Urban Dork: Explorations of Life in Boston

"Performing Arts Renaissance" in Boston

2009-08-14T18:47:00.003-04:00

This article annoys me. http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2009/08/09/a_performing_arts_renaissance_for_boston/

First of all, having Jersey Boys come to Boston does NOT make a performing arts renaissance for the city as the article seems to imply. I love musical tours. I see the majority of musicals on tour. I do not think touring shows, by virtue of coming to Boston, can create a renaissance. A renaissance would include more Bostonians going to these shows, but unfortunately, I have not seen any noticeable increases in Boston theater audiences of late. To me, a city performing arts renaissance would mean higher quality and greater amounts of theater (and other arts) produced and performed by local regional people and attended by greater numbers of those local people.

This article doesn't even mention the BOSTON THEATERS. This is a major problem with the Globe. They never seem to cover the Boston-based theater which would actually be the basis of a performing arts renaissance. What about ART, the Huntington, the Lyric, the smaller companies like Company One? I don't go to nearly enough of their shows, but they are the Boston performing arts scene, not touring companies with no connection to our city! They are also the affordable options for people who like the arts, but can't spend over $100 on Jersey Boys.

Grr. Argh. This is why I rarely read the Globe Arts sections. I think I'll stick to sports. The Patriots look promising. : )

New York City, Center of the Universe

2009-08-14T18:13:00.002-04:00

I was in New York City again last weekend with Nicki and Laura. Overall, it was a fun time and I visited some new places. It is always difficult for me to go there and not see a theater show, but we did a lot of other fun things. I'm gradually exploring less touristy places each time I go and I like feeling more like a "visitor" than a tourist. I think that with a subway map I could find my way around by myself at this point.

Our first stop was the MET and we chose to visit the European painters, sculpture, and arms and armor sections. We also wandered through some other sections like Chinese art and decorative art (is that what you call fancy furniture?). I'd love to go back again and see some of the other sections, but it was nice for a short visit--not too much and not too little.
Sometimes when I'm in museums for too long I get so saturated that I stop absorbing and appreciating everything and the works become meaningless to me. At that point a gorgeous painting just looks like another painting of Jesus to me. Luckily, this didn't happen this time. We stayed about two hours.

Most of the European painters' section was Dutch or religious paintings, which are not too of my favorite styles. I tend to prefer later styles like impressionism more. My favorite pieces were some beautiful Vermeer paintings. I love the light in his paintings and the sense of tranquility. I also saw a large painting of Cupid peeing through a hoop onto a naked Venus. Yeah . . .

After the MET, we ate at a cafe in the Upper East Side and wandered down to the flagship New York and Company store. It is big for a New York and Company, but much smaller than it looks on What Not to Wear. I unsuccessfully tried to find it on a few previous trips and it was nice to finally locate it. Someday I'll go into all those rich people stores in that area without feeling awkward.

Next we went to the Strand bookstore and I took a quick look in Forbidden Planet, a comics/gaming bookstore next to Strand. I have to say that the Strand didn't impress me much. I'm a big bargain girl and the bargains there weren't really good. Sure, you can get a hardcover for $8, but I could get the same book in paperback for $8 and it would be a normal price. Also, it wasn't very organized and it was extremely crowded. I'm sure I would like it better if I went on an off day instead of Saturday afternoon, but I felt very claustrophobic the whole time I was in there. It wasn't relaxing at all. You couldn't get down aisles because they were clogged with people and if you were looking at something you'd have to move every few seconds to let someone else squeeze by you. I like bookstore shopping to be leisurely and relaxing.

Also, their sci-fi/fantasy section was really small and not very diverse. Why is this always true? I've found that in order to get a good selection of used sci-fi/fantasy, I have to find a store that is only genre like Pandemonium Books here in Cambridge. Do fellow dorks just keep their good sci-fi/fantasy books? Forbidden Planet looked pretty cool for comic/graphic novel fans. The selection was huge, but not discounted. It was also insanely crowded there so I didn't stay very long.

We rested in Union Square for a bit and then wandered around the Village. On Sunday, we walked around the Upper West Side and I unsuccessfully tried to find Levain's Bakery, home to the most awesome cookies ever. Update: It is on the corner of Amsterdam and W74th. If you go there, you will not regret it!

