Ridiculous Authenticity

fancy burgers

2010-03-25T19:03:00.001-07:00

Burgers are all the rage. They have been for me for years, because yes, they are my favorite food. But I'm very particular about my burgers. I like a simple one with quality meat (grass-fed Angus is my preferred), onions (raw, grilled, or caramelized), lettuce, tomato, and some sort of sauce (not too much, just a touch to mingle with the juice from the burger to lubricate the whole experience). Notice I did not include cheese.

The restaurant burger rage is all about making it fancy. Putting all sorts of stuff on it. I just had the Umami Burger finally. I had been to the Los Feliz Umami months ago for their happy-hour only $5 Smash burger, which is closer to my kind of burger (though it does have house-made? American cheese) with caramelized onions. I went back tonight, craving a burger, and deciding between the Smash and the Umami. I decided to go with the Kombo #1 with the Umami burger, fries, and house Nakhor beer ($15, $2.50 savings over individual prices). The burger is seasoned with the umami fifth taste stuff that I barely understand. Then on top there were caramelized onions and shiitake mushrooms, oven-dried tomatoes (which I couldn't taste), and a fried crepe of Parmesan, which totally overpowered the whole thing. But then again, I think Parmesan cheese tastes like a fart. I'm standing by that. The burger wasn't bad, it was just too much going on. The brioche bun was very good and the fries were exceptionally crisp (the way I like them). The garlic aoli dip for the fries was good, but it's no Oinkster aoli. The texture was a little rubbery, in fact. Next time I want a local, quick-fix high quality burger, I'll go with the Smash. The gentleman sitting next me had it and it smelled a lot better than mine did.

Another fancy burger people go nuts over that I just had to try was Father's Office. I went to the Culver City post nearly two months ago so forgive my memory. Again, another fancy-ass burger loaded with so much you can't taste it all. And this place will not let you substitute or remove. I can understand the no substitution bit, but the fact that they won't remove anything at your request is going a bit overboard. Another excellent brioche bun and perfectly crisp fries with tasty aoli. On this burger I do remember there was blue cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, and possibly mushrooms. There could be something else, but like I said, you couldn't taste it. I swear I never tasted the bacon.

They are gourmet burgers to be sure, but just not my thing.

The Oinkster

2010-03-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

This is why The Oinkster has been so busy for two months that more than once, I've parked, got to the door to see the line straggle past it, and left. I love this place, but I am unwilling to stand in such a line.

What I can't believe is that they show everything except the burger! Come on, it's the best burger in L.A.! I also love the pulled pork, the rotisserie chicken, the fried plantains, and the beet salad. The fries are a must, too, of course. And they aren't kidding about the garlic aoli. I could put that on everything.

The house-made ketchup, on the other hand, I find disgusting. It tastes like apples and cinnamon, and I don't mix sweet with savory. Actually, eating my burger regularly at The Oinkster weened me off ketchup. You should have seen how much I used to put on burgers (actually I would cut them into quarters and dip them in ketchup) and fries. But decide for yourself. I know plenty of other people like it.

gastrobus

2010-03-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned that I'm obsessed with the food trucks (see where some of them are Tuesday-Saturday here). In the beginning I thought, oh I'll just try all the ones I can and I'll be satisfied. Why would I need to stalk them and repeatedly visit the same ones over and over again? How naive, really, because of course I'm a creature of habit. It's not as if I go around trying a different burger every week, rarely repeating the same place. No, of course, you're likely to find me at The Oinkster once a week for a burger. Sometimes that doesn't happen, especially since I've been researching in Beverly Hills, and it's a long drive between them. But I am dying to try The Patty Wagon. Anyway, I digress...

My favorite truck is The Gastrobus. Its concept may not be as kitchy as some, but the consistently high quality of the food is more than enough for me. Plus, it is yellow and looks like a school bus. That makes it very easy to spot on a busy street, actually. You can look at the basic menu on the website, but watch the tweets for specials for the day (usually lasting the week). That's where they really showcase the seasonal organic produce they source from the Los Feliz Farmers Market, where they serve brunch every Sunday. I haven't done that yet, but I will soon enough.

I'm always impressed with the flavors and combinations. Today was no exception. I had the new tuna melt with dill, caramelized onions, and swiss with a side of fried shamrocks (flash-fried broccoli) with the most incredible mustard vinaigrette I've ever tasted. Actually, it is their sauces or dips that stand out the most for me. The lime aoli with the roasted cauliflower I had a couple weeks ago made my day--and spurred me to roast my own cauliflower, but not attempt the aoli. The garlic aoli on the pulled pork is also something to write home about. As is the chumichurri on the tender steak sandwich (my plan for today until they unveiled the tuna melt). I was also inspired to buy beets, roast the roots and sautee the greens, after they served sauteed beet greens. And I have to say, that was the best broccoli I've ever had. Who knows, maybe I'll buy a crown this weekend. And by the way, their sweet potato fries are crisp and served with a tasty honey mustard dip. I'd get them, but their vegetable options beckon to me (both for creativity and healthfulness). Oh, I almost forgot about the sweet potato hash I had last week. A fragrant mix of seasonings, caramelized onions, and spice yogurt. Absolutely incredible.

You should stalk them too.

chocolate in the air

2010-03-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

I love it. Every time I've entered my apartment today, I'm greeted with a strong fragrance of chocolate with a hint of earl grey. It sticks around while I sit here, too. Yum.

All because I'm in the process of making a chocolate earl grey sorbet from this recipe. I used organic raw agave instead of sugar. Trader Joe's supplied the cocoa powder (it doesn't say Dutch process, but it has its own spiel about its rich, uniqueness) and a tiny portion of the enormous Dark Chocolate Pound Plus Bar (instead of bittersweet chocolate). It's chilling in the fridge, to be frozen in the ice cream maker later today. The whisk tells me it tastes incredible. I think it's going to be even better frozen.

I know I've promised to blog more, and I will. I have a huge backlog of stuff I've been cooking (with photos). I know, me cooking, who would have thought?!

i want to eat lunch at a French school

2010-02-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

The column from Time says it all.

frankie and tiny's pies

2010-02-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of a TastingTableLA email, I discovered Frankie and Tiny's pies in October, sold at the Silver Lake Farmers Market on Saturdays 8-1. Since then I've gone on a near-weekly basis for a pie or two. The BBQ pulled pork pie drew me in at first. The steak and ale (Newcastle) and steak and stout (Guiness) pies are my favorite. The pie crust is the same for all savory pies. It has the perfect texture and buttery taste the compliments the meat so perfectly. Carrie's whoopie pies are incredible (I've tried Belgian chocolate chip cookies with vanilla buttercream and chocolate cookies with mocha buttercream). And her blueberry pie? The best I've ever had. The chicken pot pie and beef pot roast pies are weekly staples. For non-meat eaters, there are quiche and vegan shephard's pie.

before i forget

2010-02-20T21:25:00.001-08:00

I want to interrupt the previously scheduled post to promote some excellent food-related emails I receive that fuel my foodie adventures. I get a lot of food and film mailings, but here are two of the most useful.

Tasting Table. Sign up here through the end of March and they will donate $2 to the Whole Planet Foundation, which helps microcredit programs for the poor in the industrializing world.

Blackboard Eats. If you live in LA or NYC and you love to eat out, this is the email for you. They will send you multiple discounts per week for restaurants. I've tried some amazing places through this, including Mozza2Go (Pizzeria Mozza). Oh my god, that was the best pizza I've had in my life.

south philly experience

2010-02-20T21:05:00.000-08:00

More like Total Grease Experience.

Let me back up a bit first. I'm obsessed with the ever-growing crop of gourmet food trucks. Before tonight I can't say that I've had a bad experience with any of these trucks, and by now I've tried more than ten. Some I've been to more than once (Buttermilk, Border Grill, and Dosa) and others I certainly would eat again as well (Gastrobus), among others.

When South Philly Experience announced its arrival some months back I was excited, because like so many other things, I can't find a good cheesesteak in Los Angeles. The creators are from Philly so you think it's going to be good.

Well... I ordered a cheesteak with onions and provolone and a side of sauteed broccoli rabe. The meat itself was incredibly dry yet the sandwich was leaking oil like an old car. Thank god I brought the food back to my car; had I attempted to eat this on the street I would have completely ruined everything I was wearing with grease. Instead, I covered my emergency break in grease before I managed to get it under control with the aluminum foil that covered my greens. That's also when I discovered that they were bathed in a thick pool of oil too. Once I finished the sandwich, which completely lacked the flavor and satisfaction that should come with so many calories, I took a couple bites of the broccoli rabe and declared them inedible. Only salt rivaled the oil for the distaste award.

Ugh. There's a reason they don't venture farther east than the western edges of Hollywood. People over here have taste.

after more than 13 months

2010-02-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

I'm back. I'm a year older. I'm slightly less intent on procrastinating. I've also been locked up in my apartment for the last two days, sick with strep throat (which fully ballooned on my 27th birthday). But now I'm about to leave to check out a new restaurant a couple blocks from me (Forage). I am also now an insane foodie, chasing food trucks and everything else. So now I suspect I will be blogging about food more than anything else.* I haven't decided if I'm going to become that person that takes photos of everything she eats yet, however.

* Who knows, but Al's been telling me to blog about food (mostly so I don't have to talk about it so much with her) and figure let's just reactive Ridiculous Authenticity.

what to do while avoiding writing fellowship applications

2009-01-04T11:52:00.001-08:00

1. Watch movies you wouldn't pay to rent via Netflix's watch now feature.
2. Watch movies you used to own on VHS via Netflix's watch now feature.
3. Constantly check all email accounts and news feeds. Notice how almost nothing changes over the course of a day.
4. Comb through OkCupid and never find what you're looking for.
5. Watch PBS cooking, nature, history, and science programs you've probably seen before.

What the hell is wrong with me? Does any of that really sound that exciting to anyone? None of what I just listed even sounds interesting to me, and I'm the one doing it day after day instead of writing. What the hell is wrong with me? And why do I hate to write (productive things) so damn much?

It's as if I've worked my whole life to get to the point where I get paid to research, write, learn, and teach about what really interests me, and now that I'm there, I don't want to do it. That's exactly what it is. This is highly problematic since I'm supposed to do this for the rest of my life.

People bitch and moan about how horrible school is, especially that it's too restrictive and crushes creativity. I've been in school my whole life. I've thrived in it...until I burned out I guess. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be to transition from class-taker to dissertation-writer. Grad school doesn't really prepare you for some of the hardest things you have to do. And I still can't manage unstructured time effectively (that's an understatement).

What's even more ridiculous is that I'm really excited about my dissertation topic. But it's also very scary to be left to your own devices with such a big project. I've written theses before, but this is much bigger and much more important. This project is going to define my professional life for at least ten years. It's a lot of pressure, but I need to suck it up and just get on with it already.

i don't know why, but it's time to blog again

2008-12-21T17:11:00.001-08:00

It's not like I have anything particularly interesting to report. Al is still living with me, and I guess since she was one of my primary readers I have not been blogging. What do I need to blog about to someone who spends most of her time with me?!

There were times I thought about blogging about the election. I'm a total political junkie. Hell, I'm information junkie, period. Politics is only part of that, but damn it was really exciting. And so weird to be on the west coast so I didn't have to stay up all night.

I can even tell you, regarding my last blog nearly six months ago, the CW didn't stream 90210, but replayed it enough. I stopped watching because its novelty wore off. The farther I get away from high school, the less and less I want to watch anything having to do with it. I'm currently revisiting Freaks and Geeks on DVD via Netflix. Even that has lost the glow I had of it in my memory. But it's still one of the best TV shows. They always cancel stuff I like, such as Arrested Development and Pushing Daisies.

Anyway, I don't know what else to say. Except I'm back. I think.

P.S. I passed my doctoral exams. I'm officially a Ph.D. candidate. I just have to write that little dissertation. You don't want to know what I'm procrastinating on right now.

high vs. low culture?

2008-08-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking: what the hell have you been doing that you haven't blogged in more than two months?! It's neither as boring as you might imagine nor as exciting as you might either. I just haven't felt like blogging. I've seen celebrities, I've seen movies, I've made all sorts of random observations. Allie has been here during that time, and I have been procrastinating majorly on preparation for my doctoral exams. We even went to Disneyland for Al's birthday a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, what the hell finally inspired me to write? Something pretty odd. Something pretty embarrassing if I was actually ashamed of my long-ago obsession with Beverly Hills 90210.

Huh? Let me explain.

I don't know if I blogged about this before, and I'm not going to bother looking through my archives because it's just not worth it. But they are remaking 90210 (with the new shorter title), and it premieres on Tuesday. There are billboards all over Los Angeles promoting it, I've read stuff about it, and Allie keeps asking if we're going to watch the show. I always tell her "Of course!"

I almost blogged a couple of weeks ago when I was driving east on Beverly going home from somewhere and spotted some filming going on. I got excited when I noticed that a corner building displayed a new, shiny label of "The Peach Pit." 90210!!

This morning when I woke up, I realized something. Yesterday we picked up one of those invite-pass thingies for advance movie screenings. I've been here three years and I've never actually been to one before. Usually they aren't interesting to me, but this one is The Soloist, Joe Wright's latest film. I'm really looking forward to this movie, and it might actually be a work-in-progress one since the film hasn't been rated and it's not due out until mid-November. And this screening is on Tuesday night, directly conflicting with my 90210 plans. I don't have Tivo and apparently my VCR doesn't work with my HDTV. I can only hope that the CW streams full episodes after they air.

