Carygrantathon Concludes!

46 films later, I think I've seen every film Cary Grant appeared in that is also in print. Mind you, that still leaves me 27 films short, but 17 of these films are from 1936 or earlier, before Grant started to see really significant success as a lead actor in films like 1937's "The Awful Truth" and "Topper." If Grant's early output is similar to the pre-1937 films that I have seen, I suspect I've seen enough to be able to draw conclusions about his filmography. My opinion of Cary Grant at the end of this personal film history journey is not significantly different than it was at the beginning. He remains an actor who has an almost supernatural personal appeal. Charming, suave, funny, believable, authentic. It's no wonder that his career took on its independent, self-directed shape and character. There was no actor who was his equal across so many different kinds of pictures throughout his career. They were not all good films, however...nor was he great in everything. Generally, he brought a film up and was rarely to blame for a film's lack of success.

There has always been talk about Grant's appeal as the romantic lead in films like "Charade" or "An Affair to Remember," and his performances are quite memorable in these films. It would be a mistake, however, to see him as having just that one-trick. His work in "North By Northwest" and "Notorious" supports the argument that he could always be relied upon to bring extra gravitas to a suspense thriller. He was also believable as a war hero in films like "Destination Tokyo" and in "Operation Petticoat" (where at least I think he was overshadowed by Tony Curtis). And it only takes one viewing of "Arsenic and Old Lace" or "Bringing Up Baby" to realize that Grant was a skilled comic actor (or straight man) with the physical comedy chops and reactivity of a Vaudvillian. Many of these films have found their way into my permanent collection.

Now that I've done the CG thing, the next assignment I'm giving myself is to bring my documentary film education up to snuff. There doesn't appear to be an AFI Top 100 documentaries, so I'm going to aggregate a variety of lists into a Top 50 or 100 and go from there.

What follows is a few lists of Grant's work based on the ten-point film assessment I discussed in a previous Bricole post. In short, the ten components of a film that I look at are: lead acting, supporting acting, direction, cinematography, production design, plotting, dialogue, character development, sound design and ephemera (for things that matter, but that aren't part of the other categories). Each category gets a score of +1 (for excellence), 0 (for averageness) or -1 (for dreadfulness). The highest score a film could earn is 10; the lowest -10. A film that is average would earn a 0.

I would be shocked if there was any argument with the two films that earned perfect 10s for me. The other films in the Top 10 might generate some objection or conversation. I hope so, at least!

Lists!

"10s"

Charade

North By Northwest

Top 10

1. Charade (10)

2. North By Northwest (10)

3. The Philadelphia Story (9)

4. Bringing Up Baby (7)

5. Arsenic and Old Lace (7)

6. Notorious (6)

7. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (6)

8. To Catch A Thief (6)

9. Born To Be Bad (6)

10. That Touch of Mink (5)

Bottom 10

1. People Will Talk (-5)

2. The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (-4)

3. Father Goose (-2) 

4. Indiscreet (-2)

5. Wings in the Dark (-2)

6. Hot Saturday (-1)

7. Thirty-Day Princess (0)

8. Wedding Present (0)

9. Kiss Them For Me (0)

10. Once Upon A Time (1)

Grant's -1s for lead acting

Father Goose (tired acting of tired material)

Wings In The Dark (unbelievable)

Co-stars Who Outacted Grant (in alphabetical order)

Tony Curtis (Operation: Petticoat)

Sophia Loren (Houseboat)

Myrna Loy (The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxer)

Frank Sinatra (The Pride And The Passion)

The Daily Bricole 2

What say you, friends?! The Daily Bricole hopes all is well and, ever so slightly, off-kilter.

MARVEL: I saw an extraordinary book at Diesel Books in Oakland this weekend. Moby-Dick In Pictures is an art project/literary event that should astonish. Matt Kish, the book's illustrator, has drawn lavish, detailed images based on each page of the 552-page Signet Classics edition of Melville's classic. 552 pieces of art in all kinds of different media. A level of commitment and work that should earn Kish many followers and  huge praise.

