Tropic Thunder

But first I also read Shadow Castle and it was still wonderful. You may not be able to go home again, but some books still have the power to enchant. And I'm reading the last in Alastair's Reynold's trilogy and it's quite goo, even if I did get waylaid by H.L. Mencken last night-a book in which he says that readers can look at his papers after he "shoves off for bliss eternal", which may be my quote of the year.

So, Tropic Thunder. I'm warning you, that unless you have a deep appreciation for the sheer silliness of some Vietnam movies, wherein thew actors involved talk about how difficult their "boot camp' was or know about all the cliches used in many Vietnam movies, you may not get the awesomeness of tropic Thunder. It also helps to have an insidery viewpoint of Hollywood, which makes it all the more fun to watch these actors satirizing the making of movies, actors themselves and Vietnam movies in particular.

I have to start of by mentioning the previews, which were also hilarious. Ben Stiller as an action here with a Kurt Russell in Escape from From New York whisper, has to save the world when Earth stops spinning on its axis (three times, I think but maybe four) and then has to save it again when it starts to freeze, Robert Downey Jr and Tobey Maguire as monks in love during the Dark Ages-the previews for these movies were hilarious.

I mainly wanted to see this movie because I thought Downey was going to walk a very thin line as an Australian actor who undergoes a skin-darkening process to play an American black Sargent. If he did this wrongly, it would have taken away all the good will brought about from Iron Man, but as it turns out, there was nothing to worry about. Downey is hilarious playing a self-involved actor who doesn't break character until the dvd commentary. He annoys the genuine black guy working on the movie to no end. And I'll say this-Brandon T Jackson is excellent. Without his straightforward, what the hell are you doing attitude, Downey would have been over the top. Jackson and Jay Baruchel's intelligence and common sense are a welcome antidote to the self-involvement of Stiller, Downey and co-star Jack Black.

But where to start with the satire? Is it with Stiller with a rag tied around his head and bulging biceps like Rambo? It is with Downey doing a fake "black" accent that mocks both the actor he's playing and the Vietnam genre? Is it Jack Black's blond crew cut and the accent he uses when shooting the movie within a movie (a standard tough-guy New York accent) and the dope fiend actor who lights up when they see the heroin factory of the drug dealers of whom they have run afoul? My personal favorite were the songs chosen for this movie. When the actors trek through the jungles of Southeast Asia, we hear Run Through the Jungle, Creedence Clearwater Revival. Later, when they're near a river and fighting, we hear For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield. These two songs are a requirement in Vietnam movies-I don't think you can make a movie about Vietnam without playing Buffalo Springfield. For the record, I burst out laughing when that song started-I just wish they had played The End by The Doors as well. Even Matthew Mconaghey (who I despise as an actor) gives a genuine performance in this movie. Yes, he's conniving agent who thinks his client has killed a hooker, but he was good. And Tom Cruise was hilarious and almost unrecognizable-nice fat suit and shirt unbuttoned to show chest hair, Tom!

if you think you can get these jokes, then go see it. If you don't, then don't bother because the whole movie will be lost on you.

