D20 Shakespeare
When you think about it, English Lit. students can be kinda geeky…
[Devil's Workshop] Announces D20 Shakespeare :: GamingReport.com :: Where Gamers get their News
I feel compelled to buy a copy and check it out.
Monkey Number 11: Singes Sans Frontieres
As part of Blork and Martine’s 12 Monkeys project, here are some border crossing stories.
The only international border I’ve crossed so far has been the Canada-U.S. border, and my concerns have always been about tariffs and duties.
When I was young, my family would make Saturday trips down to beaches in the States, and I always remember my father’s admonition not to talk about the things we bought in those sprawling Plattsburgh malls or else we’d pay horrible amounts of taxes. Taxes! [shudder]
One year in particular, I’m guessing it was 1977, I clutched my square-cornered “The Force Is With You” Star Wars ring so tightly in my hand that it left an imprint on my palm.
Naturally, I lost that same ring at the schoolyard park across the street from my house the very next day.
Then I went for a long stretch where I crossed only provincial borders, and marvelled at the quality of the paved highways on the Ontario side of the border. Not much to say about that.
My most recent amusing border crossing took place during our vacation in San Francisco. We were going through Customs at the Vancouver airport when the border guard decided to quiz us on our destination: Who were we going to see? (“Dan and Libby. Know ‘em? Dan’s about this tall,” Dina answered.) Did we now where they lived? (“19th St. The Mission.”) Didn’t we know that was a seedy part of town? (“If so, it must be getting gentrified. They’re probably in the cool area.”) Etc. Etc.
A very odd little quiz. Dina and I laughed about it on the flight down.
Mr. Grin
You can elicit all kinds of amused reactions when you wear a stuffed hippo on your head. Check out Ben’s first molar. I call it “Chewie.”
Four Weekends Until Christmas!
On Friday, Dina came home with some delicious takeaway from Pushaps, the Indian restaurant near her office. They serve terrific, spicy, cheap food that is simply mouth-tingling in its goodness and abundance. That was a good start to the evening!
Then, I drove over to Blockbuster and picked up a trio of videos: Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, and Shaolin Soccer. The first two were two-day rentals, which was pretty ambitious given our track record, but I had a coupon. The third movie was a week-long rental, which is good enough by us.
Ben settled down for the evening, we fixed ourselves up with some refreshments and then watched Prisoner of Azkaban.I The movie certainly has different feel than the first two, but manages the odd trick of feeling even more rushed than the first two. I felt as though I was speed-reading the novel.
Speaking of novels, I also finished The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Now I’m working on The Autograph Man, by Zadie Smith.
On Saturday, we started preparing the apartment for the holidays. First, I reorganized the basement to make room for more boxes and furniture. While shuttling boxes back and forth, I found a long-lost box of utility hooks, which I put to use in the stairwell. Finally, we can keep our ladders, mops and brooms out of the way.
After a lunch break, we hopped into the car and headed over to a kitchen supply store. I was looking for a single-touch quick-read digital meat thermometer as shown on America’s Test Kitchen, along with other Christmas dinner-related utensils. Alas, no such thermometer was to be found, but we did leave with some new cookie cutters, a cake server and a large carving fork. Oh, and an apron. You may now crack jokes.
Then, we stopped by Canadian Tire to pick up some plastic sheeting and large plastic storage containers for all the clothes Ben has outgrown, among other things. Our apartment is certainly full of things. Maybe I should make a giant Katamari out of them.
After dinner, I played through the end of the Hulk PS2 game. I can’t say that I was terribly impressed – anything that this game can do, War of the Monsters does much better. Oh well. It was another discount wonder.
Then, Dina and I watched Clive Owen star in I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, by the same director as Croupier. The movie was engaging, but unsatisfying as a mystery, crime story, or thriller. So much of the action is unmotivated by character.
On Sunday, I made Ben scrambled eggs for breakfast. He devoured them as fast as he could. Then, while he had his morning nap, dreaming eggy dreams, Dina worked on a project while I installed the second bathroom cabinet, thereby checking off another item off the list of things to do before the holidays.
After the nap, we took a tour of the mall. We were looking for a few very specific items. We didn’t find them, but we did fight our way through the crowds and got a few more Christmas gifts. We’re at least halfway there! Whoo-hoo!
We had planned to go grocery shopping afterwards, but Ben was tired and fed up with the outing. So, Dina stayed at home with the little guy while I went out shopping for dinner supplies. Once home, I whipped up a quick lasagne for dinner, which turned out pretty well.
In the evening, I kept to the office, and worked on some projects. I appear to be starting a pre-Christmas rush. Extra hours are always welcome.
There’s still lots to do!