The trip was tiring, but fun. I think next time I go I'll try to see the botanical gardens and the Bronx Zoo. I'll also see a show of course. I'm desperate to see Next to Normal before Alice Ripley leaves. : )

Rent: Broadway Tour review (Part 1. My Rent Background)

2009-07-26T14:10:00.008-04:00

I first heard that Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp would be touring with Rent about a year or two ago and I've been eagerly awaiting their arrival in Boston ever since. My friend and I originally planned to see the show twice-once for free because she gets free tickets from her company and once in house seats for full price. When saw it the first time, however, we knew we had to go to an additional show. Adam Pascal's absence from the first show was a factor, but I probably would have wanted more even if he had been in the first show. I saw it three times total-twice from the center orchestra about 5-6 rows back and once from the second row of the balcony, partially obstructed. I could go on and on about my love for this show and this particular tour, but I'll try to keep my word count to a reasonable level by posting my thoughts in several parts.

First, a little background. To say that Rent is my favorite musical would be an understatement. Although I somehow managed not to know much about it when it first came out (I discovered musicals in 1995 and I was still in Andrew Lloyd Webber mode in 1996), I fell for it hard in 2000 when my college friends encouraged me to rush it my freshman year of college. At that time, the production still allowed people to camp out overnight at the theaters to assure themselves of getting one of the $21 front row rush seats.

Although it seems crazy, a bit dangerous, and probably unneccessary now, camping on the street overnight in front of the Wang Center (now the Citi Center) made the whole experience much more moving. There's nothing quite like learning about the musical with a diverse group of people who have lived many of the experiences depicted in Rent and there's nothing quite like sleeping on the street to make you relate to well, sleeping on the street and being homeless. There were gay people and straight people, guys and girls , people who had been homeless or addicts, and people like me (your run of the mill college kid who hadn't really experienced any of that) and we all had a great time playing cards, telling stories, talking about the show. Then, we all saw it together from the front row where the music was intensely loud, the energy and love for the show was crackling, and the cast and stage managers looked right at us and gave us prop posters and old guitar picks. I laughed and cried and mooed and was moved more than I ever had been before. I promptly bought tickets to another show later that week. That was the Benny Tour with Matt Caplan, Jeremy Kushnier, and Dominique Roy. I remember Mr. Caplan especially being a very down-to-earth, friendly guy at the stage door, which made it even nicer.

After listening to the soundtrack pretty much nonstop, I saw it again with my mother and brother a year or so later and converted them. I read everything I could find about the cast and the show and cried a lot about Jonathan Larson who I never met or even knew about until after he had been dead for four years. I listened to it loudly on a road trip to Virginia with my friends. It became the default for long family car rides because it was one of the few albums we all liked. Every Christmas Eve at 9 pm Eastern Standard Time, I listened to Anthony Rapp's voice, singing in the dark about connection in an isolating age. I saw Adam Pascal in Aida and in concert with his band and I saw Anthony Rapp on his book tour and in the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's Henry V. One of my favorite Boston memories was walking around downtown many blocks away from the Common where Henry V was playing and hearing Anthony's voice echoing around the skyscrapers and filling the city night with poetry from a long ago age. Although my mom almost never goes to the movies, my family and I spent Thanksgiving 2005 in the theater watching the movie version together.

Rent came through Boston a few more times, but I thought it would be too upsetting and disappointing to see the show in a less than great state. (Disclaimer: I didn't see those tours so I can't confirm anything, but word-of-mouth comments and press reviews were very negative about the overall production qualities and some of the reviews of this current tour even continue to mention how much better it is than those previous tours.) I did go to see the Rent Live showing in the movie theater recently and it was the best $20 I've ever spent on a movie. You can see my earlier review of that, but it brought up all my old love for the show and enhanced my serious performer crush on Will Chase who rocked Roger. I'm forever grateful to have that record of the stage version now that the show will be closed for awhile.

That brings us to this week and Part 2, which I will post soon.

Back to writing

2009-05-30T22:33:00.003-04:00

I decided to start writing again today. I feel like I should do something creative and I have the time if I cut out some of my mindless tv watching. There's nothing on in the summer anyway. I'm going to ease back into it by writing for 30 minutes at least 5 times a week. It doesn't even have to be writing an actual story. I'm allowed to just work on notes for a story. I started today and the time passed quickly.

I have some ideas for a sci-fi/fantasy novel and I've always toyed with the idea of writing one since I know the genre very well. I figure even if I just write for 30 minutes a day I could write quite a lot--even a draft of a novel--if I do it for long enough. Not necessarily a good novel, but it's worth trying at least once. I personally think that if I can figure out the ideas I have in more detail and develop more of a plot, it could be really great. I'm just not sure if I can write it the way it deserves.

My lofty goal is to do for literary sci-fi/fantasy what the remake of Battlestar Galactica did for television sci-fi. I want it to be drama (or literary in this case) first and genre second. There's nothing wrong with sci-fi/fantasy elements if they are integral to the story and setting, but they shouldn't be used as gimmicks.

