Yes, it's true. In addition to the many, many SLIFF movies I saw, there were others. Witness:
The Princess Bride: ahh, a classic. We watched this one over Thanksgiving. Nothing like Billy Crystal as Miracle Max, young Fred Savage, and lovely Robin Wright all in a movie together. With sword fighting. And a giant. It doesn't get much better than that.
3:10 to Yuma: Russell Crowe is a pretty good actor, it turns out. He plays a good tough guy, with or without a soft side. And I've loved Christian Bale forever - from Empire of the Sun to Little Women to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. (He even voiced characters in Pocahontas and Howl's Moving Castle!) Winner.
Roots, episodes 1-4: working my way through these, but I still have a long way to go. Quite an impressive undertaking by Mr. Haley, I must say. As well as by me, for watching them!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Recap Part I - SLIFF
Lots has happened!
For starters, SLIFF was going on a couple weeks ago. I saw lots and lots of movies!
The Pruitt-Igoe Myth (with K): varied oral histories are good to hear, but I would have liked a little more analysis.
We Need to Talk About Kevin (with K): starring Tilda Swinton, this is a super-serious film about a woman's attempt to understand herself and her troubled teenage son. Probably would have won the Audience Choice Award, if it had been up to me.
9:06 (with K): a Slovenian detective who comes to inhabit the life of the man whose suicide he's investigating. Weird.
The Welcome (with K and M): inspirational and intensely personal story about a group of vets from various wars coming together to heal, and being welcomed back to society by the town of Ashland, Oregon (home of the famous Shakespeare Festival).
Circus Dreams (with K): great movie about Circus Smirkus some really dedicated and hardworking kids whose dream it is to run away and join the circus.
Hell and Back Again (with K and mom): another story about a vet returning to society, this time after major injury. The Welcome is less intense, but I think I liked it better anyway.
The Athlete (with T): the story of the perseverance of Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila. Q&A session with the filmmaker/lead actor afterwards.
For starters, SLIFF was going on a couple weeks ago. I saw lots and lots of movies!
The Pruitt-Igoe Myth (with K): varied oral histories are good to hear, but I would have liked a little more analysis.
We Need to Talk About Kevin (with K): starring Tilda Swinton, this is a super-serious film about a woman's attempt to understand herself and her troubled teenage son. Probably would have won the Audience Choice Award, if it had been up to me.
9:06 (with K): a Slovenian detective who comes to inhabit the life of the man whose suicide he's investigating. Weird.
The Welcome (with K and M): inspirational and intensely personal story about a group of vets from various wars coming together to heal, and being welcomed back to society by the town of Ashland, Oregon (home of the famous Shakespeare Festival).
Circus Dreams (with K): great movie about Circus Smirkus some really dedicated and hardworking kids whose dream it is to run away and join the circus.
Hell and Back Again (with K and mom): another story about a vet returning to society, this time after major injury. The Welcome is less intense, but I think I liked it better anyway.
The Athlete (with T): the story of the perseverance of Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila. Q&A session with the filmmaker/lead actor afterwards.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Turkey Day, loyal readers! In case you're finding yourself short on things to give thanks for, here are some ideas!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Wrap-Up
A few loose ends to tie up:
Went to Game 7 with T and his friend. It was awesome.
Finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Liked it a lot. Even went to a book club.
Read The Sunset Limited. Interesting. I think there's a lot more in there that I just haven't thought about yet.
Tried to watch Secretariat, but fell asleep. Don't blame that on the movie - I've had extreme narcolepsy lately. Going to give it another shot at some point.
In other news, I think I'm going to take a little break from blogging. Not sure how long it'll be; if I were interested in reading this blog, I'd probably check back every few weeks to see if I'm at it again. It might be two weeks; it might be two years.
Went to Game 7 with T and his friend. It was awesome.
Finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Liked it a lot. Even went to a book club.
Read The Sunset Limited. Interesting. I think there's a lot more in there that I just haven't thought about yet.
Tried to watch Secretariat, but fell asleep. Don't blame that on the movie - I've had extreme narcolepsy lately. Going to give it another shot at some point.
