My First RL Poker Tournament

I played in my first real life (as opposed to online) poker tournament today at Foxwoods.  I was a little nervous going into it and I did make a few blunders, but I ended up having a lot of fun.  About 260 people were in the tournament and I managed to stay in for about 2.5 hours.  I would guess I went out somewhere around the 80's or 90's.  There were about 9 tables left when I went out.  Foxwoods does no limit Hold 'Em tournaments multiple times per week and Jeff always looks forward to going up there whenever we visit my parents.  It's probably a good thing we don't have such a nice casino (with poker) close to where we live.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Went to see this last night.  It was really good.  Unfortunately, it was not quite as good as Lord of the Rings, a movie that it will undoubtedly be compared to.  The LOTR books themselves are probably a little richer than the Chronicles of Narnia, and that shows up on the big screen.  I have to say, I personally enjoyed LWW more than Lord of the Rings, but I know I am biased as the Chronicles of Narnia (specifically LWW) were some of my favorite books growing up. 

Two notable things: Aslan - the CGI was amazing.  In most scenes, I would not have known they were not using a real lion.  There was one part in particular where you could see individual hairs in his mane move - awesome!  The script was also really good.  id odn't remember how many of the one liners came out of the books, but I was snorting (and outright laughing) in several places.

Two things that could have been improved: The score was really lacking.  After seeing LOTR (for example), I rushed out to buy the score on cd.  I don't even remember the music from LWW and this is definitely the kind of movie that could have used some strong musical themes.  Also, one of the most climactic scenes of the book (won't spoil it here) was not as moving as it should have been, imho.

Nonetheless, I definitely think people should go see this movie.

"I just shot John Lennon"

Rolling Stone marks the 25th Anniversary of John Lennon's death with this tribute: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/8898300/johnlennon?rssfeed=musicnews&rnd=1133536183468&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.1059

Imagine is still one of the only songs that makes me cry when I listen to it.  RIP, John.

Get a Grip

There is no "war on Christmas".  How absurd.  And if the biggest thing that has your panties in a wad is the White House Christmas card not referencing Christmas, I really think you need to reevaluate your priorities.  I can think of about 769,345,301 other things that should be more important to you.  #1 on the list?  Peace on earth and goodwill to men (and women).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/06/AR2005120601900.html

Stop Yelling At Me...

...you are slowing my healing process?  OK, obviously I'm a fan of research, but I'd really like to know who came up with the idea for this study. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4499080.stm

Holy Crap! Killer Squirrels!

The winner of this week's most ridiculous news story...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4489792.stm

woot!

One class down, one to go.  I just finished my research paper for my parties class: predicting presidential election outcomes with people's perception of the economy.  Fascinating, I know. 

Late Night Showing of "Walk the Line"

I've come to the conclusion that the best time to see movies is weeknights or Sunday, late at night.  There are generally few people in the theatre so you don't have to get there so early, and the people that do go then don't seem to be as obnoxious.  Or maybe the level of obnoxiousness is the same, it's just less noticeable because there are fewer people.  At any rate, I am a fan of off peak movie watching.

In an attempt to get me out of the house after an entire day sitting in front of my laptop, Jeff took me out to see "Walk the Line" last night.  I had heard lots of good things about the movie so I had high hopes.  My high hopes were mostly realized. 

The acting in "Walk the Line" was truly amazing.  Both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon performed phenomenally.  However, the movie itself could have used some work.  Not that it was bad, it just wasn't on par with the performances.  Some parts could have been edited more effectively and I wish they had been able to focus on the complexities of Johnny Cash rather than the straight up alcohol and drug abuse.  Obviously that was a big part of his life, but at times the movie seemed to reduce it to a stereotypical story of an addict.  It would have been nice to go a little bit deeper.  One scene in particular, where he seems to be inspired to perform in prisons due to letters from inmates could have been explored in a more meaningful way.  (I mean, unless I missed it, they just focused on Folsom prison, when in reality he performed at other prisons, like San Quentin, where interestingly Merle Haggard - then an inmate - heard Cash perform).  At times the movie seemed to reduce Cash to just another addict musician, when he was so much more.