The Olympics

It's hard for me to write about the Olympics because I get so emotional. My friend M asked me last weekend about my favorite Olympic memories-and I teared up just thinking about them. The Miracle on Ice in 1980, Nadia Comaneci in 1976, the Black Power salute of 1968...(okay, that one doesn't make me tear up). But there are so many great and unexpected stories at each Olympics-I told my friend D that every person has a story and that's true of every athlete as well. I remember a story about a Canadian rower who got into a freak rowing accident in which her leg was almost severed at the hip. It was reattached and the road back was difficult and arduous-no on was sure she'd be able to walk properly again, let again row. And yet, there she was in the next Olympics. She didn't win a medal, but she made the Olympic team and she made it to the final, which was huge. When I was growing up, it seemed that PBS showed Olympic Moments all the time. They were 30 minute shows showcasing runners or swimmers or decathletes-whatever. They were all narrated by Bud Greenspan, who also shot much of the later Olympic footage and they were fascinating. I learned about Paavo Nurmi (the Flying Finn), Fanny Blankers Koen and Rafer Johnson (believe it or not, they all competed before I was born) and it was COOL. In his calm, unemotional voice, Greenspan told the story of those who competed long before the net, before TV and long before every eye in the world was on them-except for Jesse Owens, who certainly knew the whole world was watching him. Roger Bannister, the first man to run the mile under 4 minutes, Naim Suleymanoglu, born of Turkish descent in Bulgaria, forced to change his name to make it more Bulgarian, defected to Turkey and waited in hopes that his family could join him there...and won three gold medals in three different Olympics along the way. I also want to say this: yes, Michael Phelps is a phenomenal athlete-his heart his probably like Secretariat's-1 1/2 times larger than a regular heart, allowing him to pump blood faster and oxygenate it better than anyone else around. And Mark Spitz was extremely gracious when Phelps broke his record (Phelps sounded like a dork talking to him) but for my money, I'd like to mention the name Eric Heiden. Eric Heiden who also won every race he entered at Lake Placid, from the 500 to the 10,000 meters. This is the equivalent of winning both the 100 meters run AND the 10,000 run. I'm not explaining this very well but what I'm saying is that he excelled at both sprints and long-distance. If Michael Phelps had won both the Splash and Dash (the 50 free) and the 1,500) meters (which takes around 15-20 minutes, depending on how fast you are), then he would be in the same category of depth as Eric Heiden-who later went to Stanford and became an orthopedic surgeon.
So, best Olympic moment? For these Olympics, it's a tie between Shawn Johnson finally winning gold on the balance beam, it's the kayaker from Togo winning his countries first medal EVER, it's Jason Lezak's rundown of Alain Bernard in the 4x100 relay. I'd also like to say thank you to the USA basketball team for restoring pride and good manners to a team that in the past was known for not only being cocky but for not winning. I thought things were going to be different when I saw Kobe Bryant marching in the Opening Ceremonies and I'm glad to see that things have changed. The players who make millions, who don't have to care, talk about representing the United States and representing it well. So many players in the past really didn't care about that (including the Dream Team, who played well but were far more concerned about product endorsements than anything else-"they can mail it to me" Michael Jordan sneered about the gold medal). So, thanks, Team USA. You're representing your country well. I suspect Coach K has much to do with it but I'll take it.

Overall best moment? Miracle on Ice, hands down. I cried when I found out they won (almost no one I know watched this game, I don't think it was televised) but EVERYONE watched the gold medal game against Finland on Sunday-and we all cried again when the got their medals. It was awesome.

Fugly!

Ah summer...when women in Washington dress really badly. Spring is good because they've all bought new clothes but by August, most women here have fallen back into the pattern of ugly clothes-witness the three awful outfits I saw on my way to work today.

The first offender was not the worst but the thing is, her dress could have been cute-it was such a waste. The dress was white, in a soft cotton jersey-like material. It had a pattern on it in pale blue and dark green-yes it reminded me of a shirt I had in 7th grade but nonetheless it was nice. Bateau neck, sleeveless...and a two-foot wide waistband that went from mid-chest down to mid-thigh. In dark green. Why oh why? I was looking at the dress approvingly, expecting a three-inch wide sash at the waist-and was horrified when I saw what was actually there. This dress had real potential-and I'm still not sure of the point of it. Was it to hold her stomach in? She was fairly slim, so I really didn't see the need-but she wasn't really really skinny, so there was no need to draw such attention to that part of the body. It was just weird.
And then there was offender No#2. Her fuchsia sundress was a shapeless schmatta. If I had seen it on the beach, I wouldn't have looked twice-but on the street, with her sneakers and socks (a topic for another day, but speaking as someone who has walked to work for eight years, I tell you that you CAN find cute walking shoes that don't hurt your feet. The sneakers, socks and a dress or skirt should be left to die by the side of the road) it was awful. It might have been saved with a cute pair of sandals, but it was not to be.

Third was actually painful to look at and was worn by someone who looked like she wanted to try to look nice but had no idea what to do. It reminded me a bit of a girl I knew in grad school whose clothes never seemed to match-and of whom another classmate said that she looked like her mother dressed her every day. Well, except for my mother, who, having seen me wearing something like this, would have said "you're wearing that?" Or "that doesn't match"-words she said to me this summer when I was wearing khakis (doesn't everything go with khaki?) and a pale blue and white top. We had to agree to disagree on that-but I think we would have agreed that the rumpled sage green skirt (to the knee, wide waist band, gathered) and the black and white horizontally striped t-shirt was terrible. Was there something wrong with a plain white t-shirt? Yes, the skirt was rumply and not flattering but black and white striped with sage green? It was painful.

