What I Watched -- Blue Jasmine

Another awards-season flick: Blue Jasmine. I didn't actually expect to like it much, but much to my surprise, I did.

It was a pretty typical Woody Allen movie in the sense that there was a messed up female character, and the man swoops in and rescues her, solving all the problems in her world.

But if you can get over the misogynism, you can see that - perhaps with some irony - Cate Blanchett really carries the movie. She moves back and forth between the devastated ex-wife whose life has fallen apart and the hopeful newcomer looking for a fresh start.  And she flips from one to the other so effortlessly that sometimes you weren't quite sure who she was for a minute.

Bottom line: despite Cate's wonderful performance, I left this movie as I leave most Woody Allen movies - wanting to slit my wrists.

What I Watched -- American Hustle

In preparation for awards season, I have been busy watching a couple of the nominees.  The first candidate was American Hustle.  I had heard a lot of good things about it, but I have to say that I was disappointed.

Let me explain.  As an ensemble cast, everyone was great.  Especially Jennifer Lawrence, but really all of them were. And in fact, it won Best Ensemble Cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards this year.

But nothing happened.  I was a little bored.

Bottom line: if you've gotten enough sleep to stay awake and you enjoy some 80s clothes, it'll keep you entertained.

Beethoven at the Symphony - Gamiln Whiskey House

Last weekend, I was offered some very last minute tickets to see Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, and my friend E was able to go - thank goodness! We had some of the best seats in the house, and the performance was stellar.

We went to the Sunday matinee, so from there, we headed over to try out Gamlin Whiskey House, a new(ish) establishment in the CWE.  We had the bok choy shallot risotto, one of the special appetizers, a scoop of homemade salted caramel ice cream, and the pumpkin doughnuts.  The food was on the whole pretty tasty.  The service left a fair amount to be desired.

Brunch at Table

I had another brunch long, long ago with the same group of girlfriends, and I was reminded of it when writing about Melt.  We went to Table (what is it with these one-word names?) back when the weather was still nice and we could enjoy their pseudo-outdoor seating, and also back when they were serving brunch, which it doesn't appear that they are anymore.

But way back in the day, I had some pretty tasty duck hash, and sweet potato doughnuts for dessert.  But far and away the tastiest part was my brunch cocktail, a delightful lemonade and vodka concoction with thyme-infused simple syrup.  I'd go back for another drink - if they were still serving brunch.

St. Louis Architecture

Old advertisement

Olive and 10th

Goal #4

Goal #4: limits on the coffee.

Two cups a day.  Tops.  After that, it's tea.  Tea is better for you (as Magda says).

Recap of goal #3: furniture moved.  I still have to do lots of cleaning and organization to do, but progress was made!

Random Links

A little late for Turkey Day, but this is a hilarious recounting of British geographic knowledge of the U.S.

Scout.

Everyone loves a library.

Possibly the cutest dog-and-baby pictures on the interwebs.

Paper is not dead.

11 comics every introvert will understand.

Quote of the Day

True, real inspiration and growth only come from adversity and from challenge, from stepping away from what's comfortable and familiar, and stepping out into the unknown.
  -- Ben Saunders, polar explorer

Brunch at Melt

Some girlfriends and I had brunch at Melt, the newest Cherokee Street hot spot, the weekend before last.

While, true to Cherokee Street form, there are some vegan and vegetarian options, most of the menu is pretty meat-heavy.  It is well known as a breakfast place (although it is open late), so it's not surprising that the menu is loaded with bacon and sausage, as are many of the waffles.  I wasn't feeling particularly carnivorous that day, so opted for the old standard, there called the Violet Beauregarde - a waffle with blueberry compote.

It was good, but not overwhelmingly so.  The waffle batter was tasty, but they make thin waffles, and I'm more of a fan of Belgian.  Oh well.

They do have a Kaldi's Coffee self-serve coffee bar though, so I can't complain too much.  And they have 4 pinball machines lined up on the wall.  The way to a girl's heart...

Goal #3

Goal #3: get cleaned up enough to see about moving some furniture.

It's not a big deal, but I'm considering reorienting the big armchairs in my apartment.  The problem is this: they've sort of become the repository for all the stuff in my apartment that I'm not sure to do with right now.  That makes it hard to rearrange the furniture.

Recap of goal #2: turns out that, if you put just a minute of thought into it, it's actually really easy to appreciate something small every day.  Witness:

Sunday: sunshine.  It was miserably cold and grey and rainy all week.  Sunday was sunny, if somewhat windy.  Lovely day to be out.  Just ask T, who went for a walk around Creve Coeur Lake.

Monday: a comfortable bed.  Nothing like it at the end of a long day.

Tuesday: a good workout.  Or two.

Wednesday: optimism.  I don't always have it.  Some people do.  When I don't, their optimism can be annoying.  But still good.

Thursday: humor.

Friday: a good drink at the end of the work week, and an interesting person with whom to share it.

Saturday: the weekend.  Obviously.