All in all it was good though, and the performances of the two leads are certainly worthy of Oscar nomination.  And hey - if it gets more people to listen to Johnny Cash music, it's all good.

But the Rainbow Has A Beard

Hats off to Ginger Baker.  Every once in awhile I get in the mood to revisit some of the cd's I own that I haven't listened to in awhile.  It's like musical comfort food.  Recently I've been on a rediscovering Cream kick.  I used to listen to them a lot (on vinyl, LOL) in high school.  So this morning I am driving into work and listening to my copy of Disraeli Gears.  Good stuff.  One of my favorite songs on that album is SWLABR (which stands for she was like a bearded rainbow - don't ask me - I have no idea).  I challenge anyone to listen to that song and notw ant to run out and buy a drum kit...or at least start playing air drums.

An Apology to the French

In a follow up to my rant about the French government blaming rappers for the riots, I would like to offer an apology.  I can now see how songs might induce rioting...

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,69697,00.html?tw=wn_story_top5

NME News Flash - Lots of Belle and Sebastian Goodness

http://www.nme.com/news/belle-and-sebastian/21552

Belle and Sebastian are releasing an iTunes exclusive live album on 12/6.  All proceeds are going to charity.

B+S are also releasing a studio album on 2/6.  Jeff - you could buy it for me for Valentine's day.  ;)

Arrrrr matey

Just got Sid Meier's Pirates for my birthday (thanks, Jeff) and it is awesome.  I don't think I have ever found a Sid Meier's game that I didn't like, but this one is really great - it's an extremely open ended game so you can play about 100 different ways.  The graphics and music are really great too.  Pirates is a 2005 rerelease of an older version and it kicks butt.  Now if only they would rerelease Colonization - my all time favorite Sid Meier's game...

Pardon my French (ha ha)...

but you have got to be shitting me. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4469484.stm

The riots were caused by rap music???  And they want to prosecute the rap artists???

Smoking and Hearing Loss?

The most interesting thing about this article from Rolling Stone isn't that ipods can cause hearing loss (duh); it's the last paragraph in the article.  Smoking increases your chance of hearing loss.  Who knew.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/8841090/petetownshend?rssfeed=musicnews

Spanish Riding School Comes to DC

Since I was about 8 I have wanted to see the Spanish Riding School Lipizzaner stallions.  However, they rarely travel to the US, so I had pretty much decided at some point in my life, I would have to go to Vienna to see them.

That's right Vienna, Austria.  So why is it called the Spanish Riding School if it is in Vienna?  Because the horses they ride, Lipizzaners, are a breed from Spain.  As a matter of fact, when the SRS was founded in 1572 (making it the world's oldest riding school), the actual horses they rode were Spanish born. 

The SRS practices the riding style known as dressage, which is the type of riding I did for about 10 years.  I often describe dressage to people as horse ballet.  It might not be as exciting (for some people) to watch as jumping or cross country, but dressage is truly an art.  It looks easy, but it takes years and years of dedicated practice to truly excel.  Ideally, dressage is the horse and rider in complete harmony, with the horse performing many intricate movements at the rider's invisible command.  Watching a master of dressage (both horse and rider) is amazing, if you appreciate how difficult it really is.

At any rate, the Spanish Riding School is coming to DC this Saturday and guess who has tickets!  I'm so excited, and I think even Jeff is excited too.  ;)  though I would still like to go to Vienna (they actually ride in a palace and their arena has crystal chandeliers, gold leaf, and french doors - not quite comparable to the MCI Center), I can finally say I have seen *the* Spanish Riding School.

Yoko Jumps on the Digital Bandwagon

John Lennon's entire solo catalog goes digital on 12/6, two days before the 25th anniversary of his untimely death.  Paul and George are nowhere to be found on iTunes (or anywhere else online), though Ringo's solo work is there.  When it comes down to it though, how many people are really looking for any Ringo music?  I mean this is the person who brought us quite possibly one of the world's worst songs ever, Don't Pass Me By (on the White Album), which features the inspired lyrics: "I'm sorry that I doubted you/I was so unfair/You were in a car crash/And you lost you hair."  Um, yeah. 

Apologies to Ringo fans for that little Ringo bashing tangent.

