Last of the Summer Films

In keeping with my impromptu aquatic theme for the summer, I got Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. It had many things to recommend it: a story about a faux Cousteau searching for the elusive jaguar shark that killed his friend. Perfect subject for the film festival. And bonus points for Anjelica Huston. And the oddly attractive Jeff Goldblum.

My decision is that I have enough information on hand to say that I truly dislike Wes Anderson films, although at least I sat through to the end of this one, unlike the unbearable Royal Tenenbaums.

Not even Anjelica saved this one for me. It was tedious and I wanted those hours of my life refunded. But since that can't happen, I was amused by this little tale of missed product placement about the Zissou Adidas.

Why No One Wants To Vacation With Me

I have an absurd fascination with Antarctica and Alaska. They are places I would really like to vacation. I know, I know. Faithful Readers have suffered through my many weather reports this year, of me bitching about the snow, but there you go.

When reading the great Terra Incognita by Sarah Wheeler a few years ago, I was really annoyed to learn that many places she was visiting in Antarctica were warmer than it sometimes is in Ohio.

All of that being said, I wanted air conditioning and went to see the documentary, March of the Penguins. Walking out of the theatre, it is very difficult to not think that God was sitting around, smoking dope, having finished off a Domino's pizza, and was like,

Dude...so I'll make this bird, right? But it won't fly! It'll swim. And..and...I'll make it walk 70 miles in the snow and ice to a breeding ground. Yeah. And..when two of these, let's call them penguins, mate, the female will lay an egg...and..get this...then will pass it off to the male, who will hold it on top of his feet ( burst of giggles) for like, say, three more months, while the women penguins walk BACK 70 miles in the snow and wind to swim in the ocean for food, 'cause, like, there's no food there..just...snow! (Great guffaws of laughter)...ok, ok...so then the women penguin comes back, feeds the chick, gets the chick transferred to the top of HER feet, and then the dude penguins, now weighing 50 percent less because they haven't eaten for four months...they've just been standing there in 100 mile an hour winds out on the ice with a really fragile egg on the top of their feet, which could freeze solid in like a minute if it hit the ground. Right! Ok...yeah, so they do this a few times till the chicks are old enough to live in the cold, then the parents take off, leaving the chicks unattended, until finally the ice starts melting and the chicks leap into the sea...with no lessons or nothing. Ohh...dude, I can't do that....it's too mean. Oh, wait wait...I know. I'll dress 'em up in tuxedos....

This is why no one vacations with me. Its not so much the destinations as it is the fact I come up with crap like the above...

And also this...I heard you, Morgan Freeman, narrating this film. You were in Batman Begins, weren't you? Batman = Penguins. Wheels within wheels.

Anyway, this is a marvelous, amazing film, which really points out the dedication, and I suppose you can read into it and call it love that emperor penguins have the capacity for. And what is cuter than a fluffy emperor penguin chick learning to walk? Nothing. Go see it.

Sometimes It Just Doesn't Matter

I heard on the radio this morning that it is going to be 95 degrees today - but "it will feel like 101."

Glad to know it will feel hotter than 100 degrees, and certainly so much hotter than 95.

I think the heat is making me a wee bit testy.

But after spending the balance of the day in the air-conditioned library, I am off to the air-conditioned movie theatre to catch a documentary shot in Antarctica. It's a theme.

I'll tell you about the film tomorrow.

New Music Tuesday - Si*Sé

I was turned on to this, my second favorite disc for my "Summer of '05 Soundtrack" by Tin-Ten, and I am so very glad that she sent it my way.

It did take some work to locate a copy of the disc, however, so be prepared if you are so inclined to purchase it, which I highly recommend. Yes, Si*Sé and Camiel, and you should be all set for the summer.

The disc is a great blend of Latin rhythms, chilled out with some threads of soul and electronica, plus the group features a viola player. That makes them too cool right there. And Carol C has a great voice.