Also, it's not going to be straight sci-fi or straight fantasy. It will probably end up more on the fantasy end, but it will have some sci-fi elements. For example, if people or animals have strange abilities (ex. magic or telepathy), there will be a relatively plausible scientific explanation for them. I'm thinking the vibe of All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, which I recently reread. The world of Pern appears originally to be pure fantasy (a low-technology world with telepathic dragons), but at this point in the series the reader and the characters discover the origins of the inhabitants' ancestors and the scientific background of many things on their world, including the dragons.

In any case, I'm declaring this on my blog so that I'll have to stick with it. One day at a time!

Spring Awakening tour review

2009-05-22T09:44:00.013-04:00

I went with my friends to see the touring cast of Spring Awakening at the Colonial Theater last week. It was my second time seeing it and I was able to pay a bit more attention to the production aspects instead of being immersed in the story. As a result, I feel more up to writing an analytical review. There will be spoilers ahead!

Overall, I enjoyed the musical and this cast. It is definitely the best musical I've seen in Boston in over a year. With the exception of a decent production of Chicago, the other shows I've seen recently have been pretty abysmal (Dirty Dancing and Legally Blonde I'm talking about you!). Still, it is a compliment to Spring Awakening. It's a solid production that manages to entertain while presenting serious themes.

I appreciate a musical with original music, but (with a few exceptions) I don't think the music and lyrics for this show are great. They certainly enhance the atmosphere of the show and illustrate teenagers' jumbled emotions, but they aren't songs that I like to listen to when I'm not actually in the audience.

The lyrics tend to include a lot of thrown together vague images without much of a narrative. For example, the refrain from the Guilty Ones is "And now our bodies are the guilty ones/Our touch will fill every eye/Huge and dark, all our hearts/Will murmer the blues from on high/And whisper some silver reply."

Sure, it's kind of pretty, but what exactly is a silver reply? Where is the high where their hearts murmer? If their hearts are dark and their bodies are guilty wouldn't they be yearning for heaven instead of possessing hearts already "on high"? They are the type of lyrics that I suspect were created because the words sounded good together rather than Sondheim-like lyrics which manage to be pretty much of the time also without losing the clarity of their images and the direction of the song. I'm not even a big Sondheim fan, but he writes some amazing lyrics.

The songs, with a few exceptions, don't usually relate to the plot or move it forward. Instead, they convey only the emotion the character is experiencing at the time. As a result, a lot of them could be moved around in the timeline of the story without effecting it the narrative much (Ex. The Dark I Know so Well, My Junk, Mirror Blue Night, Mamma Who Bore Me).

I don't hate the music and lyrics at all, but they don't stand out for me for the most part when compared to other musicals. If I think of them as part of a montage of teenage feelings and issues (or more like an artsy concert), then I think they work better. Also, there are a few striking moments. I love the lyrics in Word of Your Body "Oh, I'm gonna by wounded/Oh, I'm gonna be your wound." They're describing an extremely common emotion in a very unique and yet still deeply evocative and accurate way.

The cast, on the other hand, does stand out, especially Blake Bashoff who plays Moritz (Yay Carl from Lost!). He allows his ticks, expressions, and lines to be funny for the audience, but maintains their absolute seriousness to Moritz. Although he is funny, you never sense that he is trying to be funny. The expressions appear to come from his inner turmoil and confusion very organically. His voice is pleasant but not amazing, however the raw emotion and energy in his acting make his performance incredible.

Two other standouts are Henry Stram and Angela Reed, the actors who portray all of the adults in the story. Their roles aren't flashy, but they each have to portray at least six different characters and they both make each character very distinct and real. There was only one part at the very end (when Reed goes from being Wendla's mother to Melchior's mother) that I was not sure exactly which character was present in the scene. Not only do they portray many roles, they portray some difficult roles very well. Moritz's father is only in two scenes and has none of his own background explained, but when he cries at Mortiz's funeral you know that character better than most of the other minor characters.

I find the character of Wendla annoying because she lets herself be everyone's pawn and spends a lot of time doing silly or stupid things. Christy Altomare portrays her well though. She makes me believe in Wendla's innocence (in the sense of her complete lack of knowledge and intentions, not her lack of responsibility for what happens). She has a beautiful voice, especially in the song Whispering.

The only slight disappointment for me was Kyle Riabko. He has the looks and the voice for the part, but his acting was a little one note especially compared to Blake Bashoff's. He does "in love" well and the more low key emotions like warm friendliness with Moritz, but I find the extremely passionate scenes like the beating of Wendla and the final graveyard scene to be not passionate enough.

