I didn't get to last weeks cooking so I wanted to be sure to get to this weeks.
Well, for a beverage this weekend, you can't go wrong with my sangria. Goes down easy and fast, but gets you happy very nicely.
As far as dinners, one did not trun out so well...the Teriyaki Tiliapia with Wasabi Cucmber Salad, sounds great in concept, but somehow, it turned out...not so good. I am making a Beef Stroganoff Casserole in my crockpot right now, and I hope it turns out good. The crock pot is an underutilized appliance in our house and I would like to be using it more because it is easy...just dump everything in, and let is cook the whole day.
For my work lunch I made One Pan Spinach Past with Red Cream Sauce. I tasted it an yum yum, it is nice. For lunch at home I made a Hot Crab and Jalapeno Dip that we ate on some sourdough that we got at the Farmers Market this morning. Crab and artichoke heart and cheese and lots of other stuff all baked together. It was good too.
I still have to make Banana and Mango Bread. We have enough veggies that I am not making anything yet.
As always, if anyone wants a recipe, just let me know!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Movie-75th Annual Academy Awards Short Films
The compilation of the 2003 films nominated for short features for the Academy Awards show in 2004, "75th Annual Academy Awards Short Films" is really good.
As a viewer, we hear about these films during the ceremony, but where can we see them. Well, they have started to be released...I already have a few years of nominated shorts in my Netflix queue (yet another reason I love Netflix).
The disc includes all four nominees for best live action short and five nominees for best animated short. I will admit a couple of the animated ones were a bit odd, but good nonetheless. And the live action were really well done.
The longest film was just under 30 minutes, and the rest ranged from just a few minutes to maybe ten. And they were able to handle great topics, from learned hatred, to the misfortunes that modern technology can bring. The films are international and that also adds to the appeal in my book. I enjoyed this so much I will be moving up the other "shorts" compilations in my queue.
As a viewer, we hear about these films during the ceremony, but where can we see them. Well, they have started to be released...I already have a few years of nominated shorts in my Netflix queue (yet another reason I love Netflix).
The disc includes all four nominees for best live action short and five nominees for best animated short. I will admit a couple of the animated ones were a bit odd, but good nonetheless. And the live action were really well done.
The longest film was just under 30 minutes, and the rest ranged from just a few minutes to maybe ten. And they were able to handle great topics, from learned hatred, to the misfortunes that modern technology can bring. The films are international and that also adds to the appeal in my book. I enjoyed this so much I will be moving up the other "shorts" compilations in my queue.
Scrabble
OK, I had mentioned that I really enjoy Monopoly, but the game that I think I love most is Scrabble. Well, I got beat yesterday...TWICE!! Sharlynn won both games we played albeit just by a few points for each game.
The first game was standard Scrabble, but we also have a set called Super Scrabble that has more tiles (2-Z's, 2-Q's etc) and has an extended board, with quadruple letter and quadruple word scores. And the second game, she beat me with the last letter she had! Arrrggghhh!!!
Scrabble is a great game...it makes you use your vocabulary, makes you think about spelling and being inventive. And for scoring uses some minimal math skills. I even have a game at work, with the whole office playing against me (I still win most of the time).
Who is good at Scrabble? (besides Alex who learned from Old Lady Donna).
The first game was standard Scrabble, but we also have a set called Super Scrabble that has more tiles (2-Z's, 2-Q's etc) and has an extended board, with quadruple letter and quadruple word scores. And the second game, she beat me with the last letter she had! Arrrggghhh!!!
Scrabble is a great game...it makes you use your vocabulary, makes you think about spelling and being inventive. And for scoring uses some minimal math skills. I even have a game at work, with the whole office playing against me (I still win most of the time).
Who is good at Scrabble? (besides Alex who learned from Old Lady Donna).
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Accupuncture for Migraines
At a dead end in treating my migraines and constant headaches medically (well almost a dead end as I will explain) I have opted with my doctors consent to try acupuncture.
My one medical option is botox---basically injecting poison into my head. While it may work, and may give me a permanently surprised look, I thought I would try acupuncture first. I of course went to Holistic Traditions, where my massage therapist, Aaron Sas resides, and where his wife Sara is well versed in Oriental medicine, including being a certified acupuncturist.
Now, I have an open mind. I do not dis-believe very much. I think there is much to be discovered about our world, we just don't have the perception yet. In every age we think we are so smart, and then...ooops, the world is round...oooops, we are not the center of the universe...ooops you can split the atom and kill millions of people...oops, we can send a man to the moon...well, you get the idea. So if asked if I believe in something, ghosts, life after death, UFO's, life on other planets etc ad naseum...I think all these things are possible.
But for myself personally, if I saw an ET coming out of a spaceship, I would be skeptical. I would look around for a film crew, check my memory to see if I could have eaten some strange herbs, asked myself what other explanation could there be.
I'm just explaining this so you see my mind set. So when going into acupuncture, let us say I think it can work great, but let's see if it works for me.
Some of the stuff, I was a bit skeptical about. But Sarah thinks some of the problem lies with my chi being too hot in my head due to a liver imbalance~~~~~uhhh, OK. I guess it should be NO surprise that it might be my liver.
So we get all the talk done, and here come the needles. It did not hurt, for the most part...and even when it did, it was just a little, nothing like getting your nipple pierced (which I have done twice). After she gets a bunch of needles in me, from head to toe, she lets me lie there for about 30 minutes.
I did not think my headache was getting better, but about 20 minutes into it, as I am lying on my back, the strangest sensation came over me. It is hard to describe, but it felt like waves of energy travelling up my body, from my feet to my neck, and then dissipating out my chest...I got about three waves of this really intense and strange and wholly unexpected sensation. And it felt like something fundamental going on.
The next odd thing was when I turned over and she put some needles on my back. She went for sin the middle of my back, and it felt like my skin and muscles were gathering together in that spot. Almost like a magnet was placed there and everything was trying to come to it...and it was before she even put the needle in! She laughed and said, "Yeah, that is a liver area right there."
That evening, my headache was gone, or at least the lowest point of pain in years. The bad thing is that night about 2 in the morning I woke up with it returning with a vengeance.
I have another session on Tuesday, and we will see how it goes. But there is something intersting to it, and I am anxious to see how it goes with more treatments. I do know that there was an effect...if it was my chi, or chakra, or just because I ahd a bunch of needles stuck all over my, I can't say yet. But, I am willing to give it some time before the botox is tried. I mean, if I have to have needles stuck in me, it may as well be sans poison.
My one medical option is botox---basically injecting poison into my head. While it may work, and may give me a permanently surprised look, I thought I would try acupuncture first. I of course went to Holistic Traditions, where my massage therapist, Aaron Sas resides, and where his wife Sara is well versed in Oriental medicine, including being a certified acupuncturist.
Now, I have an open mind. I do not dis-believe very much. I think there is much to be discovered about our world, we just don't have the perception yet. In every age we think we are so smart, and then...ooops, the world is round...oooops, we are not the center of the universe...ooops you can split the atom and kill millions of people...oops, we can send a man to the moon...well, you get the idea. So if asked if I believe in something, ghosts, life after death, UFO's, life on other planets etc ad naseum...I think all these things are possible.
But for myself personally, if I saw an ET coming out of a spaceship, I would be skeptical. I would look around for a film crew, check my memory to see if I could have eaten some strange herbs, asked myself what other explanation could there be.
I'm just explaining this so you see my mind set. So when going into acupuncture, let us say I think it can work great, but let's see if it works for me.
Some of the stuff, I was a bit skeptical about. But Sarah thinks some of the problem lies with my chi being too hot in my head due to a liver imbalance~~~~~uhhh, OK. I guess it should be NO surprise that it might be my liver.
So we get all the talk done, and here come the needles. It did not hurt, for the most part...and even when it did, it was just a little, nothing like getting your nipple pierced (which I have done twice). After she gets a bunch of needles in me, from head to toe, she lets me lie there for about 30 minutes.
I did not think my headache was getting better, but about 20 minutes into it, as I am lying on my back, the strangest sensation came over me. It is hard to describe, but it felt like waves of energy travelling up my body, from my feet to my neck, and then dissipating out my chest...I got about three waves of this really intense and strange and wholly unexpected sensation. And it felt like something fundamental going on.
The next odd thing was when I turned over and she put some needles on my back. She went for sin the middle of my back, and it felt like my skin and muscles were gathering together in that spot. Almost like a magnet was placed there and everything was trying to come to it...and it was before she even put the needle in! She laughed and said, "Yeah, that is a liver area right there."
That evening, my headache was gone, or at least the lowest point of pain in years. The bad thing is that night about 2 in the morning I woke up with it returning with a vengeance.
I have another session on Tuesday, and we will see how it goes. But there is something intersting to it, and I am anxious to see how it goes with more treatments. I do know that there was an effect...if it was my chi, or chakra, or just because I ahd a bunch of needles stuck all over my, I can't say yet. But, I am willing to give it some time before the botox is tried. I mean, if I have to have needles stuck in me, it may as well be sans poison.
Movie-The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
"The Chronicles of Narnia" was not my favorite series of children's books by a long shot. Even as I reread them as an adult, I never was into them like some were. Dr. Dolittle was my particular favorite, the whole series, and Narnia did not even come close.
So I never moved the first this movie adaptation of the first book of the series up in my queue, until now, 3 years after its release. And I gotta tell you, I liked the movie a hellofa lot more than the book.
Aside from the inevitable Christian metaphors that are expected of C.S. Lewis, this movie was a rousing adventure. The young actors who played the children who discover a different world accessed through a large wardrobe, were excellent. The story was well told cinematically, and the special effects were first rate, a must for this kind of fantasy movie.
It was long, but seemed to be right for the story that was told. The movie did not lag at all, and was fun to watch all around.
So I never moved the first this movie adaptation of the first book of the series up in my queue, until now, 3 years after its release. And I gotta tell you, I liked the movie a hellofa lot more than the book.
Aside from the inevitable Christian metaphors that are expected of C.S. Lewis, this movie was a rousing adventure. The young actors who played the children who discover a different world accessed through a large wardrobe, were excellent. The story was well told cinematically, and the special effects were first rate, a must for this kind of fantasy movie.
