Goal #52

Goal #52: house projects.

S has a friend coming in town for New Year's Eve, and there are a few little things that need to be done at his house before it's guest-ready: bedding in the guest room, outfitting the guest bath, etc.  I'm going to set to work being domestic this week!

Oh, and it's my birthday!

Recap of goal #51: so much fun, and so much food!

Goal #51

Goal #51: all the Christmas fun!

Even I have to admit, there is some tedium to Christmas. But now that part's over, and it's just food and drink and merriment!

Recap of goal #50: I have one or two gifts left to secure, but I know what they are and there's a reason I've waited, so I'm in good shape!

Hendrick's BBQ

Last weekend, S and I went with some friends to Hendrick's BBQ in St. Charles. I am sorry to say that I was not impressed. The cocktails were watery and expensive for a BBQ joint, and the BBQ itself was underwhelming. The sides were decent,  but not nearly as good as those at Salt and Smoke (nor, frankly, were the cocktails).  So if you have to pick a place, I'd pick the latter if I were you.  Plus, it's in the Loop, so there are all sorts of entertainment options as well!

Goal #50

Goal #50: Christmas presents, part II.

I got a few presents nailed down last week, but not quite as many as I'd hoped.  Luckily I still have another week!

On the subject of last-minute gifts, in two separate conversations I discussed with both Dad and E both the convenience and the sad impersonal nature of direct-to-recipient mailing.  It's nice that you don't have to repackage something and run to the post office to get it shipped out, but it's also fun to see what the gift actually looks like and to wrap it yourself.  Or at least I think so.  But then again, I weirdly love Christmas, so I suspect a lot of people disagree with me about that last part.

Recap of goal #49: see above - partial success.

Fun around StL - The Year in Review

Art in Bloom
Every year, SLAM hosts florists from around the area who create stunning displays of flora inspired by works of art around the museum.  The designers are assigned a piece of art (or maybe they have a choice of three -- I can't quite remember), and they craft and present a display based on the original work. This year, I took myself on a solo date to the members' preview event, which included a delicious dinner in the main hall.

Taste of Fiction
T and I went to the annual fundraiser at the St. Louis Public Library again earlier this spring.  So many cakes, so many pictures, and I don't feel like editing them all, so here's my tip: come with me next year and you can see them for yourself!

Circus Flora
K planned her trip to StL this summer just perfectly, although we didn't know it at the time.  Not only did we get to see Richard the Lionheart, we also went to Circus Flora's annual show.  This year: "One Summer on 2nd Street."

There were some changes this year.  Some of my favorite guys from the St. Louis Arches have moved on, but the younger tumblers have stepped up and I'm sure they will develop just as much character over the next couple of years.

The Flying Wallendas were there, as usual, and put on a breathtaking show.  There was a new pair of aerialists who where equally as impressive as the high-wire walkers, and are a great addition to the show.

The night that we were at the circus, there was an insane thunderstorm outside.  Our circus tent held up just fine, but thank goodness they bolt it to the ground.  Otherwise we might not have been so lucky!

Campbell House Museum
The CHM celebrated the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War with a number of author signings and an open house.  Members got to snack and drink wine, and wander about through the museum and garden.  Aside from being a bit windy outside, it otherwise a lovely day.

1875 St. Louis
T and I went to a new exhibit at the History Museum.  It was so much fun to see the history of the city I have come to love, all laid out in maps.  The design of the exhibit was a little goofy, with lots of cartoon drawings, but the info was fascinating.

Lantern Festival
I went with the G family to the Lantern Festival this year.  It was impressive, and we had the pleasure of being there on a lovely evening for a stroll through the garden.  It also made me realize that I don't go there enough - a situation I need to correct!

This is a thing that happened.

What a way to spend part of a Friday evening.

This Day in History

In probably one of the best known speeches in presidential history, Franklin Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941 to be "a date which will live in infamy...."  Now December 7 is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.  Sadly, there aren't too many people still around who actually remember the day itself, but the rest of us at least know the history.

The Valor in the Pacific Memorial, the resting place of the USS Arizona and almost 1,200 servicemen who went down with the ship, is officially a national park. I have never been, but I would like to visit some day.

Goal #49

Goal #49: Christmas shopping!

As seems to have become the trend, I am behind in my Christmas shopping again this year.  This is my week to support the economy!

Recap of goal #48: work, I did.  But as always, there is more to do.

An Ode to Uninterrupted Reading

I miss having large, uninterrupted chunks of time generally.  I especially miss having large, uninterrupted chunks of time in which I could sit down and read a book.

I read very few books these days, and that is something that makes me sad.  It's my own fault for not having made it a big enough priority in my life.  I get that.  But there are just so many things to do every day!  Finding time to brush one's teeth can be difficult, let alone time for recreational activities like reading!

Partially, I blame the internet.  I have a Twitter account, though I neither read nor tweeted anything for years.  I still am not a tweeter.  But when #Ferguson happened, and since I don't have a television, my best source of insta-pseudo-news was Twitter.

Fortunately or unfortunately, relying on it for a couple of days to find out what was going on around town was enough to get me hooked, at least for a while.  (Now my use of it goes in fits and starts.)  But there is just so much interesting stuff on the internet to read!  Does any of it really have an impact on my life?  Very few things so far (and most of those things are insta-actual-news from either @SLMPD, @downtownstlouis, or @stlcountypd), usually informing me of street closures or the like.

But all those internet articles take away from book-reading time, and I don't like that a bit.  Nevertheless, I allow it to happen.

I could go on, but my thoughts are well-enough summed up in this old Weekly Standard article that Dad sent me, so I'll let it do the talking.  I'll go back to reading.

What I Watched -- Shrek

Don't think for a second that I hadn't seen Shrek before, but I have to admit that it had been a while.

Too long, because it's stinkin' hilarious.

I couldn't stop laughing, nor could S.  Dad at one point asked us when we were going to grow up.  And my answer, if growing up means I don't get to laugh like an idiot at Eddie Murphy as Donkey, is "never!"

Bottom line: if you haven't see it: (1) why not? and (2) watch it now.  If you have: watch it again!

