Month: March 2014

Categories
Arts

Must-see panels at the Virginia Festival of the Book

Chip Kidd took time off from designing book covers to write and design his own book, Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design.

Each March, visiting and local literati of all ages and reading preferences fill Charlottesville for the annual Virginia Festival of the Book. History buffs and romance readers mingle with self-published writers and award-winning authors including John Grisham, Lois Lowry, and John Lewis.

Attendees have lots of choices to make during the five-day festival (March 19-23). Elaborate transportation routes are planned to get from one venue to the next and it’s a struggle to find a window to eat between author panels. Inevitably, there are sessions that slip through the cracks or hold a conflicting time slot. There are also the can’t-miss moments.

Sometimes obvious, sometimes buried deep in the schedule, these are the hidden gems sought by festival goers. The 2014 panels offer two such opportunities with authors who are especially notable for being offbeat and off the beaten path.

You know Chip Kidd. Perhaps not by name, but if you’ve ever picked up a copy of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, David Sedaris’ Naked, or Haruki Murakami’s IQ84, then you’ve held his work in your hands. You can get to know Kidd a bit better through a special StoryFest presentation on his recent book, Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design.

As a graphic designer known for his book covers, Kidd is quirky and engaging. A focus on typography and visual puns imbues his designs with a distinct personality that is easily identifiable on coffee tables, bookstore displays, and library shelves around the world. Words can’t do justice to the designs, but a stunning amount of his work is collected in Chip Kidd: Book One: Work: 1986-2006. Go take a look; I’ll be holding your place here when you get back.

Infinitely versatile, Kidd is also a writer. Much like his book covers, Kidd’s two novels (The Cheese Monkeys and The Learners) are witty and colorful explorations of graphic design. Autobiographical in parts, with main characters who are practicing graphic designers, the novels are accessible and fun to read.

Taking a break from fiction, Kidd’s recent authorial stint led to the publication of a graphic design guide for children. Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design features easy -to-understand explanations of the design process, samples from some of the modern design masters, and hands-on projects to try. The book’s Tumblr (gothebook.tumblr.com) even has a way to submit designs (your own or your child’s; no one has to know) created during these projects. This book—and really all of Kidd’s work—is meant to draw attention to the art form of graphic design and bring awareness to the design that goes into every aspect of our daily lives. Whether it’s a book cover, a gum wrapper, or a printed festival schedule, you’ll never look at the world the same after an encounter with Chip Kidd.

“Chip Kidd and Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design” will be held on March 22 at 4pm in the Monroe Room at the Omni Hotel. The event is free and open to the public.

Off the beaten path

There are guidebooks to help you find the best jazz club in New Orleans or the most authentic pizza in Naples, and then there are books for travelers seeking the furthest corners of the world. Bradt travel guides are the latter, meant for adventurers—and armchair adventurers—but certainly not for your average ski bunny or beach bum planning an upcoming vacation. For example, new releases include guides to Borneo, Sudan, Jordan, and Zimbabwe.

In an ideal world, my bag would have been packed before I even finished writing that sentence, and I’d be on a plane to Harare by now. But that would mean missing Hilary Bradt’s Festival of the Book presentation, where she’ll share tales of her own travel adventures as well as her similarly daring efforts in forming Bradt Travel Guides Ltd.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the publishing company prints travel memoirs as well as adventure guides, including the founder’s breathtaking story of crossing Ireland on horseback. The theme that runs through all Bradt books is that of sustainable travel. For example, a popular series is on slow travel (similar to the slow food movement). All of the titles, though, are packed from cover to cover with helpful information, informed tips, and a uniquely engaging degree of the individual writer’s personality. The publisher also offers a Bradtpackers newsletter for readers interested in having these tantalizing travel tales delivered directly to their inbox.

Though Bradt’s wanderlust was born out of a deep love for Laurence Olivier and a theater mishap, her first travel guide was written while floating down the Amazon River. She seemingly hasn’t stopped adventuring, writing, leading tours, and publishing since. Thus far, she’s written 14 books and helped create an international community of adventurers who share her curiosity. Bradt will be sharing in person at “Wild Adventures and Extreme Publishing with Hilary Bradt,” moderated by Jeanne Siler on March 21 at 10am at a free panel in the City Council Chambers.

Share your favorite authors with us in the comments section below.

