Follow my chain of thought to see why I picked Cornucopia as the fractal for today’s post: a Cornucopia is a horn-shaped basket containing an abundance of good food. Today’s post is about deep-fried food--which, as we all know, is one of the BEST ways to prepare food. (Even the shape and color reminds me of fried dough like funnel cakes or Churros) Therefore it seemed like a reasonable choice! SO--on with today’s rant!
-
I love fried food. Grease runs though my soul as surely as Mama’s Marinara sings to an Italian American. (We‘re not going to discuss the negatives of deep-fat frying--everyone with even half a brain knows this so don‘t even BOTHER complaining about this post!) Fried chicken, fried potatoes (different from French Fries--which are also yummy but not exactly “comfort” food” for me) Chicken Fried Steak, fried Spam and Eggs, Gringo Tacos--all of these culinary delights take me right back to childhood and memories of my Mother’s kitchen.
-
In my adult life I’ve encountered other examples of deep fried goodness: Hush Puppies (and considering my Southern roots it amazes me that I never tasted these things until after I was 40), Tempura Veggies, Sweet Potato Fries, Fuego Con Helado (Fried Ice Cream for those of you who might not be in the know) Sizzler Corn Fritters and Deep Fried Macaroni and Cheese (so horribly, wrong yet so deliciously right!) I even remember a Garfield comic where Jim asks the cat how he wants his cabbage. Garfield replies: “deep fat fry that sucker!” That would totally work, I remember thinking when I read the strip. I thought there was nothing I wouldn’t enjoy if you fried it up and put it on my plate.
-
Boy was I wrong!
-
It seems that anything worth doing is worth doing to excess: now adventurous cooks are deep fat frying just about anything. The trend seems mostly confined to Fairs and Amusement Parks but some items have made it onto the Menus of posh restaurants. If the fried food fanatic looks far enough s/he will find such questionable delicacies as Deep Fried Snickers ™, Mars Bars ™ or even Strawberry Pop Tarts ™ (served with Strawberry Jelly) and Deep Fried Twinkies ™. The Chocolate Hot Dog is a Tootsie Roll ™ covered in funnel cake batter and then deep fried. Someone even got the idea to split a Krispy Kreme Jelly Doughnut then fill it with a chicken breast, batter it then deep fry to concoction then top with Jam. (I'm guessing this is some sort of bizarre take on a Monte Cristo Sandwich--a weird enough food in and of itself.) This item is no longer marketed so I guess it really WAS as bad as it sounded.
-
This is by now means the end of the crimes against food: this year’s Orange County Fair features Deep Fried Avocados (an artery-hardening horror if ever there was one), Sweet Potatoes (why add the batter?) are being offered up for the barve and none-too-discerning gurgitatior. Even atrichokes get the batter and deep fat fry treatment (although I can't see this making then any more edible). Deep Fried Apples (Granny Smith apple slices coated in funnel cake batter and fried then served with cinnamon and whipped cream) actually sounds good. Attempts to deep-fry Klondike Bars ™ and M & Ms ™ have proven less than successful. Still, deranged fry cooks are trying to find the next thing to foist on brave or unsuspecting eaters looking for something gross (but not as gross as live bugs) to stuff in their pie holes.
-
Preparing foods like this isn’t easy at home for the average at-home Chef: Deep Fat Fryers aren’t all that common in home kitchens--and they can be difficult and somewhat dangerous to use. Me, I’m just glad that the trend hasn’t gotten too big… Just because a thing can be done, doesn't mean it should! I love my fried food and I love my chocolate treats (look at my pic and you can see for yourself) but, unlike Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, two great tastes don't always taste better together! Stop the madness people!
-
Hmm--maybe I HAVE learned a few good eating habits…
Picking a fractal for today’s post (a review of Get Smart) proved to be quite problematic. (How do you pick an image for THAT???) I ended up choosing Peter Max 6 mainly because I couldn’t find a more solid connection: Peter Max is an iconic artist who got his start the 1960s and the original Get Smart started at the same time. Yeah the connection is tenuous (at best) but it was the best I could do. SO--on with the review!
