The Devil Wears Prada

Part of a continuing series on the 2007 Oscar nominations

Nominated for

• Best Actress - Meryl Streep

I avoided seeing this movie when it first came out because I didn't think it would appeal to me. I was right. Bleah. There has been a spate of recent films over the past few years about the spunky girl working at a New York magazine. And this one is so relentlessly feh that I had a hard time making it through it. If it weren't for my commitment to watch all the big eight nominated films, I would have turned it off in the first half hour.

Watching the rest of the film, I'm left thinking what a slight, predictable film this is.

So what about Meryl Streep? To quote Seinfeld, "That Meryl Streep, she's such a great actor--Streep-Schmeep!"

I'm sorry but Streep was a half-bottle of hair dye away from being Glenn Close's Cruella DeVille. With the exception of a couple scenes in the film, this was an entirely one-note performance. Maybe she spread a rumor among the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press that she's dieing of cancer and that scored the Golden Globe that scored the nomination. That's the only explanation I can come up with. I haven't seen any of the other best actress performances yet, but I have a hard time believing that there's not one better performance there. Or two. Or four.

NP: "Subterranean Homesick Alien," Radiohead, Rare On Air, Vol. 4
WC:40,070, ECD: 2 May 2007

Little Miss Sunshine

Part of a continuing series on the 2007 Oscar nominations.

Nominated for:

• Best picture
• Best Supporting Actor - Alan Arkin
• Best Supporting Actress - Abigail Breslin
• Best Original Screenplay - Michael Arndt

The ads tell us that this is the only best picture nominee currently available on DVD. Others will appear before the big show, though, so I think they may have already dropped that tag line on the ads. Next time I drive past the lot on Pico, I'll check.

This is definitely the funniest movie of 2006. Sorry Borat fans, but it's true. There were too many draggy parts of Borat for it to compete on that front. And since Oscar tends not to reward comedy, it's definitely the dark horse candidate in the best picture category (where it's overshadowed by The Departed and Letters from Iwo Jima anyway. Similarly in best original screenplay where it's so far overshadowed by Letters from Iwo Jima and Pan's Labyrinth.



But in the acting categories, we have a different story entirely. Both Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin turn in amazing performances in this film, Breslin's performance is largely notable because of her age, however, and her chances rest largely on the fact that there's no really strong break-out performance from those that I've seen. Likewise, with Arkin's performance, I've only seen one competing performance, so I don't have much of a sense of whether there's anything out there to beat him.

NP: "Umbillical," The Radiators, FM 101.9 New Music Sampler: Sketchbook
WC: 40,070, ECD: 2 May 2007.

Free health care

This is one of those things that makes me proud to be a Catholic: We've got this program QueensCare, which provides free health care to those who are completely uninsured (including Medi-Cal and/or Medicare) and have a familyy income of less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Those are the only qualifications, so there's no concern about immigration status, previous convictions, or anything else.

But the weird part is that they have actually not been spending their whole health care budget, so they're looking for people to provide care to. So that homeless guy on the corner, or your favorite taco truck guy, or whoever you know who may need health care but doesn't have the means to get it, should know about this program if they don't already. Or if you're a doctor or nurse or volunteer in the E.R. and see patients who could benefit from this, let them know.

NP: "Ultrasound," Steve Ball, Guitar Sketches
WC: 40,070, ECD: 2 May 2007.

The Last King of Scotland

Part of a continuing series on the 2007 Oscar nominations.

Nominated for:

• Best Actor - Forest Whitaker

Near the beginning of November, I was sitting in the Century City Border's near a couple of industry guys discussing an upcoming film project (and I hope and pray that it never gets made because it was a painfully cliched plot), before going on to one of them making his proclamations about who was going to win the Oscars. In particular, he rated Babel above The Departed (I disagree) and said that Forest Whitaker was guaranteed best actor for The Last King of Scotland. I've not seen all the nominated performances yet, but there's a lot to recommend Whitaker's work here.

