Spring Break pt. 2

Tuesday morning our plan was to head out to the Butterfly Pavilion, located just 10 minutes South of Boulder. Anna had heard about this educational and scientific center in a Boulder travel magazine and even the guys at our hotel's front desk were pretty enthusiastic about the place when we asked for directions.


And although my camera was barely functioning (LOW BATTERY!) I still got a couple neat pictures.








I do have to admit that I wasn't as excited for the butterflies as Anna was, but it turned out to be a pretty cool addition to our trip. It was almost other-worldly to be surrounded by 100s of those delicate, beautiful bugs. (The 100s of 5-15 year old kids I could go either way on... haha.)

Aside from the butterflies at the Pavilion, there were a number of other creatures on exhibit: leaf bugs; stick bugs; spiders... And if you know anything about Anna, you know that she has a very real fear of spiders... So you might be a little surprised when you hear that she made it a personal goal for herself to hold Rosie, the Pavilion's tarantula. (Ok, you're probably not surprised that Anna made a personal goal... but she seriously, if not stubbornly, faced her biggest phobia. It was a proud moment.)

I guess uploading those pictures wore me out. Still coming up: Eldora Nordic Ski Center, more good eats, and hiking.

Spring Break, pt. 1

Just because I'm not in college anymore doesn't mean I don't get a Spring Break, right?

(Even though I already took a week off to go to Mexico in January this year... but, uh... that was for our Honeymoon, kind of. Haha.)

Ok. I'm spoiled, so what?! I wasn't about to let Anna's Spring Break go to waste.

And you're thinking, "What a guy."

But Colorado has been awesome. Right now we're taking our first real break from traveling and hitting all the hot spots around CO to chill and study - and to update blogs, of course!

Our trip so far...

We flew in Friday night, late. I think we landed at about 10:50pm, but didn't get out of the airport until midnight. Longest-baggage-claim-ever. My dad, coincidently, had planned a ski trip with some friends that just happened to overlap with the weekend that we were coming to visit, so on top of being able to see Karin (my sister, a senior at Boulder) and Katy & Dan (friends who now live in Boulder), we'd be able to ski and hang out with my Dad too. He and Karin picked us up from the airport. Our trip from Denver to Boulder was uneventful and we got to Karin's apartment at around 1am. We got the bed, my Dad got the couch (Sorry, Old Man!).

Saturday morning we got up early to head out to Breckenridge. Neither Anna or I are very experienced downhill skiers, so skiing with my Dad (who recently got back from skiing at Alta) and Karin (who basically lives part-time on the ski hill) was a challenge, to say the least. I think we both impressed ourselves though, me more so on the first day, Anna more so on the second. It was a blast, really, and I wish that I had a camera that I wouldn't mind carrying up on the mountain because the views were absolutely breath-taking. And the place we were staying wasn't too shabby either. We were upgraded to a 2 bedroom suite with a fireplace which was nice to come back to after shredding those black diamonds. Oh, and the outdoor hot tub was more than OK...

Our plan was to come back Monday so Karin could make it to class. This was a very hard thing to do waking up Monday morning in the mountains, but we had a lot more to see in Boulder, and our legs would benefit from a couple days' rest before we hit the slopes again, so we (however remorsefully) headed back.

Monday Anna and I cruised around Pearl St. after quickly dropping off Karin for school and checking into our hotel. Probably the biggest surprise of the trip so far has been the weather. Monday and Tuesday the highs were flirting with 80(!), and we soon realized that we'd over or under packed - depending how you look at it. Shopping for shorts and flip-flops became a priority. :) In the afternoon we met Katy for some hiking and throwing in the park. Then more cruising-around and back to the hotel to change for dinner. Which was awesome. We met Katty and Dan at an Ethiopian restaurant not too far from our hotel (nothing is really too far away here, it seems) and had a pretty un-top-able meal. If you've never had Ethiopian (we hadn't before Monday) wait until we get back and we'll go with you!

...

That's all for now. On my next installment: Butterflies, the Eldora Nordic Center and more good eating, of course.

Two things.

I was searching the web for "open source video editing" and came across two programs that might actually handle some serious video work... The first, and apparently more supported of the two is called Jahshaka. (It has a cooler-looking website, that's for sure.) The second is LiVES. Better or worse than (the also free) iMovie or Windows MovieMaker? I don't know. (I doubt they can be as sophisticated and stable as Premiere, Final Cut, Vegas, etc... :) Please, prove me wrong!) But for now I figure these are worth checking out.

Also, Louis found this place, Open Studio, from MIT (again - these guys seem to be on the cutting edge of open-things). I joined and played around a little bit. Good for a diversion from work if nothing else.

Training Log - 03.06 - 03.08.07

Tuesday and Thursday were just push/sit-up days. Wednesday I did Day Two of the workout week and waxed my skis for Colorado instead of skiing. Tonight I'll try to get in Day Three but then it'll be skiing instead of lifting for the next week. I'm excited!

Memory Lane.

My lunch today: 1 peanut butter and jelly sandwich, potato chips, and a glass of milk; with a nice Girl Scout cookie finish.

Our cupboards have been slowly accumulating these ingredients over the winter months (the peanut butter, jelly, potato chips, and Girl Scout cookies are not exactly mainstays in the Hagstrom household) to finally present themselves in the form of this throwback meal from the days of babysitters and weekend lunches at my friends' houses. Occasionally, my own mother would concoct a dish as specifically remarkable as this, but more often my siblings and I would have to thwart off offerings of mustard and mayo on turkey or ham... with lettuce.

Yuck.

Our sal-i-vation would only come when we could escape away to other, ordinary families' houses where they appreciated the comestible advances of white bread, JIF and skim milk.

In the past 15 years or so my cravings for the PB&J have subsided, with only a brief cravings-spike during the time that I spent in Australia (where my roommates and I discovered the full range of abilities of our sandwich griller/maker)... that is, until lately.

In recent times when I have wanted a sandwich, not surprisingly, I've made for myself the sandwich that my mother would have liked to make me. Usually turkey, provolone, lettuce or spinach, and a smidgen of mustard and/or mayo on whole grain bread. But not today. Today was different. Today, I had an escape back to my childhood - served up with a side of potato chips - and I fulfilled an ancient craving that has been building up since my adolescence. And at a time in my life where I could go out and get whatever I wanted for lunch, I found it was nice to have what I really wanted from a time when I couldn't do anything about it.

Training Log - 03.05.07

Did a Day 3/Day 1 combo lifting day to keep on track + plyos.

Training Log - 03.02 - 03.04.07

Fridays are never good for working out (for me). Especially when we have evening plans... it's a night that I just want to cool out on. I did push ups before bed.

Saturday and Sunday I skied pretty hard. 8-10k (5-6 miles) on Saturday at Como and a little more than that on Sunday at William O'Brien State Park. I was thinking I'd do Day One of lifting on Sunday night, but I could feel the weekend's skiing in my arms and legs all night, so I just rested. That means lifting tonight.

The coolest thing I heard all day.