What I Watched -- Cool Hand Luke

S couldn't believe I had never seen Cool Hand Luke, his favorite movie. He wasted very little time before remedying that situation. And it worked out for me too, because Cool Hand Luke is one of those movies that I've heard about for years but never got around to seeing.

But somehow, despite having heard talk of the movie for so many years, I knew nothing about it except that Paul Newman played Luke and his character was a troublemaker.  And that's really enough, because the movie isn't about what happens; it's about that character.

Until the last few minutes of the movie, I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  I won't say why, because if you're one of the three other people on the planet who has no idea what the movie is about, I don't want to ruin it.  But the closing scene is just right, and that saved it for me.

Bottom line: definitely should have seen this one sooner.

Goal #48

Goal #48: work.

I took last week off, and there is now so much to get done.  I just have to keep telling myself that I'll feel better once I've accomplished some of it.

Recap of goal #47: a final thanks to Thanksgiving, for being such an awesome holiday!

Random Links

A notorious killer plays croquet.

Onion futures?  Really?

The national gingerbread house competition.

Some interesting facts about the solstices, if you have a couple of hours and a degree in astrophysics to spare.

Something unusual in the night sky.

Tired of having your bike stolen?

SLIFF

I had a very busy fall, and only managed to make it to one SLIFF showing.  (I know, I'll do better next year.  Otherwise how will you find out about all the weird movies you'll never see anyway?)  The screening of choice was a compilation, so it should really count for more, I think: "Narrative Shorts: Leading Ladies."

The link above has a quick synopsis of each of the films, so I'll let you read about them there.  But in case you're wondering, my favorite was Falling to Pieces, a moving story about a woman who seeks out the recipients of her husband's organs in an effort to cope with his loss.  I also liked Beverley, about an adolescent girl in a rough neighborhood in Britain struggling with her racial identity and family responsibilities.

Those are both pretty traditional stories - like real movies with a real plot, but shorter.  As far as weird head scratchers go, I liked Career Girl (a bit in the realm of magical realism) and The Little Death (a normal story, but one of those ones that just makes you go, "huh?").

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is enjoying their food, glorious food!

Goal #47

Goal #47: be thankful for all the things!

So, obviously,Thanksgiving is this week.  That's cool.  I like Thanksgiving an awful lot.  And I get to see K and E and Dad and D this week, so that makes it even better!

Recap of goal #46: know what was awesome about this week?  I erged.  And I didn't hate it!  It's still early in the winter season and there is plenty of time to remember why I hate erging, but I had a couple of really great workouts, and I'm thrilled about that!  I did not get to ride any of my bikes, and that makes me sad, but there's time.  So many bikes, so much fun to be had.

I didn't do quite so hot at eating well, but, eh, it's hard when you haven't had time to grocery shop for a while.  Such is life.

What I'm Reading Now -- Ella Minnow Pea

Because I need another book to read (how many am I up to now?), I've started a new one.  I believe this is K's book, and she sent it to E, who also read it.  E sent it to me a while back, and I'm getting started on it.

Believe it or not, this is not one of our postal book club books, although it sounds like it should be!

The premise: Ella lives in a small community which reveres the guy who came up with that famous alphabetic sentence: "the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog."  As the letters start to fall off a memorial to him, the elders forbid the use of those letters by the citizens.

I imagine it'll be an interesting read the further along I get.

Goal #46

Goal #46: the simple things.

It's almost Thanksgiving.  I will save next week for thinking about what I'm thankful for (although I try to do that regularly).  This week, my simple things are the tasks of daily living.  Eat well, work out, run errands.  Sleep.  That's a big one for me. 

If I can spend this week getting those things done that I need to, next week will be much more restful and less stressful, and that's my real goal.

Recap of goal #45: I did better!

Microbrewery: Square One

I'm not sure how I've gone so long without talking about Square One Brewery and Distillery, which is without question the microbrewery that I visit the most often.  The reason that I go so often is because it's pretty close to the climbing gym I go to, so it's a convenient place to stop in afterwards to rehydrate and get some dinner.

Their beer is good.  There are a few stalwarts on the menu that I have with some regularity (Single Malt Scotch Ale, Bavarian Weizen), but I especially like trying their rotating seasonal selections.  They also distill a line of their own spirits.  The only cocktail I've ever ordered there was a gin-based one, and I liked it -- which is saying something, for those of you know know how hard I looked to find gin that I liked.

What's nice about Square One is that their food is really good too, and fun.  On Tuesday nights, they have a build-your-own-burger menu.  On Mondays they do the same with mac 'n cheese.  Both excellent options.  They do a darn good Scotch egg, if that's your thing.  In truth, I rarely order from their regular menu, so I'm a little short on description.  I did have the pulled pork sandwich recently, which was tasty but needed a sturdier sandwich bun.  It disintegrated in the barbecue sauce.  But it was delicious as it disappeared.

What I Watched -- The Martian

My boyfriend, Matt Damon, is hilarious. In his latest movie, The Martian, he plays an astronaut botanist named Mark Watney who gets stranded on Mars because the rest of his crew believes him to be dead.

The film is adapted from the 2011 book of the same name by Andy Weir.  He self-published his book on Amazon, with a list price of $0.99, and it took off like wildfire.  It made the Amazon sci-fi bestsellers list, the New York Times bestseller list, and got a movie deal.  But his exhaustive research and reader contributions began before that.  Weir began publishing chapters of his book on his blog in 2009, and his science-minded readers helped him make sure the science was accurate.

But it's not boring, at least not in the movie.  (By all accounts, it's not boring in the book either.)  As Mark Watney, Matt Damon is funny and smart, and that makes the movie worth watching even if you're not a hardcore sci-fi fan, which I'm not.

Bottom line: everyone should go support my boyfriend!  Because he's awesome!

What I Watched -- Interstellar

I stopped in at the library not too long ago to pick up an audio book, and sitting there on the shelf of recently-returned DVDs was Interstellar.  This was one of those movies that could have gone horribly wrong, so I decided to wait and take the temperature of the general population before I decided whether to watch it.

The general consensus was that it was worth the $15 price of admission in theaters, so surely it would be worth the $0 cost at the library and the two dollars I would invest.

