Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 17

Bat Out of Hell: The Musical

Well, that happened.

Click an image to see a larger version.
Yes, as a long-time fan of this great album, Steinman's music, and, embarrassingly, Meat Loaf, I could not miss this show once I knew I'd be in London.


The reviews called the show correctly:  great songs (we knew that), a cast that did them justice (some were weak, some were merely good, but the lead was extremely strong, and no one sucked), lots of spectacle, and a weak story to hold it all together.

When the cast broke into the finale number ("I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)"), I have to admit that the show had won my heart and even brought a tear of joy to my eyes.  I was particularly happy to see that in addition to the two main male-female couples getting together, the choreography included male-male, female-female, and even a poly (three people) group celebrating their love.

Love is love, folks, and the more we celebrate it in all its forms, the more we acknowledge that we are all free to love anyone of any type we want, the better the world will be.

I would have bought a cast CD if there was one, but, alas, it does not exist, so I opted instead for a program.

While roaming the streets for a while after the show, I came across this lovely establishment.


It almost made me wish I drank alcohol.

As happy coincidence would have it, over on an edge of Covent Garden, a street singer was doing a passable cover of Neil Young's "Hey Hey My My."  I enjoyed hearing "rock and roll will never die" not long after watching a rock musical.

Finally, for the many folks who sent me notes asking what I would do now that Coca-Cola is phasing out Coke Zero, I'm happy to report that here in London I am already embracing the future.


It's pretty much Coke Zero, a little softer but not different in any way I care about.

So, I'll be good on the soda front as the Coke people make this brand change.

I had planned to end the blog there, but after an early dinner--I do plan to crash hard tonight--I emerged from a nearby Indian restaurant just in time to catch this amazing sky.


The pink area in the middle was the star of the moment; I fear my phone photo does not do it justice.

Bandwidth over the Atlantic--sorta

I started this entry from my seat on an American Airlines flight to London from RDU.  I was greatly enjoying the bandwidth I had purchased (at way too high a price) and marveling at my ability to catch up on work email, write a blog, and so on, all while hurtling at 556 mph across the Atlantic.

Then it started bouncing.

Then it stopped.  No warning, just gone mid-trip.

Had any part of the purchase process warned me that I'd get only two hours for my large expenditure, I would have opted for the two-hour pass.  I foolishly assumed, however, that the existence of four-hour and full-flight passes meant the bandwidth would remain available for those longer times.

Ah, well.  It was good while it lasted.

I'm finishing this from London, where I arrived exhausted, more than a tad smelly, and with a severe case of headphone hair.  Fortunately, in all of these traits I was not alone; Heathrow was full of us.

It is good to be back in London!

A work project put this song in my head

Fortunately, I have always liked it.



It's great to have a job that causes you to think about rock songs you like.

No, I can't tell you why work took me to this tune.  You'll just have to trust me that it did.

Heading to Helsinki

Early evening this Friday, I'll head to Europe for about two and a half weeks, a time centered around the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Helsinki. This event is the first WorldCon in Finland, and it's also my first trip to Finland--or any Scandinavian country.

I don't know yet what, if anything, I'll be doing officially at the con, but I'll definitely be going to the usual events, some panels, and so on.  If you're also going to be there, drop me a note if you'd like to get together, and we can try to make that happen.

Sandwiched around the con will be some time in London and in Edinburgh--my first trip to that city and to Scotland.

I will, of course, report on my adventures here.

Food bomb away!

Tonight, I took a friend and client, who had said he was quite hungry, to downtown Durham to grab an informal meal at Geer Street Garden. I've had many fun dinners there, and on nights as mild as tonight, it's a pleasure to eat outside on their patio.

Because my companion was so hungry, we ordered an appetizer:  "the Pile." This beast contains fried chicken, french fries, jalapenos (we asked the kitchen to omit those, because my friend doesn't prefer spicy food), bacon, melted cheddar cheese, and gravy. You also get your choice of sauces; we opted for cheese and a few others.

When it arrived, I remembered why I haven't ordered it since the first time I went to Geer St.

Click the image to see a larger version.
Wow, is that an enormous, greasy, and absolutely delicious belly bomb!

Two of us managed to eat less than a third of it, and I expect we'll both pay soon for our sins.

You can actually eat quite healthy food at Geer St., but I have to say that if you want a plate or two of incredibly hearty, stick-to-your-ribs chow, you should absolutely check it out.

If only they had a nap room on the premises.

A song I'm listening to a lot lately

I think a lot about a fight we all must wage: the battle against the baser part of our natures. It's no surprise, therefore, that this song speaks to me and is on heavy rotation for me right now.


I like to believe that humanity will win this fight.

Some days, though, that belief is stronger than others.

Atomic Blonde: flawed, but exactly what I wanted

A group of us watched the movie the other night, and all of us left the theater having enjoyed it--but we all also agreed it had a lot of flaws.  Despite those flaws, however, it was exactly what I had hoped it would be:  stylish, rough, and full of Theron being the toughest person in recent action films.

If Jason Bourne didn't feel bad about what he did and never hesitated to initiate the action, and if he put more of himself into every punch, you'd have Theron's Lorraine Broughton, the Atomic Blonde of the film's title.  Theron stalks through this film like an animal on the hunt, and in many ways she is always hunting.  She's fine in the still scenes, but she's at her best in action, kicking butt and taking hits with pain but an unstoppable determination to continue the fight.