I've never seen the Broadway cast so I don't know if other actors played Melchior differently, but I felt that Melchior as written in the book of the musical needed to be darker and more intense. He's not your typical noble hero/lover character. He writes and speaks fairly obsessively about social reforms and the wrongs of society and has a lot of anger about it, he beats Wendla badly, and, worst of all, he selfishly sleeps with her repeatedly knowing the possible consequences and not informing her. He informs Moritz, but not Wendla because informing Wendla would probably mean he wouldn't be able to keep having sex with her. Although Wendla as portrayed in this version does give in to Melchior, the first time they have sex she certainly protests at first and is not comfortable with it.

Kyle Riabko tended to play him more as a good boy who makes some dumb decisions rather than a potentially dangerous, angry, and passionate man. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't be totally suprised if Melchior grew up to be a criminal. His lyrics at the end of the show, "You watch me/Just watch me/I'm calling/I'm calling/And one day all will know" have a very ominous ring to them and not just because he's standing in a graveyard with a knife and some dead people who could have come from Les Mis.

My review has already gone on to long, but I'll conclude by saying that the set was simple and perfect. I'm a fan of the one set show since it lets you focus on the performances rather than stage wizardry. The historical paintings and seemingly random yet relevent items on the walls which lit up during different scenes were excellent and played into the artsy concert feel while giving a hint of the time period. The geometry of the round (boob-like) lights and straight lines of bold colored lights fit with the geometry of the frenzied rigidly shaped arm choreography that goes on at times. I hate that choreography, which resembles a crazy robot dance spasm to me instead of the release of repressed feelings as I assume it is intended to be, but I'll admit that it sort of fits when you think about it for a long time.

In conclusion, it is worth seeing for the great cast and originality. It's not among my all-time favorite musicals, but I do think it's a solid show, enjoyable, and well-performed.

Dollhouse-Contains Spoilers for Pilot

2009-02-15T08:54:00.005-05:00

Friday was the premiere of Joss Whedon's new show Dollhouse. I've been looking forward to it for a long time, but I think I do have realistic expectations. Here are my thoughts after watching the pilot episode twice.

Overall, it was an okay episode==not amazingly compelling and it had some flaws, but it also had some intriguing aspects. I'm not worried yet because most pilots are inferior to normal episodes. Off the top of my head, I can only think of two really outstanding pilots that were great episodes on their own merit, highly representative of the eventual show, and instantly made me decide I needed to see the rest of the series. Neither was a Joss Whedon pilot. Welcome to the Hellmouth and City Of are hardly among the better episodes of Buffy and Angel and Train Job, the episode that Fox aired as Firefly's pilot, is probably also one of my least favorites from that show. For that matter, the first seasons of Buffy and Angel are my least favorite seasons. I still love them, but they did have some issues. (If anyone is wondering, the two amazing pilots were Battlestar Galactica and Ugly Betty.)

Also because of the later episodes are supposed to be much better and by virtue of the fact that it's Joss Whedon, I'm not going to stop watching. I'm willing to give it a season to hook me.

Writers try to do a lot of things at once in pilots. They try to cram as much expositional and setting information in as possible without it being too dry, they try to make it action-packed to draw people in (which I don't feel is necessary unless you're watching an action show like Alias, but I think it's a network thing, especially a Fox thing), and they try to get you invested in questions and characters that will make you want to watch next week.

I did think it was too expositional, especially with the first detective scene. I think Tahmoh's character was Paul, but I still think of him as Helo/Karl from Battlestar. I'll call him Paul though. The boxing part was awkward (despite the fact that he was mostly naked and kicking the butt of Toa from American Gladiators!) and the dialogue part was boring and a little confusing. I would rather have seen the incident where Paul first became interested in Dollhouse or seen him mess up the Russian case than hear some random boss guy talking about it while Paul threw in some exposition here and there. I didn't get a real sense of his passion/obsession about it in that scene. After seeing the first few seasons of Battlestar, I know Tahmoh is an awesome actor. Although his character wasn't especially captivating here, I have faith (heh) that he'll be better as we get to know him later.

The episode did get me invested in two characters-- the handler character and Amy Acker's doctor character. Sure, the handler was an amalgam of Giles and Marcus Dixon from Alias, but I like those two characters. I was desperately looking for a character to relate to and root for and I found myself focusing on him. Echo wasn't doing it for me. I like the doctor because she also seems to have more of a conscience and definitely has a mysterious background to explore. Seriously though, can Joss not have Amy play a smart, but shy science type in something? She can be really funny.

