with in this industry.” n

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PROFILE

JUST REWARDS

Owner Eva Roberts started Just American Desserts in 1986.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Eva Roberts reflects on 35 years of baking and making memories with Just American Desserts

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

I

f ever there was a time for a little something sweet, it’s now, and Eva Roberts has just the thing at Just American Desserts.

Located in Spokane Valley, Just American Desserts is the result of a lifetime of persistence and a little bit of luck for Roberts, who started the business with her sister and mother in 1986.

“We came up with the name as we thought we were traditional, like grandma used to make… American-style desserts,” says Roberts, who also credits her late husband’s support for building the business, which in 2009 garnered a coveted Agora Award from Greater Spokane Inc. Roberts now runs the business on her own (with the help of loyal employees, some of them dating back 20 years), dividing her time between the bakery and related ventures like teaching classes for My Fresh Basket in Kendall Yards.

In December 2020, she competed on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship, making it to the finale in a field of 12 and finishing fourth.

“My whole goal was just to stay in the game,” says Roberts, recalling how difficult it was physically and also mentally. When she blanked on a recipe for sponge cake she could otherwise make in her sleep, Roberts gritted her teeth and persevered.

It wasn’t the first time in her 35-year career that Roberts has faced challenges. In the ’70s, she got a job at Patsy Clark’s as a part-time pastry chef, wowing the general manager with her chocolate fudge cake. A week in, however, Roberts was thrust into the head position after the chef quit and took all the recipes with them.

“Having no training, basically being a home baker, it was like drinking water from a fire hose,” Roberts says.

“I believe in using real ingredients in their natural state,” says Roberts, who can tell the difference in a scratch-made versus box-mix cake just by the smell. ...continued on next page

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 37

FOOD | PROFILE “JUST REWARDS,” CONTINUED...

While Roberts learned on the job, she also made the most of every mistake. Scaling up for the restaurant, for example, she once ended up with omelets instead of the batch of delicate sponge cakes she’d tried to make en masse, so she tried again. And again. And again, if that’s what it took to get it right.

“Everything I did was through the school of hard knocks,” Roberts says.

She became interested in baking at age 10 or 11 after discovering her mother’s Betty Crocker cookbook, especially the dessert section.

“I love the way baking is exacting and not as forgiving as regular cooking,” she says.

Her family’s early Air Force travels also influenced her baking journey.

“I remember the pastry shops in Japan that had a very strong French influence,” she says, adding that she learned the important lesson of presentation from those very elegant displays.

Another influence is her food idol, Alice Medrich, who introduced a burgeoning Berkeley, California, food scene to French truffles in the late ’70s with her acclaimed Cocolat dessert shop.

“To this day, I make similar style chocolate truffles, and I cherish her hot milk sponge cake recipe, which I still use today for my yule logs,” Roberts says.

Her repertoire at Just American Desserts also includes cheesecakes, pies, pastries, cookies, sheet cakes and more.

She’s also making memories.

“Just American Desserts sees people mostly during their celebratory times,” she says. “I will do a wedding cake, then the baby shower, all the birthdays, graduations and then the wedding cake for their children.” n

MAPLE NUT PIE

This pie combines all the favorites: creamy custard, flaky pie crust and a crunchy topping. If making your own pie crust, be sure to bake it and let it cool first. The key to custard is moderate heat, well-stirred ingredients and not overcooking it.

CRUST

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Prepare a 9-inch pie shell (bake and cool).

NUT CRUNCH TOPPING

1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup flour 3 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chopped pecans or cashews

1. Combine sugar and flour in a small bowl.

2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

3. Stir in chopped nuts.

4. Spread on an ungreased baking sheet.

5. Bake five minutes or longer, stirring twice, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

MAPLE CUSTARD

1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups whole milk 4 egg yolks 3/4 cup maple syrup 1 tablespoon butter 1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt, and stir to combine.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk milk and egg yolks until smooth.

3. Stir milk/egg mixture into saucepan, then stir in maple syrup. Keep stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil.

4. Stir and boil for one minute, no longer.

5. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, which will thicken the custard even more.

6. Gently pour hot mixture into baked pie shell.

7. Sprinkle with nut crunch topping.

8. Refrigerate 3 hours or longer. Garnish with whipped cream and nuts if desired.

Recipe courtesy of Eva Roberts at Just American Desserts.

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JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 39

REVIEW

DREAM TEAM Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz deliver another beautiful collaboration in Parallel Mothers

T

he partnership between Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz is one of the all-time great director/actor pairings (Pain and Glory, Volver, All About My Mother), which the longtime collaborators prove once again on their seventh film together, Parallel Mothers. Even in a somewhat uneven film, Almodóvar and Cruz work together beautifully to create deeply affecting moments between rich, multilayered characters. Almodóvar combines some heavy political commentary with his familiar sensitive, colorful melodrama, and while those elements don’t always fit together perfectly, they achieve a cumulative power by the end of the movie.

Cruz plays Janis, a successful photographer approaching 40 who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after a fling with a married archaeologist. The situation may not quite be ideal, but Janis is delighted to become a mother, and she attempts to share some of that enthusiasm with 17-year-old Ana (Milena Smit), Janis’ roommate in the hospital where they’re both giving birth. Ana, too, is unexpectedly pregnant, but she’s much less excited about motherhood, and it doesn’t help that her own mother, Teresa (Aitana SánchezGijón), is less than supportive.

Janis and Ana deliver their babies and go their separate ways, but their lives remain intertwined, at first via short phone calls and then in more intimate, direct encounters. As Janis clashes with Arturo (Israel Elejalde), her baby’s PARALLEL MOTHERS father, she grows closer to Ana, and the Rated R two women support Directed by Pedro Almodóvar each other through Starring Penélope Cruz, personal and familial Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde hardships. Teresa, a small-time actress finally experiencing her big break in middle age, leaves Ana on her own with her baby, and Ana turns to Janis as a maternal figure as well as a friend — and possibly something more.

Despite their private ups and downs, Janis remains connected to Arturo because he’s spearheading a project to excavate an unmarked mass grave in Janis’ hometown, where the bodies of her grandfather and other dissidents killed during the Spanish Civil War are buried.

Almodóvar opens the movie with Janis’ efforts to find someone who will take the necessary steps to excavate the grave, and then he lets that subplot simmer in the background for most of the movie before bringing it back in the third act. The theme of reckoning with ugly national history sits awkwardly beside Almodóvar’s typically soapy plotting, but a confrontation

40 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

BY JOSH BELL between Janis and Ana eventually brings those disparate threads together, united by the idea of generational legacy and trauma.

Cruz provides the emotional anchor for all of Almodóvar’s bold storytelling choices, and her performance is inviting and empathetic, even when Janis makes some questionable moral choices. Cruz and relative newcomer Smit have an easy chemistry that both emphasizes and erases the age gap between the two characters, finding common ground despite vastly different backgrounds and experiences. The plot encompasses a series of twists that could come off as manipulative or cheesy, but the actors find the truth and honesty in each new revelation.

This may not be Cruz’s best performance for Almodóvar

(that’s her Oscar-nominated role in 2006’s brilliant Volver), but it’s up there with her strongest work.

Almodóvar’s visual sense remains as vibrant as ever, with color-coded set design and impeccable, effortless fashion choices for every character. The genius of Almodóvar’s later work is the way he uses the heightened, often outrageous aspects of his early provocative films to tell more mature, resonant stories, without coming off as timid or compromised. Parallel Mothers is another ambitious, impassioned and sometimes messy Almodóvar film, with big statements and big emotions. He remains lucky to have Cruz alongside him to bring those outsize sentiments to life, with a beauty and immediacy that draws audiences right in. n

ALSO OPENING GAMESTOP: RISE OF THE PLAYERS

Still confused why video game retailer Gamestop saw its stock prices soar in a historic way in early 2021? This new documentary lays out the story by talking to and contextualizing the internet traders behind the boom.