DO: The Art of Manliness (a fantastic blog you should be reading) offers these 10 ideas for excellent autumn season dates on which to take your partner, friend or, well, date. 

PLAY: Can't really get my brain around this one. Perhaps you crazy kids can tell me why Megamash is awesome? I know it is! Tell me why!

BUILD: Kids spend years of their lives (and faculty spend their entire careers) in some of the crappiest buildings ever erected by a civil society...yes, I'm talking about the architecture of American schools and the built environment of education. Often appalling, generally dispiriting, sometimes so bad as to be the single reason why teachers leave the profession (don't get me started - the data are there). And when we could build like this instead! Just look at this extraordinary school in Merced, California. More $$ please!

PLAN: I don't know that we need a revolution, but the last decade has certainly made clear that big, radical, transformative change is coming in one way or another. Read this article about peer-to-peer banking, and you'll see that in a democratic society, we still have lots and lots of power.

The Daily Bricole 1

Trying something sort of new here, building on these Top 5 things I've been doing. I'm an inveterate museum goer and blog reading is, in a way, similar to the experience of going to a museum, in that you never quite know what you're going to experience when you walk in the door. I hope The Daily Bricole is sort of like that - a bit of this, a bit of that and at least once, a bit of "what, what, what?!"

SAY: Your word of the day is welkin, from Old English welcn meaning "cloud." Welkin means "the vault of heaven" or "the sky" used literarily. World Wide Words has a nice discussion of the word and its connection to a famous Christmas carol. How all the welkin rings with the sound of angels!

DO: I do love The Minimalists and so should you. Cutting everything down to the basics...in this installment, minimalizing exercise...do only those things you enjoy. Great advice!

READ: Aron Nels Steinke's graphic novel Neptune. A short read and a lot of fun, narrated by a grade-school age girl doing a little "who I am" to her new classmates and spinning a yarn about her cool dog, Neptune.

LEARN: From our friends at io9, 10 cool classes you can take right now for free!

WATCH: An excellent, recent TED talk from Lauren Zalaznick about the history of television and how that maps to cultural and social change.

Top 5! - Outsider Artists

Ten years ago I was in Lausanne, Switzerland with some former students who, along with me, shared an interest in art. While touring the city, we came upon one of the most interesting museums I have ever visited - the Collection de l'art Brut - a museum dedicated to art produced by the self-taught, the obsessive and/or the insane. In English, this art is subsumed under the descriptor "Outsider Art," but "Art Brut" in French more aptly translates to "raw art." Whatever it's called, it remains an artistic movement that I can't help but obsess over…

5. George Widener

The still productive Widener takes a fascinating interest in disasters, real, past, present, future and imagined. See more examples of his work at the Carl Hammer Gallery.

 

4. Howard Finster

Finster's work is classic Art Brut. The flat perspective, horror vacui, the high level of attention to very particular details, the writing. Check out his home page for many more examples!

 

3. Royal Robertson

Working primarily with markers and poster board, Robertson took an interest in spacecraft, aliens, the Book of Revelations and the judgments of God. A classic outsider artist.

 

2. A.G. Rizzoli

Rizzoli is and should be considered a paragon of the Outsider Art movement for a number of reasons. First, the work that cements his reputation was, by and large, unknown to the broader public (or even to those close to him). Second, the sheer volume of what he produced boggles the imagination. And third, just look at it! A visionary architecture symbolically representing people from the 30s through the 70s every bit as compelling as the speculative fiction of its time.

 

1. Henry Darger

I dare you to contemplate In The Realms of the Unreal or The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion, as it was called by the artist/author and not sit gape-jawed. Millions of words. More than 15,000 pages. Watercolor panels up to 12 feet wide. The story of the Vivian Girls as they fight against wicked, child-enslaving adults is to my mind the definitive example of Art Brut or Outsider Art. The reclusive Darger worked on Unreal throughout his adult life, but no one knew it. It was the kind of dumb luck that no one in fiction would take seriously that Darger's landlord happened to be a New York Times photographer with the capacity to recognize the artistic value of Darger's work. I saw Darger's work for the first time in Lausanne, the huge panels, vivid story and fine details of the collage and the writing have never left my mind.

