Fridays Back Blog...

music: Crackle of Fire, patter of rain
mood: FUll of it.

Due to web issues, here's the post from Friday...


Well, it’s 3 days into Thanksgiving weekend and I’ve got two more to go. I’m hauled up in Santa Clara for the Holiday, house sitting and dog sitting. My canine companion for the next few days is a HUGE 100+ pound 1 year old Mastiff named Jess. She’s adorable. Beautiful. And very, very, slobbery. I’ve been slimed much. Not the kind of kisses you really want to be woken up by, but certainly amusing. She’s very well behaved (except when you leave he for a few hours and come back and she tries to jump on you and nearly knocks you over), and though the wrinkles of her snout make her look continually sad, she’s a tail wagging beast, and very therapeutic. I can’t believe I get paid for this. The start to a great mini vacay.

Wednesday saw me head to the Tech Museum with Justin, resident geek of the Highland Palace. As we looked at our IMAX options (sadly Mystery of the Nile, and Coral Reef were NOT playing) a gnome of a man crept up to me and asked if we were going to the movies. As he was looking right at me, I mentioned we would go to the museum and the IMAX both. He handed me a 2 for 1 coupon on the already reduced holiday pricing. Right on. $4 for our Mystic India IMAX experience (decent, interesting, must go to India, would have like to see fishes or Egypt more, but hey no biggie) and 3 hours of Geek heaven. Among my favorite exhibits were, 1) internet arm wrestling, where you could arm wrestle another person at another museum with a “arm” contraption and a web cam (or the person next to you at the other station), 2) the build your own rollercoaster and then watch the simulation 3) the 3 dimensional graphic representation of your head 4) jet powered chair demo 5) the entire alternative power exhibit (solar, wind, electric cars etc) and 6) the “The Way Things Go” video which was a mesmerizing seemingly endless Rube Goldberg installation described as “100 feet of physical interactions, chemical reactions, and precisely crafted chaos” and they have it on Netflix. Oh yeah. It wasn’t too crowded and the kids in the place were so tech savvy it was awesome. They were having a blast and it was particularly refreshing to see little girls running around being nerds.

This coming right after hearing Steve Wozniack speak was a perfect example of why I love the Silicon Valley so much. So innovative and people get so excited over Science. Steve’s interview which I had a free front seat to was so inspiring and enjoyable. Guy Kawasaki was a fantastic interviewer and the two just told of pranks, and how they helped create the Silicon Valley by just being big geeks. It was classic. Steve’s stories of pranks and high tech high jinx were an awesome insight into how genius, coupled with integrity, passion and a sense of humor, can really make a significant contribution to humanity. Steve certainly lives in his own head (and world) but is very aware of the good that people must do to progress the world. With all his absolute LOVE for technology, he plainly and without hesitation related that humans are what will create world peace, no bit of technology will be the answer.

One might think the Ballet is about the farthest thing from the Tech Museum you can get, but I find that when I get a bit overwhelmed with all the dancing, I turn my gaze upwards and check out the lighting. One of my favorite classes at college was lighting design, and the board they had at Kenyon with which we got to light the dance concerts was AWESOME. SO FUN to play with, and in music and movement at the visual collage was every bit as satisfying for me as ACTUAL collage and we know how much I enjoy that. This past week I saw a gorgeous ballet called Giselle. It was a surprise pleasure to watch. I never know what I’m going to like, but this was classic and romantic, and just beautiful. The main ballerina was of course a talented dancer ( made it look so easy) but also had phenomenal chemistry with the lead male and her “mad” scene was better than I have seen any actress play Ophelia. Seriously wonderful. The second act scenery and lighting nearly took my breath away, just stunning. A forest haunted with spirits and magic washed the stage in gnarled trees, graves, moonlight and fog. I didn’t even wait for the curtain to rise completely before applauding the set and lights. Gauche I know, but I’ve always been one to give credit where credit is due.

On the Theatre scene, and I’ve seen lot in the last two weeks, my favorites were Greater Tuna at San Jose Stage and Brilliant Traces at Dragon Productions. Both were short 2 person shows in intimate stages. Both had excellent scripts, appropriate staging and scenery, and both had moments of humor and drama. Next week I am VERY excited to see the modern adaptation of Learned Ladies by Moliere at Theatreworks. The Learned Ladies of Park Avenue looks fantastic and being that Moliere is my favorite playwright of all time, and I was IN Learned Ladies at college, I am uber excited at a chance to see this.