I went to the website, and it appears they do stream episodes. (Apparently they are making big-time references to the original show in the TV promotional spots that I've never seen since I have never ever watched the CW; they've got the music and the same photo shot promo thing of the cast.) Hopefully they'll do this one, but I probably won't know until it's over. And I'm going to have to risk it, unless Al can't go because she's working late on Tuesday, because I'm not obsessed enough to actually stay home and watch TV. That would be embarrassing!

Maybe one day I'll blog about how interesting it is that they are remaking a show that had a ten year run that only ended eight years ago. In the meantime, I'll just say it's some cool postmodern shit (and nostalgia).

when people marry

2008-06-26T07:52:00.001-07:00

You might find this to be an odd post. Just warning you.

I hate social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. I find them to be vanity projects, destroyers of the English language and people's ability to communicate in person, and huge time suckers.* But, alas, I have accounts for specific purposes (I joined for other reasons but eventually came to my current state of opinion). I joined Facebook when it was only available to students at certain universities, so it's been a long time. I only keep a membership to periodically check on the status of people I grew up with but don't really keep in contact with. And that's what prompts me to blog this morning.

I got a friend request and a message from people I know, so I figured I should log in. While I was there I glanced at people's updates and clicked on specific people I wanted to peek into the lives of. That is how I discovered that one of my childhood friends (we've known each other more than twenty years) is engaged and comments on her page seem to indicate she is getting married this summer.

Don't worry, I'm not griping about not being invited to the wedding--I would have never have expected that. We have kept in touch only sporadically, and the last time I saw her was nearly three years ago (though that's, honestly, a lot more recently than anyone else I grew up with) when I first moved to L.A.

This hit me in a way that is hard for me to really understand. What I think it is, is that I've finally hit an age where people from my cohort are really going to start doing this. 25 isn't that young to get married by most of society's standards, but it certainly is to me!

I have plenty of friends that are married. In fact, I probably have more friends that are or have been married than aren't, but that's because I've never quite fit in with my own peers and have always had older friends (my recent friend request was from my high school English teacher). So it's not the idea of marriage that is sticking me either.

I also know other people from growing up that are married and married younger (I haven't talked to them since before the nuptials), but I wouldn't really call them friends. I doubt my name would even register with them today (but you never know about such things).

This is the first actual friend from my childhood that is getting married (that I know about anyway). She's one of the few people that I have any fond memories of growing up. Other people's reputations in my mind are marred by acts of meanness, taint from close association with those people, or just the superficiality I feel they might have had for any regard for me.

I don't know what to do with all this. I'm not having a quarter-life crisis. I have no interest in getting married within the decade (or ever). This is just a little introspection on my role in social expectations and how others fulfilling them impacts me.

* You could say this about a lot of internet stuff, but I don't hate the internet. I'm entirely dependent on it, and I'm the first to admit it. I also use it to socialize and do a lot of online dating, but I find this other stuff to be too invasive and pushy and entirely driven by capitalistic greed (the companies, not the users).

how much is a radio worth?

2008-06-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know it's been a really long time since I've blogged. I probably need to do some back-blogging, but I'm just going to go with my instinct to get back into the flow of things even though I'm so tired I might fall over typing.

Do you have any idea how relatively expensive portable radios are? When you can get tiny MP3 players that hold at least 12 hours of music for about the same price as a radio, it makes you wonder. Are radios really a dying, archaic technology? They're not exactly cassettes (which, by the way, I finally--after years--spotted a pack of high bias Maxell tapes like I used to use in the old days for $12 for 5, or something like that). And I am not talking about the fancy, hand-crank radio NPR stations give out if you pledge enough money. Or satellite. I'm talking just a small AM/FM tuner with a headphone jack.

I know what you're thinking, why does Stephanie even care? What the hell prompted this outrage after six or seven weeks of no blogs? Well, honestly, I really miss NPR.

Huh?

Well, I've been working my usual summer historic preservation gig since I got back from my two-week trip back East (including 5 days in NYC--check my photos for a peek). But in an effort to get more exercise and walk more, I decided that I am going to take the bus all summer to and from work. But it's not the slightly more time-efficient Metro Bus; no it's the LADOT DASH, which only costs 25 cents (1/5 the price of the Metro Bus) that never runs ontime and only is supposedly at 30-minute intervals (ha!). It's not just a fraction of the cost, but it makes me walk more because the stops are farther from my apartment, which is what I want. But the problem is, I'm barely driving my car (some problem: I'm saving loads on gas and being far more environmentally friendly), which is when I listen to NPR. The times I am in my car, mostly on weekends, is when KPCC plays mostly crap like Prairie Home Companion on a seemingly infinite loop.

I've been getting lots of use out of my iPod shuffle, but dammit, I'm really missing Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Marketplace (you know I love that Ky Rysdall). So I need to get a portable radio. After some searching around, it looks like I have to pay $35 for one that actually works well. Crazy.

an account of an activity i didn't even do

2008-04-28T13:28:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to blog about this for days, but I had a busy weekend.

On one of my trips back from the French film festival, driving along Sunset, I noticed that Flight of the Conchords were set to perform at Amoeba on Thursday, April 24. Great, I thought, I might actually try to go. I hate Amoeba, I hate crowds, and I hate the anxiety waiting for free shit causes (notice how I've stopped blogging about going to free, advance screenings of movies? It's because I haven't been doing it). But I figured I'd give it a shot, what could it hurt, and I had already purchased a ticket to see Son of Rambow at Arclight for an AFI Director's Series screening for later that night.

Turns out I had to go to this school research retreat (we didn't go anywhere but the patio for lunch). I ducked out early, headed to Amoeba, and swung by around 5:15 p.m. (the show was to start at 6:00) to find there was a line already formed half-way around the one-square block Amoeba occupies. Forget it, I yelled! No big deal. I spotted Bret McKenzie in Skylight the previous Sunday, anyway. I got a better look there than I ever would have at Amoeba. hahahaha

I drove home, only to return at 7:00 to grab free parking, eat dinner, and browse around the vicinity. That's when I discovered that I was almost glad I didn't go to the show, because it was filled to the brim with hipsters. They were crawling everywhere. On the sidewalk. In Baja Fresh. In Border's. It was disgusting. They just drive me insane in their herd-like behavior and vapid conversations I inevitably overhear. And it never occurred to me that the Conchords were hipster fodder.

So now I have to grapple with the fact that I actually really like something that is popular. It's odd. You never know. When Amoeba did a Spoon promotion over the summer, I was amazed at how almost no one showed up when they opened, but the Conchords brought a monster crowd. Cash in while you can, guys!

did you know slap bracelets are back?

2008-04-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Apparently they are. I haven't seen anyone wearing one yet, but twice in the last week I've encountered them. First at Y-Que, Y-Que in hideous animal prints for $1. I marveled at how they are cheaper now than they were back in the day, even considering inflation should have pushed that kind of crap up.

Then today as I was walking through campus I noticed that an organization was advertising that Michael Ian Black is going to be visiting (performing, presumably) on Wednesday night. I asked someone manning the table if this was a ticketed event; it's not, but in addition to the answer I also got a slap on the wrist with a slap bracelet promoting the event.

If you can get them personalized, they've got to be back, right?

I had at least one dayglo-colored one back in the day. When was this? Probably the same time that 90210 was all the rage. Apparently, that's coming back too! (Reimagined, of course.) Nothing will ever be as good as those early years.

when was the last time you used a phone book?

2008-04-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

And I don't mean the contacts list, sometimes labeled "phone book," on your cell phone. When was the last time you used the utility-company published yellow (do they come in other colors?) book?

Honestly, in the last several years, the only reason I ever touched one of those was to recycle it, bemoaning why it was even delivered to me in the first place. That was, until last week.

I spent four consecutive days at the City of Lights City of Angels (COLCOA) Film Festival at the Director's Guild of America building on Sunset. If the title's too cryptic for you, the subtitle of the festival was "A week of French film premieres in Hollywood." Duh, you're thinking to yourself, that's just up Stephanie's alley.

I saw three comedies: Shall We Kiss?, Game of Four, and Welcome to the Land of Ch'tis. The latter is currently only playing in Francophone Europe, has broken several French box office records, and is unlikely to be released in the U.S. despite the Weinsteins buying the rights to remake it. It also had the least sophisticated humor of the three, relying mostly on regional ignorance and rivalry. Shall We Kiss? is a farce about why you shouldn't give "meaningless" kisses when you are otherwise entangled. Game of Four is a comedy of manners about cheating on your spouse and the potential fun the injured party can have in trying to stop it without you knowing.

I also saw one drama: A Secret, which is about complicated family relations shifting during World War II and its aftermath. It's not so much about the fighting, but instead conflicts within the family about being French Jews during it.

So getting back to my phone book story... After my first film, where I spent the whole time straining to sit upright, forward, and just damn uncomfortable due to the shifting position of the taller people in front of me, I was determined to rescue my phone book from my recycling bag and drag it with me to the remaining screenings.

What? Seriously. Have you tried to watch a foreign film where the subtitles are blocked by someone's head? I don't care if people laugh at me. I paid to see the movie, and I want to enjoy it! But don't worry, I brought it with me in stylish bag so no one had a clue anyway.

It seemed my dragging the heavy book was in vain until the last night, which started fine. Then an old lady (yes, seriously) sat in front of me. I think she had a bit of difficulty seeing because of the people in front of her so she was as tall as could be throughout the film. The film was projected with the subtitles abnormally low. This is to say nothing of the poor design in general (a gentle slope, low screen, etc.).

What did I ever do before stadium seating?

fresh and easy

2008-04-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I've had a request to blog about this, so I'm going to do it. Not that I didn't think about doing it yesterday afternoon when I got back, but one thing led to another and I didn't.

Ages ago I heard that Tesco, the English supermarket chain, was coming to Los Angeles. And they were going to open in places most American chains wouldn't (like Compton). What a great idea! But I never heard an announcement of "Tesco is here!"

On Saturday as I'm driving around, I was listening to Off Ramp on KPCC, which went to the Fresh and Easy in Compton to talk about the somewhat disappointing show of Tesco's debut in the U.S. No wonder I never heard about Tesco, they fooled me and called themselves Fresh and Easy, which sounds more like an advertisement for adult services rather than a grocery store. I had passed by the one in Hollywood before, but didn't know what it was. Then I heard them mention there's one in Eagle Rock. I got all excited! The Hollywood & Highland complex is a disaster and horribly inconvenient, even if it's technically the closest location to me (we'll see if I use it over the summer since work will be a short walk), but tell me there's one in Eagle Rock and I'm there.

One of the commentators on the radio had complained that it's a limited-choice supermarket and maybe that's why it's not doing so hot. I don't know about that. Look how wildly successful Trader Joe's is, and if it ain't limited choice, I don't know what is! I looked it up online (I've linked you above) and saw how conscientious they are with lower energy consumption and good pay and health care for all employees.

I get excited about these things because it's a family trait to be obsessed with food. And I liked the idea that they had a lot of freshly prepared food that wasn't loaded with preservatives since I don't cook. And I'm sick of eating the same stuff from Trader Joe's all the time.

I loved it. I walked in and immediately saw the English touches, which reminded me of shopping in Sainsbury's in Lancaster, Sommerfield in Glasgow, and even Tesco Express in London. The packaging and food display is straight from England, but the food choices aren't necessarily. While they did have black currant yogurt, they didn't have trifle or digestives! The prices are completely reasonable, if not even cheaper than other stores. They sell plenty of non-F&E brands too, including toiletries, detergents, and alcohol. And they have a big tea section, including some choice decaf black teas (always difficult to find).

I bought a fresh pizza (ready to bake), a frozen one, a frozen dinner (that I discovered later was portioned for two, which then made it a healthy choice...I'm going back for the Shepherd's Pie!), two prepared salads, and some other odds and ends like fruit, hummus, and the best croutons in the world (which I've had difficulty finding lately).

You have to check yourself out, which isn't that big a deal, but something you don't see much out here. My problem was that because I was using my own bag the machine would freak out after I scanned every other item, even when I kept punching "I'm using my own bag."

Upon leaving, I was given several coupons for $5 off a purchase of $20 or more over the next couple of months. You bet your ass I'll be using them.

photo update

2008-04-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

Since I know you're unlikely to keep tabs on the update status of my photo album, I thought I'd alert you that I finally downloaded a bunch of photos from my camera and spent the time to upload them and others to the web.

Now you can enjoy photos from my October 2007 trips to San Francisco and Portland, Maine, as well as photos I took about a month ago while on a walking tour of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Caltrans building. Click here to start the fun.

What you won't see in the photo album, is this adorable creature:

Cute, isn't it? Well, I ate him. He was a cake from Albertson's (they actually have an incredible and affordable bakery, including gourmet cupcakes). He elicited questions at check-out and oohs and ahhs from Allie when I showed her this photo. She calls it the "Muppet cake." I haven't seen one like it since.

you're not going to believe this (or maybe you will)

2008-04-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while, so it's probably time I gave you some of my current frustrations.

First of all, I have a blister approaching the magnitude of the one featured in Run Fat Boy Run. (It was a funny movie, but it wasn't as great as the trailer made me think it might be. By the way, Allie spotted Hank Azaria in Westwood on our walk back to the car from the incredible Diddy Reese's.) Did you know that you can get a blister on top of one you already had? Now you know. It's ugly and it hurts when I walk. I'll spare you photographs.

Last night I attempted to see Sex and Death 101 at the Laemmle Sunset 5, where writer/director Daniel Waters was due to do a little Q&A afterwards. It was not publicized much from what I could tell, yet the damn thing sold out before I got there. When I got there and saw a bunch of late 30s/early 40s people milling about in front of the theater it hit me that I should have realized that most Gen Xers would flock to this (hey, it's a nice change of pace from seeing a movie with a theater full of The Greatest Generation). I was excited because Winona Ryder has actually got a significant part in a film! But they were excited (probably) because it's from the writer of Heathers. And this is after I listened to some guy promote his book about how great Generation X really is on one of the local NPR shows in the afternoon. I just thought it was a little funny. So I'm going this afternoon when it will be cheaper and hopefully not crowded. I don't like crowded movie theaters, especially non-stadium ones. I love Laemmle, but I'd really love them if they had stadium seating.

