A Sequential Smattering of Thots (so...ya know, scroll down for most recent)
You can read past months here:
January '04
Week of Feb. 2Want to read what happened in March?
I finally got to ski again! Wahoo...OK, it�s exciting for me since winters around here have just really been quite sucky for the past decade or so. But this morning it was back to two, as in two degrees, so I hit snooze instead.
Groundhog Day
I have to admit, I totally ignored this holiday. It just seems dumb. Plus, it got all overshadowed by Janet�s boob. That will go down in history as one of the great PR stunts of all time. And it�s working, probably better than she ever expected. You just can�t buy that kind of exposure, no pun intended. The media is totally playing right into her hands, and those who missed the nanosecond blip of her boob live have gotten about 9,000 opportunities to see it played over and over and over and over again. Personally, I think all the hype is pretty lame. And now the FCC is doing an �investigation.� Hello? What�s to investigate? And how much is this costing us? They should just donate that money for an �investigation� to, I dunno, a charity that supports wet nurses or just feeding the hungry. The only thing that �outrages� me about this issue is all the hoopla over our nation�s precious children being exposed to such debauchery during �family time.� Family time? Yeah, that�s the same time slot where the precious children can be exposed to Superbowl commercials showing some guy getting his wiener chomped on by a dog (all in the name of humor), not to mention programs portraying domestic abuse, foul language, sexual innuendo that is anything but subtle, and murder, but show a boob and they�ll be scarred for life? Riiiight.
A couple more movies to report:
X2: I finally saw this and was a little disappointed. I guess I�m just dumb � it just took too long for me to understand what the hell was going on. But I really liked the new character, and the death of I won�t say who really got to me.Weekend Report
Real Women Have Curves: This movie seemed to have such promise that never delivered. I thought it was good, and the visuals were cool, but it just *ends* in a we-ran-out-of-money kind of way that makes you think the best part of the movie (her going off to college and finally finding herself and exercising those little glimmers of self-confidence) never got shot. I wanted the movie to start somewhere in the middle and go further than it did. But that�s just me.
I went to another Chicago Blaze game with Lenore, Elsbeth, Missy, Linda, Byron and, surprise, Kris showed up too! As usual, it was a great game. We met for dinner first at Panera. I thoughtfully brought cushions for everyone and was *mocked* for my effort. OK, so they were old kitchen chair cushions in a tiny blue flower print with a small ruffle, but *still*, if you're sitting on it, who�s the wiser? Well, next time they can all just get bleacher butt.
Snow Day?
We in the Marketing/PR dept. are dutifully performing snow dances in hopes of encouraging maximum snowfall for a snow day tomorrow. It would be an added bonus to have it occur on a Friday. Hopefully I can take Lenore on her first x-country ski adventure and she can take a maiden voyage on her new skis (new as in we got several pairs of used skis and poles at a rummage sale last year in Lake Geneva for one dollar!).
Speaking of Weather...
I think I�d like to be a weather forecaster when I grow up. In what other profession can you be so consistently wrong and still get paid? Maybe it�s just the Chicago area, but it seems like a large percentage of the predictions we get for major weather events just never come to fruition. I'm still hopeful for tonight's snowfall though.
Later...
Well, the alleged snow event was a bust. However, I took a snow morning (like a snow day, only shorter) and went skiing w/Roland anyway. Conditions were excellent, and we posted (illegally?) a laminated sign urging hikers to stay off the ski tracks. We'll see if it works! Tonight's agenda includes: possibly candlelight skiing or a movie (if laziness strikes) eating prototype pink bread and preparing for Linda's pink party tomorrow. Film at ll. TGIF...over and out.
Week of Feb. 9
Weekend Report
We were going to meet Roland and Amy for candlelight skiing Friday night, but traffic prevented an on-time departure, so we went to see Lost in Translation at the Catlow instead. The Catlow is one of those old ornate theaters, so it�s fun going there, even though it�s a little shabby and the rows are not pitched enough to see if someone tall sits in front of you (which is of course inevitable). Tickets are just $4 and there�s a deli next door where you can get a sandwich and drink and then bring it in to the movie with you. We opted to just smuggle in cake and cans of pop though. As for the movie...
