The Pacification Post
CD in Play: Elliott Smith, Either/Or.
As stated to Thoth in the comments for the Barrett post, it has just been too damned hot in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia to type these past few days. Seriously, it apparently got up to just above 38° in some places over the weekend. (it is currently 23°-26° in the Vancouver area) I may have had mild heat stroke/exhaustion on Sunday. I was in the shade for the most part, so I have to wonder - how did the top of my head get burnt? Before this weekend I was training for my new site, so I have been busy.
Films I want to see: Not much that is new, aside from A Scanner Darkly. Apparently Lady in the Water is a real stinker, with the exception of Paul Giamatti's performance. (Giamatti was the main character in Sideways) Upcoming? I am interested in The Prestige and possibly The Illusionist, though I am not really an Edward Norton fan. (Paul Giamatti is also in the film) The documentary, America: From Freedom to Fascism interests me - if it even gets shown here. Mildly curious about Woody Allen's Scoop, though I don't have great expectations for it. Other than that, there is an old Spencer Tracy film I'd like to see from start to finish called Bad Day at Black Rock. I am housesitting at my Dad's and caught a bit of it on TCM.
Current Reading: Re-Reading Thomas Cleary's The Japanese Art of War: Understanding the Culture of Strategy. Aside from that, I have been reading books on cooking. People often ask what I would do if I were able to be one of the idle rich? Aside from travel, paint and maybe set up a brewery/winery/distillery I would learn how to cook like a pro and cook gourmet meals for friends. (even though most of my friends can be squeamish about some of the most mundane delicacies) I have an itch to roast pheasant or some other type of game bird. Also want to try grilling figs.
DVD in Player: Dave Chappelle's Show, Season 2. Funny man.
As stated to Thoth in the comments for the Barrett post, it has just been too damned hot in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia to type these past few days. Seriously, it apparently got up to just above 38° in some places over the weekend. (it is currently 23°-26° in the Vancouver area) I may have had mild heat stroke/exhaustion on Sunday. I was in the shade for the most part, so I have to wonder - how did the top of my head get burnt? Before this weekend I was training for my new site, so I have been busy.
Films I want to see: Not much that is new, aside from A Scanner Darkly. Apparently Lady in the Water is a real stinker, with the exception of Paul Giamatti's performance. (Giamatti was the main character in Sideways) Upcoming? I am interested in The Prestige and possibly The Illusionist, though I am not really an Edward Norton fan. (Paul Giamatti is also in the film) The documentary, America: From Freedom to Fascism interests me - if it even gets shown here. Mildly curious about Woody Allen's Scoop, though I don't have great expectations for it. Other than that, there is an old Spencer Tracy film I'd like to see from start to finish called Bad Day at Black Rock. I am housesitting at my Dad's and caught a bit of it on TCM.
Current Reading: Re-Reading Thomas Cleary's The Japanese Art of War: Understanding the Culture of Strategy. Aside from that, I have been reading books on cooking. People often ask what I would do if I were able to be one of the idle rich? Aside from travel, paint and maybe set up a brewery/winery/distillery I would learn how to cook like a pro and cook gourmet meals for friends. (even though most of my friends can be squeamish about some of the most mundane delicacies) I have an itch to roast pheasant or some other type of game bird. Also want to try grilling figs.
DVD in Player: Dave Chappelle's Show, Season 2. Funny man.
posted by Magnus at 13:50
7 Comments:
Do you have an interesting vegetarian food to cook, Magnus? I am vegetarian. Although less so, now. I now eat a good deal of seafood. I quite like octopus, believe it or not! Actually, octopus dipped in wasabe (ouch! and a big needle in the top of the head! Better than crack...err, I've never tried crack and don't want to...err, drugs!).
So, yeah, much of the world is becoming vegetarian. But not in Taiwan, apparently. Except for the Buddhists, whom, when people see monks, men or women verions of them, on the traink, including me, kind of think they're a bit freaky. I had a bad experience. There was a monk who kept talking to me, and who didn't speak any English, but who starting picking his nose, and when later he offered his hand to shake in goodbye, I avoided it somehow. I felt VERY squeamish. This is a strange prejudice I've acquired. I rather like the Taoist priests, though. Except some of the narrowness of the culture, but that is culture, not the fault of the people themselves. In Canada, we are becoming narrow, again. Our media and politicians narrow our worlds and views for us.
Well, we all have prejudices, don't we. Who knows what is reasonable, really?