Also, I reread Shadow Castle and it was fabulous. I can see why my 10 year-old self liked it. It was clever and funny and surprisingly progressive for 1945. Maybe it was still in the shadow of WWII, where women did much of the work of men-before the guys came back and women go back to "their place", thus setting the stage for the oppression of the 50's and the Liberation movement of the 60's.
But I digress. It was a great book and I still loved it.

A Series of Moments

It's a cliche to say that life is a series of moments but sometimes it's true. Life comes at you in seconds and things can change in the space of a heartbeat-when you find out someone you love has died, or is pregnant or you find out out someone is in love with you (this can be good or bad, depending). But right now I'm thinking of the small moments that I think it's important to appreciate. I say this because on my way home I heard a girl singing while playing her guitar in Dupont Circle and it was beautiful. I have no singing at all, so I like to think I can appreciate someone who really can sing and she could. I thought it was a recording at first because it was so nice, but as I got closer I saw her and the group gathered around. I stopped for a few seconds to listen then made my way home-and heard the applause when she finished. Listening to her got me thinking of the times in my life that I loved, when that moment was so good that I had to tell myself to remember it because I would always WANT to remember it.
So, to quote Declare again...here's a list.

That time when I was riding my bike home when I was 11 or so and was at the top of the hill that lead down to my house-the sun broke through a square in the clouds and I could actually see the rays of light. It was late afternoon and the clouds were pink, purple and orange around it-it was beautiful.

That time when my mom and sister and I went Christmas shopping in Chicago just for the day. We left early, got back late and got lost returning. it was cold and close to Christmas, Chicago was lit up for the holiday and my sister and I sang Christmas carols on the way home in our terrible voices.

That time I went to CA to visit M &D and we went to Calistoga and then sat by the pool all afternoon drinking the claret I bought at the Coppola Vineyard and eating cheese. Every time D and I get together we talk about that afternoon and how magical it was-a beautiful day, warm weather and we chatted and ate and drank the afternoon away and then went to dinner.

That time when M&I went to Hershey Park a few weeks ago-we ate bad food and went most of the rides and had Italian food at a "piece of Hershey history" then drove back through Amish country-it was beautiful.

Visiting my parent in Florida a few years ago and walking along the beach. It was warm and was wearing a shirt and shorts and splashing in the water. I remember telling myself to enjoy this moment because it was so good.

The Monarch butterfly i saw outside my apartment building last week.

The first time I read Gone With the Wind-I hadn't known until that point that something I read could affect me that much. It was the start of a lifelong love affair.

The first time I read Neuromancer. I didn't know until then that sci-fi could be cool.
Neuromancer was cool-and it allowed me to finally say in public that I liked science fiction-I had kept it in the closet until then.

When my Mom brought Casey home. She was a little Shih-Tzu and so scared of everything but she was so sweet. We loved her with all our hearts-and it broke them when she died but I'm so grateful that we had her and that I knew her. As Shakespeare said-we give hostages to fortune when we love-and that's the risk.

Any meal I've had with D and all the fun times we've ever had-from graduation night with Champagne and kielbasa to that wonderful meal at Gary Danko where the bartender/server was the coolest guy ever and the meal was the best I've ever had (sorry, Ubuntu) and all the laughs, fun and heartbreak we've ever shared-I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

All the times with M-we've had our share (more than our share) of drama, angst and love (sometimes in public) but he's still one of the smartest, funniest, most charismatic people I've ever met and I'm so grateful he's in my life.

The first time I met Y-he teases me because I the first few times i met him, I could never remember his name, but he changed my life and allowed me to become more who I am and I will always be grateful for that. He never criticizes, just offers his thoughts and is never judgemental. He is truly a special person.

That time when my niece graduated from high school-my brother and sister-in-law rented a moon bounce and we played on all afternoon and had some good food then watched the Red Wings all night. The Wings were playing what turned out to be one the longest Stanley Cup games EVER and during every break, we would go out in the moon bounce in the middle of the night. At the end of the night (around 2:00), it was just my brother, sister and I (everyone else had gone to bed), the wings won the game AND the Cup. We celebrated and went out in the moon bounce one more time and then went to bed-it was fun.

