It seems too long since my last post. I�ve been striving to find balance when the rest of the world is so imbalanced. I�ve not had much success.

Still, the union agreed upon a new contract offer and we all will get small raises. For me, every little bit will count. Today I had to cash my paycheck at the western union office so I could get money orders and after the fees were paid, I received six cents to live on for the next two weeks. Once upon a time that was enough to live off for a week.

No matter, I have beans and rice for the next few weeks. I can do my laundry at my dad�s boyfriend�s house and I can survive on nothing. I did it for a few months this spring; of course I had credit cards that weren�t maxed out then.

Anyway, it is late and I need to post this before I go to bed. Good night.

I guess I need to lower my expectations for myself around keeping up with my movie watching and other things. I've been meaning to add to this page for too long. And every few weeks I find myself at another movie and no desire to write anything about them.

Just so it is out there in the ether I am stating this once: I want to write reviews and have them published somewhere other than this web page. Payment would be the most suitable motivation for me to continue writing. Any takers?

A week ago, last Thursday; Carolyn invited me out to see a preview of a movie starring Anthony Hopkins. I didn't realize the screenplay was an adaptation of a Stephen King story until Carolyn arrived and mentioned that point of interest. I was intrigued. As long as King wasn't directing or writing the screenplay, this should prove entertaining. And largely it was, even if it was a little sappy. I couldn't help comparing it to Stand by Me, which is a far better story.

Even so, the kid they got to play the main character Bobby Garfield (Anton Yelchin) is very photogenic, and in a few years he could be a formidable actor. Perhaps Mika Boorem, who plays the childhood love interest, Carol Gerber, shows more promise. Her chameleon ability to convincingly play ing�nue, tom boy and surviving daughter without much effort suggests I may be watching for her performances in the near future, like I did with Christina Ricci years ago after her deadpan portrayal of Charles Addam's Wednesday.

Hopkins also breathes belief into an otherwise lifeless role that nearly fades from the screen before he's carted off by McCarthy era G-men. But he's at best when he is chewing out the neighborhood bully with a little strategic psychology. It doesn't really matter if he is foretelling the boy's future or simply using the young man's own fears against him, it remain a plausible performance without the story's magical realism. Unfortunately Hopkins leaves no room in the character for the possibility of mental instability, he believes his own delusions too convincingly and he has convinced the audience of something that they should have to question themselves about.

Unfortunately the magical realism is the story's weakest link and the director has all but ignored its inconsistencies. Also the relationship between Bobby and Carol could have been more convincing if there was more of the adult back-story. The Director obviously opted against that so he could show more of the main character's earlier memories. I think I would have liked it hinted at more, but then I prefer my Hollywood movies to show nothing and imply much. Am I asking for too much?

Ultimately this will be a good video rental after its general release, but not much more.

Savoring the Spice Coast of India

Amazon.com: buying info: Teleny


Powell's Books - BLACK BEAUTY THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A HORS by Anna Sewell

I�ve been visiting the Public Library since they moved to just down my street (actually over on Pike at the convention center). I nabbed a handful of Asian cookbooks and have been reading up on the various Indian cuisines. I�ve even bought some whole spices, but I have yet to attempt to recreate any recipes. Cleaning the kitchen is daunting.

Also, my work on a friend�s web site has lead him to send me a copy of the Victorian �Socratic� novel Teleny. I�ve jumped in with two feet and think it is fascinating. It has a long and checkered history.

Also picked up my 1920s copy of Black Beauty I purchased on Ebay a while ago. I remember extensive lines from a Disney storytelling record I had as a child, impressive since the version I remember was an extreme condensation.

Warner Bros. : Hearts In Atlantis

I guess I need to lower my expectations for myself around keeping up with my movie watching and other things. I've been meaning to add to this page for too long. And every few weeks I find myself at another movie and no desire to write anything about them.

A week ago, last Thursday; Carolyn invited me out to see a preview of a movie starring Anthony Hopkins. I didn't realize the screenplay was an adaptation of a Stephen King story until Carolyn arrived and mentioned that point of interest. I was intrigued. As long as King wasn't directing or writing the screenplay, this should prove entertaining. And largely it was, even if it was a little sappy. I couldn't help comparing it to Stand by Me, which is a far better story.