In other news, I think I'm going to take a little break from blogging. Not sure how long it'll be; if I were interested in reading this blog, I'd probably check back every few weeks to see if I'm at it again. It might be two weeks; it might be two years.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
52 Weeks of Dresses -- Week 26
Otherwise titled: Chez Leon
Chez Leon used to be located in the CWE - in the same spot Brasserie by Niche is now, if I'm not mistaken. And I have to say, I liked their old space better. They're now in downtown Clayton, which earns them bonus points for proximity and (shockingly!) ease of parking, but they've lost something in translation, as it were.
Their new spot could be cozy and intimate: the walls are dark, there are heavy drapes and pillows in the front window. There is an interesting and eclectic collection of art on the walls. The white tablecloths are okay, though a darker color would seem to suit the place better. But what's really awful are the overhead spotlights. As T said, whenever he eats there, he feels like a french fry (haha). The light was way too bright and harsh given the other surroundings; the need some recessed lighting and wall sconces.
Despite the poor lighting choices, the food was delicious. I of course had onion soup, which was cheesy to the extreme. Then I had the roast chicken, which was moist and tender, and came served with saffron rice and all kinds of veggies: thin asparagus spears, a root vegetable medley (carrots, potatoes, and the like), and a brighter medley of zucchini, red onion, and....something else which I forget.
And there was dessert. We shared a huge, fluffy souffle filled with a Grand Marnier cream sauce, and it was heavenly! (It's not on the online menu, but they reprint menus daily so all the specials are included.) I had the Hugel Riesling to go with my meal, and T had a glass of one of the Bordeauxs.
Our waiter was a bit casual, but knew his stuff and didn't rush us out of there, even though we were only two sitting at a table that could have held four.
Chez Leon used to be located in the CWE - in the same spot Brasserie by Niche is now, if I'm not mistaken. And I have to say, I liked their old space better. They're now in downtown Clayton, which earns them bonus points for proximity and (shockingly!) ease of parking, but they've lost something in translation, as it were.
Their new spot could be cozy and intimate: the walls are dark, there are heavy drapes and pillows in the front window. There is an interesting and eclectic collection of art on the walls. The white tablecloths are okay, though a darker color would seem to suit the place better. But what's really awful are the overhead spotlights. As T said, whenever he eats there, he feels like a french fry (haha). The light was way too bright and harsh given the other surroundings; the need some recessed lighting and wall sconces.
Despite the poor lighting choices, the food was delicious. I of course had onion soup, which was cheesy to the extreme. Then I had the roast chicken, which was moist and tender, and came served with saffron rice and all kinds of veggies: thin asparagus spears, a root vegetable medley (carrots, potatoes, and the like), and a brighter medley of zucchini, red onion, and....something else which I forget.
And there was dessert. We shared a huge, fluffy souffle filled with a Grand Marnier cream sauce, and it was heavenly! (It's not on the online menu, but they reprint menus daily so all the specials are included.) I had the Hugel Riesling to go with my meal, and T had a glass of one of the Bordeauxs.
Our waiter was a bit casual, but knew his stuff and didn't rush us out of there, even though we were only two sitting at a table that could have held four.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner -- Take 2
Bree Tanner (unlike the full title thereof) is short, so good for what I needed it to be: something I could get through. It's the literary People magazine. (Although it feels strange to even call it literary. In the alternative: "It's the prose version of People magazine.")
Monday, October 24, 2011
He is the Walrus
"Keystone, meet the porcupine. But be careful, he doesn't like to shake han....!" Damn. Too late.
Think this dog will ever learn to stay out of trouble? I think not. Hope you feel better soon buddy!
Think this dog will ever learn to stay out of trouble? I think not. Hope you feel better soon buddy!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
What I'm Reading Now -- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Another book on audio! I've apparently made a habit of breaking my one-book-at-a-time rule. I actually have this book in book form somewhere, but it's packed away in a box and I haven't gotten to those yet. One of my book clubs is reading it this month, so I needed to get on it! I went to my trusty library for the audio version.So far, so good. I'm only now getting to the meat of the story, but even up to this point, it has been interesting, full of little vignettes of quirky Southerners in all their charm and glory. And then someone dies. Cue the creepy music....
Friday, October 21, 2011
52 Weeks of Dresses -- Week 25
Otherwise titled: Echoes of Erin
Despite my plans to be somewhere at 4:00 on Friday (yes, that's 4:00 in the morning), T and I went to the Echoes of Erin concert at The Sheldon on Thursday night.