Categories
Living

Overheard on the restaurant scene: This week’s foodie news

The Juice Laundry owner Mike Keenan presses fresh, organic pineapple for the next batch of juices. Photo: Elli Williams

A local beer from 2013 is back on the market, but grab it while it’s cold, because it’s only available for a limited time. Starr Hill Brewery master brewer Mark Thompson teamed up with Floyd-based Red Rooster Coffee Roaster owner Haden Polseno-Hensley last year to create the Little Red RooStarr Coffee Cream Stout, which was part of the brewery’s limited release lineup. Brewed with a special blend of coffee from Red Rooster Coffee Roaster that’s roasted specifically for the beer, the full-bodied milk stout comes in at about 5.8 percent alcohol by volume. It’ll be available through April in 22-oz. bottles and kegs across Starr Hill’s 10-state distribution footprint.

Get up close and personal with some of the area’s newest wines at Trump Winery’s first annual Spring Winemaker’s Dinner. On Thursday, April 24, the event will begin with a welcome reception to present the award-winning sparkling Blanc Noir. Winemakers Jonathan Wheeler and Katell Griaud will then introduce the winery’s newly released vintages along with a four-course dinner that includes fennel-crusted sea scallops and sauteed snapper. Tickets are limited and on sale now for $130. To reserve your seat visit www.trumpwinery.com.

St. Patrick’s Day may have come and gone, but you can still go green for the rest of March. The Juice Laundry, the local company that produces 100 percent raw, organic, cold-pressed juices, is running a special this month. After you place any juice pack or cleanse pack order, if you’re one of the lucky winners to find a special silver cap, post a picture of your find to Instagram and tag @thejuicelaundry. Winners will each receive a free seven-pack of juice, or a one-day cleanse. To place an order, visit www.thejuicelaundry.com.

Can’t get enough Sticks Kebob Shop? Relay Foods, the online grocery store that lets you do your shopping from home or the office, is now offering a snack box from the Mediterranean fast food joint. Priced at $4.99, the Sticks Kebob Shop Power Snack Box features a bottle of mango lemonade and a 3-oz. container of freshly-made hummus with carrots and toasted pita chips. To order, visit www.relayfoods.com.

We’re always keeping our eyes and ears out for the latest news on Charlottesville’s food and drink scene, so pick up a paper and check c-ville.com/living each week for the latest Small Bites. Have a scoop for Small Bites? E-mail us at bites@c-ville.com. 

Categories
News

Education Beat: Albemarle considers winter weather busing to avoid snow days

Design students from Pierre-Adrien Pâris Professional High School in Charlottesville’s sister city, Besançon, France, visited CATEC's building trades classes last week. Photo: Tim Shea

Our Education Beat coverage appears thanks to a partnership with Charlottesville Tomorrow.

The Albemarle County School Board last week debated moving bus stops to major roads in snowy weather in an effort to keep buses off rural roads and avoid snow days. But transportation staff recommended not adopting the “Plan B” routes, citing safety concerns for students walking on unplowed roads, the difficulty of transporting students with special needs, and resulting low attendance. The board has requested more information before it will make a final decision.

School board member Eric Strucko said adopting the changes would benefit working families. However, Transportation Director Jim Foley estimated that about 120 students have Individual Education Plans that require Albemarle to provide door-to-door transportation. If schools were to open but not bus those students, the division could be challenged for not fulfilling its obligations, board attorney John Blair said.

In total, Foley estimated that about 1,450 students of the division’s total population would be impacted by the Plan B routes. But several board members questioned the reasonability of allowing a smaller number of students to keep the remainder from attending school. Blair pointed out that no students are denied educational opportunities when the school days can be made up.

Between November 26 and March 7, Albemarle closed 11 times during 23 weather events, which translates to a 48 percent close rate. During the same time period, eight surrounding counties closed 61 percent of the time.

Sister city students study at CATEC

The Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center last week played host to visitors from Pierre-Adrien Pâris Professional High School in Charlottesville’s sister city, Besançon, France. During the stay, 12 high school and nine adult education students worked with CATEC students to build a 16×16′ energy-efficient house.

The two cultures take different approaches to career technical education, so the collaboration is serving both groups, said building trades instructor George Cheape. CATEC Green Technologies Instructor Rich Fletcher said the project is helping his students understand the design concepts they’re trying to achieve in real life, such as LEED and RT2012, France’s thermal regulations for buildings.

Mickael Langlet. Photo: Tim Shea

MEET YOUR EDUCATOR

Mickaël Langlet, construction teacher, Pierre-Adrien Paris
Professional High School, Besançon, France (Charlottesville’s Sister City)

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

To get all students to reach the required level of knowledge and technical ability. There is no universal method of teaching; if we had one, teaching would be easy and problem-free. It is difficult to individualize teaching while you teach the masses.

