Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Olympic Observations
- China...don't get me started. Really, don't. This is a list unto itself, but a) it is just too long to make! and b) if I've spoken to you in the past two weeks you've heard it already.
- Beach volleyball should really be called sand volleyball.
- Horse dressage should really be called horse dancing.
- Only things that get scored by who can jump the highest, run the fastest, etc., should be in the Olympics (sorry, rhythmic group gymnastics!).
- Exception for #4 should be the mythic jumping on a trampoline "sport" (mythical because I heard about it but never actually saw it), which should use not breaking your arm as some sort of scoring device.
- There should be a do-over for every boxing match that took place, with traditional judging, then in future years, they should have to box until there's a knock-out (see #4).
- I watched the Olympics without following the Olympics.
- What is with the runners and the gold chains?
- The announcers had some verb issues - both "medal" and "final" were used as verbs.
- It hurts my heart to think that softball and baseball might be removed from the Olympics.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Elsewhere: Kids' Olympics
Monday, August 18, 2008
Love/Hate: Movies Made from Jane Austen Books
LOVE:
1. "Pride and Prejudice" - the BBC mini-series. Not only is it a faithful retelling of the story, but it stars Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy! You can't beat that.
2. "Bridget Jones Diary" - Not at all a faithful retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but so much is taken from it and updated that it is obviously done with love. And Colin Firth practically reprises his role from the BBC miniseries - his name is even Mark Darcy!
3. "Clueless" - A near-faithful retelling of Emma. This is the way to do a remake! The characters are the same, which is what is important.
HATE:
1. "Mansfield Park" - 1999 BBC Films version. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. They have taken away the depth of the characters and added silly drama in its place, while squeezing out all of Austen's humor. What you are left with is a ridiculous movie full of caricatures - they turned Fanny Price into Cinderella, Lady Bertram into an opium addict, and Mary Crawford into kind of a whore. The rating says it all: "Rated PG-13 for brief violent images, sexual content and drug use." Come on! This is supposed to be Mansfield Park!
2. "Pride and Prejudice" - the 1940 version starring Greer Garson. The ridiculously incorrect-for-the-time-period costumes, which would not have been so bad except for the giant hats, was enough for me to turn it on mute and take a nap. The Google has no pictures of the giant hats, yet that is what I think of when I think of that version.
3. "Pride and Prejudice" - the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley. Where to begin! Keira Knightley makes Eliza Bennett too emotional. Eliza Bennett is supposed to be above it all - that's kind of the whole point of it. Mr. Darcy in this one just makes me want to yawn when I look at him.
Also ran:
1. "Bride and Prejudice" - It's the modern-day Bollywood retelling and it is pretty fabulous! Lot's of singing and dancing. They got a lot of it right - the mother is awful, the Collins character is a buffoon, Wickham is pretty sleazy - but all of the girls are pretty. (They aren't supposed to be.)
2. A 2003 version of "Pride and Prejudice" that I happened upon on the cable TV one day. It appears to be a modern-day Mormon retelling of the story - at least that is what I assumed as they were in Utah and went to church - and that was just confirmed on imdb.com, which gives its full title as: "Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy." It was a little odd, but watchable.
3. Nearly every romantic comedy I've ever seen. Miss Austen wrote them all first.
1. "Pride and Prejudice" - the BBC mini-series. Not only is it a faithful retelling of the story, but it stars Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy! You can't beat that.
2. "Bridget Jones Diary" - Not at all a faithful retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but so much is taken from it and updated that it is obviously done with love. And Colin Firth practically reprises his role from the BBC miniseries - his name is even Mark Darcy!
3. "Clueless" - A near-faithful retelling of Emma. This is the way to do a remake! The characters are the same, which is what is important.
HATE:
1. "Mansfield Park" - 1999 BBC Films version. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. They have taken away the depth of the characters and added silly drama in its place, while squeezing out all of Austen's humor. What you are left with is a ridiculous movie full of caricatures - they turned Fanny Price into Cinderella, Lady Bertram into an opium addict, and Mary Crawford into kind of a whore. The rating says it all: "Rated PG-13 for brief violent images, sexual content and drug use." Come on! This is supposed to be Mansfield Park!
2. "Pride and Prejudice" - the 1940 version starring Greer Garson. The ridiculously incorrect-for-the-time-period costumes, which would not have been so bad except for the giant hats, was enough for me to turn it on mute and take a nap. The Google has no pictures of the giant hats, yet that is what I think of when I think of that version.
