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Showing posts from October, 2010

Thoughts on Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle

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-Following the life of Dorothy Parker during her time with the Alonquin Circle, a group of writers, actors, and such who met everyday at the same table at the Alonquin Hotel. -Jennifer Jason Leigh, who is kind of amazing as Parker, getting the voice down and all that. -Matthew Broderick plays Charles MacArthur, who is a douchebag in this. Gwyneth Paltrow keep showing up as a fictional actress for some reason. Maybe as an excuse to go topless. I don't know. Also, Stephen Baldwin. -Why is it these biopic movies of awesome people always attract the biggest notable casts? Chaplin , etc. Though it might be because this particular film was directed by Robert Altman. -I'm afraid I'll be without computer for a few days, starting when this battery goes out, so sorry if this is rather short. And shitty.

Thoughts on Weirdsville

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-Junkies Dexter (Scott Speedman) and Royce (Wes Bentley) find themselves chased by gangsters and satanists when their friend Mathilda (Taryn Manning) supposedly overdoses. -This was cute. Sometimes funny, sometimes amusing, sometimes stupid, but it was always consistantly cute. -Bentley is a funny, if not entirely original, stupid one of the pair. Speedman plays straightman/serious guy fine. Manning spends most of her time dead or unconscious. There's the funniest pack of devil-worshippers committed to cinema. Some medieval midgets. The director of Empire Records . -Still. I refuse to believe people would be fighting so hard to get Canadian money. It looks like the stuff seven year olds make for their parent's birthday.

Thoughts on Total Eclipse

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-The affair between Arthur Rimbaud (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis). -What a silly movie. Neither good nor bad, just silly. I'm not just talking about the curiously anochronistic vocal stylings of the cast, in which you've got uber-American-sounding DiCaprio and English Thewlis against the French actors and actors about them, all speaking English to the point that I was somewhat taken aback when someone'll mention that, hey, we're in Brussels. It's Thewlis's weird performance of lip-smacking and whining, DiCaprio's somewhat good, maybe his most interesting, acting that, nonetheless, cannot make the more Rimbaudian language sound less ridiculous out of his mouth, like a high school junior forced to recite from the textbook in front of the class. -Also, this is the movie where DiCaprio still looked, like, twelve. So, in the end, seeing his get down with an Eithiopian (back when Ethiopia was called something else) woman, in this little

Between the Pink Flowers

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Between the Pink Flowers I'll meet you there on the bench we share that sits between the pink flowers. We'll talk and smile for just a little while, wishing it could be for hours. And then off we'll go because we must you know. Duty calls us in a very loud voice. Say goodbye to the sun. Work needs to be done. We have no say in the matter,  no choice. But the time we meet might not be as sweet if it filled all the time that we own. These moments we share are precious and rare, and make worthwhile  the time spent alone.

If You Need Me, You'll Know Where to Find Me

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Not too long ago, I showed you this picture of a pretty tree in my neighbor's yard. Well, now that tree looks like this, and after all the high winds we have had this week, my back yard just to the right of this tree looks like this. My front yard, not to be outdone, looks like this. Can you see all of those leaves on the ground?  It looks like I'm going to be spending the weekend with a rake in my hand. While I am out there raking, I've left a couple of things here in this post for you to do. First, if you'd like to, you can listen to my son's string quintet play the song, "Michelle."  He's the one standing  up in the back on the right playing the double bass. Second, you can look at a pretty drop leaf table or two, or check out what is for sale at any of the stores under the CSN name to see if there is anything there that you might like to buy with a $55.00 gift certificate.   Why am I suggesting you do this?  I am suggesting it because the CSN Stor

I have the bestest friend a girl has ever known

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Because she lives somewhere in the West Coast now (the land where they probably sell scripts next to the candy bars at checkout lanes), and for my birthday, which is precariously close, she sent me the shooting script for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ! WOOT! Not this copy, of course. And I she posted a nice card on it so I'd be able to differentiate between all the things she got my sister. But HAZZAH! In other news, if you can read this without ad-bombardment, I salute ye. Because I can't. Because for some now-unknown reason, my page keeps redirecting to various ad sites after five seconds. This is bad.

griffith & halloween weekend!

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yesterday dannon, his brother and i went hiking in griffith park, one of our favorite places. the day was gorgeous and sunny, perfect for taking our favorite kinds of photos! we've talked about a lot of different things in the halloween parties department, but i think what we actually decide to do will be a surprise, even to us! whatever we do though, i'm sure we'll find some way to have fun... and i hope the same for you! may you all have an awesome, safe, scary , candy-filled halloween!

