106 Books

H/T to Minstrel Boy for this meme... Ok, so you take this list of 106 books and bold what you've read, italicize what you've partially read. (I seem to have a lot of those, I keep promising a post about books I just can't seem to make it through....)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Anna Karenina Crime and Punishment
Catch-22 One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion Life of Pi : a novel The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses - This Year!! I promise!
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife - It's been on my shelf for months!
The Iliad
Emma The Blind Assassin The Kite Runner Mrs. Dalloway Great Expectations American Gods A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Atlas Shrugged Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Memoirs of a Geisha Middlesex Quicksilver Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West The Canterbury tales The Historian : a novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : a novel
1984
Angels & Demons The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon Neverwhere A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed Cloud Atlas The Confusion Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences White Teeth (own but haven't gotten to this one yet) Treasure Island David Copperfield The Three Musketeers

This Is Not a Paid Endorsement……

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Houston Hot Sauce Festival. There was food, music, and of course, all things hot and spicy.

There were quite a few salsas and hot sauces that stood out, but the vast majority of the show was sweet treatments, pepper jellies and such. Some of these were good. In fact, I even bought a few items that I liked. That being said, I expected many, many more salsas and actual hot sauces. I guess even in our spicy foods Americans sweet tooth will not be denied.

So, with all my bitching about sweets, what product did I leave there raving about?

Joy Peppers!

Oh my FSM are these good!!!

Do you know what bread and butter pickles are? They are sweet, but interesting with spices and onion in them. Well, these are jalapenos pickled as you would a bread and butter pickle. I can see I will need another jar quite soon.

My favorite Hot Sauce of the day was B.J.’s High Tech Pepper Sauce. Unfortunately, the website doesn't seem to be working and it is a local product. Sucks for you, because this is a habenero sauce that is hot, ok very hot, but not melt the back of your throat stupid hot, that is absolutely delicious! It has a mild vinegar bite, but it’s backed up with a very exotic flavor, almost fruitiness. Wicked Good!!

I Love This Site

So, I guess there is hope ....

Which Candidate Is Your Best Match?

This is cool.

You take a quiz on all of the major issues, and it matches you to a candidate.

I was a 91.4% match with:

Dennis Kucinich


Tell me who you matched up with.

The Unfortunate Update

Where do I begin?

I knew better, I knew who she was, I knew how it would end, but I foolishly hoped otherwise.

I had no reason to believe it would end otherwise except her word and my hope. In the end, neither was enough to stem the inevitable.

The kids are good, cross-country season and football season keep us very busy.

We have straight A’s (even in French!), we have cross country medals and only one defeat in football. It is still way too damn hot, even this late in the year and my friends still love me.

I must remember that whether or not I have a girlfriend, fiancé or wife has nothing to do with what kind of person I am, what kind of Father I am, or my worth as a human being.

It’s just hard some days. Loneliness is a bitter, bitter pill.

Thank you all for taking the edge off of that loneliness.

It’s good to be back. I will be updating regularly again.

I’ve missed you all.

bsr

Note To Self:

Just because you desperately want someone to be sane doesn't mean they ever will be.

Remember that, it will save you a lot of anguish.

To Him, Silence Was Golden

The world lost a true Artist today.

Marcel Marceau passed away today.

I was lucky enough to see him on stage when I was in high school. It was probably the fall of 1978, my Junior year. I have never looked at Stage Movement the same way since. I learned more about acting and stage presence that night than I ever have since, and he never uttered a word.

A master, indeed.

Rest in Peace Marcel, and thank you.

bsr

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day

Argggghhhh!

Things are going pretty well. I will try to give you an update soon.

Meanwhile This bummed me out a great deal. Not only for the loss of a great mind, but I have devoted 17 years of my life to The Wheel Of Time.


I visited this recently and I was humbled and awed.

Treat others well, and I'll try to stay in touch.

bsr

I'm Still Here

I am still doing well.

I am hopeful and happy. I am using pretty much every bit of my energy to rebuild this relationship.

Thank you all for tuning in.

Where have I been?

I realize I disappeared without a trace recently.

I am devoting all of my time and energy to rebuilding a relationship. In the end, that is what I need. I will try from time to time to at least post about my state of well (or not) being. At present, I am happy, and more optimistic than I have ever been.

To those who come here, I thank you.

Attack of the Venomous Puss..

..Caterpillar that is.

