Whine & Cheese

Mini Takes The States Deadline Approaching

For my MINI Cooper fans out there... just a note that the MINI Takes The States deadline is approaching... you have until noon EST on July 17th to officially sign up for a leg or all of the cross-country journey.

Over 1,600 MINI owners are registered for at least part of the journey and over 300+ participants are signed up for the Vegas to Flagstaff leg.  Too bad that one is during the week or I would consider tagging along.   Looks like a lot of fun events along the way.... party at the House of Blues in Vegas, open-air movie nights, and baseball game tailgate parties just to name a few.

I have been pretty mum about the return of my MINI.  Being silly, I have been superstitious in fearing it will  jinx something... but I guess I am beyond that at this point and more antsy and frustrated... it should be soon...

There was a chance it was going to ready last Friday... then it was sometime this week... then a call on Tuesday returned on Wednesday said it perhaps this Friday (today!)... and I just left another message to see what's going on... but I am not counting on hearing anything back (pessimism is still reigns strong over all this... nothing yet settled insurance-wise either).

But... happy, happy... it's a holiday weekend... have a good one!

And 1 Bad Idea...

But I guess 1 out of 487 is not too bad... unfortunately the bad idea made it to the cover of what perhaps should be called...Harper's Bizarre!

I am not sure quite what Britney Spears is trying to accomplish with this upcoming cover/photo shoot.  For someone who was crying to "just be left alone"... umm, this seems to be sending a bit of a mixed message and certainly isn't "mother of the year" material.

Now I don't think Brit is a bad mother... every parent makes mistakes and has their share of oopsies with their babies, it is just that most moms are not being photographed and filmed around the clock.

That said, I watched the Dateline NBC interview a couple of weeks ago (not that I was planning to, TiVo nicely picked it up as a "suggestion" on the next-day re-broadcast) but given that I was looking for some TV to watch at that time, I did... and, well... let's just say I wasn't too impressed with what has become of our Britney.

It was clear that NBC was trying to gain sympathy for Spears. The poll question that ran during the show was "Has the paparrazi gone too far with Britney?" (or something like that)... and the overwhelming majority (83%?) said "yes."  Heck... I even agree with that.  While they are public figures, I totally think celebs should be able to get some iota of privacy and respect when they go outside their gated compounds.

However, I was starting to feel a little guilty... as did not think Britney was not accomplishing her "goal" of getting the "truth" out and/or repairing her public image.  I thought it was doing just the opposite. She dodged a lot of the questions... and didn't come across very convincingly (or sincere) when talking about her marriage and/or mothering...  and that's pretty bad given the softball questions thrown out by the equally and oddly attired sockless Matt Lauer.

But according to this article, Britney Bares All,  I guess I wasn't in the minority. I know US Weekly and The New York Post are not the bellwethers of journalism, but the former said that 87% of respondents to a poll had less respect for Spears after the Dateline interview... while the latter reports that the NBC film crew feared they had show up on the wrong day given Spears' disheveled appearance.

So, I don't know what Britney should do next... I don't think this cover is gonna help... just a continuation of her slide from America's Sweetheart to Sexpot to Trailer Park... oh, excuse me "Country" Queen.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Stop the presses!!  Yes, back to back book "reviews" here on W&C!

Now granted I was a little late in writing up Saturday, but I pretty much devoured  Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time starting it on Friday afternoon and wrapping it up last night.

I don't know what it is, but totally unintentionally I have been on a UK kick.  I started this recent run reading a Scottish author ... and the last two books (and now this one!) have been set in London and written by Brits.  Heck, even as I am writing this Wimbledon is on the television.  Maybe I should be having some tea instead of coffee?!?

Anyhow, this book has been on my "to be purchased" list for some time.  In fact, one time when I had this book in my hand Todd mentioned that it "looked like the kind of book I would read"... and since I often judge a book by its cover, I had to agree.  But for some reason or another it didn't make the cut until last week.  I am pretty "late" in reading this... with 1,100+ reviews (and a very impressive 4.5 out of 5 star average) on Amazon, this book is well beyond popular mass.