And it was. 

Bottom line: there was nothing about it that was particularly unexpected in the plot or filming, but it was satisfactorily done.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

What I Watched -- Mr. Holmes

A long way back, I went to see Mr. Holmes.  (Which I'm sure is long since out of theaters.)

In any case, Ian McKellen, who plays the titular character, is wonderful as usual. The film is about the relationship between Holmes and the son of his housekeeper, through which you learn about Holmes's past. But the only other character of emotional significance is the housekeeper, played by Laura Linney, who is wonderful as usual. (I feel like I'm repeating myself.) McKellen and Linney, as the heavies, are well-matched. The boy does a fine job, but it's an easy one, and as a consequence he is somewhat foregettable. 

Bottom line: not your typical biopic due largely to the lack of plot, but the enjoyable characters make up for the meandering story.

Goal #45

Goal #45: blogging!

So, as many people have noticed, I have not been a very good blogger lately.  But I miss blogging, and I would like to get back to it.  And a couple big things have recently happened that are blog-worthy!  So, back at it.  I hope.

Recap of goal #44: it was a good week last week!  G&G's party was a smashing success, I got to see some cousins I don't see terribly often, and G's surgery went well.  Success all around.

Goal #44

Goal #44: G&G.

This week is a big week for G&G.  It started out with a bang - the big family party - and it's not going to let up (though it won't be so fun or celebratory).  Thankfully dad is here to help, but I'd like to see them a few times too!

Recap of goal #42: I got half of the clothing deliveries done, but everything that I have weeded out so far is all packed up for delivery to the other location, I just have to get it there.  Easier said than done, obviously.

Welcome to the Future

Goal #42

Goal #42: clothing deliveries.

I got at least part of the way through my closet picking out stuff to get rid of.  I'm planning to deliver it to two places, and hopefully I can make that happen this week.  Neither one is too far from my work, so I just need to find 20 minutes here or there - but sometimes that can be harder than it sounds.

Recap of goal #40: yes, I've been having a ton of fun.  I raced in my second bike race of the season yesterday (and only crashed once!), I've been spending some quality time with G&G, enjoying the weather at it turns to autumn, and listening to lots of good music.

Random Links

Unrelated words.

The Giving Tree.

Secret classical musicians.

The sounds of the world.

On Amish time.

Can your life be hacked?

Random Links

Suggestions for a literary road trip.

Not your typical fancy plates.

Staying happy during the Polar Night.

How bikes built America.

What happens when you leave your body to science.

New uses for old architecture.

What I'm Reading Now -- The Emerald Mile

Dad and D gave me a copy of The Emerald Mile last Christmas, in preparation for our upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon.  It took me a while to get started on it (as you can tell, since it is way past Christmas), but I took it on my climbing trip a couple of weeks ago and turned the first few pages.

Now I don't want to stop.  I have been sucked it already, and am fighting a battle between the obligations in my life and reading this book.  If you hear about the book again soon, you'll know the book won.

Goal #40

Goal #40: life is short.

Am I the only one who noticed that I have taken an unannounced break from blogging?  Perhaps.

However, I have been having loads of fun in the meantime. I rode my bike, cyclocross season started, Mom came to visit, Dad came to visit, I went rock climbing (outside! on real rocks!), I went to Memphis, I went to a Cardinal's game or two.  All in all, it's been a blast.

I will get back to writing about things.  But right now I'm having so much fun doing them that I simply haven't gotten around to it.

Recap of goal #38: the cleanup is still a work in progress.  I stalled out for a while, but I am feeling newly motivated.

Goal #38

Goal #38: continue with the cleanup project.

Mom is coming in town this week, and my place is a wreck.  She's my mom, so she'll love me anyway, but it's pretty bad.  And it's starting to get on my nerves!

Recap of goal #37: it took me a little while to get going with the blogging, but at least I started again.  Can I get half credit?

What I Read -- Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

Back before Christmas, K had the brilliant idea to start a postal book club.  Here's how it works: K, E, and I all pick our own book.  We read it, write a few notes, and send it on.  Our books travel around the country in a triangle and then come back to us.

Or at least that is the plan.  It has taken me since February to find sufficient time to read E's book of choice: Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion.  It's not because it's a bad book or a slow read.  It's just because I've been a delinquent book club member.  But I went on vacation and, as with my contribution to this endeavor: The Amateurs, I finished the book!

And then I did a stupid thing: I wrote my notes about it, and before I wrote this blog post, I passed my notes off to K.  Perhaps not my best move!

My general feeling about the story she tells is that she's right: the fashion industry has become a race to the bottom for both cost and quality.  The only way to stop it is for us consumers to demand better, and be willing to pay more for it.

I can get on board with that idea.

What I'm Reading Now -- Kids These Days

I finally finished my last book club book, and it's time to move on to the next one!  (Actually, I did already, but from the very little progress I've made, you'd be hard pressed to tell that I've had it for more than 20 minutes or so.)

The book is Kids These Days. Per K's explanation, it's a bit of a beach read.  I'm at the end of summer, so maybe this is just what I need to savor those last few warm days.

What I've read so far has been amusing!

Goal #37

Goal #37: blog!

I bet you guys have been wondering what I've been up to.  I've been quite busy indeed, and not spending a lot of time at home, but that means I don't have a lot of time in front of my computer.  This week, I'll try to get you up to date!

Recap of goal #36: the cleaning started, but I have a ways to go.  I got through my kitchen and bathroom, half my utility room, and cleared out a bunch of stuff on my storage shelves.  I also pulled a bag's worth of clothes out of my closet and took them to Goodwill, along with a bunch of other stuff.

Goal #36

Goal #36: deep cleaning.

Perhaps you noticed that I have been absent for a while.  That's a fact.  However, it's not because I haven't been busy.  I have been climbing, riding, rowing, seeing LOTS of friends (with more to come), and now I am undertaking the massive task of deep cleaning my apartment.

By the time I am finished, the only time it will not have been cleaner was the day I moved in.  And maybe not even then, because while I did do a super clean before moving, there were a zillion people and boxes and stuff in and out for two or three days, so that probably ruined it.

