West to Cambodia by S.L.A. Marshall

Book #96: West to Cambodia by S.L.A. Marshall is a contemporary non-fiction retelling of US Army small unit action along the Cambodian border in late 1966. I consider myself a fan of Marshall’s narratives, but I think this one read a little choppy and heavy-handed; I’m hoping it is a fluke and that my prior opinions weren’t mistaken. Still, it’s an interesting read and he doesn’t spare the troops he interviewed from an honest assessment of their actions. Men leave equipment behind, miss from point blank range, engage in an hour long firefight with an enemy who wasn’t there, and in the last episode an American company walks headfirst into a bloody, catastrophic ambush. Grade: C+

Mad River by John Sandford

Book #95 of 2012: 

Mad River is a Virgil Flowers novel by John Sandford. Three people go on a killing spree in a remote Minnesota county, leading to a manhunt that will last days and leave a trail of bodies behind. 

I fully acknowledge Sandford as a genius of the mystery genre, and this one is a fine example of his craft. The portions of the narrative devoted to the killers’ flows like In Cold Blood mashed with Bonnie and Clyde, but without stumbling in blunt imitation, and I love how Sandford incorporates an affection for his home state into every facet of the book without turning it into a tourist guide put out by the local chamber of commerce.

Grade: A+

Three '70's Greats

If you know me, you've probably picked up on the fact that I’m overly fond of the 1970’s, at least when it comes to movies, TV, and, to an extent, music.

Let me state it clearly: I believe the 1970’s were the single greatest decade for movie making to date.  The ‘70’s produced Godfather I and II, Annie Hall, Taxi Driver, Rocky, Jaws, All the President’s Men, Star Wars, Young Frankenstein, just to name a few. Even the clunkers were epic; Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Rocky Horror Picture Show, for instance.

This past week I finally got a chance to watch three of the undisputed best offerings of that golden decade.

Network is best known for its “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” scree, which is certainly worth remembering.  

Still, it’s a shame that memory of the film has been largely reduced to one catchy line of dialogue. For those of you unfamiliar with Network, it’s the story of a television news anchor that slips off the rails and speaks his mind on the air, and the ensuing ratings boost inspires the network to make the newscast more of a circus than an informational broadcast.

It was intended as broad satire, an exaggerated swipe at the business of television. Flash forward nearly 40 years and much of that satire is unrecognizable. Oh, sure, we don’t have psychics on our nightly news (yet), but much of the ‘insanity’ of the network decisions is just par for the course in this day and age. It reads much ‘straighter’ now than it ever did when it was released.

It is a finely written film with inspired performances by the entire cast; my one complaint would be that each character seems contractually obligated to launch into at least one long, preachy monologue during each act.

Grade A+

Next up was Marathon Man, the Lawrence Oliver/Dustin Hoffmann thriller best known for the torture scene in Oliver’s dentist’s chair. I thought it was a good thriller, though I remain a little confused as to the relationship between the American agents and Oliver’s Nazi character. Additionally the final scenes in the water treatment plant seemed flat, and I’ve heard a rumor that the author of the source material was annoyed with it too.

A great movie? Eh. A very good movie? Yes. More proof screenwriter William Goldman is a Hollywood genius? Darn skippy. 

Grade: B+

I have seen and read more about Dog Day Afternoon than just about any film out there (it even popped up in a novel I just read) and so I was eager to see this Pacino classic. The verdict? Wow. As good as advertised.

Pacino is perfect as the quirky, slightly effeminate Sonny, while John Cazale’s otherwise minuscule part resonates with hopelessness and an undercurrent of violence. Were there flaws? Precious few. The police response to the bank robbery seems ham-fisted and overblown to my eyes, , but I’ll chalk that up to a different time and place.

The grade for this film is a no-brainer from me: A+

YaYa's stunning new school pic - 6th grade

Quote of the Day

Last Wednesday I picked Smiley up from his First Communion class. On the way home I asked him about his teacher, a beautiful young woman who also taught YaYa and Lulu.

“Is she nice?” I said.

“Yes,” he replied.

“She’s awfully cute. Don’t you think so?”

He shook his head no. I was surprised. Smiley has always had an eye for the ladies. “What kind of girl do you like? I asked.

He shrugged.

“Do you like brunettes?” I asked.

“What’s brunettes?”

“Dark haired girls.”

“No, blondes.”

Hmm, I prefer brunettes. 

“Tall or short?”

“Short.”

Huh. I like tall women. 

“Skinny or with some meat on their bones?”

 “Meat,” he said, then held his thumb and forefinger out, just a hair apart. He turned to me with a wicked little grin, his eyes dancing with mischief. “But just a lil bit”

Emergency!

