Morning haze, followed by a brief frappuccino-induced, brain freeze. Increased acuity likely. 85% chance of mid-morning shower.
Hey there folks, I just want to throw out a few possible rules/guidelines/decisions for the upcoming book club. Feel free to disagree, and/or add more of your own.
1. Book Club discussion will be posted every third Sunday of the month at 7pm EST. While it will be nice to have a lot of us at that particular time, feel free to add to the discussion at your leisure.
2. If it’s your turn to host book club please choose a book that is widely available and preferably also available in paperback. I guess Kindle availability would be a plus for those folks, but I don’t that it’s absolutely necessary, right?
3. Try not to pick the same genre or author as the previous Book Club selection, let’s mix things up.
4. Whether or not you are hosting, as you read the book think of some questions to ask your fellow readers so we can keep the discussion going.
5. If you are hosting, pick the next host before your Sunday so they have enough time to chose a book.
6. New book selections should be posted in a separate post the third Monday of each month.
7. If you have any suggestions for future picks, or problems with that book, post your comments in that post ^
8. You don’t have to stick to traditional book club books though you’re welcome to. Add in the classics, graphic novels, sci-fi (if you must), anything that floats your boat. Expand our horizons.
9. If you don’t have an intense debate commenting account get one now!
10. If you are hosting, you’ll need to have a Crasstalk account.
11. Even if you think you are going to hate this book/genre why not give it a try. You can tell us exactly what you dislike in the discussion. And if I’m going to give sci-fi a try, I expect you all to give everything a go.
So if you have any book suggestions, questions, or general comments this is the place to let me know about it. I’ll post my selection a bit early just in case we need to work out any kinks. So the book will be announced next week, and the first discussion will take place on February 20th.
Edit – Now that I think about it, is posting the book on the third Monday okay? Will that give you all enough time to go get the book and read it? Or should we post it earlier? So many decisions!!!
Any updates to give with our Crosstalk blog Christian Soldiers?
Increasing malaze followed by wide-spread indolence. Chance of shower, remote.
Hi Everybody!
Well, let’s see. It’s been a while since we talked. How were your New Years Eve celebrations? Codename:Stabby had a migraine and went to bed early, but I hung out with my nephews and niece and Stabby’s Sister. We stayed up late and I ate lots of junk food, so it was great. And I destroyed my Christmas present chew toy, so that was super fun. Also, it wasn’t raining.
I had two great sunny rompies also. I met a new friend, name of Mr. Crow. He was hanging out on the upper football field and I ran over to say hi. He said hi back and flew around and I chased him for a while. We had fun. Then he flew to the baseball field and sat up high on the fence and I barked at him and he said bye and flew home.
Yesterday it rained again and it’s raining today too. I rompied in the rain and mud on the football field. There are some BIG puddles up there, which are great to slip and slide in. Oh! There was a truck parked on the other side of the fence, so I stood watch over it and while I was there a van pulled up! It was so exciting! People got out and bustled around and I supervised them. They said hi to me and smiled. Then they got in their cars and drove away.
Here I am now. How great is my bed? I love flannel so much. Anyway, I get the feeling that there might not be a rompie today. It’s pouring so hard that when I went out to pee I turned around and came right back in, so…
I love movie trailers – come deconstruct them with me!
(Don’t cloud your judgement! Watch the trailer then read my rant.)
The Mechanic (January 28 2011 | CBS Films)
Years ago, I was bored and happened to flip to a local channel showing some seventies movie with Charles Bronson in it. I thought it was going to be lame, old-timey shit.
I was wrong.
That movie was The Mechanic, and it was fucking badass. The details of the plot are hard for me to remember, but simply reciting the movie’s title summons a soft blanket woven with fond memories of badassery over my heart.
A similar situation happened with El Mariachi; having never heard of it, nor having seen any plot-spoiling trailers for it, I watched El Mariachi one idle night on that same local channel with expectations so low, it was digging quite successfully to China. Needless to say, I was blown away by its majesty (and by the fact, which I only found out later, that it was the precursor to Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico).