Whitaker has grown a lot as an actor since fast Times at Ridgemont High. His performance here really is spectacular to the point of being a shoo-in on the award. There are scenes where he's able to convey a sense of menace without doing anything more than looking at the camera. There was no point that I was thinking that he was anyone other than Idi Amin while he was on the stage. His ability to make character simultaneously charming and menacing is brilliant. The writing and directing are competent, but the performance is outstanding and deserving of the nomination.

NP: "Tell the Truth (Live)," Ray Charles, The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years
WC: 40,070, ECD: 2 May 2007.

Sunday search, in which helpful tips are provided to people who've long since moved on

Someone's looking for Rick Bayless's picadillo-filled Chile Relleno recipe. Get the book. Seriously, it's one of the best cookbooks I've ever owned.

Another person is looking for "pictures of good looking married couples." Sorry, can't oblige, I think my wife would freak out if I were to post any pictures of us here.

But most of you are looking for Norwood Young: For you folks, my recommendation is to click on his name at the bottom of this post and see all the posts I have on him. We're still working out details on the interview, but I may end up just knocking on his door in a week or so.

NP: "El Sello," Ardnaxela, Telecine de la Tarde con Ardnaxela.
WC: 39,656, ECD: 19 April 2007.

Letters from Iwo Jima

Part of a continuing series on the 2007 Oscar nominations.

Nominated for

• Best Picture
• Best Director - Clint Eastwood
• Best Original Screenplay - Iris Yamashita, Paul Haggis
• Sound Editing - Alan Robert Murray

After Martin Scorsese (but only sometimes), the greatest living American director has to be Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood! The guy who drove a truck with an orangutan is an amazing director!

I've only seen half of his latest achievement (I haven't had a chance to get to Flags of Our Fathers yet), but this is the kind of story that I've always wanted to write, the story of people that we know are going to end up losing their war, but who have their own hope of going home victorious still. That hope quickly fades as the story unfolds and the characters realize how grim their situation is.

This film is going to be a strong contender for best picture, and if Scorses weren't nominated for best director, I'd see it easily taking that statue as well. It's a shame that none of the actors received nods in the best [supporting] actor categories.

In the screenplay category I see a few big obstacles to this film getting recognition. First up, is the fact that it's in Japanese. That on its own isn't necessarily a problem, but the subtitling was not always as good as it should be, leading to some moments of unintentional humor through the film. As a film with cowriters who speak English and Japanese, there shoudn't be this sort of problem with the subtitles.

Next up is the over-reliance on voice-over narration early in the film. We start out by having the story told through the letters of the soldiers and leaders of the film. This would be a good device for telling the story, if it were carried out consistently. Unfortunately, the letters disappear almost completely in the second half of the film, having the end result that the use of the device early in the film ends up coming across as clumsiness. The epistolary form is a difficult one to pull off in a movie--84 Charing Cross Road is the only film I've seen that did it well--and I think that this is a big enough flaw to disqualify the film from winning this category.

NP: Lesson 8, Pimsleur Basic Czech.
WC: 39,656, ECD: 19 April 2007.

Children of Men

Part of a continuing series on the 2007 Oscar nominees

Nominated for:

• Best Adapted Screenplay - Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
• Cinematography - Emmanuel Lubezki
• Editing - Alfonso Cuarón, Alex Rodríguez

This is a film which was definitely robbed: The only appearance in the big eight is for adapted screenplay, where barring the screenplays for Notes on a Scandal or Little Children being really good, it is the strongest contender, but this is a film which deserved a nod for best director. Hell, it deserved a nod for best picture. And best actor for Clive Owen. I'd rank this as the second-best film of 2006 after Pan's Labyrinth. If you haven't gone to see it, go now.

NP: "Queer Space Harmonic Minor," Robert Fripp, Jun. 14th, 2006 Salisbury Cathedral
WC: 39,656, ECD: 19 April 2007.

Your Friday music video

NP: "Part 5," Robert Fripp, Nov. 30th, 2000 World Financial Centre
WC: 39,656, ECD: 19 April 2007.

Borat

Part of a continuing series on the 2007 Oscar nominations.

