Venti, no foam, Fire and Brimstone, with two extra shots of espresso
Monday, 8 October 2007
Desert days Mood: on fire Now Playing: Funeral Music For Strings, by Lutoslawski Topic: Riehle good stuff
In Tucson for about 10 days. Helping out Mom, as she continues to rehab from her foot surgery. She's got another 9-10 weeks with a cast on her right leg. So, I'm taking care of some house things, and making sure she's comfy - and getting a few spins around the 'hood in her wheelchair. She can't put any weight on her right foot, so she can't get up and out much. It's a hassle, but she's in great spirits and knows that this period of discomfort will be well spent once she's able to get back to walking, hopefully pain free.
Speaking of family, my pal Rafael, who's been a near brother at times, is a fantastic artist - both graphic and tattoo (he did my Ice Shark tat). For a look at some of his new illustrations, check out his blog sketchbook. Good stuff.
Friday funnies Mood: energetic Now Playing: Daphnis and Chloe - Erste Suite, by Maurice Ravel Topic: Fun and nonsense
Funny ad from Holland about the benefits of bicycling. Thanks to Niecey for sending. It's good that she remembers her old uncle. Some other very funny ads on the new, and appropriately named, VeryFunnyAds.com. Most are, of course, from Europe - one can show a lot more skin there.
Um, dude, don't you think that the publicity you're receiving from suing over a grade is going to do more to discourage a law school from accepting, than the slight dip in your GPA caused by a "C" vs. an "A-"?!?!?!?
On the other hand, perhaps some law schools will look at this and think, "Great! He loves to sue. Give him a scholarship. He'll do fantastically here."
My suggestion would be to suck it up, work hard, and raise the GPA by acing the rest of the courses. That presents a much better story to a prospective school or employer. But, that's just me - and how I got through Engineering school...
Speaking of Superman, last night I watched Hollywoodland on DVD. It's a dramatic retelling of the death of George Reeves, the star of the 1950s Superman TV show and serials. The movie stars Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Adrien Brody, Bob Hoskins, and a few others. The premise and cast sounded good, as there has always been a shroud of the unknown hanging over Reeves' alleged suicide. However, the movie falls completely flat in the telling - so many good opportunities for sass went right by - and left so many dangling plot threads, that you'd think the script had bypassed the editor's desk. Even comics geeks can take a pass on this one.
I may have to go buy a pet now Mood: amorous Now Playing: Heaven Or Las Vegas, by the Cocteau Twins Topic: Fun and nonsense
It's been a Dita sort of week. A "what now?" you ask. A Dita Von Tease kind of week - and that's never a bad thing.
First, I got to see Miss Von Tease's award-winning (seriously) acting in The Death of Salvador Dali, a short indie film. Very enjoyable. Very well done. And, the soundtrack by Felix Brenner is outstanding. I met him this past spring when the Boston Pops were doing the east coast premeire of his piece, "Transacoustica." The following week, the Pops performed it again, this time with Paul Oakenfold doing a live remix with live rock & roll drums added in. The original orchestral piece was wonderful, but the remix was absolutely fantastic. (Thanks to Margo and Scott for hosting the viewing and for the copy of the soundtrack.)
Anyhoo, back to Dita. She plays Salvador Dali's wife, Gala, in the movie - which, befitting Dali, is a bit surreal. Well worth viewing and listening to the soundtrack.
The next Dita moment of the week, other than the occasional day dream, came in the form of a PETA ad campaign - sent along to me by Mike. Dita's staring in both a sexy photo campaign, as well as in a "behind the scenes" video clip, as seen below.
If I had a pet, I'd certainly get it fixed now.
Clearly, PETA has realized that sex sells a message. In addition to Dita, they've used Pam Anderson, and just this week rolled out a campaign with a nude Alicia Silverstone. Again, never a bad thing. (It looks like the vegetarian diet may have helped trim a few pounds off of our former Batgirl...)
While I can't say that I always support PETA iniatives, they do know how to run an eye-catching ad campaign.
