Things I Know

Serena Williams is a force of nature. After going down 0-6 in the first set of the final in Miami (her first such deficit in over a year in a first set) she fought back to win the Sony Ericsson title, her fourth. Tough as nails and heading for the number 1 world ranking.

Sandra Bullock needs a new agent. Honestly, how many time warp films does she have to make before she fires her agent. What happened to the good old days when she did films like While You Were Sleeping? Even 28 Days was a vast improvement over the last several outings.

Timothy Olyphant is hot hot hot. I recently rented The Girl Next Door through my Netflix account. While I watched the first few minutes, I wondered "now why did I add this movie to my queue?" Then about half way through here comes the pimp daddy of our main character, in from out of town and ready to start some shit. Oh yeah, that's why I added this flick. I just can't get enough of him and I'm waiting anxiously for the final season of Deadwood to come out. Seth Bullock, now that's a Bullock with all the right moves.

Dancing With the Stars is the kind of show I'd never watch. I've never seen an episode of Survivor, Lost, American Idol, Deal or No Deal, The Greatest Race, and haven't watched the Apprentice since the first two seasons, it's now in it's seventh. BUT, when I saw that Apolo Anton Ohno was one of this years competitors, I had to tune in. Seeing him skate every four years at the Winter Olympics isn't nearly enough. And it turns out being a world class skater, Olympic gold medal winner and adorable hunk, all help him to dance like a pro. He'll be in at least the last two couples, if not the top notch.

The Anna Nicole fight for her riches and little girl will be in the courts for the next five years, maybe more.

The odds of President Bush being impeached are better than ever now. Keep your fingers crossed as the hits keep coming.

Sir Bono

So I hear the Pope wants to put "HELL" back on the agenda. And the Bush administration is talking about Regime Change in Iran, and we all know how well that plan's going in Iraq after 4 years of bloodshed and chaos. I guess those fear mongers have a common theme in their strategy to control the lives of others. I surmise that their own hearts and minds are so out of control they are compelled to seek out control through dominating others. Keep the masses fearful and you can lead them off a cliff. Why can't they be like Bono and use their powers for good to change the world for the better?

Rafa Rules

With a win today at Indian Wells. Playing in fine form he was overdue for another title. This is the first since Paris 2006. Of course it didn't hurt that Roger Federer was knocked out early, but still great to see the win. It must be the longer pants, noticed he switched back to the standard after going knee length for awhile. Such a joy to watch. Now it's on to Miami for the next ATP tournament. GO RAFA!!

Paris Calling

Trying to make it to Italy this year and I've been yearning for Europe and thinking a lot about it lately. We'll see.

Movie Notes

Zodiac made me want to go out and get the book and read the in depth story of this deranged killer. Jake Gyllenhaal does a stellar job as the regular guy, a grown up eagle scout, who becomes obsessed with the California murder spree of the Zodiac. Makes you wonder how many unsolved murders would be solved if the detectives on the cases put as much time and energy into researching the murders as this regular guy does. The gold mine of resources found in your local library is mentioned more than once, a real plug for those demure librarians who fight to keep free access to public information. The real flair of the film though is Robert Downey Jr., who is fantastic as this wacked out substance abuser. I know, not much of a stretch for him, but he's terrific. I was happy to see how healthy and vibrant, (and hot) he looked on the red carpet at the Oscars. Nice to have him back, I wish he'd do more movies. It's longish, 2.5 hours, but I'm glad they didn't hack it up to fit in the 90 minute format. A must see.

Now, on the other hand, Notes on a Scandal, which got so much buzz, was kind of disappointing. As Cate Blanchett's character is being taken advantage of by the evil school marm it reminded me of those scary movies where you want to scream at the screen "NO, don't go down in to that dark basement without a flashlight". That someone would be that naive and trusting of such an evil character is hard to believe.

Netflixed An Unfinished Life with Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman as someone had recommended it to me as a good flick, and it is. I've always liked J Lo as an actress, if nothing else. The crotchety old grandpa, Redford, and the ailing Freeman have an interesting relationship which is really the core of the film. Worth viewing if just to immerse yourself into the lovely landscape. The ranch where they live is truly a pristine area, and films that bring you to beautiful places have an added dimension.

