File Under: Misc.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

My favorites (other than the obvious, like Dale): Albert, Ben Home, Major Briggs, Nadine

Least favorite (other than obvious, like James): Maddy, Josie, Pete

[Jeppe]

Agreed on Hawk!

Jason, why do you not like Josie? I really liked her character arch.

Also, this reminds me that I haven't watched TP in ages. I should remedy that!

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Never liked Josie, either. She always seemed like a whimpering weenie.
Major Briggs, Hawk, and Sheriff Truman seem to represent the 3 facets of the soul that would produce a person who can pass through the Black Lodge (logic, humanity, and spirit).

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Matt wrote: "Never liked Josie, either. She always seemed like a whimpering weenie."

That sums it up.

Jeppe, I hope this doesn't offend you, but you're such a smart, educated dude...it's a character arc. Arches do arc, but arcs aren't necessarily arches, ya know? [/grammar police]

[Jeppe]

That's fair, I liked the "reveal" of her character (for lack of a better term).

Arc! I'm gonna blame it on my hangover and typing on a phone, but not sure that's gonna cut it.

By the way, why didn't anyone tell me that the Bay Area is this nice? I'm never going back to New York!

[Jim]

It bugs me that the Goodreads spellchecker recognizes the words "iTunes" and "spellchecker," but not the word "Goodreads."

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I know you're all wondering, so I'll just address this myself: there is absolutely no relation between the author of this book and me.

[Robert]

Though I'm sure you both drown your sorrows in wine and women.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Matt wrote: "I know you're all wondering, so I'll just address this myself: there is absolutely no relation between the author of this book and me."

I dunno...if you reverse Hannah, take out the h, reverse it again, change the n's to t's and drop one of the a's and the h on the end, and then add an m, that's your name. Coincidence? I think not.

[Jeppe]

Jason, have you by any chance been watching Room 237 recently? Cause that sounds like an analysis straight out of that film.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Jeppe wrote: "Jason, have you by any chance been watching Room 237 recently? Cause that sounds like an analysis straight out of that film."

No, I don't know what that is.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Jason wrote: "Jeppe wrote: "Jason, have you by any chance been watching Room 237 recently? Cause that sounds like an analysis straight out of that film."

No, I don't know what that is."

It's a doc about people's interpretations of esoteric stuff supposedly hidden in Kubrick's The Shining. I'd love to see it.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Matt wrote: "It's a doc about people's interpretations of esoteric stuff supposedly hidden in Kubrick's The Shining. I'd love to see it."

Interesting. You probably didn't notice, but REDRUM is murder spelled backwards! O_O

[Jeppe]

It's a hilarious film, I greatly recommend it.

[Jim]

Jeppe wrote: "Jason, have you by any chance been watching Room 237 recently? Cause that sounds like an analysis straight out of that film."

This movie sounds brilliant.

[Jim]

Sorry to bring things down for a moment. Roger Ebert passed away today. I love movies, I love great writing about movies, I loved Ebert. I so enjoyed reading his reviews, even when I disagreed. I have two of his books on my shelf, looked forward to my too-infrequent visits to his Chicago Sun-Times website. He wrote simply, with heart, with wit, with deep knowledge of and love for the artform. Not afraid to cast his lot with iconoclastic, weird-ass films, nor to rip into movies beloved by the masses. A man of personal and professional courage.
Rest in peace, Roger. The balcony is closed.

EDIT: Added a favorite anecdote: Ebert makes his point re: popular media influence vs. news media influence:
(view spoiler)[ Let me tell you a story. The day after Columbine, I was interviewed for the Tom Brokaw news program. The reporter had been assigned a theory and was seeking sound bites to support it. "Wouldn't you say," she asked, "that killings like this are influenced by violent movies?" No, I said, I wouldn't say that. "But what about 'Basketball Diaries'?" she asked. "Doesn't that have a scene of a boy walking into a school with a machine gun?" The obscure 1995 Leonardo Di Caprio movie did indeed have a brief fantasy scene of that nature, I said, but the movie failed at the box office (it grossed only $2.5 million), and it's unlikely the Columbine killers saw it.

The reporter looked disappointed, so I offered her my theory. "Events like this," I said, "if they are influenced by anything, are influenced by news programs like your own. When an unbalanced kid walks into a school and starts shooting, it becomes a major media event. Cable news drops ordinary programming and goes around the clock with it. The story is assigned a logo and a theme song; these two kids were packaged as the Trench Coat Mafia. The message is clear to other disturbed kids around the country: If I shoot up my school, I can be famous. The TV will talk about nothing else but me. Experts will try to figure out what I was thinking. The kids and teachers at school will see they shouldn't have messed with me. I'll go out in a blaze of glory."