Even so, the kid they got to play the main character Bobby Garfield (Anton Yelchin) is very photogenic, and in a few years he could be a formidable actor. Perhaps Mika Boorem, who plays the childhood love interest, Carol Gerber, shows more promise. Her chameleon ability to convincingly play ing�nue, tom boy and surviving daughter without much effort suggests I may be watching for her performances in the near future, like I did with Christina Ricci years ago after her deadpan portrayal of Charles Addam's Wednesday.

Hopkins also breathes belief into an otherwise lifeless role that nearly fades from the screen before he's carted off by McCarthy era G-men. But he's at best when he is chewing out the neighborhood bully with a little strategic psychology. It doesn't really matter if he is foretelling the boy's future or simply using the young man's own fears against him, it remain a plausible performance without the story's magical realism. Unfortunately Hopkins leaves no room in the character for the possibility of mental instability, perhaps for good reason, he believes his own delusions too convincingly and he has convinced the audience of something that they should have to question themselves about.

Unfortunately the magical realism is the story's weakest link and the director has all but ignored its inconsistencies. Also the relationship between Bobby and Carol could have been more convincing if there was more of the adult back-story. The Director obviously opted against that so he could show more of the main character's earlier memories. I think I would have liked it hinted at more, but then I prefer my Hollywood movies to show nothing and imply much. Am I asking for too much?

Ultimately this will be a good video rental after its general release, but not much more.

Trade Center's Past in a Sad Paper Trail

Odd details are revealed in the wake of great tragedy. I would be remiss not to mention something of Tuesday's tragedy, although it has not effected me personally, outside of shock from the horror and unreality of the whole event. So many of my co-workers have friends living in New York. Rob, one former co-worker (visiting from Australia), was in New York at the time and says he saw the second tower collapse. What a terrible and wrong thing to happen in this day and age.

---

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGgggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, all. I think my internet was turned off. At least I think it was. Am I going crazy? I mean, yes, I am already crazy, but seriously. It was turned off for a day or two. I swear!

Anyway, it is now working. I don't know why. I don't know how. I am not looking this gift horse in the mouth.

Next time you talk to me...do me a favor and don't point out the broken ice cream cone in my hair. It is supposed to be there.....!

Warner Bros. : Hearts In Atlantis

Another day off, this time because I worked Monday a week ago for another City People�s employee. So far today I walked to Queen Anne to meet my werewolf for coffee. It was very enjoyable. He just celebrated his birthday and I gave him his first Tarot deck. He seemed pleased by the gift then put it under his elbow, just like a wolf.

I had hoped to meet another new friend this afternoon, but he was not able to meet me at the Frye, so I went by myself. They currently are presenting three particular exhibitions besides their standard exhibition of the Frye collection of realist artwork. More on these under �watch� in my vices section.

Now I am off to see a screening with my friend Carolyn of a movie called Hearts in Atlantis. It looks like it stars Anthony Hopkins and a couple kids, in a fantasy. Who knows if it will be anything. I�ll talk about it in my �watch� section, eventually�promise.

Welcome to Bumbershoot!

This weekend, in spite of not going to Burning Man or because of it, I attended Seattle's resident music festival of the past thirty years: Bumbershoot. I had asked for the time off from work for Burning Man, but then figured I only needed the weekends off if I was staying home, so I gave myself a four-day weekend.

My plan was to take in Rufus Wainwright on Sunday, but earlier last week I received a reminder email that Blooghag was playing at the EMP Sky Church stage. So I ended up purchasing a two-day pass and spent a lovely Friday at Bumbershoot.

I walked around looking at the art exhibits in the Northwest rooms and stopped in at the Bookfair where I chatted with two of my most favorite cartoonists, Roberta Gregory and Donna Barr. Dennis Eichorn was also there. I ended up spending all my lunch money with them. I had to buy lunch at Micky D�s so I could use my ATM card.

At the Bloodhag show, I ran into Charlie, who is a punk (seems odd to call a guy who�s older than me a punk, but that�s what he is) and hangs out at Bauhaus Caf�, which is kitty-corner to my apartment building. We chatted for a while before the show, but I had to leave early to catch Spaulding Gray at the Opera House.

I�ll write specifics on the performances in my vices sections.

