The List

home improvements

2009-01-29T23:04:00.005-05:00

So, while "renovations" are considered more Needs, I suppose that "improvements" are more along the Wants. Really, really, really wants.

DOG!!! (this list is in no particular order, but I wanted to be clear that this is high on the list of priorities) :)
King Size Bed
Bed Frame
Refrigerator (stainless steel, double door...)
Porch Swing
Entertainment Center
42" Plasma LCD Flat Screen HD TV
new MAC for photo editing
new laptop for downstairs
new doorknob for the front door (Uncle Brian?)
Console table for behind the couch
Wingback chair & ottoman for Dining Room
Bookcase for Guest Room
Bedside tables for bedroom
Mirror for bedroom
New rug for Master Bedroom
Rug for Dining Room
Rug for Guest Room
Rug for Office
Frames for Gallery Wall
Frames for Un-Calendar
(2) more air conditioner window units
New Washer/Dryer combo

home renovations

2009-01-29T22:47:00.007-05:00

After several attempts at keeping this list in our heads, Josh finally made me sit down and start writing it out. This list, the "renovations" are deemed: Needs, or "things-that-really-should-get-done-in-the-house-to-make-it-livable"

Kitchen/Pantry - FINISH!!!

~~Drywall~~
Spackle
Paint
Sand
Trim
Appliances
Cabinets
Counters
Paint again

Hallway/Stairway

Tape
Spackle
Paint

Office - Paint
Guest Room - Paint/fix up
Bathroom - Paint / replace or fix medicine cabinet, sink, etc...
Hardwood Floors - refinish upstairs
Attic: clean out and insulate/drywall
Basement: cleaned and insulated
Wine Cellar in basement
Front Porch: replace columns and porch with recycled wood
Front Yard: Landscape for "curb appeal"
Side of house: clean up and make functional
Backyard: landscape
Back Deck: have one. Preferably out of recycled wood, with stone patio at base leading to shed
Shed: remodel to create photo-studio and/or outdoor entertaining area
Have paint/doors tested for lead content
Replace Doors:

Front
Back
Basement

Replace fence in back yard
Replace ceiling fans:

~~Master bedroom~~
Guest Room
Kitchen

~~Get mailbox~~
replace lightswitches throughout house

The Reader

2009-01-29T22:32:00.108-05:00

~~The Reader~~

First: Do not read this if you have not yet seen this movie and plan to see it. I think it is important to go into the film without knowing much about the story.

Second: I don't have an answer to the obvious question whether I liked the movie. I might by the end of the post, but at the moment, I'm conflicted. I'll explain.

The story presents an interesting point of view on two completely different, troubling situations. There is a decided juxtaposition of the uncomfortable illicit affair between a 15 year old boy and a much older woman and the uncomfortable subject of the murder of millions of people in the Holocaust. Both topics are difficult to discuss and present in a story for different reasons.

I would think that many people are put off by the thought of an adolescent boy and an older woman having sex, somewhat graphically, only to have that uneasy feeling crushingly diminished by the confrontation head on of a recounting of an Auschwitz Death March during a Nazi SS war crime trial.

I did not like the movie for the first 45 minutes or so. I did not enjoy the affair; I felt there were to many unanswered questions and holes that were skipped over. It is obvious that the affair was a defining moment in both main characters' lives and yet it felt rushed and painful.

It is not until the trial that the movie becomes interesting. Of course, Michael is a law student and of course his former lover is at the center of the war crime trial. Of course, Michael will have information that could change the outcome of the trial. But how does he, a law student, still young, admit to an affair with a woman 20 years his age? He can't, not when it would bring so much attention to himself and bring the wrath and hatred of a nation, of a world, on him. How could he defend this Nazi? He can't and it haunts him until the day she dies in prison and beyond.

The end, when he goes to New York to give the young survivor of the Death March Hannah's money, draws attention to the reparations that Germany made to survivors of the Holocaust. The home of the survivor is full of expensive fine art and the wealth is evident. In the end, when she takes only the tea tin that the money was kept in, perhaps is when the intended storyline comes to light.

The film highlights the humanity in everyone, from the Nazi to the confused young boy to the Holocaust survivor. Everyone has the capacity to feel empathy and to show kindness, to make reparations and find the humility to ask forgiveness for the unforgivable, to admit being closed off and open up their heart to another.

