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June 29, 2005
The Trip to Bountiful
If you read only one book about container gardening this year, make it "The Bountiful Container" by McGee and Stuckey. In the interest of brevity, I will just say that it is the Ten Commandments, Bill of Rights, and "Joy of Cooking" of container gardening instruction rolled into one.
Posted by emily at 2:22 PM | Comments (1)
June 24, 2005
Queue management
As a Netflix junkie, I spend a lot of time managing my queue -- re-ordering the movies on my list so I have a good selection at home to choose from, depending on my mood and how much time I have to watch. So, I am always moving things up and down my queue to try for the best mix.
There are some movies that, whenever they drift near the top, I move them farther down the list. It seems I'm not as excited about actually seeing them as I thought I'd be. Really, I should probably just take them off. I list them here in case anyone can make a strong case for or against:
Off the Charts -- a documentary that features music from my favorite live karaoke band, The Amazing Embarrassonics, BUT the subtitle is "The Song-Poem Story" and it's hard to get excited about song-poems.
The Last Shot -- it's based on a true story that was very amusing when recounted on "This American Life" and stars cutie Matthew Broderick BUT it looks silly and I already know the story because I heard it on the radio.
Pee Wee's Big Adventure -- a great movie I'm in the mood to see again BUT it sometimes plays at the Roxie or Red Vic and it would be more fun to watch it with a crowd.
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster -- supposed to be very funny/insightful BUT this would be a lot more appealing if it was about a band I had any interest in.
The Wire, Season 1 -- critically acclaimed BUT it looks way too gritty to be actually enjoyable.
Touching the Void -- Ted and Naomi really liked it BUT it sounds like a lot of dramatic re-enactments of rock climbing.
Zhou Yu's Train -- I must have heard a good review of this movie when it came out BUT it looks boring... like watching someone ride a train for two hours.
Posted by emily at 10:36 AM | Comments (5)
June 16, 2005
Tomato Watch 2005
It has been brought to my attention that I might be turning into one of those people who talk about their hobbies too much. No, not knitting... container gardening. Basil and parsley were my gateway plants, picked up on a whim on Guerrero St. in April. Now I have a whole deck full of herbs and vegetables. I have been reading obsessively and trying to mine the collective wisdom of Dad, Naomi, Nhadine, James, Jenny and Harold.
I want all the plants to succeed, but am really pulling for the tomatoes and beans. I check them at least three times every day, so it's hard to gauge progress. So far my star is the Sweet 100 cherry tomato plant below. If these tomatoes ever turn red, I will be in heaven.
Posted by emily at 3:02 PM | Comments (2)
June 12, 2005
Hair today...
The surest sign that summer is here: Ted has, once again, gone bald.
Posted by emily at 4:03 PM | Comments (1)
June 9, 2005
Back to the Future
The best 80's band I've heard in decades is Ted S.'s new group, Sid Luscious and the Pants. The songs are new but the sound is 80's (new wave), the look is 80's (painfully so), and the lyrics are... well, the lyrics are about greed, excess, Gorbachev, nuclear war and Iran Contra.
Speaking of the 80's, remember how career women would wear sneakers with their skirts and dresses on the street (and change into power pumps at the office, a la "Working Girl"?) Well, my niece is bringing this look back with a vengeance. Ever since Ted bought her mini-New Balances, she has been wearing them with everything, and looks damn fine doing it.
Posted by emily at 12:40 PM
June 5, 2005
An Outdoor Movie About Outdoor Movies
Saturday night Mark and I went to see "Cinema Paradiso" in Washington Square Park. Like many of my favorite movies, this one features a precocious kid, an attractive lead, and bicycling for transportation. Truth be told, I could live without much of the middle (Toto: the teenage years) but the final scene, when he watches the film clips that Alfredo kept for him, gets me every time.
Coming (kind of) soon: "Tootsie" in Dolores Park, October 8!
Posted by emily at 12:08 AM | Comments (2)
June 1, 2005
The Facts of Life Go to Rome
For Memorial Day Chris, Jen, Leah, Marc, Mark, Priya, Suany, Ted, Teri, Trent and I flew to New York City for a long, but not long enough, weekend.
Highlights included biking the mean streets of Central Park and Morningside Heights (above), a probably-not-really-him Ralph Nader celebrity sighting in Gramercy Park, shopping for gourmet dirt in Union Square, savoring a fancy six-course dinner in NoHo, dancing at the randomest bars in Manhattan and only getting kicked out of one. I heart-ed it all.
Posted by emily at 10:46 PM | Comments (2)