Eat, die, eat

Welcome to the Reno News & Review.

Pardon the lack of timeliness, but we’re gearing up for early deadlines because of Thanksgiving. So with no further adieu:

We’ve hired a restaurant reviewer. We have not changed our fundamental philosophy about restaurant reviews: Everyone who has eaten in restaurants for their entire life is an expert on consuming in restaurants. Our reviewers go to restaurants once, they do not announce their presence, and they pay for their food. It’s one visit by one person, and we don’t pretend it’s anything more than that. All that said, we hired on the basis of the writing, and we had an editorial team consensus without discussion, which almost never happens. Anyway, welcome K.J. Sullivan. Our new reviewer’s first review will run on Dec. 2.

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Look, it’s a basic Buddhist tenet that in order to appreciate life, we must contemplate death. If I joke about my own death, it’s because I think it’s funny. I think it’s superstitious to believe it’s going to hasten the inevitable. If it’s true that only the good die young, I think I’ll be around for longer than most of you. All that said, “The Walls Came Down,” by The Call would be cool to listen to outside the funeral home, while they’re loading up my empty casket into the hearse to drive it to the landfill. You can read the whole funeral playlist on our Facebook site, www.facebook.com/renonewsreview.

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This was the worst gardening year since I moved to Nevada in 1984, but I’m not giving up hope. I started reconstructing my hoop house, and it’s going to be ready for planting winter crops by Dec. 1. My plan is to construct it (with improvements using the stuff I learned the first time), water frequently to grow weeds, which I’ll remove, then plant onions, garlic, spinach, lettuce and other goodies. We’ll see if I live there long enough to get the benefit of all my planning.