Close readers, who made it to the end of last weekend's post, may have picked up on the subtle reference that I had a date on Friday night. I met Roger in Durham and we had a rather wonderful dinner at Palace International on Broad St. The restaurant specializes in Kenyan style food. The atmosphere is quite casual, the service was very nice, the prices were reasonable ($12 - $18 entrees), and the dishes we tried were very yummy. We started with Beef Samosas, which are like small meat turnovers. Roger had a chicken stew with cauliflower and vegetables. I was feeling a little adventurous, so I ordered the bone-in, goat curry with collard greens and basmati rice.
I have never had goat before, but I have also never been to a Kenyan restaurant, so when opportunity knocks... The meat was very tender, and the curry was amazing. The goat had the consistency of mutton, but without the gamey taste. It was quite rich. My friend Arjay, just informed me that goat is the most eaten red meat in the world. Now I know why. I will definitely give it another try when I run across it again. Apparently, not all cultures cook their collards down to a mushy green mass. These were very green and crisp, as if they had been quick fried or sauteed. All in all, it was a very nice meal. Well played Roger.
On Saturday, my father's extended family had their quarterly reunion dinner at Golden Coral. I have been to two of these dinners now and don't know anyone beyond my aunts and uncles. So, generally I sit with my closest relatives, crack a few jokes, and be generally charming when my dad introduces me. It is obvious that he has mentioned me, because when he introduces me, they all ask, "is this the one who lives downtown, or the one who lives in China?" Each of the distant cousins take turns planning the dinners, selecting the locations, and communicating with the attendees. I am often a bit overwhelmed by the number of people who I apparently am related to, but really have no idea who they are.
For those folks who know me well, you may guess that Golden Coral is not my first, second, or 75th choice for restaurants when I think about feeding my temple. But, I had not been to this restaurant in over 15 years and I was not paying. Thanks Dad! Love you man!
And it was just as I remembered. Lots of tepid food, without much flavor, that a lot of people had already stirred and dipped portions from. Not nearly as good as the commercials would lead you to believe. It was a bit like Thanksgiving, but with soup and salad. I will give props to the dessert bar. The cherry cobbler, fudge, and no-bake oatmeal cookies were delish. And, to be honest, the buffet was not horrible. It was a bit like going to Sam's club. It would have been a much more enjoyable experience if all the other people had not been crowding up to the trough - milling around without purpose. I am definitely losing the tiny bit of patience I was born with, but that is for another blog post.
It was great seeing my Dad, sister, aunt, and uncle. We had a nice time, but I was miserably stuffed when it was time to go home. I certainly got my Dad's money's worth of buffet style goodness. Hopefully those stretch marks will be gone by next weekend.
See ya later!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
A View from the Queue
Last week I diverged from the best movies list and spent my evenings bouncing between genres. Classic movies are often very entertaining, but sometimes I just need a bit of fluff.
The week started with Hellboy II. I thought the first installment in this franchise was quite entertaining. The first movie storyline was imbued with really cool Nazi occult characters, fun dialog, and great special effects. So I was really looking forward to more of the same in the second movie. It was obvious that the second movie had a much larger budget because the special effects were amazing. The director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) created a wonderful world of odd characters. However, I got the feeling that the big budget was allowed to overwhelm the weak storyline. The creatures were very impressive, but the sequel did not live up to original.
Then I moved on to True Grit, which left me strangely empty. The film included all the quirky characters for which the Coen brothers' movies are famous. However, for some reason, I felt a little unsatisfied at its conclusion. It was well-crafted, beautifully filmed, rather violent, but for some reason there seemed to be a disjointed feel to it. More like a series of vignettes strung together into a revenge/quest movie. It reminded me a bit of O Brother, Where Art Thou? With that said, the actor's performances were all quite impressive - Matt Damon was quite humorous, particularly after the scene where he bites through his tongue. However, I think the quirky characters may have diluted the storyline just a bit. It is hard to really get into the revenge state of mind when you have no connection to the original victim, all the characters are a bit broken, and you don't have time to develop any sympathy or empathy for any of them.
And, with broken characters in mind, I ended the movie week with Blue Valentine. This movie was worth the wait. Fully formed characters, artful storytelling, and voyeuristic cinematography easily made this my pick of the week. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams were both quite remarkable and believable in their roles as both teenagers and adults. The movie begins at the end of a relationship that has run its course. Interspersed into the telling of the final weekend of this relationship are flashbacks from each character’s perspective from their first dates. While this could have devolved into a chick-flicky, tear festival, the documentary style of filming kept the emotions just on the edge. And, believe me, as I have stated before, I will cry during a television commercial, but I was so engrossed in the characters and storytelling that the tears really never materialized. I am still not sure why this movie was almost slapped with an NC -17 rating as it is rather tame. Not to give anything away, but the ending, while not what you may be hoping for, is really the only way the movie could end.
