Movie Recs

I'm still in the honeymoon stage with Netflix. We just adore each right now. I finally saw "Monster" this weekend, and I am happy to say that the movie, and especially Charlize Theron's performance, lived up to its hype. Not easy to watch, but even hard to turn away from.

The other movie I saw was "Calendar Girls", with Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. Cute, and nice that it's a true story.

Intruder! Backup!

I think I hear those words in my sleep. The past few days have been spent, when not at work, completely immersed in my Alias PS2 game. Frighteningly addictive. I may have just spent 2 hours trying to get past a certain character, my hands may be sweating and shaking and my blood pressure is probably through the roof, but stop? What do you mean, stop? Let me just play to the next Save Point...

Oh. My. God.

Family Blames College in Son's Drowning: "When University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student Jared Dion's lifeless body was pulled from the Mississippi River, he was found to have drunk so much that it would have been illegal for him to drive. But his family thinks that if he'd had to get behind the wheel he might still be alive. Dion, a popular wrestler who had recently turned 21, took one of the university's Safe Ride program buses from the campus into La Crosse on April 9 and got drunk in the city's bars."

And the idiot who drank so much that he fell into a river and drowned bears absolutely no responsibility. How naive are these people that they actually believe their son would have drank less if had to get behind the wheel of a car?? What kind of logic is that? If he had killed himself or someone else in a drunk-driving accident because the school had no "drunk bus", the parents would, I'm sure, lay the blame on the school for not providing a safe form of transportation to and from the bars and/or parties.

HIV diagnosis wrong after 8 years: "Jim Malone spent years battling depression and losing weight, expecting to die at any time. He attended support group meetings and accepted free meals from an AIDS charity."

Man, what a complete mindf*ck. The article said he lived as though he expected to die at any time. Did he make himself that sick? It's kind of sad that the diagnosis sent him into a downward spiral, as opposed to getting him up and out and cramming as much as possible into the short time he believed he had left. I hope he takes this positively, and considers this a new lease on life, but I have a feeling that won't happen.

'Miracle': Missing boy, 3, found safe: "Scantily clad and without food, Kenneth Gerken survived three nights with temperatures dropping into the low 40s. He was found Sunday by a volunteer taking part in the search."

Good news. Does it seem to you, as it does to me, that there have been a few more kids straying from campsites and going missing this summer than ever before? I wonder why.

'Flushed' toon draws rat pack for voice roles
: "Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis, who gained international fame as Gandalf and Gollum in the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, are reuniting for a trip into the London sewers, and Hugh Jackman may be joining them. "

In a new stop-motion animation feature [from Aardman Animation ("Chicken Run", "Wallace and Grommit") and Dreamworks] about a pampered pet rat who accidentally gets flushed down the toilet of his penthouse and into the sewers. Cool.

Gene Simmons May Appear on 'Queer Eye'. Good God what a show that will be.

Climbing Big Trees to Understand Them: "They eventually make their way up to their 'tree boats' -- canvas hammocks some 160 feet up the tree. Levine's 'feels more like a ledge than a bed,' she says. And this is where she and the few others who've made the climb spend the night."

That sounds so awesome.

Book Rec

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson.

I am not a fan of historical novels, fiction or non-fiction, so this one really surprised me. Here's a description from Kirkus Reviews, copied from the barnesandnoble.com listing for the book, which aptly describes what makes this book so good:

In roughly alternating chapters, former Wall Street Journal reporter Larson (Isaac’s Storm, 1999, etc.) tells the stories of Daniel H. Burnham, chief planner and architect of exposition, and Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, whose rambling World’s Fair Hotel, just a short streetcar ride away, housed windowless rooms, a gas chamber, secret chutes, and a basement crematory. The contrast in these accomplishments of determined human endeavor could not be more stark--or chilling. Burnham assembled what a contemporary called "the greatest meeting of artists since the 15th century" to turn the wasteland of Chicago’s swampy Jackson Park into the ephemeral White City, which enthralled nearly 28 million visitors in a single summer. Overcoming gargantuan obstacles--politically entangled delays, labor unrest, an economic panic, and a fierce Chicago winter--to say nothing of the architectural challenges, Burnham and his colleagues, including Frederick Law Olmsted, produced their marvel in just over two years. The fair was a city unto itself, the first to make wide-scale use of alternating current to illuminate its 200,000 incandescent bulbs. Spectacular engineering feats included Ferris’s gigantic wheel, intended to "out-Eiffel Eiffel," and, ominously, the latest example of Krupp’s artillery, "breathing of blood and carnage." Dr. Holmes, a frequent visitor to the fair, was a consummate swindler and lady-killer who secured his victims’ trust through "courteous, audacious rascality." Most were comely young women, and estimates of their total rangedfrom the nine whose bodies (or parts thereof) were recovered to nearly 200. Larson does a superb job outlining this "ineluctable conflict between good and evil, daylight and darkness, the White City and the Black."

