Bittersweet drama with some nice time slicing.
8.5 Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
Category: Reviews
Some quick comments on enjoyable indulgences from the media firehose.
9.0 Juliet – Waiting
This sweet song has a shadow of the heartache of Matt Johnson and Sinead O’Connor’s ‘Kingdom of Rain’ duet. Keep them both tucked away for that next post-fight pity party… Then when you make up put on Beck’s ‘I Think I’m In Love’ or The Dandy Warhols’ ‘Bohemian Like You’…
9.5 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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From the “Chapter 19 and holding” department… Inspired by the Gillespie family experiment, the Behrns-Millers have all decided to belatedly crank through all that is Harry Potter. We’re knee-deep in the books, audio books, and movies. Maybe they’re to blame for my recent lack of posts… :> |
9.5 What Is Your Dangerous Idea?
I wasn’t far from throwing this book in the trash at times. Essay after essay from scientists condemning “God” as the dangerous idea that stands as the blockade to mankind and her progress. Blah blah blah. Be devoted to science, and the scientific method of discovery, but don’t be one-dimensional, dogmatic and closed-minded. There will always be more to life than what we can reverse-engineer. Continue reading “9.5 What Is Your Dangerous Idea?”
9.0 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My good friend Mr. Stephen Wolfe has brought me daily oranges to nurture me, stayed by my side after finding me (embarrassingly) curled up in a ball of pain on the carpet at work – following me home an hour later to make sure I arrived home safely, and, during a recent trip to the bookstore, decided to buy me a favorite book of his. It was quite a good fantasy book, creating an alternate reality that was visually vivid while avoiding cliches. Pretty good character development, too. Thanks again Stephen, gentleman and scholar.
8.5 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
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Despite the fact that their first exposure was to the unholy and tortuous “Star Wars Holiday Special”, which circus ringleader Lucas himself says he would like to personally destroy down to the last copy “with a sledgehammer”, the girls have managed to get hooked on the Star Wars saga. |
9.5 San Juan
This game always seems to be billed as second-in-line, because it’s a two-player spin-off of Puerto Rico, a bigger game. But dig around for it, it’s worth it – a great game of skill building up your base city before time runs out. There are lots of ways to achieve that goal – Andrea used a new one on me today (monument-building) to sneak up and clobber me. I guess it’s not too new, Reiley has won before that way. Wait a minute, I think I better reassess… :> Anyway, we play a lot of two player games, and this is one we keep coming back to for its well-balanced strategy options and manageable scope. Here’s Andrea whooping it up on me today… I’m so glad for the little ways I can make her happy. UNTIL NEXT TIME! :>
8.5 VH1’s Nocturnal State, etc.
OK, I guess I’m officially getting old, to be interested in a show on the “more mature” music video channel. Or am I just incurably immature for watching music videos at all? Age is so confusing these days. Is 40 the new 30? And 30 the new 20? Or do we all just remain children in today’s consumer-oriented society?
Anyway, I recorded the show on the MythTV box and it is actually watchable if you turn on “auto-skip commercials” (otherwise, definitely NOT). The following have me humming all day:
- Audioslave: Doesn’t Remind Me
- Nickelback: If Everyone Cared
- John Mayer: Waiting on the World to Change
- Gorillaz: Feel Good Inc.
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor: You Get Yours
- Paulo Nutini: New Shoes
- Juliet: Ride The Pain
I guess some of that comes from MTV, so I guess I’m still young (immature? delusional?)… and some comes from elsewhere… whatever… :P
9.0 44 Scotland Street, Espresso Tales
These two Alexander McCall Smith novels were originally written as a serialized newspaper column, just like Robert Louis Stephenson used to do. I’ve really enjoyed his light touch and wonderful character development – he floats effortlessly between dozens of characters, with lots of interesting perspectives on life.
In one of Alexander McCall Smith’s short stories, I remember him talking about a poet who wrote under different pseudonyms, each with a different personality. The protagonist stated that in our day, the poet would have been psychoanalyzed as a schizophrenic and his poetry would have been sterilized into diagnostic fodder. Luckily, Smith can get away with displaying multiple personalities in such a masterful way that we can all just indulge.
9.0 Human League – All I Ever Wanted
As a continuation of the 80’s nostalgia theme of Doug’s recent mix, I dug up this gem from a couple years ago. I have a few others that might make a nice response to Doug’s mix.
Still, I have to say that one of the songs Doug chose, New Order’s Krafty, is the pinnacle. It has had the replayability of Blue Monday, with no less than 4 gorgeous sweet bridges across the verses and choruses filled with upbeat lyrics.
Yes, nostalgia can have a saccharin aftertaste, but not on these nice new sweet goodies – pure sugar. HaHA!