Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 187
December 7, 2012
Dialog-free pivotal moments
I'm always surprised by how many times otherwise good books and movies spoil key moments by explaining them to us, as if we audience members can't possibly understand what's going on from actions alone.
When a work gets it right, though, it's a beautiful thing. For no good reason, a little bit ago this lovely scene from Houseboat came to mind. Watch as Cary Grant and Sophia Loren come to fully realize how they feel about one another, even though they don't speak for long after they begin dancing.
Never mind that last bit of painful dialog; I won't be spoiling the film by telling you that Grant and Loren will eventually end up together.
When a work gets it right, though, it's a beautiful thing. For no good reason, a little bit ago this lovely scene from Houseboat came to mind. Watch as Cary Grant and Sophia Loren come to fully realize how they feel about one another, even though they don't speak for long after they begin dancing.
Never mind that last bit of painful dialog; I won't be spoiling the film by telling you that Grant and Loren will eventually end up together.
December 6, 2012
Magic on command
Sitting in the Cirque theater in the Mirage last week, watching Love, I was once again struck by how good the Cirque creators are, how they manage in show after show to transport us to magical places, to deliver magic on command.
As I was walking out, I decided that at least in part that's what all of us, every artist, needs to strive to do. Reading a book, staring at a painting, listening to a song, watching a movie--however we're experiencing art, there's at least a moment when we're open to magic, when it could flow through us and fill us and make us feel as if we're going to burst. Most art doesn't deliver this effect, and doing so is, of course, not the only goal of art, but it is an opportunity art presents us.
As I walked out of the casino to the taxi line, I realized how much I want to do better at taking advantage of that wonderful opportunity, how much I, too, want to deliver magic on command.
As I was walking out, I decided that at least in part that's what all of us, every artist, needs to strive to do. Reading a book, staring at a painting, listening to a song, watching a movie--however we're experiencing art, there's at least a moment when we're open to magic, when it could flow through us and fill us and make us feel as if we're going to burst. Most art doesn't deliver this effect, and doing so is, of course, not the only goal of art, but it is an opportunity art presents us.
As I walked out of the casino to the taxi line, I realized how much I want to do better at taking advantage of that wonderful opportunity, how much I, too, want to deliver magic on command.
December 5, 2012
Why "thank you" matters
When people do things for me, I try to always remember to thank them. Whether what they're doing is holding open a door, cooking a meal, or giving me a present, I say, "Thank you." Even if the action is part of the person's job--a waiter serving a dish at a restaurant--I say, "Thank you." I believe that this small courtesy, this tiny societal norm, is vital.
I don't hold this belief, however, simply because I was brought up to behave this way (I was) or because it is (or, at least, it was) a normal part of civil social discourse.
No, I cling tightly to the importance of this simple phrase because it acts as a reminder to each of us to be grateful, to be genuinely thankful for what others do for us.
Gratitude is so very easy to avoid. Is it really, after all, necessary? We did it ourselves. We worked hard. We earned it. We paid for it. We deserve it.
Except, of course, that we almost never do anything entirely by ourselves, or earn something entirely on our own. Yes, we may pay for a service, or we may feel that we deserve something from someone else, but in the end the others have the choice not to participate, not to perform the service or give us the thing, and we should be grateful when they act for us.
I'm constantly surprised by how few people these days seem to share my feelings in this area. Maybe it's always been this way and I just thought things were different. Dunno.
What I am sure of is that we could all stand to be more grateful and to show that gratitude regularly.
I don't hold this belief, however, simply because I was brought up to behave this way (I was) or because it is (or, at least, it was) a normal part of civil social discourse.
No, I cling tightly to the importance of this simple phrase because it acts as a reminder to each of us to be grateful, to be genuinely thankful for what others do for us.
Gratitude is so very easy to avoid. Is it really, after all, necessary? We did it ourselves. We worked hard. We earned it. We paid for it. We deserve it.
Except, of course, that we almost never do anything entirely by ourselves, or earn something entirely on our own. Yes, we may pay for a service, or we may feel that we deserve something from someone else, but in the end the others have the choice not to participate, not to perform the service or give us the thing, and we should be grateful when they act for us.
I'm constantly surprised by how few people these days seem to share my feelings in this area. Maybe it's always been this way and I just thought things were different. Dunno.
What I am sure of is that we could all stand to be more grateful and to show that gratitude regularly.
December 4, 2012
A sense of scale
You know the Hoover Dam is big before you see it, but once you're there, you start to get a sense of just how large the whole construction is.
Here's a view of the bottom of the new bridge from the dam.
As always, click on the image to see a larger version.
If you look very closely at the structures on the right and left, you can see trucks that give you a sense of how enormous even the outlying structures are.
Now, here's a view of the dam from the top center of that bridge.
Yeah, we're talking really big.
Small parts of the inside of the dam are huge. Check out this one section of turbines.
I didn't expect to have a great time at the dam, but I ended up finding the entire experience not only informative but oddly compelling. I definitely recommend a visit to it.
Here's a view of the bottom of the new bridge from the dam.