A cockroach can loose its head (literally) and live for another 9 days. It finally dies, not because it bleeds to death (or the cockroach equivalent of that), but because it's starving...

For the right kind of movie, that'd be a great opening theme... the crime drama/thriller movie metaphors abound...

Training Log - 02.27 - 03.01

I went skiing on Tuesday night, and I'm glad I did, because now all Hell's broken loose! (In a good way!)

Wednesday and Thursday (tonight) became just push up/sit up nights because of the weather, but I'll be out on this snow as soon as the blizzard's through!

Training Log - 02.26.07

I ended up not feeling great on Sundayafternoon, so I never ended up going skiing OR lifting. But last night I did the lifting for Days 1 & 2 of the new week to get ahead/back on track, and to leave myself some time to get out on the new snow tonight and/or tomorrow. Let me know if you're up for a ski.

Training Log - 02.23.07 - 02.25.07

Friday: Just a push ups and sit ups day.

Saturday: Day 3 of workout week. Front squats, bench, triceps, inverted row, etc.

Sunday (today): Does shoveling count? (Proud to be the first on the block to have the walks cleared!)
I might also try to go skiing if the snow lets up. Theodore Wirth Park said they were grooming early this morning, but I don't feel like driving, or skiing, with the snow in my face today. Alternative: do Day 1 of the next workout week...

Training Log - 02.22.07

2 mile run + plyos.

Is this funny?

I don't know...

Training Log - 02.21.07

Easy day. Just push ups and sit ups last night.

Training Log - 02.20.07

2 mile run, followed by plyos.

Änna and I decided that this route would make a good timed 2 mile run after we establish a base. We ran it in 16 minutes last night (so 8 min. miles), but there is a significant hill for the last 1/4 - 1/2 mile. Maybe I'll be able to bring it within 13 minutes later in the season.

+

Day 2 of the workout week.

Back Squats, Incline Bench, Hamstrings (still trying to find a good alternative workout here)... can't remember what else. Stretching. Later, sit-ups.

=

I feel pretty good today. Not nearly as sore as I was when I started lifting, etc. The plyos aren't killing my calves the next day anymore. I'd like to find a good 3 mile running route. We have 2 and 4, which are sometimes too short and too long, respectively, for what I want to do/feel like doing. Maybe I'll try to find that tonight. My problem is that I hate backtracking. It's so morally defeating. :) Loops are so much more... pretty.

Hey Joe, BTW I still think Tivo is a huge scam.

I got in a mild argument with a friend while watching the Super Bowl a couple weeks back about the incredibly useful, but decidedly deceiving Tivo DVR system.

Joe's argument: "I love the Tiiiivvvo!"
My argument: "I cannot believe that Tivo is getting away with charging a for their devices as if they were providing a monthly service... for what is basically a glorified harddrive!"

Tivo: "You had me in your home another month, give me more money. *cough* [Shut up, Bjorn] *cough*"

What services are we charged for monthly? Telephones/Cell phones, cable/dish, Internet... And why do these services require periodic charges? Because they all stream their users information. These services, as overly-expensive as they can be, are still at least services. We pay for bandwidth, satellites, towers, maintenance, etc. every month, and sometimes nothing for the hardware.

Tivo knowingly has it backwards, somehow they've fooled everybody, and they must be making a killing. I bet Steve Jobs is wishing that he included a monthly service charge on all iPods for the, uh, service of storing TV shows, movies and music, just like the Tivo...

Here's the kicker. You can make your own DVR! Make Magazine has an article explaining how to do it here.

Unfortunately making your own DVR isn't exactly easy, or cheap. You actually have to be pretty resourceful mod an old PC to work like a Tivo. So whereas, NO, I don't think that people are stupid for just buying a Tivo over making their own; YES, I do think it sucks that Tivo has set this standard for DVR technology so that no competitor (who would easily have the resources to cheaply put together the described components in the Make article and mass market them) would ever come out with a piece of DVR hardware that required no monthly charge... In fact, I'm still shocked that this hasn't happened already, so I assume that there's some kind of bullshit licencing on DVR technology.

Anyone have an PC they want to get rid of?

Training Log January 1st - February 19 2007

I thought it might be a good idea to post my workout schedule:
1.) So my friends and teammates can see where I'm at and encourage (er, ridicule) me to work harder when I'm sluffing off and,
2.) at the times where I am on top of my game they might be inspired to work harder themselves.

I think it will be good both personally and as a teammate to be held accountable for what I'm putting into my fitness.

Training notes (roughly - these should get more specific from now on):
• Since New Years I've done push ups and situps everyday that I don't do some other kind of workout.
• Those other kinds of workouts have been xc skiing, which was great when I could do it (5-6 times, not enough!), lifting (pretty sporadically, but I now plan on adhering to Jason's program from last year - minus Olympic lifts, plus plyos). I think I'm on track on Week 2, Day 2.
• Änna and I went running yesterday and it was pretty good. We went 4+ miles, mostly along River Road. We have a pretty nice area to run around. Let me know if you're up for joining me/us.

News.

So CLX broke up.

Seiler is starting an Open team, and good for him, really, but what about the other (now former) CLXers? I ask not because I want to judge, but really because I am just curious. I feel really out of the loop on this... Are people upset? Surprised? I guess an easy answer is yes, of course some people are upset, but are there a handful of players in Iowa without a team now? I'm thinking especially about the women.... Seiler mentions that a number of the men on CLX are following him, but it might not be as cool for the ladies who will have to splice themselves on to a foreign feeling women's squad. I don't know. Maybe it's not a big deal at all. If it were MOE, I'd be thinking the same thing. (I would enjoy playing Open with the Moe men, and some women would go play for Bait... but some people would probably feel screwed.)

All that being said, I really hope the Van Buren Boys are a successful Open team. Best of luck in '07...

Another first.

Well, I had my first Water Cooler Discussion today. One of those things that you think of as "classic workplace," although [like me, previously] you've never had a WCD, witnessed a WCD, or even heard of anyone having a WCD, outside of TV and movies.

Well now you have.



We talked about work.

Dear Ultimate,

It's been awhile, and after a good, long, needed rest from all things Ultimate, I find myself drifting back into the world that has been, at many times, the most dominant aspect of my adult life. It seems like the lack of Anna's and my presence in Winter League, tournaments, and conversations has been noted, and with rumors of "who's playing/not playing next year," etc., flying around I thought I'd lay out my intentions for the next year.

1. I have been, and do plan on scaling back my Ultimate involvement this year. No more league, or random pick up. I WAS burned out a little bit last year. Maybe not even because there was too much Ultimate in my life, but comparatively.... with my first full year of full-time work, personal stuff... Ultimate took a too large a piece of the Bjorn pie. And OK, I don't plan on getting married again this summer, so I'll probably have time to spare, but that's EXACTLY what I want. But at the same time I see this scaling back as a FOCUSING. Focusing my energy and time so that Club Ultimate can be a place where I can release my pent up energy and excitement about this sport (instead of sometimes having to create it when my body and/or mind are less than willing). God bless those of you who can still play 8 days a week.