So onto the book!  It's the debut novel from Mark Haddon and tells the story of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15 year old kid living outside of London... so what?  Well, Christopher is autistic.  The book is told from his point of view... so it is a distracted, stream of consciousness narrative... even with pictures and mathematical equations thrown in the middle of the text.  Haddon worked with autistic folks, so thus his ability to get "inside the head" of this mysterious condition. 

Christopher is quite the charming and curious young fellow... and it doesn't take too long to fall in love with him.  However, his autism also makes him quite a challenge... and while Christopher is "special" in many ways, you can only have serious empathy for the adults in his life. It takes a whole lot of patience and understanding... and Haddon doesn't shy away from this aspect of those living with someone with autism.  The novel starts with Christopher trying to solve the mystery of the death of a neighbor's dog... but he ends up unwrapping some mysteries that lie deep within his very own household.  Again, as always, I don't want to say anything more abou the plot.

This book is inspiring, funny, and heartbreaking -- and you can feel all that in the span of a couple of pages.  It is easy to see why this book has become so popular -- no doubt by a lot of word of mouth as the book is passed around from friend to friend or family member to family member. 

If Haddon ever wonders what he should write next (his follow-up was, of all things, a book of poetry), I have little doubt that anyone who has read Curious Incident would happily embrace a Christopher Boone sequel.

Wimbledon Fashion Do's & Dont's

For the most part, it is the ladies that make the fashion statements on the tennis courts... but on the first "real" day of the 2006 Wimbledon tournament... it was the guys that caught my eye.

Now, Roger Federer is always pretty classy.  But...

This is taken it a bit too far.  I was kinda okay with the golden sneakers of a last year (or the year before that?), but the cream-colored blazer that Nike made for the 3-time defending champion is bordering on the dorky... I guess it fits the whole All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club stodgy, snooty, pompous, elitist... ok, you get the point... stick-up-your-butt attitude... but I guess it comes in handy for schmancy post-match dinners where it's "jacket required."

Now "kid stuff" usually makes my eyes rollback into my head, but this one even warmed my heart...

Andre Agassi's necklace was a Father's Day gift from his 4 1/2 year old son Jaden Gil.  If your eyesight is as bad as mine, the homemade block necklace reads "Daddy Rocks."   With a gift like that, I guess it is easy to determine at least one reason Agassi announced he will be retiring following this year's U.S. Open.

Saturday

Nope, not another re-hash of my weekend activities, just another book off my reading list.

After reading some lighter fare of late, I thought it was time to get back to some Literature (note the capital L).  I have read two of Ian McEwan's earlier works, Amsterdam and Atonement.  Well, I think I have.  I read the back cover blurb of Amsterdam and have some recall... but I can't say the same about Atonement.  I am pretty darn sure I read it (especially since one of the reasons I picked up this novel!) so it is just a tad disturbing that I can't remember anything about it!

But anyhow, whether I read it or not (errrgh!?!), I am still glad that I picked up McEwan's latest paperback release Saturday.   Though after those breezier reads, initially this was a bit tough to get into.  McEwan's prose was definitely a bit "thicker"... and it is quite detailed (i.e. lots of medical lingo, dozens of pages devoted to a raquetball match).

As the title suggests, the novel is a day (you guessed it, a Saturday) in the life of Henry Perowne, a London neurosurgeon who has quite an eventful 24 hours.  The day starts in the pre-dawn hours with Perowne looking out his bedroom window... he sees an airplane on fire and on its way down.  Hailed as one of the first post-9/11 novels, Perowne fears it is an act of terrorism.  And that's just the beginning.  McEwan is the master of the twist and the downward spiral... so let's just say, his day doesn't get any better as the day progresses... including (coincidentally enough for me!) a car accident (I'll come back to this in a future entry).  But I can't really say anything more without spoiling the plot... so the lip is zipped.