As always, click on the image to see a larger version. If you look very closely at the structures on the right and left, you can see trucks that give you a sense of how enormous even the outlying structures are.
Now, here's a view of the dam from the top center of that bridge.
Yeah, we're talking really big.
Small parts of the inside of the dam are huge. Check out this one section of turbines.
I didn't expect to have a great time at the dam, but I ended up finding the entire experience not only informative but oddly compelling. I definitely recommend a visit to it.
December 3, 2012
On the road again: Las Vegas, day 5
I'm home after a long day of traveling that included the worst food anyone has ever served me on a plane and an hour-long flight delay, yet was generally a good trip.
Catching up on work, however, has kept me up until nearly six a.m., so I'm skipping out.
For your amusement, here's me next to one of the fine items Las Vegas has to offer.
(As always, click on an image to see a larger version.)
Okay, you can have Kyle, too, with bonus demon eyes, as he checks out the box on stage at the Penn & Teller show.
Fine! You want more; you got it: a salt-crusted entire foie gras at e by Jose Andres.
With that, I go to bed.
Catching up on work, however, has kept me up until nearly six a.m., so I'm skipping out.
For your amusement, here's me next to one of the fine items Las Vegas has to offer.
(As always, click on an image to see a larger version.)Okay, you can have Kyle, too, with bonus demon eyes, as he checks out the box on stage at the Penn & Teller show.
Fine! You want more; you got it: a salt-crusted entire foie gras at e by Jose Andres.
With that, I go to bed.
December 2, 2012
On the road again: Las Vegas, day 4
A marathon shut down the Las Vegas strip for much of the afternoon and evening today, so getting about town was more than a bit of a struggle. None of that mattered, however, because today's only travel challenge was one I was sure to meet: Getting to the Cosmopolitan casino for dinner at e by Jose Andres.
e is to Jaleo, where we ate last night, as minibar is to Cafe Atlantico: a restaurant within a restaurant, a small space in which a team of chefs perform feats of food magic using the latest modernist tricks. In the case of e, the goal was to serve entirely Spanish cuisine while using all the techniques that Jose Andres learned at el Bulli--and more. The space seats only eight diners, and e offers only two seatings a night. As you can see from the Web site link above, you email for a reservation and then hope for the best. I was lucky enough to get in tonight.
The meal itself was 27 small courses, many of them only a single bite, each of them wonderful. I didn't taste a single bad thing. As modernist meals tend to do, this one surprised us and made us laugh even as we were oohing over how good each taste was. From the first warm-up appetizer to the last of the several desserts, every single dish was delicious, beautiful, and surprising.
I could go on and on, but I have work to do, so I'll end with a simple bit of advice: If you're in Las Vegas and can possibly get into e by Jose Andres, do it. The meal is not cheap, but it is worth all you'll pay for it and then some. It's one of the very best dinners I've had.
e is to Jaleo, where we ate last night, as minibar is to Cafe Atlantico: a restaurant within a restaurant, a small space in which a team of chefs perform feats of food magic using the latest modernist tricks. In the case of e, the goal was to serve entirely Spanish cuisine while using all the techniques that Jose Andres learned at el Bulli--and more. The space seats only eight diners, and e offers only two seatings a night. As you can see from the Web site link above, you email for a reservation and then hope for the best. I was lucky enough to get in tonight.
The meal itself was 27 small courses, many of them only a single bite, each of them wonderful. I didn't taste a single bad thing. As modernist meals tend to do, this one surprised us and made us laugh even as we were oohing over how good each taste was. From the first warm-up appetizer to the last of the several desserts, every single dish was delicious, beautiful, and surprising.
I could go on and on, but I have work to do, so I'll end with a simple bit of advice: If you're in Las Vegas and can possibly get into e by Jose Andres, do it. The meal is not cheap, but it is worth all you'll pay for it and then some. It's one of the very best dinners I've had.
December 1, 2012
On the road again: Las Vegas, day 3
Any day that begins with brunch at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro immediately has an edge over most other days. Eating perfect eggs, some of the best bacon ever, delicious sausage, and amazing pastries was just a wonderful way to start the morning. Of course, it also left us all insanely full, so we spent the next several hours wandering the high-end stores and watching people. People-watching is amazing here.
We then taxied over to the Bellagio for more gawking and a small amount of tasty gelato.
Dinner was at the absolutely wonderful Jaleo, Jose Andres new restaurant here. The food was beyond good; it was full of joy. We found ourselves smiling uncontrollably. Kyle likened biting into a croqueta to being hugged and made to smile by someone who loved you, and he wasn't exaggerating; it was that good. I've tasted more different croquetas than I can remember, and this one completely redefined for me how good this wonderful little item can be. The flan was similarly amazing, a dish I thought I knew redefined and made more perfect than I thought it could be.
More walking, a few art galleries, and then we hopped into a cab to the Rio to see Penn & Teller. I've seen them multiple times before, but this might have been my favorite show. They're both so very good and so very smart. I highly recommend this show if you haven't seen it.