2. I do, however, also plan on adhering to a pre-season training regiment, trying out, and making MOE '07. I plan on devoting all that I can to that team for at least another season. Regardless of how early/late the season starts, how extensive the travel/tournament schedule is, and what the make up of the team is come our first tournament, I'm going to do what I can to make sure I fit with this team and that they value my commitment.

3. Lifting - Regionals time is 35 weeks away, I had this week marked on my calender as a key date to buck up training (Jason's program from last year had a 35 week schedule that I'm going to follow loosely). I am dropping some aspects of the lifting that I did last year. The squats, for one, did little for me. Mostly, I know, because I had knee issues, and then ankle issues, and then comfort issues with Olympic lifting in general. The Back and Front squats I'll probably continue, actually, and maybe some weightless Overheads because they felt like they were doing some good for my crooked back and shoulders. Other than that I'm going to implement the Air Alert II pylo. program to generate more leg power. Running - as much as I don't enjoy running, and as much as I've heard that any kind of distance running will hurt your top speeds, sprinting, etc... I think I'm going to try to get back into that this season.... I want to say that this is counter intuitive, but it's my intuition that's got me going in this direction. Counter-productive? I don't think so. I HOPE not. Let's face it, I wasn't about to break any land speed records anyway and I feel the most in shape when I'm distance running a couple times a week. It worked for me in college, and I feel like trying what's worked for me in the past this season. (I don't have to be in any better shape than I was in college, just smarter. And I guess that's a whole 'nother challenge in itself.)

I don't know if I want to get into much else in this post. I do have some thoughts about season length, try-outs, tournaments...

Shoot, I guess I'll write a little more.

I do know that I was at least happy with my playtime last year, although I've realized now that it never really mattered how many points I played as long as my captains (and teammates) made me feel like my skills were needed, and subsequently utilized. Dave and Anna did a great job of this throughout the Series especially. This makes me feel that Moe could possibly take on a few 'projects' during tryouts (increase roster = easier tryouts for team-builders + expanded potential/future of team?).*** I guess my main point is that PT need not be represented by statistical equality, and that this insight will somehow help the tryout process... Anyway, I felt good with my PT last year and could still feel good with less as long as I felt we were using our strengths at all times.
Easier said than done.

Whatever.

Next.

I'm not going to Boston, Poultry and Seattle twice... but I think that's ok. It's great even. I think that a Moe & Friends team would be great at Potlatch, Poultry... Aquatenial and Cooler for that matter... Playing those tournaments full squad vs. not playing/half of us playing them/all of us and our siblings playing them... I can't see it as a sure GOOD THING or BAD THING. Loosing shit points in shit games all weekend... all summer, even if we win the whole tourney, is [part of] what makes us freak out about not having what it takes. And on the other hand winning those same points might just fluff our ego, sending us unprepared into the next battle. That's over-analysis, of course, but I'd be happy to see a heavier, competition-wise, and lighter, # of tourney-wise, shorter moefficial schedule, if such a thing is possible.

What else? Maybe I'll try to save the rest for the meeting(s).
Thanks for reading.
#22

*** After reading a recent email from Dave I realized that cutting the team down to 25 was a good move last year and I don't think there's any good reason to go back on that. To quote myself, "we never needed any more pieces to finish the puzzle, we just needed to know how to put them together."

Clean Plate Club, Follow Up.

I love when you're thinking, writing, or talking about something and it later pops up on the news, in a book/show/movie, or in another conversation... It feels like a validation of universally worthwhile thought...

Anna was listening to MPR last Friday and during their Mid-Morning program they had on Dr. Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. Dr. Wansink has been doing research on the way we Americans eat and has conducted some pretty interesting experiments (and has gotten some even more interesting results!) . I listened to the show during a bye at an indoor Ultimate tournament this weekend and thought I'd pass along the link.

Bon Appetit!

Boston Bomb Scare

Major highways, bridges and tunnels in the Boston area were shut down last week after someone reported seeing what they thought could be a bomb attached to an overpass...

I'm sure all of you heard about this, and if you haven't, Google "Boston Bomb Scare" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Turns out the "sophisticated electronic devices," as I heard one news-caster describe them, were no more than ["guerrilla"] publicity devices for the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim tv show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

When I heard about the incident I at once felt both sorry for the cops who had no choice but to respond seriously to a potential bomb sighting, but at the same time surprised at how long this 'scare' apparently went on and how much I had to hear about it as national breaking news... especially considering the following:
*38 of these devices were placed in Boston, WEEKS before last Wednesday's 'scare'...
*The ad campaign has been installed in 11 major cities. The 'perpetrators' were said to be mostly confused about why this happened in Boston, and why now?!
*And here are pictures of the 'suspicious' devices.



Wouldn't the cops have found the first one and been like, "Oh, that's not a bomb," and played it off like any other bomb threat that turns out to be nothing? I don't know. I can see both sides of this one, but Turner seems to have been made into a big target just because they'll be able to shell out to the city [ies?] for this mishap. And the Boston city officials are really playing the victim - not even accepting the public apology from TBS. That's low. (Poor Turner Broadcasting, I know.) But what would happen if it was just me, putting up Brite-Lites that said "BJORN!" all over Minneapolis?

I don't think it's worth trying...

Kool-Earth, Man!

Give me that peace sign!

"...will only get you so far..."

This is something that was pissing off both Anna and I, and hopefully most of the ESPN audience, as we watched Serena Williams advance to Quarters the other night at the Australian Open....

There are a lot of stupid things said by sportscasters. But Mary Carillo's comments of Serena (and in the past with Venus, I hear) bordered on personal hatred. And, OK, we get it, Serena could be in better shape. You've made your point Mary.

But then you bring it up again, and again...

[I'll paraphrase]

Mary: "If she was in better fitness she could endure in this heat."
After a 30+ stroke volley, Serena wins the point.

Mary: "Maybe this will motivate her to get back in the gym."
Serena gets her 9th ace to her opponent's zero.

Mary: "Without top fitness you can only get so far."
Serena advances, yet again, in one of the top tennis tournaments in the world.

And this is where they really loose me, because where, like Mary I can only wonder what Serena's fitness potential really is, but unlike her I take a step back and look at where and who Serena is... Serena has the fitness of a professional athlete because she is a professional athlete, and not only that, she's proven herself to be one of the best in the world, just as she is now.

So get the hell out of Serena's grill! She has an impressive physique, although unconventional(?), and a will to win that cannot be matched. Repeatedly calling her fat on national TV makes you seem jealious and stupid, getting proved wrong so consistently. (Not to mention what it says to the Athlete girls/women of America who are Serena's size [not fat] and already have a hard time justifying their muscle weight.)

I hardly want to watch anymore because when Serena finally does lose out all these announcers be able to say is "Well, _x_th place... Hmmm, just think how well she would have done if she was in any kind of shape."

Sorry for the rant.

Bandwidth Meter

This is kind of fun.

Let's you know how fast you're going on the information super highway...

Did you know that our "High Speed" connections are many times slower and more expensive than in Europe, Asia? There was a great program on MPR about this that I couldn't find, but I did come across this CNN article that goes over much of the same stuff.