My little part of the world spent the entire month of June and the first week of July under clouds, gloom and rain, lots and lots of rain. As a result, my yard is in terrible shape. The garden is ruined, the herb garden drowned, and the grass is either eaten up with fungus ( in some spots), or needing a baler (in other spots).

Bottom line; I didn't get out into the yard much in the last 6 weeks or so.

As I was inspecting the damage this week, I noticed that my loquat tree was being eaten by something. Loquat leaves are pretty dense, I couldn't imagine what might be eating it. Well, I wasn't expecting what I found.

This:



That dear friends is the dreaded Puss Caterpillar. In Texas, it is more commonly called an asp. It is highly venomous and it's sting is generally considered about as bad as it gets. My only childhood trip to a hospital was because of one of these.

I saw those two right away. I cut off the leaf they were on, wrapped them in a plastic bag, and stomped them.

Then I saw another one.





So far, I have found 9 of them on the tree. That is a lot. One is too many. These are nasty, nasty little creatures.

Anyone else ever come across these?

McCain's Florida Chair Busted!

John McCain's Florida Co--chair, Rep. Bob Allen was arrested yesterday.

For Solicitation of prostitution.

That is, he offered to give an undercover cop a blow job for 20 bucks. (which, BTW seems like a bargain compared to the 300 Vitter had to pay in New Orleans)

Wouldn't both campaigns be in better shape if Allen had just blew (blown ?) Vitter?

I'm just sayin......

I'm Still Here

Well, barely.

It comes in waves. I will never understand how it is that I am intelligent enough to see it (depression) for what it is, yet I am powerless to just will it away.

The kids are back, or it would be worse. I have to cook the food and clean the clothes and do the dishes. It forces me to move. My tendency would be to come home from work and curl up in the fetal position until the next day.

At least the sun came out yesterday.

I will give you more detail soon.


oh, and BTW - Attention all foodies. You must go see Ratatouille.



k

Happy Independence Day - UPDATED !!**

I hope the weather is perfect, the grill is hot, and the beverages are cold wherever you are today.

I wish our country truly represented the beliefs laid forth in the Declaration of Independence, but we can still dream of a time for our children that it may become so.

Happy Independence day.

(Emphasis mine, ....duh!)

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

**— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

---

If Konagod Had a Sailboat

This would be her name.

If you can't read it click the picture.

Where I've Been

Sorry about the lack of post lately. Usually, when I haven’t posted in a while it’s because I’m depressed.

This time, that’s only partially true.

The anniversary of our first real vacation together just passed. The last couple of days have been a little rough. I still miss her, I still want her.

Mostly though, I have just been really busy. I spent most of last weekend out of town and away from any internet connection. Monday, I had to go out of town for work, and it turned out to be a 16 hour day. What would normally be a 3 hour drive home from my meeting, turned into a 4 ½ hour quest to find a road that wasn’t closed due to flooding.

Yesterday, I came down with a chest cold.

Work sucks.

The kids are still at their mother’s.

The last day it didn’t rain was about 20 days ago by my count. My yard is flooded, My grass is long enough to bail, and the cat and dog are stuck in the house and driving me crazy.

The One Where I Might Piss Some Of My Readers

I want to do a review of the film I saw last night.

I liked it.

It made me think.

It made me appreciate the relationship I recently got out of.

Yes, it is potentially misogynist, and a couple of reviewers thought so. I didn't interpret it that way at all. Just the opposite.

The acting was lights out phenomenal.

Samuel L. (Mother-Fucking) Jackson

Christina Ricci

Justin Timberlake - Ok, I can't stand him, but he was actually pretty good.

John Cothran Jr. (He was great!)

The soundtrack was so good I will probably buy it.


Ok - shit, ... here goes:

Black Snake Moan was a kick ass movie with an excellent theme of redemption and forgiveness.

It was told in an in your face southern, sultry and salacious manner, and frankly, that's what made it work.

Samuel L and Christina were lights out fantastic.

So, talk to me. Anyone see it? What did you think?

I really want to know.

Fuck! I Need A Drink

I had a shitty, shitty day.

It started out bad.

I was tired, I stayed up way past my bedtime to watch a movie, then I went home and had to watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. (Thank you DVR) As a result, I was dog ass tired this morning.

The movie was excellent, but it really put me in a "damn I miss Rene', maybe we could have worked things out mood." (But that's another post.)

Then at work, all hell broke loose today.

Let me explain.