Unfortunately, I 'm not into Echo yet. I think Eliza is wonderful at certain types of characters. I love her as Faith. I'm not sure about her ability to carry this type of show though. She can be wooden and she always seems a little too Faithy for me. I think someone like Summer Glau would rock the part because she seems more able to shift between really different personalities. It wasn't that Eliza was bad in this episode, she just wasn't hugely impressive and as the title sequence made clear, she is supposed to be the focus of the show. I'm willing to believe that it will be easier to like her once Echo begins to remember her own personality. I hope this will start quickly. The show needs an emotional center. Joss shows usually center on relationships and there aren't many here yet.

I hated Topher. He looks like a cross between Andrew and Mal and has the malevolence of Warren. I didn't find him funny, just really off-putting and despicable. If he is the geeky humor guy on the show, I'm not happy. If they eventually make him outright evil, I might be into him. I never really enjoyed watching Warren though. He didn't have enough layers. I also thought the boss of Dollhouse was boring.

The main plotline was okay. Hostage storylines aren't very original, but it kept my interest. The little girl and the dad were convincing and the kidnapper really was creepy. Ellie's personality was annoying (Do I need to scold you?), but I liked Ellie okay when she was breaking down. I don't know what that says about me. The end was a great set up. I'm much more interested in rogue murderous dolls and ongoing detective investigations than one episode plots. I like arcs. I think Joss always starts out trying to do stand-alone episodes to please the networks and then moves to arcs later. I'm hoping this will be true for Dollhouse too.

The dialogue wasn't great. That is surpising coming from Joss, but I guess to be expected since this was a total rewrite and supposedly had a lot of network interference. I know it won't sound as stylized as his other shows, but it can still have more character and sound more natural. There were a few classics (Have you ever tried to clean a slate? Also, she has asthma). I'll chalk it up to too much exposition for now.

Finally, a random annoyance. Did we really need the sexy Faith dancing in the non-existent skirt and the motorcycle chase? For that matter Fox, I don't really need to see sexy Summer and Eliza soft core promos either. They made me feel sleezy. Hello, these are talented people. You can promote the show on it's merits rather than their bodies. Besides, if you're going to exploit them, at least include some Tahmoh promos for the straight girls and gay guys!

Overall, it was pretty much what I expected. Not bad, but room for improvement. I think next week's episode looks much better and I'm looking forward to it! Grr. Argh.

Resolution Update

2009-01-28T12:54:00.002-05:00

Maybe if I check in on my resolutions more often, I'll actually do them! Here's an update for January.

1. Find and apply for publishing jobs.
Yep. I have a second phone interview Saturday with an editor. It's not the most exciting position, but it's a publishing job.

2. Work out 150-160 minutes a week.
Yep. No missed weeks so far. I'm also doing more strength and toning.

3. Be more decisive.
Sort of. I'm trying. The less important the decision, the better I am.

4. Be more positive about my body image.
Doing all right. It comes and goes. I am trying to think more positively.

5. Try new things.
I haven't really attempted anything new, but I haven't had the opportunity to try anything either.

Lost is back!

2009-01-22T19:21:00.002-05:00

Yay Lost!!!!! To catch up before the premiere I watched the last three episodes of last season and the clip show. They helped, but I still didn't remember a lot of stuff. I really wish I had a chance to watch Man Behind the Curtain, Cabin Fever, and The Constant again before seeing that episode.

Overall, I thought the premiere was great. It was intricate without being really confusing. Perhaps I've read too many sci-fi novels, but I picked up on the time traveling concepts quickly and without too much thought. I like that it clearly has rules and isn't too hokey. I especially like that they can't change the past since that concept has been done way too many times already. It also had a nice mix of action and character-driven scenes.

General Thoughts
* Is there a required amount of shirtlessness for each episode? Sawyer certainly filled that quota!
* Ben looks very dapper in the future and I actually found him a little attractive (which is disturbing). Michael Emerson has the most intense and expressive eyes. I wonder if he has colored contacts sometimes. It's nice to see Ben acting less unhinged and more focused. I also like seeing the softer side of Ben, even if he is only doing it to manipulate people. He seems different after Alex's death. A little more human.
* Everyone is more tolerable when they aren't with Jack (except Kate). I liked Juliet so much more in this episode. I wouldn't even mind if she and Sawyer got together eventually.
* Thank heavens that Jack shaved off the scary beard!
* Jorge Garcia rocked this episode. Great acting. Great Hot Pocket throwing. Great shirt.
* Love the strong possibility that time shifting will make Locke not dead anymore or at least still present in almost all the episodes.
* Why include the "we have to lie" scene at the beginning? It wasn't a great scene and the point seemed to be Hurley vowing not to help Sayid when he needed it. Then he helped Sayid when Sayid needed it.
* I want more of the Others! I also want to see the Temple.
* Really enjoying Daniel as a character. More Daniel! More Desmond! Less Jack and Kate!

