War of the film series

and the movie nerds win.

Cache(Hidden)movie link is a 2005 french release that is showing in Tower Theatre's Film Series on Tuesday, April 4 at 5:30 and 8:00p.m. The critics were pleased with this movie said to grapple with issues of personal responsibility but I ought to remind you that the ending may not be so happy...it is french.

The following week bendfilm will show Sundance winner Why we Fight at McMenamin's. Back and forth we go to the tower on the 18th of April for the Neil Young documentary, Heart of Gold. Star Detective promises to do some crowd demographic comparisons for those interested.

word of the day

Peepsdrop intr.v. To look secretly at other's private reading materials.

This is how I deal with my indoor exercise doldrums. It is also a great activity for public transportation riders (most of us don't have that opportunity here in Bend)and long distance travellers.

I just love taking notice of other's reading materials. I find it endearing when grannies are reading about Shaun White in Rolling Stone or,
Suit and tie guys are giggling at a David Sedaris short story or,
Boob-job-moms are reading the Nation.

My belief in our populace is often restored by this activity.

Prince versus Michael Jackson: you be the judge

Last night, the Grope hosted a Prince vs. Michael DJ show. Naturally, I had an opinion on who should win and an interest in getting down.

Summer Grrrrl and Eldorado joined Mas and myself for some fine folk watching and ass pant dancing. Mas and I were in agreement--Prince is not only a better musician, he is way more acceptable on the freak scale. Wearing purple lingerie and calling your self a symbol is far more family values than luring children to your "neverland" lair with a petting farm.







Our friends dissented focusing on the dark Michael days (Remember, the Thriller album cover?).


A ballot box was in the house and I cast my vote after a third cocktail and some crowded dancefloor action to Let's Go Crazy. Prince took an early lead according to the DJ encouraging more votes. He was spurring the audience on with challenges to dance crazier and sing louder than "SEA-ATTLE Washington".

We were on the dancefloor moving it to Erotic City when I had a flashback to my highschool days. It was the summer before my sophomore year and I somehow got into Stallions, a liquor serving dance club. Bear in my mind that I had just turned 15 and looked 12. I couldn't believe that this older guy was honing in on me. I did one of those sly, look-behind-yourself-just-to-make-sure-he's-looking-at-me moves. Sure enough, he sidled up to my adolescent self on the dancefloor during the aforementioned Prince song. Not only could he dance but he knew all the naughty words to the song. Wow! I won't delve too much further into detail...Suffice it to say, we had a little kiss kiss session in the back of his Mazda RX-7.

Back to the current millenium. It was a great night. Prince ended up beating Michael by ONE vote. That's after Eldorado stuffed the ballot box with tenteen Jackson votes. There was some excellent, sweaty, lambada-style dancing going on. My favorite dancer was adorned in a gold-sequined shrug...the lady had some stamina!

A Saturday matinee

After working the break in weather for a short-but-sweet mountain bike ride yesterday, I awoke to snow on the ground and a less than inviting ski report. What to do? Fortunately, there are a half dozen movies that I actually want to see in the theater right now. Good thing we are hours away from a real city because then I would also get the choice of foreign flicks (apparently, Block Party falls under this category).
I have some film buddies telling me I must see V for Vendetta, others encouraging The three burials of Melquiades Estrada, my own dorky desire to see Matador and yet, methinks that the new Spike Lee flick may win out. So far, reviews are impressive for Inside Man. Tight direction, actors that can act (!) and a strong female role from Jodi Foster. Plus, a little Clive never hurt noone.









"Hello, star detective(in british accent) you ought to check out my new movie."

Cruise controlling

By now, the brouhaha over South Park's forced yanking of Cruise episode is old blog fodder. What I find interesting is that Cruise, Prezzie Bush, and Defensive Secretary Rumsfeld share the same astrological sign. Guess which one?

nipple confusion?

This is a term being bandied about by my breeder friends. I think I get it.