It was long, but seemed to be right for the story that was told. The movie did not lag at all, and was fun to watch all around.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Movie-Kitchen Stories
A small foreign movie, Kitchens Stories is odd, but heartfelt. It does not try to accomplish too much, but sticks to what it is, namely, a story about friendship.
This 2004 film from Norway is set in the 50's, and is about a Swedish research firm doing observational research to make the optimal kitchen. For the current study, the researchers go into the homes of single men in Norway to observe how they use their kitchen. There is to be no talking between observer and observee.
But the rules break down between one pairing, two older men, both alone. While in the beginning they resent and distrust each other, that breaks down and becomes a friendship that is defining.
It is not a comedy per se, but has elements that make you smile. Nor is it a drama in any real sense. But it does have its own charm. The film won many European and film festival awards, and it is because it did not need to be epic in any sense. Just a warm hearted film, that does not overplay its hand, and allows itself to tell a single story, to good effect.
This 2004 film from Norway is set in the 50's, and is about a Swedish research firm doing observational research to make the optimal kitchen. For the current study, the researchers go into the homes of single men in Norway to observe how they use their kitchen. There is to be no talking between observer and observee.
But the rules break down between one pairing, two older men, both alone. While in the beginning they resent and distrust each other, that breaks down and becomes a friendship that is defining.
It is not a comedy per se, but has elements that make you smile. Nor is it a drama in any real sense. But it does have its own charm. The film won many European and film festival awards, and it is because it did not need to be epic in any sense. Just a warm hearted film, that does not overplay its hand, and allows itself to tell a single story, to good effect.
Movie-The Kite Runner
Anyone who enjoyed the book (and I did immensely) will enjoy this very faithful adaptation of The Kite Runner onto the big screen.
The movie of course could not have the detail of the book, but all the creators kept the events that really mattered, undiluted and clear. And in one way I think the film was better than the movie. The only gripe I had with the book was the number of coincidences that occurred, and the movie forgoes this narrative method, and plunges on straight forward.
The acting was excellent all the way through, from the kids to the adults, the adaptation was, as I said, terrific. And the director made all the right choices, from location to language choice to what to leave in and what to leave out.
The was a really good film, both for those who read the book and those that come to it fresh. Look for a cameo by the author near Khaled Hosseini, the end of the movie.
The movie of course could not have the detail of the book, but all the creators kept the events that really mattered, undiluted and clear. And in one way I think the film was better than the movie. The only gripe I had with the book was the number of coincidences that occurred, and the movie forgoes this narrative method, and plunges on straight forward.
The acting was excellent all the way through, from the kids to the adults, the adaptation was, as I said, terrific. And the director made all the right choices, from location to language choice to what to leave in and what to leave out.
The was a really good film, both for those who read the book and those that come to it fresh. Look for a cameo by the author near Khaled Hosseini, the end of the movie.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Movie-Anything But Love
Anything But Love is a quirky, corny, unknown film from 2004. The only name star (and that is a strech) is Andrew McCarthy, but I thought the film was successful and unique, with the main actress, Isabel Rose, just doing a fabulous job.
it is a musical I guess, and a period piece, in that she acts like she lives in a technicolor 1950's era movie. But somehow, especially due to her performance, it all works together here, despite it sounding like it would be a mess.
This isn't for everybody...I will admit that. Billie Gordon (Isabel Rose) is a cabaret singer, who has fantasies that seem right out of Doris Day films, complete with musical and dance numbers. But her choice comes between two men, one rich and a bit of an ass, and one poor, but loves her art as much as she does.
As I said, Isabel Rose shines, and it surprises me that she has not been in a lot more films. Her acting is natural, and she...she is beautiful, but seems like someone you would know...her beauty is very organic, and not at all Hollywood or typical. And she sings like a lark.
Again, this movie is not for everyone. Sharon may not like it, but D, I think may. Of course I may be wrong completely about that...I frequently am.
it is a musical I guess, and a period piece, in that she acts like she lives in a technicolor 1950's era movie. But somehow, especially due to her performance, it all works together here, despite it sounding like it would be a mess.
This isn't for everybody...I will admit that. Billie Gordon (Isabel Rose) is a cabaret singer, who has fantasies that seem right out of Doris Day films, complete with musical and dance numbers. But her choice comes between two men, one rich and a bit of an ass, and one poor, but loves her art as much as she does.
As I said, Isabel Rose shines, and it surprises me that she has not been in a lot more films. Her acting is natural, and she...she is beautiful, but seems like someone you would know...her beauty is very organic, and not at all Hollywood or typical. And she sings like a lark.
Again, this movie is not for everyone. Sharon may not like it, but D, I think may. Of course I may be wrong completely about that...I frequently am.
Monday, March 24, 2008
TV-Reaper
Another little watched show on the CW (OK almost all shows on the CW are little watched) is Reaper. A mix of comedy, satire and supernatural action, it does not easily fit into one genre.
It is about a young slacker that turns 21, still living at home. But he finds out on his birthday that his parents sold his soul to satan before he was born, and now he has to be satan's bounty hunter, capturing souls that have escaped from hell.
He is assisted in this by two friends, and one of them that goes by Sock, is just hilarious. A Jack Black sort, and played by, Tyler Labine, Sock really helps this show. The main character, Sam, also has a love interest with his "friend" and co-worker, Andi, played by the very attractive Missy Peregrym (what a great last name for a devil show).
the show is frequently laugh out loud funny, and seems to be working its way out of predictable formulas every week.
Oh, and satan is played REALLY well by Ray Wise.
Fun show, I hope it lasts.
It is about a young slacker that turns 21, still living at home. But he finds out on his birthday that his parents sold his soul to satan before he was born, and now he has to be satan's bounty hunter, capturing souls that have escaped from hell.
He is assisted in this by two friends, and one of them that goes by Sock, is just hilarious. A Jack Black sort, and played by, Tyler Labine, Sock really helps this show. The main character, Sam, also has a love interest with his "friend" and co-worker, Andi, played by the very attractive Missy Peregrym (what a great last name for a devil show).
the show is frequently laugh out loud funny, and seems to be working its way out of predictable formulas every week.
Oh, and satan is played REALLY well by Ray Wise.
Fun show, I hope it lasts.
Movie-Henry and June
We re-watched 1990's Henry and June, a movie about Henry Miller and Anais Nin. I remembered this movie as quite erotic, and really controversial at the time of its release. It was the first mainstream movie that came out with and NC-17 rating.
Sometimes you remember things as being hot, and seeing it again, well, not so much. That is NOT the case with this movie. Eroticism is reeking off this film. And it should not surprise, seeing as Henry Miller and Anais Nin were both known for their sexually charged books, Miller being banned in English for decades after his first book was printed in France.
This tells the story of her sexual awakening, her affair with him, and the role his wife June played in forming both their lives and their writing. Uma Thurmon plays June with a smoldering intensity, and Fred Ward seems perfect as Henry Miller. And Maria de Medeiros plays Anais with a mixture of innocence and sexual longing that plays out like an itch that can't be scratched.
Henry and June is as good...no...better than I remember it, and not just for the erotic aspects. The actors brought to life the two writers, and made them real and gritty and full of faults and contradictions. A very good film. Oh, and steamy too...LOL!
Sometimes you remember things as being hot, and seeing it again, well, not so much. That is NOT the case with this movie. Eroticism is reeking off this film. And it should not surprise, seeing as Henry Miller and Anais Nin were both known for their sexually charged books, Miller being banned in English for decades after his first book was printed in France.
This tells the story of her sexual awakening, her affair with him, and the role his wife June played in forming both their lives and their writing. Uma Thurmon plays June with a smoldering intensity, and Fred Ward seems perfect as Henry Miller. And Maria de Medeiros plays Anais with a mixture of innocence and sexual longing that plays out like an itch that can't be scratched.
Henry and June is as good...no...better than I remember it, and not just for the erotic aspects. The actors brought to life the two writers, and made them real and gritty and full of faults and contradictions. A very good film. Oh, and steamy too...LOL!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Movie-Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion
This is a memorable documentary, that leaves me questioning what our governments commitment to human rights really means.
"Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion" chronicles Tibet in the 20th century, its takeover by China, and the increasing lack of interest from the U.S. to address a brutal dictatorship because it makes us money.
Yes, this movie has a viewpoint, and it is sympathetic to the Dalai Lama and a degree of independence for Tibet. And for me, the words of GW ring even more hollow when he says he wants to bring freedom and democracy to the world...as long as it doesn't hurt profits of multi-nationals, he should add.
The Tibetan people are in the news again recently, with protests against Chinese rule of their land. It is a perfect time to see this movie, and realize what the Tibetans are up against, what atrocities are being committed against them, and maybe realize the role that you and I play in keeping the Tibetans as impoverished serfs to the Chinese.
See this movie. I received an education, and I hope you do too.
"Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion" chronicles Tibet in the 20th century, its takeover by China, and the increasing lack of interest from the U.S. to address a brutal dictatorship because it makes us money.
Yes, this movie has a viewpoint, and it is sympathetic to the Dalai Lama and a degree of independence for Tibet. And for me, the words of GW ring even more hollow when he says he wants to bring freedom and democracy to the world...as long as it doesn't hurt profits of multi-nationals, he should add.
The Tibetan people are in the news again recently, with protests against Chinese rule of their land. It is a perfect time to see this movie, and realize what the Tibetans are up against, what atrocities are being committed against them, and maybe realize the role that you and I play in keeping the Tibetans as impoverished serfs to the Chinese.
See this movie. I received an education, and I hope you do too.
Movie-Amercian Gangster
A very intense film, American Gangster is a story of a black man working the drug trade, winning out over the mob and corrupt police to become the premier supplier of heroin in New York and maybe throughout the whole country.
Played by Denzel Washington, this man (and the movie was based on a true story) was ruthless, yet wanted to keep a low profile and stay beneath the notice of others.
Straight forward in telling the story, much of the intensity stems straight from Washington, who has become as adept at playing the bad guy, as he always was at playing the good guy.
Ruby Dee was nominated for best supporting actress, but I think her role was so small that she should not have gotten the nod. She was good in her part, but I felt it was not big enough to be considered even "supporting."