Questions
* Why is Charlotte the only one with a bloody nose? Is she just the first or do all the others have constants? Maybe I'm not remembering the bloody nose syndrome rules well enough.
* Is Mrs. Hawking the boss of the Others or of Ben? It seemed like it.
* Will we see that past incidents in previous seasons were caused by time traveling Losties from the current season? Example, jungle whispers, Locke's weird leg paralysis near the plane with Boone right where he was shot in this episode.
* What about Walt? Why doesn't he have to come back?

Inauguration is hard to spell

2009-01-22T18:54:00.002-05:00

I got to take a break from work to watch the inauguration when it was on. I didn't see the whole thing, but I did catch the swearing in, Obama's speech, and the benediction. It was nice to watch it with a big crowd of people. It made me feel more Amercian somehow.

Although I liked the speech, I wasn't as impressed by it as I thought I was going to be. I expected there to be much more cheering throughout despite the solemn tone. Perhaps everyone was just too cold. He was overly idealistic about certain things (No more bickering between parties? Sadly, there is no way that will happen!). It also incorporated too many religious quotes and references for my taste although I did appreciate the acknowledgment that there are many types of religions in America and some of us are "nonbelievers".

I know it's nothing new, but I really wish a President would actually show the separation of church and state by refraining to add a lot of Christian and God references to every speech. When your speech emphasizes finding human connections, I think incorporating one specific religion only alienates other groups.

On the other hand, I thought he did a good job keeping the tone fairly solemn, but not letting it become depressing. He recognized that the challenges facing our country won't be overcome easily or quickly, but he also was resolute and encouraging. I liked the line about reaching out a hand to countries who rule with closed fists if the countries will open their fist. It won't happen, but it was a nice metaphor and I am glad that he seems more willing to try diplomacy than Bush.
I also liked the idea that rich countries have to take more responsibility for the world.

Overall, I'm just glad that Bush is gone!

Resolutions

2009-01-01T12:41:00.003-05:00

I really should make writing in my blog more a resolution, but I consider that more of a goal. Here are my resolutions. I limited it to five in order to concentrate more on each one. They are not in any particular order.

1. Find and apply for publishing jobs. There haven't been many openings posted lately because of the economy and maybe the time of year, but I need to check more often and be less picky about where I apply.

2. Work out 150-160 minutes a week. One of my resolutions last year was to work out at least 4 days a week and I did do 30 minute workouts 4 days a week almost every week. Now I'm going to try to get up to the recommended amount of time (150-160) which will require me to either workout for 40 minutes on 4 days or 30 minutes on 5 days. It's totally possible as long as I don't make excuses and make it a routine.

3. Be more decisive. I'm going to try to just stick with my decisions about small choices instead of agonizing over them. For example, if I'm picking something to order at a restaurant, I'll just choose the first thing that appeals to me and not change my mind three times like usual.

4. Be more positive about my body image. I read in a magazine that if you said half the things you say to yourself (like my hair is so ugly today, I have no abs etc etc) to a friend, the friend would probably not agree with you. The friend would say "But you've lost weight!" or "You're exaggerating, you look really good in that shirt." Basically, you're supposed to be your own friend and think about things you like or feel good about instead of insulting yourself all the time.

5. Try new things. Nothing nuts, but I want to go new places, try new types of food, and generally be more open to doing something different than normal.

Thanksgiving recaps

2008-11-26T18:28:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I haven't posted for awhile so here's a quick recap.

After complaining about work being boring for the first part of the semester, it has been crazy busy the last few weeks! I feel uninformed because I haven't been able to do my daily internet reading of the major newspapers. Whenever I do read something, however, it seems to be depressing. The world really sucks lately.

The Patriots are looking pretty good. I'm impressed that they've managed to compete with so many key players injured. I'm still hoping for the return of Lamont Jordan though. He looked good in those first few games and we could use a running back upgrade. I still have faith that we can make the playoffs as a wildcard if we can't catch up with the Jets. Frankly the defense is worrying me much more than Cassel and the offense. They really need to make some key stops.

I saw Legally Blonde with Nicki. I'm glad I went for free. The performances were fine (although not spectacular), but the show itself did not interest me at all. I did enjoy the movie, but the plot and character development was too nonexistent in this version and the music and lyrics were unmemorable.

I'm mad at ABC for canceling Pushing Daisies. It seems like the major networks are killing all the original programs to make room for more horrible reality shows or fifty more cop/medical drama spin-offs. I'm also annoyed that Dollhouse is going to air at the same time as Lost on Wednesday nights. That's going to take away a bunch of sci-fi viewers. That's not a good idea for a new show. I hope it will be awesome enough to overcome that.

