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Apple is celebrating 30 years of the Macintosh. It's a neat site, because you participate by entering which was your first Mac and what did you do with it.

My first Mac was the PowerBook 140, the beginning of my fascination with their laptops. I'm planning to get their latest MacBook Pro with Retina Display, but I'm waiting for the right time. It seems like I'm always waiting for the right time with Apple.

After the PowerBook 140 came the PowerBook 190 five years later. Then came the TiBook another seven years during which I wanted but never could buy a desktop Mac. My first one was a Mac Mini… I'll keep waiting and waiting for a better desktop…

Here's to another 30 more years of the Mac and to Apple.

Labels: anniversaire, Apple, Macs

3 Ancho Chiles
3 Cascabel Chiles
3 Arbol Chiles

Stemmed and seeded

2 Tblesp Whole Cumin

Roast in a pan

2 Tblsp Garlic Powder
2 Tblsp Paprika
1 Tblsp dried oregano

Blend with chiles cumin in a blender

Just as Alton Brown said...

Labels: "blog as notepad"

It's cold, and there is snow on the ground. I'm also drinking a milkshake, and the thermostat is set at 63 F (that's a blog post for another time). I'm cold. It's cold this year. There's another Polar Vortex on the way. Throw on some blankets and huddle down.

Labels: picture, wintry mix

Awesome inside story on everyone's favorite 90s bromedy, Swingers. I know that it received most if its notoriety on video, but I can't help and say that I saw it on its limited theatrical run through Baltimore. I know you've heard me talk about catching it in the theatre, but it was an awesomely, hilarious time...

I read a review in Entertainment Weekly about Swingers. I kept waiting for it to show up in a movie theatre around town. Finally, it was playing at the Rotunda. I was a shiftless slacker doing nothing but school and waiting tables, so I was able to catch a mid-week matinee.

There was not many people watching it. It was me, three or four business men, another couple, and a college coed. Now the Rotunda was a small movie palace about twenty rows of ten or so seats. I sat a third of the way in, and laughed all the way through. I keep looking around, but I was the only one who got it. And that's why I thought it was the greatest film.

I tried to get others to watch, but the movie was gone. Only when it made a splash on home video did people finally realize how awesome a film it is. It is the 90s for me.

Good times. Good film. Next, I'll tell you about catching Office Space on opening night in a packed theatre filled with silence...

http://grantland.com/features/an-oral-history-swingers/

Labels: lotd, money baby money, movies

August: Osage County is not a movie I would go see, but my mom wanted to catch it. It's a film adapted from a stage play. It too got an Oscar nod for its actresses namely, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. I'm not one to judge acting, but I thought that Streep was overboard. I think she got the nod, because she's Meryl Streep. There's got to have been more subtle acting to have gotten the nod. I think it would be better.

Anyway, the film is about Streep as matriarch of a family looking to escape from each other. She's got cancer. Her husband gets her help then goes and drowns. The family, all daughters, gets together to bury him. The gloves come off. They bicker -- mother-daughter, sister-sister.

It's a story about family history. You leave, you love, you come back. You know it all hurts. Especially, if your mother is as demanding as Streep was. Or as big a drug addict.

It's an interesting film for a Saturday afternoon. It's not something I want to catch again. It was adequate.

3 of 5 stars.

Labels: movies, review

It's been more than a week since I saw Her in the movie theatre. No, no, not her, but "Her" the movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore Twombly, a guy who has fallen in love with his digital personal organizer. The film is written and directed by Spike Jonze. This was science fiction and a love story and has received Oscar nominations, best original screenplay and best picture being the most of the important ones. I'm still trying to process it.

As I left the theatre, I thought about Sophia Coppola's Lost In Translation. Is this Jonze's riposte to his ex-wife? Maybe. It plays like it, and if you've see the both of them back to back, it would seem to be. But to think of this film destracts from the the film itself. You've got to divorce the two to see what Jonze was trying to accomplish. That pun is intended.

I think the central conceit of the movie is that the heart is mysterious and you love whomever or whatever you love. Fact: it was no big deal for Twombly to fall in love with an OS. There were others who have, and Amy Adam's created an intimate relationship with one also. In the future, you'll find love in many other places. No one cares if you fall in love with an OS. It happens.

Now was Twombly looking for a relationship he could control or as his ex-wife said a perfect simulation of a wife? Can't be judgmental here. We do get their history from his perspective. It seems he was faithful and caring; cold and distant and judging not so much. He was supportive; It felt like they fell out of love. Was her success too much for him? Maybe, but they don't get too deep into it.

They love. Then they don't love. It is a mystery of the heart.