(SS) Not rated

In Cruz control

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T

he comparisons with Boiling Point are ineven very young ones, can feel their parents’ pain evitable, so let’s get them out of the way. deeply.

Boiling Point is a one-shot, real-time, That’s built into the metaphors of complex, one-location wonder starring Stephen Graham considered cuisine layered throughout. Life is a as a highly strung chef at a trendy London feast of conflicting feelings and desires — sweet restaurant trying to get through a particularly and sour go great together, then add some tough dinner service; flinty Vinette Robinson is crunch and some heat — just like you’d find dinhis no-nonsense sous chef. It’s an utterly riveting ing at their restaurant Malus. It’s hardly subtle, work of cinematic theater. (The film is new to the name of Maggie and Carsten’s place, Latin streaming, and one of the best films of 2021.) for harmful, but also a financial term indicating an A Taste of Hunger bears some superficial investment that results in a loss. Is there any way resemblance to Boiling Point. It’s set in a trendy for this power couple to snag that Michelin star Copenhagen restaurant, where highly strung — and the rocketing to even greater success than Carsten (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) rules his kitchen they’re already enjoying such a triumph would with an iron fist, backed up by his no-nonsense entail — that won’t result in some sort of loss? business partner — and life partner — Maggie Everything is at stake here: marriage and (Katrine Greis-Rosenthal). But where Boiling Point family as well as the business. Both Carsten and is explosive and breathlessly fast-paced, Maggie are compliA TASTE OF HUNGER cated, difficult people Hunger is a contemplative slow burn. Set Not Rated over several years, jumping back and forth whom Danish writerin time, it engages in deliberate provocation Directed by Christoffer Boe director Christoffer Starring Katrine Greis-Rosenthal, as it explores just how much one is willing Boe refuses to pin Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to risk, how much one is prepared to pay, down. The film Available on-demand on Prime, in order to achieve one’s dream. swings with a gentle Apple and elsewhere Jan. 28 Hunger features more food porn than ferocity between Boiling Point — lovely lingering shots of arsympathizing with tistically arranged Scandi comestibles! — but also, one partner, then the other — just when we’ve because it’s mostly in Danish, subtitles. I know settled on one of them as the definitive villain, the those are not to everyone’s taste. one responsible for the rockiness of their situaAnyway. Carsten and Maggie share a dream: tion, the movie snatches that certainty back from a Michelin star for their restaurant. Everything us. (Boe’s co-writer is Tobias Lindholm; his last they are, from the financial to the emotional, is credit is for Oscar-winner Another Round, which invested in this. The eldest of their two children, is similarly compassionate and generous with its Chloe (Flora Augusta), is starting to be aware empathy for the messiness of modern adult life.) that her parents are consumed by their work.

This is no delicate, precious film. There is Daddy talks too much about food, she complains. nothing on screen that is the storytelling equivaBut in the way of moody, brooding European lent of Carsten throwing an absolute tantrum films, Daddy talks about food in a way that may over the overfermented lemons that ruined — be philosophically applied to everything Mommy ruined, I tell you! — the oyster starter. (Costerand Daddy are doing: It’s good to combine Waldau continues to be finely modulated as an “sweet and sour,” Carsten tries to explain to actor, and a thrilling pleasure to watch.) No, this Chloe, “like lemon ice cream.” is a movie that is unembarrassed to admit that Chloe’s not buying it... and, indeed, there’s sometimes, what you really need, what will really a tenderly observed running motif about how hit the spot, is a simple hot dog. A Taste of Hunger kids are impacted by the chaos and discord of gives us much more than that, but its groundedtheir parents, and in particular how daughters, ness goes a long way. n

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Inlander.com/newsletters JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 41

ISLAND SOUND

Playing With ALOHA

in Their Hearts Hawaiian music legends Keola Beamer and Henry Kapono unite to keep the spirit of their cultural music alive

BY SETH SOMMERFELD

I

MARK MODEEN PHOTO

42 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

solation can be a tricky creative ingredient for musicians. At times it can make artists feel totally unheard, like there’s no way their voice can escape their hometown. But isolation can also foster creative freedom — an opportunity to experiment without fear of a wider world scoffing. Seattle’s remoteness is often cited as a factor in the grunge boom, for example. But the Emerald City’s music scene has nothing on the isolation of musicians on the Hawaiian islands, where rich cultural ties run much deeper and the isles’ signature laid-back musical styling is instantly recognizable.

For Hawaiian music legends Keola Beamer and Henry Kapono, that island sound courses through their veins. Before becoming a joint touring act, both artists came up during a Hawaiian music boom period in the 1970s. Beamer — a master of the distinctly Hawaiian slack-key guitar style (fingerpicking with “loose” tuning) — became a star playing with his brother. The Beamers’ 1979 album Honolulu City Lights remains the best-selling Hawaiian music album of all time. Kapono has always been more of the rock ’n’ roller, gaining fame as part of the duo Cecilio & Kapono, before successfully carving out a career as a solo act.

“I think we’re both fortunate to [come up] in a time — they call it the Hawaiian Renaissance — where a lot of groups in Hawaii were starting to write their own songs and [get] recognized,” Kapono says. “And everybody had their own identity, so you could go anywhere and watch another artist, and it was a totally different sound, totally different music. That authenticity. We all had our own style, our own voice, our own style of writing, and the music always spoke about the islands and this place that we love. I think that has carried us through to here, to now. We’re real fortunate to be able to play these songs for what... 100 years now? [Keola laughs] And people still love it, and we still love it. It’s just part of our soul.”

DANA EDMUNDS PHOTO

Keola Beamer (left) and Henry Kapono bring their warm island vibes to thaw our Spokane winter.

But even when things were booming locally, it still took awhile for the continental stateside audience to catch on. When the sounds finally crossed the Pacific, the authenticity of the cultural sound that had been percolating for decades (if not centuries, depending on how you want to trace it) rang true.

“I can remember years back the whole idea of slack-key or island music crossing over the Pacific to the continent was almost unattainable. Because we were so insulated and isolated geographically,” Beamer says. “And over the years, the records went national, and the distribution went national, so we were able to sort of transcend our initial environments. But I think a lot of surviving artists like ourselves, you know, sometimes called legacy artists, we have an authenticity. And that authenticity is what kept us alive all these years.”

“You can’t pretend [that] stuff,” Beamer continues. “It has to come from the heart. You have to play with aloha in your heart.”

D

espite being peers for 40-plus years, the two artists didn’t begin playing together until 2014, when Kapono invited Beamer to join him for a show at Honolulu’s famed Waikiki Shell. They hit it off immediately and have been doing collaborative tours ever since.

“I think [playing together] brings out a whole other element of musicality that we have. We’re both so different in our styles, and I think it just creates a whole other music form together,” says Kapono.

“I always just admire Henry’s musical courage,” adds Beamer. “Like when we first began rehearsing, there would be a part that would be kind of too high for me, and I’d think, ‘Oh man, it’s going to be tough to get up there.’ And Henry has the courage to do it, get up there and make it shine. And I look at him and go, ‘Man, you’ve still got it going on!’ [both laugh]” So what makes such a distinctive culturally specific sound resonate with listeners far from the majesty of the Hawaiian coasts?

“There’s kind of an openness to [our music], it makes room for the listener,” Beamer says. “Somehow the space between the notes or the phrasing is inclusive, it brings people toward you.”