Tomorrow, I hope to sleep a great deal, because the downside of working and also sightseeing is that I am getting very little rest. The results are worth the cost, but I do look forward to sleeping without an alarm.
We then taxied over to the Bellagio for more gawking and a small amount of tasty gelato.
Dinner was at the absolutely wonderful Jaleo, Jose Andres new restaurant here. The food was beyond good; it was full of joy. We found ourselves smiling uncontrollably. Kyle likened biting into a croqueta to being hugged and made to smile by someone who loved you, and he wasn't exaggerating; it was that good. I've tasted more different croquetas than I can remember, and this one completely redefined for me how good this wonderful little item can be. The flan was similarly amazing, a dish I thought I knew redefined and made more perfect than I thought it could be.
More walking, a few art galleries, and then we hopped into a cab to the Rio to see Penn & Teller. I've seen them multiple times before, but this might have been my favorite show. They're both so very good and so very smart. I highly recommend this show if you haven't seen it.
Tomorrow, I hope to sleep a great deal, because the downside of working and also sightseeing is that I am getting very little rest. The results are worth the cost, but I do look forward to sleeping without an alarm.
November 30, 2012
On the road again: Las Vegas, day 2
Today began entirely too damn early for my taste, because we wanted to make sure we hit the Hoover Dam in time to catch an early tour. We did, and that choice proved to be wise, because not longer after our tour the lines were long, but I hate getting up early.
The Hoover Dam itself was impressive indeed, a huge structure that stands as a monument to what humans can accomplish when they work in large groups.
I worked for a big chunk of the afternoon, though I took a break with our group to grab some food.
Evening brought an outing to the new Cirque show, Zarkana, which I hugely enjoyed. It focuses heavily on acrobatics but makes more use of projection technology than any other Cirque show. Very cool indeed.
Dinner was our traditional great steak meal.
I'd write more, but I'm exhausted; Vegas is fun, but Vegas while doing a full day's work is an odd mixture of fun and exhausting.
The Hoover Dam itself was impressive indeed, a huge structure that stands as a monument to what humans can accomplish when they work in large groups.
I worked for a big chunk of the afternoon, though I took a break with our group to grab some food.
Evening brought an outing to the new Cirque show, Zarkana, which I hugely enjoyed. It focuses heavily on acrobatics but makes more use of projection technology than any other Cirque show. Very cool indeed.
Dinner was our traditional great steak meal.
I'd write more, but I'm exhausted; Vegas is fun, but Vegas while doing a full day's work is an odd mixture of fun and exhausting.
November 29, 2012
On the road again: Las Vegas, day 1
Each year around this time, a group of us journeys here to Las Vegas to celebrate Kyle's birthday with him. Today's trip began after 2.75 hours of sleep, which is just too damn little. I ended up dozing through most of the first flight, which made it a fine time.
I expected to have to sprint between gates in DFW, but instead we got off the plane, waited half an hour, and got back on it. Would that every connection were so simple.
The second leg of the trip went as smoothly as the first, with the added bonus that I was able to get and stay current with work thanks to the plane's bandwidth. After getting luggage and checking into the hotel, I passed most of the daylight hours in work.
The evening, though, brought one of my all-time favorite Cirque du Soleil shows, Love. Marrying Cirque's trademark magic with the songs of the greatest band of all time, The Beatles, Love is an amazing, uplifting, wonderful ninety minutes. I spent much of it smiling without even meaning to.
Afterward, we headed to the MGM Grand's Emeril's restaurant. I had a salad and some delicious macaroni and cheese with ham, but the real treat was the banana cream pie, which remains the best I've ever tasted.
Though work filled the day and the hours after this evening interlude, the evening was wonderful indeed.
I wish I could take every person I know to see Love.
I expected to have to sprint between gates in DFW, but instead we got off the plane, waited half an hour, and got back on it. Would that every connection were so simple.
The second leg of the trip went as smoothly as the first, with the added bonus that I was able to get and stay current with work thanks to the plane's bandwidth. After getting luggage and checking into the hotel, I passed most of the daylight hours in work.
The evening, though, brought one of my all-time favorite Cirque du Soleil shows, Love. Marrying Cirque's trademark magic with the songs of the greatest band of all time, The Beatles, Love is an amazing, uplifting, wonderful ninety minutes. I spent much of it smiling without even meaning to.
Afterward, we headed to the MGM Grand's Emeril's restaurant. I had a salad and some delicious macaroni and cheese with ham, but the real treat was the banana cream pie, which remains the best I've ever tasted.
Though work filled the day and the hours after this evening interlude, the evening was wonderful indeed.
I wish I could take every person I know to see Love.
November 28, 2012
Another great writing song
and a pretty spiffy video, too.
Of course, it probably wouldn't work as well if I knew what the words meant, but fortunately for my writing, I don't.
When I watch that video, I can't resist thinking of this one.
That's how late-night playlists are born, so I'm going to stop myself now.
Of course, it probably wouldn't work as well if I knew what the words meant, but fortunately for my writing, I don't.
When I watch that video, I can't resist thinking of this one.
That's how late-night playlists are born, so I'm going to stop myself now.
