Electrolicious

Let’s go back to May 2000. I was finishing up the final lap of my marathon session at the Gathering of the Tribes conference. I was haggered, felt like warmed over spit, and was trying to mix and mingle at a pool party that was shaping up to be a who’s-who of the Left Coast [...]

Since I graduated in 1993, it should be quite evident that my 10 year high school reunion is approaching. I think that’s exciting. I justify this by saying that, since I write non-fiction, I have to keep track of all the real-life stories of those around me, and I have endless amounts of background on [...]

Very good, challenging Almodóvar film: Talk to Her. Recommended.

While the rumors about why Charles Shaw wine is so cheap are not true, the rumor that Andreas and I bought a case for $24.00 is true. “Two Buck Chuck” has been quite nice to have around.

Recent things I have taken in:
1) Spring Forward
What a fantastic movie! I’m not sure how it ever got made (it’s such a quiet, unflashy film), but I deeply enjoyed it. Highly recommended. Contains what could be my favorite line of a recently-viewed movie: “Too much soda.” (Second place goes to the line “Flushing your poop,” [...]

The Museum of Jurassic Technology is undeniably the weirdest place I have ever been in Los Angeles. Originally recommended to me by Cyn (thank you!), the museum features exhibits of natural wonder … roughly half of which are fabricated. The don’t tell you, however, which half. As the founder says in this great NPR piece, [...]

I am in an abusive relationship…with a restaurant.
Mao’s Kitchen is a universally praised and adored Venice institution. Under their auspice of a communist Chinese theme, they serve some of the yummiest and cheapest vegetarian Chinese food in the area. Portions big enough for two to split, which makes them even cheaper.
Sadly, they also have [...]

I love going to our local farmer’s market. It makes shopping for groceries a fun outdoor community event instead of a harrowing high-risk close call with death-carts, angry housewives, and vegetables that were picked in June. It’s so nice to buy a huge bag of veggies that smell like actual vegetables…and only pay $8.00 for [...]

One word: Xanadu. What a wacky movie! I admit that I totally loved it, in all its roller-disco, scenes-in-Venice, and Gene Kelly being much better than everyone else glory! I’m such a sucker for epic cheezy rock musicals with over-the-top period costuming. I recommend it.
Andreas made it to Iowa for Thanksgiving, despite almost duplicating our [...]

Salon.com Books | How the world sees Americans
The rest of the world maintains multifaceted and sophisticated perceptions of the world’s lone superpower. They readily distinguish between the official face of the American government (who they tend to disagree with and fear) and American people, pop culture and values (which they tend to adore and emulate).
Sounds [...]