Oh, and remind me to tell you of my meeting with Miss Von Tease...*sigh*
Very good movie about biking Mood: hungry Now Playing: Something I don't recognize on my iPod Shuffle Topic: Movie-tone News
I've been meaning to recommend this movie for a while, but it kept slipping my mind. Fortunately, there was an ad for the DVD over on VeloNews, so that was a good reminder. Anyway, I saw this film when I was flying back from Tucson last month, and I'd never heard of it, nor the movie's subject. It's called The Flying Scotsman, and is the story of Graeme Obree, a Scot cyclist who was a world champion and record holder in the mid-'90s, before Lance-mania struck the U.S.A., back when cycling news was relegated to those hardcore fan's and enthusiasts who tracked down printed information in the days prior to the interweb.
It stars Jonny Lee Miller (of Aeon Flux, Trainspotting, and Mansfield Park fame) as Obree, who came from a rough childhood and battled with depression throughout his life and used cycling to escape from both. Billy Boyd (Pippin from Lord of the Rings) plays Obree's manager, and Brian Cox (of Rushmore, Adaptation, X2, Match Point, and dozens of others) handles the role of Obree's accidental, but life-changing, friend.
Obree was a successful local amateur cyclist, but a failed small bicycle shop owner, who decided to go for the record in the one-hour measured ride. That is, you ride around an indoor track for an hour, all out, and see how many laps you can get. The record stood at around 51+ KM, or over 30 miles. There's no one to chase, no one to draft off of, no hills to coast down - it's all out pedaling for 60 minutes. The great Eddy Merckx, who held the record previously, was rumored to have said that the training for the one hour record took three years off of his life.
Obree had to overcome not only his depression, but also the challenges of cycling's governing body, which was less than thrilled that a rank amateur riding a homemade bike was setting records and winning championships.
All in all, it was an outstanding movie to watch. Being a cyclist, I'm probably a bit prejudiced, but I think there's enough there for most people to enjoy this uplifting bio pic. Well worth adding to your Netflix queue.
Oh, and if you're a hardcore cycling fan, I also have to recommend Hell on Wheels, the documentary of the T-Mobile team in the 2003 Tour de France. Thanks to Jay for that tip.
Yes, this town is nuts for the Sox Mood: cool Now Playing: Red Sox vs. Twins Topic: Fun and nonsense
In case there was any doubt how nuts Boston is for the Red Sox, I give you the following:
That's right, the article is about the upcoming mortgage rate increase, and the accompanying photo? It's from the Red Sox game - well, after the game, when it was learned that the Orioles had come from behind to beat the Yankees, thereby clinching the American League East for the Red Sox.
Now, I'm sure that this was just a mistake - the site editor was probably so overwhelmed with Red Sox photos that it just seemed natural to attach one to each article, regardless of the story content. Either way, it's a funny combo.
As for the celebration itself, I'm not sure how to feel about the below image.
I'm thrilled that Dice K is celebrating - he deserved it after his outstanding 8-inning effort last night; however, Korbel?!?!?!? WTF?!?!?!!? You've just won the American League East for the first time in 12 years, and the team is handing out Korbel for the celebration? It's not champagne, it's sparkling wine from California, and it's horrible. They may call it "American Champagne," but if it's not from Champagne, France, it's not champagne. I can see holding off on the Dom Perignon until winning the World Series, but how about some Moet & Chandon White Star at the very least? That said, if the team is just going to shake it up and spray it - and not drink it - then I guess Korbel would be a thrifty alternative - no sense wasting actual, good champagne (even though they do that at F1 races in Europe...of course).
WTF? A carjacking in (almost) my 'hood? Mood: incredulous Topic: News of Note
There was a carjacking yesterday at the Turnpike tollbooth that's a couple miles from my home. I know that it's not exactly in my 'hood, but still.
How do two guys with guns make it onto the exit ramp and tollbooth area without being stopped? It's possible to walk up to that area, but there are almost always state troopers parked there, not to mention all of the toll collectors. Are these people, who are on the clock, simply not paying attention? I've, sadly, come to expect carjackings and worse in Dorchester, Roxbury, and other parts of town, but this happen here is more than a li'l surprising.
Hopefully, it's an isolated incident, and the perpetrators will be caught soon. This is a serious crime, and clearly not a misunderstood MIT Hack.
Oh, and speaking of Hacks, here's the latest. Much funnier than a carjacking.
on fire
energetic
irritated
hungry
amorous
cool
incredulous
chatty
Feel free to vote and leave a comment here, if you'd like.