Category: My Life

Small Time Scoop Double Feature

July 19, 2009
ComedyMoviesMy Life

woody_scoopwoody_smallIt was a Friday night video double feature here at the old homestead. I watched two (more or less) recent Woody Allen films. I had seen both before but not for quite a while. And of course, with his films you can watch them many times and still enjoy them.

First up was “Small Time Crooks” (2000, about). He stars in this one with Tracy Ullman (who is great) and Hugh Grant, among others. Watching it again, I liked it more than I remembered. The first part with the plan for a bank robbery was very funny. Then the story leaves that to follow Woody and Tracy on their road to “success”, and it gets even more entertaining. All through the film the Woody and Tracy characters are funny as they grow (or not grow). There’s an overall warmth to this move plus lots of laughs.

Next was Scoop (2006, about), with Woody, Hugh Jackman, and Scarlett Johannson. It was lighter than I remembered, quite a bit. More fluff but still plenty of humor. Not his best but enjoyable. And Scarlett in those glasses is quite something too. It’s escapist fun with some laughs.

So I liked them both, of course, but I like almost everything he does. Neither of these made my top 11 Woody Allen films, but after watching both of them together I’d say to see Small Time Crooks first, if you want a recommendation. It was better than I remembered, Scoop was not quite as good as I remembered. What, you didn’t ask? You were going to. Really.

Have you seen either or both of these? What did YOU think? Leave me a comment.

Portland Pictures For Your Pleasure

July 17, 2009
FriendsMy LifeTravel

We went to Portland, Oregon a few weeks ago, and spent a week or so up there. You can read all about what we did. We were a bit lazy about taking pictures, so you won’t see all the big fun we had, that’s why you should read all about it. But we did take some pictures at least, and you can view them here.

Check out the pictures, then leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!

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A Hard Days Night

July 16, 2009
MoviesMusicMy Life

A Hard Days NightTonight I watched The Beatles’ classic film from 1964, “A Hard Days Night”. It’s really hard to believe that it has been 45 years since this film was released. Feel old? Nevermind that, it’s a classic and for good reason. It’s still entertaining after all this time and the Beatles music is timeless and will live forever.

This is the two-DVD version, with a bunch of extras, but I only watched the actual film tonight. I have to say that the restorative process they used  worked great because this film looks fantastic. The crisp and clear black and white is stunning in quality for a film that old. You can hear the dialog and even understand the British accents (almost always). Sure, some of the slang is a little dated but just go with it. The songs, meanwhile, are pop gems from their early days. Nothing deep, they would get to that later, but just catchy as hell.

Of course, the story is, to be generous, very slight. But it’s not about drama, it’s about music and some humor and it succeeds at that. Four madcap moptops in a zany romp, or some such hoohah. Whatever, it was very likable and fun.

Have you watched it recently? Or ever? Let me know what you think, leave me a comment below.

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Or you can buy some Beatles music here.

Whatever Works

July 5, 2009
MoviesMy Life
5 Comments

whatever_worksToday we went to the theater to see the new movie “Whatever Works.” (official site, wikipedia) It’s the latest comedy from writer and director Woody Allen. It stars Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Michael McKean, Ed Begley Jr., and others. Those of you who know me also know that I am a huge Woody Allen fan and that I consider him among the best film directors ever. Not to mention a heck of a writer too. So, I am not exactly objective about his movies. All of his films have at least something to offer, though there are a number of them that are “lesser”. This is not one of them. IMNSHO, this is a VERY funny comedy and I highly recommend it.

Keep in mind that Larry David’s (main) character is a misanthropic, bitter, and mean man, not a likeable character. But we still like watching him even as we are astounded and shocked by the things he says. Evan Rachel Wood plays a young southern beauty pagent winner, with a southern accent and a less-than-stellar IQ.

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Mad Props For A Week In Portland!

July 3, 2009
AlcoholArtBooksFoodFriendsMoviesMusicMy LifeTravelVegetarian
1 Comment

We took a vacation up north in the Portland, Orgeon area. You shoulda been there. Maybe you were. Whatever, we had a great time! Here’s the  play-by-play.