As I read the book, I found myself thinking, "I can't believe I didn't know this."

Internet Gives Teenage Bullies Weapons to Wound From Afar: "The technology, which allows its users to inflict pain without being forced to see its effect, also seems to incite a deeper level of meanness. Psychologists say the distance between bully and victim on the Internet is leading to an unprecedented - and often unintentional - degree of brutality, especially when combined with a typical adolescent's lack of impulse control and underdeveloped empathy skills."

Let me say once again that I am so happy that I am not a kid right now. And let me also say to the parents out there: "Take the computers out of the kids' bedrooms and put them where you can see what they're doing."

Is August almost over already??

Where the hell did this month go?

Sorry I've been away for so long. Real life has been pulling me in a couple of directions, work has been busy and I have been sucked into the Playstation 2 vortex, with this Alias game.

I'm going to try to "put the controller down" this weekend and get some much needed stuff done around the house, cleaning being priority number one. The dust bunnies are getting so big you can trip over them. I also need to decide what color to paint my bedroom. I've toyed with the idea of a few different colors, but I think I may actually paint it a white and get a carpet and drapes that will add color to the room. I really need to paint it, though - I can't the current color anymore. It's a very vivid baby blue. Ick.

Then there are the remaining boxes in the back room, most of which are filled with photo albums. Lots and lots of photo albums. I'm working on some ideas for storing them, but it's going to be tricky, I think.

Oh, I've been really enjoying Netflix. Mostly because of the ease of use. And it's fast. I've got "Master and Commander" and "Monster" waiting for me at home, so I'll try to squeeze them in in the next few days, too.

Hope you're all doing well. Now, how about some posts?

How about we start the day with a nice story?

Ex soldiers reunited by postman: "Mr Dillon addressed a letter: "Mr Adam Hastings, (Aged 70 years), Somewhere in Newcastle upon Tyne, Can a Kind Postman Help, Do Your Best For An Old Army Pal, (At One Time Lived At Benwell)." "

(via fark.com)

So, I go to Netflix to check on my queue, see what I've got coming next, and the page that loads addresses me thus:

"Regina, based on your last few rentals, here are other relevant movies you might enjoy ..."

These movies include:

The Last Samurai
Blade 2
Enough
High Crimes
The Recruit
One False Move

Um, NO.

Maine hospital issues redesigned gowns: "When officials at Maine Medical Center discovered many Muslim women were so ashamed they were canceling doctor visits, the hospital took action, redesigning the standard gown to provide extra coverage for patients who want it. The new hospital gowns have been available for several weeks. "

I agree with one of the doctors quoted in the article: "Why didn't we think of this so long ago?"

(viewing of ad required for free day pass)

Rock-throwing kids anger 120,000 bees: "An estimated 120,000 bees held residents of the apartment building and nearby homes hostage in Santa Ana, California after the children pelted their 500 pound (227 kg) hive with rocks on Thursday, Santa Ana Fire Captain Steve Horner said."

Seven Texas children found in Nigeria orphanage: "Child Protective Services, which received emergency custody of the children Monday, is investigating accusations that the children's adoptive mother in Houston abandoned them in Nigeria in October while going to work in Iraq as a private contractor. The children returned to Texas on Friday."

Sigh.

As if I needed another reason to go to Target on my lunch hour every day, I have now discovered their "California Salad", available in the snack bar area. It costs only about $4.00 and is delicious - romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, walnut, giant grapes, what I believe is feta cheese and a yummy either peppercorn or poppy seed dressing, I'm not sure. And I don't care.

Dentist Loses License in Semen Case: "State regulators have revoked the license of a North Carolina dentist accused of abusing female patients by injecting his semen into their mouths during dental procedures. "

While they were awake. AAUGGGHHH!!