Goal #34: see above - lots of friends!

Sorry, #35.  I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.  As compensation, here are some cool things you may not have known about yourself.

Goal #34

Goal #34: friends.

I have a busy week planned this week, but it's good stuff.  Movies, drinks, and food with friends every night.  So rather than stress about not accomplishing enough stuff, I'm just going to enjoy it.

Recap of goal #33: my new bike has not arrived yet, so I got a pass last week.  Whew!

Skydiving!

Earlier this summer, our climbing group decided we needed to get a little higher.  We went skydiving!

A few things:
1. You have to sign a million papers (thanks to those damn lawyers).
2. We had to wait around FOREVER for our turn (regular, non-tandem jumpers have priority), and we all had to go up on different planes.
3. There was never any doubt in my mind that I would do it.  I knew I would.
4. It was awesome!

Me and S, pre-jump

Practicing the "falling out of the plane" position with my instructor

 Our trusty (?) aircraft

It is hard to describe the sensation that I had when I got to the door of the plane (except that, given the quality of the plane, I may have been safer outside of it than inside).  My instructor gave me the signal.  The air rushed by and filled the plane and my ears.  The ground and the clouds were below me.  We rock forward, backward, and then I'm falling.  We're barreling towards the ground.  I checked the altimeter on my wrist, and my instructor gave me the next signal.  I grabbed at the rip cord, and the parachute was out.  We jerked to a near-stop, and everything went completely quiet.  The rushing air disappeared.  The image smoothed out, no longer jerking around as we rushed downwards.  We twisted and spun and fell through the clouds.

And all too soon, it was over.

Goal #33

Goal #33: my new bike!

I acquired a new bike while in Durango.  Now...where to keep it?

Recap of goal #32: not all the recipes got recycled, but a lot of them did.  I picked out a few that E recommended or that I just really have to try (chai ice cream!), but the rest are on their way to becoming pulp.

Goal #32

Goal #32: recycle.

Since I can seem to get around to organizing, I'm going to handle it a different way: recycling.  Seems like the greenest alternative.

Recap of goal #31: see above.

Summer Shakespeare

I have had a theater-heavy summer this year, mostly compliments of P and her Muny tickets.  But just because I haven't written about it, don't think that I didn't have my usual Shakespeare Festival outing with Grandpa and the crew.  E was even in town for it this year!

I packed up a picnic dinner in my little rolling cooler, including some delicious beers which E picked out while we were at The Wine Merchant.

The show was decent.  Not the best they've had in recent years, but a worthy way to spend three hours.  And I think it was the first time I had ever seen Antony and Cleopatra performed, so that's a win for sure!

Goal #31

Goal #31: recipes again?

I'm wondering if maybe I should just start giving myself two weeks for all my goals.  It just seems that things are going that way lately.

Recap of goal #30: I'm pretty sure I just addressed this....

Quote of the Day

'In most couples there is the person who wins and the person who doesn’t. The winner isn’t necessarily stronger or smarter or righter. The winner is the person who won’t give up, and the non-winner (“loser” is not the correct word for the person who does not win), at a certain point, realizes the battle is a silly one, and the spoils are not worth the extended warfare.'
  -- Heidi Julavits, The Folded Clock

What I Watched -- Skyfall

On a day last weekend when I felt like doing nothing, I went over to T's house, where he was doing some paperwork.  I pretended to work on my computer, but really I was spending most of my time watching Skyfall.

I have lost track of the order of the recent James Bond movies, and I know I haven't seen all of them.  This is one of the ones I hadn't seen, and I don't know why.  I won't even bother explaining the plot.  Every Bond movie goes like this: 007 suffers some setback.  He has to catch a bad guy in order to save England.  There are girls in tight clothes, or nothing at all.  Bond wins.  Bad guy doesn't fare so well.

And as with every Bond film every made, this one is a ton of fun.

Bottom line: I think I just said this: a ton of fun.

What I Watched -- Foxcatcher

Foxcatcher is not the movie I expected.  I didn't even know it was based on a true story, although there has been some controversy about that since the movie came out. 

Here's the rundown: Channing Tatum plays Mark Schultz, an Olympic wrestler in need of a patron.  Mark Ruffalo plays his older brother David Schultz, also an Olympic wrestler.  Steve Carrell plays John du Pont, an eccentric millionaire who sponsors the younger brother at his family's estate, Foxcatcher Farms.

As Mark's fame increases, du Pont pours and increasing amount of money into his own training program at Foxcatcher, eventually enticing David to live there as well, to train and coach.  He also became a major sponsor of USA Wrestling.  du Pont's behavior becomes increasingly odd, and (SPOILER ALERT, if you didn't know the true story) he shoots and kills David.  The closing text of the film lets you know that John du Pont died in prison in 2009.

Now, to the controversy.  du Pont was convicted of the murder of David Schultz, and he did die in prison.  There are some historical inaccuracies though.  David was killed in 1996, and the entire movie (including David's death) is set in the 1980s.  This was done so that the film could portray Mark and Dave as living at Foxcatcher concurrently, which does not appear to be the case.

Probably the most contested issue, though, is that of whether a homosexual relationship developed between Mark and du Pont.  I felt like the movie implied that one did, but that point has been vehemently disputed by Mark.  Mark's reaction to the film has been strange though: first he liked it, then he blasted the director, Bennett Miller, for telling lies about him (specifically related to the suggestion of his intimate relationship with du Pont), then he apologized for blasting Bennett Miller.  He is using the film as a tool to sell his book, and his Twitter feed is full of identifications of the inaccuracies in the movie.

Bottom line: there were some excellent performances in this movie, but it is not one I will watch again.  Disturbing.

What I Watched -- Happy

Want to learn a few things about happiness?  Happy can teach you.

Here's a sneak preview on how to get yourself a jolt of happiness:
-- Find a way to make your body release dopamine.  One surefire option: aerobic exercise, especially if done in a novel way (like participating in a gorilla run).
-- Do an activity that allows you to find your "flow."  Experiencing that energized focus that comes with being "in the zone" is great for your state of mind.
-- Count your blessings.
-- Perform acts of kindness.  It's contagious.