Then this morning I started looking into buying a Flight of the Conchords CD, because Allie got me hooked on the HBO show (via a YouTube video that made me laugh my ass off). They've got an EP out and a full length releasing later this month. I was bummed to see that they are going to be playing in L.A. on May 30, when I'm likely still to be back east celebrating Allie's graduation. I placed an order through SubPop to buy these things, and when I checked that email account I found an email from the Superdrag folks.

You can probably see where this is heading.

Superdrag has finally booked west coast dates! And guess when they are! In L.A. May 28 and 29! (San Francisco June 1 and 2.) Do you believe this? I fly across the country to see this band and then they decide to book L.A. dates when I'm unlikely to be in town! I'm so livid. I haven't booked a returning flight yet--so I can technically make it--but I was planning to spend more than one week there. Originally we were going to spend 2 weeks in Europe, but the trip planning has imploded and we're putting it off until later in the year. Now we're trying to get little East Coast trips in there. I already booked my flight east for the 21st since it was $99 (good luck seeing that kind of fare again with fuel prices and airlines cutting flights). Leaving earlier would have meant I'd have to grade final exams in record time. But if I had known about Superdrag...

All this really gets my goat.

Superdrag are recording a new album. They're going to tour again for that, right? Right? Should I just relax? Better said than done.

Obviously.

today: 70s power ballads

2008-03-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday, a group of Mexican men gather outside a parked van, open a door, play the radio, and converse in Spanish from early afternoon through the evening--all beneath my apartment window. This drives me insane. Why? Because it is distracting as hell. It's pretty loud, and Sunday is usually the day I make my final push to get whatever work done I've been putting off for the week. (And yes, I'm in the process of grading midterm exams.) I have trouble concentrating when there is sustained noise like conversation or music in the background--even of my own choosing. It wasn't such a big deal last week when, at this time, Allie and I were knee-deep in (new) piles we made to clean my disaster of an apartment and building IKEA furniture. (Correction: Allie did most of these things; I supervised.) This also put to rest her suspicion that I exaggerated the decibel and duration of these Sunday visits.

But today I am compelled to write about this, because there's a break in the pattern. Instead of their typical music choice, which is certainly no favorite of mine (let's just say it includes a lot of accordion), they are playing a 70s power ballad station. We've had ELO, Billy Joel, Elton John, and their buddies. It is also louder than usual, but maybe that's just because I actually recognize the music. And dammit, I like a lot of it.

Damn. And I was hoping they'd be doing whatever people do when they celebrate Easter. It's also nearly 90 degrees, but that's not breaking up this party.

"All by myself / Don't want to be / All by myself anymore / All by myself..."

penelope

2008-03-01T22:25:00.001-08:00

Today, Andrew and I saw Penelope at The Landmark (the chain's poor man's Arclight), partly because we both think James McAvoy is really hot. Oh man, he didn't disappoint (as if he could; the man is even sexier in person). Plus, the theater had costumes from Atonement on display. Andrew actually took a photo of McAvoy's tux from the film with his phone! Also on display is the green dress Keira Knightley wears (reason enough for the film to deserve best costume design, but of course it lost). I'm happy to report that the dress didn't look nearly as amazing on the mannequin, so props to Knightley! (I can't believe I just typed "props.")

Anyway, I highly recommend Penelope. It's visually stunning, the story is heartwarming and positive, it's very funny, and the acting is solid. I don't understand why the film sat on the shelf for two years, but it's well documented that my tastes diverge from Hollywood's and the public's, so who knows.

It may be a while before I can report on my next film-going experience. The next one I want to see is Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which opens on Friday. But I'm waiting for Allie to arrive in town on the 12th for that one. It feels wrong to miss the opening weekend, but it's a small price to pay to go to the movies with my sister! You know I'm up past my bed time when I start to get sappy like that.

i make faces at car chases

2008-02-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

It still amazes me that they actually, in all earnest, show live car chases on local TV in Los Angeles. Before I moved here I thought it was a joke. It's, unfortunately, not.

I just turned on ABC ahead of World News Tonight with Charles Gibson and the local folks are really excited about this car chase in the midst of rush hour. For the first time, the car chase fetish might make sense. They were able to combine the traffic report (not usually part of the evening broadcast, but it's not like there's real news or even weather to report in fantasyland). The thing that made me get a kick out of this and subject you to it, is that they've got several people commenting (some dude in a helicopter and the plastic anchors) and they're just amazed that certain freeway segments aren't parking lots. "I've never seen this part not jammed at this time of day." It's just too funny as they anticipate his route and what traffic he will hit. Basically, this confirms my suspicion that navigating traffic in Los Angeles is a legitimate sport. Even I'm guilty of talking about my sporting life, which drives Allie insane.

Thank god they haven't preempted the national news broadcast to follow this guy. But if I really care, I'm glad to hear that they will continue to follow the pursuit to its conclusion and have all the details at 11. Nice way to conclude the Sweeps period, really.

the semicolon

2008-02-27T07:41:00.000-08:00

I've linked you to an interesting article in the New York Times about people getting excited about the proper use of the semicolon on a NY transit sign reminding people to throw away their newspapers rather than litter the place with them.

Huh? Yeah, really. People are getting excited about a semicolon. But of course this is interesting and reason to get excited because so few people use proper grammar anyway, let alone know what to do with the esoteric semicolon. I've always been partial to the punctuation mark, and according to some hokey OkCupid test, that's the punctuation mark I resemble most. I'll wear that as a badge of pride; what have I got to lose?

Good writing is so elusive these days that I find myself being complimented by people I don't really know on how well I write. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm a crappy writer, but I'd never describe myself as a writer; I actually spend most of my time procrastinating on the large amount of professional writing I have to do. I'm very good with the technical aspects, because I remember and follow grammar rules. I occasionally turn a very clever phrase (mostly exploiting some sort of irony), but I wouldn't say I am some fabulously gripping writer. I'd rather just give you the information than go on and on in some eloquent description. I'm actually a far superior editor than I am writer, but that's not a talent you can easily showcase. It's also my editing skills that lead me to despair over the state of writing, especially in this age of quick, electronic communication.

the counterfeiters

2008-02-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

I just got back from seeing The Counterfeiters in Encino. It's the Austrian film nominated for an Oscar, and the only nominee for the foreign film category I will have seen going into tomorrow's ceremony (and you bet your ass I'm watching; this is my Super Bowl!). If you remember, I saw the frontrunners for the category (4 Months... and Persepolis) during my winter break movie marathon, but they didn't make the final cut (not even the 8-member shortlist, which I'm fine with too). I think this movie is far superior to both of them anyway.

If you're not familiar with it, it's based on the true story of Jewish inmates in a concentration camp forging the pound sterling and dollar for the losing, bankrupt Nazis. It's the world's largest known counterfeit operation. For the record, I was likely the only person in the theater (which drew a sizeable crowd despite its lack of press on the scale of the two movies I mentioned above) that was born after the events of this film take place. That did not diminish the emotional weight the film bore on me. I cried at several different intervals. It was wholly gripping and depicted a very complex situation and the moral struggles involved in survival under the most inhuman conditions (though the counterfeiters were actually treated really well). Go see it. Even though I haven't seen the other films, I'm routing for this one tomorrow. (And let's face it, concentration camp and WWII movies in general due well at the Oscars.)

be kind rewind

2008-02-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

This morning I saw Be Kind Rewind. (I really think there should be some sort of punctuation between "kind" and "rewind," but apparently the filmmakers don't.)

I really enjoyed it. It's hilarious, though I was a bit worried when one of the initial gags (before we even get to the main event) was based on the stupidity of Mos Def. Luckily it passed and he was of course the anchor to Jack Black's wildman (but he wasn't too wild or obnoxious). As a film fanatic, the issues it deals with and the emotions it builds on really worked for me, even though I'm not really connected to any of the movies they remake (or "swede"). Though I now have a craving to watch Ghostbusters, which I haven't seen in years. In the credits I saw something about going to a website to see the swede versions they made, but I can't seem to find it. The official site lets you swede yourself into a movie, but I don't care about that. Anyway, go see the movie. It was surprisingly a bit formulaic despite the offbeat premise, but I don't think that ruins the whole thing.

If you're looking for another movie to see this weekend, maybe I recommend Charlie Barlett. Apparently, I did about nine months ago when I saw an advance screening anticipating its then eminent release. I have no idea what happened during the gestation period. I wonder if they edited it.

joe wright

2008-02-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

I've linked you to this fabulous article on director Joe Wright from The Guardian. Joe Wright is absolutely brilliant, and the article actually provides information on him. And apparently he has the good sense to go to the 101 Coffee Shop for a burger while he's filming in L.A. It's no Oinkster, but that's a pretty good burger too.

And for the record, he was robbed of an Oscar nomination twice, but most stingingly for Atonement. He would have been the dark horse, but Jason Reitman, are you serious? We all know I think Juno is way overrated, and apparently, I'm not the only one.

stephanie turns 25

2008-02-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm officially a quarter-century old now. I'm not going through a quarter-life crisis, but I really didn't know what to do with myself today initially.

I woke up really early (which generally happens to me, it's not really birthday excitement), started a movie, and then went back to sleep. So I woke up later than usual (8:15), which resulted in me actually get a late start on the soft plans I made for myself.

My evening was taken care of. Andrew, Anna, and I had margaritas at Malo and then headed over to Taix for dinner. Before that, I went to see In Bruges at Arclight, which I really enjoyed. It's very funny, but it's also very violent. It had more blood than There Will Be Blood. Colin Farrell is great in small films. He's also really impressive in Cassandra's Dream, which I know I didn't blog about after I saw it, but I certainly recommend it. I enjoyed it a lot more than Match Point, which deals with similar themes.

Anyway, I didn't want to spend the bulk of the day in the apartment watching movies. I thought that would be depressing. Instead, I was determined to go out. The only thing I could think to do was to go to the Getty since I've wanted to see their photographic exhibits (that's pretty much the only reason I trek out there). I couldn't even think of where to eat lunch. I've been eating at home so much lately that I've even blocked my interest in going to places other than Oinkster (best hamburger in L.A.!). I only spent about an hour looking around and then decided to just eat lunch at their cafe, which I'd never even been to. It's really pretty nice and not too overpriced for a museum, especially one as isolated as the Getty.

From there I went to Arclight. I couldn't believe that in the middle of the day, on surface streets, it took nearly an hour to get between the two points. Usually during rush hour is takes an hour to get all the way home from the Getty, let alone 3 miles short of it. That was exhausting. Especially since it made it well into the 70s today with the sun beating down on me.

Oh and the first thing I did this morning was buy myself a birthday cake (but I didn't have them engrave it...that just seems weird when you buy it for yourself). But I haven't even touched it, and I won't tonight. Is it really your birthday without a cake? Sure, but now the cake seems silly. I hope it won't go stale overnight in its box. I don't have room for it in the refrigerator. We were all stuffed and sated by the insanely rich mousse Taix treated the birthday girl.

The best part? I can now rent a car without any extra massive fees.

Is this not the most boring post one could write about a birthday? I'm sorry. I am so tired. Between the one drink (which doesn't affect me until I actually get tired) and being up way past my bedtime, I'm just pooped. You're lucky any of this makes sense.

my current romantic comedy manifesto

2008-02-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

I've linked you to an interesting article from the New York Times on the current, generally deplorable state of the romantic comedy. It starts off a bit poorly, especially when the author classifies In Her Shoes and The Devil Wears Prada as romantic comedies. They are not. Are there love interests for the central female characters? Yes. Is that the focus of the plot in either film? No. The same goes for the overrated Juno (brief rant: the film is riding the wave of praise from people who don't watch enough films).

I think A.O. Scott* shoots around the issue, but fails to hit the target with the general thrust of why romantic comedies aren't working lately. Really, did you see 27 Dresses? I did. Thank god I didn't pay for it. It was really bad. It had its moments and there was plenty of chemistry between the leads, but it was pretty pathetic and full of insipid jokes.

Anyway, back to my point of what Scott is missing. He yearns for the acerbic wit of yesteryear, when the romance included some form of "risk" (like falling for your rival or someone you think you hate). He also implicates women's liberation in the shifting plot forms that are perhaps debilitating these movies. But, if anything, you'd think women's parity with men gives them full permission to "fight" men (usually through wit, ideology...ala Pride & Prejudice). Instead, in the case of 27 Dresses she's a pathetic sack who can't stand up for herself. She's never uttered the word "No."

Maybe the problem is realism, which Scott doesn't really touch. As women become stronger in the real world (individually, collectively, etc.), their onscreen personas often betray this in order to conform to antiquated, traditional roles for women as desperate to marry (planning their weddings from infancy) and raise gobs of children, confining themselves to a private homelife. But who is that for? Do women really want to see that? (Of course not all women are feminists.) Is this for men who feel emasculated as women surpass them in education and income or just in general act on their entitlements? But do they see these movies in any great numbers? Men write a lot of romantic comedies, and perhaps, that is indeed part of the problem. But 27 Dresses was written by a woman, and there are other women who write this kind of crap.