So anyways, the good news is that another Beatle is finally going digital.  The bad news?  You still won't find it on iTunes.  As a result of the ongoing legal disputes between Apple Computer and Apple Corps, don't expect it any time soon, either. 

Herbed Bread Stuffing with Mushrooms and Sausage

Trying to figure out what to add to your Thanksgiving menu?  I made this stuffing when I hosted Thanksgiving for my family last year and it was awesome.  It gets even better in the fridge too.  Courtesy of Cooking Light.

1 1/2  pounds peasant-style white bread
4  (4-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage
2  teaspoons butter
1  pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
Cooking spray
2  cups chopped onion
1 1/4  cups chopped carrot
1 1/4  cups chopped celery
1/2  cup minced fresh parsley
1  tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1  tablespoon minced fresh sage
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/4  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2  large eggs
1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400°.

Trim
crust from bread. Cut bread into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Arrange bread cubes
in a single layer on 2 jelly-roll pans. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or
until toasted.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Cook
sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes,
browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cut crosswise into
1/4-inch-thick slices.

Melt butter in skillet over medium-high
heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Combine bread cubes, sausage, and
mushrooms in a large bowl.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat.
Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, carrot, and celery; sauté 5
minutes or until lightly browned. Add parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and
pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add to bread mixture. Combine eggs and broth,
stirring with a whisk. Add to bread mixture; toss to coat. Spoon into a
13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45
minutes or until browned.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES
208(27% from fat); FAT 6.2g (sat 1.7g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN
13.6g; CHOLESTEROL 68mg; CALCIUM 46mg; SODIUM 635mg; FIBER 4.1g; IRON
2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.9g

Oo-Rah

Jeff and I went to go see Jarhead last night and I was pleasantly surprised.  I was sort of expecting another Blackhawk Down war movie (sorry, no I didn't like Blackhawk Down), but was pleasantly surprised instead.  A war movie without much of a war, Jarhead is really more of a character study and Jake Gyllenhaal does an outstanding job of bringing his character to life.  Peter Sarsgaard and Jamie Foxx also give particularly good performances, though the screenwriter didn't give them too much to work with.  It would have been nice if characters other than Gyllenhaal's had been a bit more developed.  Keeping in mind though, that the movie is based on an autobiography of Gyllenhaal's character, I guess that is to be expected. 

Though several scenes were reminiscent of Full Metal Jacket, I really liked Jarhead overall.  The cinematography was really good, especially the scenes during the burning of the oil wells.  Several critics claim Jarhead lacks a point, but I think that *is* the point.  Throughout the conflict, it seems like many of the soldiers wonder what the point of the war is.  Just like the Gulf War was much different than Vietnam, Jarhead is much different from, for example, Apocalypse Now (which makes a cameo appearance in the film). 

Celebrating our 4th: Indebleu

Yesterday was our fourth wedding anniversary.  Instead of exchanging gifts, we usually go out to a swanky restaurant.  I was really excited to try Indebleu after hearing a few positive reviews from some friends.  Plus, I love Indian and French food, and the idea of fusing the two together was intriguing.

I have to say, I was slightly disappointed in the food.  Not that any of it was bad; it was all quite good.  But none of it left me thinking: "Wow, I have to come back here to try this again."  With so many restaurants to explore, Indebleu didn't make it onto my must return list.

The positives:

• The service.  General Manager Jay Coldren's training at the Inn at Little Washington shows.  The service at Indebleu was probably the best I have had at any restaurant.  Ever.  The several waiters assisting us were very attentive, and friendly, but also non-intrusive.  Definitely five stars for service.



• The naan.  A waiter continuously walked through the dining room giving diners fresh, warm, buttery naan seasoned with rosemary.  Wow - this was good.  I think I ate 4 pieces.



• The wine list.  Holy moley - we didn't have any, but the wine list here is one of the most extensive I have seen.  I think it was even better than the wine list at California Grill.



• The bathroom.  After last month's trip to Zola, this was actually a bathroom to be proud of!  Unique faucets and cameras that broadcast your image to a flat panel screen over the sink (while you are washing your hands, NOT while you are going to the bathroom!).  Along with the bill (tax was listed are "IRS BS" and the final total was "the dough you owe"), the bathroom made it clear that the people at Indebleu have a sense of humour.