Particuarly when Israel considers it reasonable to bomb the hell out of Lebanon, when Hezbollah kidnapped only two people, for prisoners (and from what I've heard, at least in the Hamas crisis in the other side in the south, these include children!). And these two captured are not or at least were not, dead, unlike the hundreds, etc. the Israelis have killed. Not to mention displaced, ruined their livelihoods, etc. Imagine, if under some pretence or other, the U.S. decided to bomb the hell out of Toronto (okay, Magnus, be quiet, that isn't really a good thing, no matter what you say!). People's busines and livelihoods and futures ruined. What makes Israel so proud of itself? So special? I myself root for the underdog. Hmm, maybe Hezbollah is a force for the good? Well, I've heard bad things about them, very bad, but choose the better of the two? I'd choose Hezbollah. Nothing to do with Semitism or anti-Semitism. This is a place, a nation out of control, like maybe Serbia in the 90s, etc. Israel is a monster. Unfortunately, the u.s . is supporting a monster.
So our little prejudices are nothing. Harmless, unless turned into big freaky issues by people with control problems or complexes about the fact they have small brains or small biceps, or small whatevers.
Oh ooh...cook for me! I just had a flashback some kind of spicy thai meal you made long ago when we hung out one day when I was living in Vancouver. I'd eat whatever you made (well, unless it was some of that fermented bean curd I tried at the sushi place last time I was out there to visit. I don't know about the octopus tho Thoth- isn't it rubbery and chewy? Man I miss seafood. Here in the middle of the country you don't get a lot of good seafood or sushi.
How was A Scanner Darkly? I'm hoping it actually comes out here but I may have to wait to rent it. I made it to Superman Returns (3D Imax) but I haven't been to many films lately...saving our sheckels and all that.
As for Israel, dont' get me started. How is it even being allowed to happen as a rationalised event? I go away on a holiday and the whole world falls apart. I recell reading a headline while stopped for lunch at a Subway on the way back home thinking "what the hell happened while I was away?".
I just don't understand. I watched the BBC news last night and they were showing boatloads of people being taken out of the area by German boat and seeing families split up and terrified...some left behind because they didn't have the proper papers...because their houses were destroyed. How can the world be that way? And how can you excpect people to have the right papers when their home is destroyed? It was awful.
Thoth: I have nothing interesting in the vegetarian cookbook department - though grain-fed vegetarians are more than welcome to a BBQ. Seafood is good for you. Jeffrey's ex-girlfriend was a vegan and had to start eating fish for her health.
Cultural taboos I would like to see return? Spitting has become epidemic and should be ticketed and fined as in Montreal. Littering should be ticketed and fined heavily. And I am tired of people freely discussing their sexual practices in public.
Heather: Octopus, when prepared properly, is delicious. It is also the cleanest of sea creatures.
The fermented soy beans you are referring to are known as "natto".
Inorder to get seafood to Saskatchewan, I say we blast a trench underneath BC and tunnel (with certin spots blasted open to allow sunlight) salt water into a giant pool that extends to where Hinton, Edmonton and Lloydminster once were.
BTW, My Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Dave could bothe prepare a mean octopus. My Aunt picked it up from a Japanese couple in Dollarton (I think) and my Uncle Dave picked it up while in Kaulun.
Having read "A Scanner Darkly", I definitely want to see it.
Regarding Isreal-Lebanon: given that the imbalance of atrocities are committed by Israel, it's tempting to take sides with Hezbollah. But this is a temptation to be resisted. This conflict is really bad guys vs. pretty bad guys. What makes these people despicable is their disregard for the non-combatants they think they're defending, but who suffer more than anyone else.
Don't pick sides. Give peace a chance.
Now it's back to studying for me!
"And I am tired of people freely discussing their sexual practices in public."
Ditto. Especially when said people ask for you to regail them with your own stories. I always get asked about that stuff at work and have to say look, I'm not telling you about that - I'm not a prude, it's just none of their business what I do. When did something so personal get to be such a public topic?
"I say we blast a trench underneath BC and tunnel (with certin spots blasted open to allow sunlight) salt water into a giant pool that extends to where Hinton, Edmonton and Lloydminster once were"
Sounds good. After I'm done our window trench I have two good shovels to start digging with. Although at the rate I'm diggin this trench we may be retired before it gets there...but I bet the wait would be worth it!
i was really interested in seeing scanner darkly but my interest is trailing...
i really want to see the prestige...
and scoop looks interesting, maybe i'll catch it on DVD...
Lady in the Water...i don't know what i'm going to do...I wanted to see it but it's bad reviews make me guess I too could wait on DVD for that one.
--RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com
Post a Comment
<< Home