Sean & Stefan’s Friends

EliteXC: Destiny (2007)

nobody@vox.com(TheMovieRambler) — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:48:48 -0700

Released: May 13, 2008
*****
In that vein, then, it's a disappointment very little blood is drawn here. In "Renegade," at least two of the fights showcased a blood-spattered mat, gashes and general unpleasantness. "Destiny" is a more sanitized affair. Perhaps it's a symptom of being the first event only one fighter out of the undercard and main event fights becomes bloody (John-David Shackelford on the undercard). There's no Seth Kleinbeck-esque open wound on the brow. Nick Diaz's bloody face is a distant memory. But it in no way means the matches are any less brutal.
*****

EliteXC: Destiny DVD Review

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What a voice...

nobody@vox.com(Duck) — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:34:14 -0700

Working on a presentation for work--Hey! it's about social networking websites, so this WAS work--I needed a random search on You Tube & Ofra Haza came to mind & this is one of my favorites by her:

Fatamorgana Ofra Haza

Lordy! what a voice! Still makes me all shivery. She passed away like seven years ago...I'm just glad she left such a large body of recordings that I can continue to discover them for years...

OK, back to the presentation...

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Meanwhile, on the steps of the California Supreme Court

nobody@vox.com(Jamison) — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:39:13 -0700

The SF Chronicle was at the courthouse for the California Supreme Court ruling today for reactions. You can spot San Francisco City Hall, where all of this began four years ago, kitty-corner in the background.

California Gay Marriage Ruling

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America needs a reality check!

nobody@vox.com(Alissa) — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:44:16 -0700

The pop culture media outlets are all abuzz with the winner of the latest installment of "America's Next Top Model". The articles abound with words like "full-figured", "plus-sized" and "big girl", but seriously, is this girl really any of those things???

Top_model3_320x240

HELL-OOOO! This girl is a size 8-10!!! Last time I went shopping, you couldn't find an 8-10 in the plus-sized department. In what world does that qualify as plus-sized or even full-figured? No wonder girls today have body image issues.

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Cooking with Gordon

nobody@vox.com(Alissa) — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:55:29 -0700

My name is Alissa and I am a HUGE Gordon Ramsay fan. OK, 12 step moment over :-)

But seriously, I truly respect his passion for food, his drive and his commitment to cooking local.

A few months back, I ordered 2 Gordon Ramsay cookbooks from Amazon UK. Yes, with the current exchange rate that means I paid way too much for these books, but I couldn't get them in the US and I love the recipes. I've worked my way through so many of the recipes in the book and haven't been disappointed by a single one. As a matter of fact, my "company's coming" signature dish is from Gordon's Fast Food cookbook (which, BTW, recently became available in the US).

So, imagine how thrilled I was to received an email from Amazon UK telling me that Gordon not only has a new cookbook, but its filled with Healthy Recipes.

Gordon Ramsay Healthy Appetite

I was keenly interested in this book because I've been looking for healthy recipes that use whole food and local ingredients. I am SO sick of the healthy cooking cookbooks filled with their less than healthy, chemically altered ingredients. In Healthy Appetite, you have recipes that don't compromise on taste or flavor. These recipes work for whatever life throws at you... a simple mid-week family meal to an elegant dinner party.

When I read the Introduction, I know that I had finally found what I had been looking for...

"Choosing the right ingredients is the core of healthy eating. It's not just a matter of selecting the leanest cuts of meat and reducing the amount of fat we consume, it helps to know which ingredients are at their peak at any given time, both in terms of flavour and nutrition. When it comes to putting a healthy dish together, balance and moderation are key. It's not simply a matter of putting the right types of food on a plate. How the food is cooked and seasoned and how the whole menu comes together are just as important. And I don't advocate cutting out butter and cream completely, just using a little here and there where it will really enhance the flavour of a dish."

The package arrived yesterday and I immediately began picking out the recipes I would cook this weekend. I promise to report back on my findings and share a recipe or two along the way.

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EliteXC: Renegade

nobody@vox.com(TheMovieRambler) — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:50:33 -0700

Released: May 13, 2008
*****
It´s controlled violence, trained violence, not designed to hurt the other person, but to make them submit. The referee is involved to ensure a clean fight. A cage doctor is on hand to tend to the injuries. I don´t think there´s anything quite like MMA in any other sport. Football comes closest, but even the most manly of American sports pales in comparison. Shoulder pads, cleats, helmets…none of these fighters have anything of the sort. There´s a primal, base animal emotion to what we´re watching.
*****
EliteXC: Renegade DVD Review

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Beau's AIDS/LifeCycle Challenge

nobody@vox.com(Jamison) — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:38:12 -0700

Ride to End AIDS

Our office was featured last week as one of Valleywag's 10 best workspaces and a mention of our bike garage right before Bike to Work Day gave Beau an idea. Last friday morning Beau had that smile he gets whenever he comes up with something really good (he does it quite a lot) and I knew this was going to be good.

So many people here in the Six Apart office bike, walk or ride transit (we don't even have parking) already, I'd barely noticed the Bike to Work Day was coming up. Beau didn't need to convince anyone that we as should do something together as a company to support Bike to Work Day, so we'll be doing something special here on Vox along with TypePad. For folks in San Francisco, we'll be handing out snacks and drinks to cyclists out front. .

