Lalo Lives

Part of my deal (to get my son to watch either BB or BCS) was to watch INCEPTION. I mentioned this somewhere—maybe in rewatch read—but I’m too lazy to search. Here’s my Siskel and Ebert. And I know I’m, again, years behind sked. I guess Nolan doesn’t do it for me. Not only was I confused, but I was also bored. I think time travel and/or reality travel focused stuff is lazy, tedious, yawn yawn yawn. Plus the lead, the chubby guy who only dates girls in junior high, his name escapes me, ahh, yes, Ol Leo, just seemed to be ACTING. Plus there was TONS AND TONS AND TONS OF EXPLAINING. (Felt same way about TENET even though I was pleasantly surprised by the acting.) Weak. Now, for a couple sleepers from the old days that I find fun. FANDANGO. From mid-ish 80’s. Viet Nam era kids about to go to war have one last road trip. Sad, funny, poignant. Great music. And COLLATERAL with Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise and quite a few other known stars (Javier Bardem, to name one, also Jada Pickett) in tiny parts. Some good music. The gunplay is sound, mostly, and Tom received some top notch training from a Brit SAS guy, and, having been in this arena for some time, I can say I was truly impressed. Michael Mann typically makes his actors learn how to move and shoot fairly well. (Ex: HEAT)

Watched a compilation of Zim Zam the Yo Yo Man this evening. Vince made it out to be the funniest thing ever. But he’s got a different sense of humor from the general population I would guess. He thought the bingo sunroof confession thing was a thigh slapper. I thought it was just sad. Nonetheless, “Pryce” was deadpan gold while making all those poor local TV news station personnel squirm. I don’t know how he kept a straight face. The man has skills.

Watched LIGHT and MAGIC on Disney+. Story of Industrial Light and Magic and its influence on movies. As one who would like to kick George Lucas squarely in the beans, I found it to be well done, fascinating, etc. And I must admit Lucas had a vision. Fortunately the focus is not necessarily on him, but rather on those who did much of the grunt work. Lawrence Kasdan directed this documentary. If you are a fan of how special effects are done, were done, and may be done in the future, it is worth the 6 episode sit down time.

Not that there is anything wrong with vegetables. In fact, here’s a nice little amuse-bouche I came up with. Slice a quarter pound of fresh Brussels sprouts in half, with the grain. Now take a quarter pound of cauliflower heads and cut into little crowns, roughly the size of the sprouts. Cross section some peeled beets about 1/3” thick. Soak all of the veggies in a covered dish or plastic bag, overnight, in ice water. Next, grill (medium high heat) your favorite cut of beef. Mine is ribeye, but New York Strip will do. 16 to 18 ounces should do it. Don’t over cook as this is just the first step. Rare to medium rare. You can grill a lobster tail (in the shell) next to the beef selection. Careful. Seafood cooks quickly. If you see white bubbles on the edge of the shell, it is good. You should have some salted and melted butter ready at this point. Now pop the veggies onto a cookie pan, brush with the butter, sprinkle with garlic powder, a dash of pepper and salt, and roast for 15-18 minutes. NOTE: Try to time the surf and turf grilling with the vegetable roasting. (I usually start the beef halfway through the veggie roast, and the lobster about halfway through the steak. So 15-18 min for the veggies, 7-9 min for the steak, and 4-6 min for the lobster.) With a sharp chef’s knife, cut the beef into bite-sized chunks. Gently do the same with the lobster tail, once you’ve removed it from the shell. You should have some melted butter left over. Here’s where the magic happens. Let the veggies cool for 10 minutes. Take an unscented, tall kitchen garbage bag, and coat the inside with non-stick cooking spray. I like the coconut oil. Place the tall kitchen (drawstring) garbage bag flat on a dry cookie sheet with the opening on one end. Gently arrange the beets, cauliflower chunks, and sprouts inside. Tie the bag closed. Carry the bag over to the trash can and allow gravity to guide the vegetables and bag into the can. You’ll see the benefit of the cookie sheet. It lets the veggies just SLIDE. Be gentle. You don’t want to bruise them. Now take the lobster and steak, arrange on a nice piece of china with some classy silverware. Dunk the lobster in the melted butter. Thinly brush the steak with butter. Sprinkle lightly with pepper and just a hint of salt. Have a cold beverage, and dig in.

Funny how none of the food manufacturers make steak, bacon, pork chops, chicken, or salmon and market them as tasting just like cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, or kale.

SOOO much here to like.

I did not see any of that either. But Vince Gilligan just brought it up AGAIN, recently. I agree that any criticism she receives should not exclusively be laid at the feet of misogyny. Often people assume criticism of any type is the result of a prejudice of some sort. NEVER is it about the person’s shortcomings. Politicians are wont to do this. ‘You don’t like me because I’m a woman, I’m a minority, I’m a man, I’m white, I’m Latino/a, you’re a racist, sexist, homophobic, I’m “whatever.”’ No, often we don’t like you or your ideas because they are stupid. It must be nice to be able to deflect any criticism because of some all-encompassing faulty thinking on the part of the one leveling the criticism. Removes the need for introspection, self awareness, and self evaluation.

That's brutal, but probably common. If 'New Kid in Town' (Eagles) pops up on the radio I quickly punch the dial because every time I hear it something bad happens. Every time. I'll probably be hit by a meteor tonight just for mentioning it. Stupid song.

Oh geez. You win the I just laughed out loud award!

And she schtupped Ted to, what, get back at Walt? Can't remember specific reason(s). So a real keeper. I do think Skylar was written so well, and acted so well, that we had dick-brains being unkind to the actress. Her character's actions, at least early on, may have been understandable. She was still unappealing. Part may have been visual. Part may have been aural. Her breathy henpecking grated. And her birthday song should have earned her a trip to a North Korean prison. But that's supposed to be painful for the viewer. To give us another color in the Skylar pallette. Walt became so reprehensible that Skylar had to be less than pleasant to elicit some regard for Walt's state of mind. Had Walt been married to (principal) Carmen Molina, I don't think he'd have left the house.

From BB, and one I have not been able to work into ANY conversation is "dirty, damp, and deep."

Yes, some things are sacred. Mess with my beasts and you better get used to walking with a limp.

Started this. Then fell asleep. (Rough day at the grindstone.) Courtney puts her heart and soul into her work. So I'll go back to rewatch this analysis. She let us get a glimpse of her home security footage. No way am I doing that. A-viewers would be aghast at my appearance. B-none of my "security systems" have opposable thumbs. And C-well, as part of my probationary agreement....

I had forgotten the Chuck aspect of the episode. My boy has now started BB so maybe he'll venture into BCS on his own.

Got my youngest to start BB. Deal was I had to watch Inception and Get Out in return. So I watched a couple eps with him. Bathtub, bike lock, cancer confession time frame. I think he’s hooked.