In short, I said, events like Columbine are influenced far less by violent movies than by CNN, the NBC Nightly News and all the other news media, who glorify the killers in the guise of "explaining" them. I commended the policy at the Sun-Times, where our editor said the paper would no longer feature school killings on Page 1. The reporter thanked me and turned off the camera. Of course the interview was never used. They found plenty of talking heads to condemn violent movies, and everybody was happy. (hide spoiler)]

Source.

[Jeppe]

:(

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Jim wrote: "Sorry to bring things down for a moment. Roger Ebert passed away today. I love movies, I love great writing about movies, I loved Ebert. I so enjoyed reading his reviews, even when I disagreed. ..."

Nicely said, Jim. I was a huge fan of his work, too (although he and I would never see eye to eye on Blue Velvet).
He also wrote one of my favorite movies, the super-satirical Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
Mr. Ebert will be sorely missed by all film fans.

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

I actually think it's a miracle Ebert lived as long as he did. The man was in critical condition for more than 55 years.


Please mail all rotten fruit you want to throw at me over that groaner to:

Jason Farrell
3281 Pimpsville Dr.
PDX, OR, 97218

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Hey, you got the street name right.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about Roger Ebert.

For years, he was the only movie critic (along with Siskel, his long time co-host) that I could identify by name, much less by face. I always appreciated his approach, which, in a nutshell, was to evaluate each film in the context/audience/genre for which it was intended, something Siskel could never quite grasp. His opinion on film was one I always trusted, and in more recent years, I also admired the man for his perseverance in the face of health issues and personal tragedy.

The mixed part comes in because, as fair and open minded as he could be about ALL film, he infamously did not extend the same courtesy for all other media, notably interactive games, declaring that they were not and could not be art. Games are in their relative infancy, and many of them, like in all forms of art, do not aspire to or reach any level of serious consideration as "art." However, some do, and to write off such an important avenue of creative expression because of what I can only assume to be a garden variety closed minded bias was beneath him.

So, I am sad for his passing, but my thoughts of sadness are mixed with regret that he will never have the opportunity to reverse an uncharacteristically narrow minded viewpoint, and perhaps see the evolution of games into something he would consider worthy of respect and attention.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Games are fad. Get over them. ;)

[Robert]

Critics on critics.

I love it.

[Jeppe]

Matt wrote: "Games are fad. Get over them. ;)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAs4Dy....

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Jeppe wrote: "Matt wrote: "Games are fad. Get over them. ;)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAs4Dy...."

Next you're gonna tell me that rock 'n' roll is here to stay. Pfffbbbttt!

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I think I will call my autobiography "Oh, Piss on 'Em!"

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Hobo piss?

[Robert]

Nerds.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Where?

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Oh, are you offering me some lumpy sugar candy in various colors with humorous, alliterative names? Sure, I'll have some rascally raspberry, if you have some.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

That was a bit of wisdom I heard from step-dad while growing up. It's become a very healthy boundary-drawing, self-assertion tool that I use almost daily.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

I recently got an Android smart phone. :/
I added the Twitter app and signed in a couple of days ago. Since then, I can't access Twitter through my home Mac or my work PC. I get the "Something is technically wrong" screen. I can access Twitter through my phone and iPad, though. Anybody have any clue what I did here?

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

That's weird, Matt. I wish I knew what was going on there.

One thing I will mention is, if you can't get things to work properly, you don't need an app to use Twitter. You can just go to the site easily enough and access it from there (on your phone.) If you go that route, uninstalling the app might fix your issue.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Good idea, Jason. I think I'll try that.

[Sam]

http://shopping.yahoo.com/news/10-boo...

What thinkest thou, Bookhouse?

[Sam]

If I may be so bold and weigh in on your Mitchell selection...I highly recommend Ghostwritten, his first novel. He kind of has a Yaknaptawpha (sp?) thing going on that he starts in this first novel. Plus, it's a page turner from start to finish and very accessible (not that you guys can't handle deep reads or anything). In my humble opinion, Mitchell is right up there with any of the greats of our time...while Cloud Atlas is viewed by many to be his best-and the way he goes from genre to genre like he owns all of them only validates this viewpoint-his last novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoet was freaking rad!!! All of them are amazing and I'd read them in the sequence they were published due to the interconnecting characters...there may be a master storyline connecting all his novels when they are finished.

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

Sam wrote: "What thinkest thou, Bookhouse?"

I'd read any of those books. They all sound interesting to me. I haven't read any of them. For that reason, my list would obviously look completely different. Seems like a billion new books come out every month, y'know?

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

I was all set to choose a Jonathan Franzen book after telling a co-worker about the podcast, and having her recommend his work to me...then I read some stuff that made me second guess that idea. What exactly, I don't recall. It's fuzzy.

I've had Roth's The Human Stain on the BB queue for ages, but haven't pulled the trigger.

Matt and I have read The Road.