“It’s like another language, you know,” Kapono adds, “and I think people become very raptured in it because it just sounds so different, but it feels so good.”

For now, they’re just happy they get to get back on the road and continue to spread that audio aloha.

“The pandemic has created all kinds of difficulties in our world of music and performance. So we really have sort of refocused on how precious these moments are, where we have an audience,” says Beamer. “I don’t think we ever took it for granted, but it’s especially in focus at this time in our lives. It’s kind of the sunset of both of our lives, so it really has an element of sweetness and aloha to it. And we’re so grateful to be able to come out and share it.” n Keola Beamer & Henry Kapono • Fri, Jan. 28 at 8 pm • $27-$52 • All ages • Bing Crosby Theater • 901 W. Sprague Ave. • bingcrosbytheater.com • 509-227-7638

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MUSIC PAINT IT PINK

Portland collective Pink Martini is pretty much the perfect group for the Spokane Symphony to tap for one of its pops concerts. The long-running, self-described “little orchestra” packs an intensely talented group of musicians on its tours, delivering an always-swinging mix of jazz, pop, world music, lounge and classical. Fronted by powerhouse vocalist China Forbes off and on since 1995, Pink Martini teams up with Spokane’s orchestra, conducted by James Lowe, for a groovy trip through all manner of music that will have you cuddling with your date one minute and wanting to jump in the aisle to bust a salsa-inspired move the next. Pink Martini’s most recent album was an all-French affair, but expect tunes from throughout their nearly three-decade career.

— DAN NAILEN Spokane Symphony Pops 2: Pink Martini • Sat, Jan. 29 at 8 pm • $47-$87 • Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox • 1001 W. Sprague Ave. • spokanesymphony.org • 509-624-1200

44 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

MUSIC GOTTA HAVE THE FUNK

COMMUNITY NEED FOR SEED

Funky Unkle • Sat, Jan. 29 at 8 pm • $10 • Lucky You Lounge • 1801 W. Sunset Blvd. • luckyyoulounge.com • 509-474-0511

7th Annual Seed Swap • Sat, Jan. 29 from 1-3 pm • Free • Coeur d’Alene Public Library • 702 E. Front Ave. • cdalibrary.org • 208-769-2315

It’s easy to get bogged down in the wintery blah that is late January. If seasonal affective disorder is making you sad, perhaps an infusion of funk can get you back on your feet with some pep in your proverbial step. Spokane’s own Funky Unkle offers an ideal antidote for a downer mood. The eight-piece instrumental funk band brings electric energy and technical prowess to its live shows.

Not having singers works in the group’s favor, as an audience can really lock into a groove and turn Lucky You into a full-on dance club for a night.

— SETH SOMMERFELD

Winter’s end is approaching, and that means gardening season will soon be upon us. It’s a perfect time to gather with fellow gardeners at the 7th Annual Seed Swap. The Coeur d’Alene Public Library is hosting the event alongside its own “True to Seed” library. Join the region’s avid seed collectors to learn about the world of seed saving. Then, explore the library’s collection of locally preserved seeds that are well-adapted to the region and discover what local collectors have to offer. You’ll be sure to go home with a head start on your spring and summer gardening plans.

— JAMI NELSON

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VISUAL ARTS CRISIS RESPONSE

Google the word “crisis” and you’ll get more than 3 billion hits for this pervasive word, the ancient meaning of which — “to decide” — has become lost, diluted and obscured. Even the word implies something swift and invasive, a hallmark of our high-caloric informational intake that nonetheless leaves us hungry for substance. Welcome to modern society, where crises are commonplace, yet cures are not. Even worse, many crises go unnoticed or undiagnosed, especially for those suffering chronic pain. This is Roin Morigeau’s domain in a new exhibition at Eastern Washington University using familiar objects like fire extinguishers to explore the concept of crisis and response from both a personal and societal vantage point.

— CARRIE SCOZZARO Pull in Case of Emergency III • Jan. 27-March 4; open Mon-Fri from 9 am-5 pm • Free • EWU Gallery of Art • 140 Art Building, Cheney campus • ewu. edu/cale/programs/art • 509-359-2494

FILM BREAK THE SILENCE

The Atlantic, known for its award-winning, long-form journalistic storytelling, presents White Noise — the magazine’s first-ever documentary. The film seeks to explain rising White nationalism in the U.S. and overseas. Over the course of four years, Atlantic reporters dedicated their time to exposing the roots of the ever-present issue. If you’re seeking to understand the urgent reality of extremist movements or are looking to gain insight into how you can help your country move in a new direction, this film is required watching. Theater capacity at the Panida is limited to 225 for this screening, and advance tickets are recommended, but not required.

— MADISON PEARSON White Noise: Inside the Racist Right • Fri, Jan. 28 at 7 pm • Free • Panida Theater • 300 N. First Ave., Sandpoint • panida.org • 208-263-9191

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 45

with the muffins. So kind! Thank you.

CANCELED It turns out someone was trying to cancel Aaron Rodgers, but it wasn’t a woke mob or cancel culture; it was the San Francisco 49ers!

JEERS

I SAW YOU SNOWMOBILE ON SPRAGUE I saw you driving a snowmobile in downtown Spokane. Actually it would be more accurate to say I heard you, that thing is loud! Last month some friends and I were handing out cocoa to unsheltered people sleeping under the bridges between Erie and Sprague around 7 pm when you came roaring past for the first of several laps. You seemed to be having a great time and were either oblivious or indifferent to the gigantic ticket I’m sure you would get if caught snowmobiling on city streets. At one point a man on a bicycle was riding the other direction up the street in bicycle shorts despite the icy roads and snow falling all around. As the two of you passed each other, I genuinely wasn’t sure which one of you was crazier. I hope you had a good time and didn’t get caught.

CHEERS THOUGHTFUL FRANCIS & MONROE MCDONALD’S LADIES Last week when I reached your drive-up window to pay for my two muffin order, I commented I had a really low blood sugar that morning and needed to boost it. You insisted on giving me orange juice along

SOUND OFF

CINDERELLA DOESN’T KNOW HOW GOOD SHE HAD IT… She could have had a stepmother far worse than the one in the old Disney film… or any of the remakes. She could have had you.

When dad died, you didn’t even wait a single day before you gave your son, who hated my dad, his truck. I didn’t judge you. It hurt, but I told myself that we all handle grief differently. But then you had us waste time and money on the boat, only to sell it before we ever got to spread his ashes like you promised. Saying that your 22 years with my dad was a roller coaster would be an incredible understatement.

Regardless, you said we were a family, and I believed you. Then you moved in the biggest loser and thief I had known from my years at Ferris, completely cut off all communication with me, my brother, and the three boys who thought you were their “nana.” No call on their birthdays. After 22 years of Christmas Eves together, you didn’t invite us, for the first time… my dad died, and you were glad to wash your hands of us and his grandkids, whom he adored (the ones you manipulatively pretended to love while he was alive, just like how you said you loved my brother and me as if we were your own kids). He said that you were sick. He called you a liar and manipulator and fake. My biggest regret is not believing him. Every single thing he ever said about you, you have now proved to be true.

SURGERY With all the hospitals in Spokane you would think our governor and city officials with all their intelligence could find a way to keep one hospital open for surgery. People

still have medical needs. Doctors have people on hold for months pending surgery and other medical needs. What is this world coming to? Demonic forces at work for sure.

LACK OF INTEGRITY Jeers to the early morning gym patrons working out without a mask. Just because there is no attendant doesn’t mean you’re an exception to the rule. Just more privilege and lack of basic integrity on

“

but I want to do my part to try to end this pandemic. I am very disappointed.