I like the idea that Julie Delpy describes her 2 Days in Paris as a post-romantic comedy. It deals with a man's insecurities about his girlfriend's past (she's had sex with a lot of men! oh no!), but at the same time, Delpy's Marion has her own issues about commitment. She's 35 with no immediate (or perhaps eventual) interest to permanently tie herself to one man (let alone utter the word "marriage"). That is the great leap here. This is a plot line that perhaps shows the actual complications of the dramatic upheavel of gender roles in the late 20th century. Not the only permutation, of course, but it's a start. We need more post-romantic comedies. But we don't need to belittle the men (Adam Goldberg's Jack is a bit whiny), that's not my point. Why can't I have a male partner that is more like me rather than not?

*Who incidentally said he could watch The Simpsons Movie 20-30 more times according to the movie's box (that quote was there in lieu of a synopsis). I rented it from the library. I laughed a bit, but as someone who has really never watched the show I found it really easy to follow. How could this be satisfying for the hardcore Simpsons fans? Though, of course, I loved that Albert Brooks was the villain. He manages to get himself in high profile stuff you wouldn't ordinarily think of when you think of the wit and brilliance of Albert Brooks (for example, his first film acting credit is in Taxi Driver).

super week

2008-02-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

If you're in a state that holds its primary tomorrow, vote! It's your civic duty. On Friday, I felt very civic indeed since I voted absentee for next week's vote (yeah, I'm still registered to vote in Maryland...it's complicated) and filed my taxes. I can't wait. Really. I'm a political junkie. This year is exciting as hell. You can bet your ass I'll be following the returns tomorrow night. If you really care, I'll tell you who I voted for, but I only made the decision after my first choice dropped out and then someone else I would consider as a backup dropped out too. Guess which men those were!

And can I just say, I am really sick of the Indian gambling proposition commercials. Who can even follow which side is telling the truth? Though I have my own ideas about that. On the other hand, I never tire of hearing Arnold Schwarzenegger say "California."

Though tomorrow is not the only excitement this week. On Friday, I hit the quarter-century mark. I know I'm going to the movies (In Bruges is the only decent release this week) and out to dinner. I'm not even sure where I'm going to dinner, or how else I'm going to fill my time. Though my weather widget says it's going to be in the low 70s, which is a really nice change of pace I can only assume has to do with it being my birthday. Hard-dee-har-har, I know. Seriously, I've been freezing lately. What happens when I go back into real winter weather eventually?! Oh no.

from film consumer to film producer

2008-01-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

When a professor in my school offered to run multimedia boot camps to teach students the basic tricks of making and editing movies and other such activities, I quickly enrolled. We spent this morning capturing video via digital camera, cell phone, or camcorder (I used my digital camera, though I could have used my web cam) and then edited them in iMovie. What you see here probably took 2-3 hours (keep in mind a learning curve) to conceive, shoot, and edit. I did the bulk of it in the class, but when I got home this afternoon I did some tweaking and added a song I had on my external harddrive. I think it's pretty cute. Enjoy.

i heart woody allen

2008-01-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

The next film (in theater) I'm likely to see is Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream, which will open in limited release on January 18th. Can you believe I have to wait that long to go to the movies?

Anyway, in anticipation of that, Scott Simon interviewed Allen for NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday this past week. This is the most interesting and informative interview Allen has given in years, I think.

To listen to the interview, find the link at the top of the page here. Look below the photo of Allen for a clip on filming outside Manhattan.

in case any of you rely on me for your superdrag news

2008-01-08T17:32:00.001-08:00

This just in. That little reunion tour I trekked my butt across the country for and those tracks I had difficulty listening to on MySpace did indeed suggest something a bit more substantial was on the way.

Superdrag (the original lineup) are returning to the studio next month to record a new album!

And they're going to play more live shows. They're playing with Nada Surf in New York in April (that would be awesome, but I'm not insane). They claim to be working on tour dates west of the Mississippi.

I'm excited! I've been so bored lately. I've seen all the movies out that I could possibly want to see. Thus, the highlights of my day are tracking the presidential primaries and watching Jeopardy!. School starts on Monday to save me from myself.

apparently actors furloughed by the writers' strike also need to mail stuff

2007-12-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

Waiting in the insufferably long line at the Los Feliz post office just now I noticed Justin Chambers of Grey's Anatomy fame two spots ahead of me in the queue. Wow, he's hot in person, wearing prescription glasses and stubble.

Even though this is my post office, I never actually go in since the wait for window service is always long, but the more convenient branch had already closed for the holiday. Don't you just love coincidences like that?

it should come as no surprise

2007-12-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

That I've been spending most of the week at the movies. Let's recap:

On Monday, I saw 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, which is the Romanian movie that won the Palme D'Or at Cannes this year as well as some other accolades. The stuff that wins such prestigious awards. Bor-ring. Do we really have to watch every detail of these people's day? It reminded me of the lauded, but equally boring, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, also Romanian.

On Tuesday, Christmas Day, I was determined to keep up my tradition of going to the movies. I couldn't last year since I was in London and everything shuts down on Christmas there. Seriously, public transit does not run and nothing is open save a few Indian and kebob restaurants. Anyway, I made sure to finish Atonement (the novel) so I could go see the movie again. I rarely see movies twice in the theater, so that should tell you how highly I regard this movie. Definitely the best of the nine movies I've seen in eleven days. Probably the best I've seen this year. I also think the movie is better than the book, but I could imagine that if you read the book before the movie, it would have a very powerful impact.

On Wednesday, I went again to Arclight to see There Will Be Blood, only playing in NYC and LA, and here, only at Arclight on three screens! I saw it in their largest auditorium, which was a treat, because I do think it's something to see on the big screen. There are some great shots of landscape and the immense scale of drilling for oil in rural outposts. I was glad to see that the battle wasn't really the simplistic good vs. evil, but instead capitalism vs. evangelicalism. Of course there are other things going on, but I think the trailer is pretty accurate in showing you who the main rivals are. Daniel Day-Lewis was incredible, as to be expected, but don't discount young Paul Dano. It was also surprisingly funny in parts.

Yesterday I ventured all the way to Encino to see Persepolis, which is the autobiographical graphic novel turned animated French film of an Iranian girl growing up in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. I enjoyed it. The most interesting part was perhaps her time in Vienna before returning to Iran (where she left again for Paris), because of the trying time she had there.

I've pretty much run out of things to see that I have much interest in. I think I might finally drag my butt to see Lars and the Real Girl for $3 today. It's near Canter's and I want a rye bread, anyway. I have no idea what I'm going to do this weekend. Maybe I'll finally go see Enchanted, but it's been out so long I feel silly going now. I tend to go right when things open, if you hadn't noticed.

i still hate myspace

2007-12-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

But I did finally get the Superdrag page to load the music player. I'm happy now. Man, I hope this means they're going to record a new album. It's just two 4-tracks, but man, it's good ol' Superdrag, especially "I Only Want a Place I Can Stay."

It's been so long since I've bothered with MySpace that I noticed the change in the music player. I like that you can pop it out into its own window.

I think I'm going to go make a mix CD that I can tape for the car. Yeah, I'm all low tech. It's because the damn car adapter for my iPod shuffle never works. It did for like five days two years ago.

charlie wilson's war is funnier than walk hard

2007-12-22T17:58:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that title isn't a joke. Of course, is it any surprise that I would find more humor and satisfaction in a historical, political film rather than one that relies too much on the sound of the guy's last name for laughs?

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story just isn't that funny. It's all in the trailer. The main problem with the film is that in its effort to make fun of the silly, trite, boring biopics of musicians, it becomes one with a wink and a nod. John C. Reilly turns in an excellent performance, but that's not enough to redeem the film overall. It's not bad, it just isn't as funny as the trailer would lead you to believe.

My biggest beef with Charlie Wilson's War is the needless use of that stupid framing technique (we start at the end and then immediately go back to the beginning for a linear narrative). Oh please. Can we just get on with it? Luckily, it doesn't dwell there, so it's not that big a deal. I just can't understand why filmmakers continue to use such a dopey technique. Anyway, it's very funny. But it helps if you know stuff about American government, politics, and history. I was, of course, the youngest person in the audience by perhaps a generation. And I think the film does a really good job of relating the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan in the 1980s to the current situation, without being preachy or moralistic (it's pretty straightforward in its depiction of American imperial interests). I think it's rather fortunate that this film was released on the heels of The Kite Runner, though it's hard to say how much the films' audiences overlap (beyond myself). They actually, quite well, illustrate two perspectives of the same series of events. Events too many people probably don't think about, even though the strains of these conflicts are still ongoing.

So the final verdict: see Charlie Wilson's War and save Walk Hard for DVD.

By the way, I didn't make it to The Savages or Lars and the Real Girl this week. I may try for the former tomorrow.

i hate myspace

2007-12-22T17:54:00.000-08:00

There are many reasons why I hate MySpace, most of which I don't really feel like getting into.

My big beef with the damn thing right now is that Superdrag has allegedly posted NEW songs on their MySpace page (rather than their official website!), and for days now, I have not been able to load the fucking page in order to get the player to actually load. I can't even see what the songs are let alone play them. What the hell gives? I have tried different browsers, different times of day, signed in, signed out. Can you get the damn thing to load?

what stephanie does with too much free time

2007-12-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

"Are you a fan of Neil LaBute?" The ginger-bearded man asked.
"No, actually, I hate him. I just thought I'd see what his fiction was like. It was $5, and I was bored." I responded as I cocked my head toward Skylight Books--hinting that's where I'd been--before walking into the cinema lobby.
"Yeah, I don't know many women who like him." He replied.

Ah, yes, I bought another book of fiction (short stories, in fact) even though I've only read two chapters in Atonement. I'm finding it harder than I thought it would be to get back into reading fiction. But like I said, it was only $5, and the copy is signed. I figure I might be able to sell it on half.com or something when I'm done and at least break even. I want to see if his short stories are as mean and nasty as his films and stage plays. LaBute is an interesting character. I think he hates women, but yet I heard Terry Gross interview him on Fresh Air and he presents his answers in a way that make you think he's not evening thinking women are the most manipulative, nasty bitches imaginable. But I don't buy it. Yet, I do love his film Possession, which has a hint of manipulation in it, but it's not the focus of the story and the secret revealed actually results in some sort of joy after a century and a half of subversion (of course, he adapted it from a novel...it's his original material that is so objectionable). Anyway, I read one short story while waiting for Margot at the Wedding, and the man was an asshole, not the woman. So, we'll see what happens.

This week is film going week after months of intense stress. On Sunday I saw The Kite Runner, which was very formulaic, but highly enjoyable. Every time I saw the trailer it made me cry. Let me tell you something the trailer doesn't: the movie is almost entirely in Farsi. Now, that doesn't bother me because I watch foreign films all the time and I love the sound of Farsi, but it's very misleading since it was made by Paramount!

Yesterday I saw Juno, which I've been dying to see since it came out. It's very quirky, but it did take me awhile to get used to the way the teens talk. Juno is sharp and irreverent, which I like. Just like in Knocked Up, in the real world, I think these women would have had abortions, but what the hell kind of movie would that make? And Allie can call me a cradle robber all she wants, but Michael Cera is adorable (and welcome at my apartment anytime).

Margot at the Wedding certainly had its comedic moments, but I'm still chewing on it. Margot is such a bitch, but you really can't empathize with any of the characters. It's not unlike The Squid and the Whale but I enjoyed that one more. I think Jack Black stole the movie with his understated performance. I like him when he's not a total over-the-top clown. Be Kind Rewind looks good, too. By the way, I saw a trailer for Juno and Atonement before the movie this afternoon. The Atonement trailer gave me chills, even after I've seen the movie. It's so damn powerful. I want to see it again, but I've cried too much in the last week or so (it's not depression, it's reacting to others' heartache).

Tomorrow I'm likely to see The Savages. I'm taking my car in to have the timing belt replaced so I think I'll take the bus to Arclight while I wait. Thursday I might see Lars and the Real Girl at the $3 cinema at Beverly and Fairfax, since I missed its initial release. But I could wait for DVD too. Friday I have to see Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Oh man, that looks like a hoot!

rudy's barbershop

2007-12-14T22:09:00.000-08:00

So I got my hair cut this evening. I just couldn't take it, it was too poofy, it was out of control, and it just had to go. So I went to Rudy's Barbershop as I have been doing since I moved here. Apparently my usual person moved to Italy so I went with someone new. I was totally satisfied with what she was doing, but I had this feeling that the extreme disparity between the front of my hair and the back would dry to look like Hasidic curls gone crazy. I mentioned it, but she said it looked cute, and it was still wet, so...

Well, it definitely looks like I thought it would. I just need to go back and get a bit clipped off the front. But I dread it. I hate going to Rudy's, but I don't know where else to go. Every time I go in there everyone else is too hip to function, and I'm frump girl in hipsterland.

atonement

2007-12-13T21:26:00.001-08:00

About every two years I get the urge to read fiction. Last time it was Little Children (before there was buzz about a movie). This time, I bought myself a copy of Atonement because I loved the film so much that I thought I might as well see how good the book is now that I've got some free time. I'll let you know.

But please go see the movie. It was unbelievable. So breathtaking to watch. I saw it last Saturday at trusty old Arclight that had a special Q&A with the director, Joe Wright, and James McAvoy (who wasn't billed to be there). James is hilarious as ever. (Oh yeah, we go way back. Not only have I seen just about all his movies, knew of him before he made a name here, but after the Last King of Scotland screening last year I followed him outside--pure coincidence, I'm not a stalker!). He better win that Golden Globe. Joe, too.

By the way, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is an equally superb film.

i'm done

2007-12-13T17:54:00.001-08:00

Well, just under an hour ago I submitted my last of two final papers for the semester. It was pretty bad. I ran out of time so there's no conclusion. It's a literature review, but you're still supposed to have an overall argument (oops!). I feel pretty badly about it, especially since the professor is brilliant. Not that all of my professors aren't brilliant--some are just more brilliant than others. I'm embarrassed, really.