Some other interesting things on there. Thanks for the list. I've eyed 2666 a few times, especially since I know Vince B. and Faust like it.

Re: Mitchell, that's an interesting point. I was pretty strongly drawn to the book I chose, but I'll consider Ghostwritten instead. I've heard a few times that The Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoet is great. Maybe we should just read them all. I'm sure Dave and Matt had nothing particular they wanted to pick for the next half year. ;)

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

I'd happily nix all my picks outside of Faulkner for the rest of the year in favor of some more contemporary stuff. I read too much dusty old shit. I'm miserably out of touch with contemporary literature.

[Jeppe]

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/books...

Here's the full list from GQ. I'm still thinking about it.

[Jeppe]

It's not a bad list, but I think it's very reflective of it's audience - predominantly white, heterosexual men. This is arguably also a reflection of the current state of publishing, but it struck me that out of 21 authors the list only includes four women, one gay author, one person of South Asian descent, two of Caribbean descent, and one from Latin America.

I haven't read most of the books, but of the one's I've read there are some that I feel definitely belong (ie Netherland) and some that are more dubious (ie The Fortress of Solitude, The Art of Fielding). Personally I don't think that The Road is McCarthy's most interesting work, but I know that I'm probably in the minority on that one.

If one were to broaden out the list somewhat, it would be interesting to include some more literature outside the norm of White North America (and Britain). How about My Name is Red, This Blinding Absence of Light, anything by Amitav Gosh, Life and Death are Wearing Me Out (I know not all of you loved it, but I thought it was mesmerizing), The Vagrants, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, The Memory of Love, or Animal's People.

Sorry for the lengthy and snarky post. I've been sick and bedridden for three days, so I'm beginning to get antsy. If nothing else, the post might inspire anyone who's looking for contemporary world lit to pick up :)

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Ooh, links! The ones that grab me right away are The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Animal's People.

I don't think the Road is one of his most interesting books, either. It's simpler, perhaps more palatable to a broader audience despite its bleakness, and it casts a spell, but I don't think it's more interesting. It's a blanker slate on which the reader can project their own fears and insecurities. Maybe that's why it works.

Boo to being sick. Hope you feel better soon.

[Jeppe]

Hamid's new book How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia also looks interesting, but I haven't read it yet.

[Matt, I am the Great Went.]

Hey, world, let's do everyone a favor and call a moratorium on two-word titles that are constructed with a gerund + a (proper) noun.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

Overuse of this in Hollywood has made it completely flat and bland. We'll employ it again when it sounds fresh and new, maybe in another 100 years.

(view spoiler)[
Chasing Amy
Finding Nemo
Educating Rita
Losing Isaiah
Becoming Jane
Leaving Las Vegas
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Stealing Harvard
Judging Amy
Boxing Helena
Finding Neverland
Finding Forrester
Deconstructing Harry
Saving Grace
Raising Hope
Running Wilde (hide spoiler)]

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Especially the ones that are puns.

[Dave Alluisi, Evolution of the Arm]

This question is mostly for Matt, but everyone else should feel free to chime in, too.

Now that we're in a new house with more room, we have a bar area. I'd like to stock it, but I don't have a lot of money when it comes to developing a very robust bar; in fact, I'll probably have to slowly build even the essentials. You've mentioned a few times that you guys have a bar, so I was wondering what your essentials list would be, particularly when it comes to common mixers (which I don't use all that often but guests might enjoy). Here's the list I have in my head so far:

Bourbon
Scotch
Gin
Rum (light and dark)
Vodka
Tonic Water (ideas for storage?)
Bitters

This list seems pretty light, but like I said, it'd take me several weeks to build up even this. So what essentials am I missing? What do people tend to ask for most when they come to your place and you offer a cocktail? Keeping in mind that I intentionally left out tequila for now because other than my father-in-law's love of margaritas, no one I know uses the stuff at all.

[Robert]

Maybe brandy, especially if you're into old-fashions.

[Jeppe]

A few things off the top of my head while I'm on my phone. The best dark rum for cocktails when it comes to price/quality is by far the Plantation 5 Year Grande Reserve from Barbados (for higher end sipping rum Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva is great value for money). And my very favorite gin has quickly become Hendricks - I think I'm a fairly late adopter, but I can't recommend it highly enough. Cruz del Sol or Avion Silver are great tequilas to have around.

[Jeppe]

I can't read! Missed the no-tequila part. Things to have on hand - lots of seltzer water for Tom Collins, Old Fashioned, and Rickeys. For bitters I think Angostura is the best easily attainable brand. Some simple syrup. And I like having nice ice cube trays and rocks for scotch, but thats vanity. Keep a good lime juice and lemon juice if you don't tend to have fresh citrus fruits around.

[Jason, Walking Allergen]

Mountain Dew.