My overall feeling is that I did not enjoy the movie, though it is difficult to say one can enjoy a movie with such uncomfortable and troubling subjects at the center of the story. Still, I disliked the first half and felt the second half carried the film to its Oscar nomination.

The Reader at Rotten Tomatoes.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-01-26T21:58:00.004-05:00

~~Slumdog Millionaire~~

I had absolutely no idea what this movie was about heading into it. Becca and I decided to take advantage of AMC's before noon weekend deal ($6 if the movie starts before noon on Saturday or Sunday) and it limited us to two movies: Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon. We were interested in both movies, but everyone we had spoken to about movies recently all were raving about Slumdog.

I'm glad that I didn't know anything about this movie before seeing it. I had escaped seeing trailers for it on TV (thank you Tivo) and I hadn't asked anyone what it was about while they were spouting its praises. If I had learned what it was about, I probably would have stepped into the theater with a preconceived idea in my head about the movie. I can hope that my notions about it would have changed during the movie, but I can't even say that I would have seen it in the theater.

Working from a blank slate, the things that really stood out in my mind were:
1. Cinematography - the scenes are beautifully shot. Interesting angles, beautifully complex and equally simple settings. There is lots going on and to see, but rarely is your eye pulled away from the focus of the scene.

2. Colors - stunning and earthy, a mixture of dark earth tones and bright colors throughout the movie.

3. Storytelling - superbly structured, the story starts not quite at the end, but near it, just before the climax and is told through a series of flashbacks that develop the main characters in an interesting way.

There are scenes that are difficult to watch (the blinding of a young beggar child), the murder of a gangster, but they are essential to the story. In fact, everything in the movie is essential to the story. Everything is woven together nearly perfectly into a beautiful tapestry of a movie.

Like everyone who told me about the movie (without telling me anything about the movie), I can't help but rave. It was really an excellent film.

Slumdog Millionaire on Rotten Tomatoes.

Oscars 2009

2009-01-26T13:40:00.008-05:00

This year, I would really like to make a point to see the movies that have been nominated for Best Picture. I make a half-hearted attempt each year, but this year I think I can see it through.

1. ~~The Reader~~

2. ~~Slumdog Millionaire~~ saw & loved!

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

4. Milk

5. Frost/Nixon

BONUS
Doubt

I saw Meryl Street get the SAG for this and it piqued my curiosity.

Gran Torino

While promises of "Classic Vintage Eastwood" and a preview showing Clint give us the gun-finger & a wink (not once, but twice!) are enough to get me to the theater, Debby came in to work today with genuine praise for the movie. So, if there's money left in the bank after the first 5 I'd like to see this one as well.

Crossed Off Restaurants

2009-01-06T20:56:00.002-05:00

Max & David's
Elcy's Cafe
Honey's

Go to the championship parade of one of the 4 major sports teams in Philadelphia

2008-11-02T09:27:00.001-05:00

~~Go to the championship parade of one of the 4 major sports teams in Philadelphia~~

This post is a little (okay, way, way) late in coming, but after 25 years, Philadelphia sports fans across the globe were able to cross this off their list. The Phillies won the World Series!

The season was an unbelievable rollercoaster ride, with all the highs and lows you expect from a true Philadelphia team, with one exception. The Phils ended on top. The very top. The tippy top. World Series Champions.

This post is late enough that it is safe to say that the Eagles aren't going to win the Super Bowl and the Sixers aren't looking too good (sub .500 at the moment). The Flyers have potential to make this a 2-fer year, but they still have to make it through their annual February swoon. At any rate, the Phils are the one that broke the chain of losing seasons.

There is a big part of me that is happy that it was the Phillies to do it. Baseball is my favorite sport. It's a summer game; it invites sun and warmth, flip-flops, t-shirts and shorts, hot dogs, grilling and relaxing. I always took the Phils' losses the hardest, maybe because there have been so many.

Heading into the playoffs, I will admit that I was not the most confident Phillies fan. I knew they had what it would take to win, but they needed to show up to play and any Philadelphia fan can tell you that our teams don't always show up to play. But after Game 2 of the NLDS against the Brewers, there was a feeling that something special was going on. I mean, they crushed C.C. Sabathia, who had been simply dominant since getting picked up by Milwaukee. Shane Victorino hit the grand slam and they were off and running. The momentum continued through to the NLCS against the Dodgers. Manny Ramirez was nearly unstoppable with LA in the regular season and postseason, but the Phillies limited the damage he could cause by pitching the rest of the Dodgers well.