But I'm so totally burnt out. This is my fifth year of graduate work--yeah, that's 4.5 years on top of the three it took to get my B.A. I'm just sick of taking courses. And next semester I'm just reading in order to prepare for my exams. That means that potentially I will never take another course again. That's right, this may have been the last time I will be on the other side of the student/teacher divide.

That's scary.

my fear of 3-D

2007-12-02T09:42:00.001-08:00

I bet you expect me to say something about a snake popping out of the screen, but you'd be wrong, because I couldn't even see it!

I get all tense every time I read about how 3-D will be the future of film in the Bible's news. Then I just read through EW.com's list of the 50 smartest people in Hollywood, where 3-D was mentioned too many times to count. The reason this concerns me is that I physically can't see 3-D. What? Yeah, I know, it seems weird, but I have very, very limited ability to see this stuff. The picture just looks very blurry (so beside missing stuff pop out, nothing looks right). I noticed this from an early age, but I figured it was just something about how the 3-D glasses don't work well over prescription eyeglasses. Then during my most recent eye exam earlier this year, for the first time, I was given something to look at and told to identify the ones that pop out and I couldn't. I asked the doctor if it's abnormal, but apparently it isn't for someone with my vision and vision correction. Though, of course, those of us with such poor vision aren't really enough to stop the tide of 3-D for fear it won't make the gazillions of dollars they're now banking on.

Of course it's unlikely to really affect the movies I tend to see most, the story-driven small films. But we could get to a point where 3-D is the technology standard and no matter how 3-D doesn't enhance the film, it might be used.

On the other hand, EW considers Judd Appatow the smartest man in Hollywood, and he ain't monkeying with 3-D. Oh man, can you imagine the crowning scene in 3-D? Ugh... Though, I guess, if you've watched a woman give birth in person, you don't really need to.

every time i actually consider getting my car washed (it's that filthy), it rains

2007-11-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

That is all.

mr. bean went on holiday and i forgot to laugh

2007-11-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

Riot in the streets if you will, but I will continue to insist that Mr. Bean is not remotely funny. I have never liked Mr. Bean from the bits I've seen made for television, to the first Bean movie, and to the point that I made fun of Allie when she went to see Mr. Bean's Holiday in Lancaster. Then she told me that I should see it just because I'd appreciate the beauty of it; after all, he travels through Paris and the French countryside on his way to Cannes.

I've been bundled up in bed all week with an excruciatingly painful kidney infection, but yet I still decided to watch this dreadful movie via Netflix. Let me tell you, it was like watching a snake fly through the beautiful backdrop of France!

I didn't laugh once. How is this funny? The man is so stupid and so oblivious, yet just about everything he does really hurts someone else. Beyond its lack of amusement to me, I just find it really boring and dumb. I guess I'm just too compassionate to find such stupidity funny or even worth watching. This man should win a Darwin Award, not go on holiday!

my old pal christian bale

2007-11-23T15:18:00.001-08:00

I'm sure I've told you before about how Christian Bale was my teen idol. This is pre-American Psycho Bale when he was still a skinny English guy with crooked teeth. Oh, those were the days.

Anyway, this week I saw two of his most recent films. First, I'm Not There with a Q&A afterwards with director/co-writer Todd Haynes (the man can talk!). My favorite thing about the movie (because I didn't really like it...the concept is great, but the execution is lacking, which is generally what I think of Haynes's work, such as another Bale-starer, Velvet Goldmine) is Bale with a Jewfro and a bad '70s suit preaching some Born-Again Christian babble. Oh man, I was nearly rolling on the floor (you know, in my mind).

Then I saw Rescue Dawn courtesy of Netflix. Now, that's a good movie. But it also contains something truly disturbing. It's an image that continues to haunt me days later, and I can only hope that with time it will dissipate. Bale eating a live snake! Could he really, truly have been eating an uncooked live snake (or a just barely dead one)? After watching the making of featurettes on the DVD that tell you about all the jungle-living things he really did, I believe it. And man, they continually showed him eating that snake during the featurettes. Watching it the first time through my fingers covering my eyes, I nearly puked. I knew it was coming when the snake appeared and he attempted to and then caught it. Oh my god, it was horrifying.

And as Haynes said about Bale, "He can do anything!"

more than two weeks later

2007-11-23T14:32:00.001-08:00

Let me tell you about the Superdrag concert I flew across the country for.

Oh who can remember all the little details now? But I will say that I am indeed glad I went. They totally rocked. You'd never believe that these guys hadn't played together (or any of these songs) in years. Of course, being the last show of the tour probably helped that a bit, but seriously, it brought back the rock of my youth (somebody pinch me when I'm getting nostalgic at the tender age of 24! Especially after watching Baby Boomers debate the meaning and "corrosiveness" of nostalgia on a local PBS show called Life Part Two, of which I am probably the only member of the Echo of the Baby Boom to actually watch this show when it airs. Oh but that's another story. I clearly have an obsession with PBS and absorbing all kinds of information. Perhaps I've been derelict in writing in this here blog because I've been too busy absorbing information instead. Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Okay, back to Superdrag. I was actually surprised not to see people (the guys, really: they were all male) from the old days. We'd never really talk, but we'd certainly recognize each other, the first dorks to arrive at the venue, which was usually the 9:30 Club, but a show or two in Baltimore and even a roadtrip to Philadelphia (if I remember correctly, back in the days when I couldn't even drive and my mom was such an enthusiastic supporter of her silly kids!). It was actually Allie who recognized a lot of people from her stint as a DJ at UMCP's radio station.

We got there when doors opened at 10:00 and claimed the best place in the venue: standing against the balcony at center. In other words, we had a completely unobstructed view of the stage directly over the sound board. Yes, perfect sight and sound! (And I lamented how I should have done this for Teenage Fanclub two years ago rather than pressing myself against the stage.)

The vast bulk of the set drew from Superdrag's first two LPs (which the original lineup, hence the reunion, created): Regretfully Yours and Headtrip in Every Key. There was also a track or two from their earlier EP and demo efforts, and "True Believer" from their third of four LPs (In The Valley of Dying Stars) which is not a tune from the original lineup, but voted the number one favorite by fans through an online poll. Now, I do indeed love this song and many others from their later releases, but I thought it was not in spirit with a reunion tour of the original band to vote for music they didn't all perform. I guess the bulk of voters didn't get that message. I wasn't actually surprised that it won. It's the only song I've actually seen covered by another band (The Plus Ones). In fact, I remember telling someone at the Plus Ones concert that they sound a lot like Superdrag just as they started to play "True Believer."

The first half of the set was dominated by Regretfully Yours, and while I love all Superdrag music--seriously, not one bad track--I still consider this my least favorite album. It's a bit too monotonous, which you can really feel standing at a late-night concert. But then they brought on the Headtrip In Every Key, which for the longest time was my favorite album of theirs. I still go back and forth between it and In the Valley of Dying Stars. Including the encore, I believe the total playing time was somewhere on order of an hour and forty-five or fifty minutes. Probably the best concert I've attended in years.

A special note, there was absolutely no booze on stage. Now, considering Superdrag disbanded on account of John Davis's Born-Again Christian sobriety, it's not really that surprising. But how many rock shows have you been to where no band member was throwing back beer or whiskey in between songs? There's no alcohol required to rock!

And if that cheesy line wasn't enough, here's an embarrassing plea. In August, waiting to gawk at the ever-youthful Paul Rudd at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater, I was blabbing about Superdrag to Anna when the guy in front of me turned around to tell me he is a big Superdrag fan. Well, man, if you have happened upon this in some sort of bizarre googling incident (or any other means), please email me, leave a comment, or something. I totally flupped up the follow through on that one. I'm willing to bet we've got more in common than a love for Superdrag and cool glasses.

Fin.

happy birthday, winona

2007-10-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today is Winona Ryder's birthday. I was surprised to see her as the first birthday mention on The Bible's front page today. Someone needs to give that woman a job.

I know, this is a very exciting post after nearly a month, but my mind is a bit mush. I've spent the whole day sleeping and lounging after yesterday's long journey back from Portland, Maine. At some point I will publish photos from that trip and my trip to San Francisco a couple of weeks ago.

you'd think the only thing i ever do is go to afi director's screenings at arclight, wouldn't you?

2007-10-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

The title says it all for such a long lull between posts. I don't know why. When you don't feel like blogging, you don't feel like blogging. That doesn't mean I haven't done anything worth blogging about. It's not as if the people who blog multiple times a day have really done anything worth blogging about either. I balance the blogosphere, I guess.

At any rate, I returned a little bit ago from an AFI Director's Screening of Gone Baby Gone directed and co-written by Ben Affleck and starring Casey Affleck (and a whole lot of other famous people...and the dude who played Taggart in the first two Beverly Hills Cop movies...I guess he had the sense to stay out of the last one).

Anyway, I totally wasn't expecting to be impressed by it. Let's face it, the trailer makes it look like pretty standard (read: mediocre) fare. And unlike most people, abducted child stories don't pull on my heartstrings that much (no, I don't think they're good, but come on, it's a total ploy to get you to cry and care and blah blah blah...it's a movie!). Let's just say the trailer doesn't do it justice. It's pretty taught with suspense, plot twists (some you can see coming but the movie doesn't pretend that you can't see them), and plenty of gunfire to make me jump in my seat a few times. Oh and it's funny. Casey Affleck gave an excellent performance, and yes, Ben Affleck can direct.

In the Q&A (no, I didn't spot any celebrity wives, babies, or best friends), the first question came from an older British woman who posed the question "to the director." Ben said that not using his name and addressing him as "the director" made his month! I believe it. He was really humble. Casey was funny and also made reference to his brother's "famous" status in a joking way. You can tell they just sort of take it in stride. It was a pleasant Q&A where I was taken by the participants (Amy Ryan was also there but obviously the attention was on the men) and there wasn't ass-kissing from the audience (maybe a first?). I did think it was a bit cheesey that the moderator asked everyone to stay in his/her seats while the panel exited "because they're already late for something." Come on. We know you don't want the crowd rushing Ben--and that's totally understandable--but why lie about it (or at least deliver the lie better)?

I love these things. They keep giving us $10 giftcards to Arclight, which basically makes the movie free. I still have one from the last one I went to. I also have a small stockpile of miniature Audi roadsters sitting in my apartment. Who wants one?

king of california

2007-09-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

I just got back from another installment of AFI's Directors Series at Arclight. Tonight was King of California starring Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood. Neither of them was there for a Q&A (they weren't scheduled, of course), but writer/director Mike Cahill obliged. I really enjoyed the movie. It's funny, it's touching, and it makes you want to believe in silly legends of long-lost gold.

Both Douglas and Wood gave excellent performances. What Douglas can do with his eyes! Especially hidden behind a crazy beard. It's as if he took the playfulness of President Shepherd and gave him a few crazy pills. Priceless.

Go see it (you know, if it makes it to you, it opens in L.A. and New York next Friday).

hot hot heat

2007-09-02T22:45:00.000-07:00

My weather widget says the temperature peaked at 103 degrees this afternoon in my zip code. No big deal. Unless the power goes out and the air conditioning you rely on isn't available on the hottest day of the year.

Originally I was planning to run some errands and then see Rocket Science at the $3 theater at Beverly and Fairfax. Then when I saw that it was supposed to be 100 degrees I decided I could just lay in bed and watch movies until late in the afternoon. When the power went off just after noon I had to get out and went with my original plans. When I returned just after 5:00 p.m., the power was still out and my apartment was just approaching oven status. I was really annoyed since I saw no signs of powerlessness elsewhere in my travels.

Luckily, Miriam rescued me. I basically invited myself over to enjoy some air conditioning and a BBQ by the pool. A very nice evening indeed. I was glad to find the A/C had already cooled down my apartment when I returned a half hour ago.

I was worried my cantaloupe sorbet was ruined, but I think it's ok. I'll dig in again tomorrow.

stephanie gets domestic

2007-09-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

In my first successful attempt to make something with the ice cream maker my dad gave me for my birthday more than a year and a half ago, I made a cantaloupe sorbet this morning. I blended a small ripe cantaloupe with some sugar, some lemonade (the recipe called for orange juice, but I didn't have any on hand), and a pinch of salt. When I tasted the unfrozen mixture as I was cleaning up, I thought it was a bit too sweet. But now that I've had it as it's intended, it's not (though there's definitely a sweet aftertaste, not necessarily a bad thing).

Woo-hoo! This gives me confidence to continue making frozen desserts. Next up: earl grey sorbet, which will be consumed with Trader Joe's vanilla gelato since I love a bit of milk in my earl grey but I don't want to fuck it up by adding it to the base (plus, I love sweet icy stuff with frozen dairy).

I also want to make a honeydew sorbet with a strong hint of lime, but honeydews are so damn expensive and few and far between out here. Why is that?!

when you least expect it

2007-08-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

I picked up Dad and Allie at the airport early this morning, and on the way home, we swung by the 101 Coffee Shop for breakfast. Arriving at the same time, but from the opposite direction, was Johnny Knoxville. He dined alone at the counter. He looked totally hot, but we didn't say anything to him.

This is the first celebrity I've seen there, even though it's apparently quite the place to spot 'em.

when your past comes back to haunt you

2007-08-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

What happens when your internet boyfriend from the mid-1990s finds you through one of those ridiculous social networking sites? Oh my god, that's an embarrassing past I don't really want to relive.

Things were different then. Who thought to communicate with people near you when you were online back then? So few people I actually knew were.

What's more astonishing is that he would even think to look me up a decade later!

no longer a virgin

2007-08-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

Only a few minutes ago, I experienced my first earthquake. I've lived in L.A. two years, and even though there have been little ones in that time, I've never felt them (to my knowledge).