A New System of Film Review!

I know that no one's been asking for a new system for reviewing movies...or at least, no one's been asking me. But back in the old days, that is to say, the early 1990s, my friend James tried to sell me on this system whereby movies would be assigned positive or negative stars based on certain qualities. We discussed this over and over and did some rating, but never really systematized it. In the last month or so, I've seen three movies - Green Lantern, Thor and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. And since I haven't seen three movies in a month since before I started graduate school, this old system came back into mind and I've been tinkering with it. The core of the system centers on 10 categories that influence the quality of the movie goer's experience. I have made them equally weighted, though that is perhaps not fair. Furthermore, it isn't like this is some stunning new insight into the filmic craft. Each category earns one of three ratings: -1 (this detracts from the film), 0 (this neither detracts nor enhances the film) or 1 (this enhances the film). A perfect film would score a 10, average 0 and dreadful -10. The 10 categories are:

Lead Acting: the performances by the actors who carry the main narrative.

Supporting Acting: all other actors' performances.

Direction: the degree to which the decisions of the director clearly add to the interpretation of the script.

Cinematography: the aesthetics of the principal photography.

Production Design: all of the artistic decisions that create the aesthetics of the filmed environment, including costumes, sets, lighting, make-up, matte paintings, etc.

Plotting: how successful the script is at moving the action in an appropriate way at an appropriate pace.

Dialogue: how successful the words in the script are at conveying what can't be shown; how the words enhance our understanding of the characters.

Character Development: do the characters change in ways that make sense?

Sound Design/Music/Score/Soundtrack: all of the artistic decisions that create the sound environment of the film.

Ephemera: all of those things that are not part of the above categories.

Given this system, how did Green Lantern, Thor and Rise of the Planet of the Apes fare? Fairly, I think.

Green Lantern's score is -1 based on a line of -1/1/0/0/0/0/-1/0/0/0. It's supporting acting  (by Peter Sarsgaard and Angela Bassett) was quite good. Blake Lively in a lead role…? Not so good...along with the dialogue. Otherwise, just OK, or a little below OK.

Thor's score is 1, based on a line of 0/0/1/1/1/-1/0/0/0/-1. Thor demanded a majesty and Branagh's direction delivered it. The cinematography of Asgard was beautiful, as was the production design of the plane, the costumes and Heimdal and the Rainbow Bridge. The plotting was too slow (editing, please!) and the product placements were jarringly obvious.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes scores a 3, based on a line of 1/0/0/0/0/0/0/1/0/1. Andy Serkis' acting clearly translated through the motion capture technology. Caesar's character development was very carefully and successfully handled, as was that of the other apes. The film also gets a +1 for making us root for the apes, cleverly subverting key elements of the PotA mythology.

What's a 10 a 0 and a -10 for you? How would you score GL, Thor and RPA?

Mashup! Star Trek and Hollywood Squares...

One of these Star Trek actors is sitting in the secret square and the contestant who picks it first could win a trip to Raisa and 5 thousand bars of gold pressed latinum. Which Star Trek actor is it?

If only this were my idea, but like all good ideas, it's the product of many twisted minds working together, in this case, it was John, Sudro and me, a bit loopy after Strategicon, but nevertheless we had our wits about us. The discussion that brought us to this mashup passed through Match Game '75 on its way to its destination (the main question - given the personalities of the 6 different seats on Match Game, which Star Trek actor goes to which square? We'd only really agreed that Marina Sirtis goes into Bret Somers' seat. Otherwise, we were of mixed minds).

I can't wait to read your own twisted Star Trek / game show mashups, to honor Trek's 45th anniversary and the enduring brilliance of Paul Lynde, Charo and George Gobel.

So - the actors I put into the Hollywood Squares are...

 Next up - Match Game?