What is the most common misconception about your job?

In France, people think we don’t work much, as we have 18 hours of face-to-face instruction in a full-time work week. However there is a lot of preparation before your lessons. It can be compared to an iceberg, in that the preparation for high-quality teaching often appears out of sight.

What experience prepared you best to become a teacher?

Being in charge of students and kids for ski lessons gave me a hint of what could be teaching (I live in the Alps!). Besides that, my experience working in professional settings taught me the world of work and an important trait: flexibility!

 

Categories
Arts

EXCLUSIVE! We Are Star Children video premiere for “Die Alone”

We Are Star Children will release the new album With Arrows digitally on March 25. Photo by Rich Tarbell.

They call it “adventure rock,” but there’s really no defining the eclectic sound of We Are Star Children.  Born in 2010 from a humble duo, the group now boasts seven members and an instrumental range that spans across the full breadth of musical style.  Their first album, titled Love to the Wicked, blends playful trumpets and keyboards with bass and classic guitar, creating an original style that surpasses traditional genres.  Every track is a fresh experience and embodies the band’s core philosophy:  Play from the heart and let good music reign.

Keeping with this tradition is With Arrows, the newest effort from these energetic artists.  Like their previous work, the music is full-bodied, a holistic representation of everything that music has to offer.  We Are Star Children continues to spread its message that music is not a collection of conventions, but an experience that stands on its own, requiring nothing but a willful ear to give it meaning. —Logan Boggs

Please enjoy the video for “Die Alone” from the new album With Arrows. Produced by Brian Wimer for Amoeba Films.

For more info about We Are Star Children, visit their Facebook page.

Categories
News

UPDATE: What’s happening in Charlottesville and Albemarle the week of March 17

Notes from the news desk

Each week, the news team takes a look at upcoming meetings and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle we think you should know about. Consider it a look into our datebook, and be sure to share newsworthy happenings in the comments section.

Take note—the weather may shift the below schedule. Check back with us for cancellations and updates, and follow us on Twitter (@cvillenews_desk) for the latest.

  • The Albemarle County Board of Architectural Review meets at 1pm Monday at the County Office Building on McIntire Road.
  • Albemarle County Supervisors are planning community meetings to discuss the county budget and proposed tax increase this week. Ken Boyd: Thursday, March 20, 6:30-8:30pm at the Stony Point Elementary School Cafeteria; Saturday, March 22 from 8:30-11:30 at Stony Point Elementary; Wednesday, March 26, 6:30-8:30pm at the Hollymead Elementary School Auditorium. Liz Palmer: Saturday, March 22, 10:00 – 11:30 am at the B.F. Yancey Elementary School Cafeteria; Monday, March 24, 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Red Hill Elementary School Cafeteria; Tuesday, March 25, 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Meriwether Lewis Elementary School Cafeteria. Brad Sheffield: Tuesday, March 18, 6:00 – 9:00 pm, at the Agnor-Hurt Elementary School Gym; Thursday, March 20, 6:00 – 9:00 pm, at the CATEC Auditorium; Saturday, March 22, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, at The Senior Center; Tuesday, March 25, 6:00 – 9:00 pm, at the Woodbrook Elementary School Cafeteria. Jane Dittmar (with Liz Palmer): Tuesday, March 18, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Monticello High School Forum. Dittmar’s scheduled Monday town hall in Scottsville has been cancelled.
  • The Charlottesville City Council meets from 7-11pm Monday at City Hall. The agenda includes a public hearing on the 2015 budget and the Rivanna quarterly update.
  • The Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review meets at 5:30pm Tuesday. Included on the long agenda: consideration of the plans for the new facade on what will be the Violet Crown Theater on the Downtown Mall.
  • The Albemarle County Planning Commission meets from 6-9pm Tuesday in Lane Auditorium at the County Office Building.
  • The City of Charlottesville holds a community budget forum from 7-9pm Wednesday at CitySpace on the Downtown Mall.

 

Categories
News

With a budget fight looming, the legislative session comes to a close

State Capitol Building, Richmond Virginia
Virginia's Capitol Building in Richmond. File photo.

Virginia’s whirlwind regular legislative session has ended, but with a budget left to pass, lawmakers have yet to put Richmond in their rear-view mirror. All eyes are on March 24 and the start of a special session and an expected showdown over Medicaid expansion.

