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.

Can I Haz Frankenfurter?

Love Rocky Horror?

Love LOL Cats? (and really, who doesn't?)

Well then you will really love this site.

Suffer The Children

The Rio Grande.

A River.

As rivers go, it is not a very large one, maybe 40 to 50 feet across. Yet for the difference in lifestyle from one side to the other, it may as well be thousands of miles wide. With all the contentiousness surrounding the emigration bill in the news, I thought it might be time to let the world know how Brave Sir Robin feels about it. If you come here often, I think you’ll know.

First off, nobody chooses to be poor. People aren’t poor because they are lazy or shiftless or choose to be that way. They are poor, most likely because they were born poor. Period. I know I’m digressing already, that is another post entirely, but I felt it needed saying.

Let’s look at the differences from one side of the river to the other –


North of the river –



Just a few miles south of the previous photo –



As in any society the women and children are hit the hardest by poverty. #2 and #3 son had never been to Mexico before. #3 son was particularly struck by the beggars and the children selling trinkets on the street. As we prepared to cross over for our second day in Mexico, he made sure he had small bills and change to give them. And yes, he used his own money.


#3 son giving money to a woman, as her son sings a song.



This beautiful and shy little girl had to be coaxed to pose for this picture. Like many, many others her age, she helps support her family by selling gum and trinkets to American tourists.



This precious little boy was asleep under his mother’s street vending cart, oblivious to the raucous crowds teeming on the street.



These people aren’t lazy, they aren’t looking to milk the welfare system, or even “take our jobs”, they are looking for the true embodiment of the American dream; the opportunity to work hard and make a better life for their family. It shouldn’t matter what side of the river you were born on. The uproar over immigrants and this bill isn’t about economics or welfare or protecting our borders from terrorist. Make no mistake; this is about the color of their skin. Because they are brown people, they are unwelcome. Look at those children above and tell me what makes them any less beautiful or precious than my children?

Is it any wonder that the world is turning more and more anti-American?

Don’t forget – unless your ancestors are pre-Columbian, we are all immigrants here.

So, A German, An Australian, And A Gringo Go To Mexico...

Brave Sir Robin had a great Holiday Weekend. My family and close friends took a weekend roadie to sunny Mexico. A good time was had by all. In fact, I have material for several posts over the next few days. Along the way, I "chaperoned" a couple of Foreign Exchange students. Hmmmm. You may ask yourself. "What kind of chaperone would Brave Sir Robin make? Was I successful? Well, you be the judge.

I call this one "Before"

I call this one "During"

I call this one "After"

Koolicle; The Update

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted about Kool-Aid Pickles?

Well, I made some.

The recipes I found online were either too ambiguous or contradictory with one another, so I compiled them into my own interpretation.

Here's how I did it:

My Version of Kool-Aid Pickles:

One gallon jar of dill pickles. (I used Best Maid whole dills)
2 packages of Tropical Punch Kool-aid
3 cups of sugar.

I took the pickles out of the jar and marked the level of the liquid.

I poured the brine into a pitcher and set aside.

I sliced the pickles length way. I then mixed the 2 packages of Kool-Aid and three cups of sugar with 2 quarts of water. I did this right in the pickle jar. It didn't quite reach the mark I had made so I filled it up to the mark with the reserved pickle brine. I placed the pickles back in the jar, shook it up real good and placed it in the refrigerator for a week.

Here are the results:

How do they taste? Well, they taste like a pickle that has been soaking in Kool-Aid for a week. I must say the kids really like them. The garlic in the pickle comes through the Kool-Aid pretty strong. I may look for a brand without garlic. Also, I think next time I will not top off with brine, but with water. I think maybe a bit more sugar as well. I will keep experimenting. I will choose a different kind of Kool-Aid as well. (But that's another post)

Immaculate Termination

This pretty much sums it up in a manner even the people who don’t follow politics can understand.

If you can’t tell they’re lying, you aren’t trying.

The Last Day Of School!!

Today is the last day of school. (Yes!)

Son #2 graduates from the 8th grade today. Hard to believe he will be a Freshman next year.

A couple of shots from this morning.

#2 Son - Ready To Graduate!

#3 Son and #2 Son - The Last Day Of School - 2007.

If you detect a slight magenta tint to #3 Son's hair, you are correct. He celebrates the last day of school each year by adding a tint to his already shockingly red hair.

Brave Sir Robin is ready for the summer break.

Stress, Work, Kids, Depression

Not necessarily in that order.


I'm sorry for the dearth of Posts the last few days. I have a project at work that has been eating my lunch, the last few days of school have been hectic, and I have been dealing with three separate personal issues all at the same time.

