Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 281

Is it like this at your house?

The other night, as I was leaving work about 8:45 p.m., I spilled some liquid on my AVAM shirt. I like that shirt, because it reminds me of that museum, which I like a great deal. Rather than risk a stain, I went to the men's restroom, took it off, and washed out the wet regions. In the process, of course, I made the shirt even wetter--so wet that I did not want to put it back on. So, I didn't. I walked to my car shirtless.

As I was driving, I called home to say that I was finally leaving...

If you're not doing anything tonight (Tuesday, June 15, 2010) at 7:00 p.m.

come by the Cary Barnes & Noble store and join a bunch of SF/fantasy authors for a discussion and signing. By the kindness of Linda Maloof, the Community Relations Manager of that store, I will be one of those writers. Joining me will be my esteemed colleagues--and fellow co-panelists from past events there--David Drake, James Maxey, and Lisa Shearin. (Lisa shares the credit with Linda for making the entire affair happen.) A new member of our group--new, that is, to me, because I have not...

A meal strong at the ends and weak in the middle

Saturday night, a group of us headed to Second Empire to try out a place that none of us had visited in years. The strong dinner menu lured us there, as did the presence of a chef, Daniel Schurr, whose work we had somehow managed to by-pass since he took over the restaurant.

The meal was decidedly mixed, though good enough that I will be going back.

Being the piglets and food sluts that we are, we decided to create our own four-course meal with two starters, an entree, and a dessert each. E...

UFC 115: How we fared

Though I went into this PPV with relatively low expectations, I came away from it quite entertained and very glad I'd purchased it. I wasn't quite as pleased, however, with how well we fared on our picks.

In the undercard, we did better than I expected.

Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox

We both chose Pyle, and he indeed won, but he dominated far more than I expected. He slapped on his submission finish, a triangle choke, so quickly it was there before Lennox knew what was happening. Poor Lennox ...

UFC 115: Kyle and I pick 'em again

This is the little card that can't, the UFC event that lacks any fight of serious importance for the sport of MMA. That said, there are actually some quite good match-ups on it, so I plan to get the PPV and watch it after The A-Team and/or the next day.

We'll begin, as usual, with the undercard. Kyle filed his picks first, so he gets to appear first below.

Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox

Kyle: I pick Mike Pyle. He was the best actor in Universal Soldier: Regeneration, and I figure that anybo...

A stanza that summarizes the teenage me

From Brian Fallon, of The Gaslight Anthem, in the song, "Boxer," from the upcoming (this Tuesday, and yes, I've preordered it and it's on its way to me) CD, American Slang.

Took it all gracefully on the chin,
knowing the beatings had to someday end.
You found the bandages inside the pen
and the stitches on the radio.

Oh, hell, yeah. Still do.

Because you need to hear it

and because this song has been in my head off and on ever since the Blue Rodeo concert the other night, here it is, for your enjoyment.



Yeah, I admit it: Sometimes, I like me some sentimental shit.

Of course, other times, I don't, which is why I'm psyched for Saturday night: a great dinner, The A-Team, and then home to watch the DVR'd UFC 115. I should probably work more that evening, but right now the plan is to take it off entirely. What a lazy man I may be!

Get Him To the Greek

I know what you're thinking: He really will go see any movie. In this case, that reaction is completely understandable, because the trailer made this one look pretty formulaic and dull.

It wasn't.

All of us who went enjoyed it at least a fair amount, and several of us liked it quite a bit. Two things elevated it beyond others of its ilk: Russell Brand, and an ongoing inventiveness that kept it just a tad off the track that similar comedies have beaten to death.

Whether he was clowning it u...

The usual unusual at my house

Sometimes I forget that not every house and family run the way we do.

Here, courtesy again of Gina, are two photos from right before they opened the doors at the Blue Rodeo concert the other night.

In this first happy snap, Sarah and I are fighting the earwigs that are attempting to burrow into our brains. Though I realize it may not look that way, we are winning.

Unfortunately, though we were ultimately able to repel the alien invaders, one managed to draw the lower half of Sarah's head pa...

Blue Rodeo

played tonight at the Carrboro Arts Center, so five of us went to see them. Long-time readers will know that Blue Rodeo is one of my favorite bands, so there was no way I was going to miss them. If you don't know them or their music, check out some of the videos I embedded in earlier posts or, better still, pick up one or more of their CDs. Their first CD, Outskirts, is definitely one of my desert island top ten.

The concert was wonderful. Though they were playing to a fairly small crowd...