I work for a relatively small Engineering company. I have one client that is pretty much mine alone. When i don't have anything to do for that client, I fill in on smaller jobs for other clients.

I turned in (to my main client) the project from hell about three weeks ago.

Done.

Or so I thought.

Long story short - Let's do the front end loading that we should have done in January today.

Today. Three weeks after I closed the job out. the client wants to rethink basic design decisions that should have been decided before I ever received a scope.

Of course, at this point the client doesn't understand that this is outside the scope of the original job and will cost more.

Add to that, I picked up a couple of jobs for another client this week, thinking I was finished with that project.

By the end of next week, I have to deliver three projects and I will be out of the office Monday and Wednesday. That means Thursday will suck.

On top of that, the ex called today and wants to keep the kids until Thursday. (I was supposed to get them Sunday). I didn't have a compelling reason to tell her no, other than that now, my holiday is fucked up. So, I have to drive for four fucking hours Thursday after work, and still be in the office Friday morning.

I am going to have that drink now.

I wanted a Manhattan, but I'm out of Maker's Mark.

Scotch it is.

Why Does This Happen?

This ABC News article not only shocked me, it made me nauseated. I actually had to go wash my face and drink some water after reading it.

From the article:

According to a number of studies, homicide is one of the leading causes of death for pregnant women in the United States. Studies in Maryland, New York and Chicago determined that about 20 percent of women who die during pregnancy are murder victims.

You read that right, the number one killer of pregnant women in America is homicide. It goes on to say the killer is almost always the father of the child.

My regular readers know I ended an unhealthy relationship earlier this year. I still love her, and had she ever been carrying my child I would have been elated beyond words. I can't fathom this. I know that violence against women is an often shamefully unreported issue in America. But this, this truly sickens me. To think of a man killing the woman he loves and his own child is just beyond my ability to comprehend.

The women the article points out are all white. I wonder how the actual numbers break down; is this a white phenomenon, or is the media just typically covering it in the "missing white woman syndrome" way. I suspect, as with serial murders, it is more prevalent in white men.

I thought I had a lot to say about this, but words fail me. They seem very inadequate.

Mmmmm, Vegetables ......

I love the Farmer’s Market. This time of year it is an explosion of color, textures, and smells.

This weekend, Brave Sir Robin went to Houston to visit some friends. Saturday morning, we got up early and drove over to the Farmer’s Market in The Heights. It is an amazing area, almost all of the produce passing through town, and really, the entire region pass through this several block area. There are hundreds of mom and pop produce distributors and vendors in about a 5 to 6 block area. Dotted along the way are Mexican bakeries offering Pan Dulce, Bollitos, and (are you listening Anne?) Tres Leches cake.

We filled the car with crates of collards, lettuce, cucumbers, chiles, tomatoes, okra, sweet corn, melons, cherries, onions, green beans, papaya, apricots, strawberries and blueberries. The fragrance filled the entire car with the smell of an orchard, fully ripe and ready to be picked. We took our bounty back to their place and prepared an awesome dinner.

We had sliced heirloom tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, basil, salt and pepper.

There was a cucumber and purple onion salad,

fresh collard greens,

maque choux, stewed okra, and medallions of pork tenderloin with a little Marsala reduction.

Dessert was an apricot and cherry tart with an almond crust.
(I forgot to take a picture of the tart.)

Add a pitcher (or two) of sangria and dinner is served.

Random Flickr Blogging IMG_6327

Random Flickr blogging explained.

As Akee and several hundred fans soon discovered, Alli wasn't the best weight loss choice for a Sumo wrestler.




Pizza, French Fry ....Pizza, French Fry ......Pizza, French fry

Haaa, you said COCK!!!!!!

Click on the photos to see the original posting.

Don't Even Think About It

Yes, I am a Liberal!! Proudly, unabashedly Liberal. I believe it is the Government's responsibility to protect its citizens from the ravages of capitalism run amok.

I abhor the two party system, because our "winner take all" system has damn near destroyed our constitution. I am extremely disappointed in the Democrats. Make no mistake, they were given a mandate last November and they have not followed the wishes of the majority that put them there. I would cherish the opportunity to have a viable third (or fourth and fifth) party.

All of that being said. I am vehemently opposed to this; Ralph Nader may be running again. He has no chance of winning, he knows this, yet his narcissistic urges won't let him stay out. This is disappointing. Here is a man with true progressive credentials, yet he is poised to hand the Republicans yet another election by siphoning off the far left base.