Now there’s a remake of The Mechanic, starting Jason Statham.
I guess you can cue the sad violin and sense of foreboding, right? A remake is cruel, surprize buttsecks to the cherished films of yore, right? Well…I dunno. The Mechanic actually seems suited to a modern retelling. The plot is simple enough – sophisticated assassin takes on an apprentice (and hijinks ensue!). You can go interesting places with an outline like that.
The problem is that this new version looks like it goes to the least interesting corner of the Imagination Station. The original version had an almost meditative quality, which had the effect of making the violence even more chilling. The Wikipedia page for the original has a little note on the existentialism of the film, ferchrissake! But the trailer for the new version is hardly Zen-like. Almost instantly after the green rating card disappears you get wacked over the head with the sound of a pulsating electric guitar. You know, ‘cuz rock music makes everything cooler.
Quick cuts in the beginning showcase the lead character’s résumé of death screaming “Hire me! Hire me, bitch!” Bronson’s Mechanic would need no such brazen excessiveness. He’d kill your enemy’s dog and make it look like it accidentally choked on its favourite chew toy if you asked him for an employment reference.
The rest of the trailer is an infodump of gadgets and violence that leads me to believe that this movie will sink into the bowels of mediocrity. Case in point: “Time to take your training to the next level.” What the fuck is this, Training from Hell?! I’ll give the trailer’s tagline (“A good mechanic is hard to find.”) a pass, though. Because it’s true. Jason Statham may be a mechanic, but I doubt he’s a good one. It’s not that I don’t like him as an actor. He just doesn’t seem like the spiritual successor to Bronson. So keep on looking, folks! Nothing to see here!
Taken by itself, this is an exciting trailer that piques your interest in the movie, no doubt about that. Flashy action isn’t bad by itself, but come on…so many modern action movies are like that. The 1972 movie was special because it transcended the tired clichés that films about assassins are wont to slip into. Will the 2011 version do the same? If the trailer’s any indication, probably not. That’s a shame for badass lovers everywhere.
So I had a little to-do with the editor of the local rag here in my small town. I’ve been writing book-related bits for it for a couple of years now, usually author profiles, which are wonderful when I like the book and painful when I don’t. So far it’s been 90-10, guess in which direction.
Anyhow, I was asked to do a piece on our independent bookstore’s 15th anniversary. Nothing makes me happier than seeing an indie bookstore still alive, so I happily interviewed the owner and the manager and wrote up a nice optimistic piece about all their plans for the future. And sent it in to my editor. Who added just a tiny clause that was basically a shot at the owner. Very mean. Totally out of tone with the rest of the piece. I asked Ed to take it out. Ed said no, and made a couple of other nasty remarks about the owner. I thought screw this, and asked to have my name taken off the piece. (I don’t get paid for these, I do it in exchange for a one-line mention of a small business I have here in town.) Back and forth a little more, but I just insisted that Ed remove my name, and it came off.
Highly doubtful I’ll be asked to do any further writing for them but that’s fine. There’re only so many self-published novels, most of them written by retired gents wanting to relive their youth (the tell-tale: the hero is always a, erm, mature man with a toothsome young female sidekick), that one can stomach.
As a thank-you to any who have plowed their way through this tiny tempest in a teacup, here’s a book recommendation. The latest John Le Carre, Our Kind of Traitor. Le Carre knows his way around a keyboard, and uses all kinds of tricksy little techniques that a lesser writer would screw up terribly. Le Carre, of course, doesn’t. He keeps his narrative under complete and effortless control that rewards the close reading you need to give it.
by
Delta Sierra
This was part of an article in (I think) Southern Living from about 15 years ago. Submitted by Phyllis Vanhoy of Salisbury, NC. I’ve put my personal notes and tips in italics. It’s a freaking amazing cake!
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 C sugar
¾ C vegetable oil
¾ C buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
2 C grated carrot
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 ½) oz. can flaked coconut (I buy a bag and weigh it out)
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (I use pecans)
Buttermilk Glaze
Cream Cheese Frosting
Line three 9-inch round cakepans with wax paper; lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set pans aside. You can use parchment paper as well and in fact you may find that it sticks less.