Russel Crowe was solid, but not spectacular, as the incorruptible police officer who cracks the invisibility of the drug lord, and eventually brings him down.
All in all, a good film.
Played by Denzel Washington, this man (and the movie was based on a true story) was ruthless, yet wanted to keep a low profile and stay beneath the notice of others.
Straight forward in telling the story, much of the intensity stems straight from Washington, who has become as adept at playing the bad guy, as he always was at playing the good guy.
Ruby Dee was nominated for best supporting actress, but I think her role was so small that she should not have gotten the nod. She was good in her part, but I felt it was not big enough to be considered even "supporting."
Russel Crowe was solid, but not spectacular, as the incorruptible police officer who cracks the invisibility of the drug lord, and eventually brings him down.
All in all, a good film.
Poker Night
Because Sharon and Alex were in town for his brother's wedding, we had a rare Thursday night poker night, hosted by D'anne and Stephen at D'annes place. Poor Emily was the only one that had to work the next day, so she and Seth took off after one round. And we never got through a second round, with some of us passing out, and the rest drifting into random conversations, punctuated by singing at the top of our lungs to random '80's songs on the radio. All in all a very fun night! LOL!
D and Stephen were great hosts, and a shout out to D! None of us knew she was such a talented painter. Her work is really good! And we were pretty blown away by it.
D'anne also won Black Magic, our poker trophy, brought back from Chicago for the occasion. It was altered nicely by the Dewar-Yates using a glue gun and white glue streaming down the sides of the trophy. Very inventive!
We are the next hosts and we are planning for the trophy to return to its rightful place---HERE!
Some images will be posted soon.
D and Stephen were great hosts, and a shout out to D! None of us knew she was such a talented painter. Her work is really good! And we were pretty blown away by it.
D'anne also won Black Magic, our poker trophy, brought back from Chicago for the occasion. It was altered nicely by the Dewar-Yates using a glue gun and white glue streaming down the sides of the trophy. Very inventive!
We are the next hosts and we are planning for the trophy to return to its rightful place---HERE!
Some images will be posted soon.
TV-Jezebal James
This show is OFF my list. After giving it three painful episodes, it has been annoying and singularly unfunny, which is fatal for a sitcom. Parker Posey is terrible, and Lauren Ambrose just does not have any good amterial to work with. Buh-bye!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Movie-No End In Sight
This is the second of the Oscar nominated documentaries that we have seen. And as much as I am fan of Micheal Moore's work, No End In Sight is a better film than Sicko.
The documentary is really a thriving film form, and while both films are excellent, the tone of No End seems less shrill and more scholarly, which lens it a power and less of an easy target for right wing bashers.
No End In Sight looks very closely at the consequences of most of the major decisions leading up to the Iraq was, and the decisions after the initial invasion that led to where we are. And it does it methodically and with a great deal of precision.
That is what lends it power, and it lends it the heartbreak of where we are now. With a quiet narration by Campbell Scott, it finds a surprising amount of in-siders who are willing to speak about the colossal blunders that have made this venture so terrible. And the blunders are epic in proportion. And any student of history will see these and wonder why did this administration ignore all previous experience on this sort of event, and just do what it wanted? The hubris is also epic, and very sad.
The funny thing is, Sharon and I, not really top students of military policy or country building policy, saw all this in 2002. And if we could see it, why didn't Mr. Cheney and Rumsfeld and Wolfewitz? That is the key question that needs to still be examined.
The documentary is really a thriving film form, and while both films are excellent, the tone of No End seems less shrill and more scholarly, which lens it a power and less of an easy target for right wing bashers.
No End In Sight looks very closely at the consequences of most of the major decisions leading up to the Iraq was, and the decisions after the initial invasion that led to where we are. And it does it methodically and with a great deal of precision.
That is what lends it power, and it lends it the heartbreak of where we are now. With a quiet narration by Campbell Scott, it finds a surprising amount of in-siders who are willing to speak about the colossal blunders that have made this venture so terrible. And the blunders are epic in proportion. And any student of history will see these and wonder why did this administration ignore all previous experience on this sort of event, and just do what it wanted? The hubris is also epic, and very sad.
The funny thing is, Sharon and I, not really top students of military policy or country building policy, saw all this in 2002. And if we could see it, why didn't Mr. Cheney and Rumsfeld and Wolfewitz? That is the key question that needs to still be examined.
TV-Lipstick Jungle, Last Episode
It seems Lipstick Jungle just started, and yet this year in TV has been replete with shortened series runs, so it ends too quickly.
When it came on, I wasn't sure about it, but by the second and third episodes it got better and better, with cast and writers hitting their stride and getting t know the characters.
The final episode was really good...heart rending at times, and overall very satisfying. But only satisfying if it serves as a prelude to another season. This show deserves that. Brooke Shields and Kim Raver have proven to be secure anchors for this series, with Lindsey Price, who I originally did not like, getting better and better every show.
I know my wife (and another person who shall remain nameless...S.O.) will be disappointed if Kirby does not reappear (they would prefer with as few clothes as possible), but the conclusion felt right, and still left room for story line options.
The scene where Wendy comes to the hospital to see Nico....that was played perfectly. The emotional gravitas of two long time friends, working through problems, problems that come with every close relationship, was not overdone, but expressed the bond between these two spot on.
I hope to see this show come back, at least as a mid-season replacement again.
When it came on, I wasn't sure about it, but by the second and third episodes it got better and better, with cast and writers hitting their stride and getting t know the characters.
The final episode was really good...heart rending at times, and overall very satisfying. But only satisfying if it serves as a prelude to another season. This show deserves that. Brooke Shields and Kim Raver have proven to be secure anchors for this series, with Lindsey Price, who I originally did not like, getting better and better every show.
I know my wife (and another person who shall remain nameless...S.O.) will be disappointed if Kirby does not reappear (they would prefer with as few clothes as possible), but the conclusion felt right, and still left room for story line options.
The scene where Wendy comes to the hospital to see Nico....that was played perfectly. The emotional gravitas of two long time friends, working through problems, problems that come with every close relationship, was not overdone, but expressed the bond between these two spot on.
I hope to see this show come back, at least as a mid-season replacement again.
Top 5 List-Problem
Speaking of Paul...many years ago working together, we would create Top 5 lists. The top 5 celebs we would be able to sleep with if we had the chance. We totally realize that this is NEVER going to happen, but it is a creative exercise, meant to broaden our minds. Uh huh.
Anyway, of course Sharlynn knows all about this list, and has one of her own. You know, like that episode of Friends, where Ross actually laminates his list.
The problem? I can't come up with #5! The first 4, in no particular order: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Garner, Hilary Swank and Giada de Laurentiis. And I have a whole slew of others, but none that seems to pop out to make it to the Top 5 list. I am losing sleep over it. Any suggestions that can be offered would be much appreciated.
We won't even talk about the Top 5 real person list!!!! LOL LOL!!!!
Anyway, of course Sharlynn knows all about this list, and has one of her own. You know, like that episode of Friends, where Ross actually laminates his list.
The problem? I can't come up with #5! The first 4, in no particular order: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Garner, Hilary Swank and Giada de Laurentiis. And I have a whole slew of others, but none that seems to pop out to make it to the Top 5 list. I am losing sleep over it. Any suggestions that can be offered would be much appreciated.
We won't even talk about the Top 5 real person list!!!! LOL LOL!!!!
Congratulations are in Order
To my friend Paul. He landed a new job with a multi-media corporate conglomerate that's name rhymes with Shishney. I don't use the real name because I am afraid they will come after me for copyright infringement.
He is not with the theme parks division, but the travel ops and sales end of things. But he will at last get to move in with his beautiful girlfriend, Wendy, and the three cats and Beans, the dog.
Good Job Pauly!!!
He is not with the theme parks division, but the travel ops and sales end of things. But he will at last get to move in with his beautiful girlfriend, Wendy, and the three cats and Beans, the dog.
Good Job Pauly!!!
TV-Two and a Half Men
Now that the writer's strike has been settled, shows are slowly returning to the schedule. I'll be doing some quick reviews of shows I watch as they return.
First back is "Two and a Half Men." This show is raunchy and many times crude, but at times just makes me laugh outright. It is unapologetic in its tone, and with Charlie Sheen, actually seems to revel in it. I like the Charlie Sheen character because he does not care that others may think of him as a skirt-chasing shallow booze hound. In fact, he would just as soon admit to that! He would even take it as a compliment. This is how he wants to live, and who he is. He enjoys it, and so what?
One of the best parts of the show is his acerbic housekeeper, played by Conchata Ferrell. She is a hoot!
The first ep back was not very good, and I hope that the show did not suddenly lose its comedy over the strike. It has enough stock in it though, that it would take more than 1-2 bad episodes to make me give it up.
First back is "Two and a Half Men." This show is raunchy and many times crude, but at times just makes me laugh outright. It is unapologetic in its tone, and with Charlie Sheen, actually seems to revel in it. I like the Charlie Sheen character because he does not care that others may think of him as a skirt-chasing shallow booze hound. In fact, he would just as soon admit to that! He would even take it as a compliment. This is how he wants to live, and who he is. He enjoys it, and so what?
One of the best parts of the show is his acerbic housekeeper, played by Conchata Ferrell. She is a hoot!
The first ep back was not very good, and I hope that the show did not suddenly lose its comedy over the strike. It has enough stock in it though, that it would take more than 1-2 bad episodes to make me give it up.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Movie-Atonement
Atonement was one of the nominees for best movie at this year's Academy Awards. It did not win, and reading critics thoughts on the awards, they said it really had no chance. Now I haven't seen all the movies yet, I still have Juno and There Will Be Blood to go. But I was really impressed with this piece.
It is an incredibly sad movie. A mistake, whether completely intentional or not, by a young 13 year ole precocious girl, has consequences for two important people in her life. That girls spends the rest of her life trying to make up for it.
We see her as a 13 year old. We see her as a young woman. And again see her as a dying old lady. This old lady, a novelist, has written about her mistake as a way of atonement. But I think the author is trying to still condemn this woman. The imagination that caused all the problems as a 13 year, still is trying to fix them....but the fix is only in her mind. There is no reality to it. How is that any atonement? She may convince herself that somehow writing about these two as still alive and together makes up for causing their deaths. But it is not true. There is no atonement for her.