Europe Travel

create your personalized map of europe

Top 5! - Short Stories That'll Stick With You

I kind of go back and forth on short stories. There have been years where that was primarily what I read and other years (like this one) where i read primarily novels and non-fiction. But I've been thinking about short stories a lot these days (who knows why) and thought I'd share these five with you. If you've read them, I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you haven't, share one or two that you've liked and I'll read them if I haven't.

5. The Secret Shih Tan - Graham Masterson

As I'm so often reminded by friends, family and my partner, I can be sort of oblivious about some things. The inevitable endings of certain short stories is a classic example of this. I am incapable of seeing what others see coming pages before...and this story, about a cook looking for a cookbook that gives deeply, deeply forbidden recipes, has a "oh, surely not...oh, no...oh no way!" quality that makes all short fiction memorable.

4. Mr. Gaunt - John Langan

Langan is America's master of the slow building mood creep (that feeling you might get from watching really great Japanese horror films...nothing shouty, but an inevitable, unbearable building) and this story (and his equally great "On Skua Island") is a fantastic example. You'll be as frightened as the main character when you finally realize what's what.

3. More Tomorrow - Michael Marshall Smith

The truth is, I could have picked any one of a half-dozen MMS short stories and felt like I could defend the choice. This story builds slowly but with confidence and clarity to an ending that will leave you gobsmacked. Read him!

2. The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas - Ursula K. LeGuin

A classic. Very short, spare in LeGuin's inimitable way and overwhelming. I have read it dozens of times. It's power does not diminish.

1. The Rain - J.G. Hayes

Joe Hayes' voice is unique. A gay perspective from South Boston. Authentic, real, brutal. This particular story was overwhelming and hard to read as the narrator suffers a kind of breakdown after a trauma. Find this out of print book if you can. If not, I'll lend you my copy.

Top 5! - Iceland/Icelandic Blogs

For the longest time, I have been fascinated by Iceland and by all things Icelandic. I spent July of 1998 in the country studying the language (fascinating), its history (offering powerful lessons about family, honor and democracy) and its literature (the sagas remain a high-water mark in Western medieval literature and its crime fiction is second to none). If you have some interest in things Icelandic, I offer here 5 blogs to stoke your curiosity.

5. Sonic Iceland

Music (Sigur Ros, Bjork), photography, videos and other ephemera brought to you by Kai and Marcel are bringing the contemporary Icelandic music scene to an English speaking audience.

4. Iceland Review

The online portal of Iceland Review - the most comprehensive site I have found in English. Regularly updated with news, features and photography.

3. Iceland Eyes

A beautifully curated blog featuring photography from across the country. I loved public sculpture and modern architecture when I visited. Check this photo out!

2. Birgitta Jonsdottir

Jonsdottir is a fascinating example of the kind of politician who just would not translate to the American public sphere. Representing a party that really isn't and being outspoken in behalf of a radically open understanding of free speech through the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (about which I have written earlier). Agree or disagree with her stances, she is interesting in a way that many 21st century politicians just aren't.

1. Stjornlagarath

OK, I'll cop that this isn't really a blog, but it represents one of the qualities of the Icelandic people that keeps me interested. This is the site of the Constitutional Council of Iceland. Sounds sort of dull? It isn't. This is the public forum of the citizen's committee charged with rewriting Iceland's constitution (undertaken after Iceland's disastrous experience of the 2008 Global Recession). Notable, but typical of the Icelanders are some qualities of their work. It was conducted in public (the council's work was broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and on the website) and the council actively crowdsourced core constitutional principals from regular Icelanders. How is that not cool?

Top 5! - Nonfiction TV Presenters

Who doesn't love really great TV? I can't think of anyone. I have been watching some fine television lately and, one program in particular, got me to thinking about how critical a good presenter is to making a nonfiction show (NOT reality - which is a different genre altogether - await another post for discussions of that). Here are 5 that would make any show worth watching.

5. Rachel Allen
Host of the Cooking Channel's "Bake," she is the most appealing host on this very promising network. She makes everything seem easy (and having done some baking, I know that what she's doing only looks easy), loves her subject and loves teaching it. The cookery class segments that run through each episode showcase her finest skill - teaching. A program like this should really teach, and Rachel does. I think I'm going to make some Florence's Orange Cake tonight.