Blogging the TV Shows So I Don\’t Have To
The Apprentice Blog – Season 2
The Apprentice Blog – Season 1
Catching Up on DVD Reviews: Part 4
All done! Now I’ve just got a few DVDs left to watch and review until the new influx at Christmas.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
In the polite society of this film, Tom Ripley can make people believe he is the person they want him to be, but that veneer of civilized credulity is razor-thin. Anyone who threatens Ripley’s growing self-delusion meets an untimely end that he can explain away. He’s a predatory self-made man.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
The second time around, I watched the film as presented: a love story. Thomas Crown confesses to his shrink that he’s falling in love with Catherine, the adversarial insurance investigator. Trust and power, banter and frankness comprise the currency of their extravagant flirtation. A screwball comedy on a grand scale.
Three Kings
An action satire of greed, duty and treaty set in the days at the end of the first Gulf War. Three US soldiers “reclaim” Sadaam’s stolen Kuwaiti gold for themselves, but cannot abandon the suffering Iraqi resistance. Shocking for sudden violence, funny for imaginative use of cell phones. Inventive visuals.
V: The Final Conflict
I remember the alien/human hybrid baby with the lizard tongue from the promos for this series when it first aired, and it freaked me right out. I had forgotten that there was a lizard baby in that scene…and it looked like a green rubber glove. That sums up the show.
Catching Up on DVD Reviews: Part 3
The penultimate installment of my overdue DVD reviews!
Love, Actually
With repeated viewing, some skits become funnier, while others dwindle into pointlessness. The Prime Minister/Intern, office mates, cheating husband, hapless writer and, of course, Colin, God of Sex storylines stand up the best, but the less said about the rest, the better. I am fond of the body-double vignette, though.
Manchild: Season 1
Billed as Sex in the City for men, this show is really about the mid-life crises faced by a divorce, a playboy, a gadabout and a married man. Not as tightly plotted as other BBC comedies, but Anthony Stewart Head’s overwhelmed playboy is hilarious…but not as funny as his ex-wife.
The Professional (uncut)
The extended scenes expand the Lone Wolf and Cub theme and answer some of the lingering questions I had about the original. The strengths of the film are Mathilda’s resolve, Leon’s attention to detail, Stansfield’s matter-of-fact disregard, and the best apartment siege committed to film. A benchmark of urban action.
The Road to Perdition
The second viewing of the film found me paying attention to vision. The important moments of the movie involve seeing (or not seeing) the world through glass, in a reflection, emerging through shadows or through a camera lens. This is a story of how fathers see their sons, and vice-versa.
Christmas Prep
This year, Dina and I are upholding a promise we made when Ben was born: instead of travelling to see our families, we’re making our families travel to see us. So, in exactly one month, we’ll host my parents, Dina’s parents, and Scott. Hooray!
This basically means we’ll have reached maximum occupancy and that, only when I finish some of those long-outstanding house monkeys and clear some more space. I figure we’re about two work-filled weekends away before everything is up to spec.
But more importantly, I’m in charge of the Christmas dinner. My mother-in-law is supplying the turkey, but I’m in charger of everything else. I once helped cook a Thanksgiving turkey a long time ago, but this time I’m flying solo. Right now, I’m at the research stage, thanks to the fine archives at America’s Test Kitchen and their seasonal site TurkeyHelp.Com.
Then, I’ll be shopping for gear. I’ve already got the roasting pan.
And finally…the big dinner!
I wonder if a month is enough prep time?
I Can Quit Whenever I Want
You may take a lot of quizzes, but really, it’s no
big deal. Just harmless fun. Go on, take
another. One of them’s bound to sort you into
Ravenclaw, if you just keep at it.
What Kind of Quiz Taker Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
[via pericat]
Catching Up on DVD Reviews: Part 2
Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition
All the additional scenes, save one, do nothing to advance the plot, but work wonders in establishing the depth and mood of Jackson’s vision Middle-Earth: we see more of the hobbits in the Shire, and more of the beauty of Lorien. The fantastic has never looked more real on film.
Gilmore Girls: Season 1
Salon described this show as “parent-free television” and I can’t think of a more apt description after watching the show. The banter is free-wheeling and fun, ranging from Far Side to Frankenstein. The plotting and story editing are tight: the seeds of the current season are planted in the first.
Go
Those crazy kids! Escapades go awry in these interlinked stories about club-hoppers: a broke grocery clerk sells herbal medicine at a rave to make rent, two actors fend off advances, a cat reads minds, and a goofy, unrestrained British guy has a Great American adventure in Las Vegas. Great soundtrack.
Heartlands
A low-key British road movie about a schmoe of a husband who loses his wife to his best friend, and who then embarks on one of those thought-provoking, life-affirming road trips on enroute to winning her back. Intermittently amusing, with a couple of clever visuals, but dull overall. Looks government-funded.