Clean Plate Club

How many of you were members?

How many of you still are?

After a conversation I had the other week, I realized that to this day I cannot leave food on my plate at the end of a meal. So even although I haven't received any documentation, I think I must be close to an appointment within the cabinet of this Club's president...

The Club's President.

Ok, but what are the real benefits of being in the Club, or why was this Club imposed upon us?

I do believe that our parents and their parents before them had good intentions in their promotion of this Club. Among them there were two major camps that arose from the depression and pre- depression eras, each supporting the Club's ideals. First there was the health conscious, eco-friendly group, Fortunate to Eat Vegetables Everyday, Really. (F.E.V.E.R.) Then came the more popular, moral front, There Are Starving Kids of Foriegn Origin that Really Cannot Eat. (T.A.S.K.F.O.R.C.E.) I was lucky enough to grow up in a bi-partisan household that allowed for both of these views to flourish - subsequently leaving me as I am now. Aside from never leaving food on my plate, I eat FAST, and I eat TOO MUCH! I feel like much of my generation stands in these shoes (cross trainers, with extra support). And for those out there who either have a poor metabolism, a thicker DNA helix, or an aversion to athletics, hmm... good luck finding clothes that fit if the Club was as ingrained in you as it was/is in me!

As parents across this country pat themselves on the back with one hand while they do the already-mostly-clean dishes with the other, what is more prominent in the minds of their children as they finish their dinner? Not taking so much food next time? Proper diet? Children in Africa?

Or is it, simply, eat that food!

What I'm asking is that parents reinvestigate their motives on this matter. Wasting food might still be a problem, but by blindly following our parents' stratagems - without looking at their results (this generation's gastronomy) - I think we'll end up wasting a lot more.

Davin, you should start your own blog.

But until you do, I'll [happily] keep posting about the cool things you share with me.

MIT OpenCourseWare

This is pretty damn slick. For all of you 'self-learners' out there, MIT (yes, that MIT) is publishing its coursework online for anyone to access, with out registration, payment or anything like that. Just go to the site and click through to the subject and specific course you might be interested in... Once there you'll be able to download .pdfs of the syllabus, many of the readings, assignments, etc. You can also 'Download this Course', and browse through all of the available material from your computer (faster, although still through a web browser). I tried this for both Logic 101 and Introduction to Astronomy. Because the astronomy course required an additional, physical textbook there wasn't as much information to gain immediately (although looking at the completed tests was a good review for me), whereas for the logic course most, if not all of the readings were available in .pdfs and I could feasibly go through the class, assignment by assignment, test by test, gaining everything but the college credit from the course. Wow.

The amount of credible information is stunning. Many of the courses provide external sources for info, and all of the .pdfs that I saw were chock full of bibliographic information. With resources like this people will be able to better trust the information they find on the web.

Dear Mexico,

Thanks for the white sandy beaches, the sunshine, the swimming, the snorkeling amongst the coral, fish, sting rays, sea turtles & barracuda (even though I didn't see them), the sea kayaking, and exploring the ruins, the spelunking with bats, seeing the animals, cats, snakes, dogs, monkeys, pigs, parrots, swimming in cenotes & brackish water, feeling the breeze, eating ceviche, tacos, enchiladas, chiles relleno, chips & salsa, guacamole, peppery Cheetos®, Oreos®, apple soda, fruit, slushies, pastries, reading 4 books in one week, dining at Mexican/Italian/Chinese restaurants, wathcing the sunrises, sunsets, walking, playing games, the evening rains, and the starry starry nights.

Mexico

Alas,

Anna, her parents, our friend Steve and I are all going to Mexico for a week. I've never been, so I'm really excited. And I believe we're staying here! Holy Crap that looks nice!

Hope it snows more while we're gone! (I want to be able to ski this winter!)

Be back on the 11th.
Bjorn

Further Recomendations

I mentioned Inkscape, a scalable vector graphics editor, in my last post, but I forgot about two other important open source apps: the first being Gimp®, a program that is supposed to replicate, if not replace both Adobe® Illustrator® and Photoshop®; the second being OpenOffice®, a competitor for Microsoft's® Office Suite®.

Has anybody tried these? Let me know if you have/do. I think I'll definitely try these guys first next time.... that is, whenever I can afford that Powerbook I've been drooling over for so long...

What I Recomend.

I read through McSweeney's Recommends yesterday and found it pretty entertaining (and sometimes informative). As a tribute to McSweeney's Recommends, here's a little list of my own, starting with I suppose:

- McSweeney's Recommends. A sometimes funny, sometimes informative list of pop/cultural/random things to try and/or see.

- The books in the Ender's Game series. I'm on a sci-fi kick right now, 2.5 books into Ender's story, and I recently found out that there are 4 more books to read in this [award winning] series by Orson Scott Card. Reading serialized books in general can be pretty awesome, because when you finish one book, and you wish that the story hadn't ended, you get to just pick up the next one, and BAM! you're right back in it.
Great light reading.

- Pickled Hearing. Traditional Scandinavian fish snack.

- Having 2 cats. I had my doubts too, but you were right Anna, you were right.

- Chino Latino. Huge portions, great food. Mexican/Asian cuisine seems like a weird combination, and I don't think I could order from both sides of the menu at once, but once that decision is made you can't go wrong. Go for happy hour.

- Lupe Fiasco. His new album Food and Liquor sounds like Big Rap (I'm trying to make a pun, like Big Tobacco, but it's a little weak), but Lupe's music is refreshingly devoid of songs about cars and bitches.

- Cherry Coke. The best soda pop that is found regularly at movie theaters and seldom anywhere else. Undecided as to whether or not the stuff they make with grenadine at restaurants is better, worse, or just completely different.

- Facebook. Ok, most of the people my age don't think that Facebook is very cool. It really hit a year or two after we graduated, it's social function is questionable (am I stalking?), although effective/addictive.... and there's no better way to find out what all of those people you kind of knew in high school are doing.

- The Original Cheezits. Far and away the best cheese flavored cracker. Don't give me any of that White Cheddar crap either.

- The Riverview Theater. I sing their praises all the time. Any budget theaters are good, really, but this one is the best I've been too in terms of atmosphere, concessions, movies, and establishment.

- 89.3 - The Current. I reflect often upon how spoiled I've become never listening to commercials on the radio. MPR's news station 91.1 is my second most listened to station. Yea, Public Radio!

- Netflix. Everybody knows about Netflix already, but for those of you who have it, think about how accustomed to this service you are. The best part is the nearly universal collection - I haven't found a movie yet that they don't have.

- Thom Yorke. I've only listened to his new CD once, and liked it, and the CD artwork is really cool, but mostly I just like his name. Thom Yorke.

- Blogging. It's so self-indulgent, I know. Just a bunch of friends linking to each other's blogsites and posting clever rebuts. But gosh it's fun. And honestly, it's really cool to keep up with what friends are doing around the city, state, country and world! Blogger makes it super easy to start, Wordpress allows for serious customization and website integration.