4. Alistair Appleton
I know, I know. Another person from the British Isles (don't worry - more are coming). I know Appleton's work from BBC's "Cash In The Attic,"where he is superhumanly engaging. It doesn't matter how off-the wall the subjects of a week's show might be (and there have been some batty folks on this show), Appleton's breezy accessibility, ease and poise are always on display.

3. Carl Sagan
1980's Cosmos was such a triumph that in my belief no program has surpassed it. Still completely watchable, deeply philosophical and deeply human, it was Sagan's intelligence, warmth and capacity to explain that remains the series' hallmark. Anyone who wants to know how to teach engagingly about difficult topics could do worse than have a watch of this program.

2. Clarkson, Hammond and May on BBC's Top Gear
Proof that a program can be about anything provided its presenters are engaging, and Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have engaging in excess. Essentially three middle-agish men behaving like 12-year-olds (being given triple dog dares by producers who are just as juvenile), Top Gear is nominally about cars. Its content is of the highest quality, but it is the relationship between these three guys that make Top Gear the most informative and funniest show on TV.

1. James Burke
Oh, James, with your fashionable leisure suits and penchant for fine dining on remote mountaintops. As good as Cosmos was, in many respects Connections was even better, because it not only does science, but society, culture and predictive futurism. Watch the first episode of Connections and you'll see what I mean. Burke was on to something - something that lots of us are thinking about these days. I don't think his recent series have been anywhere near in quality to Connections and The Day The Universe Changed, but Burke himself is and remains the best presenter there is.

Franklin's Wisdom

I never cease to be motivated, intimidated and awestruck by Benjamin Franklin's wisdom and intentionality. As regular readers will know, I am an ardent devotee of the Information is Beautiful blog. This morning, David McCandless offered an image of Franklin's daily calendar as an example of beautiful information. And it certainly is that. Have a look at this and tell me what it motivates you to do.

What good have you done? And what good will you do tomorrow?

Top 5! - Foreign Words for "Snow"

We all know the great "Eskimo's have 100 words for snow" hoax, but to honor my East Coast family and friends, Bricole offers five words for snow from other languages to tickle your uvula and give you some more colorful language to describe the white stuff piled shoulder-high in driveways and on lawns.

5 - apaq qar (Uyghur)
Literally "pure white snow." Uyghur, a Turkic language, is spoken mainly in Xinjiang, the westernmost province of China. Uyghur is spoken by about 10 million people.

4 - vtsi (Cherokee)
Cherokee, an Iroquoian language, is spoken by about 15,000 people primarily in North Carolina and Oklahoma.

3 - huka (Maori)
Maori, an Austronesian language, is spoken by about 150,000 people, primarily in New Zealand.

2 - ergh (Cornish)
Cornish, a Celtic language, was spoken in Cornwall. Extinct since the 1700s, it is enjoying a small revival.

1 - elur (Basque)
Basque is one of the most fascinating languages still spoken because linguists have never been able to show any relationship between it and any other spoken language. It is spoken by more than 600,000 people in southern France and northern Spain.

Duran Duran and Barenaked Ladies - new albums returning to roots

My mother-in-law sent me an iTunes gift certificate for my birthday last month and I just got around to using it. I bought the most recent albums from two of my favorite bands - Duran Duran and Barenaked Ladies.

I've been a Duran Duran fan since "Planet Earth," and I've stuck with them through all of their lineup changes and radical departures from the "Duran Duran" sound. I was thrilled when the original lineup returned in 2004 with the great album "Astronaut," but was left a bit cold by its follow-up "Red Carpet Massacre." Their new album, "All You Need Is Now," is a definitive return to their roots. I am not saying it's their best album, but they have embraced their old style with determination. The title track has become infectious after a half-dozen listens. I don't find much to love in the dischordant first minute, but when it gets to the chorus, I'm taken back (in the best way possible) to the mid-1980s. "The Man Who Stole A Leopard," strikes notes that call "The Chauffeur" to mind. "Runway Runaway" has got great hooks and "Leave A Light On" sounds like a lost "Arcadia" track. The most infectious song on the album is "Girl Panic!," which manages to sound like it could have been released along with "Girls on Film," and totally contemporary at the same time. This is the album that should have come after "Seven And The Ragged Tiger."