Ellen Wimped Out

For someone who "came out" on national TV to tons of controversy, Ellen sure played it safe at the Oscars. I was looking forward to some biting, funny jabs, but witnessed nothing but softballs. There were a few light moments, like making Steven Spielberg re-take a digital pix with Marty Scorsese. With the country in chaos over the Iraq war and the "who's your daddy" saga, surely there could have been some hilarious zingers, but zilch. As for the awards, a couple of suprises like Alan Arkin for Grandpa in Little Miss Sunshine, which he did such a wonderful job in. Eddie Murphy did a real star turn in Dream Girls, but you know he's gotten so much attention for years it was nice to change it up a bit. The heartfelt speeches from Jennifer Hudson and Forrest Whittaker made you happy to see them win. I was a little disappointed they gave Scorsese both best picture and best director, director would've been enough of a reward in my book. Plus I really wanted to see Sunshine win best picture. It was a suprise to see it get best original screen play though. Now the dresses did have a few zingers. Seems this year it was home runs and strikeouts and not much in between. What was Nicole thinking? Not that red doesn't become her, but that bow! A parrot on her shoulder would've taken up less room. And Jennifer Lopez with that gaudy jeweled mess around her neck with the cutie pie hair, yuk! And after playing a true fashion diva Meryl Streep comes looking like a baggy bohemian. And Kirsten Dunst? It was the dress that had everything, and therefore nothing. Now there were a lot of knock outs, not the least of which was Helen Mirren, what a dress! Other winners, Cate Blanchette with a slinky body hugger, Kate Winslett in a celadon number, Byonce in the red performance number only, (the one with that jeweled arrangment across her chest was too much), and how about Reese Witherspoon? What a classy look, I guess single life agrees with her. Also looking very uptown was Gwyneth Paltrow with that sleek hair pulled to one side. She was as gorgeous as I've ever seen her, and she's had a few misses, remember that pink number from a few years back? On the male side, Leo, Ryan Gosling and Clive looked very sharp. It's always fun to see the stars dressed to the nines, and the truly international flavor added another dimension not usually seen at the Oscars. I do hope this is Ellen's only outing though. Hell her American Express commercials are more entertaining.

Halfway There

Well yesterday the Montana State Senate passed SB 306 to abolish Montana's death penalty. Vote was close, 27-22. Now on to the House, which is republican controlled. I do believe the winds of change are blowing nationwide regarding death penalty. So many states have recently been looking at the legality of lethal injection and in fact if our death penalty is not repealed this legislative session, a suit challenging the legality of our protocol will be filed. We already know from a ruling last summer that the procedure used at Montana State Prison is not the one spelled out in statute. The cruel and unusual factor may be the turning point as another state with our same procedure has already ruled it unconstitutional. All those who argue against abolishing the death penalty use emotional, illogical and often religious arguments. Recent testimony included "this is not a matter of vengeance" and "it's not an economic issue" both arguments of course are false. It reminded me of junior high girls who would say things like "not to be mean or anything" or "I'm not trying to be a bitch" which of course mean they were exactly trying to be mean and bitchy. Death Penalty is about vengeance and it is about our tax dollars being wasted on costly appeals which means all Montanans are subsidizing state sponsored death, like it or not. The most compelling argument I heard was the simple fact that if it's not a fair and just system, equally applied to all regardless of color or income or the ability to hire a great lawyer, the system needs to be changed.

The Fight Over Montana's Death Penalty

Every legislative session, a bill is introduced to abolish Montana's death penalty. It usually makes it to the full house/senate floor before being summarily killed. Last session however it didn't even make it out of committee. I've seen more of our legislative session this year than ever before as it's broadcast by the local public TV group. It's sad to think that what happens here locally happens on a bigger and scarier scale in DC. The sane and logical arguments to abolish the death penalty are so numerous: it costs more than life in prison, it's a barbaric state sponsored killing for punishment/revenge on behalf of the families and society at large, the lack of closure and satisfaction for the victim family members who witness the killing of the presumed guilty. Not to mention the many, many who have been removed from death row nationwide when DNA evidence or recanting of eye witness testimony free the innocent. When the rest of the so-called civilized world has long given up on tax dollar murders, most US states cling to a tunnel vision that "justice" is served, and "eye for an eye", etc. etc. Fact is, the rich white killers (or black if you're OJ) never get the death penalty because they can afford to hire high priced quality lawyers. So if it's inherently unfair as the poor and minority populations are much more likely to receive the death penalty, how can any thinking, feeling person justify the taking of life when the dangerous can be kept from society by prison? Or worse yet, when the realization that innocent people have in fact been executed in this country under an imperfect justice system? And don't even get me started on the bible thumpers who apparently can dismiss "thou shalt not kill" with a flick of their finger because is serves their own evil intentions. But then, using the Bible/Jesus/Christianity as a shield to hide behind for promoting your own hateful ways, is a well established practice these days. The inability to take responsibility for your own racist, discriminatory thoughts and feelings is the definition of small minded humans, and there seems to be no shortage of them running around. Call me an idealist, but this year I'm hoping that intelligence prevails.

