AN EXPERIMENTAL LIFE
Point One: I think David E. Kelley's tongue-in-cheek legal (and educational) dramas (like Boston Legal & Boston Public) set the same brilliant standard that John Hughes did with the teen dramedy (Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, Sixteen Candles, Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink). Hughes seemed to make real Disneyfied crap after Home Alone 2. I've been pursuing the legal drama thing hard … [Read more...]
Normally, I'd wait until the end before posting about a book. But I'm reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I intended to ditch it as soon as I realized it would be first person. But I got stuck in its world. It starts out a bit YAD feeling, with what seems like it'll be a frame story. What King is actually doing is setting up a means of discussing time travel, which I really appreciated. In fact a … [Read more...]
Of course I had to read this one. Child fleeing abusive home. They're hunting him, and he has to learn to make a life on his own. It's a novella, and maybe another of Koontz's recent teasers. But I'm willing to be teased with this. There's a teaser for 77 Shadow Street at the end, but I found it bleh. Just horror. I'll pretty much read any more that Koontz puts out with the three main protagonists … [Read more...]
Los Angeles in December isn't much different than August. It's fairly warm (for me, a Northerner), and comfortable with little more than a t-shirt. The vegan food, Korean food, and Mexican truck food are just as good. Great deals on clothes, too. The Ocean air in nearby Orange County is still lovely - though brisk at night (definitely need a coat or thick hoodie). Cigars and Hawaiian Beer, … [Read more...]
This time, I had a different take on LA. I really liked the fabric streets near the garment district for their international feel (like Jackson Heights in Queens), and the wholesale stuff in that area (I bought a fashionable gift there for the wife). Little Tokyo was fun, also - I ate Japanese ramen and green tea gellato, and browsed the stores. Both of these areas were small, but I had a good … [Read more...]
Tandoor at 4612 Market was fantastic. I ate there twice. Try the Vegetable Biryani and definitely have the Kher. The masala tea was very nice, too. … [Read more...]
This week I went to the Tulsa United Film Festival. I skipped kickoff night (didn't get notification in time), but went to opening night. These were the films I saw: Eagles in the Chicken Coop: fun concept - juxtaposing serious art with porn - asking the question 'What would it be like to try to make the one in the genre and marketing requirements of the other'? Felt a bit long, but still … [Read more...]
I found it a bit warm for my blood, and I really didn't like the traffic - definitely a car town on steroids, but had a good meal in Koreatown. Going to spend more time there soon. … [Read more...]
An explanation of what I think makes New Yorkers interesting, and New York a lively, fun place to be. And also to live - we're planning on relocating there next year. … [Read more...]
We scouted San Francisco as a possible place to live. For us, it's about a lot of things - the mass transit, the culture (and cultural attitude), my wife's business (I can work anywhere), and access to lots and lots of things and more and more. San Francisco was in the running with Portland OR, Chicago IL, and New York City. We also considered Philadelphia, Seattle, and Minneapolis, but these were … [Read more...]
I'm having the Black Box Malbec for the first time tonight. I don't speak wine, but I know what I like. The Black Box is just a hair heavier, stouter - a bit more alcohol than I like. Comparing it to Yellow and Blue (Y&B), I like the Y&B more. The Black Box costs less at $25 for 3L, since Y&B at $12-14 for 1L doesn't come in 3L boxes. The Y&B while in recylable container (although … [Read more...]
The 10 finalist films from around the world get shown all over the country. Did your college do a showing? If not, why not? It was offered. And the audience votes, the votes are tallied, sent back to Manhattan, and the winner named. Here's my take: Watching (UK): Stellar! If it wasn't a short, you'd think you paid admission just for this flick. Completely worth it. A sense of urgency, … [Read more...]
Image by Genista via Flickr That's Winnebago, not Wendigo, any other similarities aside. I went to this film showing, which is sort of an extension of Dead Center, long after the festival per se, but part of what they're sponsoring in independent film in Oklahoma City. It was a single showing at the Oklahoma Museum of Art which, incidentally, hosts a helluva nice set of independent film. It's … [Read more...]
