Notes from Stonesthrow

Just another WordPress.com weblog

Into the Clear May 1, 2008

Filed under: Entertainment, Personal — Greg @ 10:02 pm

The semester is winding down — last day of classes is Monday — and so even for me who is not teaching, it still means things are slowing down. The event I was in charge of went off well, and other projects are on simmering nicely, so I can’t complain.

 

Big weekend this weekend as I get to see Dave and Donna (largely bc I screwed up my schedule), which will no doubt present lots of awesomeness. Dave and I will likely spend much time discussing the miserable state of American education, politics, and/or culture, or something like that. I will likely get far too upset because Dave is, in fact, a gremlin. I could also be upset by seeing the Mariners Sunday because they are sucking enormously right now and don’t seem to know how to actually play baseball.

 

Finally, I have decided that The Insider is the worst television show on right now. Last week, they spent an entire week on Ivana Trump’s wedding. Tonight, they did two teases about what Donny Osmond thinks about Miley Cyrus’s Vanity Fair pictures.

 

Seriously. It hurts my head.

 

OK, off to bed. Apologies for the radio silence.

 

New Website April 15, 2008

Filed under: Technology, Ursinus — Greg @ 4:31 pm

No, not Stonesthrow, but Ursinus. I was on a committee to help develop it, but stopped really contributing after the basic design was approved. It’s much better than the previous version, and the graphics are largely good. It still has a ways to go before it’s fully fleshed out, but I’m pretty happy with it. Thoughts?

 

Learning Something New, Blah Blah Fishcakes April 8, 2008

Filed under: Baseball, Education — Greg @ 9:51 pm

I went to dinner tonight at Black Lab Bistro (more on that at some point over at Chicken-Fried Caviar) with colleagues and a special guest to the college this week, Owen Gingerich, an astronomer from Harvard.

 

He was very cool and brought with him something I’d never heard of before: an astrolabe. I’ll let you click over to Wikipedia for the blow by blow, but this particular one was a 17th century Persian number (which he’d brought along to share with some students and faculty). It was fascinating, especially since I think it’s pretty rare to see something that’s over 400 years old right in front of you, and something that old actually “working.”

 

So, there you go.

 

Something I didn’t learn this weekend? That baseball can be very mean, in that one travels hours away from home in very cold weather only to see one’s favorite team blow a lead in the bottom of the ninth. However, they beat the Rays (and, I can’t decide if they’ve given up on the animal meaning for the sun emanation meaning; if they have, that’s dumb. While one doesn’t often root for slimy fishy things, one cannot root for something that doesn’t move or attack. My favorite example of this comes from high school; one of the teams we played often were the Marysville Pilchuk Tomahawks. Now, you can’t really root for a weapon very well, can you? And, granted, there is the whole Supersonics issue — not only inanimate, but an adjective for Christ’s sake — but they’ve always been my least favorite Seattle team and they might be leaving anyway.), so perhaps all is not lost. 

 

Take Me Out March 31, 2008

Filed under: Baseball — Greg @ 6:23 pm

Opening Day greets us with a drizzly, demoralizing loss for the Fightin’ Phils; I’m ensconced in front of my mlb.tv player as the M’s take on the evil Rangers.  It’s baseball time. This summer proves to be quite the summer of baseball. We have gone halfsies on a Sunday ticket plan for the Phillies, and have added another Phils game to see with Donna. Further, next weekend, we’re heading down to Camden Yards to see the M’s take on the O’s. Later in the summer, we’ll see the last season at Yankee Stadium when the M’s come to town. I’m sure at some point we will also make it to Reading and to the new team in Allentown, if only to get something with the team name on it. Finally, in August, we are planning a Pennsylvania baseball/amusement park extravaganza, with stops at KnoebelsWilliamsportEriePittsburghFallingwater, and Altoona (which features both baseball and amusement park right next to each other). Should any blog readers like to join us at any point, do let us know!

 

The Empire Strikes Back March 26, 2008

Filed under: Uncategorized — Greg @ 2:24 pm

I mean, first, Jaguar and Land Rover are sold to we colonists, angering many a Brit, no doubt.

But, now this? “Ford sells Jaguar, Land Rover to India’s Tata.”