Heading into the World Series, I tried not to think of the possibilities. I tried not to imagine standing on Broad Street watching the Phillies ride by in celebration. I tried not to imagine what Philadelphia would be like with a championship team. I tried not to imagine all of these things and failed miserably. I wouldn't talk about it, but I knew they were going to win. They had to. I knew they would play to their potential and beat the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series. They would make the clutch plays, the key hits, they'd play small ball and hit the long ball. They'd do it all and it would be glorious.

And it was glorious. Oh, there were moments of pain, but they passed by and the confidence returned quickly. Game 5 was the most obviously stressful game of the Series, what with a 48 hour rain delay and all. But they did it.

We immediately hopped a train into Center City to join the mass of people gathering at City Hall. We celebrated there for about 45 minutes before catching the train back to Ardmore. Later it was reported that some people continued to "celebrate" into the wee hours of the morning, although I'm not quite sure what flipping cars and setting fires, looting and rioting have to do with celebrating.

Two days later, there I was with 2 million other people standing along Broad Street as the Phillies rode by waving to the fans. Confetti was dropping from the sky, people were cheering, everyone was getting along. And, if even for just a few hours on a beautiful Fall day, all was right with the world. The Philadelphia Phillies were World Series Champions.

Photos:
Phillies Win the World Series
Phillies World Series Parade

P.S. - I'm backdating this post because I am embarrassed that it took me this long to write about it. (Originally posted on January 27, 2009)

The Restaurant List

2008-04-04T16:02:00.009-04:00

A list of restaurants to visit.

Zahav
Xochitl
Little Fish
Blue Sage
Amada
Bindi
Maia
Blackfish

See the King of Blues live in concert

2008-03-10T10:55:00.005-04:00

Note: Seeing B.B. King in concert is actually what gave me the idea to start this. I wasn't planning on adding things I've done already, but I'm including it here because it lets me put something on the crossed-off list. This is reposted from my more regularly updated blog, Notes from Dairy Hell. It was originally posted there on February 28, 2008.

~~See the King of Blues live in concert~~

This officially has been crossed off my list of things to do before I die.

Tonight at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, I had the honor and privilege of seeing the legendary B.B. King live in concert. The man might be 82 years old, he might be unable to stand and walk for long periods of time, he might have diabetes, but he can still belt out the blues. His guitar sounds so sweet and pure, the notes drip off the strings like honey. His voice is so strong and powerful that it gives you chills when he really gets into the song. It's even more unbelievable when you realize that, by his own admission, he doesn't know how to play chords and he just improvises his way through everything.

He's quite a storyteller and half the concert is him rambling through long winded stories, making jokes and laughing at himself. His band backs him up beautifully and he often lets them take the lead. It doesn't matter. It's worth the price of admission to hear him talk, sing and play even for the few songs he actually fits in.

To see him play in the 1300 seat Keswick was even more incredible. There isn't a bad seat in the house and the acoustics and sound were tuned perfectly. It was a great show and I still can't believe that I was there.

Crossed Off

2008-03-10T10:45:00.007-04:00

The List at the Moment

2008-03-10T10:22:00.030-04:00

In no particular order:

Visit Tibet
Visit the Taj Mahal
Visit China
Visit Japan
Visit Australia and New Zealand
Visit Brazil
See the house Bob Marley grew up in
Kiss the Blarney Stone
See Stonehenge
See the Northern Lights
Fly first class
Own a sailboat with Jared
Sail to the Caribbean or some destination requiring a multi-day sail
Experience zero-gravity weightlessness
Visit Napa Valley
Skydiving
Ocean kayaking
Scuba diving
Stand up on a surf board
Drive across the Continental U.S.
Visit all 50 states
See the Grand Canyon
Learn to drive a stick shift
Go back to school
Win/Lose big in Las Vegas
Own or Drive a 911
Drive 150 mph or faster
Ride a motorcycle
Run a marathon
Finish a triathlon
See Niagara Falls
Go into business for myself
Open a Hot Dog shop
Hike a (significant) portion of the Appalachian Trail
Go to Wrigley Field for a game
Go to Fenway Park for a game
Own a beach side house
Go to Phillies Spring Training
Go to the Pop Shop
See at least one stage of the Tour de France in person
Visit Cuba
Experience Jimmy Buffet live
Identify flavors in wine on a consistent basis
Drink a 98+ rated bottle of wine
Take my father on a vacation
Visit the Stoogeum