SPOKANE ROADS Potholes and mess galore. Where is all this tax money going? All the money from marijuana sales!!! These streets are horrible, and all of us should be suing the city for new tires and car alignments. Super disappointed. Do it better Spokane!!!!

FALSE GONZAGA GODS First it was Mark Few getting a Do Not Go to Jail card when he got caught driving drunk.

Now it’s another minor basketball deity, getting to sit unmasked at crowded games until other fans complained.

John Stockton, purveyor of dangerous lies about athletes dying from Covid vaccinations, should have been ejected

SAVE THE CHANCERY Jeers to the real

I don’t like wearing masks, but I want to do my part to try to end this pandemic.

display. The sign is at the front door to wear a mask, and you know the requirement by now. Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking. Many Spokane citizens need to get some.

RE: NOT SO FITNESS Hey buddy, have you ever tried to ball with your bros wearing a mask? Do you even ball at all? I would love to see you try and bench 225 with a mask on. I would love to see you get buckets with constricted air flow. How about instead of trying to make the rules for the ICU... ICU on the court next Tuesday to settle this.

IT IS (ALMOST) YOUR BIRTHDAY Banks trash. The rest of your crap can be found in a landfill. Where all your delusional absent-minded reality came from.

Hope you’re fabricated existence comes crashing.

THE ARGH SHOW Jeers to the folks so proud of staging a Covid super spreader confab for the people who put food on our tables. No masks and no vaxes required at the Ag Show! The promoters of this infection convention apparently

1. Visit Inlander.com/isawyou by 3 pm Monday. 2. Pick a category (I Saw You, You Saw Me, Cheers or Jeers). 3.

Provide basic info: your name and email (so we know you’re real). 4. To connect via I Saw You, provide a non-identifying email to be included with your submission — like “petals327@yahoo.com,” not “j.smith@comcast.net.”

46 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

think all farmers would risk dying to see a new combine.

estate company that owns the Chancery Building. I’m so sick of historical things being torn down. Why don’t you make it an art gallery for local artisans.? This helps local artists & you make money; it helps them get discovered, and good publicity can be contagious. It could be a tourist site. Duh! You are losing out on culture and profitability. Same with the Spokesman-Review building; why can’t we spruce up old machines, hire actors & show tourists what newspaper life was like through the ages? Grow some brains & some sets and start preserving historic buildings & recycle them to actually benefit the city.

WHERE ARE THE MASKS? We just got back and since it’s the weekend, the place was crowded. We were shocked to see almost half the customers were not wearing masks!

I asked one of the supervisors about it and was told that they no longer require them, as the corporate office felt they were losing money by mandating the wearing of masks in the store.

Apparently money is more important than the health and safety of their customers. I don’t like wearing masks,

”

from the very first game he watched with baldfaced arrogance. But wait! He’s another Zag God, hovering high above the laws that apply to mere mortals. The worship of basketball — that’s the real religion at Gonzaga University.

MASK UP, MAN John Stockton, get a mask! Get a vax! Kudos G.U.! Who do you think you are!? Pompous? Elite?

Ignorant? n

THIS WEEK'S ANSWERS S E R B G S U I T E N D E T H E T E A R S H I N T A K E W A D O S R U P A M A I G A N N E D E E N A S S T

S C A T E R B V E E X A T B O C E N O E E E U L S R E T G E A E L M

O B B R I A I A S F R S R A E A A O T E R P N C A T D R A S T T H R O A O

A N K H S

T E E M S

T R E N T L O T T

Y A N K E E

R E T I R E

A S S E S S

A S E R A E G I A L L E

T A L C

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S T I A D S

NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers & Jeers is for adults 18 or older. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.

EVENTS | CALENDAR

BENEFIT

FREE REIN THERAPEUTIC RIDING ANNUAL AUCTION & DINNER This annual event allows Free Rein Therapeutic Riding to continue providing adaptive and therapeutic horsemanship programs to children, adults and veterans with disabilities. Feb. 5, 5-8:30 pm. $50. Shriners Event Center, 7217 W. Westbow Blvd. freereinspokane.com/2022auction (509979-1468) PAIRING WITH PARASPORT An evening of celebration and storytelling to help support ParaSport Spokane’s mission. Includes a silent auction, drinks and dinner.

Feb. 5, 5:30-9 pm. $75-$600. Historic Flight Foundation, 5829 E. Rutter Ave. parasportspokane.org (509-535-6000)

COMEDY

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU Tell the Blue Door Theatre players your New Year’s Resolution and they’ll show how it’ll play out in this all-improvised show. Rated for general audiences. Fridays in Jan. at 7:30 pm. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com PAUL REISER Comedian, actor, television writer, author and musician Paul Reiser, most well known for his roles on “Stranger Things” and “Mad About You,” is a prolific Hollywood creative who shows no signs of slowing down. Jan. 28 and 29 at 7 pm (18+) and 9:30 pm (21+). $25-$35.

Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com SAFARI A “Whose Line”-esque, fastpaced short-form improv show with a few twists and turns added, based on audience suggestions. For mature audiences. Saturdays at 7:30 pm. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com (509-747-7045) DAVID KOECHNER Koechner, most wellknown for his roles in “Anchorman” and “The Office,” performs stand-up comedy for a three-night series. Feb. 3 at 7:30 pm, Feb. 4-5, 7:30 & 10:30 pm. $20-$33.

Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague. spokanecomedyclub.com I SAW YOU! Join the Blue Door Theatre Players as they pull the comedy from the “Cheers and Jeers/I Saw You” postings ​​ from the Inlander. Fridays in Feb. at 7:30 pm. $8. Blue Door Theatre, 815 W. Garland Ave. bluedoortheatre.com NATIVE AMERICAN COMEDY NIGHT A night of comedy featuring Kasey “Rezzalicious” Nicholson and Auntie Beachress. Feb. 6, 4:30 pm. $25-$60.

Spokane Comedy Club, 315 W. Sprague.

spokanecomedyclub.com

COMMUNITY

GOLDEN HARVEST: FLOUR SACKS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION The MAC’s collection of cloth flour sacks offers a unique window into the early development of Eastern Washington’s wheat industry, which today contributes billions of dollars to the state’s economy.

The sacks are also a tangible reminder of the mills that played a critical role in Spokane’s early growth. **Museum reopens Jan. 28. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm, Third Thu from 10 am-9 pm through May 15. $7$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY: TREASURES FROM THE DRIEHAUS COLLECTION A celebration of the artistry and craftsmanship of the Tiffany artworks from Chicago’s distinguished Richard H. Driehaus Collection, highlighting masterworks never before presented in a comprehensive exhibition. **Museum reopens Jan. 28. Open Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through Feb. 13. $7-$12. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org (509-456-3931) ONLINE STORYTIME Children have fun learning while reading stories, singing songs and sharing fingerplays during storytime. For ages 2-5 and their families. Registration required. Weekly on Thursdays from 6:30-7 pm and Fridays from 9:30-10 am. Free. scld.evanced.info/ signup/list?df=list&nd=150&kw=Online+ Storytime LGBTQ+ SENIORS OF THE INW All LGBTQ+ seniors are invited to join weekly Zoom meetings, Fridays at 4 pm. “Senior” is roughly ages 50+. If interested email NancyTAvery@comcast.net to be added to the email list. Free. facebook. com/SpokaneLGBTSeniors REGIONAL YOUTH CARPENTRY COMPETITION Students from across the region compete to build a structure showcasing their carpentry skills. The competition consists of a written test followed by a hands-on technical competition and a mock job interview. Students have the opportunity to win prizes and qualify to move on to the state competition later this year. Jan. 29, 9 am. Free.