I was making it my habit to stop by Coffee Messiah, which I've discovered serves very delicious coffee. They also have expensive and not too delicately made pastries, but which I can recommend because they are handmade with lots of fruit in them. There is a handsome, tall, very thin man with bleached hair who serves coffee at the counter and on my third visit he finally smiled at me and even joked with me. I could become a regular even yet. Anyway, enough about chasing boys.

Saturday found me heading again to Queen Anne (where the Seattle Center is located), but not to take in Bumbershoot. Last Monday, after filling in for someone at work, I stopped by Landes House, a local bed and breakfast, where my friend Addison works occasionally. We had a pleasant chat and when I made to leave he invited me to visit him on Saturday at the house he shares with his sister.

The bus again was packed and the hot, slowed by traffic, standing-room-only bus ride was almost not worth the effort. I threw my coffee into my knapsack when the bus came by, so today I was peeling pages apart from the dried coffee that had spill in my bag. Then I pulled out my map that Addison had drawn for me and walked to his lovely appointed hovel.

Actually it is not a hovel, Addison just calls it that. I was also able to meet his terrier, Sophie, but not before his sister, Elizabeth mistook me for someone else she was expecting. Then I had to reintroduce myself because she didn't recognize me for the blue hair. It was delightful visit and Addison ran me home in his car.

Sunday found me attending Bumbershoot again. But I visited with my friends at Charlie�s on Broadway for brunch first. Purple was waiting when I arrived and Carolyn showed soon afterwards. We had to order entrees because we were too late for the breakfast menu. And there was a new, very humpy bus boy I took the opportunity of ogling.

Purple Mark had brought with him his CD of photos taken with his new camera and wanted to see if we could download them to my computer and email friends with them. So after brunch I took Purple to my apartment and we spent sometime figuring out how to configure my CD player so it could read the photos off the CD. Unfortunately, Hotmail was not allowing us to attach photos to email so I promised Purple I�d do that when I had some time this week.

We then walked up Pine Street to the front of a house where Purple had noticed a table sitting by the sidewalk that he thought might make a perfect sewing table. There was someone coming out of the house when we�d arrived so Purple asked if the table was free for the taking, which the man confirmed. I�d plucked a rose from the garbage can at my apartment, which I offered to the man, who heartily accepted it.

Mark grabbed the tabletop and I grabbed the legs and we set off to Mark�s apartment. We switched twice on the way, and towards the end of the jaunt, I discovered an empty black metal steamer trunk by the side of the way, which I carted home and think I will fill with comic books.

I was able to catch a #8 bus to the Seattle Center that was not packed to the gills. I don't know what was different other than the time of day. Both Friday and Saturday I�d come early and this was almost six. I walked directly to the Opera House where Rufus was performing, but they first had the line of people wait in the Exhibition Hall next door. Almost as soon as I�d sat down, a man walked over to me.

It was my friend Scott, who lives in California! He was up visiting a friend and attending Bumbershoot. We caught up with each other for the next hour, which passed very quickly. He was looking quite well and although he didn�t have many anecdotes about his life for me, we still carried on some lively conversation.

I was planning to attend Fetish night at the Vogue when I got home from the concert, but I just was too exhausted to go out again. Even so, I didn�t go right to bed because I had some work I had promised to do this weekend to finish.

Today, Monday, was very slow and nice. I didn�t have any money to spend and my friend Amy of Pistilbooks.com had invited me over for coffee so I spent most of the afternoon chatting with her. She served me a very interesting cheese custard and peach pie, which had a delicious walnut, brown sugar and flour, �crumb crust�. Yum! She drove me home with a huge box of books that I don�t know what I am going to do with, Doteyevsky and such. I�ve spent the rest of the evening ripping CDs and finishing projects. Now I�m running out of time. Damn!

The Burning Man Project � Official Site

I am watching the live Internet broadcast of the Burning Man festival as I write this. I didn't intentionally plan to do this, since "television" activities are not something I generally plan. It was nearly an afterthought since I am not there and I realized this evening that I wanted to participate somehow. It is kind of wild, there are dust devils being created in the wake of the Burning Man effigy.

I am glad I have this high-speed cable connection, which allows me this connection. If I'd planned this better I would have invited friends to participate in this viewing. Social planning is not a skill I've cultivated in myself.

Oh, there goes the man. Now everyone is running into where he fell. The crowd is amazing. This display went off better than previous years. There was a regular progression to the fireworks. These things are very difficult to plan and take special detail work.

*sigh* I really wish I was there now.