Well, it’s not a beer from Troy and although the Greeks brought the walls down with their horse, we’ve got the horse now! So, when my wife and daughters came back from a conference in Athens, they couldn’t help but tell me of the wonders… which I will now enjoy myself! Fortunately, I was able to procure a sample or two from our local BEVMO.
However, it is corned beef curing time… so this time the beer of choice will be Greek! Yes, I don’t use water in my brine mixture… only beer!
I have written about this before but it is worth repeating. Few if any movies that have won an Oscar or have rave reviews by esteemed movie critics are worthy of the ticket price.
Why is this always the case?
Each critic views potential movies through a filter of their own set of social and political values that seldom are in sync with the needs and wants of the viewing public. Looking back, who can remember the commercial flops so propped up by critics like ‘the English Patient” or “Brokeback Mountain”? As I remember it, even the first “Star Wars” was panned by movie critics Siskel & Ebert … They were so often wrong ,they became my bench mark of what NOT to see.
The obvious truth is simple. People want to be entertained ….and in troubling times, lighthearted, amusing films that produce admiration, a smile and a good belly laugh are wanted the most. You can witness this yourself at the box office as folks vote with their feet and their scarce cash.
So, as ‘Transformers’ sets new box office heights while universally panned by the critics… I have to ask, ” do these critics just have a job-for-life, because they need new blood and a different perspective.” So as a tribute to having a little fun, here’s a tongue-in-cheek look at the making of Transformers:
Laura selects three beautiful artichokes for Sunday's midday meal
In California, if you spend any time here, you will experience some of the wonderful agricultural bounty of our state. Even though California is known for grapes, citrus, broccoli, strawberries, pistachios, truck farming and more illegal cash crops than most want to talk about … we all share a love of Artichokes . My best and fondest memory of California and home revolve around a meal of artichokes. As a boy, I remember going to Half moon bay to fish and stopping on the way back to buy a few wondrous artichokes for dinner… and this habit continues to this day. Only now, we walk to our local farmer’s market in San Luis Obispo to buy strawberries, white onions, pistachios ( yes, I must have my Baklava) and artichokes!
If you are really a fan, there is even an ‘Artichoke festival’ when the season is near and you can buy artichoke wine, artichoke flavored olive oil and every type of artichoke meal that you might imagine! It’s a lot of fun.
Personally, I love the largest of the artichokes with the biggest ‘hearts’. The preparation requires a couple of hours boiling in sea salt and lemon juice but well worth the effort.
So our midday meal on Sunday consists of artichokes, garlic butter, bread sticks, Marinara and local wine.
When Karen came back from South Africa, one of the clients she worked on was the wonderful beverage called ‘Amarula’. This alcoholic wonder comes from the Marula Berry which is one of the few fermented things in the world that can actually get elephants drunk.
Take a look at the video above and see how animals who supposedly would never ingest a substance that makes them drunk… will party all night long!
Aren’t you glad you don’t have to drive one of these guys home?
First, be careful how much news you watch , all news is designed to be depressing because bad news sells. So I think it is best to limit your exposure , especially if you want to keep your sanity. I am also reminded of the ‘sales truism’ that all people can be motivated by fear and/or greed and we have a lot of that going around. So, the moral is “if you want to be manipulated less, don’t read too much news.”
However, there is a truth about our troubling economy. Our nation is in a period of transition. Unemployment has nearly doubled in my county this past year and we are supposed to be one of the ‘lucky’ counties in California with economic recovery slated for sometime in 2012; however, with major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles viewed darkly until ‘2014 or beyond’ the impact will be here for longer than most will accept.
Obviously, the real secret to staying ahead of the big challenges is to have a job… and the best jobs are those that are likely to be in demand even in tough times. Some young people fall in love with smaller communities and fool themselves into believing they can stay by holding multiple ‘joe jobs’, but having two or three jobs is meaningless if all of them are equally vulnerable to elimination. The young need to go where the better jobs are. If I were to give unsolicited and unwanted advice to any young person, I would tell them:
1) They need to get the better skills needed to help them compete in our new world. This means they need to look honestly at what type of education will have value in the future marketplace.
2) I would caution them that if they didn’t have a great job, the cost of a good party might be beyond their reach. 😉
3) Lastly, I would suggest they look at careers and parts of the county and the world to start their life that they might not have considered before.
4) The world still is for those who can adjust to change and have the courage to move forward whether at 20 or 70.
Look honestly at the world, then you’ll know what to do.