I'm watching "Emergency!" on my DVR. It was my favorite show from ~ age 3 to 7, and I'd run around the house pretending to be a firefighter like "John and Roy". It holds  up well, and there's enough excitement that I'm hoping Smiley will like it too.

Thanksgiving Day 2012

Thanksgiving 2012 began with a quintessential cultural event: Lisa and the kids sat down to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. 

[Ginger] excited to finally see Santa as we watch the Macy's parade on TV! - Facebook post

             On his own accord  [Smiley] came down for Thanksgiving lunch in clean jeans and a crisp white button down shirt, cuff-links and all. Looking sharp my man!  - Facebook Post

Last year we spent Thanksgiving at a buffet, and chronicled it here; it was a success, but there was enough of a downside (crowds, lack of ‘family time’ at the table, etc) that we didn't want to repeat that particular experiment. We still wanted to go out, but this time chose a laid back, lunch hour meal at a local Denny’s.

It went surprisingly well. While only I had turkey, the kids abided by my mandate that they avoid pizza and chose decent meals. The conversation was spirited and friendly, and it was generally just a feel good/warm and fuzzy day.  The weather co-operated too, and I think it was warmer on Thanksgiving than it had been on Easter!

Later, Lisa went off to work and I took the kids over to my parent’s place for dinner, where we enjoyed all the standard fixings. (Smiley, in an honest but overly blunt assessment, loudly declared the turkey “too dry” and refused to eat more than a bite).  I tried a first there that day: sweet potato pie. The verdict? Yum.

Afterwards, the kids were divvied up between the grandparent’s and I (gasp!) went shopping. 

Against my better judgement I went to Kmart for their pre-Black Friday deals. Got a couple nice things for the kids, but waited in line for well over an hour at the register.  - Facebook post

Before I  went to the store though I delivered some leftovers to my 91 year old Aunt Mabel, who I was pleased to see was in great health and spirits, but I screwed up; my Mom had given me two boxes, one with massive amounts of food for my family, and one with a dainty plate for Aunt Mabel. Guess which one I mistakenly left with her? :)

Once Lisa came home we had the night to ourselves. I don’t recall us doing anything special that evening (I think we simply began watching Season 1 of American Horror Story on Netflix)  but it was great to alone, just the two of us.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving tool!

Impressive Recovery Kid

I took Junie shopping and she puked in the parking lot . No warning, no heads up, just bombs away. I momentarily retreated to the car. Just before we reached it she hurled again, an impressive display of both quantity and the all important "distance hurled". (plus the chunks had impressive heft; learn to chew kid) As soon as the last volley left her mouth, she wiped her chin, looked at me and said, "I not gonna puke anymore. Can you buy me somethin'?"

Ke$ha, Flowers in the Attic and other vital issues of the day

Whodathunk Ke$ha, the over the top, cheesy pop star who hit paydirt in 2010 with her album Animal, would emerge as more than just a one hit (album) wonder?  The tracks from Warrior are catchy, fun and just as important, doing well and getting airplay. I love this line from an Entertainment Weekly review of the disc: “When you need someone to rhyme ‘sabertoothed tiger’ with ‘warm Budweiser’, you know who to call”. All hail the corny pop diva!

Recently 106.9 FM changed its format to top 40/pop, so you’re bound to hear Ke$ha there. I like the new station enough to have added it to the pre-programmed buttons on our car stereo, but to my ears they play pure R&B too often, giving it an urban tint I could do without.

Speaking of radio, on the way to work last night I got crystal clear reception of a Chicago station playing tracks from a July 6^th, 1973 Led Zeppelin concert in that city. Listening to them live just reminded me of how damn good they were. 

Ginger/Lump is going around lately singing the hook from Taylor Swift’s “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together"  and from Rhiannia, the line “Shine Bright Like a Diamond” J

The Discovery Channel has cancelled Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe after eight seasons.  Buggers.

 On the movie front Lisa and I8 watched the documentary The Tents, which chronicles the fashion world’s time in Bryant Park.  You would think an industry centered around excitement, glamour and keeping your attention could pull off a halfway decent documentary about its seminal event (Fashion Week ) - but you’d be wrong. Dull, dull, dull. Grade: C

On the other hand the dance community scored with First Position, a documentary about six young dancers who compete in the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix for a chance for scholarships and company positions. We both had a good time watching this film and recommend it. Grade: A

Flowers in the Attic is a movie I could have sworn was from the ‘70’s, but nope, it’s actually a late ‘80’s retelling of the VC Andrews story that girls in grade school adored. It’s cheesy, but it actually held my attention. So did Kristy Swanson, future Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who was awfully cute as the trapped teenage girl. Grade: B

Not This Time

Surprisingly, I did not win the $550 million Powerball drawing.