Some other fun facts:
-- Our baseline level of happiness is about 50% genetic and only 10% situational.  The other 40% is due to our behavior or other aspects which are under our control.
-- Happy people aren't always happy.  They have a normal response to adversity in the moment, but they come back to their baseline of happiness more quickly than unhappy people.
-- Hedonic adaptation is a major enemy of happiness, insofar as our expectations tend to rise as our condition improves, which leads to little or no recognition of "how far we've come," and hence, a general blindness towards those blessings we're supposed to be counting.

Bottom line: good lessons, that's for sure.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

T got us tickets to see Neil deGrasse Tyson when he came to St. Louis to speak a while back.  His lecture was titled "Science as a Way of Knowing."  My favorite part: the first thing he did when he came out on stage, as he was giving his little intro -- about how human senses are only a teeny sliver of the spectrum of scientific senses -- was take off his shoes!  And he gave the rest of the lecture in his socks.  A man after my own heart.

Over the course of the talk, he covered many subjects in astrophysics, relativity, astronomy, planetary exploration, food science, Star Trek, biology, and bears (audience question).

I can't possibly recap the humor with which NdGT discussed these topics, so I won't try.  All I'll say is this: if you get a chance to see a lecture, go.

What I Watched -- A Separation

A Separation got lots of Oscar buzz in the year it came out, and in fact won the statuette for best foreign language film.  The scene that I saw in all the previews, where an Iranian wife is asking for a divorce from her husband, actually happens right at the beginning -- that's not the big conflict of the movie, as it turns out.  It felt a bit like false advertising to discover that the true legal issue in the film is a criminal one; the husband is accused of pushing a woman (not his wife) down the stairs, causing a miscarriage. 

I was distracted while I was watching this, and it is subtitled, which is not a good combination.  But it is at heart a simple story of a marriage falling apart, for reasons we know and reasons we don't.

Bottom line: not something I would call enjoyable, but worth seeing if you're into the film festival movies.  Otherwise, skip it.  It's a bit depressing.

Goal #30

Goal #30: recipe organization.

I have amassed quite a collection of recipes.  They need a bit of organization and mostly need to be put away.  I'm tired of looking at them on my table!

Recap of goal #29: I finally did start reading my book on California.  I didn't get very far, but I started!

Random Links

Some promising news out of Texas.

The science of boarding an airplane.

My recent design/reading/podcast obsession now has travel guides, and the first two profile my two favorite cities, in order!

A fascinating, real-life version of Big Business.

Some old-fashioned comedy.  And drinking.  And smoking.

Anyone up for a ride?

What I Watched -- Kill the Messenger

T and I took advantage of his fancy TV to catch a movie not too long ago.  Kill the Messenger is based on the true story of a investigative journalist named Gary Webb.  Webb worked for the San Jose Mercury News when he investigated and, in 1996, published a series of stories which amounted to an indictment of the CIA for supporting the importation of cocaine from Nicaragua into urban areas in order to fund guerrilla forces in Central America (which Congress had refused to fund otherwise).

There were some problems with the reporting that were honed in on by other news sources who either thought they were doing there job or were overly aggressive because they were mad about being scooped, depending on whom you ask.

In any case, the whole business eventually cost Webb his job at the Mercury News.  He never made a living as a journalist again.

His work, however, did spark a justice department investigation into the same subject matter.  Their findings, which were released in December 1997 and supported some (but not all) of what Webb had claimed, were not widely reported in the media.  And yes, this is letting the fox guard the hen house.  If you want to read the findings for yourself, they're available here.

Gary Webb was found dead in his home in 2004 with two gunshot wounds to the head.  His death was ruled a suicide.  (It appears that that's possible.)

My Fair Lady and Buddy

P has been kind enough to invite me to two Muny shows this season, and they have both been so much fun -- and more importantly, not too miserably hot!

First up was an old classic, My Fair Lady. Every time I see this show, I am surprised that there is a second act.  The entire premise which is set out at the beginning of the show -- that Professor Higgins will pass off Eliza Doolittle as a lady at an embassy ball -- occurs in the first act.  All the songs I love to sing are in the first act.  So, much to my surprise, the show does not end at intermission.

There is an entire second act which follows!  As far as I'm concerned, it pales in comparison to the first.  Sure, the real heart of the show is in the second act.  But the fun is in the first one!  Nevertheless, always an enjoyable experience.

Show the second was a new one on me: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. Prior to the show, the extent of my knowledge about Buddy Holly was that he died in a plane crash with some other musicians.

Now that I've seen the show, I know a few more things: Buddy was only 22 when he died; the other musicians were Ritchie Valens (age 17) and J.P. Richardson (aka "The Big Bopper); Buddy's meteoric rise to fame only lasted a couple of years; I know more of his music than I realized; Buddy married a girl to whom he proposed while they were out on their first date.

This show was especially fun because it was really just a concert of 1950s rock music.  What's not to love?

Goal #29

Goal #29: California, take 3.

If I don't start planning soon, the trip just won't happen.  I'd like it to happen, so I suppose I have to get to work!

Recap of goal #28: I survived for a week without buying the new bike toys that I want.  One down, 22 to go until Christmas!

Richard the Lionheart

The final opera of the season went to K, and the show was Richard the Lionheart. The show was fun, sort of a Twelfth Night-esque comedy of costumes and shipwrecks.

The acting was engaging, but I was not a big fan of the voices in the show.  They were well-trained voices, to be sure, but of the three males, two of them (including Richard himself) were countertenors.  Perhaps I feel differently about kings than other people, but I don't want my king to have a super high-pitched voice.  It's just not kingly.

That's really my only complaint though.  Otherwise, excellent.  And a lovely date with K!

Goal #28

Goal #28: Christmas list (plus).

Yes, I'm aware it's July.  But I have been researching a bunch of fun stuff lately (much of it bike related), and I am going to try to organize it all into a Christmas list so as to 1) not buy all the things for myself immediately, and 2) actually have some suggestions when Christmas finally rolls around!

In addition to that, I have a few other lists stored in Evernote (without which my life would fall apart) that I would like to cull this week.