I mean, the Queen must be pissed — almost as much as when Canada threatened to leave the Commonwealth. Oh, wait, that was Kids in the Hall (how is Kids in the Hall not really on YouTube?).

 

Two Dames and a Dam March 25, 2008

Filed under: Travel — Greg @ 9:38 pm

So, back to Vegas.

I’ll dispense with copious amounts of writing about my gambling. I did better than Rick. There was a lot of video poker, interspersed with some blackjack (including at a $5 table at Bellagio Sunday morning, featuring the oldest dealer on earth and the most annoying Canadian couple on earth, the latter causing us to leave the table — a $5 table at Bellagio! the height of the couple’s idiocy came when, after flipping a 50-cent piece at Richard for a top which landed in the chip tray, rendering it no longer a tip but the property of the casino, the guy kept on telling Richard that it was a tip for him, to which Richard mumbled, “it’s not worth it.” When Richard took his break (to, presumably, nap), the guy kept on going on and on about how Richard should retire because he wasn’t in a good mood. No, asshole, you need to stop being an idiot.), roulette (largely even there), some slots (including stellar wins at two different Wheel of Fortune machines, including my first 1000 on the big wheel:

dscn0312.jpg ), some bad sports bets (except I have futures bets on the M’s, which I’m sure will turn out well), and some craps downtown with some construction guys who completely rocked and won me $250. So, gambling wasn’t horrible, which was nice.

What did we do otherwise? We did some shopping for a watch for Rick (apparently, at a certain price range, you can haggle for watch prices? Who knew? Don’t pay full price!), and generally just walked around. And drank.

And then there were the three events referenced in the title.

Sunday night, we saw Bette Midler at the Colosseum, the house that Celine built. I had never seen Bette, and I can’t say that I am a huge fan, but I like her well enough — like her personality quite a bit. The show was really great. It had a great mix of music, dance, and comedy. The first part was surprisingly good: her rendition of “When a Man Loves a Woman” showed she still has the voice to pull off some difficult stuff when she wants to. There were her usual standards (second was “The Rose,” last, “Wind Beneath My Wings”) and others, including the saddest song I’ve ever heard, “Hello in There,” (original and Bette) — seriously, make sure you’re stable while listening. The dancing was good and the comedy ribald, though I could have done with less mermaid stuff. Overall, definitely a show to see and well worth it.

The next day, we drove to Hoover Dam, which is less than an hour from Vegas, which surprised me. It was really impressive and pretty interesting. They are also building a bypass and that is truly frightening:

dscn0324.jpgdscn0333.jpg

I also liked the architecture of some of the accompanying pieces of the dam — to me this collection tower looks like a submerged Coit Tower:

dscn0328.jpg

It was all very cool and I’m glad we finally made it there.

So, the last thing. When we were in Vegas a trip or two ago, we saw ads for an event featuring Sylvia Browne, and thought, oh what a hoot. For those of you who don’t know her, she is constantly on Montel Williams, telling people their futures, who their spirit guides are, and how their loved ones died. She sounds like she’s been smoking since age 10 months and has the kind of attitude of someone who is not just world weary, but tired of you and your shit. I sort of love her.

So, we saw ads for her again (this time at Excalibur! Perfect!), and I started to do my Sylvia impression for John and Angel, and they were really loving it — to the point that they decided we actually needed to see her. I thought they were kidding. But, no, there’s Angel calling the box office on the way back from Hoover Dam; there we are buying our tickets; there we are posing next to her angelic visage before the show (in the same theater as the Thunder from Down Under male revue and hack comic Louie Anderson!):

dscn0334.jpg

So, there were two price points: $141 for VIP tickets, which guaranteed you a question for Sylvia, and $85 for us shlubs (hey, it’s Vegas). We entered, sat among true believers, and listened for the first half-hour to Sylvia explaining her lexicon ([the following are paraphrases unless quoted] when you ask for an angel, make sure you ask for the principalities and the thrones — they’re the ones that have the real power) and then just ranting (I don’t understand why we’re not drilling in Alaska for natural resources — I mean there’s the oil, but also all kinds of zinc). Then we got to the questions.