But it hasn’t been all deadlock and drama. Now awaiting the pen of Governor Terry McAuliffe are a number of reforms championed by local legislators, many of which enjoyed bipartisan support.

State lawmakers followed through on their promise of major mental health care reform in the wake of the November 19 attack on State Senator Creigh Deeds by his mentally ill son, who later killed himself. Albemarle Delegate Rob Bell’s “bed of last resort” bill requires state-run mental hospitals to take involuntarily committed people if clinicians can’t find another place for them to go. The bill, a direct effort to prevent what allegedly happened in the Deeds case—Gus Deeds was released from emergency custody after officials said they couldn’t find a psychiatric bed for him—will steer $5 million to institutions like Western State Hospital in Staunton to create capacity.

The state still doesn’t have a complete report from the Office of the Inspector General on the breakdowns that led to Gus Deeds’ release, and the much-publicized resignation of the report’s initial author, G. Douglas Bevelacqua, over claims of forced revisions has only highlighted the system’s failings further. Bell acknowledged there’s more work to do.

“Once you have the emergency piece fixed, the next step would be to look at upstream factors,” he said. “Is there a way to catch people before they get that far?”

“My personal goals with respect to mental health reform were met,” Deeds wrote in his end-of-session missive to constituents. The new law “changes the paradigm,” he said, effectively ending “streeting,” where patients like his son were released because of a lack of resources. “These changes in the law will give the state enormous tools in mental health crisis situations,” Deeds said, including the extension of emergency custody hold times from 48 hours to 72 hours.

Also key was the approval of a four-year legislative study commission tasked with developing a comprehensive mental health care delivery system that Deeds hopes will be a model for other states.

“I will not settle for less,” he said.

Another bipartisan effort led in part by a local: Changes to Virginia’s famously lax ethics laws. House Minority Leader and Charlottesville Delegate David Toscano joined his Republican counterpart, Kirk Cox, in pushing a package that caps the value of gifts elected officials can receive at $250, requires more disclosure, and sets up a State Ethics Advisory Commission.

There’s been criticism that the changes don’t go far enough. A Washington Post editorial characterized it as “so slack it would be disingenuous to refer to it as ‘reform.’” But Toscano said the bill “represents a modest step forward toward restoring some faith that citizens have lost” as the result of the corruption scandal that ensnared former Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen, who both face federal charges stemming from allegations that they traded influence for money and gifts.

Albemarle Delegate Steve Landes joined Deeds in successfully moving legislation to cut the number of Standards of Learning tests Virginia students take during their elementary and middle school years by 20 percent, though there are no changes to high school testing. It’s a reform schools have been asking for for years, and it’s expected to save the state $3 million.

Another Bell-sponsored bill that adds to the offenses for which voters can petition to remove an elected official from office passed unanimously in both houses. The legislation, inspired by a failed attempt to cut loose former Albemarle County Supervisor Christopher Dumler after his conviction on a sexual battery charge, adds that offense and several others—consensual intercourse with a child 15 years of age or older, indecent exposure, and peeping—to a list that was previously focused primarily on drug offenses.

Bell also backed a bill that requires Commonwealth’s attorneys to review and hold hearings on name-change requests by sex offenders—an issue that resonated locally, as C-VILLE had investigated the name-change request of so-called “Graduation Day rapist” Jeffrey Theodore Kitze ahead of the session. Also uncontroversial was Bell’s “revenge porn” bill, which will make it a class one misdemeanor to maliciously distribute sexual photographs.

Some perennial pet bills again fell short. Bell’s “Tebow Bill,” which would make Virginia one of 30 states to allow home-schooled students to play on public school sports teams, passed in the House but died in a Senate committee dominated by Democrats, though Bell said he planned to try to get it passed again in 2015. Another effort to pass a law making drug testing for welfare applicants and recipients mandatory also fizzled, as it did last year; the measure never made it out of the House Appropriations Committee.

And what of the chances for harmony in the looming budget session as the two parties battle it out over Medicaid expansion? All you have to do is look to local delegates’ comments as the session came to a close to get a sense of how far apart the parties remain.

“It is impossible to separate a major program like Medicaid from the budget deliberations,” Toscano said in a prepared statement last week.

“It’s dangerous to tie it to the budget in a way that imperils all the other items in the budget,” Bell said. “It’s hostage taking.”