Recap of goal #27: obviously planning a trip just is not in the cards right now.  I failed miserably.  Again.  Oy.

What I Watched -- Boyhood

Boyhood got such acclaim as a concept movie when if first came out that I can't believe I hadn't seen it until now.  I love this Linklaterean highbrow stuff.

I had been warned that not much happens in Boyhood.  That's true.  The plot is basically the passage of time.  So if you're not into that, it's probably not worth your time.

What I loved about it is that Linklater had this crazy idea, he got enough people to sign on and stick it out for twelve years to make it work, and the child actors (including his daughter) worked out!  With kids I think that would be a serious risk!

I have to wonder how much of where the movie went had to do with how those kids developed.  Maybe one or both of them didn't have the "look" he had planned on, so they had to rewrite the remainder of the script in order to fit the real person.  Was there even a script?  Before I watched the movie, I didn't know that Patricia Arquette's character (mom) and Ethan Hawke's character (dad) were separated, so that added an extra interesting layer for me, given my chosen profession.

Bottom line: intellectually interesting.  Don't plan to be on the edge of your seat.

Random Links

The art of making a book.

A sweet and sad tribute to one particular man's best friend.

A fascinating story about an imposter posing as the last Lemp heir.

Don't believe you're being spied on?  Watch this.

I like emoji as much as the next guy, but I don't want to read a book that way.

This guy is going to have a nap, and he's going to have it right where he pleases, thankyouverymuch.

Goal #27

Goal #27: California planning, part deux.

See last week.

Recap of goal #26: no planning was done.  I was busy playing in the out-of-doors.  Oops.

Happy Birthday, America!

What I Watched -- There Will Be Blood

Perhaps the title There Will Be Blood should have tipped me off that this would be an extremely dark movie.  Not dark in a weird, creepy, David Lynch kind of way.  I mean dark in a there-is-no-redemption-and-everyone-is-terrible kind of way.  Let's hear it for Upton Sinclair, on whose book the movie is loosely based (and the book, in turn, was loosely based on a real-life guy).

I had to see some of the worst scenes twice because I fell asleep while I was watching it the first time.  Much of the movie has no soundtrack and little dialogue, and it was late, so I drifted off.  Those long quiet spells are punctuated by periods of furious shouting, so I got to see most of the nasty bits, and then had to see them again when I re-watched the last third of the movie.

Also, There Will Be Blood has a bizarre soundtrack, or lack thereof.  I pointed it out to T and he put his finger on it in a way that I couldn't: its soundtrack sounds like it comes directly out of a horror movie.  It's not orchestral, as you might expect for a film like this.  It's electronic, with lots of heavy beats.  Jaws-type stuff.

Daniel Day-Lewis, as usual, was powerful.  He can do furious intensity like few other people these days.  I'm still wondering what his character meant when he mumbled the final two words of the movie.  I will never know.

Bottom line: if you ever start to doubt the goodness of humanity, watch this movie to confirm your suspicions.

What I Watched -- Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road was not properly named.  It should be called Furiosa.  Here's why: Tom Hardy, who plays Max, is terrible.  (I liked him in Locke, and probably there wasn't much that could be done with the terrible dialogue that was written for Max, but still.)  Charlize Theron, who plays Furiosa, kicks ass.  She deserves a movie title, if for no other reason than that she transformed herself from her typically stunning, red carpet self into a hardcore beast.

There are some problems with her character.  Like why the heck does she have half an arm?  It was never explained or even alluded to, and it was totally unnecessary.  There was nothing she used her metal hand for that she couldn't have done with a real hand or a pistol.  I suspect the explanation for how that happened to her, and why she hates the bad guy, got left on the cutting room floor.  The other theory that I've heard is that it's a tribute to folks with prostheses (possibly a relative of the script writer?), specifically because it is never discussed.  That's just how she is.  Deal with it.  I think it's probably more likely the former.

Then there's the whole issue of the plot.  Yes, yes, I know.  T reminded me several times that this is an action movie and plot isn't the point.  (I don't even consider what I'm about to say a spoiler, but you might.)  Why on Earth, Furiosa who is otherwise awesome, would you spend 2/3 of the move running away from the bad guys, and then decide to turn around and go right back towards the bad guys?  What a ridiculous premise.

There were a few interesting camera shots, or key moments when all the sudden the picture changed from color to black and white.

Bottom line: despite its obvious, sometimes excusable-because-it's-an-action-movie flaws, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this.  Even now that I've seen it, the previews still make me think it's horrible.  All credit to Charlize.

Emmeline

My friend E and I went to dinner at The Block before the opera.  I hadn't been there in quite some time, and I sure do like it.

I started out with the bartender's cocktail of the evening.  I don't remember all the ingredients, but it was a citrus-inspired vodka concoction, and just what was needed on a humid evening.  E and I shared the flash-fried Brussels sprouts as an appetizer.  I realize that nearly every ounce of health-food-i-ness is removed from Brussels sprouts when they are friend, but I don't care because they were delicious.  I had their nightly special, and E and I shared a delicious bowl of ice cream before dashing off to the show.

SPOILERS FOLLOW, but it's a true story as well as being an old fable.  Consider yourself warned.

Emmeline is a tragic but true story of a girl sent to work in a textile mill in Lowell, away from her family.  The (married) mill owner took a liking to her, and she to him, and Emmeline became pregnant.  Her aunt, with whom she was living, hid the pregnancy and gave the baby daughter up for adoption to a couple who was moving to the west.  Twenty years passed, and Emmeline found herself back home with her family, caring for her aging mother.  Her younger siblings had married and had children, but Emmeline remained single.

Emmeline's family took on boarders to help cover expenses.  Emmeline and a much younger man fell in love.  They married.  Emmeline's mother passed away, and the aunt who had cared for Emmeline when she was young came for the funeral.  Much to Emmeline's horror, she discovers that the child she had had so many years earlier was a boy, not a girl as she always though.  Her husband was not 27 as he said, but 21.  His family came from Kansas, and Ohio before that, and Massachusetts before that.

He was her son.  How very Oedipal.  Everyone's eyeballs stayed in their heads, but the son ran off out of shame, and Emmeline was cast out by her family and the townspeople.

