It’s another topic that fits under “Advice you Probably don’t need” and “on being an author” – I might have to make that its own category if this keeps happening. I’ve got a thing worth saying, but (for reasons I hope become clear) I’m going to have to be a little vague. Bear with me, and please don’t contact me demanding to know the author or dedicatee in question (again, for reasons I hope become clear). Last night, I pulled a book from my “to read” stash and, though I usually don’t pay strict attention to the dedication page, that happened to be where I opened it to. The author had dedicated the book to a contemporary (and, as it turns out, controversial) politician. I had wanted to read the book but found myself selecting another for myriad complex reasons. Not because of the controversial, contemporary politician… but because I thought the dedication itself was short-sighted, ill-advised, and a plain dumb thing to have done.
Movie Review – Robin Hood
June 1st, 2010I heard someone howl like a street urchin that this movie “isn’t really Robin Hood!” because, apparently, she was hoping for yet another version of the same movie that gets remade every-other-generation. Don’t mistake me, dear readers, I enjoyed the 1991 Kevin Costner version as much as anyone else… but it’s a little soon to remake that one. Additionally, I, personally, think we’ve given the traditional legend all the airtime it needs for at least another four decades. Between the various movie interpretations, the various television treatments, and the repeated references in popular culture, I don’t think there’s any need to howl over the “real Robin Hood” story getting short shrift. That said, I really enjoyed the latest movie flying the Robin Hood banner.
Movie Review – Ironman 2
May 21st, 2010The summer movie season seems to have kicked off early (or maybe, weather-wise, spring just seems later than usual) and “Ironman 2″ is the first big summer movie (that I know of, it’s probably a matter of opinion, depending on how you define “big movie” and “summer”). Anyway. However you define either, I’ve seen it, and I’m reviewing it, but in case you’ve read enough reviews already, I’m presenting it from an unusual angle.
Product Review – Sanyo Rice Cooker
May 9th, 2010I’m generally an advocate for a more old-fashioned approach to all things in the kitchen. Well, let’s step back just long enough to define ‘old-fashioned.’ I don’t mean Dark-Ages-antiquated. I’m not advocating grinding the wheat myself or leaving porridge simmering over an open fire for days on end, fetching water from a cistern or turning a blind eye to mouse droppings in precious food supplies that I wouldn’t dream of pitching out to the hogs. I mean the other kind of old-fashioned, where meals are prepared more often from separate ingredients rather than produced whole from a single packet that goes from freezer to microwave. I believe in chopping vegetables at a cutting board, boiling things in metal pots, and buttering bakeware with actual butter (that spray-on product should be banned, but that’s another topic entirely). I even believe in the steel wool it takes to then clean all that cookware. What can I say, dear readers, I’m a product of my upbringing. But even if I do prefer the laborious process of traditional cooking, I have a fondness for spectacular kitchen technology, particularly when that technology improves everything from the cooking itself to one’s overall health. I recommend to you: the Sanyo Rice Cooker.
Get Lost! (… with Garmin)
April 26th, 2010I’d like to think that technology really could solve all our problems – including my own trouble with deciphering maps. But, like all tools, technology can only help, not totally solve. Still, devices like those from Garmin (www.garmin.com) are pretty darned useful. These navigational devices can be programmed to show your present location and then chart your way to your destination, either by name (for example, restaurants or sports stadiums) or by address. Useful? Absolutely? Foolproof? By no means. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider getting one; but neither should you throw away your paper map.
Another Key for my Collection
April 14th, 2010Yes, today’s title was lifted from a Police song (‘Man in a Suitcase’ for anyone who didn’t recognize it) and, yes, I know hotels hardly issue real keys anymore. (The opening lyric was too long to use as a title: I’d invite you back to my place, but it’s only mine because it holds my suitcase.) I, who so recently groused about not getting to go on a vacation, just returned from one. And while I could wax eloquent about coastal cities and America’s favorite passtime, I find myself instead reflecting on the more mundane side of travel: hotels.
Kinship & Isolation
April 6th, 2010Unless we’re speaking in the broadest possible terms, I’m usually in the minority – at least, in my present surroundings and in today’s polarized social/political climate. My opinions are generally so poorly recieved that I’m obliged to keep them to myself. (In broad terms, such as “I’m against violent crime” or “I’m in favor of keeping the orphanage open” I find plenty of common ground with other people, but on most other issues I stand rather alone and - except on the rare occassion I feel like starting a fight – I stand rather silent.) I’m not saying everyone should agree all the time, or that I have anything against where I’ve chosen to live, I’m just saying sometimes it’s lonesome. (But there’s a lot more to it than that.)
It’s a Big Enough Umbrella… but…
May 10th, 2010I looked forward to seeing Sting for a long, long time before I finally got the chance to attend a concert. I managed to catch a show during his 2005 Broken Music tour (the tour shared the name of his autobiography, which, I’ll add, made for pretty good reading). I still have the t-shirt, and remember the concert as one of the very best I’ve ever been to. He’s on tour this summer - https://tickets.sting.com/ - and I had designs on going… but here unfolds a tale, simple, subtle… and steeped in disillusionment.
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Tags: Music, rocksnobs, Sting, tour, USANA amphitheater
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