Yes, our Government is a pathetic bunch of corporate whores on both sides of the aisle, but anyone who believes there is no difference between the parties isn't paying attention. The Republican majority has infiltrated every single branch of our Government, every level of bureaucracy, every function of every department has been gutted and sold to the highest bidder. Our justice department and the courts have become another arm of the party apparatus. Stalinist tactics to be sure. Party above all else .... except corporate profits.

Make no mistake, a vote for Nader (or Bloomberg) is a vote for Republican dominance for another 8 years and the final destruction of our constitution.

It's a crying shame Nader can't work within the system. Yes, the system is broken, but its what we have. I am a pragmatist. What will make America better? Voting "green" because of principle, or keeping Republicans out of office? For me, that's an easy choice. I have four kids. I want them to live in an America that defends its constitution.

Don't run Ralph, save what little is left of your legacy.

No, This Isn't Turning Into A Film Blog

I know I have been doing a lot of posts about film lately, it isn’t necessarily on purpose, it just worked out that way.

The AFI recently released the newest Top 100 (American) Films Of All Time List. As is always the case, these lists tend to lean toward critically acclaimed films and leave off more popular box-office hits.

I guess I’m ok with that. Film is such a wonderful medium, it can be didactic, it can be artistic, it can be escapist, it can be enlightening, and sometimes it can be just plain fun.

I tend to like small independent films that focus on character rather than special effects. That being said, I will certainly see the latest Harry Potter film on opening day. (I’ve read the books. While my kids are always there first weekend for big blockbusters, I have yet to see Spiderman III or Pirates III).

Some of my favorite (relatively) recent films are Whale Rider and Pan’s Labyrinth which of course are not American films and therefore ineligible for this list. I loved all of the Lord Of The Rings films, and I never get tired of watching Scotland, PA.

My DVD collection is embarrassingly large. I truly love film.

So, enough rambling, the point of this post is, there are some of these “Greatest Films of All Time that I just couldn’t sit through. There are some I’ve never seen. There are some I just don’t like. I don’t have time to go down the whole list, (maybe later), but what follows are some of the highlights. I will post the entire list; films I haven’t seen are in bold. I will comment on a few.

Please, feel free to post long rambling comments about this list. What is missing? What is over-rated? Would you re-order any of them etc…..

The list:

1 CITIZEN KANE 1941 I guess so. I wouldn’t necessarily put it first, but it is a solid film, and probably way ahead of its time in technique.

2 THE GODFATHER 1972 – A strong, strong case could be made for this film to be #1.

3 CASABLANCA 1942 – Wow! All- star cast, Bogart at his best, great story, intrigue, and oh, so quotable. Hard to argue with this one.

4 RAGING BULL 1980 – Boy, how did this one lose the best picture award? To Ordinary People? I mean really, the fix was in. De Niro was spectacular!!

5 SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN 1952 – Ok, start throwing produce at me, top 50? Probably. Top 20? Maybe. Top 10, no. Top 5? No freaking way!!

6 GONE WITH THE WIND 1939 – Perfectly cast, incredible camera work, moving and epic. A top 5 for sure.

7 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962 – Ok, more produce. I love Peter O’Toole, but this film is fucking boring as hell!!!!!!!

8 SCHINDLER’S LIST 1993 – Just an incredible, beautiful, stunning film. So, so very moving. I could spend an entire post on how this film moved me, and I might some day.

9 VERTIGO 1958 – wev. A good, no, a great film, but not a top ten film.

10 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939 – OMFG, I love Judy Garland!, (yes, I’m straight), and I love this film ….. but it is overrated and could have been much, much better. The editing is weak and the story line is choppy.

11 CITY LIGHTS 1931

12 THE SEARCHERS 1956 – Excellent film, way ahead of it’s time (thematically), but not half the film that Once Upon A Time In The West is.

13 STAR WARS 1977 – I saw it, I loved it, Empire Strikes Back was a better film.

14 PSYCHO 1960 – Great film, I can’t complain about it being here.

15 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968 What makes a film American? This is a seminal work, but why is this one better than A Clockwork Orange? Not Top 20 material.

16 SUNSET BLVD. 1950 – Might be in my top ten. Best Noir film ever.

17 THE GRADUATE 1967 – Made Dustin Hoffman a star, and has a terrific theme song. Very quotable as well, and who could forget the poster?

