Kirsten's musings...

Friday pix

An amusing pic from the LOLCat meme:

Friday pix

The latest of our home improvements - a new roof. Just in time for the rain to start again.

Before:

After:

Arkansas 4 Virginia 3

While waiting for the Sounders FC soccer game to start last night (Jaqua was robbed) I ended up watching the last few innings of the Arkansas-Virginia game in the College World Series.  Arkansas was down 3-1 going into the top of the 9th inning so it seemed likely that Virginia would finish them off and that would be that.  Then ESPN showed a graphic that said that the Razorbacks had won 15 games when trailing or tied after 7 innings*.  That's usually the kiss of death for the subject of the statistic, but the Razorbacks were ready to make it one more.  With two outs on the books Arkansas managed a mini-rally, putting one runner on base and the next batter hitting a two-run home run.  Wow.

The two teams battled for two more innings before Arkansas put one more run on the board in the top of the 12th inning.  They held Virginia scoreless one last time to finally win the game.

I'm writing all of this because of something announcer Mike Patrick said.  They've come from behind so many times that they expect to be able to do it every time.  They never consider themselves out of a game.  I admire and envy that trait - it's not something you experience very often.

*I could have these figures wrong, but I believe it's close

SIFF 2009 - Week 3 Reviews

Home
Ugh, I really hate/don't get a lot of foreign films.  I guess it was supposed to be a metaphor for life somehow, but it was just long, slow and boring.  At one point I thought it might be close to over, but when I looked at my watch only a 1/2 hour had passed.  When I thought about my vote as the movie was really ending I just couldn't give it a 3, so it got a 2 instead.

Wonderful World
Well this was just about as long and slow as "Home", although not as depressing.  I think I was expecting more - Matthew Broderick's character to be more of a loser, the roommate's sister to be more of a free-spirit, more...something.  If this were a big Hollywood release there would definitely have been a different ending.  It got a 3 based mostly on Broderick's performance.

Swimsuit Issue
A cute if not predictable movie about some aging athletes who decide to become an all-male synchronized swimming team, which apparently used to be known as formation swimming.  Some laughs and some growing up done by adults and children alike, a solid 3. 

Every Little Step
"A Chorus Line” was the first Broadway show that I ever saw, and it's still one of my favorites.  This documentary about the casting of the revival was quite good, and it was interesting to learn more about how the original show began.  Original recordings and footage provided some interesting insight.   I got annoyed that it seemed to only feature the women in the auditions and none of the men.  Okay, one of the men, an incredible dancer with an even bigger ego.  That dropped it from a 5 to a 4.

Hachiko: A Dog's Story
Jim and I came to the conclusion that seeing a movie about a true and loyal dog maybe wasn't the best option this weekend, so we gave the tickets away.

Friday pix

When I want to kill a little time at work I generally find myself on Fark, reading the strange stories and the even stranger comments.  It gets really interesting when they have "Photoshop" contests where they modify photographs to meet a given theme.  Recently the theme was "Turn an album cover into an advertisement."  Farker IX Jim IX created this one, which made me laugh out loud.  I'm reposting it with his permission:

SIFF 2009 - Week 2 Reviews

Baby Formula
Due to a scheduling conflict Jim and I gave our tickets for this show to one of his co-workers. 

Finding Bliss
This film was filled with some big names, which is unusual for film festival movies.  The plot was amusing in spots, overly long in other places, but had some interesting twists.  I wrestled with my vote up to the end and gave it a 4, although the full-frontal shot of Jamie Kennedy should have made it a 3.

(500) Days of Summer
When director Marc Webb introduced this film he described it as "what happens when the life you expect collides with the life you encounter."  I wrote that down because I wanted to remember it exactly, as it perfectly describes this movie.  This wonderful movie effortlessly bounces between days within the 500 days of the relationship of Tom and Summer.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel have amazing chemistry as we witness the highs and the lows of their time together.  The plot twist at the end of the movie is unexpected, but you still leave the theater smiling.  Jim and I both gave this movie an enthusiastic 5 on our ballots.  It gets extra credit from me for referencing one of my favorite bands that no one has heard of, Bananafish.

Make It So's Disney Magic - "Eli"

12/5/94 - 6/5/09

Jim and I were so excited when we moved into our first house - it meant that we could finally get a dog of our own.  After a couple of false starts we brought home an adorable ball of golden fur that we named 'Eli'.  He would represent the first in our pattern of naming dogs after people or characters in Disney lore.  (Walt Disney's middle name was Elias).

For the first few months all Eli wanted to do was to be in your arms licking your face.  That is when he wasn't sleeping under the hearth by the fireplace.  Always energetic, he loved everybody that came to visit him. 

Once he got to be about a year old, though, his stubborn streak began to emerge.  This was never more evident than when we tried to train him in obedience and agility.  He could obey all of the commands, if he wanted to.  Otherwise he was just as happy to play off by himself or find a new person who might pet him.  I'll never forget when he and I competed in the agility event at the 1998 National Specialty.  With all the crowds watching he actually stayed with me from start to finish.  He skipped all of the jumps (he never liked jumps) but he stayed with me for everything else.  I was so excited when we crossed the finish line that I tackled him and started crying tears of joy.  Apparently some people in the crowd wondered if I realized that he had skipped all of the jumps.  I did, but at that moment I really didn't care.