Today, I was sitting at work in Hollywood typing when I felt the whole building slightly jolt. I immediately let out, "What was that?!" After a moment's pause, one of my bosses, in the adjoining room said, "That was an earthquake."

Considering the news of the devestating earthquake yesterday in Peru, my first thought was that it was an earthquake, but it didn't feel like I had been anticipating. I wasn't even fearful of anything and nothing fell. It was just a blip.

rip tony wilson

2007-08-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last night, Anna told me that Tony Wilson died. I couldn't believe it. Both because he's so young (I didn't know anything was wrong) and also because I hadn't heard about it! Searching for obituaries was also difficult. This morning I decided to look through Manchester newspapers, and I came across this tribute.

I weeped a little as I read it. He was not just a force in music history, but his passion for Manchester, its history, and its grand future (in his head) really gets to my core with my intense interest in cities and those that make them. This comes through in 24 Hour Party People but it is even more poignant to read it from a friend.

just one of those nights

2007-08-12T00:37:00.000-07:00

I have so much to blog about, but sometimes you have to let the stockpile sit while the fresh adventures are still, well, fresh.

Tonight is one of those nights where I'm so thrilled to live in L.A.

A couple of weeks ago, on a whim, I took a look at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater's schedule and noticed that Paul Rudd and Ana Ortiz were going to appear on August 11's Bro'in Out with Seth Morris. What?! I'm in love with Paul Rudd, and I have been for years. If he wasn't married, I probably would have thrown myself at him. (Okay, probably not, but I just like to say that.) I quickly reserved tickets, and I invited Anna to make sure I didn't try any adulterous moves.

We got there really early to get in line, because I was determined to sit in the front row. We did, which meant a perfect view. I also happened to be sitting directly opposite Mr. Rudd. But fortunately, there were other guests to distract me. To promote The Ten (which I saw earlier in the week, and it's one of those things I've been meaning to blog about...go see the movie--hilarious! I support anything that actually features Winona Ryder post-Saks incident.) Paul Rudd was joined by Ken Marino, David Wain, and Joe Lo Truglio. Ana Ortiz passed out drinks to the guests and let her tiny dog, Fidel, roam around the audience. She got some quality solo time in the beginning, which was nice.

There was some other stuff like some crazy Frank Oz impersonator and a band (The Happy Hollows). The format was like a talk show, if that helps explain all this zaininess at a comedy club. And Anna's heart stopped when she noticed John Krasinski join the audience. Apparently some other guy from The Office was there, but since I don't watch the show I'm not really savvy to who he is. (Unfortunately, I saw the trailer for License to Wed too many times watching crap cable back east in June so I've got Krasinski's face memorized.)

Grand sum of this all: a very good time! I laughed, and I wish I could write this more wittily, but realize I've been up since about 6 a.m. You're lucky this makes sense.

P.S. Seth Morris looks like a younger, taller, smaller-nosed, and non-curly-haired version of my dad. Seriously, I was looking at him thinking he looked familiar. Then it hit me he looked just like my dad--gap in his front teeth and all.

two days isn't enough

2007-08-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

I recently got back from a screening of 2 Days in Paris followed by a Q&A with Julie Delpy and a reception at Hollywood Social (or is it Social Hollywood?). Adam Goldberg was scheduled to participate in the Q&A, but he sent his regrets. My guess is that he caught wind of my seductive intentions and couldn't handle it. Such a shame. He delivered an excellent performance, while being as hot as ever. There's just something about a not-too-hairy Jew covered in random tattoos...

Anyway, the film was excellent. It was everything I had hoped it'd be. I don't think I've laughed so much and so hard in a movie in a really long time. It's very clever, full of quick dialog and neurotic humor--just the way I like it. I'm definitely going to run out and buy the DVD as soon as I can.

Now, you need to run to a theater and see it. Maybe I'll even see it again soon...

But, please, someone--anyone--whisk me away to Paris already! I can't take it anymore.

maybe i'm the only one who appreciates the humor here

2007-08-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

So I'm looking at Plenty of Fish, which I think is a pretty crappy dating site. The information it asks you to fill out is too general and it doesn't give you any sense of where someone lives in relation to you, which I think is crucial (at least as an initial filtering mechanism).

Anyway, so a profile I click on actually gives very detailed stat information because he copied and pasted it from some other kind of dating site that asks very specific questions. Under "Way of Life," there's a category titled "Political." This is how his answer reads: "Political: Capitalist (date a socialist? no)"

I guess I can stop reading, but for some reason I thought that was hilarious. While I do think whether or not you lean toward capitalism or socialism is a political issue, it's not quite like saying what party you're affiliated with (though try and find a Republican socialist).

if holly would...

2007-08-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

Because a serious post can't go unfollowed by a bit of goofy irony.

regrets of a misspent youth

2007-08-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today I attended the first of a two-day conference at the Huntington Library called "Rocket Science and Region," which is about the history of the aerospace industry in Southern California. This is something I know nothing about, and I'm always excited to learn new things.

But sitting there all day made me yearn for a path not chosen. Growing up I was equally as good in math/science as I was in English/social studies. I even remember when I was a kid wanting to be a chemist. I loved doing proofs in geometry! I did computer programming all throughout high school, but I realized that while I excelled in the classes I didn't have the innate drive and creativity that all the guys around me who were barely passing (because they were designing anything but class assignments) had. In college I quickly took the humanities path and intended to prep for law school.

Now I wonder how things would be different. I can see that the adult me, had I continued in the appropriate content courses to keep up those math--not just logic--skills, would be well suited to science. My intense interest in learning, research, and sharing my results along with big-picture thinking completely anchored by the sharpest eye for detail just made for observation is what a scientist really needs. I'd also probably have my pick of any job I wanted considering the shortage of women in all sciences.

And just think! It'd be so much easier to meet men, especially the scientifically inclined (remember, it's a bit of a fetish of mine).

by the way...

2007-07-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

It's official. I'm going to see Superdrag in D.C. on November 8! Allie and I bought our tickets on Thursday when they went on sale to the general public (since I missed the presale).

I feel like a goofy teenager, but I have to do it. I'm going to regret it if I don't.

Why don't you join us?

sex in the movie theater

2007-07-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I saw One to Another at the Laemmle Sunset 5. I was the only woman in the entire audience. And by far the youngest (mostly middle-aged gay men). And I don't even really understand why. It wasn't that graphic (I've seen more hardcore sex in "mainstream" films like Nine Songs and it wasn't all queer). Plus we were all spread out like it was a porn theater. Clearly someone was anticipating something. The ticket guy even tried to give me a ticket to Once after I clearly said I wanted to see One to Another.

The irony is that I think when I went to see another movie at that theater a couple of months ago (I don't remember which--I go there all the time--but I know it wasn't something all that sexy), I thought the guy sitting in front of me was jerking off. He left in the middle of the movie for no apparent reason, too.

what was harold like before he met maude?

2007-07-25T21:44:00.001-07:00

In high school, he was Charlie Bartlett. He even dug Cat Stevens. Though, before there was Maude, there was a girl his own age (the principal's daughter, noless!).

As snarky as I am, I recommend you see the movie. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

happy birthday, albert brooks

2007-07-22T06:49:00.001-07:00

I'm going to take a page out of Allie's book and wish a celebrity a happy birthday. It's no ordinary birthday--he's 60! And he's not really a celebrity, because so many people think I'm talking about Mel Brooks when I profess my love for a lot of his work. Defending Your Life remains his masterpiece, but Mother is up there.

Maybe I'll have an Albert Brooks marathon today.

i'm getting more than two days in paris

2007-07-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Because Arclight is doing an AFI Director's screening of the film on August 7. I bought my ticket, baby. I get to see the film a wee bit early, plus Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg will answer all my questions after the film.

There's also a reception afterwards. The last one I went to was pretty decent: free drinks, free food, free celebrity sightings (Winona Ryder! This time I bet Ethan Hawke!).

Take that, LA Film Festival Standby Line!

total mindblower

2007-07-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Southwest no longer flies nonstop between LAX and BWI. I went to check on their sale for fares around the Superdrag show. I can get there, but not without stopping first. For years they've been the cheapest direct flight between the two places.

Wow.

Oh well, I hate flying Southwest anyway! Seat assignments, please!

i've never sweated so much in my life

2007-07-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the not-so-secret and probably not just invite-only Spoon show at Little Radio (remember, I got the ticket for being an early bird at Amoeba).

First, some words to the people who run Little Radio's warehouse thing: get some fucking fans! In this day and age, I can't actually understand why I was sweating buckets. Buckets, really.

Having arrived at 9:30 I was able to snag a really good spot in the crowd, where I had a pretty good view of the stage (no small feat considering my height relative to most people) and amazing sound (in front of the sound board). I suffered through John "Boring" Vanderslice. Just a man and his acoustic guitar. It all sounded the same. His record probably isn't quite as boring, but really, who wants to stand there and watch some guy play by himself and make stupid comments. I'll give him credit for having a lot of personality and talking a lot, but it just didn't appeal to me.

Then after some more waiting and compacting (you know how that happens at shows when you're in the best place), Spoon hit the stage at 11. The temperature probably went up another five degrees. But they sounded amazing! They are one of the few bands that actually retains the distinct sound of their recordings when playing live. I don't know if that makes sense, but I was really impressed with the sound quality of the performance.

I stayed in my spot for about 40 minutes until I just couldn't take the heat. With every note they played, a massive sweat drop would descend from my hair down my body. I just couldn't take it. I made my way to the bar to try and get some water ("uh, we don't have tap water."), and found, as I suspected, it was A LOT cooler back there toward the wide open door. People also weren't packed in so much. Unfortunately, the sound quality was pretty bad, both because of the sound system and because of all the idiots talking and making noise (which wasn't happening much closer in). I managed to move closer to get a somewhat better view and improved sound so I could enjoy the rest of the show.

Final Assessment: I'm really glad I went. I'm also really glad it was free (who would pay to be so uncomfortable?)! I don't think I need to go see them in September. The rigmarole just isn't worth it. It was 1.5 hour set so it was a full show. They didn't play "Sister Jack," but the set was heavily drawn from their latest two albums with a couple of older tunes thrown in for good measure. And as amazing as they sound live, they really aren't much to look at. Don't get me wrong, they are all very attractive men, but Britt Daniel spent half of the set with his back to the audience. They just didn't move enough to make it worth watching.

The whole experience also made me re-evaluate my efforts to convince Allie and Dad to meet me somewhere else in the country to go see Superdrag. Did I love seeing them live? Hell yeah, but is the pain and suffering really worth it? Probably not. Though I'm still contemplating the D.C. show. There are other reasons to go to D.C. It's just missing a couple of school things that are holding me back.

By the way, on my way home I had to get a Slurpee. I needed the freezing cold beverage, but it also reminds me of so many trips home from the 9:30 Club or Black Cat. I'm sure we did it a time or two after Superdrag.

when i go shopping, i go shopping

2007-07-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Von's, where I spent $50 on nothing but frozen food.

Since I moved and had to buy a refrigerator for my apartment, I bought a counter-high model that has the biggest freezer of all the compact refrigerators, but it's tiny and it barely freezes anything. So this morning after lots of looking around and decisions about how to fix this problem, I bought a small freezer chest. But a small freezer chest is actually just a bit bigger than my refrigerator unit!

This allowed me to go nuts at Von's, where Lean Cuisine is on sale for $2/each (half price). I bought 19 different meals plus three different light ice cream flavors (all on sale as well). I saved a whooping 46% on my total.

So for the next few weeks don't let me tell you I have nothing to eat at home!

i just don't believe it

2007-07-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

I'm crying just a little bit now. You're just not going to believe this! And if Allie weren't on her way to dinner right now, I'd be blabbing at her on the phone rather than typing this stream of conscious shocker. I just can't believe this.

Superdrag--THE ORIGINAL SUPERDRAG LINEUP--is reuniting for a limited six-city tour. No, they aren't stopping in L.A., but they're going to be in D.C. in November! I'm seriously, seriously, seriously, considering buying airline tickets. It's in the middle of the fucking week in the second half of the semester only a couple of weeks after I'm going to be in Portland, Maine, but OH MY GOD. I'm in love with Superdrag. We all know this. Isn't this what I've been waiting for?

Why aren't you coming to L.A. or hell, somewhere on the west coast?!

I just don't believe it. Sorry for the out of character blog, but I'm just in utter shock and conflict right now.

i'm 8, what number are you?

2007-07-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Probably about a year ago I found out about enneagrams. It's one of those personality trait things. Now, I thought you were supposed to figure out what number you were by looking at shapes and colors or something, but the OkCupid test I took was purely based on reading written descriptions and choosing the ones that best describe you. So I did it. And it's totally spot on. I'm only posting this as a self-explanation of how I work. I already know all this about myself, but sometimes it's good to advertise this to other people. It's also a good tool for dating. I've come to realize that I scare away a lot of people I want to attract, and those that are curious enough to find out about this hyperbolic asserter are usually my polar opposite. Of course there's nothing wrong with that, but unfortunately, I want someone more like myself in personality and worldview than opposite it. Otherwise I go a little insane, as this explains...

Your Score: 8 - the Asserter

you chose AY - your Enneagram type is EIGHT (aka "The Challenger").