This is a beautifully made film. The details are sumptuous, and the actors are fantastic. James McAvoy continues to amaze. The storytelling values are top notch, and you cannot see a skimp in any aspect of the film. Better than Michael Clayton, and I think, better than No Country For Old Men.
It is an incredibly sad movie. A mistake, whether completely intentional or not, by a young 13 year ole precocious girl, has consequences for two important people in her life. That girls spends the rest of her life trying to make up for it.
We see her as a 13 year old. We see her as a young woman. And again see her as a dying old lady. This old lady, a novelist, has written about her mistake as a way of atonement. But I think the author is trying to still condemn this woman. The imagination that caused all the problems as a 13 year, still is trying to fix them....but the fix is only in her mind. There is no reality to it. How is that any atonement? She may convince herself that somehow writing about these two as still alive and together makes up for causing their deaths. But it is not true. There is no atonement for her.
This is a beautifully made film. The details are sumptuous, and the actors are fantastic. James McAvoy continues to amaze. The storytelling values are top notch, and you cannot see a skimp in any aspect of the film. Better than Michael Clayton, and I think, better than No Country For Old Men.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Movie-Warriors of Heaven and Earth
Another Chinese movie, but this time not like Crouching Tiger. 2004's "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" is more like an old fashioned western. Instead of moving steer they are moving camels, and on the frontiers of China instead of the old west. Set centuries ago, this reminds me of The Magnificent Seven, except with a slightly mystical ending.
And I have to say, I really liked this movie. Intriguing and tense, I rooted for the good guys and wanted the bad guys done in. But like many westerns of that nature, not all the cowpokes make it to ride into the sunset. There is great swordplay, but not of the special effects laden sort of Crouching Tiger.
You know some of it is inevitable to the genre, but you still hope your favorites will make it through.
This was a fun movie.
And I have to say, I really liked this movie. Intriguing and tense, I rooted for the good guys and wanted the bad guys done in. But like many westerns of that nature, not all the cowpokes make it to ride into the sunset. There is great swordplay, but not of the special effects laden sort of Crouching Tiger.
You know some of it is inevitable to the genre, but you still hope your favorites will make it through.
This was a fun movie.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Cooking with Andy
Another Sunday of cooking. Last night I made something very easy, considering I was not feeling great. It was a really nice baked salmon with a whisky-maple sauce. Very tasty.
Today though, today was cooking! Started early with the very hearty cinnamon-oatmeal pancakes for breakfast. Lots of oatmeal and wheatgerm in them so they are fairly healthy. Keeping on the oatmeal theme, for my work lunches I made oatmeal bars. I went on to make sweet potato pie. OK, I could say healthy because of the sweet potatoes, but I would fool no one! LOL!
Next dish? For my entree at work, a ravioli salad with vegetables and ham. With a nice vinaigrette on this, it is tasty! For a vegetable dish, stewed zucchini with feta. Easy easy easy.
My last dish, and it was fantastic, was Giada's baked penne with roasted vegetables. OMG, it was really good. With smoked mozzarella and fontina cheeses, and roasted red pepper, zucchini, summer squash and mushrooms, all combined with sauce and peas and pasta, then baked. It came out great!
Oh, and Giada is hot too!
If anyone sees a recipe they want, let me know, and I will get it to you. I don't think Sharlynn will have to cook for a few days.
Today though, today was cooking! Started early with the very hearty cinnamon-oatmeal pancakes for breakfast. Lots of oatmeal and wheatgerm in them so they are fairly healthy. Keeping on the oatmeal theme, for my work lunches I made oatmeal bars. I went on to make sweet potato pie. OK, I could say healthy because of the sweet potatoes, but I would fool no one! LOL!
Next dish? For my entree at work, a ravioli salad with vegetables and ham. With a nice vinaigrette on this, it is tasty! For a vegetable dish, stewed zucchini with feta. Easy easy easy.
My last dish, and it was fantastic, was Giada's baked penne with roasted vegetables. OMG, it was really good. With smoked mozzarella and fontina cheeses, and roasted red pepper, zucchini, summer squash and mushrooms, all combined with sauce and peas and pasta, then baked. It came out great!
Oh, and Giada is hot too!
If anyone sees a recipe they want, let me know, and I will get it to you. I don't think Sharlynn will have to cook for a few days.
Movie-The Reaping
We just watched 2007's The Reaping, with Hilary Swank. More in the tradition of The Exorcist than the new age Japanese horror films, The Reaping does not live up to its predecessor. But, it isn't bad either.
Hilary Swank plays a woman who is trying to explain the mysterious happenings in a small community by scientific means. The happenings resemble the biblical plagues. As a fallen Christian, she does not believe in miracles nor supernatural events. But she must decide whether these things can be explained rationally, or whether she needs to regain her faith to save herself and a young girl the town sees as satan's heir.
I like Hilary Swank quite a bit. I generally like the movies she is in, and the characters she plays. This movie was not an exception. Also, quite frankly, I think she is hot. But, I have heard some people say that she is ugly. I am wondering what anyone who reads this thinks. Let me know: Hilary Swank, hot or not?
Hilary Swank plays a woman who is trying to explain the mysterious happenings in a small community by scientific means. The happenings resemble the biblical plagues. As a fallen Christian, she does not believe in miracles nor supernatural events. But she must decide whether these things can be explained rationally, or whether she needs to regain her faith to save herself and a young girl the town sees as satan's heir.
I like Hilary Swank quite a bit. I generally like the movies she is in, and the characters she plays. This movie was not an exception. Also, quite frankly, I think she is hot. But, I have heard some people say that she is ugly. I am wondering what anyone who reads this thinks. Let me know: Hilary Swank, hot or not?
TV-The Return of Jezebel James
A new comedy sereies premiered on Friday, called The Return of Jezebel James. I am giving it a try becasue I like both acctreeses playing the lead characters. Parker Posey has played in some interesting indy films, and I really loved Lauren Ambrose as Claire, in Six Feet Under.
They premiered two episodes back to back. And Sharlynn thought they were OK. I did not. The laugh track was amazingly annoying. Parker Posey overacts so much that she is shrill and as canned as the laugh track. I mean, she sounds like she is reading lines...badly written lines. The writing was marginal at best. And Lauren Ambrose's soulfulness that stood her so well in Six Feet Under does her no good here.
I will give my requisite three episode shot, but my choice would be to dump it. I will keep it if Sharlynn wants it in the rotation. My bet is the show will not last long. It is not very good, critical buzz has not been good, and it is on Friday night, where shows go that the networks want to bury.
They premiered two episodes back to back. And Sharlynn thought they were OK. I did not. The laugh track was amazingly annoying. Parker Posey overacts so much that she is shrill and as canned as the laugh track. I mean, she sounds like she is reading lines...badly written lines. The writing was marginal at best. And Lauren Ambrose's soulfulness that stood her so well in Six Feet Under does her no good here.
I will give my requisite three episode shot, but my choice would be to dump it. I will keep it if Sharlynn wants it in the rotation. My bet is the show will not last long. It is not very good, critical buzz has not been good, and it is on Friday night, where shows go that the networks want to bury.
Migraine and a Movie- Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi
We had had plans for an evening with friends Seth and Emily, but I migraine and the resulting migraine hangover forced us to cancel. The headaches have been worse again lately, despite the neurology dept putting me on different meds every few months. I am considering acupuncture, if this next round does not get things under control. One day last week at work I felt like I was going to heave or pass out, or both, most of the morning.
As such, we stayed at home, and watched an Israeli film called Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi. . This movie was fantastic. A small touching movie with great performances, and quite a bit of warm comic relief, it chronicles a teenager who spends all his time taking care of his family, from his grandfather (the only one who really sees Shlomi for what he is) his parents and his siblings. he spends so much time taking care of others, he loses himself, and no one else seems to recognize that he has submerged his identity as someone truly special.
But a few new people come into Shlomi's life, and he starts to live for himself. The transformation loses none of his warmth or caring, but adds to his possibilities.
A wonderful little film.
Another thing I love about Netflix is the number of foreign movies that I have access to. The choice in this category is huge, and we find many superior films here, films that would not be made in the U.S. While Shlomi is not one that would not be made here, it is indicative of the quality of many overseas productions. And Netflix gives us access to so many of these.
As such, we stayed at home, and watched an Israeli film called Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi. . This movie was fantastic. A small touching movie with great performances, and quite a bit of warm comic relief, it chronicles a teenager who spends all his time taking care of his family, from his grandfather (the only one who really sees Shlomi for what he is) his parents and his siblings. he spends so much time taking care of others, he loses himself, and no one else seems to recognize that he has submerged his identity as someone truly special.
But a few new people come into Shlomi's life, and he starts to live for himself. The transformation loses none of his warmth or caring, but adds to his possibilities.
A wonderful little film.
Another thing I love about Netflix is the number of foreign movies that I have access to. The choice in this category is huge, and we find many superior films here, films that would not be made in the U.S. While Shlomi is not one that would not be made here, it is indicative of the quality of many overseas productions. And Netflix gives us access to so many of these.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Movie-No Country For Old Men
Soooooooooo---just finished No Country For Old Men. Won best picture and best director as well as best supporting actor for Javier Bardem
And I can't really say how I feel about it completely. Pretty much the whole movie was tension filled, edge of your seat, amazing acting accolade accolade accolade etc.
But how about the end? Did it totally blow, or was it just me? The last ten minutes, even the last 15. It really seemed like they just decided, "Oh, we have to wrap this thing up. Kill the protagonist, throw in a couple of other ambiguous scenes...and we ARE done! Let's get a beer!"
And while I cannot dispute Javier Bardem's performance...I am starting to reevaluate Michael Clayton. At least in that film, it seemed like the vision was carried all the way through, whereas in Old Men, it really felt like the vision just vanished. You may get a re-evaluation from me, but this is my initial reaction:
Good movie, but the ending ruined it.
And I can't really say how I feel about it completely. Pretty much the whole movie was tension filled, edge of your seat, amazing acting accolade accolade accolade etc.