Jeff and I each had a three course meal.  Jeff went for the lobster and crab starter and I had the scallops.  Jeff's was very good.  Mine was only OK.  I didn't care for the sauce.  As an entree Jeff had the veal and I had the lamb.  My lamb was excellent, and the side of lentils was very tasty.  For dessert I decided to be adventurous and so I ordered the saffron-cardamom ice cream "spaghetti" which was served in a press and a side of gulab jamun "meatballs".  The waiter pressed the ice cream out onto the plate so it looked like spaghetti.  I liked the taste of the gulab jamun, but the ice cream tasted off.  I like saffron and cardamom, but I didn't enjoy the taste of the ice cream.  Jeff had the pear ginger crumble, which he said was good.

Overall - I would go back, but only if someone else was paying.  ;)

Good Night and Good Luck - That's What Someone Should Have Said as I Entered the Theater

I'm really not sure why this movie won so many awards and has garnered so much critical acclaim.  Yes, the cinematography is great.  It is a film full of eye candy.  However, there is not much substance. 

The supposed point of the film (a commentary on the role of journalism in a democracy) is about as subtle as a mack truck.  None of the characters are developed, let alone well developed.  It's a shame too because you get the feeling there are some interesting stories to be told there.  At several points I thought: "Oh good, now I will figure out what the deal is with (fill in character's name here).", but no such luck. 

The few redeeming things: the interesting and effective use of actual news footage, the performance given by David Strathairn, and the soundtrack.

I hardly ever say this, but I should have waited for the DVD. 

Zola and Othello

Last night we had dinner at Zola (fabulous - except the bathroom) and saw Avery Brooks in Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre. 

Zola was great.  I had a fondue with sausage and sourdough, a really amazing halibut dish with ginger grits, and a peanut butter and chocolate trifle for dessert (you cannot go wrong with peanut butter!).  Jeff's favorite was the lobster mac and cheese.  We will definitely be coming back.  However, I was supremely disappointed in their bathrooms.  They say on their website that their bathrooms are the best in D.C., so I was really curious to see why.  I still have no idea.  The bathroom was fine, but just a bathroom.  Nothing special at all.  I left wondering if maybe there was a super secret bathroom that I had missed (Zola is attached to the Spy Museum after all).  Oh well.

Othello was great as well, though Iago stole the show (as tends to happen in Othello, I guess).  Avery Brooks' performance was great, but Patrick Page's (Iago) was better.  I enjoyed the staging as well. 

We definitely need to make it out to the Shakespeare Theatre more often.  The last time we had both been was in college.

New Pornographers at 9:30

I dragged Jeff to see the NP's at the 9:30 club last night.  It was a sold out show so I wanted to get there early to get a good spot (though at 9:30 there isn't really a bad spot) and also because I wanted to hear the two opening acts: Immaculate Machine and Destroyer.  Immaculate Machine is AC Newman's niece Kathryn's band and they were a pleasant surprise.  I'd never heard any of their music before, but it was really pretty good.

Next up was Destroyer - Dan Bejar's band.  I really liked Dan's contributions to Twin Cinema, so I was looking forward to this set as well.  It ended up being a huge disappointment.  I think largely because Dan was very obviously intoxicated.  The high point of the Destroyer's set was when the guy next to us started heckling Dan for being drunk. 

The NP's finally came on around 11:30 and they were great!  I love shows at the 9:30 because they are so intimate and this show was no exception.  AC told us a story about getting pulled over for speeding on his way to the show and then started taking audience requests.  :) 

The one downside of the show was that their performance mirrored their albums a little too well.  One of the best things about live music is hearing the little differences between the songs live and the songs as they are on the album.  In this regard, the NP's seemed a little scripted.

Regardless, it was definitely worth the $15 to see them live...especially with Neko Case.  I know that they have frequently toured without her, but I can't imagine that those shows were half as good as the shows where she was included.  What a voice.

Listening Too Long To One Song

I recently discovered one of those rareties - an entire
album that
I can listen to on repeat for days, even weeks, on end.  I had never
listened
to any New Pornographers albums before, but "Twin Cinema" had gotten
glowing reviews
from pretty much every news source I read.  And it sounded like my kind of
music. 
One blog said "Belle and Sebastian with more drums!"  Well hey - B+S are
one of my
favorite bands and I like percussion.  "It's the ultimate in power pop..."
proclaimed another. 
Well count me in - I LOVE good power pop.