The pick of the litter as far as the tracks go would have to be Bizcocho Amargo, then Slip Away, Aire and My Sol.

Here's a happy little coincidence that I enjoyed as well : a quote from their press:

Listening to their music is like walking through the streets of New York, urban and full of culture.

Which puts me in mind of Manhattan Transfer's Walking In New York.

Ya Never Know Who You Are Going To Run Into, Part 2

I got off of work at 2 this afternoon, and rushed home in the hopes of catching the last two hours of the Akron Arts Expo, since it is in my neighborhood, and usually proves to be a good time.

So there I was, having finished my snack of a ketchup-y hotdog, and strolling about the fair, passing a lovely late afternoon which featured a terrific, cooling breeze when you weren’t in the direct sun. Suddenly, an arm wraps around my waist from behind (not a usual occurrence I am sad to report) and a voice says,"So, is that all you do on the weekends? Go to art shows?" And it was my NewlySingle friend who accompanied me at the Cain Park Arts show on the 9th!

In addition to the art, which was pleasant, they had the good sense to have some bagpipers. That always make my Celtic heart happy.

Things That Are Wrong With The World, Part One

It should never, ever be 84 degrees outside after midnight.

Ya Never Know...

...who you are going to run into.

There I was at work yesterday morning, somewhat minding my own business, when "Hollywood Stafford", my co-worker and I get into this great discussion about music. He earns mega-super bonus points for not only knowing everyone I brought up, but liking them as well. Then he took it over the top by running home on his lunch break to get two CD's to share with me. Looks like New Music Tuesday of the Future...

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Oh, but it gets better Faithful Readers. I tell him about my blog, and he tells me, HE has one - and not only that, I have been on the email list for the main site of his blog for a few months now. I've been a fan of his for some time now! It was like meeting a celebrity! The CaptainStL's heart was a 'flutter the rest of the day.

Be a good sport and check out the sites. And you can read his post on this same story...he beat me to it!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

After work today, I met Heather downtown at the New York Spaghetti House for cocktails (love that Knob Creek I tell you) then we wandered across the street to meet 40 of our former co-workers at Jacobs Field, to watch the Indians take on the Kansas City Royals.

Last year we attempted to go to two ballgames as a store event, but the games were rained out. It was surprising that the weather today, though initially very hot, was actually quite pleasant in the evening, once the sun quit beating down on our section of seats. The Tribe, of course, lost to the Royals (5-3), but at least we weren't rained out this time.

It was great to see many of my old co-workers again, and we spent almost the entirety of the game just visiting with each other. At one point, when Cleveland scored one of the runs and the crowd went wild, and they started with the Queen song (We Will Rock You - ok, I liked that part), it just seemed like a distraction to the party we were having in the stands. Oh yeah - we were supposed to be watching the game! After many innings of musical seats, as we took turns getting refreshments, and visiting with each other, it was time to head on home.

The Jake is actually a beautiful ballpark, and I sort of wish that I had the slightest interest in the action on the field, which I was sadly lacking. But the party in the stands was great.

New Music Tuesday - Carly Simon

Today's review is for my Penpal, who has been a fan of Carly Simon since we met in the glorious 80's.

Awhile ago, I sat down to try to figure out my favorite song of all time. For the moment, the winner is the Flamingo's I Only Have Eyes For You.

So I picked up Carly Simon's new CD, Moonlight Serenade, because she does that song, and a bunch of other standards. Happily for me, my favorite track is I Only Have Eyes For You.

The CD is nicely done, and Carly's voice is pleasant. There are no surprises here. It is a lovely little mood piece, great background music for a quiet dinner with someone special, a bottle of wine...that sort of thing. Nothing dramatic, not overly produced, no heavy string arrangements, but nothing truly moving either.

This has been released as a traditional CD (which is what I got) and a dual disc with a DVD, for the more rabid fan out there.

An Embarrassing Secret

I love Stewie on the Family Guy.