Guston

Came across this very striking abstract while searching for other art I've seen this last year, I believe it's called Natives Return.

I'm Confused

So after updating with the 21st century and doing the MySpace thing for a while, I am puzzled at the responses I get. First, and this is just a pet peeve of mine, has the habit of proofreading before you hit send really gone by the wayside? I've gotten many "looking for love, the one true love, etc. full of typos and really bad grammar. Some have made me wonder if English is really their first language. And now, while I don't mind the attention from the younger guys, what on earth are they thinking when they live in NY, CA and even England looking for the love of their life? If they're just looking for some dirty chat because their whole life is lived in cyber space, maybe they could disclose that up front. Otherwise, I don't need a bunch of "friends" who I'll never meet, no matter how attractive they are, and some are. So, it's like the rest of the internet, a ton of "spam" for every tiny bit of substance.

Two Thumbs Up

For Dream Girls and Children of Men. Had to go see Dream Girls after all the hoopla, and really, Jennifer Hudson deserved that Golden Globe, and so did Eddie Murphy. It is a well put together film chronicling the Supremes rise to fame. Even though there are a few moments of "I feel a song coming on" where one of the players breaks into song, it's forgivable. Children of Men is an impactful film, a grim picture of what the world may be like in 2027, when the whole world looks like downtown Baghdad does now. The premise that we're on our way to extinction isn't that far fetched when you look at global warming and infertility, not to mention the massive poisioning of our environment. It was sad to see London all disheveled and broken, especially after finally seeing it for real last summer. Clive Owen is great as usual, a definite must-see.

Boys Will Always Resort to Being Boys!

What boys do when they "have to go" and there's snow handy....M is for Max.

New Year Off and Running

Well, the ice cold temps have arrived, -11 at my house this a.m. Listened to my first live music of the new year, met up with a Wailers fan from Mizzoo who had an extra ticket and so I figured what the heck. Cold as hell, but the roads were bare and dry with no traffic coming back so it was a nice night off. Just a casual reggae fan really, but figured the Wailers have been around for eons and they'd be good which they were. Good thing Mizzoo passed that recent ordinance relegating pot to the lowest law enforcement priority because the Wilma was in a smoky haze all evening. I was afraid if I got stopped for speeding on the way home the cop would smell my coat and do a "probable search". Luckily no problem on the way home. Not to mention I haven't imbibed in the stuff for 28 or so years, but that wouldn't stop them from harassing me! So this was by far the most pleasant "internet" date I've been on so far. Very pleasant fellow, we had dinner and then the concert, pretty laid back atmosphere needless to say. It feels good to take a risk, albeit a calculated one, and get out there a little more. Doubt we'll hang out again, but I wouldn't mind if we did. A hundred miles away is a long way to go for a date, and I swore I wouldn't travel out of town for any more of these unknown "disaster dates" but for concerts I'll probably always make an exception. So onward to the new year!@

Verge of a New Year

New starts, new year resolutions may indeed be a bunch of crap, but there's something about a new start with a cool new number, 2007, that seems refreshing. Part of it is just getting the holidays behind us, and the dark days of winter have begun to be lighter and longer, although you can't really notice yet. Seems like people get down to business and begin again to focus on their work and being more organized and efficient when the holidays are behind them. A lot of stress and distraction happens over the holidays, even if it's just the sight of a nativity scene everytime you turn around, which is a little depressing. The in your face religious stuff is a little much. So, on to the new year with hopes it's as good as 2006 which was awesome. The laughing fits over rummy in the triangle hotel room in Paris, the rest of Europe with family, incredible music events, health, excercise and a sense of well being...a very good 2006 for which I am very thankful for.

Run Santa Run!!

Fun in the UK

Season's Greetings

Passe un temps des fêtes vraiment relax
Ou…tu peux toujours aller dans ta famille

(You can take it easy on the holidays, or
You can go visit your family)

Joyeuses fêtes!