But how about the end? Did it totally blow, or was it just me? The last ten minutes, even the last 15. It really seemed like they just decided, "Oh, we have to wrap this thing up. Kill the protagonist, throw in a couple of other ambiguous scenes...and we ARE done! Let's get a beer!"
And while I cannot dispute Javier Bardem's performance...I am starting to reevaluate Michael Clayton. At least in that film, it seemed like the vision was carried all the way through, whereas in Old Men, it really felt like the vision just vanished. You may get a re-evaluation from me, but this is my initial reaction:
Good movie, but the ending ruined it.
Netflix Release-TV or Movie?
So one thing I love about Netflix, and I love MANY things about Netflix, is that I also watch some TV shows that I have never watched before, like many HBO shows. While I own Sex and the City, I have flixed The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Curb Your Enthusiasm. We have just finished the 6th season of Curb, and Larry David continues to be either a complete idiot or a comic genius.
For those who do not know, Larry David is the co-creator of Seinfeld, and the character of George is largely based on Larry. Gives you an idea of who he is right there. But in the Curb he plays himself even robustly. Larry is man without a filter, and at its worst, Curb makes you shudder with annoyance at the things that irk this character. But at its best, (and its best happens much more frequently than its worst) Larry is a modern day Don Quixote, standing up for the put upon, voicing the consternation that PC speech has made elusive for the rest of us.
And example of what irks Larry. Going into an ice cream place, to get some ice cream for his wife (the very funny Cheryl Hines, Larry finds himself waiting behind a woman who insists on sampling every single flavor the shop is offering....EVERY SINGLE ONE! Now, we have all been behind this person in line before in one form or another. The person that cares not a whit that someone else is waiting...the person who has no regard for others at all, but is so frickin' self centered they will take frickin' hours to make up their mind on what kind of ice cream they WANT!!! (Deep breath). Well, we politely grumble about it later, but as I said, Larry lacks some filtration, and starts complaining about it then. Is he right? Of course he is. But does he handle it well. Equally as right that he does not.
The 6th season offers some very funny moments. And Larry writing in his own real life divorce was inspiration. Each season should be watched a few at a time, because you can easily OD on his attitude and comedy both. But there are times where you just root for him so strongly, and do not understand how other cannot see how right he is.
For those who do not know, Larry David is the co-creator of Seinfeld, and the character of George is largely based on Larry. Gives you an idea of who he is right there. But in the Curb he plays himself even robustly. Larry is man without a filter, and at its worst, Curb makes you shudder with annoyance at the things that irk this character. But at its best, (and its best happens much more frequently than its worst) Larry is a modern day Don Quixote, standing up for the put upon, voicing the consternation that PC speech has made elusive for the rest of us.
And example of what irks Larry. Going into an ice cream place, to get some ice cream for his wife (the very funny Cheryl Hines, Larry finds himself waiting behind a woman who insists on sampling every single flavor the shop is offering....EVERY SINGLE ONE! Now, we have all been behind this person in line before in one form or another. The person that cares not a whit that someone else is waiting...the person who has no regard for others at all, but is so frickin' self centered they will take frickin' hours to make up their mind on what kind of ice cream they WANT!!! (Deep breath). Well, we politely grumble about it later, but as I said, Larry lacks some filtration, and starts complaining about it then. Is he right? Of course he is. But does he handle it well. Equally as right that he does not.
The 6th season offers some very funny moments. And Larry writing in his own real life divorce was inspiration. Each season should be watched a few at a time, because you can easily OD on his attitude and comedy both. But there are times where you just root for him so strongly, and do not understand how other cannot see how right he is.
Magazines 2 and 3
Finished both Zoonooz and Playboy. As I mentioned, I read Zoonooz more out of obligation. But there were two articles that held my interest. The first one on the new insect house. I think the bugs are pretty amazing, and totally freaky to look at. And the horticulture article (for once) was good, about how chocolate is grown and manufactured.
Playboy (Mar 08) was, as usual, filled with great content. The interview this month was especially good with Garry Kasaparov, the former world chess champion from Russia. But now, at great personal risk, he is a dissident against the current Russian government and Vladimir Putin. When he talks of our own GW and Condi, and hears them say, "Well, Russians are better off now than under Stalin," he rightfully is pissed. Is that how we are going to judge things? Better off than under Stalin? What about this Democracy the US is supposed to be standing up for, that will transform the world? Isn't that why we are in Iraq? Really thought provoking interview, and scary what Russia is becoming again. The fiction is really good this issue also, called "The Cook" by Tony D'Souza, it describes a trio of Peace Corps workers that go to India in the 70's and the cultural ambiguities that arise. Well written, sharp characters, and engaging.
Playboy (Mar 08) was, as usual, filled with great content. The interview this month was especially good with Garry Kasaparov, the former world chess champion from Russia. But now, at great personal risk, he is a dissident against the current Russian government and Vladimir Putin. When he talks of our own GW and Condi, and hears them say, "Well, Russians are better off now than under Stalin," he rightfully is pissed. Is that how we are going to judge things? Better off than under Stalin? What about this Democracy the US is supposed to be standing up for, that will transform the world? Isn't that why we are in Iraq? Really thought provoking interview, and scary what Russia is becoming again. The fiction is really good this issue also, called "The Cook" by Tony D'Souza, it describes a trio of Peace Corps workers that go to India in the 70's and the cultural ambiguities that arise. Well written, sharp characters, and engaging.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
TV-New Amsterdam
It is on my playlist after its three episode preview. Even the criminal case this week was pretty interesting. And the glimpes of his past lives still intrigue.
I also like that they did not dumb it down too much. In the past he was a doctor during the Civil War, and his assistant was a man named Walt. I knew as an English major that this was Walt Whitman, the great American poet, but they never did ever say his whole name, though they showed his seminal book, "Leaves of Grass." If people did not get it, oh well.
One of the poems from Leaves of Grass:
I Sit and Look Out
I SIT and look out upon all the sorrows of the world, and upon all oppression and shame;
I hear secret convulsive sobs from young men, at anguish with themselves, remorseful after deeds done;
I see, in low life, the mother misused by her children, dying, neglected, gaunt, desperate;
I see the wife misused by her husband—I see the treacherous seducer of young women;
I mark the ranklings of jealousy and unrequited love, attempted to be hid—I see these sights on the earth; 5
I see the workings of battle, pestilence, tyranny—I see martyrs and prisoners;
I observe a famine at sea—I observe the sailors casting lots who shall be kill’d, to preserve the lives of the rest;
I observe the slights and degradations cast by arrogant persons upon laborers, the poor, and upon negroes, and the like;
All these—All the meanness and agony without end, I sitting, look out upon,
See, hear, and am silent.
This is a good show.
I also like that they did not dumb it down too much. In the past he was a doctor during the Civil War, and his assistant was a man named Walt. I knew as an English major that this was Walt Whitman, the great American poet, but they never did ever say his whole name, though they showed his seminal book, "Leaves of Grass." If people did not get it, oh well.
One of the poems from Leaves of Grass:
I Sit and Look Out
I SIT and look out upon all the sorrows of the world, and upon all oppression and shame;
I hear secret convulsive sobs from young men, at anguish with themselves, remorseful after deeds done;
I see, in low life, the mother misused by her children, dying, neglected, gaunt, desperate;
I see the wife misused by her husband—I see the treacherous seducer of young women;
I mark the ranklings of jealousy and unrequited love, attempted to be hid—I see these sights on the earth; 5
I see the workings of battle, pestilence, tyranny—I see martyrs and prisoners;
I observe a famine at sea—I observe the sailors casting lots who shall be kill’d, to preserve the lives of the rest;
I observe the slights and degradations cast by arrogant persons upon laborers, the poor, and upon negroes, and the like;
All these—All the meanness and agony without end, I sitting, look out upon,
See, hear, and am silent.
This is a good show.
Magazines
I am between books right now, so I am reading magazines. Just finished the Feb 08 issue of Nat Geo. I know I mentioned it before, but I learn so DAMN much from reading this. I love it!
The articles in this issue are all good, I think my favorites being the articles about the black Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. I had actually heard of the kingdom these conquerors of Egypt were from, from a book about Cleopatra. The other article that drew me was about the Hazara people of Afghanistan. Again, there was a connection to "The Kite Runner," which I just read last year.
But every article in the issue was fascinating. Great frickn' magazine!
The articles in this issue are all good, I think my favorites being the articles about the black Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. I had actually heard of the kingdom these conquerors of Egypt were from, from a book about Cleopatra. The other article that drew me was about the Hazara people of Afghanistan. Again, there was a connection to "The Kite Runner," which I just read last year.
But every article in the issue was fascinating. Great frickn' magazine!
Movie-"Curse of the Golden Flower"
"Curse" is another movie that initially seems like (and is marketed as such) another Crouching Tiger type movie. But like the previously reviewed Hero, it is not really the same at all. And save for the end, where there are epic battles, there is very little violence or swordplay. It is more a movie of palace intrigue, with emperor pitted against consort, changing alliances among sons and secrets from the past emerging to threaten the imperial family. All set amid utter opulence.
The sets and costumes are simply amazing, and the very hot Gong Li is strapped in so tight she always seem in danger of popping out.
I do wish the marketing of the film was a bit truer to what the film is. I think the movie actually might be better received if people did not feel like they were deceived into seeing it. it has the merits to stand on its own, and does not need to ride on any movie coattails.
The sets and costumes are simply amazing, and the very hot Gong Li is strapped in so tight she always seem in danger of popping out.
I do wish the marketing of the film was a bit truer to what the film is. I think the movie actually might be better received if people did not feel like they were deceived into seeing it. it has the merits to stand on its own, and does not need to ride on any movie coattails.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Dim Sum
The first time I had dim sum was when Sharlynn and I were getting more serious, and we went out with her parents Anne and John. Anne is Japanese, but John was Chinese and loved to go out for dim sum. It was a different cuisine for me, but I enjoyed it immediately.