Thanksgiving itself was lovely. I won scrabble (always a joy =]) had plenty of wine and champange, and more food than I can remember eating in years. Somewhere between Dutch Apple Pancakes, Baked Brie, and our Acutall Thanksgiving Meal there was room for YUMMY corn Soup…a new addition to the day’s traditional menu, and appreciated so much that I couldn’t even eat dessert or have my port I was so looking forward to. Oh well. Mom did a great job, and I had fun as always playing Sous (or SUS as we refer to it) chef. Even Wolfie hung around and seemed more excited than normal when I cut up the giblets for him and fed him. He came back for seconds and thirds even. It was a good day of general hedonism and gluttony by the fire. Conversation included the mental impact homelessness has on individuals and how to educate the recently turned homeless in a beneficial way, the Lodi Cancer foundation, Sandy’s uncanny ability to name all the Sean Connery Bond films in Chronological order on the fly, Drag queens and their right to buy lingerie at department store, the difference between homosexuals, transvestites, transgender persons, and cross dressers, and of course jobs and how those are going in respect to a plethora of bosses that are personality challenged ( not mine of course). A phone call from London and from Portland/Vancouver rounded out the day pleasantly.

I’ve seen a few movies as well this weekend, and as I imagine I will dedicate an entire blog to Mr. Bond when I see Casino Royale with the family tomorrow, here’s the down low on the recent flicks.

Stranger than Fiction: A little bit I Heart Huckabees, A bit Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, with the always compelling Maggie Gyllenhaal and very funny Will Farrell and the very well cast Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffmann and you have a great movie. I enjoyed it. It will hold a soft spot for any writer/English major and for the hopeless romantic as well. Different than what I expected but really a well done film. Lots of subtleties worth a second look on DVD later on. 4 RRD’s

Thank you for Smoking: Certainly and interesting look on spin, nothing special or unpredictable, and though unique and decently acted, I’m not thrilled to be honest. An unenthusiastic 3RRD’s

Proof: Wow. Very good I thought, great acting, well written, hard topics. Winner for the most abrupt ending though. I was not prepared for it to be over at all. Solid work all around. 4 RRD’s

And some other things weighing on my mind….

Leonardo: Okay, why, WHY do directors INSIST on casting Leonardo Di Caprio in movies where he has to have an accent. It was pathetic in Gangs of New York, it was upsetting in The Aviator, I can’t even watch the trailer for The Departed, The Man in the Iron Mask, I don’t think so and now he’s going to pull off a South African Accent. Please. Someone explain to him to go back to his roots here. His best films, where he talked with a good old Californian accent. Marvin’s Room, A Boy’s Life, even What’s eating Gilbert Grape and Catch Me if You Can. Or Better yet, don’t open your mouth. Just sit there and look pretty okay?

Jeep: Why do you need a 4 door Jeep? Isn’t part of the fun hopping in the sides a la the dukes of Hazzard? It’s silly. It’s Pointless. Stop the madness.

My Scarf: In preparation for my winter U.K. Trip, I found myself looking for a nice warm scarf in Target. Sure enough I found a lovely fuzzy black one for $9.99. The price was right and it was oh so soft and very me. Functional, classy, unique, tactile, cheap….me. I’ve given it a test run and it’s lovely, it’s very cozy. To my absolute horror though as I was cutting the cleaning instruction tag of I discovered it is in fact….10% rabbit fur. And I’m horrified, seriously. I don’t know what to do. I can’t return it. It’s too late. And I think well I eat meat and I wear leather and all that…but…but…but...a little bunny. And how can Mopsy, Flopsy and Cottontail be so CHEAP!? And I try to justify it, I try and think it’s so I won’t freeze to death, that‘s why I am on the top of the food chain here, or maybe, just MAYBE, these are from the over population of rabbits in Australia that are causing destruction. And then I think I might vomit if I wear it, and then I think I have it, and if I don’t then bunnies died in vain. And so it’s quite a pesky conundrum I find myself facing. Maybe Wallace and Grommit can help me out here. Sigh. WWEFD…what would Elmer Fudd Do? So I name my scarf George and I love it, and pet it, and I make the best of a bad situation. I pretend it was a gift, and I would be rude not to wear it and I hope no one throws red paint on me.

And so I leave the rest of my thoughts for tomorrow’s blog. 33 Days and counting. Hope everyone’s Holiday was great!


princess on 11.26.06 @ 02:24 PM PST [link] [Be the first to comment on this article]