Well, it's been two weeks since I've picked this album up and it's
pretty much all I've been listening
to in my car since then.  I think it's definitely one of the best albums
of the year.  And yes -
the whole album is good.  I'd be hard pressed to tell you a song I didn't
like.  Plus, they have great harmonies, and
I'm a sucker for interesting harmony.  (As an aside - while they have a
lot of interesting harmonies, I will never get
tired of the vocal bass line in "Stacked Crooked".  I don't even know
which NP sings it, but he makes the voice sound almost
like a string bass.  The actual harmomy itself is interesting too).

One of the major critiques of "Twin Cinema" is that the lyrics are too
abstruse, and in a way they are. 
But the lyrics remind me of Dylan Thomas poetry.  The meaning is not
entirely clear, but the words flow so well together
that instead of believing the words are just a bunch of gibberish, you are
left with the feeling that they possess
a deep meaning, albeit a meaning that you know you are not totally
grasping.  Nonetheless, Dylan Thomas is one of my
favorite poets, and the NP's are now one of my favorite groups.

 

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
The Jessica Numbers -

New Pornographers

These Are the Fables -
New Pornographers

Stacked Crooked -
New Pornographers

The Bones of an Idol -
New Pornographers

Jackie, Dressed in Cobras -
New Pornographers

March Penguins, March

I've seen March of the Penguins twice now.  One at AFI
silver before it was in wide release and once in (of all places) Dubuque,
Iowa
at a brand spanking new theatre only a few minutes drive from the field of
dreams (yes, that field of dreams).  Both times I was
left wondering how the hell those cute emperor penguins make it.  The
second thing I wondered about was their necks.  I mean, who knew that
penguins
has necks that could stretch like that?

Even if the penguins are not motivated by "love" as Morgan Freeman
posits at the beginning of the film, their survival instinct is
incredible. 
Although at times the narrative is a little heavy on personification, the
story of the penguins is still amazing.   And I am forever greatful to
whomever decided
assigning voices to the penguins (as they did in the original French
version of the film) would not play well to American audiences.  I'm not
sure that they could
have chosen a better narrator than Morgan Freeman. 

If you have not seen this film yet, you need to go see it.  After all,
I found it in Dubuque, Iowa, so I am sure it has made it's way to a
theatre near you
by now.  Please do not take Richard Roeper's advice to wait to see it on
tv.  It is really awesome on the big screen, and I promise you it's worth
the $9. 

 

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
Requiem for O.m.m.2 -
Of
Montreal

I Was Never Young - Of
Montreal

Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games - Of
Montreal

Forecast Fascist Future - Of
Montreal

So Begins Our Alabee - Of
Montreal

Roots

This seems to be the summer for roadtrips.  I generally
try to fit in a few each summer,
but it seems like this summer I've been in a car more than out of one. 
And I just got back from my big trip of the summer:
one week of driving around Illinois doing genealogy research.

When I first started talking about this trip, my mom and my aunt said
that they wanted to tag along.  As anyone who has ever done
genealogy research knows - it can be boring unless you are really into it. 
You have to be really into it, for example, to sit in an old historical
society
back room and hand crank rolls of microfilm, scanning every single issue
of the local paper published in the year 1947 trying to find an obituary. 
So I was skeptical
when they said they wanted to come.  But we had a great time and I know I
wouldn't have had half the fun without them along.

We spent some time in Chicago looking for graves and checking out the
Museum of Lithuanian culture before heading out to Jo Daviess County in
Northeastern Illinois. 
There, we spent a few days in the town where my grandma grew up.  While
the town itself was sort of depressing because most stores on Main Street
were empty, we did find some
pictures of my grandma in the local antique store, which was sort of
strange.  Can you imagine finding your third grade school photo for sale
in an antique store somewhere? In addition to the genealogy research I
wanted to get done, we spent some time in Galena, which has to be the
living embodiment of
Disneyland's Main Street USA, and a ski resort (complete with Alpine
Slide!) overlooking the Mississippi River.  From there we ended up driving
down to Peoria where we spent a few days doing research, and then back to
Chicago, where we spent our last day window shopping on the
Magnificent Mile. We ended up eating dinner at the ultra-touristy but
good Gino's.  BTW, whoever selects their music has great taste.  I
almost asked the waitress who picked all of it out.