Meg:"Everybody! Guess what I am?"
Stewie:"Hmm, the end result of a drunken back seat grope-fest and a broken prophylactic?"
- from And the Wiener is

So much that I own three seasons of the show on DVD.

I may even replace my mangement catchphrase of Mr. Burns ("Excellent!") with "What the deuce..." It could happen.

Six Minutes

In keeping with my inadvertent summer theme of oceans and sharks, I must share with you this amazing story I found on the web. Now, maybe it is really amazing to me because of my own backstory.

My aunt, Lily, took me to see JAWS in the theatre when it was first released, and I was about 11. This incited a long-term fascination with sharks, which included making my mother take me to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute the next summer, because I was sure I was going to be a marine biologist just like Richard Dreyfuss, and that’s where his character studied. Then, my science teacher got me a dogfish to dissect for independent study and I was so smitten with him that I took the shark to all of my classes that day. I am sure that the smell of formaldehyde really enhanced my high-school popularity.

(note to MyAdoringPublic – and you thought my planaria regeneration story was an aberration, huh?)


So, it seems that there was a Monster Shark fishing tournament in Martha’s Vineyard today (home of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and Edgartown, where JAWS was filmed, and Carly Simon).

And hopefully the picture will be up for awhile because the tiger shark these dudes caught really is a monster. I have never seen anything like it. It weighed in at 1,191 pounds and was 15 feet in length. That is a whole lotta shark.

Now, here is the other part I can relate too, as these folks have my kinda luck…

The shark was so big that it put a lot of drag on the boat, and they arrived six minutes late for the closing of the contest and were disqualified. The winner was a 378 pound porbeagle shark.

That, as they say, bites.

Girls Night Out

After work today, Heather and I met up with "Kitty Griffing" and "Tin-Ten" for a dual celebration - to celebrate two birthdays and to see the wonderful Christine Lavin (who is neither and ex-nun nor an ex- cafeteria lady) in concert at Nighttown.

This is the third time I've seen Ms. Lavin. The first time was with the "Babes" at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and the second time was at St. John's Pub in Portland. At the Portland show, Christine sat out in the lobby and was giving people free "sparkle" manicures prior to the show. I read on her website that her new thing is to have a knitting circle before the show. Since Nighttown serves a killer prime rib, I was not out in the lobby, but I don't think she was knitting in Cleveland, although she mentioned stopping by a local knitting store, Fine Points, earlier in the day and spending $300.

We had terrific front row seats, and Christine was magnificent as always. We laughed through the whole show. She opened with a new song called "Windchimes" which starts out like the very worst hippy folk song you ever heard and ends up with three sets of windchimes hanging off the headstock of her guitar...before she removes them and starts pitching them off the stage. She did an excellent "Sensitive New-Age Guys", "Good Thing He Can't Read My Mind," and "What Was I Thinking?" and although I told her I was hoping for the epic "Shopping Cart of Love", Christine said that she didn't remember it - I will forgive her since the thing is 15 minutes long. But she gave out two recipes ( french toast bread pudding and petit pan au chocolat - which takes 10 hours to prepare). And she closed the show with her wonderful glow-in-the-dark baton twirling extravaganza. Gotta love that. Absolutely a wonderful show.

I picked up her live DVD, Girl UN Interrupted, so I can show everyone the great baton work at my leisure.

Trackin' Drac'

Ooh, what a lovely book. If only I had discovered it in October. And be warned for some reason, when reading this book I was possessed to get Indian food, and Thai food, and well, really just good spicy ethnic dishes...

The book is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It has gotten a bunch of great press, and it deservedly so. The story is superficially about the search for Dracula, alive and well and walking amongst us. He doesn't cause so much havoc as you might expect, being confined to Europe and making most of victims librarians and historians. But still...

The story is a great travelogue of foreign countries, and time weaves in and out. It blends wonderful gothicness with a well-thought-out mystery and features endearing characters that you actually care about and want to succeed. And that is difficult when it is so compelling to root for the sexy and powerful vampire. Not this time.