Nominations:

• Best Adapted Screenplay - Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer, Todd Phillips

This is nominated for what?

Aside from the oddness of the category (I suppose the source material would be Da Ali G Show, it is an interesting development for an improvisational film to be nominated in a writing rather than an acting category. But, as interviews with Cohen have revealed, their were outlines of each scene, at the least, outlining how they hoped things would go (and it turned out that they had become rather good at sizing up what reactions they would get). That said, for me the parts that were the weakest were the ones which were the most scripted (especially the scenes where Cohen and Davitian are on their own), so while it did manage to win a Golden Globe, I don't see it as a contender in a field with at least two much better films.

NP: "Bibo No Aozora," Ryuichi Sakamoto, 1996
WC: 39,656, ECD: 19 April 2007.

Coyotes

In an editorial in the Times today, Ed Boks, the general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services explains why there's no simple way to get rid of the mid-town coyotes (and in fact, he makes a case that perhaps that's not a bad thing). But he misses the simple solution that's right in the middle of his essay. "Coyotes, like the rest of nature, abhor a vacuum," Boks writes. Perhaps we should pass out these to the good people in Hancock Park.

NP: "Diamond In The Rough," Shawn Colvin, ONXRT Live From The Archives, Vol. 4
WC: 39,656, ECD: 19 April 2007.

The Departed

Part of a continuing series on the 2007 Oscar nominations.

Nominations:

• Best Picture
• Supporting Actor - Mark Wahlberg
• Director - Martin Scorsese
• Adapted Screenplay - William Monahan
• Editing - Thelma Schoonmaker

This is easily one of Scorsese's best films. Certainly better than anything since Goodfellas and, arguably, better than Goodfellas too. I would have picked either of Children of Men or Pan's Labyrinth over The Departed in the best picture or best director category, but neither is in contention there, so out of what I've seen thusfar, this is the strongest contender in both categories.

It's in the acting category, though, that this film has been robbed. There should be nominations for Leonardo DiCaprio or Matt Damon or, for the love of God, Jack Nicholson who owns this movie. Mark Wahlberg has grown into a much better actor than anyone would have ever guessed back in his underwear days, but I don't really see this as being the strongest performance in the category.

NP: "Theo And Robert Improv," Robert Fripp, Theo And Robert
WC: 39,656, ECD: 19 April 2007

Babel

First in a series of posts on the Academy Award-nominated films of 2007

Nominations:

• Best Picture
• Best Supporting Actress - Adriana Barraza
• Best Supporting Actress - Rinko Kikuchi
• Best Director - Alejandro González Iñárritu
• Best Original Screenplay - Guillermo Arriaga
• Editing - Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
• Score - Gustavo Santaolalla

I've been a big fan of Iñárritu (yes, that is the last name he goes by) since I saw the trailer for Amores Perros. But I have to admit that while I thought that this was a far better film than 21 Grams, it still didn't measure up to the sheer visceral impact of Iñárritu's debut, flawed though it might have been. I would put it second to The Departed in both the best picture and best director categories, and I'd also pick Pan's Labyrinth over Babel for best original screenplay. But the strong showing in the nominations, for Babel, and also I hope bodes well for the future of Mexican cinema in the U.S.

In the acting front, both nominated actresses put in astonishing performances. Barraza as the housekeeper/nanny who unwittingly puts her charges in danger after she takes them to a family wedding, and Kikuchi as the deaf daughter of a Japanese businessman, struggling to find her place in the world as she tries to come to grips with her budding sexuality and her memories of her mother's suicide. When I made my Golden Globe picks, I picked Barraza over Kikuchi. On reflection, I think that I like the depth and challenge of Kikuchi's performance better.

NP: "Hell Hole," Spinal Tap, Soundtrack
WC: WC: 39,632, ECD: 21 April 2007

We wanna go dancing

Now that I've got one item crossed off my list of small goals for 2007, I'm looking ahead for the second item. So here's the deal, we'd like to find some place, preferably westside-ish, were we can go swing dancing with a lesson beforehand or salsa dancing (lesson optional). Any ideas? Leave it in the comments.