All in all, it was a great trip.  Not only did I find a lot of the
things I wanted to find genealogy-wise, but it was really great getting to
spend some time with my
mom and aunt, who I don't get to see that often.  We ended up finding the
past and making new memories at the same time.

 

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
Baby You're Not in Love-
22-20's

Yesterday Threw Everything At Me - Athlete

One of These Things First - Nick
Drake

For Lovin' Me - Peter,
Paul, and Mary

Fortress - Pinback

I Am the Incredible Shrinking Woman

Over the past few years I had gained a lot more weight
than I was happy with.  I had tried a lot
of diets and exercise plans, but nothing seemed to work long term.  It
seemed like I was always able to lose about 10 pounds
and then I would plateau and give up.  Back in February, my company
decided to start a Weight Watchers at work program. 
We would have a Weight Watchers person come and run weekly meetings in our
office and the company would pay for half of the cost.

I had heard good things about Weight Watchers, so I decided I might as
well sign up.  I had decided to train for a half marathon in
January 2006 with some friends and I knew a large part of this would mean
losing weight.  A lot of weight.  Like 100 pounds.

So how has it been going?  Well, since February, I have lost 50 pounds! 
I've gone down 3 sizes.  I still have at least another 50 to go before I
get to my
goal weight, but I know I can do it.  I know that I can use the things
I've learned from Weight Watchers and apply them the rest of my life.
I'm very excited.  Jeff calls me a Weight Watchers evangelist because
whenever the topic comes up (and these days that's a lot, as people
notice how much weight I've lost and ask me about it) I extoll the virtues
of Weight Watchers.  Seriously though.  If you are looking
to lose weight it's a great program.  You don't even have to go to
meetings - you can do it by yourself online.

In college, when I was thinner (funny, I always used to feel *so* fat
in college, but when I look back at some of the clothes I've kept I can't
imagine fitting
into them!) I was a huge clothes horse.  Since gaining a lot of weight,
this habit of mine had been channeled into shoes and purses.  Now that I'm
losing weight,
I'm loving clothes shopping again.  As Jeff says, my losing weight might
be very bad for our budget.  Good thing I just got a raise. ;)

 

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
La Descarga del Bobo -
Willie
Bobo

Always Wanting You - Merle
Haggard

Lousiana Woman, Mississippi Man - Conway
Twitty and Loretta Lynn
All My Exes Live in Texas - Whitey
Shafer

Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key - Billy
Bragg, Wilco, and Natalie Merchant

George Lucas at AFI Silver

Jeff and I love movies. Jeff and I usually go to the
movies at least once every week, and our dvd collection just outgrew it's
home in December after adding about 30 new dvd's to our collection at
Christmas.  If I could build one dream room in a house, it would be a home
theatre.  And I don't mean a couch with a big screen tv, either.

However, we generally have different taste in film.  Jeff likes big
action movies like Independence Day and Armageddon.  I prefer classics,
documentaries, and foreign films, though I do also like a lot of the big
action movies that Jeff likes.

Little by little, I've been getting Jeff to enjoy the kinds of movies I
like too.  Jeff surprised me one day by wanting to go see Hero, directed
by Zhang Yimou.  I think it probably helped that Jet Li was the star, but
this helped me to introduce Jeff to some of my favorite Chinese films (I
took a Chinese film class in college, so I have quite a few).

This past weekend, Jeff said he had a surprise planned.  Since he said
that it was something he thought I would like, but he thought he might
like it more, I started imagining things like laser tag, a computer
convention, or something having to do with Star Trek.  Boy was I surprised
when we drove to Silver Spring, got out of the car, and started following
the signs to the American Film Institute Silver Theatre.