The first few pieces in this opera I did not like at all.  They were discordant and harsh.  But even as the first act went on and we got away from some of the choral pieces into duets, the situation vastly improved.  By the second act, even the choral pieces sounding better.  Though the show was extremely dark, I was entertained by the performance, and by the fact that the mill owner was booed by the crowd when he came out for his bow at the end of the show!

La Rondine

The second show of the year was La Rondine ("The Swallow") which was E's last hurrah during a long and adventurous vacation.

I knew nothing about this show prior to this season.  It was composed by Giacomo Puccini, and as a rule I enjoy his work. I like the setting: mid-19th century Paris.  It seems like it would have been such a wonderful time to be in France.  I liked the voices; both the male and female leads were spot on.

However, two acts would have been sufficient.  Here's a quick synopsis:
Act 1: everyone rattles on and on about how they don't believe in love.
Act 2: everyone falls in love.
Act 3: everything falls apart.

Now, I get that this is an opera, and so by definition it either has to be ridiculous (see yesterday's post on The Barber of Seville) or tragic.  But why is it the case that they must be one or the other?  If the answer is "so the performers have an opportunity to show off their vocal ranges and emotion," I get why that's desirable, but do we have to do that in every show?  I was feeling pretty good about things at the end of the second act.  The third act brought it all crashing down.  Boo.

The Barber of Seville

My first opera of the season was Rossini's The Barber of Seville.  G was my date for the evening.

Though the music and libretto were the same as always, the staging was a bit unconventional.  I think the general consensus on the new staging was mixed, but I enjoyed it.  With a different cast, and specifically a different barber, it wouldn't have worked, but this time it did.

Our barber was entertaining, with a big, goofy smile and excellent comic timing.  He made what can sometimes seem like too serious a show into a laugh riot.

At no point in the show was I anywhere close to falling asleep, so that's a point in its favor -- or maybe that was the latte I had on the way to the theater!

Goal #26

Goal #26: research and plan for my next vacation.

A friend and I are planning to head to northern California at some point in the not-too-distant future.  We're hoping to do a little hiking, enjoying the fresh air, probably spend a couple of days in San Francisco.  I need to start planning.  Open to suggestions!

Recap of goal #25: so close, but not quite.  I got through a Bicycling magazine, a copy of St. Louis At Home, a Riverfront Times (which I'm counting), a Cooking Light, and two and a half St. Louis magazines.  Can we round up?

Sex and the City

After a recent discussion with my law clerk about the glories of Sex and the City, I have restarted the series.  It has been forever since I watched any SATC, and I am loving it all over again!

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry -- Take 2

I got very behind on my podcasts in the last month or so.  I spent much of last week catching up on those, but eventually it gets a bit tiresome, going topic to topic every five minutes or 12 minutes or 48 minutes.  I wanted something a little more enduring, so I went back to Harold Fry to finish it up, as it turns out.  I didn't know how close I had been to the end when I stopped listening, but I only had one CD left!

Some of the fun of coming back to a book after a long time away is remembering where you left off.  That can be especially tricky when you stop at the beginning of a new chapter, because you don't get any of the cues of the continued setting or dialogue which you left behind when you were last with the characters.  Eventually I caught up with myself, and Harold.

In the end, I enjoyed this book.  There wasn't much in the way of surprise.  Most of the last CD is spent telling all the secrets that had gone unsaid to that point -- but they're not unexpected secrets.  They're the elephant in the room.  But the way they're expressed is what makes the book enjoyable.  The telling is so simple and clear, and it's such a common story.  It's a chronicle of how one event leads to another in Harold's life, in our lives, often without our even noticing.

Goal #25

Goal #25: a magazine a day.

I realize this is an ambitious goal, but I'm backed up on my magazines.  There's a big stack staring at me here, and I need to whittle it down so that I can get back to what I'm supposed to be reading (which you will hear about later -- E knows).

Recap of goal #24: nope, nope, nope.  I scanned not a single piece of paper for my own purposes this week.  I just had places to go every day after work, and I can't do that sort of thing during the work day.  I will revisit this another week.

Rainy June

I feel as though it has been raining for damn near two straight weeks.  We had one or two lovely, rain-free mornings, perfect for bike rides.  Then it started raining again.

If I'm being philosophical about it, I can borrow a bit of advice from my riding partner J, who spent some time living in Belgium: La pluie, ca change rien. Rain changes nothing.

If I'm being honest about it, I'd have to say that I'd really rather it not rain any more, unless the only things on my agenda for the day involve a good book and some dehumidified air.

What I Watched -- Silver Linings Playbook

I have wanted to see Silver Linings Playbook since it came out.  So this past weekend, rather than do the things I needed to do, I decided to watch it.  Excellent choice.

It stars Jennifer Lawrence, whom I have loved since K and I saw her at SLIFF in Winter's Bone.  (In fact, she was the inspiration for my short haircut!)  She is wonderful in this movie, which doesn't have quite the drama that Ree Dolly did, but has much more subtle, adult emotions and crazy (literally) which she handles astutely.

Then there's Bradley Cooper, who is devilishly good looking generally, and in this film in particular.  He plays Pat, who is contending with the breakup of his marriage and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder when he meets Jennifer's Tiffany, whose dead husband and own emotional issues make for a hilarious and touching roller coaster ride.

I loved Robert De Niro as Pat Sr., and was happy to see Julia Stiles's face on screen.  I've always liked her, and I'm not sure why.  She seems like someone I would enjoy being friends with.

Bottom line: never before have mood swings been so enjoyable.

Jubilee! Dinner

It appears that I have failed not once but twice to tell you about some delicious food that I ate at a particular location on Boyle here in town.  The first time, the restaurant was called Entre, and they had a rotating (every three months or so) theme.  When I went, it was The Agrarian.

They did a few more rotations after the Agrarian that I didn't get to, then closed for good and reopened as Juniper, a great place for Southern comfort food.  Both restaurants had tasty craft cocktails.