And speaking of which, let me through in some more blegging for some of the other items on the list. Suggestions on where I can find a sushi experience that might convert me to eating raw fish? What about shrimp? Is there a season when shrimp and/or sushi is at its peak?

And while I'm talking food, where would I get the best peanut butter experience?

NP: "German Test Drive," Spymob, Sitting Around Keeping Score
WC: 39,632, ECD: 21 April 2007

The Oscar nominations are in

The Oscar nominees are out. I'll be updating this post with links to commentary on the individual nominees. Films marked with an * I've not seen (yet). I'll aim to get to all the big eight award films in time for academy members to take my opinions into account (and if you'd care to take me with to a free screening, I'll buy the popcorn).

Best Picture

• Babel
• The Departed
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Little Miss Sunshine
• The Queen

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

• Leonardo DiCaprio for Blood Diamond
• Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson
• Peter O'Toole for Venus*
• Will Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness
• Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

• Penélope Cruz for Volver*
• Judi Dench for Notes on a Scandal
• Helen Mirren for The Queen
• Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada
• Kate Winslet for Little Children*

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

• Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine
• Jackie Earle Haley for Little Children*
• Djimon Hounsou for Blood Diamond
• Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls
• Mark Wahlberg for The Departed

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

• Adriana Barraza for Babel
• Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal
• Abigail Breslin for Little Miss Sunshine
• Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls
• Rinko Kikuchi for Babel

Best Director

• Clint Eastwood for Letters from Iwo Jima
• Stephen Frears for The Queen
• Paul Greengrass for United 93
• Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel
• Martin Scorsese for The Departed

Original Screenplay

• Babel
• Letters from Iwo Jima
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Pan's Labyrinth
• The Queen

Adapted Screenplay

• Borat
• Children of Men
• The Departed
• Little Children*
• Notes on a Scandal

By my reckoning, this tells me that I should be seeing

1. Little Children
2. Venus
3. Volver

Looking down the ballot a bit further and I've done a pretty good job of catching most of the nominated films. The only others I'm missing are:

• Curse of the Golden Flower
• Marie Antoinette
• Apocalypto
• Click
• Flags of Our Fathers
• Poseidon
• Happy Feet
• Monster House
• After the Wedding
• Days of Glory
• The Lives of Others
• Water
• Deliver Us From Evil
• Iraq in Fragments
• Jesus Camp
• My Country My Country

Actually it seemd a lot better before I started typing.

NP: "Lesson 7," Pimsleur Basic Czech
WC: 39,632, ECD: 21 April 2007

Sunday Search: Norwood Young rules all

Out of the top 25 search terms for the past few days, the only non-Norwood Young items are "thai," "taste," and "century". My favorite Norwood Young search for the week: "Norwood Young nose job". Only two non-Norwood searches in the list of referrals: "church of good shepherd: beverly hills" and "Guelaguetza Huntington Park". Been to the first, but not the second.

NP: "NPR: Most E-Mailed Stories for Saturday, Jan 20 2007"
WC: 39,174, ECD: 21 June 2007.

Pinkberry

Ah, so after dinner last night, we were kinda sorta thinking that maybe we'd like to get some dessert. My wife's co-workers have gotten her hooked on Pinkberry (especially now that there's the location on Little Santa Monica, not too far from the office). I decided that it might be nice to go to the shop on Larchmont, if only to get a chance to walk on the most walkable street in L.A.. Apparently, though, it's L.A.'s least parkable street. We were unable to find a spot to park anywhere on the street. So we decided we'd head back to West Hollywood or Beverly Hills. I drove up to Melrose and turned left and then my wife spotted yet another Pinkberry, this one just west of La Brea. With a bit of luck, I managed to find one space in the tiny parking lot. We get in and there's a huge line and no seats to be had. We go home.

The key thing that I've realized: Apparently the key criterion for Pinkberry in selecting their expansion locations seems to be finding places with unbelievably bad parking in the neighborhood.

NP: "The Splendid Table for Saturday January 20, 2007"
WC: 39,019, ECD: 4 April 2007.