It's one of those perfect days today - clear blue skies, little to no humidity, 77 degrees - which means I must be inside, and at work. And since there is a chance of thunderstorms for the next four days and our lawn is already creeping up to our knees, I guess I'll be doing a little yard work when I get home.

The weekend was pretty good. The brownies and cream puff ring were both a big hit, although I never got to taste them myself. Too busy filling up on beer, I suppose. I watched a couple of movies on Sunday (my first 2 Netflix rentals - I caved and I think I'm going to be glad I did): "13 Going On 30" and "Starsky & Hutch". Really liked the former and not so much the latter. I had finally resigned myself to the fact that one of my favorite dramas from growing up was going to be made fun of, and was ready to sit back and enjoy it as a comedy. Only problem was it wasn't all that funny. There were a couple of scenes that made me laugh out loud (the Korean boy throwing knives and Owen Wilson's reaction to him was one of them), but most of the stuff fell flat for me, even Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear. I liked hearing the music, seeing the car, the cameos and Vince Vaughn, but I just don't think I get Ben Stiller, at least not anymore. I really don't find him funny and I wish he would just go away.

I also got back to my PS2, after being away from it for over a month after finishing the X-Files game. I'm on to Alias now, and I managed to get out of the basement last night with not too much trouble. What with the show not returning until early 2005, I may want to drag this game out a bit. Not a chance. I've got Splinter Cell waiting for me.

Trekkies (-ers?) take over the world! Well, not really, but they did take over a hotel in Indianapolis, forcing the Jets to go elsewhere.

(via fark.com)

Fred Durst dines with Paris Hilton.

A match made in skank heaven.

The latest book I'm reading, "Where the Truth Lies" (see link to the left) by Rupert Holmes, is fantastic, and I'm only about 50 pages in. It's a murder mystery set in the swinging 70s as told by a very funny young female journalist named O'Connor, and involving a shobiz duo who bear a remarkable resemblance to Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Two thumbs up. So far.

Greeks' Day of Triumph Turns to Day of Controversy: "Greece's most celebrated athletes threw the country into a tailspin, refusing to testify in a disciplinary hearing a day after missing a drug test. Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou, both sprinters, remained in an Athens hospital with injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident Thursday night. They did not appear at the International Olympic Committee hearing investigating their failure to show up for a scheduled doping test at the Olympic Village on Thursday. "

I have a feeling this is going to be a wild Olympics. I prefer the Winter Games and really only casually watch the Summer Games, but I may tune in more often this year just to see what the heck is going to go wrong next.

My social life gets a shot in the arm tomorrow - 3 parties, if you can believe it! Office picnic at 1:00, a surprise 40th birthday party later in the afternoon, and a part at my cousin's house in the evening.

I've been assigned to bring a dessert for the evening party, and I'm going to make two things, I think. A sort of a cream puff ring, with chocalate glaze on top, and these Guinness brownies (second to last recipe). Mmm.

It was a year ago tomorrow that the lights went out across the eastern seaboard and parts of the midwest and Canada. God, what a nightmare that was! I was sitting where I am right now, at my desk at work, at about 4:00 in the afternoon when everything went off. It's amazing how quiet our lives would be without electricity. Even without the noise of television and radio, or the fans on computers and printers, there's a perpetual hum that emits from an electric device and when it's gone the silence is deafening.

The blackout wreaked havoc with my travel plans - I was supposed to flight out of Hartford early the next morning (Friday) for Vancouver, with a stop in Toronto, which was also without power. With help from friends and Travelocity, I was able to get on a flight on Saturday morning. I remember that the trip took almost twice as long because of the long delays from the backlog of flights. Boy, was I happy to see Holly (was it you, Holly? I can't recall) at the airport!

The stress continued, of course, when my wallet, with my debit card (my only means of spending), my driver's license and my birth certificate, was stolen on Tuesday. And well, as you would expect that cast a bit of a pall over the rest of the trip. But I still wouldn't trade a trip to Vancouver for anything. One of my favorite places in the world.

Julia Child dead at 91: "Julia Child, whose warbling, encouraging voice and able hands brought the intricacies of French cuisine to American home cooks through her television series and books, died in her sleep three days before what would have been her 92nd birthday."

Adieu, Julia.

