Month: February 2012

Oh, that feels good…

Yes, once again I’ve gotten too lazy/uninspired to actually write anything – thank Zeus for online videos! Though I do try to keep it somewhat topical – I leave for Maui in a week, so here’s a short clip of me floating in the delightfully warm tropical Pacific the last time I was in paradise…

Tigger Please!

Proving once again that it really is the happiest place on earth… For realz, though – this is just delightful. Tigger totally pwns that dude. And who knew Eeyore could shuffle?

Last time I was at Disneyland (the original one – God, it’s been years… maybe even a decade?), a cast member came up and asked me if I’d like to be one of the special guests in the parade. Would I, would I? Yes, of course! The fact that I was wearing sorcerer’s apprentice mouse ears was probably a clue that I’d be interested… At any rate, I got paired up to dance with Tigger – TIGGER! Who doesn’t love Tigger? NOBODY! Oh, and it was such great fun. They taught us a simple little dance which we did together all the way down Main St., stopping occasionally to shake hands, give hugs, etc. Seriously, it was my best brush with fame ever, since Tigger’s lovableness rubbed off on me for those few wonderful minutes…

And let me just add – the men and women who perform as characters at Disney parks are really amazing. It’s a difficult job that they make look easy – and, corny  as it sounds, they really do bring smiles and happiness to one and all. God, I need to get down to Anaheim stat…

And the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – thank FSM for Law & Order marathons! Having spent a week at home ill (no, I’m not carping, just observing – and it did result in a rather longish hiatus in my posting to this blog…), I was reminded again that watching hour after hour of L&O (ideally, the original, though SVU is fine too – and I don’t need to point out that CI is a complete non-starter, right? Why do they even bother having marathons of that one? Who would watch it? But I digress…) is a panacea.

Seriously, no joke, last Wednesday, I watched L&O non-stop from 10AM to 7PM; then took a break for Jeopardy and Judge Judy; then another two hours of L&O; then four episodes of Chopped (easily digested and untaxing hour-long episodes of  distraction). Made my 102° temperature much more bearable.

Anyway, it got me thinking about my most and least favorite ADAs. So here (with apologies to The Awl, which regularly produces lists such as this, i.e. I was not clever enough to think of it on my own) I present the Law & Order ADAs in order:

  1. Abbie Carmichael
  2. Claire Kincaid
  3. Jaime Ross
  4. Paul Robinette
  5. Serena Southerlyn
  6. Connie Rubirosa
  7. Alexandra Borgia

And I’m sure I don’t need to point out that this list does not include SVU since Alexandra Cabot is so very clearly superior to Casey Novak (and I don’t even know who the latest chick is…) – not to mention that she faked her own death to avoid being assassinated by notorious drug lord Cesar Valez! Rock on, Alex.

I’M ALIVE! Well, as much as I ever am…

Wow! I sure was sick – five days with a temperature above 100° – it was not pleasant. Not one bit. But I am much improved, if not entirely cured – and well on the road to recovery, I hope.

In other excellent news, SFist reports that the long-abandoned New Mission theater is being eyed for restoration and reuse as a member of small-ish Austin theater chain, Alamo Drafthouse. This would be a dream come true, for many reasons, not the least there really excellent programming and the fact that they serve booze.

But the number one reason that I pine for an outpost of Alamo here in SF is this:

You stupid, stupid woman. And kudos to you Alamo Drafthouse.

I can’t even get a date…

But I’m still delighted with today’s finding by the U.S. appeals court that California’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. I’m still wading through the entirety of the opinion, but I had to share these two delightful observations:

A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but to the couple desiring to enter into a committed lifelong relationship, a marriage by the name of ‘registered domestic partnership’ does not.

…

Had Marilyn Monroe’s film been called ‘How to Register a Domestic Partnership with a Millionaire,’ it would not have conveyed the same meaning as did her famous movie, even though the underlying drama for same-sex couples is no different.

Now, on to the Supremes, I’m sure. Yikes…

Read the full decision here.

Good morning, Mr. Luxury Yacht

There’s a whole bunch of videos on the You Tube that instruct one on the correct pronunciation of odd words – often times foreign words or names that one might encounter regardless of one’s native language. I think I first saw a bunch of these for people too stupid to know how to correctly refer to design labels such as Lanvin or Burberry.

Here, for example, is bruschetta. It’s a personal pet peeve of mine, since it is often pronounced by English-speakers as “broo-shetta” – which is completely incorrect, since we all know that a ch followed by an e or an i in Italian is pronounced as a hard c. DUH.

What I did not know was that there is a whole series of parodies, which are hy-larious. Here are a few of my favorites.

Presumably, this just confirms what a terrible person I am…

I suppose this is as good a time as any to express my (hmm, what’s le mot juste? disdain feels a bit strong, but it is probably accurate) discomfort with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization. Every couple of months it seems, my TV is inundated with commercials for the 3-Day for the Cure. I’m obviously not a monster (OK, maybe not so obviously…) – I wholeheartedly support the goal of finding a cure for breast cancer and raising money in support of that goal.

But I’m always left uncomfortable by the apparent message of these come-ons. There seems to be an idea that the simple physical act of walking for 60 miles over three days while wearing pink hats, shirts, boas and other gewgaws is somehow, in and of itself, helping to cure cancer. The dewy-eyed testimonials from walk participants, about the life-changing nature of the event – I don’t get it. So, a bunch of people walked around for awhile – what is the big deal? I mean, I understand that the walkers raise money by getting sponsored – but what about getting sponsored to do something actually worthwhile, like volunteering at someplace like – oh, I don’t know, Planned Parenthood – to disseminate information about breast cancer screenings?

I suppose this is just an outgrowth of my both my cynicism and my view that charity is something one ought to provide without undue fanfare. Sure, I get that we all (even mean old me!) give ourselves a pat on the back for our selflessness and magnanimity when we write a check or perform volunteer work. And that’s fine! Particularly given that both of those acts actually do benefit the recipient organization. But schlepping around town wearing pink deely-boppers, novelty sunglasses and rubber bracelets? There’s something so smug about it. “Look at me! I’M CURING CANCER!” Every time I see those folks, the same mean question pops into my head: “How much money did you spend on that pink get-up you’re wearing? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to wear the clothes you already owned and donated the money you’ve spent on pink stuff to cancer research?”

And it’s quite difficult not to be cynical about an organization like Komen that partnered with KFC on “Buckets for the Cure“…

Oh, and lest you think I’m some sort of misogynist (I am not – I am a misanthrope) by singling out breast cancer fundraising, I have the same feelings about the AIDS LifeCycle, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the Out of the Darkness Community Walk and the scores of other such fundraisers. Their goals are all AOK with me! And if you support the goals of these organizations, then I think it’s great to give them money! Or volunteer with them! But enough with the walkathons.

Also, please donate what you can to Planned Parenthood to help make up for the funds Susan G Komen for the Cure (Unless You’re Poor, In Which Case You’re on Your Own) has yanked.

Takin’ Care of Business

J’aime bien les bicyclettes et les Quebecois. Though I could’ve done without the pixelation…

 

THE MAN WHO LIVED ON HIS BIKE from Guillaume Blanchet on Vimeo.