That guy who played the guitar outside of the Starbucks north of Dupont Circle last summer. He was good-it was great to hear him every time I walked home.

The condo on Calvert St. That location had its drawbacks (noise, crazy people, lack of parking) but I loved that condo-it was beautiful.

The first time I saw the X-Files. I had mocked it when I saw the commercials (knowing it was something would probably like) but when I actually watched it...
It came along at a very difficult part of my life and it helped me through it. Thank you, David, Gillian and Chris. You have no idea how much you helped me though that time and I'll always love all of you for it. Plus, Chris Carter and Fox Mulder share my birthday! Bonus!

Finally (for now) my parents. They are crazy, my parents. Difficult and prickly, smart and sensitive. They have had their times of making my life difficult and there were times when I never understood them and I probably never will. But I have lived my life knowing that they would do anything in their power for me and that they love me whole-heartedly and without reservation. I tell me people that my Mom is like lion. She's not the type who would stay home and make cookies and be touchy-feely. That's not her-although she would always be there if I needed her but she's not the kind who says "I love you" all the time. She IS the kind that if someone attacked someone she loved, she would rip them to shreds without hesitation. She's fierce and you do not want to cross her-but for those she loves, she would do anything. My Dad is not fierce-but he is kind and loving and smart. He's good at seeing all sides of an issue and seeing how other people feel-something Mom is almost incapable of. They continually baffle and amaze me and I'm grateful for them every day of my life (well, lately. Not so much when I was younger but it takes age to appreciate some things).

So There's This Book...

There's this book that I read when I was 10 and I've never forgotten it because I LOVED it. A girl (somehow I remember her as a teenager but that's not right) goes walking in the woods near her home and follows a small white dog through a tunnel. When she goes through the tunnel, the world is different, although she doesn't know why-and she meets a young man sitting on the steps of an old castle. They go inside so he can give her a tour, and he starts to tell her stories about the shadows that she sees on the walls.
I always thought this book was called The Enchanted Woods or Magical Forest-something like that. And I could only remember the name of the girl (Lucy) and some of the different kinds of fairies in it (Yes, it's a book about fairies and goblins and such. Deal with it). But last week I put into Google everything I remembered about it, but left out the title (which was good because it was wrong) and there it was. Lucy, the little white dog, Prince Mika, all of it. I was thrilled-and laughed to read the comments at Amazon from all the women, both older and younger than I who all got the book from Scholastic books (which had to be where I got it) and read this book at 10 or so. they all loved it as much as I and remembered it far better than I did-and all loved it as much as I did. I ordered it-of course I did-and I have to say I'm not disappointed with it so far. It's not written as if for children and it's not all happy, cute, sweet, fairies-even at 10 I would have hated that. Even though I had already started Absolution Gap, I had to read and I'll report later on the outcome. It won't be the same as when I was 10 but we'll see.
Oh, the title? Shadow Castle. A must-read for everyone, age 10.

Perfume

I went to see the X-Files movie again and I still liked it-I thought it was better the second time around although there were some questionable shots-over the shoulder, some views obscured for no good reason-it seemed a little sloppy. But I noticed things I didn't see the first time, so that was cool.

And my netflix movie was perfume, the Story of a Murderer. I vividly remember reading the book many years ago, so I was looking forward it, especially as it was directed by Tom Tywkwer, of Run Lola run and The Princess and the Warrior.
It was beautiful to look at, I'll give it that-the cinematography was gorgeous. And the acting was very good too-the guy who played Grenouille was very good. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get past the ick factor. Grenouille is a man with an extreme sense of smell and is driven to create new and more beautiful perfumes every day-and with sense of smell, he can do it. But then he starts doing it by killing beautiful women, to capture their scent and turn it into a perfume. I have a high tolerance for violence (sad to say) and i don't think this was that violent. But when Grenouille scrapes off the fat of the skin and turns each of his victims into perfume...it was gross. There is a good movie in this one, I just can't seem to find it because it was icky. Sorry for the lack of vocabulary but that's the best word.