Barenaked Ladies, an alt-rock mainstay of the 90s, is the only band I've seen in concert more than 15 times. Their legendary live shows notwithstanding, they write some of the cleverest songs in pop music. Their most recent album "All In Good Time" was released early last year. The first album without former lead singer Steven Page, the album clearly demonstrates his absence. This is not a bad thing, but the record is definitely missing elements of Steve-ness. Like "All You Need...," "All In Good Time" feels like an early BNL record, namely "Maybe You Should Drive." It's more stripped down and honest than some recent BNL offerings, while keeping the irony, storytelling and lyrical reversals that always marked their best material. I am still warming to this record, but "You Run Away" is likely to become one of my favorites. I've always preferred Ed as a BNL lead singer. This album, which could easily have come after "Maybe...," will probably not expand their fan base, but the die hards like me are, and should be, pleased.

Top 5! - Memorable (Though Not Necessarily Auspicious) Beginnings

I'm sure I'm not the only one who can think of events and experiences in life that started in a particularly memorable way. Often these starts are memorable enough to color the perception of the whole. Here are 5 beginnings that do that.

5 - "Gregor Samsa awoke one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect."
Okay...this is not going to be like other stories...the now famous first line of Franz Kafka's short story "The Metamorphosis" paints a picture so visceral and horrifying that, every time I've taught this story, I have had to spend a significant amount of time right here, at the story's doorway, because students do not want to suspend disbelief.

4 - The opening 4 minutes of "Charade" (1963).
It's not enough, though it is something, that Charade's title sequence is still one of the most audacious, memorable and catchy examples of the genre from any era. Roll out of that into a mountain chateau with the devastating Audrey Hepburn and the dashing Cary Grant? That's a sure sign that the next 120 minutes are going to be perfect.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiMGMD_4G6A&fs=1&hl=en_US]

3 - "Emissary" - Deep Space Nine, episode 1.
By far and away the best of the Star Trek television pilots, Emissary's opening scene, in which the main character's ship is destroyed and his wife killed by the Jean-Luc Picard led Borg (directly relating DS9 to the TNG franchise), sets the tone for the whole series. DS9 was not to be an conventional Trek. Darker, edgier, brooding, it would become the most compelling of the Trek series' because of its commitment to long-form stories and big, multi-season sweeping arcs. "Emissary" is also full of excellent scenes of characters meeting for the first time. Sisko and Kira, Kira and Bashir. Brilliant!

2 - The opening riffs to New Order's "Blue Monday." (1983)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyoDbX1EkPQ&fs=1&hl=en_US]

1 - George H.W. Bush introduces his choice for Vice President, Senator J. Danforth Quayle, to the nation (1988).
The least auspicious induction into national politics in contemporary memory, Senator Quayle's performance on the stump was notoriously juvenile (he was said to have scampered about); his performance in press conferences and on television erratic, incoherent and sometimes loopy. His election is emphatic proof that the vice president selection can not torpedo a campaign.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW2K0-VItAk&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Top 5! - Best Lines from "The Lion In Winter"

1968's "The Lion in Winter" is my favorite film. Extraordinarily well acted from a script that crackles with energy, I could watch this film over and over. I could listen to it over and over too, because the dialogue is better than any other film I know. Here are 5 of the lines that I hope represent the film. If you haven't seen it, do so - this weekend!

5 - King Henry II of England
I've snapped and plotted all my life. There's no other way to be a king, alive and 50 all at once.

4 - Eleanor of Aquitaine
I even made poor Louis take me on Crusade. How's that for blasphemy? I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted half-way to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn...but the troops were dazzled.