While you're waiting for the interview

Here's a classic music video from Norwood Young, showing off his house and his musical talent


NP: "Allegro Maestoso," Duo, Mårup Kirke
WC: 39,019, ECD: 4 April 2007.

Snow (1989 edition)

I remember snow in Claremont in '89. I'd only been in California for three years at that point (I grew up in Chicago), so it didn't strike me as odd that it was snowing, until I went into the campus computer lab, sat down and casually announced that it was snowing and everybody prompty ran outside to see the snow.

I took over the Mac with the biggest monitor at that point.

NP: "Time Stands Still," Robert Fripp, Nov 29, 2006 - Tokyo - Hitomi Memorial Hall, Shyowa Women's University
WC: 39,019, ECD: 4 April 2007.

Whale watching

Nalleli and I crossed one item off my list of small goals for 2007. We went whale watching.

It took only a couple blocks of driving before Nalleli turned on the radio in a (successful) effort to get me to stop singing the whale watching song I wrote on the spot.

(to the tune of "Ode to Joy"
We are going whale watching
We're gonna watch some whales
We are going whale watching
We're goinna watch some whales

Whales swimming swimming jumping
Spouting jumping swimming whales

We are going whale watching
etc.

I began to get worried that we might not make it to Redondo Beach in time for the boat, but as we got closer, it was looking good. Until, I accidentally drove into the wrong part of the Redondo Beach harbor. Fortunately, between a phone call and the sight of us running down the dock, we were able to get on the boat.

Monday was cold, even moreso at sea, so it was clearly a winning situation to have worn many layers of clothes for the trip. Alas, while we were at sea for about two hours, we didn't see any whales in the traditional sense, although there was a pod of long-nose common dolphins playing by the boat at one point.

I can definitely see doing this again, and maybe next time, we'll actually see some whales.

NP: "Immature Tomboy," Terry Devin, Three, Two, One - It's Alive From Studio A
WC: 39,019, ECD: 4 Apr 2007.

As long as you're here

All you new readers who have been showing up looking for my ongoing Norwood Young coverage and have driven me up to #18 in the Society-General category at Webstats4u, as long as you're here, since you're not generating much income for me, you may as well do something good for humanity. A friend of mine is doing the AIDS/LifeCycle ride. He has a $2500 target for his fundraising. Why not pop over to his page and make a donation. If everybody gave just $10, he'd hit his target by the end of the week. Tack an extra $.03 to the end of your donation to mark it as coming from here and help him top off.

NP: "NPR: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! for Sunday, Jan 14 2007"
WC: 39,019, ECD: 4 April 2007.

Join the traffic/transit discussion

The L.A. Times is hosting a discussion on traffic issues and their solutions (including transit), sparked largely by a Steve Lopez column and its follow-up. Some interesting stuff there. For me, the key thing is for people to just stay out of their cars. I'm fortunate, I suppose to have a relatively short commute (2.5 miles) which is a straight line and served by both the MTA and Big Blue Bus. I usually bus in the morning and walk home (which is a good time to do my language lessons on CD). If you haven't tried the bus recently, I would encourage you to give it a shot and see how it works for you. There are times when, frankly, it's too damned crowded (late afternoons on the 328 towards downtown are often SRO the whole way), but most of my rides have been pleasant and give me an opportunity to stay caught up with my reading.

NP: "The Writer's Almanac for Monday, January 15, 2007," Garrison Keillor
WC: 39,019, ECD: 4 April 2007

Sunday search

Amongst the searches this week is someone looking for "jokes about myspace". I've got your myspace joke right here.

My top keywords HAD been "thai" and "taste" until today. Apparently having gone to mass, internet searchers were now hungry. But thanks to A&E, my new top search terms are "norwood" and "young" (which doesn't include the capitalized variants which are tallied separately). Google has spoken. I'll see about the interview this week.

Oh and google-folk, Mr Young resides a few miles east of the 90210. He's actually in Hancock Park, an upscale neighborhood of Los Angeles, not in Beverly Hills.