Stir together first four ingredients. Set aside.
Beat eggs and next four ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add flour mixture, beating at slow speed until blended. Fold in carrots, and next three ingredients. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.
Bake at 350 F for 25 – 30 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.
Drizzle Buttermilk Glaze evenly over the layers; let cool in pans on wire racks 45 minutes.
Do not, DO NOT turn them out of the pans before you’re ready to assemble each layer of the cake. The cake is really moist and will come apart if you take it out of the pans before you’re ready to frost each layer.
Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between the layers and on top and sides of cake.
Yield: One 3-layer cake
Buttermilk Glaze
- 1 C sugar
- ½ c buttermilk
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ C butter or margarine
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring often, 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Yield: 1 ½ cups
First of all, this foams quite a bit so don’t be alarmed, and be sure to use a pan big enough. A dutch oven is great, but any deep, heavy-bottomed pan should be fine. Also, I generally cook mine until it’s a lovely deep caramel color, which may take you longer than 4 minutes. Do stir frequently or it will burn.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3/4 C butter or margarine
- 1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softene
- d1 3-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
- 3 C sifted powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixture until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.
Yield: 4 Cups
A few additional notes from my years of making this cake:
I double the recipe for the frosting. It doubles just fine and who doesn’t like a little extra when everything is said and done? I don’t double the glaze.
I like to top the frosted cake with sliced almonds that I’ve toasted in the oven just a tad too long. Alternatively, I top with toasted coconut.
I have made this as a sheet cake as well, just keep an eye on it in the oven. If you do that, you won’t need to double the frosting, but you lose the layered effect, which is ridiculously delish. This past Thanksgiving, I made a double sheet cake since we were expecting 30 people. I had to double the glaze, and I quadrupled the frosting, but I could have gotten away with tripling it.
Also, regarding the layers—I usually insert 3 wooden skewers into the cake once the layers are assembled, before frosting the outside of the cake. It helps keep it from ending up looking like the leaning tower of Pisa.
I hope you guys enjoy this as much as my family/friends and I do!
ETA: One thing I forgot to mention is that you can make the glaze and use it to top any number of other cakes or breads. It’s especially delicious on bread pudding!
(To see the original entry in all its non-modified glory, please visit Dimple and a Smirk (dot) com.)
In looking back on the music of 2010 that entered my ears, I listened to a lot of house/dance/electronic. Moving one’s ass is always a good thing. I also listened to a lot of comedy albums this year. In fact, this will be the first time my “best of” list will include comedy albums. If I had done this last year, Jim Gaffigan’s King Baby
But enough of that, let’s get on to my favorites from 2010!
Favorite Albums:
The Lady Killer
Before the album was released, everyone was abuzz about “F**k You” and rightfully so. It’s catchy, makes you smile, and includes a handful of f-bombs. The good news is the rest of the album is just as great and in some places, even better. If there is such a genre as alt-R&B, then Cee Lo is part of it. It may be cliché, but this album deserves all the praise it can get. Cee Lo’s take on Band of Horse’s “No One’s Gonna Love You” is so good, I may start listening to his version more than the original. And I love the original version to pieces.
Brothers
Will the bluesy boys from Akron, Ohio, ever put out a less than awesome album? Highly doubtful. If your foot doesn’t start tapping beginning on the opening track, “Everlasting Light,” you may need to loosen up a bit. If your hips aren’t swaying on the second song, “Next Girl,” you may not have a pulse. When I first heard “Next Girl,” I knew I would be blasting it a lot. Oh goodness, what a great fucking song. There are a lot of contagious songs on this album — “Howlin’ for You,” “The Only One,” and well, all of them. Also, go see the Black Keys perform live. One of the best live bands around, that’s for sure.
Record Collection
What happens when a sought-after producer puts out an album that includes collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Boy George, D’angelo, Miike Snow, Q-Tip, among others? Awesome things happen, that’s what. The title of the album is appropriate because it feels like a carefully-crafted mix tape. “Bang Bang Bang” and “You Gave Me Nothing” will get you on the dancefloor while “Someone to Love Me” will make retreat to a seat on the side because you don’t have a dance partner.