Lost In Translation: I enjoyed it, even though it was basically plotless. It was kind of a visual smorgasbord, plus Bill Murray�s character was pretty likable. I�m really not sure what, officially, the movie was supposed to be about. To me it was about an unlikely friendship born out of loneliness and being plopped into a totally foreign and bizarre environment (Japan). These two people, in their real lives, would probably not even notice each other. But here, surrounded by this surreal garish atmosphere and with Japanese people babbling at them, they sort of cling to each other, probably as a way to assure themselves they are not going insane. It portrays Japanese culture somewhat negatively, and reinforced my own personal bias against pop culture in other countries that seems to be trying so hard to be cool, but fails so pathetically. I�ve noticed this in Germany, France and Italy too; their whole modern world seems so shallow and rootless, like there�s no history or evolution to it, it�s just a big half-assed rip off of what they perceive to be American. What they�ve ended up with is a very poor imitation of the worst of American culture without the sense of humor. I realize that�s a bit harsh, but hey, it�s my page.
Culinary Creations
We�re well out of the lasagna phase now. This week�s projects included pink bread and bean soup, both of which turned out lovely. The bread was for Linda�s birthday party. She knew about the party, just not the feminine pink theme her �sissy fag� brother (her loving moniker for him) Danny imparted upon the festivities. It was a total hoot � he made her wear a tiara and other princess accessories and even made pink chili and colored all the dips and sour cream pink. I also made a small carrot cake (which we didn�t share) and some awesome (if I do say so myself) bean soup in the crock pot. I had a great ham bone in the freezer, so that, along with several different kinds of beans came together nicely.
Skiing!
Lenore finally got to try those x-country skis Saturday, and she did great. The next day we went again and she fell about 50% fewer times, which is a vast and impressive improvement considering the trails were a little slicker and we went down some bigger hills. We consider it a success simply because we didn�t end up in the emergency room (unlike her first mountain bike adventure), so the fact that no trees were injured is an added plus. We ran into Roland and Amy Sunday (not literally, but almost) and after comparing equipment, determined that Lenore�s poles were a little too short for her. After trading with Amy, she did even better, so I�m going to see if I can find some 130s for her.
We also watched...
K-PAX: Which I thoroughly enjoyed. Kevin Spacey plays a delusional man who, due to a horrible trauma in his past, experiences a split in his personality/psyche and believes he is from another planet, K-PAX. The only thing is, he�s so convincing that even his doctor wonders if he�s telling the truth. His interaction with other mental patients is hilarious and also touching.
Midsummer Night�s Dream: Actually, we only got about five minutes into this when we decided we were too tired to concentrate enough to understand Shakespeare�s metaphor and meter. Pathetic, yes, especially since this is the modern remake w/Kevin Kline and what�s her face (the skinny blonde...), so I think the language may have even modernized a little. We�ll re order that one and try again another time.
Week of Feb. 16
A cold, 2 sick days and power lounging all contribute to later than usual updates. But look, I finally archived the past month!
Four-Day Weekend
What was supposed to be a three day weekend turned into a four day weekend due to a nasty cold. I am so bad at being sick � I just shut down regardless of whether it�s a cold or Ebola. I even stayed home Friday. It started Tues. and by Wed. I think Lenore had too, so, sadly, most of our weekend plans for eating out, basketball and skiing were cancelled. Roland, Lenore and I did make it to the last candlelight ski of the season, which was brisk (as in chilly) but awesome. You haven�t lived �til you�ve careened down a hill in the dark on a feebly lit path! Lenore had only one bout of frustration (trying to stand up in the middle of a hill) that was severe enough to melt the snow around her and scare the other skiers away. I think she enjoyed her new �sticks� (properly sized ski poles) that I gave her as a Valentine present. Afterwards we enjoyed a bonfire and hot chocolate.