The first person explained to Sylvia how she and her father had to leave their house a year ago because their neighbor had put a hit out on them. Her question was whether it was safe for them to go back to get their stuff. Here’s what followed:

  • Sure, honey. Just get a police escort and you’ll be safe.
  • Are you sure, because I just don’t feel right about and I’m worried about us getting hurt. Now, are they still after us?
  • I’m sorry honey, but it’s just one question.
  • Oh, but I bought three tickets.
  • Oh, OK.

Yes, rather than spending $500 on, oh, I don’t know, a bodyguard, she sought Sylvia’s advice. Yes, this is who we were with. My two favorite other moments from the questions:

  • Sylvia, will I be a millionaire? No….but you’ll be comfortable.
  • Sylvia, can you tell me the names of the spirit guides for me, my wife, and my son? Leon, April, and Loretta. (Other spirit guides included Andrea and Frida)

So, once all the VIPs got their turn, she pulled tickets out of a bowl, and if the number matched yours, you got to ask a question. As our spirit guide would have it, we all got to ask a question. I asked a semi-serious question about my uncle (heart problem; he’s still watching over me; he was eccentric — all feasible, all relatively predictable), while the others asked the following, in order of my favorites:

  • Rick: what is my financial outlook? Bleak until December…of course, it’s been bleak all year, huh? (Rick has had the best year financially of his career this year)
  • Angel: how long will I be in my current job? As long as you want. (Um, what spirit guide did you consult for that?)
  • John: will my current relationship last? Is it with a light-haired female? No. Then, no. (as John goes to sits next to his boyfriend).

John maintains that Sylvia was better than Bette; all I’ll say is that it was entertaining (but also pathetic or perhaps just bathetic — I mean, there are a few relationships in the dust after this thing, and possible death with that one woman) and definitely worth the money.

Overall, we had a really good time. I think four nights may be the right amount of time — if we can swing it with our schedules — but obviously three hotels is ridiculous. We didn’t gamble as much as we usually do because of the longer stay, in some ways, because we didn’t feel pressured to get everything in that we wanted to do — we were much more relaxed. All in all, a very good time.

 

My New Favorite Person March 21, 2008

Filed under: Funny — Greg @ 9:49 am

Thanks to NPR’s Story of the Day Podcast, I heard about Leslie Hall.

Um, how come I have never seen nor heard her before? I lurve her!

PS: here’s hoping I get the rest of the Vegas trip report up soon. Perhaps tonight while I listen to the M’s or something. We’ll see.

 

Sudden Newfound Respect for Charlie Rose March 18, 2008

Filed under: Funny — Greg @ 9:25 pm

“Charlie Rose Face Plants to Save His MacBook Air”

I would do the same, sir.

Of course, first I’d have to have one. I think I will start though with at some point getting an iPod where the whole screen works. Damned Detroit airport and your awfully hard tiled floors!

 

Hotel Hopping and Lard March 17, 2008

Filed under: Restaurants, Travel — Greg @ 10:03 pm

So, our latest trip to Vegas was quite the affair. We had a heady, ambitious trip planned, the hallmark of which was three different hotels in four nights. This proved to be not the ideal situation, but we also only spent about $350 total on hotel rooms, which, especially during the beginning of a humongous convention, was pretty darn good.

Let’s divide this into categories, because I don’t much feel like doing a true chronological narrative.

Hotels

Our first two nights were at Flamingo, where we had stayed before. I checked in using my Diamond access, and I also tried the $20 trick. The $20 got us a room facing the Strip on the floor below the top floor, which turned out to be fairly large for that reason.

dscn0287.jpgdscn0288.jpgdscn0289.jpgdscn0290.jpg

However, this was not a newly renovated room or floor, so the furnishings were a bit tired. That being said, it was a good room, with a great view, and definitely met our needs. The Flamingo itself remains the same: not very interesting, few if any restaurants worth trying, poor video poker, but a location that really can’t be beat. Rick has stayed there three times now, and lamented that it means it’s his home casino — he could do worse.

Our third night was at Wynn, on a deal Rick got through email — $129 with $100 of slot credit. As I believe I wrote to Donna, I want to live there. I just love the aesthetic — deep colors, over-the-top cornices and flourishes, good art — and the room is also just very large. We were able to swing another Strip view, though this one slightly less interesting, but it still made for a nice place to sit and eat a little breakfast the morning of our departure.