Get it. Enjoy it. But maybe wait for October when it will be more delicious. And have some good food on hand...

Foolish Indeed: Another Bad Summer Movie

I picked up the "new" Werner Herzog "documentary", Incident at Loch Ness. Any review that needs phrases in italics does not bode well at the start.

The publicity for this, well, I don't know what it is, film, documentary, crappy waste of time makes a big deal about not coming right out and saying if it is fiction or fact. What it is, is stupid. How anyone can ruin scenery of Scotland, the promise of Nessie, and great adventure is beyond me.

So much for high adventure on the water.

New Music Tuesday - Motown Remixed

Saw this CD today, and was drawn to the great graphics on the cover, so I had to buy it.

This is a pretty good compliation, though I would have restructured it. Once a good groove gets going, they put in a down-tempo song, or an endlessly chilled out number that ruins this disc for getting people motivated at 5 a.m.

That being said, most of the tunes work very well, especially Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On and DJ Smash's Essential Funk Mix of Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Take Big Bites

There are few items in the world I covet, but one of them may well be my Penpal's hand-written postcard of encouragement from Linda Ellerbee. We have both been long-time fans of Ms. Ellerbee, and read both of her previous books. So when I walked into the bookstore and saw her smiling face on the book jacket, I immediately picked it up.

I was little scared reading this at first, because she didn't "hook me"..and really it wasn't until the chapter "Nadia's room - Santorini 2002" that she hit her stride. But then she hits it out of the park. That chapter alone really was worth reading. It made me look up where she stayed when she was writing the book, and after looking at the pictures, I can see how some beautiful work got done there - it is exquisite. The final chapter, "The River of No Return - Thames England 2004" was also wonderful.

It was terrific to visit with her again, and I am looking forward to the novel she hinted at...

Yet Another Moive Coincidence

I've been meaning to watch Laurel Canyon for some time. A woman record producer, played by the wonderful Frances McDormand. What else does one need to know?

Well, the opening credits start, and who is in this film but Mr. Batman himself, Christian Bale. Freaky.

Well, the movie as a movie was just ok. But I really loved McDormand's character, and she was very attractive in a dangerous way. She actually reminded me in many ways of my guitar playin' TunaMusic friend. Yes. Very interesting.

And though they claim the ingenue is Kate Beckinsale, who adored in Cold Comfort Farm, I find it hard to believe it is the same gal...although in linking up this post, (ha, she was Flora Poste in CCF - how I amuse myself) I see she was in Van Helsing, one of the very worst films of all time, that I happened to see with my Penpal in an actual theatre for my birthday, and I had no idea it was her in that, either. However, I have to admit at the time thinking that whoever that actress was looked darn fine in the gothic matador get-up.

Movin On

What a full day.

It started, as my Saturday's do now, at 1:30 in the morning. Following a full ten hours at work, I met MyAdoringPublic for lunch at Claddagh. MyAdoringPublic was already sitting at a great table out on the patio, a brilliant choice as there was a delectable breeze to mitigate the sunshine. We were meeting to celebrate our mutual one year anniversary as managers for our company, and to also celebrate the fact that starting on Monday, I will be working with my old crew at the “new” location, which opened in April (as Faithful Readers will recall). A black and tan and an enormous plate of fish and chips (and I had requested a HALF ORDER – beware! You get a huge amount of food!) made for a lovely meal.

Following our lunch, we went back to my store so that MyAdoringPublic could visit with the staff, and I had a few things to wrap up myself. Then I was off to purchase tickets to a concert for next Saturday, in which a foursome of ladies will be celebrating two birthdays. It should be a riot.