Categories
News

Write, recycle, repeat: How to give new life to old pencils, pens, vinyl, and CDs

Thanks to a collection effort by an upcycling company, you don’t have to toss your old pens and mechanical pencils. File photo.

Teri Kent runs Charlottesville’s Better World Betty, a non-profit organization and online resource for locals looking to shrink their impact on the environment. Every month, Betty—Kent’s ’50s-housewife-meets-earth-goddess alter ego—answers the most burning eco-questions from our readers about energy use, water, waste and recycling, transportation, and green buying. Send your inquiries her way.

Q: Any place for me to recycle old little stubby pencils? I hate to toss them and they’re too small to use.

A: There is a neat program run by recycling company TerraCycle that would love to have your used pens, mechanical pencils, sharpies, highlighters, etc.

You can join the program for free. Collect old writing instruments in a box (the box must weigh over seven pounds), and download a free shipping label from terracycle.com for easy mailing. Click the “send your waste” tab at the top and scroll down to the “Writing Instruments Brigade.”

They accept: pens and pen caps; mechanical pencils; markers and marker capsules; permanent markers and permanent marker caps; highlighters and highlighter caps.

After you send your used writing utensils, TerraCycle upcycles them into new, innovative products. In return, you’ll receive TerraCycle points, which you can redeem for charitable gifts, products, or payments to a nonprofit or school of your choice.

Unfortunately, old school wooden pencils with lead don’t make the list, and it’s generally not possible to recycle wood and metal fused together. So extend the life of your pencils with a spiffy new eraser, and check out fun pencil crafts online (e.g. picture frames) that will let you repurpose them when their useful lives are over.

Q: I have inherited or accumulated loads of old vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs, and I would like to know the best way to get rid of my music stuff without tossing it into the landfill.

A: If you are talking large quantities and you’re interested in starting a collection at a community church, school, or other organization, I recommend getting in contact with Greendisk.com (also at (800) 305-DISK). The county school system partners with them, and they take all sorts of techno-trash, from PCs to CDs.

If we’re talking smaller amounts, a locally based solution might be to visit an area music store. All of these are within walking distance of the Downtown Mall:

  • Sidetracks (218 Water St. W., 295-3080) may buy your old CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes and records if these items still have retail value. They’ll give you cash on the spot. They will also take any old items regardless of retail value. Such devices will either be properly recycled or turned into up-cycled art.
  • Gwen at Melody Supreme (115 Fourth St. SE, 760-3618) may take your vinyl records. The store is open from 11am-6pm seven days a week and later on Friday and Saturday nights. He’s happy to buy back records that have retail value.
  • Low Records (105 Fifth St. SE, 882-2825), owned and operated by DJs and musicians, is open from noon to 6pm and is “always buying,” according to vinylhunt.com’s website.

A good day to visit: Record Store Day, which is coming up on April 19.—Teri Kent

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: Excision

The visual spectacle of an Excision show takes the typical EDM light show to new levels of visual assault.

A claw-like spaceship hovers above a cityscape as electronic dance music begins to build. The heavy bass finally drops, and a claw releases fiery bombs syncopated with the beat, leveling the city with sound and displayed by the Executioner, a 420 square foot video stage featuring 3D animation. Housed in the center of the behemoth, Canadian DJ and producer Excision spins dark, heavy dubstep amplified to 150,000 watts, which will literally rattle your bones. Despite being derisively labeled as “brostep,” artists like Skrillex and Excision have been packing festival dance floors with the aggressive beats and subsonic bass that characterize their sound.

Tuesday 3/18. $25-27, 9pm. The Jefferson Theater, 110 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 245-4980.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQB6F1NopK4

Categories
Arts

ARTS Pick: Women of Ireland

Traditional Irish song and dance hits some high notes when the Women of Ireland take it on the road.

Prepare for St. Patrick’s Day with an evening of traditional Irish song and dance as former Riverdance members and a number of other talented dancers make up the Women of Ireland. The all-female lineup performs iconic steps to enchanting Celtic vocals by a sisterly trio from County Kerry, Ireland. Special guest Anthony Fallon, a four-time world champion and former lead in Riverdance, makes the only male appearance.

Saturday 3/15. $41-52, 7pm. John Paul Jones Arena, 295 Massie Rd. 243-4960.