- Humidifiers. Here's to never waking up in the middle of the night with your mouth and nose all gross and dried up, your tongue feeling like leather and tasting ever worse, and having to go downstairs and drink a gallon of water just so you can breath again.

- Game nights. We need to start one of these this winter. Games to play: Blokus, Scoring Anagrams, Sequence,... Who's in?

- Fictional books about chess. Because you feel real smart when you read them. I've read The Emperor of Ocean Park and The Flanders Panel. Both were good page turners. I want to read The Defense and The Queen's Gambit. Any other suggestions?

- Ambigrams. A graphic that can be read as a word is more than one direction. The link shows some cool examples, and I've been working on some at whatmoves.com as well.

- Wikipedia. What the web was really meant for.

- Jeff Probst. Spent the holidays serving food at a soup kitchen with his girl friend who, incidentally, was a Survivor contestant in 2004. Go Jeff!

- Inkscape.org. Provides an Open Source (free) Vector Graphics Editor.

- Used Book Stores. Every time I go into one I think, "Why don't I do this more often?"

- The Craftsman. Gourmet dining on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. They have 'foragers' that literally hunt out the freshest in-season ingredients so their menu is in constant rotation. A little pricy, but they serve pizzas and burgers that are more affordable.

- The Internet Movie Database. '6 Degrees' has never been easier.

- Business Casual PLUS. I don't have a work situation where there are multiple levels of dress code, but I heard of this and thought it was pretty funny. Mostly I enjoy imagining the language that these employers use to distinguish the levels of dress.

- Calling ahead your order. Because lunch can take too long, sometimes.

-Deep Discount DVD. Similar pricing to Amazon (usually +/- a couple bucks), but no minimum order for free shipping. Really good monthly sales.

Whatmoves.

Wow. I spent nearly the whole weekend updating my Freelance/Portfolio website, www.whatmoves.com. I think this new "blog inspired" site will lead to a lot more creative energy, which I had recently deciced I was lacking a bit. Hopefully the site is better to navigate, and it should certainly be easier to update, with the added bonus of being able to do so anywhere, anytime (as long as I can find an internet connection).

My only fear now is that this site (my first blog!) gets ignored. My art/design channel will be at Whatmoves and my new film channel is Film Club... I guess I'm just feeling a little dispursed.

My intention with these sites is to help clarify and direct my thoughts, so we'll see what happens.

Thanks for the comments.

Just another reason...

As some of you may already know, my wife Anna and I host a Thursday Night Dinner party that has it's roots in our formerly separate celebrations of the popular reality TV show Survivor. I must say that there have been a number of changes since those first dorm room Survivor parties hosted by yours truly, and most of them for the better. What should be understood first, however, is that the gatherings have never been about the show(s). Instead the shows have been about gathering.

One of the major changes (improvements) of the Survivor Parties has been the inclusion of the pre-viewing dinner (hence the current title of these events). What better way is there to watch starving people compete in the wilderness than stuffed on our couch? The meals have varied widely, and we generally try to rotate who's turn it is to supply dinner. We've gathered around everything from frozen pizzas and burgers to steak and even pan seared scallops.

Another major change to our Thursday night line-up was the addition of the quasi/anti-reality TV show, The OC. I'm not sure exactly how this program was added to the mix, but I can tell you why (and why not). Primarily, we needed to extend the evening. An hour for dinner and an hour for social viewing afterwards was not enough. And of all of the shows from Thursday nights that we chose to embrace, we chose The OC. Clearly now, by not choosing say, The Office or Grey's, this should tell you what our Thursday nights are all about. We wouldn't want to all be so captured by the programs that we were watching to not notice each other's company! We want tasteless, trash talkin', totally 'terrible' TV. That's the kind of people we are, and that's the kind of spirit we like to evoke in one another. Call it a release; call it an escape; we call it Thursday Nights. And we love it.

And maybe it's a weakness of our generation that we need an excuse like a televsion show to congregate. But then I liken it to a poker game, a sewing club, or any other routinely occuring rituals of previous generations. Furthermore, it's not that we can't stimulate our own discussions (look at me go!); it's not that we don't have anything better to do (Could it be that we have too much to do?). I think it's that there's a huge difference between seeing your friends when you see them and having a weekly social ritual with them. It becomes important of it's own worth. A TV show, a game night (which we will probably have on Thursdays in our Survivor/OC off season), whatever - having a regularly scheduled evening with friends can be priceless.

So, the real reason behind this post? I didn't intend to make any kind of social statement when I started writing "Just another reason...", but more of an anouncement...

Last night, my friends, we found out that Kevin Sorbo will be playing a character on The OC! The official fansite www.kevinsorbo.net confirms that the legandary TV star will be making his enormous presence felt on 5 of the next episodes this season! HOW LUCKY ARE WE?!


Very.


The OC airs on FOX at 8pm (CN). Let us bask in the gloriousness of Sobro's light.

Film Club

I've started a Film Club, headquartered at filmclubmn.blogspot.com. Each month one of the Club's members will select a film for us all to watch, discuss, and post our thoughts on. We might have a screening as early as the week of the 17th-23rd, this month! So keep checking Film Club's site!

Thanks.

I have to see a movie this weekend. (Oh, and you should also try to.)

It looks like the holiday movie season has climaxed. I can't see movie-goers having more or better options in the next month or so.

What I have to see: these are movies that I know I will like before seeing them. It's just a matter of finding the time to go out and enjoy myself.
For Your Consideration - Christopher Guest's latest, with the regular cast (from Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind), this time playing the hopeful (if naive) cast of a film awaiting the possible?, probable?, and then likely!? Oscar nominations.
Stranger Than Fiction - I heard Farrell pulls off the transition to drama as well as Jim Carrey did with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Good peer reviews have kept my interest alive in this one (I had my doubts from the previews, but have been reminded how skewed they can be).

What I want to see, eventually:
Bobby - Written and Directed by Emilio Estavez. Enough said. Just kidding. Sort of.
Deja Vu - If nothing else, a good excuse to eat popcorn.
Fast Food Nation - I was surprised, and then impressed that Linklater was hired to fictionalize this book instead of letting it going the shock-you-mentary route.
Sweetland - My mom said it was good.
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny - Eh, maybe not as good of an excuse to eat popcorn, but Black promises laughs. Good afternoon with the dudes movie.
The Queen - I've heard only good things about this film that humanizes the Royal Family and gives a less tabloid-inclined picture of these usually ordinary people. Plus director Steven Frears has impressed me in the past (Dirty Pretty Things, My Beautiful Laundrette).

And, Flags of our Fathers and Little Miss Sunshine are still playing at Riverview...

There's a lot out there people.

What I have seen recently:
Babel - Would-be-great-movie. Definitely still worth seeing. I just need this question answered: Is the failure to communicate everything at the end of the film completely intentional? Or are they letting you make the final point/connections because they couldn't (skillfully, easily) bring it all togther in the end?
Casino Royale - Did they modernize this story solely for better product placement? That bugged me. Otherwise the film went along with my Bond movie expectations.

