January 21, 2012

Well, the fresh tomato juice was incredible. A new but expensive addition. I always use Sacramento TJ, now this will be on the rotation.



"There are three things I like about Italian ships. First, their cuisine,
which is unsurpassed. Second, their service, which is quite superb. And
then - in time of emergency - there is none of this nonsense about women
and children first."



Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins.



Sam Adams has put out a bunch of small batch Ales, this was one of them and will be opened for tomorrow's NFC Championship.



Keegan Ales has Super Kitty, an Ale with a wallop, 12.00% ABV .



Super Kitty being poured in Community Beverages' new Growler Machine.



Not much of a storm.

August 29, 2011

Enormous amount of great quotes from The Last Lion :Strategy adopted by Hitler, who knew that British politicians were known to be unavailable on weekends and holidays, therefore making those days perfect for launching major initiatives; The British ruling class continued "to take its weekends in the country," criticized Winston Churchill, while "Hitler takes his countries in the weekends."

"Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find we have lost the future."

August 15, 2011

The King's Speech was quite good. Liked Timothy Spall's Churchill. Now, I will attempt The Last Lion.



I had read Manchester's The Glory and the Dream: A Narrative History of America, 1932–1972 and American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964. He was a good writer and biographer.



Running The Books by Avi Steinberg looks real interesting. Harvard Grad works as a Prison Librarian. The opening: "Pimps make the best librarians. Psycho killers, the worst. Ditto con men. Gangsters, gunrunners, bank robbers - adept at crowd control, at collaborating with a small staff, at planning with deliberation and executing with contained fury - all possess the librarian's basic skill set. Scalpers and loan sharks certainly have a role to play. But even they lack that something, the je ne sais quoi, the elusive it. What would a pimp call it? Yes: the love."



Will be reading this for the ideas presented.



A well-executed movie and the view is Mattie Ross not Rooster Cogburn. I have to say that Wayne is better than Bridges. This movie is truer to the book. Mattie Ross ends up with an arm missing and LaBoeuf doesn't die.
Great Line:
[after older Mattie enters The tents of the The Wild West Show]
Cole Younger: Yes’m, I am Cole Younger. This is Mr. James. It grieves me to tell you that you have missed Rooster. He passed away, what, three days ago, when the show was in Jonesboro Arkansas. Buried him there in the confederate cemetery. Reuben had a complaint what he referred to as "night hoss" and I believe the warm weather was too much for him. We had some lively times. What was the nature of your acquaintance?
40-Year-Old Mattie: I knew the marshal long ago. We too had lively times. Thank you, Mr. Younger.
[as she turns to go she addresses Frank James who's been staring at her]
40-Year-Old Mattie: Keep your seat, trash.



John Brown Smokehouse: 25-08 37 AVE, Long Island City, NY 11101. The Pulled Pork Sandwich and Beans were great. Smoky and Tasty.Will try the brisket next.

February 6, 2011

Finished Michael Korda's biography of T.E. Lawrence. Just re-watched the movie and now will attempt to read for the third time: The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. The film is said to be filled with inaccuracies and Korda addresses it :"The object was to produce, not a faithful docudrama that would educate the audience, but a hit picture."



Hero by Michael Korda has many interesting phrases and footnotes. One of them concerned Lady Astor's famous remark to Churchill and his retort:

Lady Astor said to Churchill, "If you were my husband, I'd poison your coffee," to which he responded, "Madam, if you were my wife, I'd drink it!"

That brought to mind Michael O'Donoghue's - National Lampoon 1974(?), amusing take on it:

At an elegant dinner party, Lady Astor once leaned across the table to remark, "If you were my husband, Winston, I'd poison your coffee."
"And if you were my wife, I'd beat the shit out of you," came Churchill's unhesitating retort.

And, the exchange with George Bernard Shaw:

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend ... if you have one."
— George Bernard Shaw, playwright (to Winston Churchill)

"Cannot possibly attend first night; will attend second, if there is one."
— Churchill's response"

O'Donoghue's take:

When the noted playwright George Bernard Shaw sent him two tickets to the opening night of his new play with a note that read: "Bring a friend, if you have one," Churchill, not to be outdone, promptly wired back: "You and your play can go fuck yourselves."



The Financial Crisis of Ireland is laid out nicely in Michael Lewis' Vanity Fair piece entitled When Irish Eyes Are Crying.



The week after next, February 14, is the big Jeopardy match between champion players and an IBM Computer named Watson.

The NYT today has an Op-Ed piece by one of my favorite writers, Richard Powers. He asks the question : What is a human being? Powers always explores Science and the impact on human emotions.

I wondered if Watson could pass the Turing Test and the answer is no.



The NYT also has a wonderful article about author Rebecca Skloot using the proceeds of her book to help surviving members of the Lacks Family.