But it is really a fascinating book... and while that detail that I just spoke of at times makes it a challenging read, I think it had a purpose... getting the reader inside the head of a neurosurgeon (get it!).  The book takes place on the eve of United States and the "allied forces" (which, of course, includes the UK) going to war with Iraq.  During the course of the novel, Perowne has to navigate around a war protest march... and politics does seep into the story from time to time... while the character of Perowne is not against the war/invasion, it is pretty clear that McEwan is on the other side of the political fence.

To give you an idea of McEwan's style (and talent!)... I found this particular passage particularly brilliant  (and that I knew exactly where to find it after I was finished reading should tell you something):

...he's feeling the pull, like gravity, of the approaching TV news.  It's a condition of the times, this compulsion to hear how it stands with the world, and be joined to the generality, to a community of anxiety.  The habit's grown stronger these past two years; a different scale of news value has been set by monstrous and spectacular scenes. The possibility of their recurrence is one thread that binds the days.  The government's counsel -- that an attack in a European or American city is an inevitability -- isn't only a disclaimer of responsibility, it's a heady promise.  Everyone fears it, but there's also a darker longing in the collective mind, a sickening for self-punishment and a blasphemous curiousity.  Just as the hospitals have their crisis plans, so the television networks stand ready to deliver, and their audiences wait.  Bigger, grosser next time.  Please don't let it happen. But let me see it all the same, as it's happening and from every angle, and let me be among the first to know.

If you a looking for a quality... and a bit challenging (though certainly not "difficult") read... Ian McEwan's Saturday definitely fits the bill.  I suspect I will not forget this one.

Weekend Update #060625

Todd made it home safe and and sound on Friday night... it was great having him back home!

Over the weekend, I uploaded some of the pictures he took during his trip... he provided the color commentary.  So take a look at them over on my Flickr gallery (or go straight to the new "Europe" photo set, some wishful thinking on my part for future additions... hopefully with pix that I will personally take!). 

Todd was quite the trooper all weekend long... no long sleep-ins or naps. I don't know how he managed that, but I guess that is the best thing to do to get back on schedule.  Granted the alarm clock going off at 5:30 a.m. was not greeted with great joy by either of us this morning, but he was out the door and back to regular workplace by 6 a.m.

It was a tad earlier than I got up while Todd was away, but I didn't really sleep-in all too much while he was away.  Between it being pretty bright in the morning and having pets, I managed to get to 7 a.m. only once... most days, even without an alarm, I was up by 6:30 a.m.

Heck, today I even got Toby out for his walk waaay early.  Back in the spring (when I first started walking him), I would try to get out the door before it hit 80 degrees... but with our lows not even getting down to 80, that is pretty an impossibility these days.  So we were out the door, around the neighborhood, and back by 8 a.m. -- according to our indoor/outdoor thermometer it was already a toasty 87 degrees!  Yikes!

Also, I was a bit more motivated to get up today since it's the first day of Wimbledon!  So the big store today?  Federer?  Hingis?  Nope.  Rain!  Of course!  So we are already beeing "treated" to an encore of last year's Federer-Roddick final on the telly.  But my London sources tell me the weather should be good for the rest of the first week.

On Saturday, we hit the bookstore.  Todd plowed through two books while he was in France, so he needed something new.  After just two "sittings," I am already more than halfway through my latest book (and I still have to write my blog review of the last one)... so I was on the prowl for a new book as well.  Being the chronic book buyer, I planned on taking advantage of Borders "3 books for the price of 2" regular "sale"... but goshdarnit, while they still have the 3 for 2... the books that caught my eye were part of a new (?) 4 for 3 "deal."  So after a lot of back-and-forth, I picked out 4 books... to speed along my lack of decision-making process Todd reminded me that it's not like I have to actually have to read them.  He knows my book-buying addiction habits all too well.  But having been on a good reading tear of late, my intention is that all the new purchases will be read... and hopefully by the end of the summer.

Oh... rumor has it... that I will be getting something back this week... I don't want to jinx it, but if you have been reading W&C at any point during the past 6 months, you likely know what it is!   Keep your fingers crossed!