"I must be strong"

Asserters are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

* Stand up for yourself... and me.
* Be confident, strong, and direct.
* Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
* Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.
* Give me space to be alone.
* Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.
* I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
* When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a EIGHT

* being independent and self-reliant
* being able to take charge and meet challenges head on
* being courageous, straightforward, and honest
* getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
* supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me
* upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a EIGHT

* overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to
* being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
* sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it
* never forgetting injuries or injustices
* putting too much pressure on myself
* getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

EIGHTs as Children Often

* are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit
* are sometimes loners
* seize control so they won't be controlled
* fugure out others' weaknesses
* attack verbally or physically when provoked
* take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

EIGHTs as Parents

* are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted
* are sometimes overprotective
* can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele

The Enneagram Made Easy
Discover the 9 Types of People
Harper SanFrancisco, 1994, 161 pages

P.S. Link added by request. I hope it works.

the benefits of working in hollywood

2007-07-10T18:04:00.001-07:00

You can sneak out of work at 10:15 a.m. and wait in line at Amoeba to be one of the first 150 people to buy the new Spoon album (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga) and receive a ticket to a free, invite-only show. And be back at work within a half hour. Ooohh yeah!

I couldn't believe how uncrowded it was. Sometimes L.A. is a great place to live.

i peed

2007-07-08T10:16:00.001-07:00

AND had $300 Cristal champagne in a Frank Lloyd Wright house on Friday.

How many people can say that?

i would just tell her to go away, but this person is nicer.

2007-07-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah, don't tell me she doesn't look like a (Scarlett the) Harlot.

(Click the link for my vindication.)

i want more than two days in paris

2007-07-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's dangerous to watch movie trailers for movies you really want to see. I was really anticipating 2 Days in Paris this afternoon. I stood in a stand-by line for more than an hour, but didn't get in. Damn. I wasn't truly heart broken until I watched the trailer when I got home (you can see it here). Oh my god I really want to see this movie! Before watching it, I didn't even know who was in it besides Julie Delpy; I just had the plot outline. Adam Goldberg (the Hebrew Hammer himself) looking sexy (I'm really coming around on beards), butchering French, and playing the neurotic boyfriend. How could I not want to see this? The Bible also reports Daniel Brühl is in it, but he's not in the trailer. And, of course, it takes place in my beloved Paris. Had I been able to see it today that would have made three Parisian movies in four days. Not bad.

It opens in limited release on August 10. You know I'll be there.

houses, houses, and more houses

2007-06-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

This is the long overdue post I've been meaning to compose for ages now.

First, I'll report that when I returned from my trip east, I drove past that scary facade/house demolition/reconstruction site. The tattered facade was gone and replaced with new plywood or something (obviously I know little of the technical stuff about the building arts). So they weren't saving it. Why not knock it down with the rest of it? I guess we'll never know. Anyway...

My trip included a day visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in rural western Pennsylvania. You can see some of my photos here. I'm no Julius Shulman, but I try.

In case you're blissfully unaware, Fallingwater is one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world. It's probably the most famous non-royal house. And with good reason. Allie thought the color scheme was ugly. That didn't bother me. What surprised me actually was how Art Deco it was. There are some fabulous thirties elements, which you don't expect. Wright's work sort of has this timeless quality to it since he refused to admit he was influenced by anyone else's work. Then again, Philip Johnson called him our greatest 19th century architect. Stylistically Wright's work looks more "traditional" (whatever the hell that could mean... basically, he liked to use natural materials because he believed that his buildings should grow from the ground), but the more reading I do on Wright, the more I'm convinced he was indeed very modern in ideology.

That leads me to my final report. I visited the Ennis House in the Los Feliz hills upon my return! I take all my tourists to see this massive FLW house, but I finally got to go inside. At work I've been writing a historic context statement on the building, and it generally makes sense to visit the places you write and research about (especially if they're local). This of course was very cool, particularly since I'd already done so much research on the house that I knew what I was looking at. The most surprising thing about the house is how small it actually looks inside. Wright usually used very low ceiling heights, but this one has soaring 22' ceilings, compared to his usual 6'4" (he was 5'8"). But between the exterior massing and the many interior photographs I've seen, the house actually looks smaller than any of these would suggest. Still pretty thrilling.

Molière

2007-06-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I dragged my butt to Westwood to partake in the L.A. Film Festival. I absolutely had to see Molière because of this:

That's a photo Allie took in the Paris Metro so that we wouldn't forget that we saw this poster in every single Metro station when we were there. I think we also saw the trailer in front of the two movies we saw while there. The movie opened in France on January 31. Then when I saw a trailer recently announcing it was an official selection of the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival I had to investigate.

I loved it. It's the Shakespeare in Love for Molière. And that Romain Duris... Oh baby, I'd run away with him even with that hideous mustache and hippie 'do. The movie was clever, amusing, and well acted. I'd call it perfect if it didn't use the past framing the present bit. We don't need to see that he writes plays many years later using the experience we watch in the film. I don't know anything about Molière, but I could tell the movie was supposed to be like one of his plays. That quibble aside, thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended (you know, when it's actually released in this country on some tiny scale).

ratatouille

2007-06-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

I can't remember the last time I saw an animated movie in the theater. But there I was--at 10 a.m. this morning in a theater filled with people and their little children--watching the delightful Ratatouille. This is not a kid's movie. The story is probably a bit much for most of them, and its execution through mostly dialog (including Remy's narration) probably leaves them wondering what the hell is going on.* But I loved it! It's clever, it's self-affirming, and it's absolutely beautiful. It looks like Paris and the French-themed music adds to the flair.

I have one major quibble. It's not a fatal flaw, but one that left me scratching my head. Why are two (early, I might add) scenes involving guns in this movie?! In case you didn't realize you were watching an American movie set in Paris, a big ol' shotgun announced that pretty quickly. Seriously, what the hell were they thinking?! Not only is this not very realistic, but my god, do we need to put this stuff in a movie that millions of children are going to watch? Hell, I'm plenty old enough, and I don't want to see that. Trust me, the gun business was not a crucial plot element. Brad Bird, dude, what were you thinking?

The movie left me with a major craving for a baguette and almond croissant (my favorite delights in Paris). Oh, and it made me think of the Trader Joe's ratatouille I haven't had in ages...

Go see it!

* I was surprised by how unproblematic a theater full of children was for me. But the little girl sitting next to me fidgeted like crazy and an hour into the movie told her mother she was bored. She asked at least once for clarification on something that was said quickly. I could see how it would baffle her. But hey, at least they didn't dumb the movie down.

i know, i know...

2007-06-24T18:01:00.001-07:00

I'm long overdue for a proper blogging session. I'll do it soon, I swear.

In the meantime, I thought I'd get started by saying that today would be my mother's 55th birthday. She died a month shy of her 48th birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

my eyes are still blue

2007-06-09T04:44:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday night I took a redeye from LAX to BWI. Oh that sucked. I had never taken a redeye to the east coast before. Nor do I ever want to do it again. I just can't sleep on planes. And to make it worse, we were sitting on the plane ready to leave on time and then a flight attendant made an announcement that we can't go anywhere because security is at a standstill and our pilots haven't arrived yet. So we took off about an hour and a half late. Even after two Tyenol PMs, all I could do was intermittantly doze.

The highlight of the trip? I saw Alton Brown in an airport bookshop while I was walking around before my flight.

Nothing too exciting to report yet. Allie flies home from England tonight. I'm going to be domestic and make her my famous french toast in the morning. Aren't I a nice sister?

historic preservation?

2007-06-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

I've linked you to my most recent Picasa photo album. It's a doozie.

Last Saturday, Andrew and I went to the Cha Cha Lounge.* In our effort to find parking, we stumbled upon this house under (de)construction. I just couldn't believe it. I vowed I'd go back and photograph it.

Fearing even the tattered facade would be gone soon, I went back the next day with David on our way to the Hammer Museum (awesome exhibits now on display...go, it's free all summer!). Anyway, it seemed to still be in tact, so I took these photos. David also noticed that they didn't just "preserve" (what the hell is going on with the bottom?!) the facade, but also chose to keep a cool spiral staircase. Unfortunately, the photos just don't do the site justice, and even having been there, it's hard to tell what's going on.

I encourage a fieldtrip. The former duplex is on Edgewater Terrace at the intersection with Deane St. in Silver Lake, just off Silver Lake Blvd. I haven't been back since last week, but I'll try to check on it periodically. It could be leveled now.

* The only cool thing about that place is the color photo booth. We took some (unintentionally) hilarious photos in there.

"do you know what today is?"

2007-05-29T23:28:00.001-07:00

My mother died seven years ago today. It was Memorial Day.

When I talked to my dad on the phone this evening, he asked, "Do you know what today is?" As if it's something I'm going to forget. Yeah, very unlikely.

let's do the time warp again

2007-05-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I've managed to watch the pilot episode of 90210. Oh my god. The clothes (Kelly wore long, patterned spandex shorts over stretchie pants; the color palette). And the hair! Brandon has a full-on mullet. Funny, I remember Steve growing one, but I wouldn't even call his a pseudo-mullet in this episode.

The ridiculousness of Brenda pretending to be in college to impress 25-year-old Jason (Maxwell Caulfield) and thinking she's in love with him after two dates. And why the hell would he make their second date a double date with his friends?! (And I guess they have to get guys to play several years younger than they actually are when the high schoolers are in their twenties.)

The most absurd thing is the West Beverly Hills Transit bus that shuttles Andrea from home in Van Nuys to school at West Beverly (which, of course, doesn't even exist; Beverly Hills only has one high school and it's called Beverly Hills High). As if Beverly Hills would have a transit system! Let alone the western part of the city. I don't actually get why they gave it a directional name or why they chose West (though almost universally, western parts of American cities are more affluent than their eastern counterparts). And it doesn't even look like a transit bus, it's a coach sort of thing. And then we see that Andrea lives in an old craftsman bungalow off Gramercy Place. Hmmm...sure this isn't West Adams? (I need to consult my Thomas Guide, and I'll get back to you.)

Yeah, I don't think I've seen this episode since it aired 17 years ago. No wonder I was infatuated with this when I was seven.

Though remember, this was a seriously groundbreaking TV show in its day. It helped make Fox a serious network and ushered in an era of entertainment catering to teens. It's the first teen soap, but my whole family watched this show. Even Dad.

retro my way

2007-05-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Today I paid a visit to Best Buy and purchased a spindle of 50 CD-Rs for $7.99 (Sony, not some noname brand either) and a 10-pack of 60-minute cassette tapes for $6.99 (it was a better deal than 5 90-minute tapes). I made a comment to the cashier about buying rapidly disappearing technology, but I don't think he got it. But look at that price discrepancy!

I did this because I made a mix CD for the first time in nearly two years. And I didn't have any CD-Rs, because why would I need them? And I had to buy the tapes so I could tape the mix for the car. (No matter what I do, the damn car adapter won't work anymore; not with a CD player or either of my MP3 players. Very annoying.) Tapes are really hard to come by; they don't even sell high bias ones anymore. Maybe I'm the last person with a tape deck. I shipped mine out only to realize I didn't have any CDs! But now I'm finally making use of it.

So that's my '80s technology story for you.

Then I went to the Central Library to check out DVDs for the long weekend. First I was looking for Angels in America, but couldn't find it. Then I went looking for The Office (the BBC series). Couldn't find that either, but I did find the first season of Beverly Hills 90210. I literally let out a, "Oh my god!" when I saw it. I'm such a dork, but I don't care. I wasn't even embarrassed when I checked out the first three discs (they split it up unfortunately). Oh, baby, I haven't seen 90210 in years. I'm looking forward to it.

And that's my '90s television story for you.

ch-ch-changes / turn and face the strange

2007-05-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

L.A. is known as a landscape of rapid change. Sure, it changes, but really no more than anywhere else I've lived. Right? Well, some recent things kind of put this in perspective.

First (well, I'm doing this in reverse order of how this occurred to me, but whatever), I read through some blog links that Sealevel Records is closing at the end of June. This is really distressing. I love their instores. I love the size of the place. I may be the only one, but Amoeba gives me the willies. It's just overwhelming, so I don't like to go there. Now there aren't any independent options.

Next, the Hamburger Hamlet on Hollywood Blvd. closed and soon enough an H&M will be in its place. Why is this a big deal? Especially since I don't even go to Hamburger Hamlet? Because HH only exists in the L.A. and D.C. areas. The first time I came to L.A., about four years ago, long before I ever imagined I'd live here, I took the Metro to Hollywood & Highland 'cause as a tourist you have to go there and see glamorous Hollywood (note: they don't tell Easterners that Hollywood isn't what we think it is...and back then, it was really grungy, really grungy). One of the first things I noticed when I got out of the Metro was the Hamburger Hamlet. Apparently it closed at the beginning of the year (or maybe even earlier), but I hadn't noticed. As a savvy L.A. resident, I never drive that stretch of Hollywood, because it's a surefire traffic jam, thanks to all those clueless tourists. Ah, don't you love how it comes full circle sometimes?

Lastly, and perhaps most personally, on Monday on my drive home I noticed a recently razed lot on Franklin. I looked at it and thought, "Damn, what used to be there?" I looked across the street at the 101 Cafe and realized it was a series of townhouses that had been divided into apartments. I was offered a roommate share in one of them when I first moved here, but I opted for my original place in Silver Lake (still the right decision). It does back onto the 101 freeway, so for my lungs' sake, I really did make the right decision. But damn, had I taken it, I would be homeless. It was just weird. I have no idea when the lot was cleared, but it's probably been more than the two weeks I've now been driving past it on a daily basis. I wonder what's going to go in there. It has a big board boasting of some mixed-used developer. It's not a very big lot. My money's on a depressing strip of Starbucks, Quizno's, and surprise-me-with-another-generic-chain.

C'est la vie.

cherries, mon cheri

2007-05-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

It's cherry season, baby! They aren't quite perfect yet, but they're certainly edible (and affordable...$2.99/lb. at Vons). I think I may be in heaven.