Recently, T discovered that Juniper was hosting something called Jubilee!, and we decided we couldn't let another big food event happen without our participation.  T's brother and sister-in-law came along, and we did the smart thing by getting there at 7:45.  The event was held at Eva's Attic, the recently-finished event space above Juniper.  The bar (which was SO COOL!) opened at 8, and food service started at 9.  It was supposed to go until 1 a.m., and I certainly did not want to be one of the people still there in the wee small hours.

The bar, courtesy Feast Magazine

The star of this particular event was Jason Tilford, who spends most of his time cheffing (that's a word now) at Mission Taco Joint.  I somehow have not yet made it to Mission Taco - although I have had their snacks at some food festivals around town - so this seemed like a good opportunity to enjoy his food at a table, rather than standing around trying to juggle a plate, drink, fork, napkin, and map, all the while trying not to dump food down the front of my shirt or someone else's.

The one downfall of the evening (which I suspected going in) was that all but one of the cocktails were tequila-based, which meant they were off-limits for me.  And the one that wasn't didn't sound particularly good; I tried a sip of someone else's and it was better than I expected, but I still didn't get one.

After nursing our drinks for a while, it was time to order our food.  Ours was first out - hooray for the early arrival!  Between the four of us, I either got or tried the guacamole, salsa, ceviche, taco, tamale, enchilada, beans, and cake.  Winners: salsa, taco, beans, cake.  What a fun night!

New Orleans

Before "busy at work" became "insanely busy at work" back in April, I decided to head to New Orleans for a friend's bachelorette party.  Even though things were hectic, I had planned a short trip (late Friday night to early Sunday morning), and I needed a break.  So off I went.

Luckily for me, most of the crew had gone down to NOLA on Thursday, and they all went out and partied hard on Thursday night.  Several of them didn't even go out on Friday (including the bride-to-be), which gave me the perfect opportunity to crash as soon as I got to the hotel.

I got up early on Saturday, showered, and was ready to go before anyone else was even awake.  What's a girl to do in this situation?  Slog through the rain over to Cafe du Monde with a delightful magazine to get some beignets and coffee, obviously!

Our calendar got a little bit messed up, but we handled it and ended up having a pretty good Cajun lunch, followed by a really neat tour of the city.  We saw a bunch of different neighborhoods, including where Lake Pontchartrain flooded the city, I learned about the cemeteries and the funky things they have to do when they can't bury people below ground, and got a thick-as-mud and much needed cup of coffee (but no more beignets) at Morning Call Coffee Stand, which fueled me for the rest of the afternoon.

Unfortunately, my phone crashed after this trip and I lost all my pictures.  Sorry about that.

After we all dressed for the night, we had dinner at Saints & Sinners, a restaurant in the FQ owned by Channing Tatum.  The food was okay at best.  In a city with so much great food, we could have done WAY better, but it wasn't up to me.

From there, the bachelorette party began, and that is all I will say about that (except to say that there were fewer shenanigans and less bad behavior than I expected).  By the time I finally made my way back to our hotel for the night, I had about three hours in which to sleep, get up, get packed and head off for the airport.  As you might have predicted, I slept the entire way home.

Query: when did it become acceptable to wear leggings/yoga pants as everyday wear? On my flight home, there were no fewer than 10 people wearing them, as regular daily attire.  These are not people who were on their way home from the gym.  These were people who dressed to appear in public and felt that yoga pants (sometimes with wacky patterns) were an appropriate choice.  I beg to differ.

Goal #24

Goal #24: create the digital records.

I have lots of paperwork that I want to scan, so that I can get rid of the paper versions and keep a virtual file box.  It will take a long time to get through scanning them all, and I haven't even been through my whole backlog of paper yet, so there will be more to come.  But I suppose now is as good a time as any to get started.

Recap of goal #23: I blogged!  Finally!  There is more to write, but it's a good start.

Young Men and Fire -- Take 2

Many, many moons ago, I finished reading Young Men and Fire.  I'm not sure why I have been unwilling to write about it.  Maybe it's because I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed it.  I found it gripping, except for a bit I'll talk about later.

Nevertheless, I was transfixed by it.  It was fascinating, one of those stories where you know at the beginning how it's going to end, but the wonder is in what you learn along the way.

I bought this book a few years back, after listening to an episode of The Story about this and other forest fires.  I did a bit of searching around on this internet after that, and found several videos set to the Cry Cry Cry version of "Cold Missouri Waters" (here is one version; though it was written by James Keelaghan, I like Cry Cry Cry's better) which tells the story of the Mann Gulch fire from the point of view of the jump crew chief, Wag Dodge.

On the day of the fire in August 1949, the Montana mountains had been baked by an unusually hot and dry summer.  Lightning started a fire in Mann Gulch, and Wag Dodge and his crew of jumpers were sent to get it under control.  Smoke jumping was still in its infancy, and still learning the lessons which were taught by World War II.  It was an imperfect and inexact science.

A collection of unfortunate circumstances, a "perfect storm," to borrow the title of a later book about an environmental catastrophe, combined to make the fire one of the deadliest in US Forest Service history.  Only two of the jumpers survived, plus Dodge (though he died a few years later).  The longest-lived survivor, Robert Sallee, died just over a year ago at the age of 82.

It's curious that the part of the book I found the least interesting -- the section near the end where the author gets into more advanced and recent (1980s) development of the study of wildfires, specifically related to simulations and the study of how fires spread in the mountains -- is probably the greatest legacy of the Mann Gulch.  Regardless, I found that section tedious.  The studies happen in labs; I wanted to get back out on that steep, rocky hillside and hear more stories.

If you want to read more about the fire, there are a couple of websites devoted to it.   This one has a nice step-by-step summary of the fire, if you're not ready to dive into the full book.

"If a storyteller thinks enough of storytelling to regard it as a calling, unlike a historian he cannot turn from the suffering of his characters.  A storyteller, unlike a historian, must follow compassion wherever it leads him.  He must be able to accompany his characters, even into smoke and fire, and bear witness to what they thought and felt even when they themselves no longer knew.  This story of the Mann Gulch fire will not end until it feels able to walk the final distance to the crosses with those who for the time being are blotted out by smoke.  They were young and did not leave much behind them and need someone to remember them."