*BONUS - Mini Review*
The Fountain - I was nervous before seeing this one, for Aronofsky (the film's director, see also Pi and Requiem for a Dream). That sounds funny, but I really didn't want this director to blow his first 'big budget' on a big budget kind of movie, if you know what I mean.

Selling out, or crowd pleasing, might be what I mean...

But he didn't. When I walked out of the theatre it was obvious to me that Aronofsky made exactly the film he wanted to make. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

From the sounds of it, however, I might be taking a defensive stance when I say how good this film is. The reviews I've seen of The Fountain have gone as low as half a star out of four! Some reviews are better, and some are great, and some critics merely defend the film, as I am, but seriously, half a star!? I generally hesitate to make judgements of people that I don't know, but I think that this film either went completely over the heads of some of these critics, or maybe (I'll be gracious) they just missed the point.

Ok, the plot is a little hard to follow, and even though I don't mind working a little bit when I watch a movie, maybe it all could have been made clearer - but I feel like I still only say that to satiate the remarks of some of these critics. They try to excuse the film, calling it ambitious (at best), but at no point did I feel like Aronofsky was trying to accomplish too much, or that he just had too many ideas for one film... It felt more to me like he really launched himself at this project with all of his energy - the result being that the audience gets sucked in to the whirlwind of fantastic imagery and storytelling that is Aronofsky's mind. If you just allow yourself to go along for the ride, amidst whatever confusion you my have early on, you are rewarded by the end with the kind of euphoric energy that the film's main character also experiences at the film's conclusion.

So go see The Fountain. You might like it.

8 Concerts That Will Help You Identify With Me Musically.

Thus far I have posted about Ultimate, film, politics, games, cereal, and a bit about my personal life in an effort to internally and externally promote and extend thoughts and opinions. You can expect to read a lot more of my thoughts concerning both Ultimate and film, and some more political debates will surely arise... But there are some areas that I haven't gone into, or haven't gone into as much as I'd like, including my personal life, fine art & design, and music.

So in the hopes of giving a more well-rounded impression of myself... MUSIC!

The music that people listen to can sometimes be a strong attractive/repellent force as well as a foundational element in forming or formed relationships. Here are some concerts that stand out in my mind as either having some personal/relationship type significance and/or musical/taste type significance in my short and limited history of concert-going.
*I should stress here that I DO NOT go to a lot of shows, although that being said, I go to as many as I really want to... The concert experience, which for some people is an almost necessary element to their appreciation of a band, has both its ups and down for me. As you will read below, the concerts that I've enjoyed the most have elevated my and expanded my musical consciousness, but for me, blasting a new CD alone in my van can be just as profound. (I really have a thing for highly produced and edited sound that my stereo can, and most shows can't deliver; CDs are cheaper than most shows; and I don't become the jaded-stoic-guy-in-the-back-of-the-club-who-is-glaring-at-all-of-the-kids-that are-ruining-his-experience-guy when I'm in my van. Then again, it is the memories of these shows that are driving this post... i.e.- the following isn't a list of top Alone in my Van CD Sessions... but that could be a good list too...

Anyways...

Chronologically,
1. Frank Black - Cedarfest (Minneapolis, MN) - August 20, 1996
I was a music snob in junior high. I would not listen to the hits stations, I scoffed at the general public's tastes. This was all largely due to my friendship with next door neighbor Andy Clayton, and his seemingly tireless interest, strong opinions and endless knowledge of everything to do with music. (About Andy: Andy has an older brother (knowledge/interest source?). Currently Andy is one of the founders of the band The Dad In Common.) At that age I was very receptive to the counter-culture attitude, and as it turns out, the music. It was with Andy that I went to Cedarfest to see Frank Black, and because of my considerable lack of knowledge in Music History I became probably one of the only Black fans to not know anything about a little band called The Pixies. But I have always been good at knowing pretty quickly when I like music that I hear, and I really liked what I heard that day. Other memorable moments: making protest signs and booing the Honeydogs as they played on the stage that Black was to perform on next; skanking (ska dancing) at one of the smaller side stages.

2. The Aquabats - The Quest (Minneapolis, MN) - Highschool.
Quirky/comedic, high-tempo, funky combat Ska. The show was theatrical, the music was all about energy, and that's what I wanted. I was pretty much straight edge at this point (what I did know of the movement, I agreed with, although I never identified myself as such), but this music and these concerts would give off a contact energy high. Ska was a gateway to Punk, which was a gateway to some of the bands I listen to today. (Bad Religion, Fugazi, even System of a Down, and occasionally *groups like* Mudvayne. Don't see a connection? Well, too bad. I do.)

3. Atmosphere, with Heiruspecs, Mr. Dibbs, and Borhter Ali - UW-Stout (Menomonie, WI) - Early college. Were all of these acts really there that night? How lucky were were to have driven there, without tickets, to wait around hoping either to find a scalper or that they would open up another block to sell at the door (which they did end up doing)?! I owe a lot to Atmosphere. I can't remember what got me listening to rap and hip-hop (Who turned me on to Digable Planets?), but it was Atmosphere and groups like them that kept me listening. In high school and into college I worked with a guy named Mike Gordon who went to Stout and we often talked about who we were listening to in the underground hip-hop scene. We met up at this show with some of my other friends from Eau Claire for what was many of our first live tastes of Rhymesayers Entertainment (a Minneapolis based label). This show was also my introduction to Heiruspecs, who ended up coming to Eau Claire a number of times afterwards (which was always a refreshing show to attend in a smallish Wisconsin city).

4. Wilco, The Bad Plus and Fog - ROCK THE GARDEN (Minneapolis) - June 13, 2003 Wilco was great, the venue was awesome, they had a corn dog vendor, and Tim and I saw a strange mingling of people from our past at this show. Also, this was the first time, and the only time since, that I got to see The Bad Plus. Also also, Dave King, The Bad Plus' percussionist, is one of my favorite musicians of all time. (You can also, as I have, see Dave King play in any of the following bands: Happy Apple, Halloween Alaska, Love Cars...) Also also also, see #8.

5. A Tribe Called Quest - Carleton College (Northfield, MN) - During college. Getting to see a hip-hop icon at an outdoor, festival-type show on a beautiful summer day in southern Minnesota - and for FREE! - unbelievable. The crowd was loud and excited, and ATCQ only got us going more. Thank you students of Carleton for paying your hefty tuition so this concert could happen, but not paying enough that there could be adequate security to check everyone's student IDs.

6. Sage Francis - House of Rock (Eau Claire, WI) - September 8, 2004 Again, pretty incredible that this concert happened in the Midwest outside of the Twin Cities, Madison or Chicago... A slam poet/rapper from New York shows up in Eau Claire, fills a club to over-capacity and nearly blows the roof off the place. My senior year college roommate Mario opened my eyes (at least wider) to Slam Poetry (he competed locally), and although I had heard some recordings of artists like Sage Francis and Saul Williams previous to that year, I'd never been to a 'Slam', or really listened with any frequency to these urban poets working so wizardly their wordly wars. My exposure to this art form couldn't have come at a better time. I was primed to see this Slam hero.