-
I was but a wee lad (yeah right!) when the original Get Smart ran on TV way back in the 1960s. I caught some of the original episodes and saw most of it in reruns but, in all honesty, I was never a huge fan. Right now I can’t say why: maybe Don Adams’ snakrky (and all too nasally) performance put me off, maybe it was the constant bumbling--although I did have a huge crush on Agent 99 (the oh-so-sexy Barbara Feldon). Now, like so many other staples of classic television, Get Smart has made the transition to the big screen--and, sad to say, I’m still not much of a fan…
-
Get Smart has gotten an update for the new millennium: Maxwell Smart (Steve Carrell doing his “loveable bumbler“ schtick) is an Intelligence Analyst for CONTROL. He longs to be a Field Agent but he’s too good (not to mention thorough and by-the-book) to be promoted. Still, he gets the chance when KAOS attacks and decimates CONTROL. Max is teamed with veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) who recently got a new look (thus KAOS doesn’t have pics of her). The rest of the story is a pretty standard “quest” that holds a couple of none-too-surprising surprises. (I figured out the “real” villain just by looking at the cast list and seeing his first few minutes on screen.)
-
Steve Carrell did a wickedly-perfect imitation of Paul Lynde in the big screen adaptation of Bewitched (and it was the highlight of the movie). He doesn’t imitate Don Adams for the part of Max (although he does a few of the same physical gags and the “would you believe…?” schtick). There is virtually no chemistry between Carrell and Anne Hathaway. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson plays Agent 23 and Alan Arkin is the Chief. Terramce Stamp plays Sigfried, the head of KAOS. Masi Oka (Hiro from Heroes) puts in an appearance as gadget-guy Bruce. Bill Murrey does a brief cameo as Agent 13 and several actors from the original series pop up here and there although why Barbara Feldon and Dick Gauthier (the last living series regulars)didn‘t make an appearance I‘ll never know.
-
You have to give the film makers credit for trying to update the story for the 21st Century. Still, Get Smart is at its best with the various homages to the original series. (LOVED the “Shoe Phone” and the all too brief appearance of Max’s little red convertible--although I could have done without the “Cone of Silence.”) The stunts are pretty good (considering this isn’t an “action” movie) and some of the battles are quite nice. Sadly, there isn’t much chemistry between the two leads--which makes the ending hard to believe.
-
Get Smart is an OK summer diversion. It’s the sort of movie you can enjoy on video or when there isn’t anything better at the Multiplex. The language is a bit strong for the littles and the violence might be a bit intense but all in all it is pleasant enough.
-
FINAL GRADE: C+
Today’s posts features a fractal called Crown of Stars 2. It seemed fitting because of the title of today’s post and the movie also starred summer-movie king Will Smith and Oscar-winner Charlize Theron. These serendipitous conditions made the choice pretty obvious in my position. So--on with the review!
-
Will Smith is the undisputed “King of the Box Office” on the July 4th weekend--but then again, virtually everything he puts out turns into box-office gold. In my opinion his last movie, I Am Legend (the movie with the worst reviews and lowest grade I‘ve ever given--on this blog at least) was something of a misstep. Still, with Hancock, his latest film, Smith has climbed back up to be King of the Hill once again.
-
Hancock is a “super hero” living in Los Angeles. He has all kinds of cool powers--but he is unappreciated for his bad attitude and generally cavalier disregard for ancillary property damages when he goes after the bad guys. Oh--and did I mention he’s an alcoholic? His life takes on a new direction when he saves nice-guy advertising agent Ray Embrey (ably played by Jason Bateman in another thankless supporting role). Ray, who desperately wants to save the world decides to save Hancock instead by rehabilitating his image. Ray’s super-cute son Adam (Jae Head--and what kind of name is THAT??) is all for the idea but Ray’s wife Mary (Charlize Theron) isn’t nearly as keen on the idea. Turns out she has a secret of her own but I won’t reveal that here. Go see the movie or e-Mail me privately if you want the rest of the story.