What was most bothersome about the movie is how it ends. Spoilers if you don't want to know. It ends with a "Thanks for the fishes" moment, which was perplexing. It's the least talked about aspect of the film, but the most interesting. I was thinking about how it would end. I was expecting a "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" style disconnecting. It happened, but then the complicated return and subsequent leave made the film rushed. I felt like sitting alongside Twombly to piece it all together. Yeah, I'm still thinking about it.

4 of 5 stars.

Labels: girls, movies, review

I distinctly remember saying that I was worried that my chilli was going to be too thick when asked why I bought tomato sauce instead of paste. The last time I had made chilli, it was pretty thick, and I was worried that it wasn't going to be runny enough. Boy did I have it wrong.

I used a can of beer as the liquid base, but there were also plenty of tomato-y liquid going in as well. Along with the tomato sauce, I added the liquid from the canned whole tomatoes and another cup of water as well.

It simmered all night long. In the morning, I took one look at it and realized I had soup instead of chilli. I quickly went about thickening it up by adding corn starch, but that's not doing it any good.

Lesson learned. Forget about the water. Use tomato paste rather than tomato sauce. Thicken it with corn starch if necessary.

Anyhow, here's what went in the slow cooker last night to make chilli soup:
3/4 lbs. ground beef browned
2 andouille sausages browned as well
2 jalapeños diced
2 cans green chilis
1 can whole stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 yellow onion diced
1/3 cup of white beans

For seasoning: cumin, paprika, mexican chili powder, texas chili powder, black pepper, salt, pinch of cinammon

Liquid: can of beer, a cup of water, and a dash of patis.

Throw in a slow cooker, and next thing you know you'll have chilli soup. Next time replace the can of tomato sauce with tomato paste and forget the cup of water

Labels: cooking, just asking

The new Miku is here! The new Miku is here!

While not the cutest, she'll do. Don't let this one pass you by. Get her when she goes on sale next month. You know I will.

http://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/4133/Nendoroid+Snow+Miku+Magical+Snow+Ver.html

Labels: figures, lotd, nendoroid

Because @margeemateo asked, here's the dream. It occurred this morning between 4:30 and 6:00. I know because I woke up twice, and perhaps it was the second sleep wherein I went into REM.

Anyhow…

We were at a bar, or at a restaurant, or in a park, somewhere where we can gather. It was the usual crew, including @margeemateo, and we were all drinking beer. I think I knew a guy amongst the crowd at the bar.

I slap him on the back! It's the guy from when I worked at Ruby's. Not the short blonde fellow, but the bus boy. I think. Perhaps. Maybe.

"What's up!" I say.

"Drinking! Long time no see."

Then I spy a girl amongst the guys at the bar -- a familiar face. "Who's that there?"

The guy says, "My girlfriend. You know."

It's S! And she's gotten old. As have we all. More round in places, but still the prettiest smile and the prettiest brown eyes. I'll recognize her the same. Or is this a dream and it's wish fulfillment on my end?

She goes, "Hey, howdy!" and gives a kiss hello except it's on the lips and like we were never separated for these 17 years.

How the heck is she going out with that guy? How the heck is she still around? How did I miss my chance at this? I could've been that guy. Why was I a chicken to even try to be that guy? I suck!

Then they both talk about Neil, the blonde guy. His name isn't Neil, and S's name is Mary in this dream.

And then I remembered I had been out drinking with Neil recently in another dream! In that one, we were hanging out in the park drinking. That's how I remember Neil.

Yeah, we were having a fun time. It was good to see her. Then I started thinking that I can have her. I'm better than that guy! I haven't missed my chance yet. I'm still a chicken because I have to begin scheming and plotting.

"How are your kids doing?"

"We don't have kids."

I can still do this.

That's when I introduced my friends. They were sitting in a car and I had to do it through an open window. @margeemateo was there too.

Then I woke up and wondered what the hell this dream meant? Or does it mean anything. It means nothing.

Labels: dreams

Let me tell you about my first attempt at Beef Barley soup. Usually, I stick to vegetable or chicken featured in the soups I make, but I need to learn more about beefy soup. So, I choose to make barley soup this time with the classic beef.

Here's what I did to prepare -- diced a half a white onion, sliced a half a cup of carrots, measured 2/3 of a cup of frozen pea and corn, and soaked over night white beans. Finally, I used the beef marked as 'stew meat' and cut it into smaller sizes.

I threw it all in the slow cooker to cook overnight for about 12 hours.

It turned out alright. Edible, but not awesome.

I should've found more herbs and spices in my cupboard not just bay leaf. I should've cooked the beef before throwing it in the pot. Maybe get it a nice brown color to be more appetizing.

Yeah. It's got to be better. This will be categorized and memorized.

Labels: cooking

I use to lament that I couldn't watch any anime, but now that there are plenty of sites streaming anime, I lament that I don't know which is good. First, I relied on Random Curiosity's seasonal preview. It was good to know what's coming each season. Unfortunately, it couldn't tell me which streaming site to visit for the ones I wanted to see. I just also used Anime News Network to corroborate the shows. Finally, I used today's link to find out where they are all streaming.