Fast forward about 25 years. Many more dim sum places in San Diego now, John would have loved it. We have a group that meets for dim sum periodically and we also invite newbies, who have never had it before. My favorite place is Emerald Chinese Seafood on Convoy. It is just sooooo good. We usually meet on Sundays, and today we had a group of 11. Sometimes we have had groups as large as 20. Anne was able to come out for dim sum for the first time in at least a year, due to her illnesses, so that was a highlight too.
Our newbies were D'anne and her boyfriend Stephen. And I think they enjoyed it. At least they were not making faces every time they tried something. Actually, very few seem to not like it. Most people we invite back to join us again and again.
Jorge was there with his brother and parents, and Yvette and Bill were there also. Jorge, Yvette and Bill are among the "old-timers" for dim sum. We have been eating it together for probably a good 10-12 years now.
Some of our favorites, the egg cream buns. Yvette and I could just gorge on those alone. Jorge love the sesame shrimp, and the fried shrimp on stems of candy cane.
Sharlynn loves the sesame seed balls. Bill enjoys the pork buns. me...well, just about anything actually. Sticky rice is great. And all the seafood dishes, especially the steamed. Oh...and the fried squid! Can't forget that!
We walked out of there stuffed! But happy. Good to see the old friends and the new, good to have Anne out, and good to eat dim sum.
I'm happy now!!
Fast forward about 25 years. Many more dim sum places in San Diego now, John would have loved it. We have a group that meets for dim sum periodically and we also invite newbies, who have never had it before. My favorite place is Emerald Chinese Seafood on Convoy. It is just sooooo good. We usually meet on Sundays, and today we had a group of 11. Sometimes we have had groups as large as 20. Anne was able to come out for dim sum for the first time in at least a year, due to her illnesses, so that was a highlight too.
Our newbies were D'anne and her boyfriend Stephen. And I think they enjoyed it. At least they were not making faces every time they tried something. Actually, very few seem to not like it. Most people we invite back to join us again and again.
Jorge was there with his brother and parents, and Yvette and Bill were there also. Jorge, Yvette and Bill are among the "old-timers" for dim sum. We have been eating it together for probably a good 10-12 years now.
Some of our favorites, the egg cream buns. Yvette and I could just gorge on those alone. Jorge love the sesame shrimp, and the fried shrimp on stems of candy cane.
Sharlynn loves the sesame seed balls. Bill enjoys the pork buns. me...well, just about anything actually. Sticky rice is great. And all the seafood dishes, especially the steamed. Oh...and the fried squid! Can't forget that!
We walked out of there stuffed! But happy. Good to see the old friends and the new, good to have Anne out, and good to eat dim sum.
I'm happy now!!
Cooking with Andy
Most of you know I really enjoy cooking. It is a creative process for me, and the mixing of ingredients together, all concocting something greater than just the sum of individual parts, is very satisfying to me.
I don't cook quite as much as I used to, and Sharlynn has been cooking more, but this weekend I got to put together some nice dishes. For my work lunches this week I prepared pasta and eggplant with a tomato and basil sauce. For me, a nice hearty pasta dish is comfort food, and this one is. Additionally, I love eggplant. Dom Deluise, in his cookbook says, "Eggplant to an Italian is like sex to a nymphomaniac."
Well, I would not go QUITE that far, but I really love eggplant. This dish is just comfort food all the way!
I also made sauteed scallops in a white wine sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Served over linguine. Again---YUM-MY!
I made buckwheat muffins for my work lunches too, and a vegetable dish called broccoli and red pepper pie, with some breadcrumbs acting as the "crust." With garbanzo beans and an egg/parmesan mixture it can be a meal unto itself.
So that was my cooking this weekend. No disasters, which sometimes happens.
I don't cook quite as much as I used to, and Sharlynn has been cooking more, but this weekend I got to put together some nice dishes. For my work lunches this week I prepared pasta and eggplant with a tomato and basil sauce. For me, a nice hearty pasta dish is comfort food, and this one is. Additionally, I love eggplant. Dom Deluise, in his cookbook says, "Eggplant to an Italian is like sex to a nymphomaniac."
Well, I would not go QUITE that far, but I really love eggplant. This dish is just comfort food all the way!
I also made sauteed scallops in a white wine sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Served over linguine. Again---YUM-MY!
I made buckwheat muffins for my work lunches too, and a vegetable dish called broccoli and red pepper pie, with some breadcrumbs acting as the "crust." With garbanzo beans and an egg/parmesan mixture it can be a meal unto itself.
So that was my cooking this weekend. No disasters, which sometimes happens.
Movie-"Who Killed the Electric Car"
The documentary feature has really re-emerged in the past five years as a compelling form of story-telling. The film, from 2006, delves into the death of the electric car. And yes, there were very viable electric cars produced from some of the big auto-makers...fully electric, freeway speed cars.
"Who Killed the Electric Car" is partially spun as a murder mystery, listing different suspects and clues to their motives for doing away with this technology.
If you are not a cynic yet about the partnership between government and corporations, this movie will bring you there. For instance, did you know that the federal government, in 2003 gave a $100,000 tax deduction to anyone who bought a road vehicle over 6000lbs...basically the only vehicle like that was the hummer. No, no government collusion there at all.
So much interesting info in this film...most of all that the technology IS here for viable electric cars. Right now...but the manufacturers won't produce them. And they and the oil companies buy any company that makes electric even more viable.
I recommend this film.
"Who Killed the Electric Car" is partially spun as a murder mystery, listing different suspects and clues to their motives for doing away with this technology.
If you are not a cynic yet about the partnership between government and corporations, this movie will bring you there. For instance, did you know that the federal government, in 2003 gave a $100,000 tax deduction to anyone who bought a road vehicle over 6000lbs...basically the only vehicle like that was the hummer. No, no government collusion there at all.
So much interesting info in this film...most of all that the technology IS here for viable electric cars. Right now...but the manufacturers won't produce them. And they and the oil companies buy any company that makes electric even more viable.
I recommend this film.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Massage
I don't know how my wrists, afflicted for many years with carpal tunnel, would survive if not for the treatment of Aaron Sas, masseuse extraordinaire. I get full massages which are great, but what keeps me going is my half-hour sessions where he concentrates on my forearms, wrists and hands.
Aaron runs Holistic Traditions with his wife, Sara, an acupuncturist. And it is great. He is very down to earth, easy going and laid back. He is also a restaurateur, aside from his first business, running the very good Cantina Mayahuel on Adams Ave and 30th in North Park. Very good regional Mexican cuisine, very healthy (he refuses to have a deep fryer) and he just got his liquor licence and is getting in premium tequilas and mescals.
So, if you need a good massage, Aaron is the guy. And if you need some good Mexican food and a decent price, Cantina Mayahuel is the place. Busy guy!
Aaron runs Holistic Traditions with his wife, Sara, an acupuncturist. And it is great. He is very down to earth, easy going and laid back. He is also a restaurateur, aside from his first business, running the very good Cantina Mayahuel on Adams Ave and 30th in North Park. Very good regional Mexican cuisine, very healthy (he refuses to have a deep fryer) and he just got his liquor licence and is getting in premium tequilas and mescals.
So, if you need a good massage, Aaron is the guy. And if you need some good Mexican food and a decent price, Cantina Mayahuel is the place. Busy guy!
TV- New Amsterdam Pt II
OK, this show got much better the second ep. Very intriguing as his past lives intersect with his present. The idea of living forever is always a dream, but the reality of the loss, as all your friends and loved ones grow old and die...
The present day police cases are fine, but the real meat of the story is his story, the lives he has led, and the people he has known.
Looking forward to the next ep when it takes its regular time slot on Mondays on Fox. I hope it can keep up the pace of these first two.
The present day police cases are fine, but the real meat of the story is his story, the lives he has led, and the people he has known.
Looking forward to the next ep when it takes its regular time slot on Mondays on Fox. I hope it can keep up the pace of these first two.
City Wok
So we had a theme night last night...watching Hero and eating take out Chinese food. Our favorite take out place right now is City Wok, bordering Hillcrest and Mission Hills. We have lunch at the restaurant sometimes, but usually do the take out for dinner.
It seems very fresh and hot when we pick it up, and they make sure you have everything you order, going through each item.
Fried rice is great. We love the steamed dumpling appetizers, and everything we have had has been tasty and plentiful.
They do not deliver to our area, so we have to pick up. We are having trouble finding a good Chinese place that delivers around here. And you know, sometimes it is wrong to drive!
It seems very fresh and hot when we pick it up, and they make sure you have everything you order, going through each item.
Fried rice is great. We love the steamed dumpling appetizers, and everything we have had has been tasty and plentiful.
They do not deliver to our area, so we have to pick up. We are having trouble finding a good Chinese place that delivers around here. And you know, sometimes it is wrong to drive!
Movie-"Hero" 2002
From the genre of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (or is it Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger?) Hero seems to be at first all fight. But as you move into the movie it becomes about art, the art of calligraphy, the art of the game Go, the art of swordsmanship. It is more thoughtful and contemplative, musing about the use of power, the good of the many vs. the good of the few, the battle between independence or peace.
Even the fight scenes become more of a ballet, rather than serious fights, with choregraphy of swords and clothing that is pretty amazing.
Not typical maybe, but worth a watch, as long as you are not expecting something more action packed.
Even the fight scenes become more of a ballet, rather than serious fights, with choregraphy of swords and clothing that is pretty amazing.
Not typical maybe, but worth a watch, as long as you are not expecting something more action packed.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
New Amsterdam
A new mid-season show is out on Fox, and we watched the first ep. "New Amsterdam" is intriguing so far, and I will watch at least a couple of more episodes. In fact some critics have said it gets better in the 2nd and 3rd eps. In short, it is about a police detective who has lived for several centuries, after his life was saved by a Native American around the time of the founding of New Amsterdam, later to become New York. He has had many identities and lived many lives picking up all kinds of information that helps him solve crimes.
The hitch. When his life was saved, he was told he would not age until he met "the one," the Indian priestess saying also that their souls would wed. He would know by a pain in his chest. And for the first time in all the centuries that has happened. So, while solving cases, he is also looking for a way to rejoin normal human society.
Acting is good, premise is really good, and details are great. One montage showing how New York has changed through the years, specifically at Times Square is really nicely done. The crime solving is interesting, with always the background story in play, running parallel.