Since the Silver re-opened in 2003, I have been trying to get Jeff to
go with me, but he has never been interested.  Yesterday, however, the AFI
Silver was showing Episode IV, V, and VI of the Star Wars trilogy, so Jeff
got us tickets to all 3 films and we spent the day watching the original
Star Wars films on the big screen.  What a treat!  According to AFI staff,
the AFI Silver is the only theatre in the world that has permission to
show the 3 original Star Wars movies.  During the renovation of the
Silver, George Lucas personally outfitted the theatre's sound system (and
it was one of the best I've heard).  I'm not sure why Jeff thought he
might enjoy it more than me, after all I was Princess Leia for Halloween
in 1st grade.  I was even the proud owner of the plastic Jabba's palace
set, featuring a real trap door.  When I was in elementary school, I
washed my hair with shampoo that came out of a plastic model of Darth
Vader.

After spending 8 hours at the Silver, Jeff and I were both really
impressed.  They have good concessions and they have wine and beer that
you can take into the theatre with you. They also have an espresso
machine.  Neither the tickets nor the available snacks were as expensive
as other theatres with similar amenities.  Jeff was looking at their
upcoming schedule (which includes Jaws and the Indiana Jones movies), and
surprised me by saying he wanted to come back to see The Thin Man Movies. 
AND, he thought we should become members.  I think this might be the first
time Jeff has ever wanted to see a black and white movie, so AFI, thank
you!

 

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
Do What You Wanna (Mr.
Scruff's Soul Party Mix) - Ramsey
Lewis
In the Waiting Line - Zero
7
Still in Love Song - The
Stills

Fried Neckbones And Some Home Fries (Dan The Automator Remix) - Willie
Bobo

Spread Your Love - Black
Rebel Motorcycle Club

A Great Roadtrip

One of my friends from high school got married this past
weekend.  Coincidentally, one of Jeff's best friends from high school
got married the same weekend, so Jeff took off for Yosemite and a quick
trip to see his parents, and I packed up my car to head to Massachusetts.
I was excited because the closest to a roadtrip I'd been able to take in
my car since buying it last July were a couple trips for work to southern
Virginia and to Eastern Maryland.  Not exactly very exciting stuff. 

I left Thursday after work, and I decided to swing by my parents' new
house in Waterford, CT.  I spent a few days with them and enjoyed
shopping with my mom at an outlet mall and going kayacking with my dad out
to the ocean (they live on a little river that is about a 20 minute kayack
out to
Long Island Sound). 

Saturday was the wedding
and I had a great
time.  I was at the
high school table
which as I'm sure you have seen at any wedding you have been to, is the
rowdy, fun table.  ;)  We were the only people clinking our glasses and
for about 90%
of the evening, the only people on the dance floor, where we did the naked
tie dance (don't worry, it's not really naked), a dance that was last
performed at our senior prom. 

After the wedding a
group of us who had been really close in high school decided we and our
spouses/so's would
meet up in Vegas next June.  I sure hope we do, because I had a great time
seeing everyone again.  And other than hitting some traffic right before
the GW bridge,
it was a great roadtrip.

 

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
A Fine Romance - Billie
Holiday

Momma Miss America - Paul
McCartney
Born in Chicago - The
Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Flat Foot Floogee - Benny
Goodman

Daphne - Django
Reinhardt

Brian Wilson's "Smile"

We used to fly out to my grandparents' house in Washington
and then use their minivan
to take THE GREAT AMERICAN VACATION a la National Lampoon.  Found memories
of that time
include attempting to drive the minivan through the Chandelier Tree (we
barely squeaked
through, but don't ask my dad about what happened in the gift shop),
driving from
northern Washington to Southern California in 2 days, and eating at what
must have been every Denny's
on the west coast.

I first heard the Beach Boys in my grandparents' minivan
on one of these summer vacations when I was about 13.  My grandparents'
had a
Beach Boys "Greatest Hits" cd and it was (to my 13 year old ears) the best
thing to listen to
when compared to the other cd's in their car (I definitely remember some
Glenn Miller,
Boxcar Willie and a compilation of classic country called "Wagon Wheels"). 
We used to listen (and sing along) to
the Beach Boys cd on repeat until my parents had enough and insisted on
something else. Listening
to those songs still reminds me of those roadtrips.