Happy Valentine�s Day!
Since I had virtually no sense of taste most of the weekend, we cancelled our plans to dine at Bistro Wasabi, which is a great Japanese place...sorry, no web link. Hopefully we can make up for it this weekend. Instead it was grits, scrambled eggs, lots and lots of soup, and about 9 gallons of green tea. The only other activities of note were walks to the library and a trip to Trader Joe�s for frozen breaded eggplant, which is delish (when you can taste food anyway). In honor of this day, check out this *hilarious* letter by Bill Maher. I am his new #1 fan.
Movies!
I did see few more, here are the ones I feel like commenting on, and also, one I forgot to comment on before.
An Ideal Husband: This is the 1999 movie of Oscar Wilde�s play/book, which has been described as a sly, witty satire on social mores and hypocrisies. So, given the setting and time period of this movie, I feel it�s OK to describe it as absolutely delightful. It starts out a little slow, but I didn�t mind too much because I really like Rupert Everett. Other notables include Minnie Driver, Cate Blanchette and Julianne Moore (who for some reason always strikes me as creepy, even when she�s not playing a bitch). You can just coast along on the rich visuals and the subtly humorous dialogue �til the pace picks up (hint: try watching with the subtitles on, it really helps!). In typical Wilde fashion, the dialogue is very snappy (favorite lines: "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance" and "Distressingly little time for sloth or idleness"), and the exchanges between Everett�s character (Lord Goring) and his father are hilarious. Another fun little tidbit about the movie is, at one point, we get to see the characters watching another Oscar Wilde play, The Importance of Being Ernest. Nothing like a little cross promotion!
By Hook or By Crook: This Sundance nominee didn�t get as much press as it should have (that I saw anyway), but it�s a fascinating movie. If you�re not open minded, you'll probably be too distracted to enjoy it, but if you�re willing to bend your comfy views of gender boundaries (both main characters are butch lesbians, though that�s not central to the movie), then it�s a very entertaining ride. In fact, one thing I really liked about it was that it wasn't a typical angst-of-coming-out lesbian movie. It's mostly about friendship and finding a place in the world and stars Silas Howard (of the punk band Tribe 8) as Shy, a charismatic but disenfranchised drifter, and Hariett �Harry� Dodge as Valentine, a lovable and captivating character who's a wee bit batty and on a quest to find her birth mother. Both of them are sort of bumbling through life, so when they hook up, they, along with Val�s mentally fragile girlfriend, bumble on together. This may be one of those movies you either love or hate. I loved it. Dodge and Howard co wrote the screenplay as well as directed and starred in the movie, which also includes some great music and camera work (the gal behind the lens was Ann T. Rossetti, who also did Go Fish). Sidenote, Dodge and Howard have been best friends for over 15 years and used to own a coffee shop together called The Bearded Lady Cafe. That makes more sense when you actually see the movie (wink).
More to come...
Week of Feb. 23
Such excitement...I got a new programmable thermostat over the weekend, which I even programmed by myself (though I had handyman Tim install it...I believe in supporting trained professionals). I�m hoping it�ll help control my ridiculous gas bills.
Lunching & Shopping
We went to a really cool Irish pub-type place in Downer�s Grove for lunch Sunday with Mary Ann. Unfortunately I forgot the name, but the decor and menu was very authentic, and I liked the fact that they built their bathroom stalls out of old doors, even leaving on the old doorknobs. After lunch we went to Trader Joe�s (she lives near the biggest one around) and I discovered the coolest snack food. It�s partially popped popcorn basically. The old maids are the best part (to me) of a bowl of popcorn, and now I can buy a whole bag!
Unfortunately, we did not have time for our dinner at Bistro Wasabi or to watch any movies. But I got some cleaning and lots of laundry done, so it wasn�t a total bust.