Lil Monkey

My sweetie monkey ily - Grandma Jeanne

Yikes, these nightmares are getting out of hand. Some of it was the typical "makes no sense in the light of day" variety, but part of the 'plot' was my hunt for a killer who then got the jump on me. In order for him to spare my family I had to cut off the fingers on my right hand with a pen knife. I woke up with my hand hurting, which was either the cause or effect of the dream. I am, apparently, going nuts.

Hereafter

I watched the Eastwood/Damon film "Hereafter" tonight. I don't know quite what to make of it. I guess it was like a lazy river ride at a theme park. It was nice, and well done, and you don't regret paying your admission, but it takes damn near forever and it does nothing to speed up your pulse.

The virulent (e)mails generated by my voter ID column don't bother me, but the fact that they CONTINUE to come in (3 today alone) is surprising. And I do mean angry, sometimes vulgar emails, not legit disagreements. One of the letters is as long as the original column. Geesh. Get a grip, or at the very least try to think of an original insult.

Erin Gray

Erin Gray circa 1979 = Yum

Franciszek Honiok, Enron, and Source Code

Last week was a week for reestablishing old friendships; after a year's hiatus, I talked with both Fred and Emo within a two day period, and the next day went to see Source Code with my cousin Jon.

Source Code is the story of an American soldier who is sent back in time, initially against his will, to endlessly repeat the last eight minutes of a terrorist attack. The purpose? To identify the bomber and prevent further bloodshed. The movie has gotten superb reviews from just about every critic, and I certainly wasn't displeased with the film. I also wasn't blown away. I think that guidebooks ten years from now will tone down the praise.

It is a solid film, but it was nothing overtly original. I guessed the soldier's 'secret' early on, and the actual identification of the bomber was unusually ho-hum, as if the script was in a hurry to wrap that up in order to further explore the romantic relationship. Three stars.



I rented Tron: Legacy soley to christen my new Blu-Ray player. Why not start off with a big, splashy special effects epic? Sadly, as my TV lacks an HDMI port and I connect via component cables, the Blu-Ray displays the disc in the same resolution as a DVD. Yay me.

As for the movie - it was fine. I wasn't in love with the original film, so keep that in mind, but I thought this was OK. Nothing more.



We just finished watching Christina Aguliera in "Burlesque". I'm not sure why the reviews I read last year were bad. Sure, the plot was predictable, but what, you rented it expecting The French Connection? The music was good, the women were hot, and the romance was sweet. I liked it.


The Gleiwitz Case is an East German film recreating the events that began WWII, namely a Nazi ruse where "Polish" troops took over a German radio station along the border. From what I gather this was a state sponsored Cold War era film, and yet it has a noticeable artistic style despite a matter-of-fact style. What bothers me the most about how the war began is the murder of Franciszek Honiok, an innocent Polish farmer, in order to leave behind 'proof' of the raid. Yes, I know. Millions upon millions died in the war, and yet this hits home extremely hard. It just seems so banane and callous a way to start such a momentous event in history; if the war was to begin with the murder of a civilian, wouldn't you question the motives of your government from the very start? Naive of me, I know.
The Smartest Guys in the Room is the tale of Enron, the superstar company that was built - and destroyed - by fraud and deceipt. As Bush era documetaries are wont to do, some of the blame is laid at the feet of the Bush family, despite most of Enron's machinations falling under the eyes of the Clinton administration. Argh, enough about politics. The story of Enron is one of lies, theft, and more lies. It's truly a corporate tragedy.

Some pics of Smiley's first lost tooth!

El Beso

 I took Lisa & Junie to El Beso, the new Mex restaurant in Greenfield (site of the old Champs). The prices were on the high end of avg & there were few items (and little change in price) on the lunch menu. Service was great, food was average, but they had a grease trap truck parked outside the entrance, greeting you w/ sewer odor as you entered and exited. Stick to El Fuego.

 Got my first hate email of the day, signed "your mindless crapp"

A) My left knee is killing me. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to sit on my a** for four months then abruptly bike 2+ miles B) I'ts the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. RIP Union soldiers. C) I'm in the paper today. Pick up a copy

The Civil War - 150 Years Later

150 years ago, at this very moment (4:30 AM EST) Confederate troops in South Carolina opened fire on Fort Sumter, starting the American Civil War. By the time hostilities ended four year later 1,030,000 Americans had become casualties (3 % of the population), a number that included more than 600,000 dead.

Whatever bookstore or library you visit will have its fair share of books about the war, as it continues to resonate with Americans across the centuries. I still favor the works of Bruce Catton, a lyrical historian that brought you into the hearts and minds of the men involved. Pick up any of his work and you won't be disappointed.

To the Americans who died in that war, and especially to those who died in the cause of Freedom and Union - RIP. Your sacrifice is appreciated.

LuLu and I take our first bike ride together!!

Tonight Olivia and I hit the road for our 1st ever bike trip together. We went up to Howard Ave & back (about 2 miles), w/ a few added detours through the park, around the block etc. Tip: if you need to clean rust off your bike, take a ball of wet aluminum foil to it. Not only will it remove the rust, it doesn't scratch the paint.

Smiley loses his first tooth! :(

Smiley just lost his first tooth! Seems so recent that I was sitting in his nursery rocking with him - Lisa

Reviews

I just finished reading Felix Gilman's "The Half-Made World". It is a beautiful, lyrical novel that will never get its due because its part of the 'steampunk' genre. But know this: rarely did three pages go by before I was again awed by his ability to capture a moment or a thought with the perfect, economical use of words. Easily the best written book I've read this year.

Over the last few days we also watched I Like Killing Flies, a documentary about Shopsins, a hole-in-the wall restaurant that's been in business for more than 30 years. It's very interesting, in large part because of the conflict between the intelligence of the owner and the angry, dirty

way he chooses to run his business.

The Infidel is a comedy, sometimes wrongly labeled a documentary, about a Muslim man who learns a) he was adopted and b) he was born Jewish. It's very funny and sweet, and while the tail end drags into kumbaya territory, it was a fun film to watch. Session 9 was a movie I was prepared to write off as a schlocky, B movie horror flick, albeit blessed with a semi-impressive cast. Not so. I'm not saying it was a masterpiece, or even a 'good' movie by convential standards, but it held its own and there was a unique twist in the plot. At times, quite impressive.

A beautiful warm day, a fresh column off to the paper, a short day of work ahead of me, and then a day off w/out any (known) obligations Monday. Sounds good to me.

 "Unless you're ashamed of yourself now and then, you're not honest." - William Faulkner

 off of work and straight to doc w/ Junie for an earache/drainage

 “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” - Edmund Burke

Burlesque

 We just finished watching Christina Aguliera in "Burlesque". I'm not sure why the reviews I read last year were bad. Sure, the plot was predictable, but what, you rented it expecting The French Connection? The music was good, the women were attractive, and the romance was sweet. I liked it.