3. "Pride and Prejudice" - the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley. Where to begin! Keira Knightley makes Eliza Bennett too emotional. Eliza Bennett is supposed to be above it all - that's kind of the whole point of it. Mr. Darcy in this one just makes me want to yawn when I look at him.
Also ran:
1. "Bride and Prejudice" - It's the modern-day Bollywood retelling and it is pretty fabulous! Lot's of singing and dancing. They got a lot of it right - the mother is awful, the Collins character is a buffoon, Wickham is pretty sleazy - but all of the girls are pretty. (They aren't supposed to be.)
2. A 2003 version of "Pride and Prejudice" that I happened upon on the cable TV one day. It appears to be a modern-day Mormon retelling of the story - at least that is what I assumed as they were in Utah and went to church - and that was just confirmed on imdb.com, which gives its full title as: "Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy." It was a little odd, but watchable.
3. Nearly every romantic comedy I've ever seen. Miss Austen wrote them all first.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Language Lessons
Actual words and phrases from my conference in Philadelphia:
1. "dialogue" used as a verb
2. "tipping point" used in a way that actually made sense as a phrase and not just a catch-phrase
3. lots of folks said "interestingly enough" - I hear that a lot lately. A LOT.
4. "message" used as a verb
5. "imaged" used as a verb
6. "Gullverian"
7. "sort of" - this is another one I hear a lot, often preceded by "very", which is contradictory enough, but someone at the conference actually said this: "I am very sort of profoundly interested..."
8. heard "below the radar" enough to wonder if anyone ever says "above the radar" or "on top of the radar"
1. "dialogue" used as a verb
2. "tipping point" used in a way that actually made sense as a phrase and not just a catch-phrase
3. lots of folks said "interestingly enough" - I hear that a lot lately. A LOT.
4. "message" used as a verb
5. "imaged" used as a verb
6. "Gullverian"
7. "sort of" - this is another one I hear a lot, often preceded by "very", which is contradictory enough, but someone at the conference actually said this: "I am very sort of profoundly interested..."
8. heard "below the radar" enough to wonder if anyone ever says "above the radar" or "on top of the radar"
Monday, August 11, 2008
Philadelphia!
I went to Philadelphia in June for a conference. Here is what I did and saw...
1. At the airport I learned that creams and pastes are also considered liquid.
2. View from the giant balcony of my giant hotel room
3. Went to the Reading Terminal Market
4. Ate a FANTASTIC roast pork sandwich
5. Funny sculpture
6. Cool projection screen
7. Experienced a hotel fire alarm for the first time.
8. Ate at Honey's Sit'N Eat, which was really good.
9. Orange door
10. Sign sign
11. Went to a Phillies game by myself
12. Rode in a cab by myself
13. Read "The Artist's Guide to Public Art" by Lynn Basa...good book!
14. Tall buildings
1. At the airport I learned that creams and pastes are also considered liquid.
2. View from the giant balcony of my giant hotel room
3. Went to the Reading Terminal Market
4. Ate a FANTASTIC roast pork sandwich
5. Funny sculpture
6. Cool projection screen
7. Experienced a hotel fire alarm for the first time.
8. Ate at Honey's Sit'N Eat, which was really good.
9. Orange door
10. Sign sign
11. Went to a Phillies game by myself
12. Rode in a cab by myself
13. Read "The Artist's Guide to Public Art" by Lynn Basa...good book!
14. Tall buildings
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Some Stuff from Last Week
1. Saw the new house where my childhood home used to be.
2. Organized my studio. (WARNING: These paintings have been stacked by a professional artist! Do not attempt!)
3. Briefly visited with the river.
4. Saw this cool old sign in East Memphis. Note the "phone" sign on the old light - so 20th century.
2. Organized my studio. (WARNING: These paintings have been stacked by a professional artist! Do not attempt!)
3. Briefly visited with the river.
4. Saw this cool old sign in East Memphis. Note the "phone" sign on the old light - so 20th century.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Guestlist: Comments on Click (Daily)
the things that get the most comments on my photo blog:
people drinking to excess
food my husband makes
baby birds
walking long distances
purdy flowers
people drinking to excess
food my husband makes
baby birds
walking long distances
purdy flowers
Monday, August 4, 2008
Some Stuff from my Birthday
1. Beautiful eggs made by T
2. Working on a new painting
3. Sake and sushi at Osaka
4. Gyoza
5. Cream croquettes with mustard sauce
6. Lots of sushi!
2. Working on a new painting
3. Sake and sushi at Osaka
4. Gyoza
5. Cream croquettes with mustard sauce
6. Lots of sushi!
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