I am not a Beach Boys FAN, though I like their music well enough.  I'm
a Beatles person.  I liked the Beach Boys harmonies and arrangements,
but the lyrics lost me.  I picked up "Pet Sounds" in college and thought
it was ok, but not one of the best
albums of all time.  For some reason "Pet Sounds" didn't speak to me like
many Beatles albums did. I
bought "Smile" after it caught my eye when I was Christmas shopping.  The
fact that I waited to listen to it until recently
belies my lack of Beach Boys enthusiasm and also that I was really a
little afraid after hearing some more recent
Brian Wilson efforts.  Ouch.  I didn't even know about "Smile"'s dark
history until reading the liner notes.

At any rate, from this perspective, I think "Smile" is an eminently
listenable album.  And it is an
ALBUM, better when listening to it all at once.  In addition to awesome
harmonies and arrangements, it
has the same kind of Americana feel that early Beach Boys songs have, just
more mature.  With lyrics like:
"Ribbon of concrete, just see what you've done/Done to the church of the
American Indian" these lyrics are certainly deeper than
"Well I saved my pennies and I saved my dimes/For I knew there would be a
time/When I would buy a brand new 409".
"Smile" has it's fair share of low points ("Vega-tables" comes to mind,
along with a re-do of "Good Vibrations"
that doesn't match the excitement of the original version, and the
instrumental "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" which hurts my ears), it's still good
music. 
"Wonderful", "Our Prayer", "Heroes and Villians",
and "Roll Plymouth Rock" are some of my favorites.  It's pretty obvious
that the backing vocals are not the original
Beach Boys, and that Brian Wilson has lost some of his voice (hey the dude
is in his 60's and sang the songs in the original key which
is pretty amazing in and of itself), but it's still good music.
And in case you are afraid, it is WAY better than any of Wilson's other
solo stuff.

 

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
Good Vibrations - The
Beach
Boys

Because - The
Beatles

La Vie En Rose - Edith
Piaf
Wonderful - Brian
Wilson
Surfing on a Rocket - Air

Mid-Atlantic Laptop Battle

Last night I went to the Mid-Atlantic Laptop
Battle at DC9.  Quite an experience. 
There were a couple of dj's that really rocked, but quite frankly, I was a
little disappointed at the caliber of people that were there.  Some of the
dj's flat out sucked.  And, at a few points I was left wondering what the
judges were thinking.  I guess it's hard for me to be objective about
electronica when there are some genres I really don't care for.  For $6
though, I'm certainly not complaining.

Never having been to a laptop battle before, I wasn't sure quite what
to expect.  They are apparantly much bigger on the west coast, which is a
shame, since we have plenty of amateur dj talent here on the east coast
too.  Hopefully they'll have more of these around here in the future.  I
had a good time, but I left wishing I had bought that "more
cowbell" t-shirt I saw a few weeks ago.  It would have been the
perfect shirt to wear. (Note: When I first saw this t-shirt some of my
friends didn't get the reference.  If you are clueless, click here to
read more about one of the funniest SNL skits.)
 

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
Young Americans - David
Bowie

Mas Que Nada - Sergio
Mendes and Brasil '66

Fixing a Hole - The
Beatles
Sunrise - Duran
Duran
Block Rockin' Beats - Chemical
Brothers

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

I got this game for Christmas and I've been playing it
pretty much whenever I have free time since.  What an awesome game.  Yes,
it is violent (what did you expect from a GTA game), but the amount of
detail the people over at Rockstar
have programmed into this game is
really amazing. There is so much to do in the game, I could probably play
it for a year and not be bored.  Definitely worth the ~$50 price tag.
There are so many vehicles you can jack, including several different
motorcycles, bmx bikes, semi-tractor trailers, low riders complete with
modifications, vw buses....and that is just the beginning.

One of the best things about this game is
the radio stations.  The
radio stations in previous GTA games were good, but the eclectic mix of
the radio stations in this game just speaks to me. I even went out and got
the game OST
with some money I had left over from Christmas.
There is something really odd, and strangely funny about running from the
police while
listening to "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man." At any rate, this
game gets two thumbs up from me.  

Last
5 songs played on my iPod:
California Love -
2Pac,
Dr. Dre, and Roger Troutman

Hard to Explain - The
Strokes
Rings Around the World - Super
Furry Animals
Hey Ya! - OutKast

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill
Withers