I will continue watching at least two more times.
The hitch. When his life was saved, he was told he would not age until he met "the one," the Indian priestess saying also that their souls would wed. He would know by a pain in his chest. And for the first time in all the centuries that has happened. So, while solving cases, he is also looking for a way to rejoin normal human society.
Acting is good, premise is really good, and details are great. One montage showing how New York has changed through the years, specifically at Times Square is really nicely done. The crime solving is interesting, with always the background story in play, running parallel.
I will continue watching at least two more times.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Terminator
The Terminator series ended last night, 4 episodes short of its original 13 ep pick up, due to that damn writer's strike. It still leaves enough of a punch that I would not mind seeing it back. The last 4 eps being quite good, after a few languished a bit.
I love the lead character, and the hoooooootttt actress that plays her, Lena Headley. While sometimes confusing, as with many time travel ploys, the characters are pretty sharp, and you can just stop trying to figure all the time travel stuff out and just enjoy the ride.
It is unknown whether this show will be back or not. I would like to see what it can do with more eps, but it might not get the chance.
I love the lead character, and the hoooooootttt actress that plays her, Lena Headley. While sometimes confusing, as with many time travel ploys, the characters are pretty sharp, and you can just stop trying to figure all the time travel stuff out and just enjoy the ride.
It is unknown whether this show will be back or not. I would like to see what it can do with more eps, but it might not get the chance.
The Bachman Books-Novel 4
Well, the last novel was the best, by far. It is also the (probably not coincidentially) the most well known, "The Running Man." It was made into a movie starring the govenator himself. I think I had heard that King was not happy with the movie, and I wouldn't blame him. It changed so many elements of the novel, it is hard to say it is even the same story.
It was one of those tense action thrillers that make you want to keep turning the pages. While I have complained before that these novels were too long, this is not. The pacing is perfect.
Like The Long Walk, this is a slightly futuristic dystopian society. And again, Stephen King plays with the game show theme, this time involving contestants running for their lives from hunters. The people participating are poor and desperate to make money for their families, and are paid for every hour they stay alive...all of this for the viewing public to watch.
Again, I must give dues to King as a futurist here. We are not far away from that now, especially not on the internet, viewing death and destruction as entertainment.
King is at his best here, even under the name of Bachman. He leads us down a tense quickly paced thriller, while leaving us wondering when do we turn it off, and how far is too far.
It was one of those tense action thrillers that make you want to keep turning the pages. While I have complained before that these novels were too long, this is not. The pacing is perfect.
Like The Long Walk, this is a slightly futuristic dystopian society. And again, Stephen King plays with the game show theme, this time involving contestants running for their lives from hunters. The people participating are poor and desperate to make money for their families, and are paid for every hour they stay alive...all of this for the viewing public to watch.
Again, I must give dues to King as a futurist here. We are not far away from that now, especially not on the internet, viewing death and destruction as entertainment.
King is at his best here, even under the name of Bachman. He leads us down a tense quickly paced thriller, while leaving us wondering when do we turn it off, and how far is too far.
Monday, March 3, 2008
New Restaurant
OK...it is not new, but it is the first time I have tried it. Hometown Buffet my friends!
Some of you may know of my idiotic resolution to try some chain restaurants this year. No, I have not eaten at most chains. I feel culturally deprived of my American psyche. Maybe that is why I am such a liberal and do not like GW--because I don't eat good wholesome American chain cusine.
And, coming off a good outing in Dec at the Red Lobster, I was ready (with Sharlynn scowling at me all the way) to try Hometown Buffett.
It was...ahem...really...f'ing terrible! I cannot imagine ever wanting to eat there again. I could not tell the chicken from the fish from the bread from the steak. Almost everyone working there was obese, and so were many of the customers. I think I saw the character from Gone Baby Gone there. And a dude looked a lot like Alice Cooper, on a bad trip day.
Sharlynn (who was a good sport about it-she even found a coupon for it) and I were talking about how bad the place is, and how many of the people eating the food looked pretty...well, unhealthy would be nice, when all of a sudden, across my field of vision heading to the buffet, was my own mother. I almost choked I was about to laugh out loud. I peeked under a divider and saw my dad sitting there waiting for mom to get her stuff so he could get his.
Well, we had to say hi, and we did not eat with them, because we were just getting our banana pudding as dessert and they were just on their first trip through the greasy, overcooked, tasteless laden steam trays.
I can think of only two reasons I would eat there again. If I was so out of my mind stoned, that it somehow sounded really good to me, or, if someone were holding a gun to Sharlynn's head threatening to shoot her if I did not eat there. Other than that, I think I will let that piece of Americana keep to itself.
Ohhhhhh...where is the Pepto?
Some of you may know of my idiotic resolution to try some chain restaurants this year. No, I have not eaten at most chains. I feel culturally deprived of my American psyche. Maybe that is why I am such a liberal and do not like GW--because I don't eat good wholesome American chain cusine.
And, coming off a good outing in Dec at the Red Lobster, I was ready (with Sharlynn scowling at me all the way) to try Hometown Buffett.
It was...ahem...really...f'ing terrible! I cannot imagine ever wanting to eat there again. I could not tell the chicken from the fish from the bread from the steak. Almost everyone working there was obese, and so were many of the customers. I think I saw the character from Gone Baby Gone there. And a dude looked a lot like Alice Cooper, on a bad trip day.
Sharlynn (who was a good sport about it-she even found a coupon for it) and I were talking about how bad the place is, and how many of the people eating the food looked pretty...well, unhealthy would be nice, when all of a sudden, across my field of vision heading to the buffet, was my own mother. I almost choked I was about to laugh out loud. I peeked under a divider and saw my dad sitting there waiting for mom to get her stuff so he could get his.
Well, we had to say hi, and we did not eat with them, because we were just getting our banana pudding as dessert and they were just on their first trip through the greasy, overcooked, tasteless laden steam trays.
I can think of only two reasons I would eat there again. If I was so out of my mind stoned, that it somehow sounded really good to me, or, if someone were holding a gun to Sharlynn's head threatening to shoot her if I did not eat there. Other than that, I think I will let that piece of Americana keep to itself.
Ohhhhhh...where is the Pepto?
TV-Aliens in America
Someone has called it the funniest new show that people are not watching. And I agree. This mild show has a charm and is also mostly outright funny. It does not help its ratings that it is on the CW.
The premise is of a mid-western, small city family, with the son being, well, pretty much a complete nerd. Everyone at school sees him this way, and even his family realizes it. His over-protective mother (and she is a MILF!) thinks the solution is to bring in a foreign exchange student to be his best friend, picturing a glowing brawny Swede, that would help his popularity. Instead, they get a skinny Pakistani teenager, with more than a mildy interesting viewpoint of American life.
One of my favorite eps was when the family, in their weekly tradition goes to the BIG CONTAINER store (Costco et al) on Sunday morning. Raja observes that the family gets dressed up, idolizes the new merchandise, and spends about 10-20% of their money there...it is, he says, like their church.
It is now back on, on Sunday nights. Try it for a couple of weeks.
The premise is of a mid-western, small city family, with the son being, well, pretty much a complete nerd. Everyone at school sees him this way, and even his family realizes it. His over-protective mother (and she is a MILF!) thinks the solution is to bring in a foreign exchange student to be his best friend, picturing a glowing brawny Swede, that would help his popularity. Instead, they get a skinny Pakistani teenager, with more than a mildy interesting viewpoint of American life.
One of my favorite eps was when the family, in their weekly tradition goes to the BIG CONTAINER store (Costco et al) on Sunday morning. Raja observes that the family gets dressed up, idolizes the new merchandise, and spends about 10-20% of their money there...it is, he says, like their church.
It is now back on, on Sunday nights. Try it for a couple of weeks.
The Bachman Books-Novel 3
Finished the third novel in The Bachman Books collection, called Roadwork. And of the three so far, it was by far the worst. Like The Long Walk, it could have used some heavy editing, 70 pages out at least. It probably would have been better as a novella, or long short story, but even then, I can't see it being intriguing. In short, it concerns a man who had a child die a few years back. He is now pushed over the edge by a city using Eminent Domain laws to pave over his house and place of business.
But the start of the novel leaves no doubt as to the outcome, and the journey there is not interesting. The character is bland and boring, as are the supporting characters. Episodes are thrown in that do not advance the plot, and seem only to serve the purpose of...well, being thrown in.
Worst for me is that this story came in the part of a long book that always seems to tax the pace I want to read at. In a long book (800-1000+ pages) there generally seems to be a lull around pages 500-800. And it takes much concentration for me to get my 200 pages a week in. And the worst story so far in the collection came there.
This story had no moral ambiguities to examine, no futuristic dystopian society to ponder. In short, it was a long bore.
But the start of the novel leaves no doubt as to the outcome, and the journey there is not interesting. The character is bland and boring, as are the supporting characters. Episodes are thrown in that do not advance the plot, and seem only to serve the purpose of...well, being thrown in.
Worst for me is that this story came in the part of a long book that always seems to tax the pace I want to read at. In a long book (800-1000+ pages) there generally seems to be a lull around pages 500-800. And it takes much concentration for me to get my 200 pages a week in. And the worst story so far in the collection came there.
This story had no moral ambiguities to examine, no futuristic dystopian society to ponder. In short, it was a long bore.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Gone Baby Gone
Gone Baby Gone is the second movie we have seen with a best supporting actress Oscar nomination. The first being Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton. And already I do not like the the choice of the academy.
Amy Ryan's role is something not to be easily forgotten, because she plays such an unlikeble character. Her daughter disappears and she doesn't seem to care at all. In fact her actions might have precipitated the disappearance. But I wonder if we would have that reaction if she was not poor?
In the final scenes after all that has gone on throughout the movie, she leaves her daughter to go on a date. And we feel, very viscerally, "What a terrible mother. What a terrible person!" But if she were in a big house, and were leaving her chid with a nanny...if she were dressed in Pravda, instead of white trash chic...if she were well made up, instead of Crack Ho by Revlon...would we be so against her? And would she be any better or worse?
I think we are confronted a bit by our own prejudices in this movie. Part of why we do not like her, I think, is her environment, not just what kind of person she is.