-
The movie starts out spectacularly enough with an amazing battle that sets the usual super-heroic conventions on their ear--and continues in that way for about an hour. Once the “big reveal” happens though Hancock turns predictable and not quite so amazing. Still, there is a good mix of action, humor (some of it frankly gross--but I still loved it) and pathos. Like many summer biggies the movie doesn’t hold up well under close examination. (There were way too many times I found myself pulled out of the movie asking myself “what’s up with that?” or “how could they do that?”) Still, the fast pace never lags and the directing doesn’t get in the way of an enjoyable summer movie.
-
Hancock is nearly the perfect summer movie: action, humor, spectacular FX and massive property destruction in Los Angeles all combine to make one enjoyable “popcorn” flick. Park your brain at the door and your younger kids at the baby sitter’s (since there is some rough language and some graphic, if horribly funny, violence in the move) and enjoy!
-
FINAL GRADE: B+
Today’s post begins with a fractal called Gears. It seemed kind of tangentially relevant to a review of a movie about a junky robot. (Some fractals make more sense than others for these posts you know) ANYway--on with the review!
-
WALL-E is the latest release from Disney-Pixar. Considering how well it did at the box office this week I imagine it’s going to be a pretty big hit too. I just wish it had been a better movie. You have to give Pixar props for putting out a movie where the main character never speaks (unlessw you count the kind of squeaks and squawks like R2D2 makes “speaking”) and you have to give ‘em credit for not having any actual dialog for the first half hour (or so) of the movie. As always, the rendering is spectacular: who knew they could make a symphony of color form every shade of brown and beige on the planet?
-
There’s nothing new here, story-wise. WALL-E is the last of his kind, a trash-picker on an Earth long-abandoned by humans. Maybe it’s a glitch or maybe it is just the isolation but WALL-E has developed a personality and a sense of curiosity. He even makes friends with the last cockroach on Earth (who, like everything else in this movie), is cloyingly cute! He has assembled a collection of oddities gleaned from the trash-heaps left by the former residents (including a copy of the movie Hello Dolly). He even communicates his emotions by showing clips from the movie. (For a character who never speaks WALL-E manage to convey a surprising array of emotions with his various noises, tics, shrugs and video clips--all too cute for words. That all ends when a space probe comes to Earth and our hero falls for a cute robot named EVE. Love makes him follow her back home to space where humans have become little more than bloated slugs aboard the star ship AXIOM built by the villainous “Buy and Large” Company. (The single-best thing about this movie for adults is spotting the references to 2001: a Space Odyssey.) WALL-E and EVE team up with crazy robots to wake up the populace of the Axiom, rise up against the robotic tyranny and lead the humans back home.
-
Maybe I should take a moment to confess one of the reasons I might not have enjoyed WALL-E as much as I could have: last December I saw a program called Life After People (on either the History Channel or Discovery--I don‘t know which.) This is a realistic speculation of what life on Earth would be like on Earth should people suddenly disappear (and well worth watching if you should ever run across a re-broadcast)… The point of this show was simply that, after 300 years virtually all evidence of humanity would be gone (with a very few exceptions--anything made of plastic). One of WALL-E’s main points is that after 700 years the earth is still covered in trash. In the “real world” this simply wouldn’t happen!
-
I watched the movie with a theater-full of families and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. (I’m not so sure about their parents though: most of the conversations I overheard on the way out were the many references to 2001.) To my view, the message of eco-awareness is frankly ham-handed and delivered without an ounce of subtlety. WALL-E movie commits one of the worst sins of movie-making in my book: it’s cutesy (which is ever so much more obnoxious than just being merely cute). Adults with an ounce of discernment won’t care for it but kids will love it. If you have a child old enough to take to the movies s/he will surely enjoy WALL-E (and the parents won‘t be completely bored).