Thursday June 25

And we hit the road running. Well, driving actually. Portland is a ten or eleven hour drive from our NorCal home base. On our way, we stopped in Yreka, right up near the top of California on the I-5, at a small place in a mall, called Linda’s Soup Café.  We had stumbled on this place a few years back when we drove to Seattle and somehow remembered it. Linda’s is not your usual mall food. They even have a vegetarian menu with a whole bunch of items that looked good. Imagine us vegetarians having too many things to choose from!  Anyway, fully refreshed, we headed north again. We stopped in Southern Oregon for gas and remembered the unusual law in Oregon that says you can’t pump your own gas. So we let the man service us and headed north once again. Round about dinnertime we pulled into Portland. Or I should say the suburb of Lake Oswego, where our hotel was. We checked in and unpacked. We got on the internet with our laptops and although the Ethernet connection worked the WiFi didn’t, meaning only one of us could be online at once. That wouldn’t suffice for the whole week, so we had someone from the hotel check it out and they got it working within minutes. Yay! We’ve had Internet problems at hotels a few times, and this was the fastest it ever got fixed. The room was nice too, and the rate was very cheap for a Hilton Garden Inn. In fact, the Hotel situation was great for the whole week. But I’m jumping ahead.

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If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Portland

June 30, 2009
My LifeTravel

No Terrific Tune for today. We’re on vacation! Be back soon!!

See past Terrific Tunes For Tuesday.

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Graham Parker – Live In Winters!

June 4, 2009
MusicMy Life
1 Comment

Last Saturday night we drove to Winters (less than an hour) to see a solo show by new wave singer-songwriter legend Graham Parker (learn more). Check out the crappy cell-phone pictures! He has been around a long time and is still recording and putting out strong new albums every couple years. Graham hit the big time about the same time that Elvis Costello did, in the late 70s, and for a while was fairly well known. But he never got the fame that Elvis did even though they both shared that “angry clever songwriter” title.  Now, I’m a big Costello fan, but Graham deserves to be right up there with him. Each has some less than perfect material, ok I’ll admit that, but Graham has stayed true to his vision. And his albums, even from this decade, continue to be full of clever pop-rock with great lyrics. Not very many artists have made honest, interesting, intelligent, and catchy music for over thirty years. But Graham has and he is still doing it.
Anyway, we saw him at the Palms Playhouse, a small (about 200 capacity) venue with no bad seats. 

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Have You Read This Book?

May 20, 2009
BooksMy Life
1 Comment

The latest book I finished was “Velocity” by Dean Koontz. It’s a fast-paced suspense thriller and it was hard to put down. Good thing I’m so busy or I might have read it in one sitting! The tag line is “fear never slows down….”

It was the first book I had read by this author, though he is quite prolific. Velocity isn’t especially deep or philospohical, it’s just a good read that will keep you wanting to read more. The characters were described well, particularly the main character (Billy). Now, I’m no book reviewer, so here’s what Publisher’s Weekly had to say:

[after the jump]

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The Doctors All Say “NED”

May 11, 2009
FamilyMy Life
3 Comments

stern_doctorLast week was “Go to the Doctor” week here in stevenology world. My wife Petra had four, count ’em, four doctors appointments all related to her breast cancer from back in 2005. Yes, unfortunately, that issue never really leaves your life once it has so rudely forced it’s way in. She is still on medication with at least one (hopefully minor) surgery to go. And she is still seen and monitored by multiple doctors at various intervals. And the appointments all happened to hit last week. We should get a frequent doctor discount! Or maybe, go to ten visits, get the eleventh free.

Anyway, first up was the original surgeon for a follow up exam to make sure everything is still going ok. Then it was the oncologist to discuss the recent blood work and of course an exam. Then the radiation oncologist for a followup and another exam. Then, finally, the reconstructive surgeon for yet another exam and an injection too. Sheesh! The only person missing was Jim-Bob’s cousin Raylene! Just kidding…

But here’s the really good news: 100% of her doctors agree that Petra is “NED”. That’s cancer-speak for No Evidence of Disease. Yahoo! That’s the best you can hope for once you have ever had the Big C diagnosed. And it only holds until the next round of appointments. But still, yahoo again! High fives all around!

Leave me a comment below or else the doctor in this picture will haunt your dreams!

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Got Live If You Want It!

May 10, 2009
MusicMy Life

Time for a rock concert! We traveled up the hill to Reno, Nevada to see the band Live, one of Petra‘s favorite groups(learn more about the band). They were playing last night at a casino there, which made for a good excuse to get a hotel room (no  two and a half hour drive home late at night) and also to give the casino some extra money gamble a little bit.

But the real reason for going was to see Live and they put on a really good show. If you don’t know much about their music, get the recent best-of CD (it includes a DVD also) and start there. We’d seen them a couple times before, here in Sacramento and more recently at Milwaukee’s Summerfest about five years ago (with friends Dean and Debbie). For last night’s show, they played most of their many hits and fan favorites, as well as a new song and the two studio tracks off their recent live album. From where we were standing at first, we were super-close, right at the stage, but from there the sound was guitar-heavy in the mix. A little later we moved back a little bit and to the middle and then the sound was really good. Lots of good music, a less-than-full but very enthusiastic crowd, and big loud fun. Yeah!