Image by taisau via Flickr Here are my reasons so far: Produce is at peak nutritional value when ripe - supermarket produce is not picked ripe, because of shipping time and conditions - it's picked green and put in a cool house - that's not really a peach - it's a zombie fruit, and it tastes like it. Local produce reduces global warming and improves your air quality - requiring less … [Read more...]
I love Portland. I like Chicago, as a friend. New York City is enthralling and wonderful - center of the civilized world, but Portland is the country's heart - not because its representative, but because it's what a heart is actually like. I say that as not a sentimentalist, but yes as someone in love with the city. I've spent about a week in Portland, and here's what I find: It's incredibly … [Read more...]
Endings, a film by Chris Hanson and his film students at Baylor University, took the cake on day two at the Southern Winds Film Festival in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and was well-rewarded (along w. my pick for yesterday, Simmons on Vinyl) in the awards ceremony. Endings' most intriguing point is the namesake Ending itself. We are used to stories in which adults sacrifice themselves for children. We are … [Read more...]
The Southern Winds Film Festival in Shawnee Oklahoma is a fun event. The best of the bunch on Friday was the 9pm outdoor showing of Simmons on Vinyl, a film shot entirely in Norman, Oklahoma "for as little money as possible" (about $300-$400) by three former film students. There were other fine films, like Irene (a film about a lonely woman seeking love as a phone sex operator - based on a true … [Read more...]
Some books serve as scripture for one's life. They are the kind of books that provoke change, or sum up a way that we intend to look at the world. For me, A Separate Peace is reverently kissed and laid alongside a number of such books. In fact, one of the two primary characters, Phineas, tends to look at the world exactly like that, with intent, not as merely informing him, but as it ought to … [Read more...]
King's book is really a number of stories in a cycle. The film is actually one of the stories, but not the title story - which means, if you watch the film, you never really learn what the title means. The film is fantastic, one of my most beloved, but I love the book separately and together with the film at once. I love both versions of the story. This is also, as a whole, one of the books I … [Read more...]
Stomping wonderful, great time. Best musical theatre we've seen in Oklahoma. The conductor was clearly enjoying himself, and that made it fun right from the start. I wish we could see the orchestra, but still. Clearly the actors know it's a crowd pleaser and are reveling in the applause, which is genuine. I met some of the actors today at Red Cup - they're fun people. [NewsOK Coverage] … [Read more...]
The Lyric Theatre is, of course, the premier theatre troupe in Oklahoma City, and we went to their production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Civic Center last night. The flying car thing was pretty cool - no visible ropes, etc. I liked the lights in the face, that tactfully dimmed after a bit. The singing and acting were the best we've seen so far in Oklahoma. The 2nd Act was more fun, though … [Read more...]
We went to see Oliver (the musical) on opening night at Summerstock 2010 at the outdoor amphitheatre at Mitch Park in Edmond. At about the 4th number it starts to get interesting. We thought the female street urchins were talented. Bring blanket or chair. Concessions are cheap, but it's junk, and nothing's open nearby at intermissions but a 7-Eleven, so bring your bananas and granola, … [Read more...]
I had a blast at Dead Center Film Festival in Oklahoma City. Five days of independent film and, even though I went for all of it, the sheer number of simultaneous showings made it impossible to see everything. Still, there were some true gems. "In This Place" (filmmaker Amy Bench) won best student film at DeadCenter. Best documentary short was "A Song for Ourselves" (also great- about one of the … [Read more...]
I got (and love) a super lightweight recipe book called Of These Ye May Freely Eat: A Vegetarian Cookbook by Joann Rachor. It's exceedingly portable (the recipe book equivalent of the Zinester's Guide to Portland - and exactly the same size), and it's got several recipes per page. The three basic kinds of sauces are on one page, for example. The ingredient lists are all sparse (maybe 5 … [Read more...]
Tigana is the kind of book I won't talk about with people who don't love it. If you can shrug and say "it was all right", let's not discuss it. Not because I don't respect your opinion, but because you'd be better off giving my wife a black eye - I'd be less emotionally involved. I'm exaggerating, of course, but not by much. When I think about Tigana or, to be more accurate, think in Tigana, I'm … [Read more...]