-
FINAL GRADE: C
Today’s post begins with a fractal called Medal. I chose it because I believe everyone I mention in this post deserves one: the image was as close as I could come. So please accept my humble thanks and gratitude for all that you’ve done.
-
Some months ago, an on-line friend began sending “Gratitudes” to a list we both belong to. Her name is Brenda Santer and she lives in Saskatoon Saskatchewan: we’ve never met or spoken but have carried on a friendship that has lasted for almost ten years. Admittedly, I often don’t read her “Gratitudes”--not because I don’t care or don't want to but because I’m buried in e-Mail. (I get a s##t load of e-Mail.) Right now she’s having a lot of troubles in “RL” but she still posts these “gratitudes” about once a week.
-
I’m the type of person who tends to look at the glass being half empty rather than half full. All too often I find I concentrate on what I don’t have rather than what I DO have. But once I started thinking about it I came to realize that I have quite a bit to be grateful for. I made a list of all the things for which I am grateful and decided to post it on my blog. I think it's a nice change from bitching about politics local scandals. (NOTE TO MY “LOYAL“ READERS: if you didn’t make the list that doesn’t mean I’m NOT grateful for you. It is by no means complete but I think it’s a good start…)
-
RON’S GRATITUDES
ROBYN: my titian-haired everluscious lady has stuck with me through thick and thin and seldom wanted to put me out. I’m glad I can still make you laugh after all these years. I don’t know how many other women would consent to be my life-sized “Barbie” doll and let me play dress-up with her. My dearest love--you are as talented as she is beautiful and always makes me smile inside. You are more special then you will know and I am more grateful for you than anyone or anything else I have in my life.
-
MY FAMILY: Wanda, who never hesitates to lend to lend a helping hand, Jane who has opened her home so many times to my unexpected visits and always been a wonderful hostess, Andrea who is as talented as she is witty and who somehow always makes me laugh and Tanya who doesn’t throttle me when we discuss politics. I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of sisters--even when you DO frustrate me a bit (as I‘m sure I do them on a regular basis). I am also grateful for Missy who is the best Niece an Uncle could ask for (even though I don’t think she gets me most of the time), for my Nephew Glenn-Bob because he DOES get it (and he lets me call him “Glenn-Bob” even though that’s not his name!) For Lance and his wife Jenn--both cool people who let me call their first-born "Michael Recycle". And for my niece Jenn DeGarmo who turned out to be way more talented then me. I’m even grateful for my Sister-in-Law Wendy (the Sex Dwarf) because my antics never fail to make her laugh. I can't finish this secion without also expressiing gratitude for my half-brother Keith who has welcomed us as part of his family after a separation that lasted for almost fifty years. I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know my half-niece Audrey from New Zealand who is beyond awesome too.
-
MY FRIENDS: my real-world friends Alison Young and Andrea Pitzenbarger are the coolest ladies anyone could ever ask for as friends. For Paul "Sprocket" Schmidit because what would "Chubbs" be without a "Sprocket"? I am lucky to have people like you in my life. Alison’s daughter Eris (whom I’ve known since I was her “cah-gee-oh”) has turned out to be an awesome young lady that I am proud to know. I don’t fear for the world with people like her in the younger generation. I am grateful for my Church Family who are so kind and supportive--especially Bill Fugard (without whom I’d have been lost in Choir for these past twelve years) Terry Dooley (who taught me a lot about wine and cars) and for Lionel and Marsha Grove who show us all what a marriage should be. I am also grateful for the on-line community of friends I’ve made over the years: Chris H, (who I‘ve known longer than anyone) Jana, (my favorite witch and adopted sister) Andy from England, Sean and Tracy form New Jersey and all the folks from Elysium who have been so supportive through my trials and tribulations. I appreciate all of your talents and the gift of your friendship and have become a better person because of you. I can’t end this section without also thanking Brenda who has inspired me more times than she will ever know. I love writing with you and hope we’ll continue to be e-Mail buddies for a long time.