Hang loose baby

"A longitudinal study shows whiny kids grow up to be conservative. They "turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity. The confident kids turned out liberal and were still hanging loose, turning into bright, non-conforming adults with wide interests." The authors suspect "insecure kids look for the reassurance provided by tradition and authority," whereas "the more confident kids are eager to explore alternatives." This matches a 2003 analysis that suggested "people who are dogmatic, fearful, [and] intolerant of ambiguity ... are more likely to gravitate to conservatism.""

written by William Saletan-Slate Online Magazine in his Policy Hounds article.

Just what I needed

No, not a pet tiger. A hug would do. Because I'm beginning to feel sorry for the weather situation.
Would somebody please bring Spring on?! Warm, sunshiny weather: t-shirts, bare ankles, capri-gaucho or other-titled short pant weather...that's what I'm talking about.

Ye Olde Curiosity Site

This link was sent to me by fellow observers of all things curious. Mind reader! Please let us know if it fails you...or, if you have the explanation for such abilities.

sneaking in a powder day

I arranged a free morning on Friday, the stars aligned, and the Mt. Bachelor report told us there were 5 inches of new, waiting to be enjoyed. Mas rushed me out the door, we picked up the Sultan and got up to the chairlift just after the 9:00 start time.
It was glorius. We happened upon our Greatest American Hero buddy and hit the same sweet run at least tenteen times. Why? Because it was sooo good.

Believe it or not...I'm walking on air...I never thought I could feel so free-ee-e"





That's what it looked like. This is what it felt like.


nothing but butter...

no block party here

For the third consecutive week I wonder...why doesn't Dave Chappelle's Block Party make it to Bend? "Check out the movie link" here's just a little taste of what we're missing.

The day after

I consider it my duty to report on the skies for all y'all despite more than an inkling that many do not care.

A lunar eclipse occurred yesterday. It was at 3:35p.m. PST and not visibly noticeable for us here in the northwest parts. However, some believe these eclipses have impact causing abrupt changes.

The only semi-unusual happenings for moi include: getting a door slammed in my face and starting an irrational argument with Mas. It should be noted that the two events are unrelated.

I wonder if any of my readers have news to report. Anonymous postings accepted.

and, he gets away with it!

This P.I. enjoyed "Slate.com"article on Rumsfeld's recent testimony before the Senate appropriations committee. Somehow, his oratory style is the most annoying of all in Bush's cabinet.

Special Announcement

Allow me to interrupt your day with this! Bush on Global Warming on Transbuddha
Three days later--I am not noticing any comments and yet, I believe this link is worthy...Check it Out!

My virtual victory

I was just beginning my indoor running session when HE walked up. He proudly stepped unto the treadmill next to mine. I clicked up the volume on the ipod and began at an easy pace. There was no heavy breathing, I was just striding out, stretching my legs so to speak. I noticed that he was glancing over at my machine. I upped the incline and continued with my warm-up. He increased the incline and the speed and until I could hear the pace of his thuds quickening, drowning out my own.

You want to play? I thought. Alright then, let's play.

I increased my own speed. And then we were off. I focused on the music...good, a gorillaz song...that'll help. I tried to convey confidence. I increased the speed again. Take that! He anted up and we continued stride for thunderous stride. I wondered how much he actually had up his sleeve. There are not too many dedicated treadmill runners that can give it up for more than 30 boring minutes. But I am practiced in the art of going nowhere quickly.

Sure enough, he hit the panic button after five miles. HA! I continued my pace staring ahead. He turned toward me, took a bow and then departed the cardio room quickly.

conversations

ONE

girl: shhh... I'm sneaking.
(jokingly in direction of lift operator)) are you gonna open the summit today?
today's the kind of day that everyone's gonna be asking if their gonna open the summit today.

hmmm... i wonder if they will open the summit today?

their not gonna open it today, i mean, they would have to be blowing right now if they were gonna open it by noon.


guy: i'll just meet you up there.


girl: what?


guy: just go ahead when you can and i'll meet you at the top.


girl: oh...yeah, right.

Que honda?