In other random news, I stopped watching the Office and I haven't missed it at all! I haven't found it very funny or interesting for awhile and I was feeling obligated to watch it instead of excited to watch it. I only laughed a few times each episode. Now, I'm enjoying Ugly Betty instead.

I almost stopped watching Fringe too, but I'm still giving that a chance because I enjoy John Noble's character. I wish they had less gore in the episodes though. As everyone knows, I don't enjoy watching gross things. : )

Sucks to Be Me

2008-10-03T11:13:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't get a new job and it does suck as much as I thought it would since I made it all the way to the final round. I did manage to limit my major crying yesterday to 5 minutes in the bathroom at work when I first found out, which I thought was commendable. Now, I'm just kind of depressed. I need to find something to look forward to. I wish they had told me sooner so I wouldn't have wasted a whole month being stressed out and worried about it and getting my hopes up.

Review: Rent Live

2008-10-03T10:07:00.008-04:00

I went to see Rent: Live on Broadway this past weekend and it was very good. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the musical, and I thought it was better than the film version. The Sony reps who were at the screening giving out surveys said that it had been very positively reviewed and they would most likely be releasing it on DVD.

It was a little disconcerting to learn that it was the combination of two different performances, one performed mostly without an audience and then the last night of the production. Although you couldn't tell that it was two shows, I would have been happier with a slightly less film-like version of only the last performance. I think the energy of the show is different at a real performance and little mistakes in theater don't bother me. They are what makes theater more alive.

In addition, the film tended to use close ups of performers. Although it was cool to see the emotions of the actors up close in intimate scenes, the zooming in on chorus members in big group numbers was distracting. If you're going to film a live Broadway show, I think you need to keep in mind that the blocking and staging was done for a reason and the audience is intended to focus on a group scene as a whole and not each background chorus person.

The zooms were not usually horrible, but they were especially bad in What You Own when the camera kept switching back and forth to face Roger and then Mark directly instead of keeping a straight-on, from the audience view. When filmed that way, it was impossible to see that they were physically moving and switching places without directly addressing each other. I also did not need to be that close to Mimi's spandex clad legs and butt during Out Tonight or see that the soloist in Seasons of Love had fillings in her mouth (audience members actually laughed at this).

These complaints are minor, however. I love it, but Rent as a show is not perfect. Jonathan Larson intended to continue to revise the show before his unexpected death. When he died, it continued on as the version that existed at the time. The plot and character developments don't always make a lot of sense and if you see the wrong production, it can feel a bit tired and dated. The best casts are so emotionally involved and high energy that you forget about all that and just see it as snapshots of "a year in the life of friends." This was one of those casts.

Will Chase was the best Roger I have seen (beating Adam Pascal in the film version, but I may have to revise when I see Pascal live on stage in July). I enjoyed Will Chase in High Fidelity, but he really impressed me in this. Normally, I focus on my favorite character, Mark, but I was fascinated by Roger in this production. The close-ups certainly helped in that regard because Will Chase's subtle acting was superb and you could really follow his emotional journey.

As for the rest of the cast, Renee Elsie Goldberry, who played Mimi, was also the best I've seen in that role. She had the right balance of spunk and vulnerability and had an extremely powerful voice. Justin Johnston who played Angel was probably the funniest Angel I've seen and hit the right notes both vocally and in his interactions with the other cast members. While I love Idina Menzel, Eden Espinosa's performance of Maureen was on par with Idina's.

The other cast members weren't stand-outs, but they held their own. Adam Kantor was decent as Mark, but I've seen better. I adore Tracie Thoms, both in Wonderfalls and in the movie version of Rent, but her voice wasn't quite powerful enough to match Eden Espinosa's. Her acting was strong, but Take Me As I Am was a little disappointing on the Joanne verses. I really feel that Joanne and Maureen need to have equally strong voices. Michael McElroy as Collins was another strong actor with a mediocre voice. I appreciated the convincing love he had for Angel, but his I'll Cover You (reprise), which always makes me bawl, really was no comparison to Jesse L. Martin's great performance of that song in the film. Overall, the cast was very solid though. It was a great group to end the Broadway run and I'm grateful to Sony for letting fans around the country get a taste of what it was like during the final weeks.

Waiting

2008-09-23T11:06:00.000-04:00

Having to wait without being able to influence anything makes me stressed out. I know it shouldn’t, because there is nothing I can do, but that’s just my personality. I’ve been tense for about two weeks now because I’m waiting to hear back from a potential employer.