3 - Eleanor of Aquitaine
Is Philip here yet? Let's hope he's grown up like his father, Simon Pure, Simon Simple. Good, good Louis. If I'd managed sons for him instead of all those little girls, I'd still be stuck with being Queen of France and we should not have known each other. Such my angels is the role of sex in history.

2 - Eleanor of Aquitaine
Of course he has a knife. He always has a knife. We all have knives. It's 1183 and we're barbarians!

1 - Eleanor of Aquitaine
One son is all I've got and you can block him out and call me cruel? For these ten years you've lived with everything I've lost and loved another woman through it all and I am cruel? I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice!

And a bonus exchange between Eleanor and Henry II, ending with the most blistering put-down in film.

H Out of curiosity, as intellectual to intellectual, how in the name of bleeding Jesus can you lose me? Do we ever see each other? Am I ever near you? Ever with you? Am I ever anywhere but somewhere else? Do I write? Do we send messages? Do dinghies bearing gifts float up the Thames to you? Are you remembered?
E You are.
H You're no part of me. We don't touch at any point. How can you lose me?
E Can't you feel the chains?
H You know me well enough to know I can't be stopped.
E I don't have to stop you, I have only to delay you. Every enemy you have has friends in Rome. We'll cost you time.
H What is this? I'm not mouldering! My paint's not peeling off, I'm good for years.
E How many years? Suppose I hold you back for one, it's possible. Suppose your first son dies. Ours did. It's possible. Suppose you're daughtered next? We were. That too is possible. How old is daddy then? What kind of spindly, rickett-ridden, milky, wizened, dim-eyed, gamey-handed, limpy line of things will you beget?

Top 5! - Cuisines

I'm not an especially adventurous eater, the hakarl notwithstanding. There are, however, a number of cuisines which, thanks to thoughtful friends who could help me navigate the menus when I didn't know what was what, I have come to really appreciate and want to get to know better. They are:

5 - Soul Food
I know there might be those of you out there who might quibble that Soul Food might not be that adventurous (or, if you're a philistine, that it isn't even a cuisine), but for a New Englander like me, it certainly was when I tried it the first couple of times. John and I regularly visit a Soul Food restaurant we love in Palm Springs (Simba's), but I think it's time to branch out.

4 - Vietnamese
A cuisine I really want to get to know better. I've had pho, of course, and other dishes that tasted like lighter versions of Chinese dishes, but I'm pretty sure that there's more to Vietnam's cuisine than I know so far.

3 - Tamil
I have a (now) decades long love affair with the foods of India. It was here that I first broke out of the foodways prison that is New England eating (where salt was a spice, pepper a vulgar corruption and boiling the preferred method of cooking everything). But my Indian food experience has been mostly in northern Indian cuisine. Last year I had the chance to visit a Southern Indian (Tamil) restaurant and have a dosa. It isn't much, but it sure isn't northern Indian food!

2 - Moroccan
Ooohhh...do I love me some Moroccan food, but I don't get to eat it nearly enough, even though there are good Moroccan restaurants in LA. Some of the most lovingly prepared food I've ever eaten was when I was in Dimona, in Israel, on a tour with dozens of other LA teachers. We were invited into a private home and served course after course of the most savory dishes...even though I ate this meal 8 years ago, I remember its fish courses, its fruit-infused lamb stews and its complex sweets like it was yesterday.

1 - Afghan
Afghanistan is such a crossroads anyway, it's no surprise that its cuisine melds qualities of Middle Eastern and Indian food in ways that just explode with flavor. There aren't enough Afghan restaurants in Los Angeles! I'm going to be looking for palao, flatbread, dumplings and kabob this year!

Top 5! - Comics to Film (That Haven't Yet Been Filmed)

We live in the Golden Age (I use the term advisedly) of the comic-inspired movie. There are a lot of characters and properties out there that would translate well into film and deserve a closer look by the powers that be. I offer 5 here for your consideration.

5 - "The Establishment"
One of the quirkiest superteams of this decade, the Britain-based Establishment had a brief run under the Wildstorm imprint and is definitely worth picking up if you read comics. It is worth a second look because the characters are subtle and well-fashioned (I loved Mister Pharmacist), the European setting feels increasingly both global and accessible and the writers had a way with dialogue. All of this would translate well to the big screen.