Wife, Lover Plead Guilty in Poison Plot: "The same day as the shooting, the women were arrested on an interstate about 150 miles east of San Diego, and a bag of ricin was found in the car. Tepatti and Woods had made the deadly poison from castor beans with the idea of killing Stephen Tepatti, according to court documents and authorities.
In late 2003, according to the FBI, the women tried to kill the Tepatti by luring him to the beach and stabbing him in the neck."

And they failed to kill him when they shot at him with a gun equipped with a silencer made out of a potatoe. Isn't there an award for such incredible ineptness??

Sometimes, I scare myself.

Remember how I said we don't have Turner Classic Movies on my cable system. Sheila informed me the other day that we have had TCM since we moved in.

Scared.

Trump Sets Fire to Self...No, wait, that's "Trump Set to Fire Self."

Damn, I thought he had finally done something worth reading about.

Rick James is dead, bitch!

Sorry, bad taste I know. What the hell is Dave Chapelle gonna do now?

Model seeks record breasts: "She's already had nine operations on her chest and is planning four more to get up to 42XX, reports Infobae.com."

How much of a desperate attention-whore do you have to be to do that to yourself??

Wife thought limo driver was stretching truth: "When it was all over, Wayne Gethers took out a six-month restraining order against his wife, but then posted her $300 bail and expressed hope they could work out their differences. "

Pardon my French, but that's some funny shit.

(via fark.com)

Claudia Black talks about the upcoming Farscape miniseries: "'There was at least another year or two left of that arc of us and the world of Farscape,' Black said. 'For it to have stopped when it did, it brought additional attention to the show when it was canceled. So the miniseries has upped its value in doing another four hours of television based on that momentum. ... There were so many elements of the story that they needed to service for the fans to finish off this particular part of the story arc.'"

The miniseries begins on October 17, at 9:00 P.M. I wonder if Sci-Fi will schedule a lot of Farscape in the weeks leading up to the miniseries so that people can get re-acquainted or see what all the fuss is about. 'Twould be nice.

Update: Just read this at the Farscape site:

08.05.04 – Gear up for the new miniseries by watching all 88 episodes of Farscape during SCI FI's Daytime Rotation, Monday through Friday, 9AM-4PM, from Friday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 15.

Damn! That's awesome! God, I need Tivo or something...

Adoption Reunites Birth Mother and Teen Daughter: "'She gave me a great life like two times now. How do you thank somebody for that, you know? It's just kind of like 'I love you' just doesn't quite cut it anymore.'"

Nice story.

'Fat tax' plan aims to trim Mainers' girth: "Maine has the highest rate of overweight people and obesity in New England, with about two-thirds of all adults weighing more than they should. Of children entering kindergarten, third grade and fifth grade last year, 36 percent were overweight or obese. About 25 percent of high school students are overweight or obese. "

I can't say whether I think this will work or not, but I can see why they feel the need to do something. I noticed this year that most of the local women I saw were quite overweight, and I wondered if it was just something I never noticed or if it there had indeed been an increase in overweight people in the state. Looks like I wasn't imagining things.

Witch doctors arrested in raid on fetish shrines: "The priests may have killed the people for ritual, or to obtain their property by false pretense..."

Ya think? I find it amazing that this stuff still goes on in this day and age.

Help wanted: Court jester: "An ad appearing in Thursday's editions of The Times laid out the qualifications: 'Must be mirthful and prepared to work summer weekends in 2005. Must have own outfit (with bells). Bladder on stick provided if required.'"

Hmm, let's see...

The pellet with the poison
Is in the vessel with the pestle;
The flagon with the dragon
Has the brew that is true?

No no!

The pellet with the poison
Is in the flagon with the dragon;
The vessel with the pestle
Has the brew that is true!

Or was that the chalice from the palace?

Man's chainsaw tumble kills wife: "A British man was being treated for shock on Wednesday after he fell from a ladder while pruning trees, accidentally killing his wife with his chainsaw, police said."

My God, that poor poor man.

Witness: Iraq Abuse Photos 'Just for Fun': "He was especially angry about testimony about additional photos for which England is charged showing her engaged in 'oral sodomy' with a soldier, nude by a pool, and waving her breasts in front of a sleeping soldier.