Pie Notes

For crust, my Nana taught me how to make foolproof crusts. First of all, all ingredients should be cool. I keep flour and Crisco in the fridge and use very cold water to blend. For one crust use one cup all purpose flour with 5 tablespoons of Crisco, work quickly until shortening is about the size of peas or smaller using your fingers or a fork. I use a couple of dashes or up to ¼ teaspoon of salt. Double flour to 2 cups and 10 tablespoons Crisco for double crust pie. After shortening is worked into flour/salt gradually add very cold tap water, about ¼ to ½ cup, and mix in until all flour is blended and taken up into a ball. Split in half for 2 crust pie, roll out very thin with rolling pin keeping surface of counter and dough sprinkled with flour at all times so it doesn’t stick, until rolled out to desired thickness. Over-handling or the shortening having time to warm up makes a tough chewy crust, so work quickly and handle as little as possible. 

From Mildred Chaffin’s Cooking for Daily Living.

A lot of potentially good pies suffer from under baking. A nice brown crust doesn’t necessarily mean the filling is done. I prefer flour as a thickening agent. If there is raw flour in a fruit or berry pie, it came out of the oven too soon. If no raw flour is evident and you still have to eat it with a spoon, the pie could’ve used a little more thickening and possibly a little longer baking time. I have found no hard and fast rules for measurements since fresh, canned and frozen fruits differ in juice content. It is safe and sensible to bake fruit and berry pies an hour—sometimes more—until the juice boils up clear and syrupy. I start pies at 400° for 15 minutes (bottom rack) then lower temperature to 350° until juice begins to bubble. Finish at 300°. Pies won’t boil over so badly if cooking is slow and easy. (MY APPLE usually cooks 1 hour and 15 minutes, but if it’s too brown take it out a little sooner)

Putting fruit or berry pies together:

Line pie plate without stretching the dough and flute the rim (quite high) as if making a one crust pie before trimming the edge. Mix the flour for thickening with half of the sugar and sprinkle a thick layer of this on the bottom crust before putting in the uncooked filling. (FOR APPLE pie, I use ¾ cup of sugar, so half of this would be mixed with 3 tablespoons of flour and spread on bottom crust). This gives the bottom crust a chance to begin baking before it gets a soaking. (With apples, I mound quite high as they do cook down to about half volume.) Sprinkle remaining sugar on the filling along with seasonings. (FOR APPLE a generous sprinkle of cinnamon and I add a little sprinkle of nutmeg.) Place second crust atop and pinch around edges to seal, careful not to punch holes in edges, and trim off remaining crust. Cut decorative slits and you can brush a coating of milk or soft margarine (but I never put anything on them, and they turn out great).

The Search for the Perfect Tree

My perfect little tree, and I only spent $35. Last year we didn't have a tree, I put a couple of ornaments on my 50 year old Christmas Cactus, not a very impressive sight, so this year the tree means even more. I've always loved having a tree in the living room and revisiting the decorations, Sadie's little wooden rocking horse with "I love Willy" written on it, Wednesday's heart shaped grade school picture, the tiny stocking that I knit long ago, the other assorted crafty items the kids made while growing up. We still have a few of the nearly antique bulbs from, oh I guess 1960's? They don't make them like that any more. So it's up and while a little tippy if you mess with it, it does stand on it's own, looking beautiful.

Holiday Bliss & Family Reunions

Okay I'm not really into religious holidays, not even a Christian really, but this guy seen on the streets of downtown Helena struck my fancy.
Just reconnected with my step-half and step-quarter daughters, the sisters of my three and I hadn't actually seen either since they were young girls. MySpace really is a wonder that way. They're all grown up, 20 and 25, and living in Seattle and Alaska. When the two families lived in Missoula we actually had the kids spend lots of time together. Being civil really was the best choice and I'm glad we adults were able to see past the anger of divorce and betrayal to allow the kids to be family. After all I wasn't going to have any more than three but loved the idea that my kids could have more siblings. We'll have to figure out a way to all get together sometime.

Movie Notes

Just rented Ellie Parker with Naomi Watts and it's a fun romp of a movie, I'd highly recommend it. Also rented Down to the Bone, a realistic look at addictive behaviors. No major stars and a little depressing but worth viewing. If you're still on the fence about going to see Stranger Than Fiction, I'd recommend it just for Maggie Gyllenhaal alone. She's one of my favorite actors and Emma Thompson is great as the wacky writer. While it's not exactly a comedy, more melancholy than anything really, it's definitely worth seeing. Also rented The New World over the holiday, I admit just for Colin Farrell, and while it's nice to see him onscreen the movie crawls along with no real plot. Maybe they stuck a little too close to the real story and should've spiced it up a bit. I liked him better in Miami Vice. Looks like the holiday season has a few promising films, but early reviews on Bobby are not good.