Update I've heard back from Mr Young. It's on, baby! Watch this space for the interview.

NP: "Icicle," Tori Amos, KSCA Live From The Music Hall Vol. 1
’WC: 38,465: ECD: 2 June 2007

Golden Globe predictions

Ah awards season, when the movie theatres of L.A. give you two options: Award contenders and the junk the studios are contractually obligated to release. I've fallen a bit behind on my movie viewing, but I figured I'd offer my picks for the Golden Globes. Not necessarily who I think will win, but who should win.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
I've only seen two of the nominated films, Babel and The Departed. The Departed is so far above Babel, that I can't imagine any of these other films comparing. If Children of Men were nominated, it would be my pick, but failing that I'll go with The Departed.

Best Motion Picture - Comedy of Musical
I've done a bit better here. I've seen all but The Devil Wears Prada and Dreamgirls. Fox is doing really well in this category, I can't help but notice. Borat will probably win, but I think that Little Miss Sunshine deserves the nod here.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
I've only seen two of the films, The Departed and The Pursuit of Happyness. Forest Whitaker looked good in the previews for Last King of Scotland, but I've gotta go with Will Smith for Pursuit of Happyness. DiCaprio, incidentally has grown into an impressive actor, but I think The Departed's greatness was all Scorsese.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Good lord, I've not seen any of these films. I'm going to go with Penélope Cruz because (a) It's an Almodovar film and (2) come on, just look at her.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
I've seen everything but Kinky Boots here (clearly, the guy likes his comedies and musicals). It's a tough choice, but I'm going to go with Will Ferrell here, if only because this was the first performance he's given that didn't annoy me to no end.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
I've only seen on e of these (Little Miss Sunshine), so I'm mostly comparing performances in a movie trailer. I'm going to stick with Toni Collette, although Beyoncé and Annette Bening are strong contenders.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
I've seen 'em all but Dreamgirls. And there's no competition. It's Jack Nicholson.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Apparently I don't see movies with good female performances. The only one I've seen is Babel (two nominations though). I'm gonna go with Adriana Barraza who played the nanny in Babel.

Best Director - Motion Picture
I've only seen Babel and The Departed. Clint Eastwood probably has some great stuff for his two Iwo Jima films and I will see them, but I've gotta go with Scorsese here. This is his year.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Again it's Babel and The Departed. And once again, I pick The Departed.

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Who knows. The only one I've seen, the song completely eludes me.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
I've only seen one, but it's gotta be Gustavo Santaolalla for Babel. This guy does great scores.

Best Foreign Language Film
I've managed to msis them all. I'm gonna pick El Laberinto del Fauno by the buzz.

Best Animated Film
I've only seen Cars, and I'm gonna go with the lamp here. Pixar is head and shoulders above anyone else making animated films these days (with the possible exception of Aardman who didn't get nominated for Flushed Away), so I doubt that it's a competition.

The TV stuff? There are whole categories where I've not seen a minute of any of the shows. The one prediction I'll make is Alec Baldwin is going home with a statue for 30 Rock.

NP: "Hang Me Up to Dry," Cold War Kids, Robbers & Cowards
WC:39,019, ECD: 4 April 2007.

So just who is Norwood Young?

Everyone's favorite eccentric Highland Hancock Park resident is, as reported elsewhere is on a new reality show, but the point was raised at a press conference that nobody knew just who this guy is. I know from my own experience that a google search on Norwood Young turns up virtually nothing on someone who claims to be a singer and producer. He clearly has a buttload of money but from where, exactly?

Well, at least part of the mystery is now revealed with Norwood's very own web site which is rife with sounds and images of Norwood himself, and promised but not yet there, a music video depicting the epic struggle for self-expression through statuary in Hancock Park.

Doing a quick search at The AllMusic Guide turns up a single credit: "Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Stylist, Grooming" on Millie Jackson's Young Man, Older Woman.

Norwood, if you're reading this, I'd be happy to give you a long-form interview for these pages. I (and my readers) would love to know much more about your career. And can I have a tour of the interior of Youngwood Court?