4 - "Nexus"
Horatio Hellpop has the name, the cred and the science-hero-ey out-there-ness to be the hero of the 21st - or indeed the 26th.

3 - "Sandman Mystery Theatre"
One of my all-time favorites (the disastrously inappropriate recent mini-series notwithstanding), featuring powerful characters (Wesley Dodds has great depth, but his girlfriend Dian Belmont, arguably, has even more), a rich 1930s setting and an appealing groundedness. Think Batman without all the naval-gazing brooding. If I were writing this script, I would probably set it during the 1939 World's Fair.

2 - "Global Frequency"
Another Wildstorm entry, this one conceived and written by Warren Ellis, the master of storytelling in the comics form. "Global Frequency" was offered as a TV pilot in 2005 but didn't succeed and, by my read, wouldn't have as a series (though I would have watched). The radical shifts in character and focus issue to issue makes any one of the 12 issues worth bringing to film right now. Deep backstory, richly relevant to the problems of today's world. If you haven't read this - do so!

1 - "Xombi"
The very best of the criminally underappreciated and undersupported Milestone line from the mid-1990s, Xombi tells the story of David Kim, rendered immortal by means of nanotechnology. He's almost achingly believable as a character but he's surrounded by sidekicks and friends who add a levity to what might otherwise have been too serious (Nun of the Above and Catholic Girl...awesome!).

Top 5! - Places I Wish We Could Still Visit (But, Sadly, Can't)

As a traveler, I've always been fascinated with the out of the way and the off the wall. 60 miles to world famous date shakes? Done...

But these are places where it is no longer possible to visit, but I sure wish I could!

5 - East Germany.
I had an East German pen pal when I was a kid and I was endlessly fascinated by his descriptions of his life. Having visited a unified Berlin recently, it would have been interesting to see what life was like during the time of tension and how the East Germans tried to build a society. I wonder what all of that brutalist architecture looked like before westerners came in? And don't forget the Ampelmann!

4 - Greenwich, Massachusetts.
One of the five "Quabbin towns" well-known to local historians of Massachusetts, Greenwich is the only one largely below the water line.

3 - The Old Man of the Mountain.
All New Englanders mourned when the Old Man collapsed in 2003. An iconic image of the region.

2 - The Buddhas of Bamyan.
Yet another crime of the Taliban, the destruction of these priceless statues was a crime against human culture.

1 - Kowloon Walled City.
Torn down by the Chinese and British authorities in the early 1990s, the KWC was unlike any place on this Earth. I am sure I would have been overwhelmed, but I am fascinated by what this place was.

Top 5! - Things I've Done That You (probably) Haven't (and that you might do this year)

Building on a meme I first picked up at Jay Lake's website, here are 5 things that I've done so far in life that perhaps you haven't. Have you? If so - share a comment! Think you might do it this year?

5 - Been in an environment above 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
John and I love Palm Springs in the summer, and two summers ago, during the middle of our summer week, the temperature at our hotel rose to 125. In the shade? Lovely...

4 - Attended a Spalding Gray live performance.
Sorely and deeply missed, Spalding Gray was a virtuoso storyteller and live performer. I was certain I was going to pass out from laughing when I saw his live performance of "Gray's Anatomy" in Columbus.

3 - Seen the complete "Ring Cycle" by Wagner.
John and I saw all four operas (Das Rheingold, Die Valkure, Siegried and Gotterdammerung) over a year while it was being performed by the Los Angeles opera.

2 - Eaten kangaroo.

1 - Climbed a glacier.
The Snæfellsjökull, while I was studying in Iceland in July, 1998. Fun! Only very slight risk of falling into a glacial rift and never been seen again.

Can't wait to hear what you've done that I probably haven't. Help give my year some structure, people!

20 Untranslatable Words

An awesome post about language...

...wishing you all great hyggelig tonight and throughout the New Year.