To the blogger (and friend, I hope) who helped me sort out one of those issues, (you know who you are) thank you!! Even though the decision had been made, getting it all out there was helpful.

Every time I think I am over Rene', something happens to remind me that I am not. Mother's Day weekend was difficult enough, and today I saw her car. I tend to drive out of my way to avoid driving by places where she might be. Today, I knew she would be at the Theatre, so I avoided it only to see her car at the school her daughter attends. I know it doesn't sound like such a big deal, but it is. It puts her right back into my thoughts, both conscious and unconscious.

Work was a little better today, I met with my client and gave him a progress report and explained the difficulties I was having. He seemed to understand and was encouraging. That is an enormous relief.

I hope to be back to more frequent posting soon. To my regular readers I say thank you. Thank you for being interested in what I have to say. The comments are a tremendous boost to me.

I worked all weekend; most of Saturday and about 6 hours on Sunday. Sunday afternoon we drove to Port Aransas and hung out at the Condo. The kids swam, we had a few beverages, ate some seafood and came home. (Designated drivers were used - I didn't drink and drive). It was an incredibly needed bit of relaxation, even if it was only a few hours. I am hoping that the long weekend coming up will be stress free. The forecast for that doesn't look good, but here's hoping.

Brave Sir Robin is tired, stressed and lonely.


Enjoy these -

My feet at the condo.





A slow Sunday at the beach in Port A

The pool at the condo - the boys are in there!

Pelicans gliding over the pool. It took about an hour to get a shot, they move fast!

Brave Sir Robin will be back.

Random Flickr Blogging IMG_5183

Random Flickr Blogging Explained.

As he walked around the scene, Detective Bartlett suddenly realized the years hadn’t left him as jaded as he’d thought. He pulled out his handkerchief and covered his mouth and nose, hoping to cover up the smell of raw starch. He stepped back and took it all in. Body parts scattered about here and there, like some bizarre mis en place.

Sure, Jealous Dames, he understood. He’d seen his share of crimes of passion, but this… this was beyond anything he could even comprehend. Holy avocados, she took off his whole ass!

This Ms. Potatohead must be one salty spud, he thought.

Just Not Today.

Ahh, Sunday Morning.

Is there anything better than the pace of a Sunday morning?

On Sunday, the coffee is pressed, not brewed. Breakfast is leisurely, not rushed, and more often than not more adventurous than its weekday counterparts.

The older I get, (shudder – did I just say that?), the more I appreciate this time.

I have been an early riser my whole life. My favorite time of day is early, before anyone else is awake. I love to go outside with my coffee and watch the sun rise as it peeks over the bay. No rushing to work or school, no cars on the street, just me, the sun, the coffee and the birds. The birds are never so loud as on Sunday morning. The chirps and twitters and calls no longer have to compete with delivery truck exhaust pipes or lawn equipment. This is their movement, and they perform like virtuosos for about 45 minutes. Then, as the rest of the orchestra wakes up and joins in, they are content to take the backseat again, still there, just removed to accompaniment roles until next Sunday morning.

Alas, today I over slept, missed my Sunday morning symphony, and have to go into the office for a few hours.

Well, I can look forward to next Sunday all week.

"I Need To Check Your Eggs"

Mark Foley has nothing on Ted Klaudt (allegedly).

Klaudt, a Republican Representative in the South Dakota Legislature has been charged with 8 counts of rape. Five girls have come forward with allegations, but so far, the charges only involve two of the girls.

From the Argus Leader:

He's accused of performing "ovary checks" and "breast exams" under the guise that he was helping young women donate their reproductive eggs, according to court records.

What?

Hello?

Is that what they call it now?

Dude, it’s a good thing you live in South Dakota, because that line ain’t gonna fly in pretty much any place but Hicksville and Appalachia.

FSM, where do I start?

Ok, first of all, why do the Republican sex scandals seem to have a disproportionate amount of molestation, rape and “closet” homosexuality? Shit, at least Monica was of age and a willing participant. (discloser - I was going to make the above sentence link to appropriate scandals, but there were just too damn many to choose from. If you are really interested, just type Republican Sex Scandals into Google, you will find freaky shit you never even heard of, I promise!!)

As long as the Republican party makes all sex “illicit” and women’s bodies “dirty nasty things” we will continue to see this type of perversion from the “Family Values” party.

OK, you may think that was harsh. You may say, "Well, Brave Sir Robin is jumping to conclusions, this is bad, true, but he's really coming down on this guy." Well to you I say:

There’s more.....