7. Beck - Roy Wilkens Auditorium (St. Paul, MN) - September 19, 2005 A dream come true, really. Beck was on my list of bands that I actually did feel the NEED to see at some point in my life. Beck did not disappoint, but I'd love to see him in a slightly more intimate setting. (Not really possible? Although outdoors may seem more intimate with the same number of people... see Special Topics below *sour grapes*.) In fact, I think that this was my first stadium-sized show, and I'm not very excited to attend another one (it would have to be a band of Beck-epic proportions).

8. Happy Apple - My Wedding - August 25, 2006. Months and months before my wedding I was doing the band booking thing. Änna and I wanted a small jazz group to play and I didn't really know where to start looking. I looked into the guys that play at The Artists' Quarter (we were familiar with them from the Tuesday Night Jazz that they put on) and ended up finding a contact of a contact of a contact to play at our wedding. During that time I had also sent out an "It never hurts to ask" sort of email to Happy Apple. This is a group I've seen a number of times around the Twin Cities and Eau Claire - a group that has national recognition - a group whose members have been described as saviors of jazz... and a couple weeks before the wedding I get an email from Dave King apologizing for not getting to us sooner, etc, and that they would do the job if still available. I was floored! First if all to just be getting an email from Dave King (I'm a dork) and second of all that Happy Apple might play at our wedding! I did have the moral dilemma of canceling on the other group without much notice... but I got over that pretty quick, canceled, and shore up things with Mr. King the next day. And Happy Apple played at our wedding. The End.

Special Topics:
1. The only concert to-date that I wish I could have/would have been at...
Neil Young and Beck (and others) at Horde Fest. But alas, I was destined to be aboard a sailboat in the middle of Lake Superior on that day... And it's not that I wanted to back out of the 2 week sailing excursion when I heard of this festival, but damn, it doesn't get much better (and I was way more crazy about those two back then, before my mind was polluted by all of this hip hop jibber jab...

2. Bands that I would go to see with you right now if you invited me:
Blackalicious, Aesop Rock, Snow Patrol, The Streets, The Gorillas, Bad Religion...

Q: Has this man made the funniest movie ever?

A: No.

It was pretty good though.

And considering that this film was even more hyped than the last ginormously anticipated comedy, 2004's Napoleon Dynamite, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is still able to deliver some original, unexpected, laugh-out-loud moments. But lots of movies do that... so what makes this one so hugely successful (even if not 'the funniest')?

*Note* Other movies have gone here before. In fact, any of the jokes or stunts could be found in: a film by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut [1999], Team America: World Police [2004]), or either one of the Jackass movies. I might also add that you could find the uber-revealing, common-conservative-dissecting interviews found in Borat in any of Michael Moore's films, but having already referenced him in one of my previous entries I will abstain to keep you from thinking I'm partial to left wing loonies...

What Borat has over others like it is a classic Hollywood foundation in a character, a goal-oriented hero character even, who we get to follow on mission that's chronological, with cause and effect events that change said hero along the way. The Jackass pranksters don't have the central, developed character, or the story that leads from one scene to the next. The South Park/Team America movies do have this, but I think I realized this weekend how much their medium is affecting them. It's not a medium that the general public respects.

A friend asked me how Borat was after I had seen it Saturday night. I told them it was much like a South Park episode. She asked me next, "Well, but is it better because it's not animated?" I had no response. For me, there was no judgement to make between two films if the qualifying difference is animated vs. non-animated. But then I thought about it and I started to understand the question more (and more, I'm sure than the asker intended).

The creators of South Park do have a lot of my respect. They address more issues with that show than they are given credit for. Because their shows are animated, they do a lot more than would be possible, both physically and economically in a live action show/movie, and they can get away with a lot more socially and politically as well. Even after shows like The Simpsons, The Family Guy, Futurama, Beavis and Butthead, Drawn Together, etc., the cartoon medium still carries with it some sort of child-like innocence, and isn't judged seriously as a result (...and is allowed to be aired by major networks... Can you imagine seeing the spousal and child abuse (just one example) found in these shows to be allowed on camera [live action show], let alone in prime time?). This loose judgement can, of course, be a double edged sword. A risk of using a cartoon to make cultural statements is that your messages will be passed off as trivial (as is your medium). An animated feature can go further over the line than its live action equivalent, but there are still things that are being said by these 'adult cartoons' that could be appreciated by a larger audience. It might even be that the cartoon medium is a crutch for these popular film and TV writers. They can always fall back on their medium/genre and say, "We're only joking!" if they purportedly go too far.
I have supposed that the comedy genre suffers generally (not just with animations) from its apparently inherent triviality, but there has to be a compromise somewhere (between content and entertainment) to get people into the theatres.

Get people into the theaters, Borat did. As Borat, Sacha Cohen brought together the documentary/mockumentary interview aspects, the crazy stunts/pranks, as well as the social/political demi-objectives of films in the same vein, along with a central character (with goals) and a story/plot (in which he challenged/reevaluated those goals) that the audience could relate to. As for the messages carried by this film, it's up to the masses of people that saw Borat to decide how much of this comedy is just a joke.

I'm definitely out of gas on this one, but I thought it would be terribly appropriate to end the post with a cartoon. Enjoy.




Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan gets 3/5 stars.

IRV - Instant Runoff Voting!

I just wanted to re-post a website that I think deserves more prominence...
http://www.betterballotcampaign.org/

Check it out.

Thanks Dave for the comment(s), and thanks Tom for bringing more to light.

Bjorn

Voting, Independently.

The results are in. The Democrats have control of the House, the Senate is in the balance. All in all, an exciting Election Day.

I don't consider myself very political. I don't keep up with many of the issues and decisions that are made by my local and/or national representatives. I made my choices yesterday based on some light research and an MPR survey. Where I didn't know who the candidates were, I voted Democrat. In only one race did I make a vote that I had mixed feelings about, and that was the Governor's race. And this morning I find out that with much of the nation swinging to the left, Tim Pawlenty(R) remains in office in Minnesota.

The Results ........................................... Votes ..... Percent
(DFL) Mike Hatch and Judi Dutcher --------- 1,007,100_45.7%
(R) -- Tim Pawlenty and Carol Molnau ------- 1,029,186_46.7%
(IP) - Peter Hutchinson and Maureen Reed -- 141,656___6.4%
(GP)- Ken Pentel and Danene Provencher ---- 10,853____0.5%

I'm not surprised. And I don't think that I'm really that disappointed. But Pawlenty's election does seem to remind me of our last Presidential election a bit (and maybe the one before as well), although this time things are less severe (smaller race, less contrast between candidates, no popular vote vs. electoral debate...). Regardless, and just as in the '04 election, this Governor's race put me into the (now) familiar situation of having to choose between the candidate that would ideally serve me best and the candidate that would realistically serve the public.

After voting yesterday I take an emotional/moral/personal inventory, in regards to voting.
-Part of me just feels good for voting. I did a good thing.
-Part of me is panicked over me not eating enough for breakfast because I had to get up early to vote.
-Part of me was happy to see the voting line so long.
-Part of me is happy that I'm missing 5 minutes of work because the voting line was so long.
- Then, part of me thinks: "I should have voted for Peter Hutchinson, but I pussed out and voted for the candidate best equipped to take out the Republican incumbent!"