It's funny, I absolutely love cherries (my favorite fruit) and they have such a short season. Soon after it goes, I just sort of forget about it. But when it rolls around again and I start to see those luscious dark bulbs I get really excited. And the season is about twice as long (two months rather than one) in L.A. as it is back east. That's a nice perk.

je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime

2007-05-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Paris, je t'aime. I loved it! I don't want to say too much about the individual films, because I think that would be a major spoiler. There's a beauty to sitting in a theater just watching a slew of shorts unfold in front of you (but it was all nicely tied together). I will say that some directors stuck to their usual themes and others surprisingly branched out.

I cannot explain my affinity for Paris, but how I love it. The film really showcases the variety of Paris, which we don't usually see on screen. Having been there recently, it only seemed more vivid.

I think it's time to watch Before Sunset. I love that their initial walk is a path that Allie and I took. Sure we saw the movie before we had gone there, but that wasn't why we took that walk. It's just a "coincidence" two film lovers can relate memories to.

I'm in such a good mood. And it's not just Paris that's done that for me.

am i the only one who gets caffeine hangovers?

2007-05-19T11:48:00.001-07:00

Seriously?

I don't think I actually know anyone else who can't tolerate caffeine. If I have more than one glass of iced tea or caffeinated soda I get a migraine, my heart races, and my eyes feel like they're darting in their sockets. Oh and it makes me hyper. Like hyper above my usual upbeatness. Guess what, good chocolate does this to me too (recently, I discovered the decadant Belgian chocolate pudding from Trader Joe's can induce this if I eat too much).

But what really bugs me more than this, because these symptoms are tolerable, is that if I have caffeine with dinner--not even going overboard--I get a hangover. I'll be able to go to sleep without too much difficulty if I don't consume it too late, but then I'll wake up doped up on caffeine with a racing heart beat. It's freaky as hell. Happened to me this morning. I went to bed at 2:00, woke up around 6:30 and I've been going nuts since then.

Is this sort of like being high on crystal meth?

i take offense

2007-05-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's Bible Industry news there was a little blurb on ABC's fall lineup that really iritated me, especially after watching Ugly Betty this evening. Here's the quote:

"In deciding what new programs to take on for the 2007-2008 season, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson said Tuesday that the network had listened to 'a tonal shift in the viewer'-- away from darker, complicated series like Lost and towards lighter fare like Ugly Betty."

Ugly Betty is not light fare. Since when does bullshit alien supernatural crap on some paradise island gone to hell (realize I've never actually seen one episode of Lost and I'm intentionally exaggerating...it's my way, back off) constitute dark and complicated and an unbelievably smart (especially compared to the rest of TV's offerings) show that happens to make you laugh (yo, it's no sit-com, it is a serial comic drama) laden with social messages light fare? What does Lost teach you? Game theory? Didn't we learn this in microeconomics? A show that validates difference, standing up for who you are and what you believe, and actually shows complicated homosexual as well as heterosexual AND transgender individuals AND people of different colors and economic classes... Do I really need to beat this dead horse? And don't tell me it's not dark. It started with a death and the season just ended with one.

Though I have to say I was a bit peeved tonight with Betty's dental hygienist decided that she was so obsessed with romantic comedies (don't snicker) that she was forcing Betty to think she was the female lead in one. To Betty's credit (and the writers!), Betty didn't fall into that trap. She was Betty, she was there for her family at a time of crisis. This show is almost too good.

my favorite spam subject headings

2007-05-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

"She will call you big boy."

"This email will make your dick bigger."

"No more floppy dick."

I get an awful lot of penis-enhancing spam. What does this say about our spam culture? Isn't there some way we can exploit female weaknesses and fears?

Maybe all the men are getting spam for diet pills. Oops.

i want some pie

2007-05-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

This morning Andrew and I went to see Waitress. Oh it's so good. I cried, I laughed, I wanted to kill Jeremy Sisto. It's nothing original in its overall form, but it's terribly endearing. It leaves you with hope, a smile, and an unbelievable craving for an assortment of pie.

I've now put all of Adrienne Shelly's other written/directed movies in my Netflix queue. I hope they're this quirky and sweet. It's unbelievable what happened to her.

not even worth the price of admission

2007-05-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

As I reported yesterday, I went to see Lucky You today for free. It was unbelievably bad. With writing and directing talent behind the screen and recently pretty decent talent in front of it, you just have to wonder what the hell went wrong. It was the most boring shit you can't even imagine. Every damn cliche in the book. Thank god I watched a few episodes of Celebrity Poker Showdown back when it was all the rage or I wouldn't have had a clue what was happening in the movie. And to top it off, there's even a sequence of Eric Bana playing (speed) golf--for a bet, of course! The acting was atrocious, especially Drew Barrymore's performance. And Bana was perhaps a notch above Hulk days, but his hockey hair was too distracting.

Oh and one of the themes was some sort of pathetic attempt to historicize the momentary popularity of professional poker in 2003. Seriously.

The most exciting part of the movie was when some creepy, middle-aged man entered the theater near the end, stood at the door directly behind my seat, and burped a couple of times.

an update

2007-05-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

All right, so I sort of went with my plan. I decided to go to Chinatown to buy a parasol (I just can't take the sun anymore), get some take out from a Chinese restaurant that isn't Panda Express (Yang Chow), and hit the Chinatown branch of the library for some DVDs.

I park, and as I'm walking to Yang Chow's I notice that all the elderly people walking around have umbrellas--not one had a pretty parasol that I was hoping to buy. So when I went to a shop and asked about one, the lady opened it for me but told me that the umbrellas she has will block UV light (the parasols are also a lot smaller, perhaps designed for children). So I bought a $5 umbrella instead.

Now I own two umbrellas in a city that almost never sees rain. See, my other one is black, which I think is a bit of a hazard when you're trying to block the sunlight. This one is silver and has a large handle which makes it more practical. Walking around I still felt hotter than hell, but hopefully if I keep with the damn thing my skin will stop itching from all the sun exposure.

I bought Music & Lyrics, and each DVD comes with a voucher for a free ticket to see Lucky You. Earlier I looked into seeing that since it's playing other places besides Arclight, but I thought $8 (the cheapest matinée ticket I could find) was too much for it. Looks like I've got a plan for tomorrow! That's a deal. $15 for a DVD and a movie theater viewing. Kinda like when I went to see Music & Lyrics and got the soundtrack for free.

maybe this is why i procrastinate...

2007-05-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

It keeps me busy. It's crazy. Now that I don't have any monkeys on my back (school is done with and I don't start work until Monday), I don't know what to do with myself. I want to go to a movie, but I'm too cheap to go to Arclight, which is the only theater playing anything I want to see (during the day). I could schlep my butt to Santa Monica, but I figure in the end, between parking, gas, and frustration in a hot car (the A/C can only cool you so much when it's 95 degrees and not a cloud in the sky), I'm better off paying $13 anyway ($11 for the movie, $2 to park).

Alternatively, I may just go buy Music & Lyrics and check out movies from the library. I was going to do that anyway, but I guess this means I can just lay here and watch them all. But the whole point was to get out of the apartment!

is this good news?

2007-05-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Oh no! Just as I'm freaking out about writing this paper due tomorrow, I find out I have to write another paper over the summer. I just got confirmation that my abstract has been accepted for the SACRPH conference in October. I was previously brilliant and thought I'd have the paper for this class to use for that conference ('cause it was supposed to be about the same thing). Unfortunately, I've gone astray. I'm going to have to do a lot of work over the summer to shape it up (to take it from some sort of theoretical drivel to a history rooted in some serious research). But you know what, this is good for me. If I can't write this paper over the summer on my own time, I probably have no business being a professor.

This means I get to go to Portland, Maine. Oh how that's going to be a tough journey to make for an extended weekend. Could there be any farther city (within the U.S.) from Los Angeles?

tales from a master procrastinator

2007-05-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

The things I do to procrastinate even amaze me now. I so desperately hate to write that I prolong the task, in the process making it infinitely worse than it has to be, until the absolute last minute. It's as if I can't write anything unless I know it's due in a matter of hours.

This morning I've read (in preparation for writing), but interrupted even that task with washing dishes, preparing potatoes and garlic to roast for lunch, and bleaching my set of four 50-cent IKEA drinking glasses.

Yes, you read that last part correctly...Ms. Undomestic and Proud of It is turning into Martha Stewart as the Ph.D. progresses. My friend Nadereh told me that she bleached her glasses and they looked like new again. Do I really care about such a thing? No, but I horribly stained one of them by drinking earl grey tea in it. Bleach one, bleach 'em all.

And, yes, bleaching works.

and another thing

2007-04-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Another idea that percolated in my mind as I was watching Notes From the Underbelly that I have to share: how do people who have never lived in L.A. stand to watch shows that take place there and constantly drop references to obscure things?

In one scene characters talk about Arclight. Some guy says he loves their popcorn, especially the caramel corn they make fresh there. Why the name dropping really? Is this a new type of product placement (with limited sales possibilities, since most of the audience will never go to Arclight)?

Or the street and freeway name game. Actually, Allie makes fun of me all the time for talking that way so maybe it is a very L.A. thing.

The show is very westside, though. At least the commercial streets are.

on the unspeakable of sexual politics

2007-04-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to check ABC's free streaming archive for something to watch. I settled on the two episodes of Notes From the Underbelly. Ordinarily I wouldn't be drawn into a show about pregnancy. Come on, as if this damn society doesn't cater enough to the worship of children, I need to see it on TV (or my computer). But the pilot got me because the guy (quite cute and young looking, and actually he's playing a character older than he) was the one begging the wife for a kid. How often do you see that? I'm sure it happens quite a lot in reality, but pop culture would have you think that the only way we multiply society is by women trapping men into having children (and maybe or maybe not sticking around to raise them). Overall, the show is amusing enough that I'll stream another episode eventually, but I'm not so in love with it that I feel the need to watch it.

There is something that really bugged me. The sexual politics of the show are whacked (big shock, I know). In the second episode, one of the main themes is that the couple hasn't had sex in 25 days (their longest dry spell) because she is constantly nauseous. In typical sit-com setup, you think that might change when he comes home to a house romantically set up with rose petals, candles, and soft lighting. He's so excited! Then his wife tells him she's out the door and he can take care of business on his own. She set the romantic mood so he could jerk off. But of course she can't even utter the works "jerk off" or "masturbate" (FCC's doing maybe?) but has to resort to some nonspecific euphemism. In the process she tells us that this isn't something they ordinarily talk about, because there's no reason to since their sex life is usually so great. Uh-huh. (This scene works quite well with an essay I read yesterday by Samuel Delaney called "On the Unspeakable.")

Where do I begin? First, this reinforces the notion that sex should be paired with romance. You want romance, fine, but there is really nothing inherently romantic about swapping sexual fluid. Society tells us it should be this way to keep us in line. If you think sex is romance then you're less inclined to have nonromantic sex or godforbid sex with strangers (worse yet:) in a setting that isn't a bedroom. Next, this places masturbation in a less than positive position in the sexual network. You should only masturbate when your partner has shut you out for a month and then gives you permission. I guarantee in the real world that man had masturbated each of those 25 days, because he regularly masturbates even when they're having sex! Masturbation shouldn't be interpreted as some sort of dirty secret that gets the job done when your partner's libido doesn't match your own. Society would crumble if we admitted it was a positive experience of exploration whether you have a sexual partner or not. This leads me to my final point about the lack of communication about self-pleasure between a married couple. How fucking sad, really. The shame people must feel to discuss what does or doesn't turn them on to never speak about something as banal as masturbation. Great sex life, huh? (Pair this with The OH in Ohio, which equated masturbation with adultery for a really morally-warped time.)

And then there are people who feel as though they can't share certain desires with the people they love, but yet will do it with those they have less invested in. I can see why this is in such a world, but that doesn't mean I think it's a healthy way to be. The show didn't address this, of course. There's nothing shameful about desire. I won't say there's nothing shameful about some actions, however. But as long as it's between/among consenting adults and abides by the golden rule, I say go for it. (That means I don't condone cheating nor prescribe monogamy, either.)

fountains of stream of consciousness

2007-04-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

Check out the interview with Adam Schlesinger I've linked you to above. Although there is really no discussion of Fountains of Wayne's latest CD, it completely made me want to go listen to it with the intent to buy. The whole success of "Stacey's Mom" really put me off. I've been a fan since the "Radiation Vibe" days, though I tend to prefer "I've Got a Flair" from their debut album. They write ironic little pop ditties, that's what I love. But "Stacey's Mom" was so damn popular that when I was substitute teaching at the high school I attended I overheard some kid tell another that Fountains of Wayne could never do a serious song after that one. I butted in and told him that if you knew the band, you'd know they've never had "serious" songs. Plus, actually, I thought that album (Welcome Interstate Managers) sucked pretty badly. It was no Utopia Parkway. "Red Dragon Tattoo" is just too damn good. I used to have this humongous t-shirt that read "Red Dragon Tattoo" and "Fountains of Wayne" on either side of it that I got at a concert in 1999. I wore that shirt out. It was a night shirt that I'd run around the house in. I eventually had to throw it out when the tiny hole in the armpit stretched to the point where you could see my tits through it.

course evaluations?

2007-04-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

This semester I'm taking a class in the English department with Judith Halberstam on the status of the alternative in contemporary critical theory. ("Huh?" Yeah, don't worry, that part isn't really important for this blog.) Anyway, she handed out the course evaluations today. When Judith opened the envelope and asked if we prefer to take them home, I thought it was a joke. Then I got the sheet and read that it requests you take 10-15 minutes to write a critical essay evaluating the course keeping a long list of questions in mind. You're kidding, right?

In Policy, Planning, and Development we fill in bubbles. Okay, there are three short answer questions too. But an essay? Who the hell is going to read that? Even in American Studies at Maryland we did the short answer format to a series of very specific questions and a handful of agree/disagree stuff.