18 THE GENERAL 1927

19 ON THE WATERFRONT 1954 – Ok, I’m embarrassed as hell that I haven’t seen this film!! I plan to remedy that, really, I do!

20 IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946 – I’ve seen it about a hundred times and I still cry.

21 CHINATOWN 1974 – This is in my top ten. I freaking love this film. Jack at his best.

22 SOME LIKE IT HOT 1959 – Can you give a film 10 stars?, How about 8 thumbs up?

23 THE GRAPES OF WRATH 1940 – Not bad, but the book was so much better. I know it’s hard to take such a large book to the screen, but not top 100 material.

24 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982 – Cute, groundbreaking, and way over the top. Maybe in the 80 to 100 range, but not #24.

25 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 1962 – Excellent.

26 MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON 1939 – The film for which the term "Capra-esque" was invented. (And I don't mean that in a good way.)

27 HIGH NOON 1952 – About as good as a non Ford or Leone western can be. (But rated too high)

28 ALL ABOUT EVE 1950 – Ok, this is the type of film I should love!! Davis, Monroe, the Theatre …. Yawn. Just never did it for me.

29 DOUBLE INDEMNITY 1944

30 APOCALYPSE NOW 1979 – A whole post is needed. In my top 5

31 THE MALTESE FALCON 1941 – Pretty much everything I said about Casablanca holds true for this one. It’s in about the right spot.

32 THE GODFATHER PART II 1974 Should be much higher.

33 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST 1975 – Great adaptation!! Should probably be rated higher.

34 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS 1937 – Creepy. The dwarves are great, but Snow White herself always creeped me out. Also, this scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. Not even Disney’s best. Way too high.

35 ANNIE HALL 1977 Top ten, at least. Even thinking about the therapist scene makes me laugh.

36 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI 1957 – American film? I guess, whatever it is, it is terrific!!

37 THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES 1946

38 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE 1948 – Excellent. About right.

39 DR. STRANGELOVE 1964 – Boy, I love Kubrick, but I am not a huge fan of this one. It’s good, but not #39 good.

40 THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965 – Only #40? It was robbed!!

41 KING KONG 1933 – Top 20 for sure!

42 BONNIE AND CLYDE 1967 – A fine, fine film. Great cast. Maybe #60-80.

43 MIDNIGHT COWBOY 1969 about right.

44 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY 1940- Ok, I’m sure I’m in the minority here. This is a terrific film, but I like the 1956 remake (High Society, a musical) better. So sue me.

45 SHANE 1953 – Pull out the tomatoes, I’m not wild about this one either.

46 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT 1934 – Terrific!! Top 25 maybe.

47 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 1951 – I’m going to get shot for this one. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this play. The movie is good, but it comes off as a bit dated to me in a way that the stage version never has. It should be on the list, if just for Brando and Leigh. I know I’m going to get massacred for this, but I really liked the TV version with Jessica Lange, Alec Baldwin, John Goodman, and Diane Lane that came out in 1995. Again, it’s my list so sue me.

48 REAR WINDOW 1954 – I’ve actually never seen this straight through. I’ve seen bits and pieces (mostly on TV), but never the whole thing. I will, I promise.

49 INTOLERANCE 1916

50 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING 2001 – As discussed before, LOVED IT!!!! The best of the three for sure. Top 20 at least.

51 WEST SIDE STORY 1961 – Boy I loved this film a lot. Where to start? The music, the gritty, yet carton colored New York City, the Choreography? Top 25 I think. I wasn’t old enough to see this on Broadway, but from what I read, people who saw it in it’s original Broadway run weren’t very fond of the film version.

52 TAXI DRIVER 1976 – Why is this rated so low?

53 THE DEER HUNTER 1978 – Christopher freaking Walken!!! Great cast, probably an important film, but it really bores me.

54 M*A*S*H 1970 – So much better than the TV show, and I LOVED the TV show.

55 NORTH BY NORTHWEST 1959 – Great!!!!!!! Maybe my favorite Hitchcock.

56 JAWS 1975 – Loved it. Saw it over and over and over. But the book was better.

57 ROCKY 1976 – Actually a very good film. But how the hell did it beat Taxi Driver?

58 THE GOLD RUSH 1925

59 NASHVILLE 1975 – I should probably bold this one. I’ve tried to watch it. Never made it to the end. I just didn’t care how it ended. Sorry Altman, not this one.