The Seventh Seal

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-This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Like, ever. -I mean, I go in expecting some dour philosophical waxing and lots of screen-chess I'd offer some highly valuable advice to ("Yup, that's a Bishop. It sure does go that way."). But, dude. It was funny and sad and sweet and horrific and dude . -You can tell how serious this is when I forgo psuedo-intellectual faux-criticism for pure, fangirlish squeals. This shit is hardcore. -I mean...for good reason, the opening scene and the penultimate shot are the most iconic, but there's so much more...Death (Bengt Ekerot) is a dry, amiable dude who slacks off on the job to play some chess with a medieval monk (Max von Sydow, before he started playing all those Nazis) who's Time has Come. As the game goes on for awhile, the monk and his squire (Gunnar Björnstrand) go about the countryside, avoiding the Black Death and picking up various passengers, including a family of actors/jugglers (Nils Poppe and Bibi

~ a list ~

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things that are hard: * looking for a job. * finding a job. * eating healthfully. * the underside of our counter {just ask my head}. * killing spiders. * a good apple. * remembering that thing i came in here for... * making time for self-improvement. * seriously, why did i come in here?... * getting paid for my creativity. * cutting the head off an adorable stuffed moose to make a christmas gift. * understanding what my school loan repayment letters are trying to tell me. { what ?!} * resisting that cute new dress on modcloth. * resisting any of the dresses on modcloth for that matter {and did you see the shoes? oh! and the Accessories?!}. * waking up before 9am - in other words, at a decent hour. * acting like a reasonable person when someone eats one of my reese's peanut butter cups {there are only two!} * spending money on big, expensive, but necessary items. * staying on task {aka - making a list of things that are hard when i should be cleaning the bathroom}. * oh, and clea

Charisma and cajones: an exercise in humor litmus testing and contrived alliteration

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Today, me and me sister were having one of our ego-boosting "You're funnier", "No, you're funnier" bullshitting meats when I, being the brilliant rascal I am, outlined the two different kinds of funny, to maybe move the whole thing along. It goes as such: charismatic funny, the kind of sociable humor that the whole room will laugh at, and the purest form of isolation comedy, the stuff so funny only two people in the room will get it, and only one of them will gather enough courage to laugh. Discomfort humor, you'd call it. Judd Apatow, for all intents and purposes, is of the charismatic variety. While, in retrospect, his humor isn't any less offensive than your average Adult Swim original programming, it's mainlined, the so-stupid/sweet-it's-funny kind of manchild heroism even the stoniest cynic and hardened critic can giggle at. Todd Solondz, meanwhile, runs on fuel made of crew cuts and dead rainbows. His movies are funny, but only if you

wedding recap ~ what we wore!

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~ what i wore ~ the dress: i always knew i wanted something unique for a wedding dress. i went ahead and tried some traditional wedding dresses and hated them! they just were not for me. i looked all sorts of places but kept coming back to the gorgeous designs of sarah seven . so we took a trip to portland and i fell for the "pink petals" dress. i really wanted my dress to be light blue because i'm not a fan of whites or creams, and i'm not really into following traditions. but after a long talk with dannon i decided that it was his wedding too, and if seeing me in something white was the one tradition he was looking forward to, i could give him that. so i had her make it in the darkest cream she had! :) i also wore a simple blue wrap that i got for $15 at some random department store for the cooler evening hours. the earrings: i was so super excited about my earrings! i had seen these beauties about a year ago in san francisco, but was never able to buy them

Huh? Moments in Advertising

The greatest aspect of this critical drubbing isn't even in the column. It's a perfect example of incongruous Web advertising. The review is terrific. I love a lambasting with style. "Bad taste doesn't begin to describe the revulsion it evokes when you first hold it in your hands," writes Rutten. Brilliant. I wonder, then, his reaction to the ads that follow the column, under the dateline. You have to read the column for this to make sense. But in case it changes, here's the "Ads by Google" block that follows Rutten's review: Lamps Plus®-Official Site Home Lighting, Furniture and Décor. 1000s of Items Ship Free! LampsPlus.com/Lamp-Shades Looking for Lamp Shades? Shop All Styles & Sizes Online Find the Best Deals Here! www.Glimpse.com Drum Lamp Shades - Cheap Get Great Deals on Lovely Drum Lamp Shades. Save Big on Many Styles! www.NexTag.com/Drum-Lamp-Shades WOW!

Bigger and Bigger and Bigger!

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Quite a while back, I posted about all the additions that they made to our local hospital.  I thought at the time, that they were done with adding on to it.  I was wrong. (Well, imagine that!!)  You can read one of my earlier posts about it  here if you are interested. They added on another whole section on the back as you see here.   The sun was going down when I took this picture and shining directly on these walls.  It made them look a sort of gold color in this picture, but they are actually a light green.   This side of the addition has part of the green up, but there is still some of the black under layer that needs to be covered.   That concrete in the front there is our new helicopter pad for the patients brought in or taken out by helicopter. This is a better picture of the helicopter pad.  That building across the street is our local medical group where many of our town doctors have their offices. This side shows the green color better of the walls.  They are still finishing

this is my tuesday

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last week i discovered {too late unfortunately} a new series over on red boots called this is my tuesday . the idea is to post a photograph which shares a little about yourself, a picture that tells a story, on whatever the topic of the week happens to be. how lovely is that?! this week the topic is on love, and you know i have a lot to share on that! now really, my life is FULL of love! i mean, i could take hundreds of photos from around my life to portray the love surrounding me. i Love my family and friends, near and far. i Love all the music in my life - concerts, singing, playing, dancing. i Love Love Love my dear chloe cat! i Love chai lattes, apple cider with mulled spices, warm scarves, pumpkin everything, and new magazine day. i Love the fresh flowers dannon frequently brings home. i Love yoga, reading buddhist writings, and experiencing revelations from God. i Love curling up early in bed with a good book. i Love creating art with paper, fabric, and colors. i Love how my mus