Next week, I am focusing on the third seasons of True Blood and Rescue Me. So stay tuned…
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Thoughts from the Saddle
Last night in spin class I rode 22.7 miles. This is equivalent to 15% of the distance from my condo parking space to the public parking space I used on Topsail Island a few weeks ago. However, if I remember correctly, the trip to the beach was not all up hill.
Monday, July 25, 2011
2 Girls - 1 Mouth
Well, actually a hygienist and a dentist, but they were both female.
Today I was scheduled for a Gingivectomy to remove some excess gum tissue around my back lower molars. Apparently, that area of my mouth did not receive the invitation to recede along with the rest of my gums, so the dentist helped them along. The idea is to open up that area so that I can more effectively clean between those teeth. Sounds a bit counter intuitive to strip away the connective tissues that hold things together, but I bow to Dr Arrick's expertise. She and her staff have always treated me well.
I guess I should thank my dearly departed grandmother for handing down such a terrible set of gums. She, my uncle, and I have all progressed along the same path. I do not look forward to my snaggle toothed future. I am guessing that flossing will not be such a big issue in my old age. But, I should probably start saving now for a lovely set of chompers to make it through my golden years.
All in all, the process was pretty painless. The anticipation was much worse than the procedure. The numbing agent is just wearing off now. There is mild discomfort, but I am trying to get ahead of it with a dose of Aleve. I see a giant bowl of mashed potatoes in my future. And possibly some delightful pain killers before bed. Ahhh - better living through chemistry.
Today I was scheduled for a Gingivectomy to remove some excess gum tissue around my back lower molars. Apparently, that area of my mouth did not receive the invitation to recede along with the rest of my gums, so the dentist helped them along. The idea is to open up that area so that I can more effectively clean between those teeth. Sounds a bit counter intuitive to strip away the connective tissues that hold things together, but I bow to Dr Arrick's expertise. She and her staff have always treated me well.
I guess I should thank my dearly departed grandmother for handing down such a terrible set of gums. She, my uncle, and I have all progressed along the same path. I do not look forward to my snaggle toothed future. I am guessing that flossing will not be such a big issue in my old age. But, I should probably start saving now for a lovely set of chompers to make it through my golden years.
All in all, the process was pretty painless. The anticipation was much worse than the procedure. The numbing agent is just wearing off now. There is mild discomfort, but I am trying to get ahead of it with a dose of Aleve. I see a giant bowl of mashed potatoes in my future. And possibly some delightful pain killers before bed. Ahhh - better living through chemistry.
Lost Weekend Recounted
I found myself a bit over-wrought and over worked when the weekend finally started last Friday. My lovely boss encouraged me to start my weekend early, so I packed it in around 3:30 and headed home. Once in the welcoming confines of my abode, I packed up my gym bag, prepared a snack, and then curled up on the couch for a nap instead of heading out for a workout.
I blamed my general malaise on the summer's first sustained heatwave. It had been bumping up against 100 degrees for several days in a row. Not to mention that I had been busy all week at work, trying to get in gym time, and attending meetings for the International Festival. So, I tossed all care to the wind, turned on the TV, and had a lovely nap. Of course, the plan was to sleep for an hour of so, and then head to the gym. Instead, I laid a few more paving stones on that famous road, but the rest was quite nice.
I finished off the evening by watching True Grit. It left me strangely empty. The film included all the quirky characters for which the Coen brothers' movies are famous. However, for some reason, I felt a little empty at its conclusion. It was well-crafted, beautifully filmed, rather violent, but for some reason there seemed to be a disjointed feel to it. More like a series of vignettes strung together into a revenge/quest movie than a coherent film. It reminded me a bit of O Brother, Where Art Thou? With that said, the actor's performances were all quite impressive - Matt Damon's dialog was quite humorous, particularly after the scene where he bites through his tongue. After the movie, I was off to bed for an early night in.
Saturday started out as a normal "chores and errands" day. The house was cleaned, the shopping list was composed, and the gym bag was again brought downstairs. Then I got a text from my friend Dan who was having a Saturday brew at the Flying Saucer. Which, sounded like a lot more fun than a sweaty workout. So I joined him for some carb loading. After a couple of pints, we decided that some pool time was necessary to beat the heat, so we headed around the corner to his place at the Hue. Dan pulled out some bathing suits for me to try on (too gay, too gay, just right...) and we spent the afternoon swilling PBR at the pool - topped off by a Manhattan and plans to meet up later.
When I left Dan's, I proceeded to place a few more pavers on my road to Hell, as I had planned to at least get my shopping done, but my friend Arjay texted that he had finished up the release we have been working on for so long and that he was at Tir Na Nog having a celebratory pint. Of course, by this time, I had no self control left, so I headed over to the pub and had two more pints. Yum Yum.