60 DUCK SOUP 1933 – YES, YES, YES!!!!!!! Top Ten

61 SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS 1941

62 AMERICAN GRAFFITI 1973 – Good, but not top 100 good. (Sorry)

63 CABARET 1972 – Top 20 For sure!!!!! Are you kidding me?

64 NETWORK 1976 – It should be on the list for the money-shot quote alone.

65 THE AFRICAN QUEEN 1951 – Way too low. Best acting Bogey ever did.

66 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 1981 – About right.

67 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? 1966 – Wow, how did this end up so low? I guess many people don’t understand it. If you’ve never seen this, please do. If you like great acting this is your film!! All four of them are great, but Burton and Taylor absolutely chew up the freaking scenery in this one. It is a crime that all four of them didn’t win an Oscar. (I wish it was in color)

68 UNFORGIVEN 1992 – It gets a lot of flak, but I liked it.

69 TOOTSIE 1982 – Cute, but not top 100.

70 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE 1971 – Better than 2001 or Strangelove.

71 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 1998 – wev. War, blood, gore. If you need a great WWII film, Bridge over the River Kwai or Midway is better.

72 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION 1994 – Excellent. Maybe too low.

73 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID 1969 – about right.

74 THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS 1991 – Pretty damn good adaptation. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say it was better than the book.

75 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 1967 – I know, I know, I know….

76 FORREST GUMP 1994 – I guess. Everyone seems to think so.

77 ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN 1976 – Good film, but even more important because there are probably a lot of people who wouldn’t otherwise know the Watergate story.

78 MODERN TIMES 1936

79 THE WILD BUNCH 1969

80 THE APARTMENT 1960 – Terrific!!! (But I prefer the musical Promises, Promises.)

81 SPARTACUS 1960 – sort of homoerotic, don’t you think? Oysters anyone?

82 SUNRISE 1927

83 TITANIC 1997 – Yes, Celine Dion aside, it was good. Leo is finally getting his due, and I love Kate!!! It doesn’t hurt that she has curves and a real woman’s body!! Are you listening Kiera Knightly?

84 EASY RIDER 1969 – A fine film which I never need to see again.

85 A NIGHT AT THE OPERA 1935 – No Duck’s Soup, but great.

86 PLATOON 1986 – Best Vietnam film ever. (Apocalypse now isn’t really a war film. To quote Giles, “It’s about the journey”.

87 12 ANGRY MEN 1957 – Better on stage, but ok.

88 BRINGING UP BABY 1938 – I suppose so, but if it is here I can think of several of its genre that should be included. Where are any of The Thin Man films?, How about Hudson/Day films? Hmmm? Pillow Talk anyone? Hate to tell you. I think Hepburn is over-rated. I really do.

89 THE SIXTH SENSE 1999 – Good, but out of its league on this list.

90 SWING TIME 1936

91 SOPHIE’S CHOICE 1982 – this was an American Film? No complaints.

92 GOODFELLAS 1990 - #92? Are you fucking kidding me?

93 THE FRENCH CONNECTION 1971 – About right.

94 PULP FICTION 1994 – Top 25 or 30 in my book.

95 THE LAST PICTURE SHOW 1971 – Top 20 for sure!!! His best film by Far. And Holy FSM, Cybil Sheppard was beautiful!!!! (She looks a lot like Rene’L)

96 DO THE RIGHT THING 1989 – Sorry Spike, not top 100.

97 BLADE RUNNER 1982 – No complaints here, but the Director’s cut is much better.

98 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942 I love musicals, just not this one.

99 TOY STORY 1995 – WTF??? If you need another animated film, I can think of MANY others.

100 BEN-HUR 1959 – This movie is about 5 hours too long. (So is this post)

So, I hit every film on the list. It’s hard to say what has been left off because it is so hard to know what makes a film “American” I would have sworn 2001 and A Clockwork Orange were English. Why is there only one Woody Allen film here? What about Reservoir Dogs, Bull Durham? Foul Play, Caddyshack? Animal House? Paper Moon? Wild At Heart? And why isn’t there a Mel Brooks film here? Where is A Christmas Story?

What do you think?

Take your time, post as long as you want.

More On The Castle Grounds

I promised a picture of the cinnamon basil, and here it is...

Dark Time

I miss her.

I need her.

I passed her car, she is parked at the Theatre.

I know it's wrong, but I can't help it.

I love her.


I must not be drinking enough.