I'm still not 100% sure, but what I gather from the banter was that Echoes is an annual (or almost annual) tour of mostly younger Irish musicians, singers, and dancers. They work with local Irish music and culture organizations to arrange the concerts, and often the musicians will stay in the homes of people involved in the local organizations.
They were a quintessentially Irish little bunch: thick, lilting accents; chubby cheeks; names like "O'Connor" and "Moriarty." And they played truly Irish music - not pub music like "Irish Rover" and "Molly Malone" (not that there's anything wrong with those - I love pub music!), but very traditional jigs, reels, and those beautifully mournful laments.
There's something about Irish music that is so evocative of the place from whence it comes. The longing of the accordion or the concertina or the pipes, the soft harp, the melodic fiddle. It really just seems to be of somewhere, in a way that a lot of music lacks. David Gray could really be from anywhere.
In a nutshell, good show. Low key and relaxed. I wish the audience had gotten a little more into it, but what are you gonna do?
Despite my plans to be somewhere at 4:00 on Friday (yes, that's 4:00 in the morning), T and I went to the Echoes of Erin concert at The Sheldon on Thursday night.
I'm still not 100% sure, but what I gather from the banter was that Echoes is an annual (or almost annual) tour of mostly younger Irish musicians, singers, and dancers. They work with local Irish music and culture organizations to arrange the concerts, and often the musicians will stay in the homes of people involved in the local organizations.
They were a quintessentially Irish little bunch: thick, lilting accents; chubby cheeks; names like "O'Connor" and "Moriarty." And they played truly Irish music - not pub music like "Irish Rover" and "Molly Malone" (not that there's anything wrong with those - I love pub music!), but very traditional jigs, reels, and those beautifully mournful laments.
There's something about Irish music that is so evocative of the place from whence it comes. The longing of the accordion or the concertina or the pipes, the soft harp, the melodic fiddle. It really just seems to be of somewhere, in a way that a lot of music lacks. David Gray could really be from anywhere.
In a nutshell, good show. Low key and relaxed. I wish the audience had gotten a little more into it, but what are you gonna do?
Sadly you can't see the bottom of this dress. It has these fun long flowy bits of fabric that hang down asymmetrically, longer on one side. Or at least they're fun until you step on them. Maybe I'll have to do a "Week 25, Part Deux" just so you can see.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
The World Series!!
T and K to the rescue again! Actually, "rescue" probably isn't quite the right word, but whatever it was, it was awesome. I went to see Game 1 of the World Series right here at Busch Stadium, and we won!
It was cold last night - air temperatures in the 40s, and windy - so everyone was bundled up to stay warm. It was "Salute the Veterans" night, so the opening game festivities included a huge flag draping most of the outfield, and visits from a local vet and the First and Second Ladies.
So, I've posted a lot of pictures, but haven't actually said much about the game. The truth is that most of the people who read this blog either watched the game or have already read about it. (If not, here is the MLB recap for your reading pleasure.)
If you don't want to read all that, here's the abbreviated version (of the abbreviated summary): Cards score two in the bottom of the fourth (Pujols was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a Holliday double; they scored when Berkman singled); Rangers answer with two in the top of the fifth (does anyone care how that happened?); at the bottom of the sixth the Cards scored the game-winning run, though just barely (Freese doubled, Punto walked, Craig [pinch hitting for Carpenter] singled to right, scoring Freese).
It was cold last night - air temperatures in the 40s, and windy - so everyone was bundled up to stay warm. It was "Salute the Veterans" night, so the opening game festivities included a huge flag draping most of the outfield, and visits from a local vet and the First and Second Ladies.
Yeah!!
And look, they brought their friends from the Secret Service too!
Carp winds up early in the game
Full house at Busch. You can see some of the Secret Service agents on the roof under the lights. They were stationed in four or five spots around the roof, as well as elsewhere in the stadium.
Big Al knocks one towards center field (which was, sadly, caught).
Not gonna lie: Motte looks pretty intimidating while he's waiting for the sign.
If you don't want to read all that, here's the abbreviated version (of the abbreviated summary): Cards score two in the bottom of the fourth (Pujols was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a Holliday double; they scored when Berkman singled); Rangers answer with two in the top of the fifth (does anyone care how that happened?); at the bottom of the sixth the Cards scored the game-winning run, though just barely (Freese doubled, Punto walked, Craig [pinch hitting for Carpenter] singled to right, scoring Freese).
Me, after the game, and my proof that I was there!
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