-
THE MOVE: yes, packing is a hassle and the process is going to be a huge P.I.T.A. Still, it gives us a chance to get rid of stuff we don’t need and probably should have tossed long ago. In all honesty the move is going to be an upgrade: our new home is larger and in a better neighborhood. Our new town is smaller which means fewer big city problems and a MUCH shorter (five minutes!) commute. Still, should we want, the OC and Los Angeles are just over the mountains.
-
GOOD FOOD, GOOD MUSIC, THEATER and GOOD FRIENDS to enjoy then with. These are my personal passions. Living where I do I have the opportunity to see wonderful live theater and concerts as well as a lot of wonderful dining options. Whether it be national tours or regional theater I’ve had an opportunity to see a lot of wonderful shows and concerts that I’d have missed should I have not have moved to the OC. I don’t think that needs much more explanation.
-
MY TALENT: this is complete vanity (and maybe shouldn‘t be on the list) but I‘m putting it in anyway. I am grateful that I can express myself through music, poetry and creative writing. I may not be the best at any of them but I certainly am glad I have the ability and opportunity to get this stuff out of my head and off my chest in a creative way. Without them I probably be completely “coco-loco” by now.
-
YOU: anyone who takes time out of their schedule to take a look at my writings has given me a special gift. I appreciate your time and input (should you choose to leave any).
-
My life may not be the best in the world but I really do have a lot to be grateful for. Compared to most of the world I have it pretty damn good--and so do we all.
-
Think about it (and maybe start your OWN list of gratitudes…)
Picking a fractal for today’s post wasn’t easy: I finally settled on an image called Fracture--mainly because of the title rather than the pretty image The “Haidl Trial” was the first blow that destroyed “America’s Sherriff” Mike Carona’s career--and destroyed several other lives. The trial and prison sentances are over now but I still feel the need to comment.
-
So the sad, sad, Haidl saga has finally come to an end: last week Greg Haidl was released from prison after serving less than two years of a six-year sentence for rape. Co-defendants Keith Spann and Kyle Nachriner finished their sentences earlier this year. It took two trials to get the convictions and it was one of the saddest (if spectacular) trials in recent Orange County history.
-
For those of you who don’t know the story of what happened, here’s a quick recap: Gregg Haidl, Keith Spann and Kyle Nachriner drugged and assaulted a “Jane Doe” on the family pool table, raped her with a pool cue, burned her with cigarettes and taped their performance to share with friends. (It is important to note that Greg is the son of then-Undersherriff Don Haidl.) During the trial the victim was portrayed as a “wanna-be porn star” who fully cooperated in what happened (and even enjoyed it). During the first trial the Orange County District Attorney charged them with everything he could think of: the trial ended with a hopelessly deadlocked jury. The charges were substantially reduced in Trial #2 (and they still didn’t win convictions on everything. (At least all three are going to have to register as Sex Offenders for the rest of their lives.)
-
More than anything else, what disturbed me most about the trial (other than how horribly the victim was treated) was the absolute arrogance of the three defendants. None of them seemed the least bit sorry to me--even after being convicted. It’s hard to think that these three young men could be so cruel and not have the slightest bit of conscience about what they did. Maybe their time in prison will have changed them for the better but frankly I doubt it. I’d also like to think that we’ve heard the last of this loser trio but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out that Haidl the younger is back in the news for doing something equally heinous (if not more so).
-
I know a $26 Million Dollar lawsuit was filed--but I don’t know if the trial has happened or if their has been any kind of settlement reached. But if this case SHOULD go to trial it’s going to be a huge and very ugly mess. A lot of more-than-questionable things happened during the criminal trials (like the victims true identity being broadcast and her medical records being released) so I fully expect the Civil Trial (if it happens) is going to be even worse.
-
I’ll be very interested to see what happens with the civil case but there is something about the past cases that has bugged me since Day One. Police came to the Haidl residence but found the pool table cover and the carpet had been changed as well as the couch removed.--and it took less than twelve hours. That had to take A LOT of cash (thank God Don Haidl is a multimillionaire). I’m no Lawyer but in my view this was clearly as case of evidence-tampering (or worse) and yet NOBODY was ever charged and during the trial the Prosecution barely made mention of this fact. Was that because Don Haidl was “BFF” with then-Sherriff Mike Carona? I don’t know--but it is painfully clear that the police investigation was sloppy at best because of his position and connections.