The Castle Grounds....

My basil runneth over

I planted my garden very, very late this year.

I was distracted.

Most of the garden doesn't look so good. The squash and zucchini have been pretty disappointing. The tomatoes are doing ok but the sweet corn is practically wasted space this year.

My main herb garden is in a spot where it gets a lot of late afternoon shade. This makes it a slow starter in spring, but as the days get longer and hotter it really starts to thrive. Perfect for late summer peppers, and pesto.

I love basil, so every year I liberally scatter basil seeds among the other vegetables in the garden. I use it as it comes up and by the time it's petering out the shady spot is producing. This year, we had a longer and cooler spring than usual so everything is a little behind. This year in my small plot the basil is almost choking out the peppers, as you can see in the photo, ..... so.... It's pesto time!!

Tonight for dinner I have some pumpkin tortellini that I really love. It comes frozen, but it is really, really good. (Central Market Anne, you're going to miss it!) I will throw some basil into the mortar and pound it up with some garlic, olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano. I don't have any pine nuts, but I do have some pecans in the freezer and I think that might go well with the pumpkin in the tortellini. I'll let you know.

I will also chop up a tomato and some chili to add in at the last minute. To go with, I will slice a couple of tomatoes and sprinkle them with a chiffonade of basil and some salt and pepper and drizzle it with a very floral olive oil.

Fresh pineapple for dessert.

The mis en place

I can't really cook like this when the kids are here, so I'll make it while I can. It helps to keep me busy and keep my mind off of other things.

I wish you could join me, Brave Sir Robin hates to eat alone. But that's another post......

Only PG-13?

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

Well, shit!!!

I guess I need to work a bit fucking harder!! Teh target demographic will never come to a pg-13 blog!!

Fuck shit damn piss. There, that should help.

Recommended Reading

Minstrel Boy lets out an excellent rant over at Harp and Sword. I can't say it any better so go check it out.

What do you guys have today?

Random Flickr blogging IMG_5788

Random Flickr blogging explained.

IMG_5788 (Large)
Originally uploaded by matlab321

" The machinist, the one they called Chef, was from New Orleans. He was wrapped too tight for Vietnam, probably wrapped too tight for New Orleans. Lance on the forward 50's was a famous surfer from the beaches south of LA. You look at him and you wouldn't believe he ever fired a weapon in his whole life. Clean, Mr. Clean, was from some South Bronx shithole. Light and space of Vietnam really put the zap on his head. Then there was Phillips, the Chief. It might have been my mission, but it sure as shit was Chief's boat."



I have no idea what it is, but the Boston Police just shit themselves.




Travel Myth #5788:
"All experimental Theatre is about gay cowboys eating pudding."


more to come, keep checking back.

Father's Day 2007

Tubing, smoked chicken and BBQ baby-backs, great friends, and my family together at their bay house.

It was an excellent Father's Day. To all of you who are Father's - Happy Father's Day.

To all the single Mother's who take care of your kids day after day without a father - Happy Father's Day to you as well.

O Hell Yes!!!!!

When I was a Lad my all time favorite cartoon was Speed Racer. I suppose someone geekier than me (as if!), might know if this was the first Japanese cartoon to make it big in America and usher in the current wave of Anime. I don't really care. I'm not a huge fan of Amine, but Speed was my hero.

I can remember rushing to the back room at my Grandmother's house to watch Speed. You see, I grew up in the country, that is, a few miles outside of town. Back in those days, (ewww, did I just use that phrase? I am officially a pretentious old fart). Anyway - In the late Sixties and Early Seventies if one lived more than a mile or so outside of town there was no cable TV. I lived about 3 miles outside of Town so we only got over the air broadcast. Most days, the channel Speed Racer was on didn't come in very clearly, if at all. However, a couple of days a week my Grandmother would pick me up from school and I would get to watch TV at her house. Well, Speed came on at the same time as one of my Grandmother's Soap operas, or her "Stories" as she called them. That meant I was relegated to the back bedroom to watch Speed Racer. Far from being annoyed, I was thrilled!! I was all alone with my hero and my imagination. In my mind, I would drive the Mach 5 and Trixie was my girl! Yes, even at such a young age, Brave Sir Robin fancied himself a ladies man, but that is another post.