Ben Affleck, in his debut as a director does a very nice job, coming to the line but never crossing it, of sentimentality. He did not choose the easiest of answers. His brother Casey does a really nice job in the lead. And the supporting cast is great. And the location of the film is part of the supporting cast.
The movie makes you judge on your own decisions of the characters, and makes you ask if the right thing was done...and still not be quite satisfied with the answer, either way.
Amy Ryan's role is something not to be easily forgotten, because she plays such an unlikeble character. Her daughter disappears and she doesn't seem to care at all. In fact her actions might have precipitated the disappearance. But I wonder if we would have that reaction if she was not poor?
In the final scenes after all that has gone on throughout the movie, she leaves her daughter to go on a date. And we feel, very viscerally, "What a terrible mother. What a terrible person!" But if she were in a big house, and were leaving her chid with a nanny...if she were dressed in Pravda, instead of white trash chic...if she were well made up, instead of Crack Ho by Revlon...would we be so against her? And would she be any better or worse?
I think we are confronted a bit by our own prejudices in this movie. Part of why we do not like her, I think, is her environment, not just what kind of person she is.
Ben Affleck, in his debut as a director does a very nice job, coming to the line but never crossing it, of sentimentality. He did not choose the easiest of answers. His brother Casey does a really nice job in the lead. And the supporting cast is great. And the location of the film is part of the supporting cast.
The movie makes you judge on your own decisions of the characters, and makes you ask if the right thing was done...and still not be quite satisfied with the answer, either way.
Baseball-Spring Training
My friend Paul and I do our baseball picks every year around this time, so I thought I would share. For all those baseball fans, please feel free to tell us your picks too (I KNOW Sharon will be all over that! LOL).
Here are my picks:
AL East: Boston Red Sux
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles California USA
AL Wildcard: Cleveland Indians
NL East: Atlanta Braves
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: San Diego Padres
NL Wildcards: Chicago Cubs
AL Division Series Winners: Boston Red Sox Over Indians and
Angels over Tigers
NL Divisions Series Winners: Cubs over Braves and
Padres over Brewers
AL League Champions: Angels over Red Sox)
NL League Champions: Cubs over Padres
World Series Winner: Angels over the Cubs
Who will be the first manager fired?
Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox
Which big name pitcher will go down first with season ending injury?
Santana
What team will pick up Bonds?
Texas Rangers as DH
And his picks:
AL East: Boston Red Sux
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Seattle Mariners
AL Wildcard: Cleveland Indians
NL East: Atlanta Braves
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wildcards: New York Mets
Who will win both wildcard and league series, and who will win World
Series.
AL Division Series Winners: Boston Red Sox Over Detroit Tigers and
Cleveland Indians over Seattle Mariners
NL Divisions Series Winners: Atlanta Braves over Milwaukee Brewers and
New York Mets over Arizona Diamondbacks
AL League Champions: Cleveland Indians (they sweep the red sux)
NL League Champions: New York Mets (series against the braves goes seven
and Johan Santana comes in relief in game 7 to save it for the Mets. It
was his seventh appearance in the series )
World Series Winner: Cleveland Indians (after appearing in all of the
nlcs games, johan santana's arm falls off and the Mets never recover
from the loss of his presence).
Also, just for fun:
Who will be the first manager fired?
Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox
Which big name pitcher will go down first with season ending injury?
Jake Peavy - HA!
What team will pick up Bonds?
New York Yankees - better known as the All-Steroids Squad
Here are my picks:
AL East: Boston Red Sux
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles California USA
AL Wildcard: Cleveland Indians
NL East: Atlanta Braves
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: San Diego Padres
NL Wildcards: Chicago Cubs
AL Division Series Winners: Boston Red Sox Over Indians and
Angels over Tigers
NL Divisions Series Winners: Cubs over Braves and
Padres over Brewers
AL League Champions: Angels over Red Sox)
NL League Champions: Cubs over Padres
World Series Winner: Angels over the Cubs
Who will be the first manager fired?
Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox
Which big name pitcher will go down first with season ending injury?
Santana
What team will pick up Bonds?
Texas Rangers as DH
And his picks:
AL East: Boston Red Sux
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Seattle Mariners
AL Wildcard: Cleveland Indians
NL East: Atlanta Braves
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wildcards: New York Mets
Who will win both wildcard and league series, and who will win World
Series.
AL Division Series Winners: Boston Red Sox Over Detroit Tigers and
Cleveland Indians over Seattle Mariners
NL Divisions Series Winners: Atlanta Braves over Milwaukee Brewers and
New York Mets over Arizona Diamondbacks
AL League Champions: Cleveland Indians (they sweep the red sux)
NL League Champions: New York Mets (series against the braves goes seven
and Johan Santana comes in relief in game 7 to save it for the Mets. It
was his seventh appearance in the series )
World Series Winner: Cleveland Indians (after appearing in all of the
nlcs games, johan santana's arm falls off and the Mets never recover
from the loss of his presence).
Also, just for fun:
Who will be the first manager fired?
Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox
Which big name pitcher will go down first with season ending injury?
Jake Peavy - HA!
What team will pick up Bonds?
New York Yankees - better known as the All-Steroids Squad
Farmer's Market
Can I tell you, the Farmer's Market in Hillcrest, every Sunday morning , is awesome. We had breakfast there today. There is a great crepe stand, but today we had pannini sandwiches that were hand-pressed and fantastic.
Then we went shopping. Organic produce, organic jams from Jackie's Jams stand, wonderful bread, and roses for Sharlynn. It is great fun there, and I always seem to run into someone I know, this week, Dennis from work. And I love getting locally grown and made items---I feel my environmental footprint shrink a little every time I go there.
I you have not gone there, I urge you to, because it is a great place for community and for the environment. And the food is scrumptious.
Then we went shopping. Organic produce, organic jams from Jackie's Jams stand, wonderful bread, and roses for Sharlynn. It is great fun there, and I always seem to run into someone I know, this week, Dennis from work. And I love getting locally grown and made items---I feel my environmental footprint shrink a little every time I go there.
I you have not gone there, I urge you to, because it is a great place for community and for the environment. And the food is scrumptious.
"Luther"
We watched the 2003 film called Luther, about the father of Protestentism, Martin Luther. The film was good in that I did learn some things about him that I had not known before. However, it was not really a compelling work, did not draw you in, and was a bit boring, despite the incredible subject matter.
It did remind me of why I am no longer a Catholic. But further, I remember hearing that Luther was a bit of a zealot himself. And I wonder-- did establishing more religons that caused division and hatred really solve anything, or did it make more excuses for killing each other. Did either side of the schism really heed the words in the bible, or did they all just want power?
It did remind me of why I am no longer a Catholic. But further, I remember hearing that Luther was a bit of a zealot himself. And I wonder-- did establishing more religons that caused division and hatred really solve anything, or did it make more excuses for killing each other. Did either side of the schism really heed the words in the bible, or did they all just want power?
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Roots
We just finished the 6th disc ending the epic mini-series of 1977, Roots. I had read the book many years ago, and was awed by it. While the production values of a mini-series in the 70's is not quite up today's standards, the scope of the story, and especially the heart and soul of the story far outweigh the slight complaints in the production values. The story is intact, fully bringing us into the center of an American family, a family that started with an African warrior couaght up in the Amercian slave trade, Kunta Kinte. We watch as he is bent by the slave trade, but never fully broken, because he remembers, and passes down to his ancestors, the idea of freedom.
As we watch generations abused in horrific ways by the barbarity of the economic system, it makes me ponder the things we will do for money and power. We will enslave, beat, rape and kill an entire segment of humanity because of the color of their skin. We will disinfranchise more than half of our race, because of their gender. We will go to war and kill thousands of innocents as we money grub for oil, influence and bragging rights.
The reason there were slaves is economic. I begin to think that everything is economic. Where there is no poverty, there is less unrest, less crime, more security and securer borders. But when some are left poor and scratching for existence, there is desperation. Desperation makes men do horrible things.
Perhaps one day, we will figure out a way to make sure that the wealth of this planet also helps the least of us. The starving in Africa and Asia. The desperate poor all over the world. "Whatsoever you do, to the least of my brethren, so you do unto me," said Jesus. Maybe we can help the bums and mentally ill we see on the streets of the all metropolitan areas. Because doing so, we help divinity, we help the cosmos, we ultimatly help ourselves. So when we go to war, let everybody remember those quoted words...everybody who calls themselves Christian, remember what your lord said. Adn everybody who is not Christian can still call those words wise. Let us bomb a large city, and if a few innocents die, oh well. If bums are pushed to the side,like they are not human, oh well. If civil war, starvation and poverty rule much of a continent, oh well. Those people my friends, ARE the "least" of his brethren. We do those things to him. They are certainly our brethren, and we do it to ourselves.
As we watch generations abused in horrific ways by the barbarity of the economic system, it makes me ponder the things we will do for money and power. We will enslave, beat, rape and kill an entire segment of humanity because of the color of their skin. We will disinfranchise more than half of our race, because of their gender. We will go to war and kill thousands of innocents as we money grub for oil, influence and bragging rights.
The reason there were slaves is economic. I begin to think that everything is economic. Where there is no poverty, there is less unrest, less crime, more security and securer borders. But when some are left poor and scratching for existence, there is desperation. Desperation makes men do horrible things.
Perhaps one day, we will figure out a way to make sure that the wealth of this planet also helps the least of us. The starving in Africa and Asia. The desperate poor all over the world. "Whatsoever you do, to the least of my brethren, so you do unto me," said Jesus. Maybe we can help the bums and mentally ill we see on the streets of the all metropolitan areas. Because doing so, we help divinity, we help the cosmos, we ultimatly help ourselves. So when we go to war, let everybody remember those quoted words...everybody who calls themselves Christian, remember what your lord said. Adn everybody who is not Christian can still call those words wise. Let us bomb a large city, and if a few innocents die, oh well. If bums are pushed to the side,like they are not human, oh well. If civil war, starvation and poverty rule much of a continent, oh well. Those people my friends, ARE the "least" of his brethren. We do those things to him. They are certainly our brethren, and we do it to ourselves.
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