I'll tell you what's up. Beck is coming to Bend Memorial Day Weekend. That's right. All you guerolitos get ready to have a good time May 27th. Please join me in my wish for a happy-go-lucky, dancin' fool Beck performance like the one I saw back at Bumbershoot the year Princess Diana died. It was a Built to Spill*Beck*Sonic Youth line-up. Beck did a tribute to his granny (it was her birthday)and shook his groove thang in the September sunshine. What a day! Until we biked home from the Seattle Center and discovered that Princess Di was no longer. Talk about a bubble burster. Anyhow, I am elated to hear the skinny scientologist is coming our way. It just keeps getting better in our little bubble.

dude talk

There I was trapped at home, in convalescence. Mas' ski buddy and his buddy were in town. They were here to do two things: drink and ski.

Let me clarify--unlike Bode Miller, their intention was not to do both simultaneously. They simply wanted to spend an evening with spirits and the following day in the pow.

I decided that this would provide the perfect opportunity to engage in some anthropological study of the aging, big Testosterone male. What I feared was being stuck in some sad but real GTI commercial. What I found was that gap between ourselves seems to be diminishing.

Drink of choice: Rock Star energy drink and Crown Royal. I didn't try it so who am I to judge? I prefer Jack Daniels & Coca Cola myself. Call it traditional or call it gross. I have a friend with a "no brown drinks" policy which kind of makes sense.

Favored topics of discussion: Home improvements, investments, action gear and adventure travel.

Although I was in no shape to chit-chat or hang in any substantial way I sat in my quiet corner and responded to their efforts to be inclusive. Fortunately, we had my crazy-nice brand-new mountain bike to discuss. Time and again they wanted to know about specific parts (don't really know about those) or wondered aloud about technicalities I rarely consider.

After a few drinks, I could discern tidbits of stories from the kitchen about bachelor parties, sports injuries, and then whispers of "a blonde and a redhead". Ski buddy #1 was regaling the others with tales of another friend who is even more of a dude because he is bigger and richer. In all justice, the guy used to have a pet tiger so, automatically you might say, he is something.

I got sleepy and said good night. They continued in their reverie but with respect I did not anticipate. The music volume went down and after awhile they too, went to bed. I woke up the next morning and found the kitchen entirely clean. Not a single empty glass, beer bottle, nothing.

Now I have returned home from work and they are gone. I only wonder...how was the snow today?

Gummin' it

Your friendly private eye took extreme measures to find the perfect oscar-viewing venue. Calls were made, arms were twisted and home entertainment centers devised so that yours truly could indulge her bizarre wish to participate in this meaningless ritual.
Forgive me if I offend, for I missed at least a third of the ceremony, but what was that? There was no feast for the eyes, no banquet of delights to be found on ABC Sunday evening. It was the equivalent of a soft foods diet. Everything felt pre-masticated.
The interpretive dance set to "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" seemed like a KIDS Incorporated skit from over a decade ago.



Come on people, you can do a little better than that. Sure, Reese gave a sweet little speech. We all knew that was coming and that it would be perfectly calculated for effect.

I wanted the real deal: a genuine gaffe, drunken speech or something. So, Crash won Best Picture and Jack Nicholson raised his legendary brows. At the end of the ceremony we still wondered aloud, is that all there is?

Locker room phenomenon

Have you experienced this?

You are at the gym during off-peak hours. You select a locker because it is in your favorite spot or, because there is no one else in that aisle and you have adequate sprawl space, or you like to use lucky locker number 8 every time. For whatever reason, there you are, you've made the change and your workout begins.

An hour or so later, you return to the locker room. Sure enough there are others seemingly surrounding your locker. You scan the locker room and notice that all the other rows appear to be empty. In fact, the only other people using the facility happen to have chosen lockers in your aisle. What is this about?

Surely I am not the only one who has noticed this as my locker room cohorts comment on it as we gingerly avoid touching each others belongings and try to condense our piles into one heap allowing room for everyone. I believe it is one of the ways the universe conspires for us to get closer. What do you think?