Having said that, the film's flaws are many and easy to spot.  The plot's final reveal does not stand up to scrutiny; you just have to go with it.  The violence is way, way over the top and beyond what any real person could take--as is typical these days in action films.  Worst of all, the slow scenes that are supposed to be tense and build to more tension never work as well as they should.

None of that matters, though, next to the pleasure of watching Theron work.  Add to that the spectacle of James MacAvoy chewing the scenery in his most fun role in ages, and you have a film that I heartily recommend for anyone seeking an action flick.

How I fared with my UFC 214 predictions

Despite the timestamp on this post, I'm publishing it after the fights completed.  In
Let's see how I did.

Daniel Cormier (champion) vs. Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

I picked Jones, and I was right:  he won.  I expected, though, five grueling rounds.  The first two rounds were indeed rough, with a newly confident Cormier bringing the fight to Jones and, though Jones out-struck him, being the aggressor.

In the third round, Jone caught Cormier with a head kick and followed up with brutal kicks and punches and elbows that ultimately knocked out Cormier.

In his speech after his victory, Jone was gracious and mature.  I will hope that lasts.  Regardless of his personality, though, Jones is inarguably the best light heavyweight mixed martial artist in the world.

Tyron Woodley (champion) vs. Demian Maia for the UFC Welterweight Championship

In one of the least interesting fights of the evening, Maia tried 23 times to take down Woodley--and never succeeded.  Woodley tagged Maia from time to time, but he spent most of the fight evading take-downs and striking rarely.  In fact, the fight set a record low for strikes.

Woodley won a unanimous decision that had the crowd booing both fighters.  I picked Woodley, so I was right again.

Cris Cyborg (real name: Cristiane Justino Venâncio) vs. Tonya Evinger for the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship

I expected Cyborg to beat the heck out of and ultimately KO Evinger, and indeed Cyborg did.  What I didn't expect was Evinger to hang in the fight until the third round.  I have to give Evinger credit for lasting as long as she did, but in the end Cyborg overpowered her.

So, I went a perfect three for three.  Not bad, but not impressive, either, because these were easy fights to call.

Calling the title fights in UFC 214

Saturday night's UFC 214 pay-per-view card is a doozy that features three title fights.  As I've done a few times recently, I'm going to put myself to the test by picking here the winners of those fights.

Daniel Cormier (champion) vs. Jon Jones for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship

This bout, the main event of the evening, pits two incredibly talented athletes in a rematch that has attracted a ton of attention.  These two hate each other, and they take every opportunity to mess with each other, so the energy should be amazing.

Daniel Cormier is an Olympic wrestler who has beaten every MMA fighter he's faced in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight classes--except one, Jon Jones.

Jon Jones was the youngest UFC fighter to hold a championship and has lost only once--and that loss was a bullshit referee call.  I saw that fight live, and I believe Jones was robbed.  Jones is also one of the biggest screw-ups in the UFC, a man who is his own worst enemy.

As good as Cormier is, he's giving up size, age, and an enormous amount of reach to Jones.  I'd love to see Cormier win this fight, because he seems to be a better person, but his only paths to victory are to knock out Jones--not Cormier's typical way to win--or hold Jones tightly against the fence and grind out a decision.  Neither is at all likely.

So, I have to go against my heart and pick Jones to win, most likely by a decision after five grueling rounds.

Tyron Woodley (champion) vs. Demian Maia for the UFC Welterweight Championship

Woodley is a decorated wrestler with serious power in his hands.  Maia is the scariest BJJ fighter in this weight class and is on a strong winning streak.  Either could conceivably win, but I have to give the nod to Woodley.  Maia will have trouble taking him down, and if Maia can't do that, then he'll have to deal with Woodley's striking, which is simply better.

This one is also likely to go the distance, but when the fight is over, expect the ref to raise Woodley's hand in victory.

Cris Cyborg (real name: Cristiane Justino Venâncio) vs. Tonya Evinger for the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship

Cyborg is an unstoppable force who has to cut a lot of weight to make 145 and who has lost only once, back in 2005 in her debut pro fight.

Evinger is an Invicta champion--but at 135 pounds--who has lost five times.  She's going up in weight and taking this fight on short notice.  She is also the biggest odds underdog I've seen in the UFC.

Evinger has only three ways she might win:  by tagging Cyborg with the luckiest punch in MMA history, by smuggling a baseball bat into the octagon and beating Cyborg with it in the initial seconds, or by Cyborg pissing hot after the match.

None of those is likely.  This fight won't go the distance.  The only real question is whether Cyborg will KO or TKO Evinger in the first round.

Cyborg will take this one easily.




I'll report after the fights on how I did.

My favorite airport for lunch: Austin

Why?  Because it offers a Salt Lick BBQ food stall right next to an Amy's Ice Creams stall.  I like to pass through security, pick up a Coke Zero at the Book People shop, head to Salt Lick, order the two-meat combo (brisket and sausage), and settle in for a delicious lunch.  I never eat the sides, so I always have room for a small cup of Amy's.

That's exactly what I did today as I was making my way home from Austin.  The brisket and sausage were as tasty as usual, and for the ice cream I chose butter pecan (my mom's favorite) and pistachio.

Now, I'm happy to report that I'm home!  I fly out again a week from Friday, so I'm going to focus on getting the most out of this time at home.