Pete Yorn
See the review I wrote back in September. I’ll add this: I cannot wait to see PY perform live in support of this album in a few months. It will also be interesting to see whether or not married life affects his future musical output.
Let It Go
Bill Burr is an angry man and that’s why I like him. I like to think his anger allows me to walk around and not rage at everyone and everything. You’ll laugh out loud at his observations on people because there’s a good chance you’ve encountered some of the same situations. Thanks to Bill Burr, you can hear what it sounds like if you were to act on what you’re really thinking.
I Learned the Hard Way
When I first picked up this album back in April, I knew it would be on my year-end “best of” list. It’s as if by pushing “play” I was transported back in time to the era of Motown girl groups and bands who wore matching suits. Sharon’s voice just pours emotion into the lyrics. You feel her heartache on tracks like “The Game Gets Old” or on, my favorite track, “Window Shopping.” Likewise, the Dap-Kings work in tandem with Sharon’s voice to fully make the songs deliver their punch. On the instrumental track, “The Reason,” you really get to hear the Dap-Kings as they deliver a song that is just…groovy. No really, it has a great groove.
Crazy For You
The opening track “Boyfriend” sucked me in. If the rest of the album wasn’t great, “Boyfriend” would have been at the top of my favorite songs list. The album is full of catchy sugar pop music — check out “Our Deal” and “Honey” — that makes you want to sit on a beach blanket while writing in your diary about your new crush.
Timeless Pulse – Collioure
While listening to a Deep House Cat podcast, I fell in love with a song called “La Vague.” That sent me on a search to learn more about Collioure, a Japanese downtempo/lounge group. With limited vocals on the songs, the listener is left to fully appreciate the music, which is lush, exotic and perfect for a chillout session.
III/IV
I’ve only had this double album — on beautiful, gorgeous, colorful vinyl — for about two weeks, but yes, it’s really that good. What’s essentially a collection of B-sides can put to shame a lot of A-side albums on the market these days. The album has some great little gems on it like “Typecast” and “Gracie.”
Transference
When I received Transference, I wasn’t sure where to set my expectations. Could they really do another Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga? Yes and no. With songs like “Who Makes Your Money” and “Got Nuffin,” I found the album to be a closer relative to soulful grooves found on Gimme Fiction. One of my favorite tracks is the sleepy “Out Goes the Lights.”
Honorable Mentions:
As I Call You Down
Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper, and Joseph Arthur. That’s three kinds of awesome merged into one group. For a debut album, it’s fairly solid, however, where it falters is in trying to maintain some of the singular qualities of each musician’s individual artistry. When I listen to the album, I can hear each member’s contributions, but I also (selfishly) wanted to hear them push beyond that and deliver something unique to the album.
Interpol
I really wanted to like this album more than I currently do. I wanted to love it, especially after the less-than-stellar Our Love to Admire. The couple of songs I heard prior to the album’s release — “Barricade”
Winner Winner
Because of my frequent comedy album purchases, Jessi Campbell’s album came up as a recommendation. I’d never heard of her before the recommendation. I listened to the album with tempered expectations, but oh my, she’s quite funny! I’m looking forward to hearing more from her in the future.
Favorite Songs (excludes songs from favorite albums):
“Blackbird and the Fox” – Twilight Singers feat. Ani DiFranco
“Rolling in the Deep”
“Not Giving Up On Love (Armin van Buuren Remix)”
“O.N.E.”
“Together Alright (MTV’s 2010 Club Mix)”
“Vanity”
“Our Summer”
“Back It Up (Melleefresh vs Jerome Robins Velvet Fog Mix)” – SpekrFreks vs. Billy Newton Davis
“Why Like This”
Songs I rediscovered this year and now realize it may be some of the most perfect songs ever recorded (2010 edition):
“Home”
“So Close”
“Take Some…Leave Some
What I’m looking forward to music-wise in 2011: New Twilight Singers (Dynamite Steps