Now, I've got a plan to see tons of anime. I'll revisit which is good.

http://kotaku.com/your-complete-winter-2014-anime-guide-1497637393

Labels: anime, lotd

On this cold, cold morning, how about dancing beatniks?

Scene straight out of 'Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.'

Labels: embed, hippie-ish

American Hustle is all about the 70s look. Amy Adams's plunging neck lines, Jennifer Lawrences's hair, Bradley Cooper's perm. You'll be too busy being amazed by the costume design to really appreciate the film.

American Hustle purports to tell the tale of the ABSCAM scandal in the late 70s. It was an FBI scam to trick congressman and senators into accepting bribes to make a fake Arab sheik an American citizen.

Amy Adams and Christian Bale play the original con men caught by the FBI and ordered to run the scam. They were small time players, but Bradley Cooper's ambitious FBI agent wants to make a name for himself by going after big fish. The big fish was a Jeremy Renner's simple Jersey mayor looking to help his constituents. He wanted to bring jobs back to Atlantic City helping people -- a good guy? Cooper, a good guy? Bale and Adams good people? Jennifer Lawrence, Bale's wife, not so good as she plays a loud, no class girl who when she finds out about the scam tries to needle her way into the action and when she gets blocked out takes it upon herself to destroy everything.

I think Bale did a fine job at portraying a small time hustler caught in a too large scam hustling his way out of the jam. Cooper was good as well playing the FBI agent looking to go big time. He was out of control. The girls, Adams and Lawrence, did well too with Adams and her cleavage edging out Lawrences's Jersey girl nonsense in the heart of this viewer.

This movie is a Golden Globe nominee for best comedy. While there was a lot to laugh at, I don't think this started out as comedy. It's just that the con men got themselves into laughable situations. This isn't an Adam Sandler film. The funniest part is 'science oven' -- you burned the science oven!

It's a good flick. Maybe better than the rating I'm giving it.

3 of 5 stars.

Labels: movies, review

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
when the snow lay round about,
deep and crisp and even.

Good King Wenceslas, Traditional Christmas Carol

Labels: qotd, Twelve Days of Christmas

Slow and easy. It's cold out there, and I have a cold. I'm just eating soup and lo mein hoping to be ready for work on Monday. Sucks. We're almost done here.

Labels: Twelve Days of Christmas

Are you planning on any? I'm not except for the weight loss thing and getting healthier. That's it. Or perhaps learning a language in programming or in speaking. Nothing revolutionary just evolutionary.

Labels: music break, Thievery Corporation, Twelve Days of Christmas

Here's the list of films I saw in the theatre which I rated 4 stars or more. Actually, these are all 4 star films, because I didn't see a perfect movie this year. Caveat as I list them, these are from reviews several days after seeing the film. They are 4 stars at that time, but over the year that rating could evolve to a better or worse rating. I would put The World's End and The Conjuring with higher ratings, and Man of Steel with a lower rating.

The World's End
The Conjuring
Pacific Rim
Man of Steel
Iron Man 3

Finally, here's an honorable mention that needs to be seen. I'm advocating that you catch it because it is one of my favorites of the year.

From Up On Poppy Hill

Labels: movies, year in film

47 Ronin is a mess. It's a movie based on a traditional Japanese tale of loyalty and revenge plus magic, dragons, and Keanu.

The Japanese tale was about samurai whose lord had to kill himself for disparaging another. His samurai, now leaderless ronin, vowed revenge because they thought that the offense was not severe. The 47 ronin of the title plotted for years eventually exacting revenge on their target. The Emperor liked the way the ronin conducted themselves and allowed the ronin to have an honorable ending. They all died in the end.

This version adds in Keanu as a mystically half-breed. Yeah, it makes no difference, but they needed him so that they can add the magic, the dragons, and the vile witch.

Everything has to be epic in Hollywood. That's why there was the magic, the dragons, and the vile witch. Hollywood must make everything ginormous. Unfortunately, not everything needs the ginormity. The original 47 ronin story has all you need. It's withstood years and years of telling in Japan. It may withstand the magic, the dragons, and the vile witch, but it isn't that good of tale with it.

3 of 5 stars.

Labels: movies, review

It's snowed just about every week since Thanksgiving. It was never like this, and the last few years there was barely any snow. Now, we've got snow. Lots and lots. Snow season has moved in. At least we haven't had an 18" blizzard yet. Keeping the fingers crossed.

Labels: Twelve Days of Christmas, weather

2014 Rulez!

Happy New Year to my friends, family, and hangers-on. May you have another successful year.

Labels: Twelve Days of Christmas