The girls were his FOSTER CHILDREN!!!

Shit!

Dude, Woody Allen thinks you crossed the line!!

Bloody hell, Foster children and (of course), legislative pages! I guess he was auditioning for a National office huh?

Go read the article, this bastard is one nasty, sick misogynist asshole.

Family values my ass.

Wake up America, there is no honor left in the party of Lincoln, it has been hijacked by sick, perverted, greedy, power hunger corporate whores.

Brave Sir Robin feels the need to shower after writing this post.

Living On Food Stamps

I posted recently about the Food Stamp Challenge.

I don't wish to take away what the Representatives are doing, I think it is brave and terrific, but let us not forget that the whole point is, living on a food stamp allowance is hard!

Blogger kactus is a single mother, living in Milwaukee with her daughter.

She is on a real life Food Stamp Challenge, except hers isn't for just a week, or to bring awareness to the issue. Sadly, the challenge of feeding herself and her daughter with the food stamp allotment is what she does every day.

She has begun blogging her experiences in "Food Stamp Chronicles"

For ease of following along, here are her posts so far, in chronological order.

Food Stamp Chronicles, week one.

Week one, part two.

More Chronicles.

Chronicles, post four.

The Meat Deal.

Week Two.

Week Three.

Week Three, part two.


Several things of note in these posts.

Nothing is easy when you're poor; transportation, getting the food home, access to what we often take for granted, all factors to make her choices more difficult. Something that particularly struck me was this; she bought her daughter a box of hot pockets to reward her for working hard at school.

Let that sink in. Basic food is a reward or treat. I'm not talking chocolate cake, or indulging in a pint of Hagen-Daz because your feeling blue, I'm talking about a young girl who gets to eat a hot pocket as a special treat.

This country must find a way to take care of its own.

I will be following her chronicles. As an aside, the Food Stamp Chronicles is only part of her blog. Much of what she writes is fascinating. I will be reading her site as often as I can; I think you should as well. I certainly appreciate what I have a great deal more after reading about her daily life.


h/t to Redneck Mother

The One Where I Was Too Tired To Take A New Picture

Friday Cat Blogging - Lazy Style -

This picture is a little over three years old.
It is Cappuccino playing in my beer bucket when he was just a wee lad.
Here is another about the same time frame. I call this:
"look how even back them he strutted around like he owned the place."

Shitty Day

Brave Sir Robin had a shitty, shitty day. Two days really.

It's a long story.

I'll post more soon, I promise.

Is ANYTHING Safe to Eat Anymore?

I think I'm ready to become a hunter-gatherer.

Yet another beef recall. This time the culprit is E Coli. The beef was produced by Davis Creek Meats and Seafood and distributed in Missouri and Illinois.

Busy, Busy, Busy....

Brave Sir Robin is very busy so posting will be light, but here are a few must reads that I recommend. Feel free to use this to blogwhore:

We knew Falwell was dirty, but how did I miss this?

Excellent post at Salon about loyalty in the Bush regime.

The New York Times on the (lack of) FDA oversight.

We live in a very, very sick world.

Can't wait to see this.

UPDATE** - How Much Did You Spend On Lunch?

The Food Stamp Challenge

Four members of Congress, Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Jo-Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), and Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill) are going to spend the next week living on $21.00. That is the amount the average person on Food Stamps gets per week. That’s three dollars a day. One dollar a meal.

Let that sink in.

One dollar per meal.

The Washington Post has an article about their efforts. McGovern is quoted saying:

"No organic foods, no fresh vegetables, we were looking for the cheapest of everything. We got spaghetti and hamburger meat that was high in fat -- the fattiest meat on the shelf. I have high cholesterol and always try to get the leanest, but it's expensive. It's almost impossible to make healthy choices on a food stamp diet."

No shit. It is no coincidence that the poorest Americans are the ones most likely to be obese, or suffer diet related health problems. We have all been following the Melamine story and trying to make choices that include local or organic food, but how about if you had $1.00 per meal? Impossible.

I urge you to read the article, and I applaud these four Representatives for bringing the issue to light in this fashion. I find it disappointing that only four took on the challenge, which was presented to the entire Congress to gain understanding and to get more money for the Food Stamp program written into the Farm Bill.

McGovern says it is important to get the debate going:

"We don't have to wake up worrying about the next meal. But there are a lot of Americans who do. I think it's wrong. I think it's immoral that in the U.S., the richest country in the world, people are hungry."

Gee, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, I said it.


McGovern and Ryan are blogging about their experiences here and here.