Spokane Community College Journeyman and Apprenticeship Training Center, 2110 N. Fancher Rd. nwagc.org/ STORYTIME SHORTS Storytime is a great way to help young children learn language and literacy skills that help them get ready for kindergarten. Ages

2–5 and their families. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb. 1-May 31, at 10 am on the SCLD Facebook page. Free. scld.org/ facebook TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH KICKOFF Spokane youth (ages 13-18) are invited to an evening of games, trivia and community at the Comstock Room at the Central YMCA. YWCA Prevention Team staff give an overview of dating abuse and resources. Youth have the opportunity to anonymously ask facilitators questions about dating abuse as well. Feb. 2, 6-7:30 pm. Free. YWCA of Spokane, 930 N. Monroe. ywcaspokane. org (509-789-9297) ONLINE STORYTIMES: LIVE Children have fun learning when we read stories, sing songs, and share fingerplays during storytime. Ages 2-5 and their families.

Registration required for each session.

Thu, Feb. 3–May 26, 6:30–7 pm and Fri, Feb. 4–March 25, 9:30–10 am. Thurs., 6:30-7 pm and 9:30-10 am through March 25. Free. scld.evanced.info/signup/list?df =list&nd=150&kw=Online+Storytime COMMUNITY FUN DANCE An evening of dancing including lines, contras, folk and easy squares. Bring the whole family. No experience necessary. Feb. 5, 7-9 pm. $10. Western Dance Center, 1901 N. Sullivan Rd. squaredancespokane.org (509-280-2035) LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION Come celebrate the Year of the Tiger with live performances, vendors, food trucks and more. Fireworks at 7 pm. First 50 visitors get a Lunar New Year swag bag.

Feb. 5, 1-7 pm. Free. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. spokaneunitedwestand. org/spokane-s-lunar-new-year (509263-7488)

FILM

WHITE NOISE White Noise is the result of a four-year commitment to investigating and exposing the roots of rising white nationalism in the U.S. and abroad.

The documentary brings The Atlantic’s long tradition of reporting on justice and equality, and the rigor of long-form magazine reporting, to the big screen through immersive storytelling. Jan. 28, 7 pm. Free. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida.org (208-263-9191) UNITED BY WATER In conjunction with the MAC’s exhibit “Awakenings,” are regular public screenings of the documentary “United by Water” created by the Upper Columbia Unified Tribes (UCUT). The film follows the first tribal canoe journey and gathering at Kettle Falls, Washington, since the Ceremony of

PRINCESS

& HEROES NIGHT Fri. 1/28

vs

Seattle Thunderbirds

Bring the kids! Your favorite princesses and heroes will be at the game for pictures.

Presented By:

Game Times:

Tears in 1943. Saturdays at 1 pm; first and third Wednesdays at noon through Jan. 29. Included with admission. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org/exhibitions/ current-exhibitions/ (509-456-3931) PALOUSE CULT FILM REVIVAL 2022 The third annual Palouse Cult Film Revival returns to Moscow, offering an interactive cult film experience with a lineup including “Bleeders” (2/2), “Miracle Valley” (2/10) and “The Room” (sponsored

by ICCU on 2/11). Actor, director and NYT Best-selling author Greg Sestero is live on Feb. 10-11. No-host bar and concessions available. Prop bags provided for The Room. Feb. 2 and Feb. 10-11 from 6-10 pm. $5-$50. University Inn Best Western, 1516 Pullman Rd., Moscow palousecultfilms.org (208-882-0550) AN APPETITE FOR FILM: FOOD IN THE MOVIES Join film historian John Trafton to explore the complex relationship between food and film throughout history, and how this relationship continues to impact our cultural landscape. Feb. 3, noon and March 9, 5:30 pm. Free. Online: humanities.org F.E.A.R. FILM SCREENING Set in a dystopian world, F.E.A.R. is an action thriller that follows a young family as they struggle to survive the harsh environment of a Pacific Northwest winter during a deadly pandemic. Rated R. 18+. Feb. 5, 7 pm. $10.

Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida. org (208-263-9191)

FOOD & DRINK

BOOK & BREW An event back by popular demand. Each blind book is hand wrapped and curated from a range of popular genres and best-of lists. Each book is tagged with a genre and the first sentence of the book. Includes a local tap beer. Jan. 27, 5:30 pm. $10. Heritage Bar & Kitchen, 122 S. Monroe St. heritagebarandkitchen.com (509-863-9235) CHINOOK IGLOO DINING EXPERIENCE Reservations are available to enjoy your meal under the stars in the warmth of a private igloo this season. Wednesdays from 4:30-9 pm through Jan. 30. Price varies. Chinook Crafted by Adam Hegsted, 37914 S. Highway 95. cdacasino.com/ dining/chinook/ (1-800-523-2464) PIZZA, CALZONE & STROMBOLI! Besides a great recipe for your own pizza dough, you’ll also prepare calzones, authentic stromboli and pizza with a variety of toppings and fillings. Substitutions to

accommodate dietary restrictions are available. Jan. 27, 6-8 pm. $69. Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene St. campusce.net/spokane/course/course. aspx?c=1153 (509-279-6144) ROCKET WINE CLASS Rocket Market hosts weekly wine classes; sign up in advance for the week’s selections. Fridays at 7 pm. Call to reserve a seat, or register online. Price varies. Rocket Market, 726 E. 43rd Ave. rocketmarket.com (509-3432253) LUMBERBEARD BEER DINNER Nectar Wine and Beer and Fête - A Nectar Co are partnering with Spokane’s Lumberbeard Brewing for a culinary beer pairing experience. Executive Chef Steven Swanson collaborated with Lumberbeard owner Bret Gordon to create a five-course plated dinner. Jan. 29, 6-9 pm. $70. Nectar Catering & Events, 120 N. Stevens St. bit. ly/lumberbeard-dinner (509-951-2096) EMRYS FERMENTATIONS PAIRING DINNER A six-course meal paired with mead.

Jan. 30, 6 pm. $79.74. Remedy Kitchen & Tavern, 3809 S. Grand Blvd. facebook. com/remedykitchenandtavern (509443-3730) WINTER MARKET Sip on local beer and shop from local vendors at Lumberbeard’s Winter Market. Jan. 30, 2-4 pm.

Free. Lumberbeard Brewing, 25 E. Third Ave. lumberbeardbrewing.com AROUND THE WORLD WHISKEY DINNER A five-course meal with whiskey pairings for each course, featuring whiskey from Japan, Scotland, Israel and more. Reservations required. Jan. 31, 5:30 pm. $125. Purgatory Whiskey and Craft Beer, 524 W. Main Ave. thepurgatory.com/spokane-wa (509-290-6518)

MUSIC

AUDITORIUM CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES The University of Idaho brings worldrenowned chamber music performers to campus each year. The series’ 2021-2022 musical guests are hosted in the historic U of I Auditorium. Next up is Invoke (Jan. 27) and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (April 15). All performances start at 7:30 pm. $10-$25. University of Idaho Administration Building, 851 Campus Dr. uidaho. edu/class/acms (208-885-7557) DJ NIGHT ON THE ICE Get your ‘skate’ on with DJ A1 for themed nights, music, lights, contests and more every Friday from 6-9 pm, through Jan. 28. Numerica Skate Ribbon, 720 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. riverfrontspokane.com (509-625-6600)

MILITARY

APPRECIATION NIGHT Sat. 1/29

vs

Tri-City Americans

Chiefs to wear special military-themed jerseys. Plus Feast night. $2 hot dogs, Coca-Cola products and more.