We gave them a little play, so I hope he continues to get offers, because I would love to make this our home casino.

Our fourth night was at Fitzgerald’s downtown. I got us a $80 room off Vegas.com, which was something of a steal, since that night was the first real night of the huge construction convention in town, and rooms on the Strip were going for upwards of $500. Yeah, no. We had heard decent things about the Fitz, and we wanted to stay either downtown or off-strip, so this seemed like a good option. It didn’t really disappoint. The room was worn, but still pretty decent.

dscn0347.jpgdscn0348.jpgdscn0350.jpg

The notoriously slow elevators lived up to their billing, but we got on one because we were on one of the top floors (it was still annoying though, as after it was full after the 20th floor it kept stopping at almost any floor and we had to say no to the sad people waiting through their third or fourth elevator. However, perfectly able-bodied people on the third and fourth floors got no sympathy from me). I don’t know, with all the options available, if we would stay there again, but it sufficed.

Overall, three hotels in four nights was too much. The checking in and checking out didn’t really annoy us; it was more the literal living out of a suitcase and not having a home that got tiresome. I think we’d do two in four nights, but three in that span is just too much. Good stays though.

Food and Drink

We had initially made a reservation at Okada at Wynn for our “special” meal, but John and Angel suggested Carnevino at Palazzo for our first night, and we thought that sounded wonderful. The room is interestingly shaped, as it has a narrow bar (at which we sat and I had a barkeep-concocted drink after I requested something with Campari, and he used something else that was Campari-like with various other things — it was wonderful:

dscn0295.jpg

) that then opens into a large open dining room. It was a nice setting, and we were seated next to a window that looked out onto Wynn across the street. The bread came with some wonderful butter and something that was described as a pork-based lard sort of spread.

dscn0299.jpg

I think you can tell which was which by how much we (OK, I) used. That was followed by appetizers, which included my little Gorgonzola Dolce “Sformata,” that accompanied a pear and endive salad, Rick’s Beef Carpaccio, and John and Angel’s “Affetati Misti,” a selection of meats, peppers, and, of course, lard.

dscn0296.jpgdscn0298.jpgdscn0297.jpg

All were wonderful (though Angel and John didn’t feel so hot afterwards; perhaps the lardo didn’t agree with them as it did me).  Strangely, I was the only one who actually got meat: I chose the petit filet mignon, accompanied by a gorgonzola marscapone sauce (duh), while Rick had the gnocchi bolognese (and I can’t remember what John and Angel had — I think there was a special involved).

dscn0300.jpgdscn0302.jpgdscn0301.jpg

Again, everything was wonderful. The meal was of course outrageously expensive (I think around $100/person), but I think it was worth it. It didn’t rank on my top 5 of all time like Bradley Ogden at Caesars does, but it was very good. The service started oddly (some child attempted to tell us the specials, and then was summarily dispatched in favor of someone with a clue), but hit its stride; it also featured the first of two gay waiters who were perhaps overly comfortable with fellow family members (there was much sass that I enjoyed but almost crossed the line). Overall, thumbs up on Carnevino, and it gives me some motivation to give Batali another chance after a less-than-wonderful experience at Babbo in NYC.

The next morning, Rick and I went to the Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood for Sunday Champagne Brunch. We’d heard good things about this buffet for a while, and we were not disappointed: great selection, roundly wonderful quality, some damn fine bacon (applewood smoked, natch), and a lovely stuffed pork loin. Also, it was a good deal: just over $50 for the two of us, which included unlimited champagne.

Having stuffed ourselves at brunch, we decided to go light for dinner and met John and Angel for drinks at the bar at Guy Savoy. Someday I will eat here for dinner, as well as at Joel Robuchon. This is when I win the Powerball.  For our four glasses of wine and a cheese plate, the bill went to $200 — John’s glass of champagne hit the $45 mark. A bit ridiculous, but nice.