Tuscan Coffeecake

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I 'liked' King Arthur Flour on Facebook  and this lovely coffeecake showed up yesterday on their page.  It begins with a starter (flour, water and yeast) that must rest at room temperature overnight. In the morning, you add other ingredients to make the dough, then knead in toasted walnuts, chopped dates, and golden raisins. I used golden raisins and dried cranberries and soaked them overnight in brandy. You can substitute with whatever fruit you like and make it your own! If you soak the fruit in brandy, be sure to drain it well before you knead it into the dough. Kneading the fruit into the dough is a sticky situation at best. I put a small bowl of water close by and dipped my fingers in it occasionally which helped tame the dough! The fruit and nut studded dough is placed into a 9" cake pan and left to rise slightly for 30 minutes. Just before it goes into the oven, a light mixture of sugar, vanilla and water is drizzled over the top. Because this isn't a really swe

Thoughts on Last Tango in Paris

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-Believe it or not, my dears, there is more to this movie than the butter scene. There's the finger scene too. -Of course I kid. This is actually pretty good. Brando is brilliant, but in that accessible way I find disquieting on him. And he speaks French in what I assume is an American accent (it all sounds just French). Maria Schneider, too, brings her own kind of charisma to a role that is often dismissed as naked prancing. -Anyway. Not much to add, otherwise. I quite like the last ten minutes.

What a day

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The moral of the story?

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Spammers may be bad, but CAPTCHAS suck hard. Don't use CAPTCHAS.

En Francais...

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Bonjour, mes bons copains. Pour au demi-âne fait les études pour mon quiz français prochain, je vous donne un poste court dans la LANGUE FRANÇAISE WOOT! Parce que j'ai cru qu'Emma Stone-hosted le sketch satirique de SNL l'autre nuit baisait assez adorable. C'est par un traducteur, parce que mon manuel n'a pas presque assez de mots de juron. Comme, sérieusement.

monday? oh.

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i had a pretty awesome weekend, as evidenced by the fact that this post is so much later than i usually post them. we were gone all day at a pair of good friends' wedding, where i got to see so many great high school and college friends - people i haven't seen in years! we had a blast and now we have a gorgeous bouquet of flowers to remember the weekend by {this was one of the bridesmaid's bouquets, but she was flying home and couldn't take it with her - this thing is heavy!}. in a bit of sad news, we learned that the floods in thailand have reached our little elephants. the river on the property has flooded greatly and they had to move over 100 elephants, including the little babies, to higher ground near the village. as you can imagine, it takes so much work to move them all and take care of them far from their resources. not to mention how awful it is that all the homes on the ranch have been totally submerged in the river, most of which are just tin and straw hu

Who Owns My Heart

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Miley Cyrus - Who Owns My Heart - European Single Music video for Miley Cyrus ' European single "Who Owns My Heart". Not bad.. Miley Cyrus she's look pretty here, matured, dark Well good thing it's the final season of her show on disney so she can finally concentrate on growing up without the responsibility of having to be the perfect role model for kids. Like her.. love her music!! Go miley!! XD HollywoodXtras video present Miley Cyrus - Who Owns My Heart - European Single ..listen to the music.. I love this song. There's no denying that she has had an influence on youth and adults alike. I can't doubt her success, and I can't doubt that she's made two names for herself: Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus.

Rain Radio... G Dazzle Theme Hour

Radiohead - Sit Down, Stand Up Prince - Purple Rain BJ Thomas - Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head Curley Weaver - Some Rainy Day Singing in the Rain Johnnie Ray - Just Walking in the Rain Irma Thomas - It's Raining Marty Robbins - September in the Rain Bobby Darin - Don't Rain On My Parade Supertramp - It's Raining Again Eddie Rabbitt - I love a Rainy Night Steve Young - Montgomery in the Rain Ryan Adams - Damn, Sam (I love a woman that rains) Tom Waits - A Little Rain (For Clyde) The Beatles - Rain Blind Melon - No Rain

Normally, this would be a review of Night Watch

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But as luck would have it, my DVD copy is dubbed. Fucking dubbed . And I can only switch the audio to French or Spanish. I don't care about your international appeal, studios. Do not fucking dub your fucking movies .

Sunday music (because Monday sucks)