Presented By:

7 PM

Buy Tickets @ spokanechiefs.com

JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 47

EVENTS | CALENDAR KEOLA BEAMER & HENRY KAPONO These Hawaiian music legends were both at the creative forefront as Hawaiian music reinvented itself in the 70s. They have continued to lead the way for over four decades. Jan. 28, 8 pm. $27-$52. Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave. bingcrosbytheater.com (509-227-7404) WINTERREISE BY FRANZ SCHUBERT: AN IMMERSIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE An immersive performance of Franz Schubert’s landmark song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey). Jan. 28, 7:30 pm.

Free. Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center, 405 SE Spokane St. events.wsu.edu/event/ faculty-artist-series-dr-aaron-agulayvoice/ (509-335-7696) SPOKANE SYMPHONY POPS 2: PINK MARTINI The self-proclaimed “little orchestra” from Portland returns for a tour through the swinging sounds of the 20th century with the Spokane Symphony.

Jan. 29. $47-$74. spokanesymphony.org/ calendar/pops-2-pink-martini SWORDS & SABERS: MELODIC HEROISM This special family concert features Elizabeth Raum’s “Sir Gaiwain and the Green Knight,”Martin Gould’s “The Jogger and the Dinosaur” and selections from John Williams’ Star Wars. Jan. 29, 7:30-9:30 pm. $10-$20. Schuler Performing Arts Center, 1000 W. Garden Ave. cdasymphony.org (208-765-38332) THIS WINTER NIGHT POAC partners with Allegro Dance Studio and Suzuki String Academy for a special evening of music and dance pairings inspired by winter themes. Jan. 29-30 at 2 and 6 pm. $25-$35. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. panida.org (208-255-7801) MATTHEW LEVINE SONGWRITING CLASS Matthew Levine’s career has seen him writing songs of many styles: choral, cabaret, pop, gospel, musicals, etc. Musicians of any level can learn new songwriting tools during his 8-week class at Clearwater Music. Tuesdays from 4-5:30 pm, through Feb. 28. 4-5:30 pm. $20/ lesson. Clearwater Music, 9107 N. Country Homes Blvd. clearwatermusicserves.com (661-472-9920) NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE JAZZ FESTIVAL CONCERT AND CLINICS The North Idaho College Music Department presents a concert featuring the NIC Jazz Ensemble, Cardinal Voices and special guests Davis Hill (piano) and Christopher Parkin (saxophone). Feb. 1, 7:30 pm.

Free. North Idaho College, 1000 W. Garden Ave. nic.edu/events (208-769-3276) WEDNESDAY EVENING CONTRA DANCE Join the Spokane Folklore Society each Wednesday for contra dancing.

First-time dancers get a coupon for a free dance night. Contra is danced to a variety of musical styles: Celtic, Quebecois, Old Time, New England, or Southern Appalachian music from live bands. All dances are taught and walked through, then called to live music. Events feature a different band and caller each week. Come 15 min. early for a lesson. Proof of Covid-19 vaccination required. Wednesdays from 7:30-9:30 pm. $7/members; $10/ general (18 and under free). Woman’s Club of Spokane, 1428 W. Ninth. womansclubspokane.org (509-869-5997) SPOKANE SYMPHONY MASTERWORKS 5: PICTURED WITHIN Elgar’s Enigma Variations is a moving portrait of his closest friends, with each variation ingeniously using different versions of the same tune to capture their individual personalities. Feb. 5, 8 pm and Feb. 6, 3 pm. $27-$62. Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague Ave. spokan-

48 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

esymphony.org (509-624-1200)

SPORTS & OUTDOORS

MT. SPOKANE SKI RACE TEAM NW CUP Mt. Spokane Race Team and Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park welcome ski racers from across the Pacific NW. Jan. 27-30. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. mtspokane.com (509-238-2220) NIGHT SKIING SESSIONS Mt. Spokane offers night-skiing sessions every WedSat from 3-9 pm, through March 12. $32. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. mtspokane.com (509-238-2220) SPOKANE BOAT SHOW: PARADE OF BOATS Due to COVID risks and restrictions, the traditional in-person Spokane Boat Show, usually held at the fairgrounds, has been transformed into a self-guided tour, Jan. 27-Feb. 6. Free. Info at spokaneboatshow.com WINTER CAMPING BASICS Camping in the winter offers year-round access to natural spaces, and the beautiful calm that comes with the coldest nights. In this presentation REI camping experts, go over trip planning, setting up camp and how to stay warm. Jan. 27, 5-6:30 pm. Free. Online: rei.com/events/98191/ virtual-winter-camping-basics FRIDAY NIGHT CLUB SHRED A new kids event offering a chance to learn and practice ski skills. Each session includes a kids-only dinner. Skiers level 1 and 2 only, ages 4-10. Fridays from 5-8 pm through Feb. 25. $39. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 29500 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. mtspokane.com (509-238-2220) SNOWSHOE HEADLAMP HIKE The glimmer of a headlamp will illuminate the pathway ahead on this guided hike at Mt. Spokane. Guides, transport and equipment included. Ages 15+. Jan. 28, 6-9:30 pm, Feb. 25, 6-9:30 pm and March 18, 6-9:30 pm. $29. Register at spokanerec. org SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS Special: Gold Seal Plumbing “prince and princesses” night. Jan. 28, 7 pm. $17-$37. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com (279-7000) TURNS UNDER THE LIGHTS Twilight skiing is offered via the Basin Express highspeed quad and Musical Chairs double, plus in the Stomping Grounds Terrain Park as well as beginner terrain off Musical Chairs. Fridays and Saturdays from 3-7 pm through March 5. $20/$40. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com/to-do/twilight-skiing/ (208-263-9555) WSU COUGARS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. WASHINGTON HUSKIES Regular season game. Jan. 28, 7 pm. $5-$10.

Beasley Coliseum, 925 NE Fairway Rd. beasley.wsu.edu (509-335-3525) CROSS COUNTRY SKI LESSON (49 DEGREES NORTH) Learn to cross country ski the trails of 49 Degrees North’s nordic area with certified ski instructors. Fee includes instruction, equipment, trail pass and a guided tour after lunch (BYO).

Ages 13+. Jan. 29, Feb. 19 and March 5, 10 am-2 pm. $53. 49 Degrees North, 3311 Flowery Trail Rd. Register at spokanerec. org (509-755-2489) MT. SPOKANE SNOWSHOE TOUR Learn the basics of snowshoeing during this guided hike on snowshoe trails around Mount Spokane. Pre-trip information

emailed after registration. Fee includes snowshoes, instruction, walking poles, trail fees, guides and transportation.

Meet at Yoke’s Fresh Market in Mead.