The next morning we met John and Angel at the Paris breakfast buffet, where we fast-forwarded using my Diamond status and had a fine but unspectacular breakfast. This used to be a destination, but now it’s just convenient, which is too bad. For dinner, we ate at Red 8 at Wynn, a casual (for them) Chinese place, where I just had a plate of tempura and Rick some steamed vegetables, while John and Angel had fried rice. It was good tempura, and a nice setting; nothing to really be dramatically gaga over, but quality food at not horrible prices.

Speaking of horrible prices, the next morning, I hopped down to the cafe at Wynn to grab bagels, a fruit cup, two waters, and a coffee . . . for $30. OK then. Note to self: bulk up before going to Wynn. Downtown that night, we had a slightly surprisingly good meal at Roberta’s at the once-sketchy and now charming El Cortez. We had a coupon, so dinner was a good deal for salad and meat (again a filet mignon for me, while Rick had sea bass).

Oh, drink: we of course had our spiked lemonades from the kiosk outside Caesars, one of the best things on the Strip.

dscn0306.jpg

They’re slightly expensive (running $8.50 for 24oz.), but they are chockful of alcohol and plenty yummy. They are guaranteed to give you a buzz. We also enjoyed many cocktails at the Diamond Lounges (if you don’t know, one of the perks of my status with Harrah’s is to be able to visit these places with bars and some snacks in the Harrah’s properties — gratis. This perk ends this month though, so sadness overwhelms), including an invented drink at Harrah’s called a Purple Alaskan Thunderfucker (it involved some Jack Daniels, but I can’t remember anything else) and a oatmeal cookie “martini” at Caesars (not a drink I need to have again, but it was fun). While gambling, it was a lot of gin and tonics for me this trip, while Rick stuck to rum and diet coke. It was all good, and I refrained from the enormous frozen drinks downtown this trip — saving me from Slurpee headaches and drunken embarrassment.

OK, that’s enough for now. What’s left? Well, here’s something to tease you: “Leon, April, and Loretta.” Oh, the mind boggles.

 

The Terror Dream March 15, 2008

Filed under: Books — Greg @ 6:39 pm

So, I actually read a book.

I’ve long been interested in Susan Faludi. I’ve liked the topic of her previous books, Backlash and Stiffed, but have never finished them (I’ve read around the former). I’ve also been interested in reading some of the analyses of 9/11, but also have not gotten to them, either because they seemed morbid or simplistic.

But, this one was recommended on a few sites, so I decided to dig in.

The Terror Dream’s thesis is that our bellicose response to 9/11 should have come as no surprise. Moreover, that that bellicosity was supported through narratives of brave masculine heroes saving helpless women should definitely come as no surprise, as that has been our national narrative since before we were a country. Finally, that these narratives of masculine heroism and feminine helplessness are largely fictions should come as no surprise, as some of the most foundational stories of our culture, particularly captivity narratives and Daniel Boone, are completely made up and often warp factual narratives of female independence and heroism.

Faludi structures the book in an interesting way, spending the first half on the reactions to 9/11 (in an “Ontology” section), showing methodically how certain narratives — like the one about how America wanted to “nest” after 9/11, or the automatic labelling of first responders as heroes, when they didn’t want the label — were media-driven and largely invented. She spends a lot of time on two other stories: the demonization of the “Jersey Girls” and the canonization of Jessica Lynch. It’s a persuasive argument — that our response to 9/11 quickly became a gendered response.

But Faludi does not want to merely say that, which is laudable. The second section, “Phylogeny,” goes back to the very beginnings of a (white) America and spends a lot of time showing how narratives of female heroism (and even violence) quickly became subsumed by the need to show that men were in fact protecting “their” women from those whom they would consider to be terrorists — the Native Americans who would engage in a series of surprise attacks on the settlers. At the same time, Faludi shows how narratives of male terrorism basically had to be created out of nothing — particularly the story of the largely irresponsible Daniel Boone.

I have to admit that the second half somewhat drags, but that may be because I just wasn’t as interested in going back in as much detail as Faludi provides. However, the overall argument is interesting; it’s almost as if we cannot help ourselves — like it’s in our blood to revert to these tropes and this language. However, Faludi does end the book with a “What if?” chapter, asking what if we had denied our history and engaged in true soul-searching and fact-finding? Her answer is that we might be safer than we are right now — and perhaps would not be engaging in a losing war that will continue to necessitate division along gender lines.