Why did I?

And why have I done this in the past?

I find myself pressured, by myself and by others, to vote for the candidates, and not the parties. I do believe that two parties is often too few to effectively represent the opinions of everyone. But like any issue, it's important that breaking up the two party system doesn't become an overwhelming factor in a person's voting record. And guess by now it's obvious that I think this might be happening a bit with voters on the left.

We liberals are disadvantaged at the moment seeing as how the 3rd and 4th party candidates usually (or in MN?) have platforms that more closely align with the Democrats. (And I can see how the elected Republicans would benefit from more '3rd Party' voters in the same vein they're in now.) Or put it this way, if this actually were a strict two party system the last couple major elections would have gone differently, to say the least.

So are liberals really benefiting, in this day and age, from this idealistic kind of voting (voting for candidates who don't really have a shot)?

I'm not sure.

My doubts about all of this started when I started thinking about voting and politics in terms of what it was achieving for 'the greater good'. So, what does aligning oneself with a '3rd Party' achieve for the greater good? It can increase awareness on issues at an increasing rate, as long as that party stays out of obscurity. The Green Party definitely has brought a lot to the table, and has challenged the major candidates to address issues that they would have otherwise ignored. But couldn't a lot of that be done by environmental and social groups if we first had a group in office that was receptive to those kinds of issues?

My opinion is that more of what the Independent or Green Party wants to accomplish could be done more quickly if Democrats were kept in office. On the one hand, it could seem like these '3rd Parties' were settling for something that they don't want less instead of getting exactly what they want. But I think it could also be seen as a step forward. In the eyes of Green/Independent Party members couldn't they be supporting their issues and their people, if not their parties, by supporting the more-liberal candidates?

I know that: 1. I must be under-educated on the contributions of the Green and Independent Parties in their current forms, and that's why I cant see the value of their perennial involvement as opposed to their possible supporting role. But hey! If I'm still under-educated about their roles and causes, maybe that's another indication that they're not doing enough. 2. Ok, yeah, I like to play the Devil's Advocate, and not only in public, but with myself to see how I really feel about things. I know that I have more to learn here, but I think that's saying more than some people on both sides of this issue. The case isn't that we absolutely need more or less parties, it's that if we liberal minded folk want to see more go our way in the future, we have to know how to win races. In a close race, nearing the finish line, and when that race is clearly between a strong number 1 and 2, that might mean shifting priorities and having numbers 3 and 4 pass off their water bottles to number 1 so he/she can win the race, remembering all along that 3 and 4 helped him/her get there.

What do you think?

Volcanos, asteroids, drug trafficing, talking fish, Truman Capote, magicians...

See a pattern? No?

Does this help?
...
Dante's Peak(1997) vs. Volcano(1997)
Deep Impact(1998) vs. Armageddon(1998)
Traffic(2000) vs. Blow(2001)
Finding Nemo(2003) vs. Shark Tale(2004)
Capote(2005) vs. Infamous(2006)
The Illusionist(2006) vs. The Prestige(2006)
...
(Can you think of any more? Add to the list by commenting!)

With The Prestige, Hollywood doubles up again! Two movies, one theme. It's become standard practice in the film industry, right up there with sequels, prequels, trilogies, and adapted screenplays... Anything, I guess, to avoid original creativity in the fight for the top box office draws. And while I do really believe that this trend is less about filmmaker one-ups-man-ships, "I can make a better magician film than you!", and more about going with what's HOT, or what promises surefire success, Hollywood's dualities do allow for (beg for!? - you have to see both to know!) interesting comparisons when we consider things like era and casting choices, to the overall moods and messages of the films made.

Enough about that for now, because this entry was intended to be mostly about The Prestige/Illusionist combo of 2006, as I was just able to see The Prestige over the weekend.

First off, and to get it out of the way, I prefered The Illusionist between the two, although really thinking about it, a better or worse verdict isn't what I'm going for. Both of these movies are worth seeing. Hmm...
-Maybe it's just my man crush on Edward Norton that made The Illusionist stand out for me, but probably not, because both casts were chock-full of actors and actresses that I enjoy, and some of the supporting roles in The Prestige were actually played a bit better.
-Another possible bias: I tend to appreciate slower, more methodical movies more when compared to intense, time-shifting, jump-cutting films like Nolan's. Don't get me wrong! I loved Memento, and I liked Batman Begins and The Prestige as well, and OK, The Illusionist wasn't exactly slow, but I think when you look at all of these films, the most successful ones have a pace that is a direct and intentional part of the plot, and The Illusionist's pace just did more for the telling of it's story.

An admittance. I did think that The Illusionist could have ended about 10 minutes earlier than it did. A weakness in this film is that it doesn't trust it's audience. The film fades to black and I assume most would be content with that being THE END (albiet a mysterious and unresolved ending. But wait, that's perfect for this movie, right?), only to come back in (at least twice) to further explain away the mystery.
But if I can be so bold as to mostly ignore those last ten minutes, I'll say that the build up, and build back down from the film's climax was perfectly in tune with the era, and the not-angry, but worldy-mysterious, and somber Eisenheim (Norton). The absolutely angry tone of Jackman and Bale's characters definitely called for something more severe, which they found in director Nolan, whose pacing served the decidedly darker of these two films.

A reason to like The Prestige: the dark and complex but still well played out metaphors. The sacrifices made by the magicians in The Prestige only get more and more pronounced as their tricks get more amazing (birds, fingers, family and then?!). Before long Jackman's character is sacrificing more than he can comprehend -- he becomes the bird in the cage -- or at least he is just 1/100th of the person he used to be, whereas Bale's character retains half of who he was in his partner/twin. (You'll have to see the movie for that one to make sense.)

A likeness between these two films is how they ask us to consider the difference between illusion and magic. I loved the inclusion of Tesla in The Prestige. Better yet, they got David Bowie to play him! Incredible. That alone is worth going to see.
Bowie as Tesla

Maybe the reason I ended up enjoying The Illusionist a little more was in this last point (Illusion vs. Magic)... and how Norton's character transcended from being an Illusionist to a Wizard(?) or a 'Real' Magician... It was nice how director Neil Burger just lets us believe this (or not) after Norton sells it so well with his performance. It's a fantastic proposition, and we're apt to be critical of how exactly Norton and Biel's characters get away with it all, but just like the Ghost Trick is never truly explained, we are asked to decide whether or not we believe in the extra-ordinary possibilities.

Both movies get a 4 out of 5.
(On the Netflix rating scale: 1 = Hated it, 2 = Didn't Like It, 3 = Liked It, 4 = Really Liked It, 5 = Loved It)

Happy Halloween

Well, the Trick-Or-Treat-ers were out in full force in our neighborhood last night. We surpassed the 4 kids we had come to our door last year with maybe 8 this year. I barely had time to sit down between door bell rings. The kids loved us though. Not only did we have the best variety of candy this year, but we were handing out the new "Fun Size" being marketed by the major brands.



And they're right. That is more fun.