Update: Norwood also is on MySpace.

NP: "Dark Matter Mapped, " Science Friday Podcast.
WC: 38,465: ECD: 2 June 2007

Adventures in public transit

Earlier this week, I took my wife's car in for service (for some reason, there's almost no Mazda service on the west side, but we found The Mazda Place on Overland and the guy there did a pretty good job, but I digress).

I then had to get to work in Century City, but having checked previously, I knew that the Culver Citybus (#3) would get me almost door-to-door. The bus arrived exactly on time (but slipped off the timetable as it wended through Rancho Park) and I was greeted with the cheeriest bus driver I've ever experienced. He announced every stop with the excitement that a 5-year old greets birthday presents. It was a pleasant time. I got off at Olympic and Century Park West and started walking to Avenue of the Stars. As I walked along Olympic, his bus came down Olympic, having finished its trip through the heart of Century City. He passed me and waved at me.

If only the Big Green Bus went East.

NP: "Lesson 4," Pimsleur Basic Czech
WC: 38,292, ECD: 17 May 2007.

Sunday search

Looking through the web stats today, it looks like everybody wants to go to Mass at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills (or at least know when mass is). My big wish for Sunday is to have an 11a mass somewhere reasonably convenient.

Top search terms for the last 100 searches or so: "century" and "city".

NP: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrecked"
WC: 37,855, ECD: 1 April 2007

TJ's phasing out yogurt lids

On my last visit to our friendly neighborhood TJs to pick up yogurt etc. I noticed that all of the blueberry yogurts were without lids. How strange, I thought, then looking closer, I noticed that about half of all the yogurts were lidless. What's more, those that had lids had the expiration dates printed on the cups. Clearly the lidlessness was intentional. It makes sense from both an economic and environmental standpoint. Each cup of yogurt is essentially a single serving, so there's no need to be able to re-seal the containers, but we're saving a bit of plastic on both the manufacturing end and the disposal end (the yogurt cups are 5's which apparently aren't recyclable).

NP: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Panel Discussion"
WC: 37,855, ECD: 1 April 2007

Daydream Houses of Los Angeles

Whilst wondering through the stacks at the Beverly Hills Public Library, I stumbled upon a book Daydream Houses of Los Angeles, which struck me as a wonderful tribute to the architecture we all know and love in Los Angeles. With the kind of snark that Curbed LA aspires to, we're treated to photos and commentary on some of the most notable architecture of the Los Angeles area. Alas, the volume dates to 1978, so some of these buildings may well be gone to be replaced by even more notable works of art.

L.A. it's a beautiful place.

NP: "Sleeper Cell, Season 1, Episode 8."
WC: 37,054, ECD: 6 Apr 2007.

Small goals for 2007

OK, I've got the big resolutions, like everyone does: Get my weight down to 190, finish the novel, clean the office, get a day job with health insurance, etc., but it occurred to me that some small goals for 2007 would be good things to. The kind of thing that you can get up in the morning, say, "I'm going to do #3 today" and then do it.

The list I've come up with includes a mix of stuff: Foods that I've never or seldom eaten to eat (I figure, for the sake of my hypothetical children, that it would be best if there weren't any foods that I avoided, so that they would not be picky eaters), some foods that I've always wanted to cook, but never have, some places to go and things to do that I've not gone, or not gone with my wife.

Twelve items on the list so that I can pace myself. I should do one each month.

So with no further ado, here's the list (note that what I've done has a link to the post about it):

1. Eat shrimp
2. Eat sushi
3. Eat meat with bones
4. Eat peanut butter
5. Make seven-hour leg of lamb
6. Bake cookies
7. Take dance lessons with my wife (this is part of the next item, so instead:) Go Whale Watching
8. Go dancing with my wife
9. Take my wife to the beach
10. Visit the Huntington Library and Gardens
11. Visit the Getty
12. Hike to the Bridge to Nowhere

NP: "The Splendid Table for Saturday December 30, 2006"
WC: 36,159, ECD: 19 Mar 2007.