After realizing that maybe obedience and agility weren't for him, Eli was content to go for walks every afternoon and dig holes in the back yard.  I used to say he was part terrier.  And part pointer.  He didn't like to fetch either - if you threw a ball for him he would walk over to it and bark, as if to say, "Here it is!"

As Eli got older and the walks became less frequent he was content to spend his days on the recliner next to Jim or surveying his domain from a corner of the yard.  He loved just hanging out in the back yard, watching the world go by.

When I went to check on him Friday afternoon I knew something was wrong.  His breathing was labored and he wouldn't respond when I called his name and shook his shoulders.  Jim and I took him to the emergency vet who told us that something had ruptured internally because he was bleeding into his stomach.  His vital signs were not strong enough for him to handle surgery that might or might not stem the flow of blood.  We decided that he had suffered enough, and decided to put him down.  When we looked in his eyes there was nothing to see - he was already gone, it was just his stubborn will that was keeping his body alive. 

He slipped away quietly amid tears and hugs and kisses.  He will definitely be missed.

Friday pix - Saturday edition

Make It So's Disney Magic - "Eli"
12/5/1994 - 6/5/2009

We'll miss you Old Man.

Friday pix

The Green Ash tree in our front yard has been long overdue for some professional attention.  We finally found a tree service that covered Lynnwood and dealt with customers in a professional manner.  Here's the tree before:

 

Yes, there's a house behind the tree.  Here's the after picture:

 

We're very pleased with the results.

My concert survey

I'm totally stealing this from Jim's blog.  :)

What was the first show/concert you went to?
Journey with Bryan Adams opening

What was the last show/concert?
Chris Young at the Snoqualmie Casino
 
List your top five favorite shows/concerts.

Harry Connick, Jr.
Everything about this show was perfect.  It was at Chateau Ste. Michelle and the weather was beautiful.  Jim made a delicious picnic dinner, Harry was quite congenial, laughing and joking with the audience between songs.  At one point he said that everyone's food smelled so good, he'd have a quick Q&A if people shared their dinners with him.  I can't imagine another concert being better than this one.

Journey w/ Bryan Adams
I was really lucky to have such a fantastic experience for my first concert.  Journey was just about at the top of their game in the early 80s, and Bryan Adams put on a great show in what must have been his first major tour in front of a stadium crowd.

Chris Young
I really had a hard time deciding if I wanted to try and drag Jim to the Snoqualmie Casino in the middle of the week to see a country act.  I am so glad that I did.  Chris put on an amazing one-man acoustic show, and the night was a wonderful mid-week getaway.  Except for the smoke alarm.  :)

Duran Duran, 2nd show
I saw Duran Duran back in the 80s at the height of their popularity, but their second show a couple of years ago made more of an impression.  The entire band was back together after various fractures, and they sounded wonderful.  The crowd was really into it, singing along to all the old songs and having a great time.

Gary Allan
Gary's my current favorite country artist, so I was excited to hear that he would be in Boise last summer, and that my friend Michelle was available that weekend to go see him.  This show was the first time I did something so bold as to try and make my way up close to the stage to take a picture.  Coincidentally I took the picture while he was singing "Man of Me," a song that always reminds me of Jim, so I have that extra memory when I look at the picture.

What was the worst show/concert you ever saw?
Boston, during their Third Stage tour.  Boring, uninspiring, and they ended the show early because people kept jumping up on the stage.

What show/concert was way better than you thought it might be?
I have to totally agree with Jim on this one.  Weird Al Yankovic was amazing live.  His band had been together for almost 20 years so they were perfectly in synch.  Lots of costume changes, audience interaction and you could tell that they were having a great time together.

Runner-up would be Neil Diamond.  I'm not sure what I was expecting back in the 80s, but he put on a high-energy show that had the whold place buzzing.

Who have you seen play live the most?
Full concerts - Barry Manilow, Duran Duran and Dierks Bentley, two times each.  Performing live would be Blaine Larsen, four times.

What show/concert do you most regret missing the most?
Jim and I agree on this one too.  We bought tickets to see Barenaked Ladies over Thanksgiving weekend a couple of years ago, and were both really looking forward to it.  Unfortunately it started snowing that afternoon and never stopped.  I called the arena, hoping against hope that they were going to reschedule the show, but they didn't.  We just couldn't risk trying to get out there, and now they've pretty much split up.

Runner-up would be Phil Vassar.  He came to a small venue right after I started listening to country music, but I decided not to try and get Jim to take me. 

What's the most embarrassing show/concert you've been to?
I saw Elton John when he was in the middle of his drug use days so it might have been somewhat embarrassing, but I really don't remember much about that show.

If you could travel back in time, what bands would you want to see and when?
I just saw 'Biography' episodes on Cass Elliot and The Mamas and The Papas, and would have liked to see them during their heyday.  Jim Croce would be interesting.  To be a part of the Beatles phenomenon would be a great experience. Queen, definitely.

Before you die, (or they die) who would you most like to see live?
I'm surprised that I don't have any "must see" artists.  Hmm.  I've become a fan of new-ish acts The Eli Young Band and Billy Currington, so they are certainly on the 'to-see' list.  I suppose if Barenaked Ladies gets back together that would be at the top of the list.