Categories
Living

A gentle touch: Chiropractor Brian Dickert provides alternative care with network spinal analysis

Local chiropractor Brian Dickert specializes in network spinal analysis, which uses gentle touches to realign the spine for overall wellness. Photo: Elli Williams

Brian Dickert was 16 years old the first time he set foot in a chiropractor’s office. Desperate for relief from daily migraines that prescriptions didn’t stand a chance against, he was willing to try just about anything. So when the first thing the doctor said to him was “I’m not going to do anything for your headaches,” Dickert was taken aback.

The chiropractor he visited focused on overall health and wellness, and how the spine’s condition and connection with the nervous system affected the rest of his body. A skeptical teenager who’d been in physical pain for two straight months, Dickert was wary of the treatment. But immediately after the first session he said he experienced a whole new range of motion in his neck and back, and when the pain that had persisted for eight weeks subsided hours later, he was sold.

“It turns out my spine wasn’t in alignment, and needed an adjustment,” Dickert said. “I couldn’t explain it, but I started feeling different in my motions. And, my headaches started getting better.”

Decades later, Dickert is one of the only doctors in Charlottesville practicing network spinal analysis (NSA), a specialized chiropractic method that uses precise, low-force touches to the spine to assess spinal integrity and eliminate tension. The NSA philosophy, developed by world-renowned practitioner Donny Epstein, is that gentle pressure not only realigns the spine, but it cues the brain to make healthy changes. He teaches that treating a symptom allows the body to resume previous habits, but long-lasting wellness requires a “reorganizational approach.” Chiropractors like Dickert and Epstein essentially hope to work themselves out of a job—NSA helps the body develop natural strategies for dissipating stored tension, ultimately resulting in a sustainable, self-regulating spine and nervous system.

For local masseuse-turned-painter Lee Alter, who was one of the first massage therapists to come to Charlottesville in the 1980s, the connection between mind, body, and emotion that NSA fosters is what keeps her coming back for regular treatment. She’d been seeing a “regular chiropractor,” until she inexplicably felt drawn to Barracks Road Shopping Center.

“I had a feeling I was supposed to go to Rebecca’s Natural Food one day,” she said. “I got there, and Brian was doing a demonstration. I just knew I needed to see him.”

With more than 20 years of bodywork under her own belt, Alter went into her first session with an open mind. But even as a believer in alternative healing methods like massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic, she wasn’t sure what effect the treatment would have on her.

“Nothing hurt when he worked on me, whereas with the other chiropractor, sometimes you feel pressure that’s not comfortable,” Alter said. “I didn’t feel anything like that at all, which made me think, ‘Well gee, maybe this isn’t going to work.’ But it was the complete opposite. It totally worked.”

A nagging pain in her left hip subsided shortly after her first session with Dickert, but relief from physical pain aside, she said she experienced something new when she left his office.

“I noticed that I felt very grounded,” Alter said. “There’s this thing in bodywork, a correlation between certain areas of your body and emotions. I felt pretty good on an emotional level when I left there.”

As for my own experience in Dickert’s office, I too was skeptical. I’m a habitual back-cracker with perpetual soreness in my shoulder blades, but I’ve never felt compelled to pay someone to snap, crackle, and pop my spine for me.

I settled myself face down on the massage table in Dickert’s office, unsure of what to expect. Seconds after the tips of his fingers seemingly did little more than brush against my neck and top vertebrae, he said he found an area of tension, noting that I carry a lot of stress in my upper back and shoulders. I nodded, intrigued by his ability to detect that by simply touching my spine—through two layers of clothing, no less. But what he looks for, he said, are not areas of tension, but openings, or areas of the nervous system that can be accessed for the greatest change.

After picking my feet up into the air and softly returning them to the table, he said he found one of these openings on the right side of my sacrum, the bone at the base of the spine that connects the last vertebra with the tailbone. I felt light touches along different areas of my back. Sometimes he held his hand in one spot for several moments, but like Alter said, there was no intense pressure. Dickert was acutely aware of my body’s responses, especially after he found an opening and my breath deepened, one of the telltale signs that the treatment is doing what it’s supposed to do.

The whole thing took about 30 minutes, and upon sitting up, my first inclination was to stretch and crack my neck, which was easier and less painful than usual. I can’t speak to the emotional groundedness that Alter experienced, but I understood what Dickert meant about a newfound range of motion.

“You can always do something to make your body better, whether you’re having symptoms of a problem or not,” Dickert said.

Hands on

Want to give network spinal analysis a try without committing to an appointment? Head over to Rebecca’s Natural Food on Tuesday, March 18, for a demonstration with Brian Dickert. The three-hour event is free and open to the public, and begins at noon.