Ages 13+. Jan. 29, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 21 and March 5, 9 am-1 pm. $25/$29. Mt. Spokane State Park, 26107 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. Register at spokanerec.org (509-755-2489) RELENTLESS WRESTLING 6 Live, premier professional wrestling in Eastern Washington. Jan. 29, 6 pm. $21.94$32.44. Trailbreaker Cider, 2204 N. Madison St., Liberty Lake. trailbreakercider. com (509-279-2159) SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. TRI-CITY AMERICANS Special: Military Appreciation Night by Pizza Factory. Jan. 29, 7 pm. $17-$37. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com WINTER TRAILS DAY Enjoy a complimentary day out on the other side of Schweitzer, offering 32K of trails to explore on snowshoes or Nordic skis. All trail fees are waived for this event. Jan. 29. Schweitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com (208-263-9555) SNOWSHOE LAKE GILLETTE Explore this mountain lake during a guided, uphill hike to a scenic overlook. Includes guides, equipment and transport. Meets at Wandermere Rite Aid. Ages 18+. Jan. 30, 9 am-4 pm and Feb. 19, 9 am-4 pm. $49. Register at spokanerec.org CROSS COUNTRY SKI LESSON (MT. SPOKANE) Learn the basics of crosscountry skiing at Mt. Spokane. Lessons are taught by Spokane Nordic Ski Association’s certified instructors. Meet at the Mt. Spokane Selkirk Nordic Area a half hour prior for gear fitting; fee includes equipment rental. Sno-Park Permit required. Additional information emailed after registration. Sessions offered on select dates through March, from 10 am-2 pm. $34/$59. Mt. Spokane State Park, 26107 N. Mt. Spokane Park Dr. spokanerec.org (509-755-2489) CHEAP SKATE TUESDAY Free skate rentals are included with each paid admission, every Tuesday from 10 am-9 pm through Feb. 22. Masks required. $5.95$7.95. Numerica Skate Ribbon, 720 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. my.spokanecity.org/ riverfrontspokane (509-625-6600) SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS Special: TicketsWest player magnet giveaway. Feb. 2, 7 pm. $17-$37.

Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com (279-7000) CROSS-COUNTRY SKI TRIP TO FRATER LAKE Explore this glacial lake in the Pend Oreille Chain, featuring over 10 miles of trails for all levels, although some basic skills are recommended. Includes guide, transportation, equipment and fees. BYO lunch/water. Meets at Wandermere Rite Aid. Feb. 4, 9 am-4 pm. $40. Register at spokanerec.org SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. KELOWNA ROCKETS Special: Avista banner giveaway. Feb. 4, 7 pm. $17-$37. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs. com (279-7000) SPOKANE CHIEFS VS. PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS Rivals from Portland return to Spokane for a four-game series across two weekends. Feb. 4-5 and Feb. 11-12 at 7:05 pm. $17-$37/game. Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon Ave. spokanechiefs.com STARLIGHT RACE SERIES This February, get your team (21+) together for a night racing series with costumes, prizes and more. This year’s theme is the Olympics.

Fridays in February, details TBA. Sch-

weitzer, 10,000 Schweitzer Mountain Rd. schweitzer.com (208-263-9555) PRIEST LAKE SLED DOG RACE The 51st running of the Priest Lake Sled Dog Race.

Teams as large as eight dogs and as small as one dog will compete in this competitive event. Registration required to compete. Feb. 5-6, 9 am-3 pm. Free. Priest Lake. iesda.org CROSS COUNTRY SKI INTERPRETIVE TOUR W/ FRIENDS OF MT. SPOKANE Learn about Mount Spokane from the Friends of Mt. Spokane during this interpretive, guided cross-country trek. Skiing experience required. Fee includes equipment, guides and transportation (optional) from Mead Yoke’s. Feb. 5, 9 am-3 pm. $39. Yoke’s Fresh Market, 14202 N. Market St. Register at spokanerec.org

THEATER

CORPUS CHRISTI A moving and thoughtful story of faith, redemption, love and betrayal. Lead character Joshua, struggles with his identity, not only as a gay young man, but as a Christlike figure which some have come to follow as the messiah. Jan. 21-Feb. 6, Thu-Sat at 7 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $20-$25. Stage Left Theater, 108 W. Third Ave. stagelefttheater.org (509-838-9727) THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG The story of Cornley Drama Society’s newest production, “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” where things are quickly going from bad to disastrous. Jan. 28-Feb. 20, Thu-Sat at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm. $10-$35. Spokane Civic Theatre, 1020 N. Howard St. spokanecivictheatre.com (509-325-2507) MET LIVE IN HD: RIGOLETTO The Kenworthy’s annual series of MET Live in HD operas. Rigoletto features Baritone Quinn Kelse starring alongside soprano Rosa Feola as Gilda and tenor Piotr Beczała as the Duke of Mantua, with leading maestro Daniele Rustioni on the podium. Jan. 29, 9:55 am and Jan. 31, 6 pm. $15-$20. The Kenworthy, 508 S. Main St. kenworthy.org (208-882-4127) SPOKANE VALLEY SUMMER THEATRE 2022 SEASON AUDITIONS Spokane Valley Summer Theatre is seeking talent for their 2022 season which will feature “The Bridges of Madison County: The Musical,” Disney’s “Newsies” and “Sister Act.” To schedule your audition slot email auditions@svsummertheatre.com. Video auditions available upon request. Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 5-9 pm and Feb. 7-8, 6-9 pm.

Free. Central Valley High School, 821 S. Sullivan Rd. svsummertheatre.com/auditions (509-288-2534) DISNEY’S FREAKY FRIDAY - A NEW MUSICAL When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again. “Freaky Friday,” a new musical based on the celebrated novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, is a heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional update on an American classic. Feb. 4-22; Fri at 7 pm, Sat-Sun at 2 pm. $12-$16. Spokane Children’s Theatre, 2727 N. Madelia. spokanechildrenstheatre.org (509-328-4886) JOHNNY APPLESEED The Cutter hosts The Missoula Children’s Theatre for a residency of Johnny Appleseed. Auditions are Jan. 31 for two public performances the following Fri/Sat. Feb. 4, 6 pm and Feb. 5, 2 pm. $7. Cutter Theatre, 302 Park St., Metaline Falls. cuttertheatre.com (509-446-4108)

VISUAL ARTS

CONTINUOUS LINES: SELECTIONS FROM THE JOE FEDDERSEN COLLECTION This exhibition features work from Feddersen’s personal collection of contemporary American Indian art, reflecting his friendships and artistic interests over the past few decades. Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm through Feb. 6. $7-$12.

Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org FROM THE COLLECTION: THE BIBLE IN ART A show exploring centuries of art based on religious imagery, and featuring works from art masters ranging from Rembrandt to Dalí. Mon-Sat from 10 am-4 pm through May 7. Free. Jundt Art Museum, 200 E. Desmet Ave. gonzaga. edu/jundt (509-313-6843) INDIE FOLK: NEW ART & SONGS FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST The Pacific Northwest is home to a unique artistic ecosystem involving craft traditions, preindustrial cultures and Indigenous and settler histories. Like folk art, the works featured here are handmade, straightforward, and often blur the line between functionality and aesthetics. Tue-Fri from 1-4 pm, Sat from 10 am-4 pm through May 21. Free. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, 1535 NE Wilson Rd. museum. wsu.edu (509-335-1910) BLOCK PRINTING WITH LISA SORANAKA Experience the entire process, from creating an image and designing a composition, to carving the block, inking and printing the plate, and adding color.

Ages 16+. Offered Jan. 29 and March 19 from 10:30 am-4:30 pm. $60. Spokane Art School, 811 W. Garland Ave. spokaneartschool.net (509-325-1500) ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS WITH HANNAH CHARLTON Students create small illuminated manuscript pages from famous fairy tales. For adults. Jan. 29 and Feb. 5 from 9-11:30 am. $65. Spokane Art School, 811 W. Garland Ave. spokaneartschool.net (509-325-1500)

WORDS

WELCOME TO TOASTMASTERS A supportive audience and helpful feedback to develop your speaking skills is provided.