Express Lane: Issue 10

Already at the 10th "issue" of the Express Lane... here are the latest group of items that made it onto the W&C sidebar:

TVgasm Repairs Chenbot - There was not even one "But, First" off of the lips of the Chenbot in the "America's Choice" show... perhaps, Jules is too hyper-aware of her catchphrase as seen in this other video from the folks at TVgasm.  (6/23/06)

James Gandolfini puts muscle on "Sopranos" pals - A bunch of cast are still not signed for the final 8 episodes.  Reports are Gandolfini is having a chat with the actors who play Silvio and Paulie... but what about the others?  Are Dr. Melfi, Meadow, Bobby, and Artie history?! (6/22/06)

Extreme Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment - What happens when you mix these two ingredients?  The Bellagio fountains in your own backyard!  An amazing video, but best not to try this at home. (6/21/06)

CBS moves weekend Big Brother 7 episodes to Sundays - Chenbot & company are movin' on up... out of the Saturday night TV graveyard to green pastures on Sunday night at 8 pm EST/PST.  (6/15/06)

Strip booms again - Vegas continues to expand at an alarming rate -- over the next 5 years and $20 billion later, the current room capacity of 75,000 (!!) will grow by 30% -  a good deal of that in "high-end"/$200+ per night range. (6/15/06)

Woodruff Returns to Newsroom - Nice to see Bob up and about... but just a little sad that in the interim he and Elizabeth Vargas were knocked out the ABC anchor chair(s). (6/14/06)

Headed Home

Todd arrives back home today!

He left France around 3 a.m. local time and should arrive back here (via Amsterdam and Minneapolis) at around 11 p.m. tonight. 

Last night, with the end of "solitary" in sight, I mentally let my guard down and got a bit stir crazy.  A lot of pacing around the house... tv, computer, tv, computer, kitchen, computer, tv... computer...  and you can insert some sighing and bored whistling in the midst of all of that.  I finally settled down around 8:30 and decided to plow through the last 40-50 pages of the last novel I was reading... and hit the bed around 10:15, though it took me while to get to sleep.

7 movies watched, 1.5 books read, a couple dozen hours of "regular" tv, 4 frozen pizza dinners, 2 Taco Bell dinners, 1 bad back(side) (that finally started to approach normal just yesterday!).. and I survived another 12-day business trip.

I lived on my own for the first 12 years I moved to Arizona, so it's not like I shouldn't know how to deal with being alone... but after 4 years of togetherness, things change...<begin sap alert> and you find the 'ole adages "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and "you don't know how much you miss something, until it's gone" do, in fact, ring that "truth" bell. 

And it also got me thinking about that the lyrics of the R&B classic (and more recently an American Idol "standard"), A House Is Not A Home...

A chair is still a chair, even when there's no one sittin' there
But a chair is not a house and a house is not a home
When there's no one there to hold you tight
And no one there you can kiss goodnight

Ok, I am guessing that for any of you who are in a decade+ long relationship... "holding tight" and "kissing goodnight" are not an everyday occurrence... but we could... and that's pretty darn comforting.

Todd will travel 6,064 miles today... but tonight, for me, it will only be the 12 mile trip back from the airport to make me feel like I am back home.
<end sap alert>

BB7 Candidate Analysis

Well, what a group of characters candidates to chose from on last night's BB7 All Stars show...

Here's how I see everyone's chances:

Sure Things

Without a doubt, last season's Kaysar and Janelle will win the audience vote... though Kaysar might just be the most over-hyped player in BB history (c'mon he got evicted twice already).  I am reading some of the same sentiment this morning... interesting!  Dr. Will is another shoe-in... the evil genius is as synonymous to BB as Richard Hatch is to Survivor.  It wouldn't be an All-Stars without him!  Lastly, I think Nakomis will sneak in and win an audience spot as well.  Like Janelle, Nakomis was someone you never thought you'd like when they came into the door... but they won us over.  Beyond this quartet, I don't have a real feel for who will round out the audience voting.

High Probabilties

Of this crew, I think most will benefit from the Producer Picks for "entertainment value."  Certainly fitting that bill, I would say Howie is the most likely to grab an audience slot.