-
If anything “good” can be said to have come out of this--it’s the fact that it got people looking into the way the Orange County Sherriff’s Department was run. People stopped buying the hype and started taking a hard look at things that had been ignored or unnoticed for far too long. The victim was no saint but she didn’t deserve what happened to her: I only hope the incident was enough to giver her a wakeup call on how she is living her life. I also hope is serves as a wakeup call to any girls who should decide to hook up with the three defendants. Considering what these boys were willing to put on tape I wonder what they are willing to do behind closed doors. Ladies beware.
Today’s post begins with a fractal called Bows and Feathers. I picked it because of the many colors, and frothy content: it reminded me of the movie I’ll be reviewing. Besides, I couldn’t come up with anything better for Sex and the City…
-
I probably should begin this review with a confession: I’m not a big fan of Sex and the City. By all rights I should have been--I live by the words “eggshell and ecru--there IS a difference and the difference IS important!” The show is a wonderful, frothy confection with a hint of spice--just what I like! Still, I never had HBO and they took all the “good stuff” (nudity) out for broadcast television so I don’t think I’ve ever watched an entire episode of the series. That was one of the many reasons I was worried about seeing the movie and waited to see it. Still, Robyn decided she wanted to see it so we finally went… Something else you should probably know--you DON’T have to be a fan of the series to enjoy the movie.
-
The movie begins with quick recaps of the four leads back story. It’s a bit talky (as is a lot of this movie) but even a non-fan like me quickly learns all they need to know about all the characters. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is the central figure and narrator. Her story involves the trials and tribulations of her marriage to “Big” (Chris Noth). Fiftyish, once and future sex kitten Samantha Jones (Kim Catrall) has left NYC for the shores of Malibu to manage her actor boy toy Smith (Jason Lewis) and she has begun to feel like she's losing her own identity. Big shot lawyer Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) has moved to Brooklyn with her bartender boyfriend Steve Brady (David Eigenberg): they are having “intimacy issues.” Charlotte York (Kristen Davis) has married to lawyer Harry Goldblatt (Evan Handler) and they have adopted a baby girl form China. (Miranda is the only one who is happy and stays that way through the whole movie.) Several “old favorites” from the series also make brief return visits. Jennifer Hudson (fresh off of her Oscar-winning role in Dreamgirls) plays new character Louise who has a small but pivotal role in moving the story forward.
-
You can probably figure out most of the plot details from the above description. The plot is pretty standard except for a few things that made me go “say what?” (Honestly, I don’t know if that was just me being a non-fan or if the writers “oopsed” a bit during the scripting.) The actors all serve their roles adequately and the direction never gets in the way of the story. Jennifer Hudson won’t be winning an Oscar this time for her performance but she may well be their for her performance of the song under the closing credits. The movie, like the series, has a real love affair with New York City--and the city almost becomes a character in itself.
-
Sex and the City is THE summer’s “chick flick” but guys can enjoy it too. Fans of the series will surely love it and non-fans will at least enjoy it. Men probably won’t completely hate it and kids shouldn’t see it. (The movie has some nudity and a lof of rough language but I don’t think they were included for gratuitous purposes.) By now I imagine it will be a bit hard to find this movie in a first-run theater but it’s well worth checking out in a second-run house or on DVD.
-
FINAL GRADE: B
Follow my chain of thought to see why I picked Cornucopia as the fractal for today’s post: a Cornucopia is a horn-shaped basket containing an abundance of good food. Today’s post is about deep-fried food--which, as we all know, is one of the BEST ways to prepare food. (Even the shape and color reminds me of fried dough like funnel cakes or Churros) Therefore it seemed like a reasonable choice! SO--on with today’s rant!