Online attendance available. Jan. 27, 6:45-7:45 am. Free. Paulsen Center, 421 W. Riverside Ave. (room 805) evergreen. toastmastersclubs.org (509-927-8962) DROP IN & WRITE Aspiring writers are invited to be a part of a supportive writers’ community. Bring works in progress to share, get inspired with creative prompts and spend some focused time writing. Hosted by local writers Jenny Davis and Hannah Engel. Tuesdays from 5:30-7 pm. Free. Spark Central, 1214 W. Summit Pkwy. spark-central.org THE BOOK OF DIFFICULT FRUIT Join local author Kate Lebo for a reading and discussion of her book, a collection of essays that blend memoir, botany and food writing to examine unusual and unruly fruit. Feb. 3, 6:30-9 pm. Free. CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place Dr. tieg.org (509-535-8434) THE LOWEDOWN Spokane Symphony Music Director James Lowe gives an indepth preview of the Masterworks he conducts. Complete with visuals, insight from an orchestra musician and a Q&A session, you’ll get to know the composers and understand the historic and modern relevance of the compositions. Feb. 3 from 12-1 pm. Free. The MAC, 2316 W. First Ave. northwestmuseum.org n

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NEWS

The World of Cannabis Regulations, revenue and a senate campaign have put cannabis in the headlines

BY WILL MAUPIN

R

ecent days have brought a handful of stories showing just how prevalent cannabis has become both locally and around the country. Here are three big stories from the past week that you might have missed.

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In the Jan. 19 edition of its newsletter, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board announced its support for legislation recently introduced in the state Legislature

50 INLANDER JANUARY 27, 2022

that would expand the LCB’s regulatory reach. Specifically, it would allow for cannabinoids derived from hemp, which the LCB does not regulate, to be regulated in the way cannabinoids from cannabis are regulated.

House Bill 1668 would expand the LCB’s reach to include substances like Delta-8 THC, a cannabinoid derived from legal hemp plants but not regulated like its more common cousin, Delta-9 THC. “The LCB believes all products containing potentially impairing cannabinoids should be regulated by the LCB. While the agency does not want to regulate hemp growing or plants, it believes hemp-derived cannabinoids which may be impairing should be subject to regulation

by LCB,” the agency said in its newsletter.

CANNABIS OUTEARNS ALCOHOL

Last week, WCVB-TV in Boston reported that, for the first time since opening its legal cannabis market in 2018, Massachusetts is earning more tax revenue from cannabis than alcohol. Through the first six months of fiscal 2022, which began last July, Massachusetts brought in $74 million in tax revenue from cannabis compared to $51 million from alcohol.

Here in Washington, that’s been the case for the past five fiscal years. Last year, taxes on spirits generated $370.1 million in revenue for the state. Cannabis, on the other hand, brought in $533.9 million.

SENATE CANDIDATE SPARKS UP

Gary Chambers, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate

Senate candidate Gary Chambers.

CHAMBERS FOR LOUISIANA

from Louisiana, released a campaign video last week in which he is shown lighting and smoking cannabis on camera. The video, titled 37 Seconds, features a voice-over from Chambers mentioning that someone is arrested for cannabis every 37 seconds. He then continues by stating some of the personal and financial costs of cannabis prohibition.

“Most of the people police arrested aren’t dealers, but rather people with small amounts of pot, just like me,” Chambers says at the end of the video.

Recreational cannabis remains illegal in Louisiana, but the state legalized smokable cannabis for medical patients effective Jan. 1. Chambers is running to unseat first-term Republican Sen. John Kennedy. n

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JANUARY 27, 2022 INLANDER 53

RELATIONSHIPS

NOTE TO READERS Be aware of the differences in the law between Idaho and Washington. It is illegal to possess, sell or transport cannabis in the State of Idaho. Possessing up to an ounce is a misdemeanor and can get you a year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine; more than three ounces is a felony that can carry a five-year sentence and fine of up to $10,000. Transporting marijuana across state lines, like from Washington into Idaho, is a felony under federal law.

Advice Goddess BUDDY ODOR

AMY ALKON

I’m a woman in my mid-20s. In the last year, I’ve noticed that a number of my core friends have begun to exhibit traits and values that I don’t really identify with. I do my best to show up for them, but when I go through a hard time, they don’t seem all that concerned with my well-being. However, I have a history with these people, so I feel I owe them my loyalty.

—Disappointed

Sun-Thur 8am-10pm • Fri-Sat 8am-11pm | 2424 N. Monroe St • (509) 919-3470

The fact that something has gone on for a while is not reason for it to continue. Take the long “history” of people eating people — dating back 100,000plus years and still occasionally (though criminally) practiced today. These days, sure, there are restaurants that specialize in “traditional fare,” but their entrees tend to be roasted leg of lamb — as opposed to roasted leg of Bruce.

Likewise, the “because history!” argument for staying with a friend (“We’ve been in each other’s lives for 17 years!”) is not reason to braid each other’s hair and skip off together into year 18. “History” in the friendship context often means having lots of shared experiences (especially misadventures like ending up sideby-side in the back of a police car after getting caught shoplifting at age 10).

Some of these “historical” experiences — like your friend being there for you in tough times — can make you feel you’ve got an unpaid bill to work off, endlessly indentured friendservant-style. But do you actually owe them? Doing good for you probably did some good for them.

Research by psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky finds that two of the most effective ways we can make ourselves meaningfully happier are regularly “practicing acts of kindness” and “nurturing social relationships.” You might also consider that a friend who helped you surely did it by choice — not because you held her at gunpoint and demanded, “Listen to me sob about my ex for 26 hours straight!”

However, because we’re prone to feel guilty asking ourselves the legit (and healthy) question, “Hey, what do I get out of this friendship?”, we often end up populating our lives with fair-weather friends: there for us whenever they’re in need. Granted, friendship is not always 50/50. However, if the give and take balance is generally 5/95, your friendship is less a friendship than a usership with a nicer name.

We tend to be hard on ourselves if we end up with a collection of toxic friends — or friends who aren’t bad people but just aren’t good people for us.

Though we believe we carefully handpick our friends according to shared values, attitudes, and interests, the formation of our friendships may have more in common with closing our eyes and throwing darts than with some Socratic inner dialogue on a potential friend’s merits. Psychologist Mitja Back finds we often form friendships through “mere proximity” — like being next-door neighbors or being assigned to sit next to each other for a semester in a college class.

Understanding this might help you be as discerning about your social world as you are about your physical one: “Um, maybe that house next to Acme TurnYou-Radioactive Chemicals is not such a steal.” This is vital because the sort of people you’re frequently around shapes who you are, seeping into your thinking, habits, and motivation. So, it’s important to have a “core” group of friends who share your values: the bedrock principles underlying the person you want to be (your ideal self).

These friends, simply by being who they are, will motivate you — monkey see; monkey do! — for example, inspiring you to work harder or smarter. Also, at times when you see nothing but gloom and doom, they’ll pop up all human flashlight to point out everything you’ve got going for you.

This isn’t to say you should exile every person in your life who doesn’t exactly share your values. Just be sure they’re in your life not because they’ve been there for eons but because you choose to keep them around: They’re fun; they share your sick obsession with the 1972 Pinto; or they need you and you feel good giving to them (though they can’t give back in equal measure).

If you decide to part company with opportunistic, emotionally toxic “friends,” avoid any temptation to take the “Off with your head!” approach — like abruptly disappearing without explanation. This is mean, and it can lead to ugliness and ostracism by mutual friends and acquaintances -- as can “constructive” honesty: explaining that you can no longer be friends with such selfish users. It often pays to fade: Simply become increasingly less available...like for those amazing opportunities to devote your entire weekend to helping your bestie move — in exchange for a pepperoni and dust pizza they make you eat in the back of the U-Haul. n

Warning: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Smoking is hazardous to your health. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Should not be used by women that are pregnant or breast feeding. For USE only by adults 21 and older. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug.

©2022, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. • Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405 or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com)

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