So imagine how excited I was to see this:

That dear reader is the car that has been created for the Speed Racer Movie coming out next May. Well, if that wasn't enough, Christina Ricci has been cast as Trixie!!!! (Swoon), and Susan Sarandon has been cast as Mom Racer!! (double swoon) I realize this is along the same lines as the last post, but DAMN!!!! They better not screw this up!! I really, truly hope they just play this straight and don't try to dumb it down as they did with Josie and the Pussycats, or apparently as they have with Nancy Drew. First of all, not everyone who will go to see this film will be 13, and anyhow, kids are way more sophisticated than they often get credit for. It is not necessary to turn every film into mindless cliche'.

If you happen to share my passion please enjoy this:


So, tell me. What book/comic/tv show etc.... from your childhood would you love to see on the big screen.

Degree of difficulty: The Hobbit goes without saying, but only if Peter Jackson does it.

I Can't Wait To See This

Have you read The Lovely Bones?

If you haven't shame on you!! It is unlike anything you have ever read before, I promise you.

I was very excited to see the film version is getting underway. I hope they don't screw it up. I hate it when a favorite book gets made into a terrible movie.

So, question of the day .....

What film do you feel best captures the essence of the book?

and ....

Which is the worst? The one that just pissed you off?

Worst first - Dune.

Great book.

Fabulous book.

Totally screwed up movie. I love David Lynch, but I have never forgiven him for that film.

As for the best, The Age Of Innocence.

They did just a terrific job of capturing the attitudes of the book. Every screen writer who wants to develop a screenplay from a novel should be required to watch this film.

Opus

I love this!!!

I'm not sure if it is legal for me to post this, but if you click, it will go to the original posting.

Happy Birthday To William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats was born on this day in 1865, in Dublin.

Do you have a favorite Yeats poem? This one isn't my favorite, but it always comes to mind.

The Lake Isle Of Innisfree

I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the mourning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

My favorite.

Goodbye Mr. Wizard

Mr. Wizard, dead at 89.



I always loved this show, and my geeky little self would plop down and watch it whenever possible.

I am always amazed at how many scientist claim him as the reason they went into the field. I wish I could have found a better video. If anyone finds one, let me know and I'll post it.

Buffy Fest 2007

All Buffy, all the time.

Summer is a little difficult here at the castle. The kids split time between me and their mother, in two-week stints. We are just wrapping up week one of “my time”.

We have a bit of a tradition here in the summer. We start every summer with a “Buffy Fest”. We own all seven seasons on DVD, and we watch them all, pretty much straight through until we are done. Along the way we mix in a bit of the Buffy board game. (BTW – If you run across a copy of this game somewhere, buy it! It is fun, well thought out and clever.)

Anyway, I haven’t watched a significant amount of Buffy since last year’s Buffy-Fest. I am always struck by the excellence of the writing, the breadth of the story-arcs, and the superb character development.

For those of you who never watched Buffy, or dismissed it as “one of those vampire/sci-fi/teen shows, well, I’m sorry for you. Truly, I am. Joss Whedon did so many things right with this show it is hard to know where to begin. He obviously was interested in strong women, and I don’t mean physically. He also understood the dynamics of high School, the intricate balance needed to be yourself while trying to fit in.

It would take a year of posts to detail all of the great things about that series, but I think one of the most important things he did was to let his characters grow up. He recognized that a sophomore wasn’t the same as a junior, or a senior. The characters grow and we were all along for the ride.

What a ride it was.

You owe it to your self to run out and buy or rent the first two seasons. Watch them in order. If you aren’t hooked, you don’t have a soul.

If we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of peace... but we would be hollow... Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we'd be truly dead.

Joss Whedon

My Little Pumpkin Seed

Even with scars, Kool-Aid mouth and streaks of Blue in her hair, Brave Sir Robin has a beautiful daughter, no?

Random Flickr Blogging IMG_7154

Random Flickr Blogging explained.

Over heard at the Ft. Lauderdale Rec. League:

"It's shirts and skins Bitches!
You gonna play Bocce, or are you gonna run home for the sun screen? "

Now that sewing semester is over, Betsy and Molly look forward to cooking in Home-Ec. They were both sure they could pull that "C+" up to a strong "B" with just a little luck.

I Feel The Need To Share

Brave Sir Robin is very, very busy. He will post more this week.

Meanwhile, we all know how prolific Bob Dylan was, but what I wasn't aware of is the fact that he wrote every single pop hit of the last 35 years!

This impersonation is just spot on.

Enjoy, and Brave Sir Robin hopes to see you here all week.