If you’ve seen Live live 😉 or just have an opinion, drop me a comment below.

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A Day In The Life – Take 5

May 4, 2009
ArtFoodFriendsMy LifeTravelVegetarian
3 Comments

A few days is more like it. We had a three day weekend this past one, and we intended to enjoy it. Friday we drove to San Francisco to see a couple events. But first we had brunch at Hebivore, a vegan restaurant with three bay area locations. When you think vegan you might think “no thanks”, but this place would convince you. The food is really good and totally animal free. Check out the menu on their web site with an open mind. Then we went over to the DeYoung Museum to see the Andy Warhol exhibit. It was excellent, and you have two more weeks to see it before it leaves. We arrived just as a free docent tour was starting, so we got a thorough explanations of his life, his motivations, and his work. Then we walked back through to see some of the items we had skipped and to linger over others. There were some seven or eight rooms (from memory) filled with artwork and other items from different periods in his life and/or focusing on different subjects for his art. Also included were some of his experimental films. There was a lot more to him that that Campbells Soup Can painting! Much more after the jump…

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The Kings Can Only Get Better

April 22, 2009
My LifeSports
3 Comments

Update 4/23 – Today the Kings got rid of their head coach and most of their coaching staff. The search for a new coach begins again. I hope they get an experienced coach this time, and one that has coached a winning NBA team. The time for taking a chance on a coach is over.


I’m not a huge sports fan but I do like to watch basketball. We have season tickets to the Sacramento Kings. OK, you can quit smirking now. I know they just finished the season with the worst record in the NBA. And the worst record for a Kings team ever. That’s why they can only get better!

We like going to quite a few games and usually sell some of the tickets too. But we were seriously considering not renewing our tickets for the next year (2009-10). After thinking it over, we decided to renew after all, based on a ticket price reduction (for season ticket holders only) as well as some extra benefits and perks that they’ve thrown in. The team is rebuilding and I do think they will improve. There will be one or more new players via draft picks soon, maybe even some impact players. And you never know what kind of trade they might cook up.

So, let’s see what happens. We’re sticking with the team and they could use the support. They stunk up the joint have plenty of room for improvement, sure, but I think there is some reason to be hopeful. At least I hope 😉

And if you are looking for some game tickets for next season, let us know. Ours will be cheaper than the box office price!!

So leave me a comment below, maybe it will help them win…

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Last 70 Music Items We Bought!

April 18, 2009
MusicMy Life
1 Comment

How exciting! How fun! Check out the music below and leave a comment if you have one.

First off, I picked these up today at National Record Store Day:

Waits, Tom – Live From The Glitter And Doom Tour vinyl 7″
Metric – Help I’m Alive vinyl 7″ Picture disc
Pretenders, The – Break Up The Concrete vinyl Red vinyl 7″
Carlile, Brandi – Downpour vinyl 7″
Spektor, Regina – Begin To Hope vinyl 2-LP with nine bonus tracks
Lenka – Gravity Rides Everything vinyl 7″
Greene, Jackie – Honey I Been Thinking About You CD Free promo

And then there are these recent additions too:

Harding, John Wesley – Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead CD w/ bonus live disc
Taylor, James – Covers CD
Sweet, Matthew – Sunshine Lies CD
Feist – Let it Die CD
Feist – Open Season CD
Prince – Indigo Nights – Live Sessions CD Included in book
Groundation – Each One Teach One CD CD-R
Groundation – We Free Again CD CD-R
King, B.B. – One Kind Favor CD CD-R
Death Cab For Cutie – Something About Airplanes CD Ltd Edition #2413 with bonus disc
Rundgren, Todd – Arena CD Advance promo
Jack’s Mannequin – The Glass Passenger CD With bonus DVD
Pink – Funhouse CD
Green, Al – The Definitive Greatest Hits CD Advance promo
Jimmy Eat World – Static Prevails CD Two bonus tracks
And there’s much more after the jump!

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New pix! 2006 Seattle, Bumbershoot, OR, CA, yeah!

April 3, 2009
BumbershootFriendsMy LifeSeattleTravel

Finally!! And it’s about time!! The pictures are online from the 2006 trip to Seattle (including the Bumbershoot Festival, more Seattle, Portland and Eugene (Oregon), and northern California. After only two and a half years! Yeah, baby! Friends Larry and Robin were there, as well as Mama O and some of her friends too. You can see what we did during the trip, our photos, and Larry and Robin’s photos too. Check it out now, you’ll be glad you did, I guarantee it or your money back!!

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