Beau is going another step further though, offering to donate $10 to AIDS/LifeCycle for everyone in the office who rides a bike to work on Thursday. This will be the third time I will be riding the 7 day, 545 mile fundraiser and this year Alex and Mike are joining me as first time riders.

You can help us too with a donation of support to (me) Jamison (rider 2008), Alex (rider 2004), and Mike (rider 2050).

And if you're in San Francisco, swing by Six Apart HQ thursday morning for snacks on your way to work. We're located at 548 Fourth Street, midway between Bryant and Brannan on the way towards the Caltrain station.

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Poor Trentie

nobody@vox.com(Duck) — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:52:42 -0700

What have I done!

Checking out the equality score card to find out if GLBT citizens in my state are second class citizens, I got a shock (not a huge one...but still...)

I have taken you, my Trentie, from a state with a 4.0 score (out of six) to one of the three worst states in the union with a score of 0.5 Ohio is in the company of only Idaho & Mississippi...we're behind Alabama fer Buddha's sake!

How does your state fare?

http://www.equalitygiving.org/States-of-Equality-and-Gay-Rights-Scorecard

(Oh, and it doesn't matter if you pick the state I actually took him from: Massachusettes or the state of his birth: Maine...both have that 4.0 score).

Sigh...

I need a laugh...here:

It's Banjo!

Thanks to Heather who had this on her Vox & it made me larf so hard...since we live it every morning...minus the bat, though I do have recurring headaches lately, hmmm.

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Enchanted (2007)

nobody@vox.com(TheMovieRambler) — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:36:19 -0700

Giselle, in the big production number

Released: November 21, 2007
Director: Kevin Lima
*****
Every once in a while, a movie comes along which flips convention on its head. It takes what we know, contorts it into something else and gives us a fresh experience. Just at a time when Disney films had become cliche, Enchanted came along, made fun of every tradition and allowed us to believe again, if only for a couple of hours. Princess-to-be Giselle (Amy Adams) is transported to modern day New York courtesy of her evil step-mother-to-be, Narissa (Susan Sarandon). There, she meets lawyer Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a man who has all but given up on the things Giselle believes in: true love forever and ever. When Prince Edward (James Marsden) braves the mean New York streets to find his beloved, a new world awaits him. And possibly a new love.

What Enchanted does so well is blend tried and true Disney ideas-lavish production numbers, animals flocking to a princess, hopelessly naive characters, an evil queen-and makes fun of them without actually making fun of them. First and foremost is Amy Adams as Giselle, quite possibly the best bit of acting from a lead actress in 2007. She is completely believable at every turn, from not knowing what a date is to taking matters into her own hands at the end. There is a naivety in everything she does, yet she isn't a stupid character. Marsden, in another of his broad and pompous characters, overacts, sometimes quite outrageously so. But we believe his personae based on what Adams brings to the table beforehand.

If there is a weak link, it is Robert, his daughter Morgan and girlfriend Nancy. They are plot contrivances and feel like afterthoughts in most scenes. Morgan especially is thrown in for apparently no good reason. She has no critical part in the narrative nor does she appear on screen in the climactic finale. Nancy, for her part, isn't given anything of substance to do, though her eventual fate jives nearly perfectly with what we know of her.

The finale, featuring Susan Sarandon in full diva mode, rings just a bit hollow and sped up, as if a certain running time had to be met instead of a naturally flowing story. It's not enough to derail Enchanted, a story about learning to be critical, but not too critical as to miss what is staring you in the face. A bit of a hammy message to be sure, but also an endearing one in true Disney style.

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Think your neighbors are weird...

nobody@vox.com(Duck) — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:28:27 -0700

Well, have I got a story for you. There's no love lost between us and our neighbors on the one side (we like the other side fine)...the ones of which I speak I have complained about here before; they have the beagle who never shuts up. Endeavoring to be the good Buddhist, I smile and wave at them when I see them...but that may be a little more difficult from now on.

Sunday morning it was raining. I was in our kitchen making a lentil salad to take to my sister's for our Mother's day dinner. Our kitchen is large. Here's a picture:

Kitchen windows

Those windows look out over about five feet of yard...then a low wooden fence...then about five feet of their yard. I was working at the counter there by the sink. As I said it was raining out, so the light was on in the kitchen.

I saw the neighbor's 12-ish year old son walk by with his jackey over his head...I didn't think anything of it. They usually go to church. (Or I should say they usually dress up on Sunday mornings, I'm assuming the destination)

I often wonder what they think of us sometimes dancing in the kitchen...smooching over the sink...I know they can see in and they know we are a couple...So a few moments later, I look up from veggie chopping and the kid is back. He has his hand at his belt buckle. I think, "Oh no, is he going to scratch himself?"

Nope. He whipped it out and peed. Right there. Between the houses. Not only in full view of our lighted windows at 10 a.m. but with nothing but about forty feet of clear yard between him and the road...I fled.

I yelled, "Oh my god!"

Trent who was doing laundry in the basement said, "What?"

I repeated, "Oh my god! You will never believe waht I just saw."

"One of the neighbors naked?"

I kid you not, he actually said that. But he was just thinking of the most outrageous thing he could...and I had to tell him he was pretty much right on target.

Maybe that's why we have a patch of dead grass in the back...

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