If you have time, you might ask your representative why they aren’t taking the challenge. I plan to, and mine is running for POTUS.

**UPDATE - Make sure and check out the blogs - a couple of quotes -

Lisa McGovern :

As I began cooking, separating and freezing food for the week, I began to worry that we won't have enough food to get us through Tuesday. It seems there are two ways to think of this: if we want to eat healthy food, this is like a very strict diet or a semi-fast. There is strict rationing of protein and fruits and vegetables. If we want a more satisfying portion size, the only way to do it is lots of rice, pasta or beans (but we only have 2 cans of those). And that goes against what I think of as healthy on a plate (which would be 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbs and 1/2 fruits and vegetables). But it's a long time until Tuesday and we have a limited amount of the "good" stuff so we're doling it out carefully.

Tim Ryan :

My biggest concern today is running out of food before the end of the week. One loaf of bread doesn’t make as many sandwiches as you’d think, and I’m running through my cottage cheese pretty fast as well. The budgeting was hard enough, rationing what I do have will present another challenge.

Fox? Meet The Hen House.

I guess I have outrage overload. I am so sick to death of this corrupt administration.

Why don't we just go ahead and make Mark Foley a Scoutmaster while we're at it.

Well here it is.

Older? Yes ... Wiser? We'll See .....

Today, I'm 45.

Halfway between 40 and 50. I'm not exactly thrilled about it, but as there is little in my life that I am thrilled about it hardly matters.

Well, they say 50 is the new 40. Whoever they are.

I share this birthday with:


1973 Tori Spelling (actress) Ewww!
1971 David Boreanaz (actor) Angel!! YEA!!
1969 Tracey Gold (actress) Tragic!
1966 Janet Jackson (singer) Yuk!
1956 Olga Korbut (Olympic Gold medalist Gymnastics) Cool
1955 Debra Winger (actress) Way Cool!
1952 Pierce Brosnan (actor) wev
1948 Jim Langer (football) ????
1940 Yvonne Craig (actress and dancer) Batgirl!!
1930 Better Carter (Lillie Mae Jones) (jazz singer) Way Cool
1928 Billy (Alfred) Martin (baseball) Baseball was better when he was around.
1925 Robert Pierpoint (newsman) ????
1922 Eddie Bert (jazz musician) ?????
1919 Liberace (Wladziu Liberace) (concert pianist and showman) Fabulous!!
1913 Woody Herman (bandleader) Cool
1911 Studs (Louis) Terkel (writer) Classy guy!
1905 Henry Fonda (actor) Nice.

And Diane Dallas, an old girlfriend. Happy birthday Diane.

So Long, Jerry

Jerry Falwell, now part of the Silent Majority.

wev

The Nominees Are In

The Nominees for the 2007 Tony's are in and Spring Awakening leads the pack with 11 total nominations.

Tom's Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia comes in at ten.

Anybody out there seen any of the nominated shows?

Dinner And A Movie,, ..... My Place?

Today is the DVD release date for the best film I saw this past year, Pan’s Labyrinth.

If you haven’t seen it, you simply must. If you live in a large city, see if it is still playing in a Theatre. I know it was still playing in Houston last week. As excited as I am about the DVD release, this film should be experienced on the big screen. The camera work is lush, the sound is simply amazing. The thought and detail that went into every shot is truly phenomenal. It also won three Academy Awards, for Cinematography, Art Direction and Makeup. (It was robbed in several other categories, but that's another post.)

I won’t give any spoilers or plot points, because those are readily available out there, if you want them. Suffice to say it is a film which seamlessly blends an adult fairy tale with the stark realities of war and fascism. In the hands of a lesser director these two elements might have easily clashed or at least, intruded on each other, but Guillermo del Toro brilliantly weaves you in and out of these two stories to the point were you wish they were both on screen at the same time. The entire cast is amazing, Ivana Baquero, the young actress that plays Ofelia is just stunningly good.

So tonight at my house, I'm having friends over and you are all invited! Dinner is at 7:00, film to follow. On the menu is Balsamic glazed chicken breast, zucchini, lemon asparagus risotto, salad and peach cobbler. Haven’t decided on the wine yet, but I have it narrowed down to three. I’m leaning towards the Sauvignon Blanc because I think it would play well with the lemon in the risotto. Then again, the Chardonnay would stand up against the balsamic in the chicken. Then again, everybody loves Pinot Grigio. What to do?

Anyway, hope to see you there!

One more warning. This is a B.Y.O.T. party. (Bring your own tissue – you’ll need it for the film.)

Scandal Illustrated

This is bloody brilliant.

The illustrated guide to Republican Scandals.