There are some advantages to living downtown. You can walk, or stagger, everywhere....and by this time, I was pretty buzzed, so I headed home and had a nap. Do you detect a theme here?
Anyway, the Temper-Pedic mattress worked its magic and I woke up refreshed. A quick dinner, shower, and I was off to meet friends at Flex. My friend John, who documents all details of his life here, was there and we talked about the passing of our friend, Joe's mother. We also discussed our respective blogs and had a few laughs. His dedication to his blog is an inspiration to me, he can also always get a laugh out of me, so it is always a special treat running into him. And, did I mention it was underwear night at Flex?
My friend Dan arrived shortly after my first beer. Suffice it to say that the evening devolved quickly into beers, shots, a skinny porn star, shirtless dancing, jock straps, and other sorts of minor debauchery. Why? Why? Why?
So, my weekend pretty much ended the way it started. I was up around 9:00 on Sunday, did a little reading, made brunch, retrieved my gym bag from upstairs, had a nap instead of a workout, skipped Sunday-Funday with Arjay and Cathy, cooked dinner, watched a little TV, and went to bed early. All in all, a weekend of relaxation and napping. I am definitely caught up on my rest.
And, I have a date scheduled for Friday. I guess I didn't leave all my integrity on the dance floor... or did I?
I blamed my general malaise on the summer's first sustained heatwave. It had been bumping up against 100 degrees for several days in a row. Not to mention that I had been busy all week at work, trying to get in gym time, and attending meetings for the International Festival. So, I tossed all care to the wind, turned on the TV, and had a lovely nap. Of course, the plan was to sleep for an hour of so, and then head to the gym. Instead, I laid a few more paving stones on that famous road, but the rest was quite nice.
I finished off the evening by watching True Grit. It left me strangely empty. The film included all the quirky characters for which the Coen brothers' movies are famous. However, for some reason, I felt a little empty at its conclusion. It was well-crafted, beautifully filmed, rather violent, but for some reason there seemed to be a disjointed feel to it. More like a series of vignettes strung together into a revenge/quest movie than a coherent film. It reminded me a bit of O Brother, Where Art Thou? With that said, the actor's performances were all quite impressive - Matt Damon's dialog was quite humorous, particularly after the scene where he bites through his tongue. After the movie, I was off to bed for an early night in.
Saturday started out as a normal "chores and errands" day. The house was cleaned, the shopping list was composed, and the gym bag was again brought downstairs. Then I got a text from my friend Dan who was having a Saturday brew at the Flying Saucer. Which, sounded like a lot more fun than a sweaty workout. So I joined him for some carb loading. After a couple of pints, we decided that some pool time was necessary to beat the heat, so we headed around the corner to his place at the Hue. Dan pulled out some bathing suits for me to try on (too gay, too gay, just right...) and we spent the afternoon swilling PBR at the pool - topped off by a Manhattan and plans to meet up later.
When I left Dan's, I proceeded to place a few more pavers on my road to Hell, as I had planned to at least get my shopping done, but my friend Arjay texted that he had finished up the release we have been working on for so long and that he was at Tir Na Nog having a celebratory pint. Of course, by this time, I had no self control left, so I headed over to the pub and had two more pints. Yum Yum.
There are some advantages to living downtown. You can walk, or stagger, everywhere....and by this time, I was pretty buzzed, so I headed home and had a nap. Do you detect a theme here?
Anyway, the Temper-Pedic mattress worked its magic and I woke up refreshed. A quick dinner, shower, and I was off to meet friends at Flex. My friend John, who documents all details of his life here, was there and we talked about the passing of our friend, Joe's mother. We also discussed our respective blogs and had a few laughs. His dedication to his blog is an inspiration to me, he can also always get a laugh out of me, so it is always a special treat running into him. And, did I mention it was underwear night at Flex?
My friend Dan arrived shortly after my first beer. Suffice it to say that the evening devolved quickly into beers, shots, a skinny porn star, shirtless dancing, jock straps, and other sorts of minor debauchery. Why? Why? Why?
So, my weekend pretty much ended the way it started. I was up around 9:00 on Sunday, did a little reading, made brunch, retrieved my gym bag from upstairs, had a nap instead of a workout, skipped Sunday-Funday with Arjay and Cathy, cooked dinner, watched a little TV, and went to bed early. All in all, a weekend of relaxation and napping. I am definitely caught up on my rest.
And, I have a date scheduled for Friday. I guess I didn't leave all my integrity on the dance floor... or did I?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Thoughts from the Saddle
Being on the front row in spin class is a bit like being in the front row at church. I always feel like the instructor / minister is talking to me, that I am not trying hard enough, and they know it. And then there is all the sweating...
Hairy Potter - Indeed!