Hernandez said they were 'private intimate photos that should have been kept that way,' adding they were no worse than what someone might see at Mardi Gras or spring break.
.
.
Spc. Charles A. Graner Jr., 35, another soldier in England's unit, also has been charged with abuses and was involved in a romantic relationship with England; he faces adultery charges for allegedly having sex with England last October. England's lawyers have said she is pregnant with Graner's child."

What a goddamned mess. I think she enjoyed every minute of her participation in those prisoner photos, orders or no orders.

Maggots Make Medical Comeback: "How did they feel? On day 2, when the maggots were fat, 'I could feel them moving, because they were ready to come out,' she recalls. But, 'if you're faced with amputation or the maggots, I think most people would try the maggots.'"

Probably, but still...*GAG*.

My stepmother's cable provider offers Turner Classic Movies (TCM), a channel I have been coveting for years and thought I would have on my new digital system, but do not. I was pleasantly surprised to find last night that TCM is showcasing a different actor every day of this month. Via tvtattle.com, I came across this great blog, called Out of Focus, which has posted a list of the most noteworthy films being shown this month. It's a very helpful guide for those of you who have TCM but have never seen some of these classics. I agree with almost all of his recommendations, and would add:

Aug 6 - Lucille Ball - "The Long Long Trailer", just for the scene where Lucy tries to cook dinner in the trailer while Desi tows it.
Aug 8 - Katharine Hepburn - Watch everything, but especially "The Philadelphia Story", "The Lion in Winter" and "Bringing Up Baby".
Aug 16 - Elvis Presley - "Follow That Dream" for a sweet, simple and sexy Elvis.
Aug 21 - Jimmy Stewart - "Bell Book and Candle" with Kim Novak (and the inspiration I believe for "Bewitched" - not sure on that score, though) and "You Can't Take It With You", a very funny Frank Capra movie.
Aug 25 - Shirley MacLaine - "The Children's Hour" with Audrey Hepburn, about 2 teachers at a private girl's school, one of whom falls for the other.
Aug 27 - Cary Grant - "Notorious" with Ingrid Bergman. Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Raines, Alfred Hitchcock and Nazis? Perfection.

I caught "The Lady Eve" last night, with Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda, a movie I have always wanted to see but never got around to viewing. Very funny and sweet and very smart and witty. They really don't write roles for women like they used to, and there aren't many actresses around like Stanwyck anymore. How ironic that roles for women were more fully realized and smarter way back in the day than they are now.

Anyhoo, check out the listing at Out of Focus - it's a wonderful guide for all you classic movie lovers.

Damn. Well, he is a funny man.

Hello. I'm back in town and trying to catch up on things. Life is still not quite back to normal - I'm staying at my stepmother's house this week, dogsitting and housesitting. It isn't easy, being surrounded by constant reminders of my father, and the memories of all the visits over the years, but it's only to the end of the week and then life will hopefully settle down again.

The trip to Maine was a bittersweet one. Daddy's internment on Saturday was a small affair, with immediate family and a few people from the point attending. Very, very sad day, of course. In order to make room for others in the cabin, I took a campsite at a nearyby campground, Mainayr on Joy Cove, a really beautiful little campground that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to camp in the area. I was glad I had the campsite - the cabin was stuffed to the rafters with people and the site provided a place to go for some much needed peace and quiet.

I moved back to the cabin on Monday, after a portion of the group had to leave for home. The rest of the week was filled with almost constant activity - hiking, cooking, eating, card playing, shopping, etc. - and friends and family. It wasn't as quiet and relaxing a trip as I usually enjoy, but it was a nice visit.

Ah, but I am forgetting the highlight of the trip! On Saturday, the day before we left, Sheila, Mary, Tommy (sisters and brother) and myself entered the annual Great Codfish Relay Race in Milbridge. We had decided a couple of years ago that we would enter, and since the race was a favorite of Daddy's, there was no question - we were running the race. We practiced that morning, carrying a log and running back and forth along the dirt road behind the house. The neighbors, what few we have, must have been wondering what the hell we were up to. I really would have been happy to have simply finished the race without falling down but surprisingly enough we did even better - we placed! Third place, only 10 seconds behind the champs 4 years running. Not bad. Not bad at all. And I know Daddy was there, cheering us on and laughing his ass off.

So, that's pretty much the week. I will have photos to post, once I get home at the end of the week. Missed you all and good to be back.