Then, I was off to meet my newly-single friend at the local Arts Festival. I have not been to the festival in about 10 years, but I had always looked forward to spending a leisurely afternoon strolling about and gazing at art. I found a pretty good parking space, up the hill and one residential street away from the park entrance. As I was walking down the hill, I passed a young entrepreneur selling lemonade. And you know, a refreshing lemonade was exactly what I needed to make my walk more pleasant. And just so you know, the red cup is $1, and the blue cup is 50 cents. And the young man was quite accommodating about filling the cup to the top with ice for me. And he was saving up for a toy. "Which toy?" I asked. "Depends how much money I make." What a healthy attitude.

It was about 5 by the time we arrived at the festival and used our cellphones to triangulate a rendezvous- I knew they would be handy for something someday - and I am glad we didn't attempt to get there any earlier...the sun was still devilishly bright, but the evening was cooling down nicely. While we had a lovely time strolling about, it was getting on 7 pm, and I needed some energy. A surprisngly good cup of coffee and a Dove bar enabled me to make the one hour drive home, where I read a few pages of my current book, and slipped into a dream.

More Things I Don't Know Too Much About

Trying to expand my knowledge this summer, I picked up Jane Smiley's A Year at the Races: Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money, and Luck, because though I like watching horseraces, I really know nothing about them.

This book follows the trials and tribulations of one of her horses, Hornblower, (who tells a horse psychic that he wants to be called Wowie...more on that) as well as being of memoir of the author's love affair with horses in general. I was never bitten by the horse-love bug as a child, but my best friend at the time, Jodi, LOVED horses...so that was my frame of reference.

I enjoyed this little peak into an unknown world, but seriously, the horse psychic part was truly unsettling. But I suppose it makes a better book when your main character can express himself...

Here's To You, Mr. Scopes!

One of my proudest achivements at my job is the little sign in the produce department.

Right next to where we sell organic bananas, we have a rope hanging from the ceiling, with a fiberglass chimpanzee clinging to it. At the bottom of the ropeI tied a small, wooden sign that says:

Mr. Scopes Organic Bananas - 29 cents each

Every time I pass it, it makes me grin. I was afraid some customer would complain and it would have to come down, but the reality is that probably no one else has ever even noticed it, and it has survived for almost two years now.

I bring this up because today while I was driving home, listening to NPR, I realized that is the 80th anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial. I called the store and asked them to put a little crown, or a lei or something on our own Mr. Scopes. He looks mighty good for his age.

One Of the Best Ads Ever

I hope this link stays up for awhile.

This just cracks me up.

It is my fantasy that my employer will open a store there, too.

New Music Tuesday - Elvis!

Well, I picked up this truly amazing Elvis CD, Tiger Man.

It is a compilation of the two live sets Elvis did for his 1968 Comeback special. Elvis is having a great time through all of these numbers, fumbling lyrics, starting over, cracking jokes. The crowd does, indeed, go wild.

This is such fun, and musically alive. I played it for my co-workers in the morning (stopping the CD before the two Christmas songs - they would not have been well received at this time of year I fear), and everyone was either singing along, or laughing. We were all in a great mood.

As an added bonus, Elvis looks amazing in the cover photos - I love that tight, black leather suit. Oh, yeah.

Things I Don't Know Much About

I grabbed this book right off the new release table. I have always had a fascination with the theatricality of the sport of bullfighting (I am a Taurus after all), and here was chance to actually learn something about it.

Death and the Sun: A Matador's Season in the Heart of Spain by Edward Lewine follows the very, very handsome Francisco Rivera Ordóñez, the lasin thehe line of the greatest bullfighting dynasty in Spain, as he trains and prepares for his season in "sun and shadow."

After finishing the book, I was consumed with researching all of the locations and toreadors that were mentioned and studied up on the greadynastiesys. And now I know how a bullfight operates. Whether or not you agree with the sport is one thing, understanding the grandeur of its history and its ritual is quite another.