I don't think that there would be much debate as to which movie released this summer has been the most anticipated event. My sister, nieces (16 and 14 years old), and visiting friends from Spain, were all lined up Thursday night for the midnight showing of the last Harry Potter movie - the Deathly Hallows Pt. II.
Before we go too far with this posting, please be assured that there will be no spoilers. But, there are a few things you should know about me as a reviewer:
I headed off to the theater Sunday afternoon. My thoughts were that if I got far enough out of Raleigh, I should be able to get into an early afternoon showing. Silly me, the 3:00 showing was sold out, so I went ahead and bought a ticket for the 3:20 3D feature for $11. I was aghast - those are IMAX prices and I was in Garner - at a matinee. I also learned why they don't post the prices for the concessions anymore. A medium popcorn and drink were $12.25. For $23 I could have had a lovely sushi dinner, a few cocktails, and maybe a little something afterwards. However, I had left for the movie straight from the gym, so I knew I would get hungry. Lesson learned.
Since I have not read the books, I could only go on expectations based on the movie franchise. Truthfully, I thought numbers 4 and 5 were a little lack-luster, but I thoroughly enjoyed part 6. I thought the story telling was very mature and set up the final chapter nicely. It was nice to have more time with the main characters rather than the teachers, although they are all very excellent character actors.
I was not disappointed. The final movie picked up with the last scene from Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 and it was a non-stop thrill ride right up to the finish. There was less humor, however the few laughs were on the ironic side and well earned. There were several scenes that made me realize just how much of an investment I have made to the franchise over the last 10 years. I had no idea that I would feel such an emotional connection - particularly during the initial setting of the Hogwart's defenses. From that moment on, I was hooked. Go Maggie Smith!
The battle scenes were well played without going overboard (Pirates of the Caribbean - anyone?). The emotional scenes were nicely done, meaning the tears came at the right place along with the quivering chins and runny noses. One benefit of 3D glasses is that they hide the misty eyes, but misty eyes and 3D are not very compatable.
So without giving anything away to the peeps who have this movie on their list - I will say that I was very, very pleased. The movie provided a fitting and well crafted ending for the franchise. I did not feel as if I was missing anything by not having read the books. And, I was happy that some of my favorite characters were included, no matter how small their roles, and others acheived a well earned redemption.
Other notes:
Before we go too far with this posting, please be assured that there will be no spoilers. But, there are a few things you should know about me as a reviewer:
- I have not read the Harry Potter books
- I have seen all the movies.
- I get misty when watching well-constructed commericials on television
- I usually only go to the movies when I am dating someone or when there is an event movie.
I headed off to the theater Sunday afternoon. My thoughts were that if I got far enough out of Raleigh, I should be able to get into an early afternoon showing. Silly me, the 3:00 showing was sold out, so I went ahead and bought a ticket for the 3:20 3D feature for $11. I was aghast - those are IMAX prices and I was in Garner - at a matinee. I also learned why they don't post the prices for the concessions anymore. A medium popcorn and drink were $12.25. For $23 I could have had a lovely sushi dinner, a few cocktails, and maybe a little something afterwards. However, I had left for the movie straight from the gym, so I knew I would get hungry. Lesson learned.
Since I have not read the books, I could only go on expectations based on the movie franchise. Truthfully, I thought numbers 4 and 5 were a little lack-luster, but I thoroughly enjoyed part 6. I thought the story telling was very mature and set up the final chapter nicely. It was nice to have more time with the main characters rather than the teachers, although they are all very excellent character actors.
I was not disappointed. The final movie picked up with the last scene from Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 and it was a non-stop thrill ride right up to the finish. There was less humor, however the few laughs were on the ironic side and well earned. There were several scenes that made me realize just how much of an investment I have made to the franchise over the last 10 years. I had no idea that I would feel such an emotional connection - particularly during the initial setting of the Hogwart's defenses. From that moment on, I was hooked. Go Maggie Smith!
The battle scenes were well played without going overboard (Pirates of the Caribbean - anyone?). The emotional scenes were nicely done, meaning the tears came at the right place along with the quivering chins and runny noses. One benefit of 3D glasses is that they hide the misty eyes, but misty eyes and 3D are not very compatable.
So without giving anything away to the peeps who have this movie on their list - I will say that I was very, very pleased. The movie provided a fitting and well crafted ending for the franchise. I did not feel as if I was missing anything by not having read the books. And, I was happy that some of my favorite characters were included, no matter how small their roles, and others acheived a well earned redemption.
Other notes:
- The 3D was well done, but there were very few effects that were highlighted or enhanced by the 3D. I do not think that it added anything to the story - other than the price premium. I would suggest that unless you are planning to see the movie in IMAX - go for the standard, 2D version.
- The obligatory Harry Potter shirtless scene proves that he has grown past early puberty. He is going to be a hairy little monkey, that one.
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