Runner-ups Alison, Danielle, and Diane all should have won their season... so on that basis alone I think they deserve to return.  Diane was pretty screwed by Drew so she may get some audience sympathy... but I suspect two of the most reviled female BB contestants ever, Alison & Danielle, will need the producers assistance to get back in... and I don't think that will be an issue.

Jase and Mike "Boogie" would not be my first choices, but again "entertainment value" will prevail and I suspect at least one of them will get into the house... being a much more intense version of Boogie, if it's just one of them, I'd go with Jase.

Marcellas easily whomps Bunky in the battle for the gay guy spot... he was responsible for one of the most memorable BB moments ever and he works inside the BB family (as co-host of the Internet talk show "House Calls")... so I say he's in.

James, even more than Kaysar, deserves to come back... especially since he won't be saddled down with his girlfriend... but his chances are a bit dodgy given the abundance of quality BB6 and (if there is an 50/50 gender split) male candidates.

On The Fence

All these ladies pretty much fit the same bill... angry emotional and screechy loud.  I suspect one of them will make it in.  Hands down, my choice would be Monica.  To this day, I have still been know to quote her "It's Aaaaawnnn!" from time to time.  I like the idea of runner-up back in the game, so that is one reason to root for Ivette... but again, we can't have all the BB6 nominees come back.  And well, Dana is a definite dark horse, there's more than enough ladies to play that role.

Don't Think So

This final group is fairly personality challenged.  Lisa and Erika are pretty to look at (and would fill their bikinis well), but their game "style" is... well... boring.  Chicken George will only make it in if they want a BB1 person and/or someone older (though the show has stopped worrying about that).  Bunky's chances are hurt by the precense of the more popular Marcellas and there being far too many more colorful characters.  And, Cowboy... this was just a joke right?!  I think it is a pretty safe call that he'll be put out to pasture.

If I was casting, assuming a 50/50 gender split, this is who I would put in (in no particular order):

Guys:  Will, Marcellas, Jase, Kaysar, Howie, James
Gals: Monica, Danielle, Alison, Nakomis, Diane, Janelle

I think my list is a little too BB6 top heavy (3 guys + Janey), but... ooooh, that female line-up would be gooooood!

Reality Blurred/TVgasm are endorsing: Danielle, Ivette, James, Janelle, Jase, and Will.

Voting is open thru next Wednesday, June 28th.

Thoughts?  Your picks?!

Movie Mania Continues

If you are looking for something to add to your TiVo or Netflix queue (does anyone rent anymore?)... here are my thoughts on my latest round of movie watching:

House of Flying Daggers - I am a bit surprised that I am getting into these martial arts films.  But I guess I tend to like artsy stuff... but going back to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon I developed an affinity for this genre.  I guess I am saying the badly-dubbed, kung-fu type-stuff is what I really don't like.  I won't give too much of the plot away, but this one has quite a few plot twists... but the story is easy to follow (yes, it's subtitled).  It has all those gravity-defying type action-sequences... but heck, on the realism scale it is pretty much the disbelief equivalent of the bad guys having no aim, and the good guys knocking 'em off in one shot.   The film is like a piece of art brought to life.  And okay, the male lead Takeshi Kaneshiro is really quite striking at times.

The Wedding Date - Like the other romantic comedies I have seen of late, this one was realy no different... pretty predictable, not great... but light, fluffy, harmless and entertaining.  Basically these films only make it to the big screen thanks to the leads...and Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney made it an enjoyable and watchable hour and a half.  Messing plays Kat, pretty much Grace in an alternate Will-less universe, who hires male-escort Mulroney for $6k to accompany her to her sister's wedding in London.  I sent this movie off with my guy since he has a thing for Dermot (ok, I do too!)... and I am sure it kept him company... particularly since we got to see some Dermot chest... and even brief booty... yum!... but darn that Messing for getting in the way!

Napolean Dynamite - Finally got around to seeing this one... and I can really see why it has become a real cult-classic favorite.  That's said, I really don't know what to say about it... after it was done, I just thought... what an odd little movie.  But definitely fun and different.