Another Afternoon With Kadobi

I drove up to work early this morning, to take care of some paperwork and employee reviews that were due that I had not been able to finish because of the CarTrauma of yesterday morning. I sat outside at the chess tables and drank coffee and did my paperwork, feeling very civilized, and then Kadobi and I thought that another matinee was in order.

I was starving, and Kadobi consented to join me for lunch. There were several options within walking distance of the theatre, and we chose Hoggy's Barn and Grille, because neither of us had ever been in there.

It is a great looking, low-key kinda place, and we think it would be fun to make a reservation for a romantic meal in one of the silos. But that's us. I tried the mac and cheese, the asparagus with almonds, and a pulled chicken sandwich - all of it was great comfort food.

When we were walking back to the theatre following our meal, Kadobi realized he left his sunglasses there and ran back. At the same time, as in any good farce, from the other side of the restaurant, our server emerged, running Kadobi's sunglasses out to me. That was good service. I'm glad we left a sizeable tip.

Today we went to see War of the Worlds. Big H.G. Wells fan. I even like Tom Cruise - easy on the eyes, y'know (but not excusing the Katie Holmes madness...)? And while it was a pleasant enough diversion (being that it was air conditioned, as you know, my prime requisite for summer afternoons, and this theatre features good coffee AND reclining stadium seating) but I have to state that the ending is potentially the worst ending in film history. Perhaps in all of the storytelling history of mankind. It's that's lame. So, I suggest just getting up and walking out about five minutes before the end. You'll thank me.

Spontaneous Summer Film Festival

Leaving my abode at 1:50 in the morning, my car decided that it did not want to go anywhere. At all. So I got an unexpected three day weekend while my car was being repaired. I took advantage of this opportunity to clean my house, do laundry and watch an impromptu summer film festival.

The first film was one I swore I would never see, but things happen, and it seemed to be perfect for lounging on the couch on a warm summer morning. The film is Open Water, and the blurbs from Sundance on the cover were the final straw that convinced me to give it a try. The film was actually quite engrossing, and unnerving. And watching the "Making Of", in which it is revealed that the husband and wife filmmakers shot the film on the weekends, flying to the Caribbean from New York for two years, and filmed with real sharks, made the film truly impressive. I will not ruin the ending for you, because for me it was incredibly powerful...so much so that I sat up straight on the couch in disbelief, and replayed it. It is a very subtle and underplayed scene - and it is very haunting. I thought I was well aware of the true story it was based on, so the events of the ending conflicted with what I thought I knew - turns out I was wrong anyway. So, the film festival was off to a great start. Open Water: A-

Next came the "summer" film I REALLY wanted to see : After the Sunset. Why? Salma Hayek and Pierce Brosnan sipping rum drinks in the Bahamas while planning a diamond heist and wearing almost nothing? Perfect. A perfect little entertainment, if you don't think about the reeling amount of impossibilities, and concentrate on Salma Hayek building a patio in her overalls. The "action" is, at best, not too strenuous, and for my film festival, it had the added benefit of the intrigue climax taking place while scuba diving. I appreciate these little synchronicities.
After the Sunset: C- Salma Hayek Building a Deck: A+

The final film was pretty bad. In fact, I can't really come up with any reason whatsoever to watch it.
Ocean's Twelve: D

The surprising thing about life is that to quote from my friend Mary " you don't know 'til you get there - and that's for sure." My expectations were: After the Sunset: A, Ocean's Twelve: B+ and Open Water : C-. Shows you what I know.

Power Shopping

Thankfully, I don't do this very often....but after work I went to the mall, and in a span of two hours dropped a goodly amount of quid. It helps to know exactly what you want and where to get it...there was no browsing involved today.

My acquisitions: a new Fossil watch (that's #10), Ralph Lauren Polo shoes, Ralph Lauren Silver cologne, Banana Republic Modern cologne, two shirts from the Gap, an Aveda hairbrush, sunglasses, 5 pairs of underwear from Victoria's Secret (sorry, just can't bring myself to say "panties"), and a little sculpture that caught my eye.