For those who haven’t heard the full story, I applied to one position at this company and went for an interview (which went very well), but didn’t get that position. The person who interviewed me passed my materials to her two colleagues in the same department, however. Next, I went in for what I thought was a single interview for one of the other two open positions in the same department and they had me interview for both. For an hour and a half, I was interviewed by three people, then another person, then another two people. (Each position served a group of editors.) Considering the fact that it was a marathon interview session, I think I did decently well.

That was two weeks ago and I got more and more stressed because I just wanted to know either way. Yesterday afternoon, a different editor called me last minute to ask if I could come in again this afternoon for yet another interview and a proofreading test. She also wanted my references. This was the one editor who was not around the day of the marathon interviewing. Obviously, I said yes, but I really just need this whole thing to be over so I can relax. It’s going to suck at this point if they don’t pick me for one of the positions. I’ve met with 8 people in this department! I guess that’s life though.

Think happy thoughts for me at 1:00. I’m nervous about the proofreading test because I don’t have a lot of experience proofreading.

Review: Zocalo

2008-09-21T10:21:00.003-04:00

I finally went to Zocalo on Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton. They serve Mexican food. I can't attest to its authenticness, but it is probably more authentic than chains like Anna's and Qdoba. Due to the closeness of the tables and the general cheery din of the waiters, upbeat music, and other patrons' conversations, it would be better for a dinner with friends than a romantic date. The candles on the table are nice though. If you can, get a seat near the floor to ceiling window that faces Commonwealth. It's great for people watching and makes you feel a bit more private.

The food was a bit pricey for what is was (it cost $6.50 for chips and guacamole!), but the service was quick and non-intrusive. Although the restaurant was busy, everything came out promptly. The waiters didn't ignore you, and they also didn't constantly ask you how you were doing. Instead, they seemed to know exactly when you were finished and promptly took the plates away without a long wait.

I got the carnitas. The meat was a bit dry, but it was still tasty. The portions here are not the oversized as they are in many places. If I liked black beans, it would have been the perfect size to eat all of it and not feel hungry or overfull. For dessert, I tried flan. Since I've never had it before, I can't say whether or not it was done well. It was, however, sweet and satisfying. I'm not sure if I'll get it again because the texture made me think of eating a vanilla flavored omelet, but I think that is a quality of flan in general and not this particular flan. Jason got the chocolate souffle, which I recommend if you like very rich and dense chocolaty flavor. My favorite aspect of the meal was the Mango Sangria. It was sweet, not too potent, and came with a delightful cinnamon stick stirrer. You couldn't taste the cinnamon, but it made the sangria smell great.

If you have some extra money, it's worth a visit. The service outshines the food, but the atmosphere is fun and the many flavors of sangria are worth sampling.

Early One Morning

2008-08-11T09:13:00.003-04:00

I like it when I get to my office before everyone else in the summer. The whole floor is quiet and peaceful and I can just sip tea and listen to the hum of the air conditioner (which I can set to whatever I want since I'm the first one here). Since the second set of summer courses ended and instructors haven't begun preparing for the fall yet, I rarely have to answer the phone or help anyone in person. I can do what little work I have without getting interrupted and without any time pressures. I can also just sit in the quiet and stare blankly at the wall if I want without anyone caring. This is especially good after insomnia nights like last night. Since I'm the only person on the administrative staff that is not salaried, I'm the only one with a real schedule. I show up at 9:00 and everyone else wanders in and out when they feel like it. It's a little annoying since I always seem to be working more hours than my bosses, but it's nice at times like these.

Local Theater and Assassins

2008-08-09T09:25:00.004-04:00

I love theater, but I haven't gone to many shows by local Boston companies. I tend to save my money for occasional trips to Broadway and any good touring shows that I don't get free tickets to (my friend works for a theater company and generously gets me free tickets to a lot of the national touring shows . . . she is awesome!). Still, there are some great local groups here and they generally offer cheaper tickets to their shows. At the Huntington Theater, for example, you can join the 35 and under club for free and get extremely discounted tickets and subscriptions!

In the past I've seen some good and bad local theater. Present Laughter at the Huntington a year or two ago was quite well done and Victor Garber was awesome in it. I've enjoyed several of the Longwood Players shows. They're not a professional company, but they have some pretty good talent. My favorite of their productions was A New Brain. I also saw a fairly bad production of The Last Five Years in Watertown, but at least I got to see a production of that show.

My mission this year is to attend more local shows, especially those by professional companies that I haven't seen before. I started my quest earlier this month by seeing Company One's production of Assassins at the BCA.

First, a little background. I have a love/hate relationship with Sondheim. I respect that he addresses challenging issues and writes ambitiously, but I don't always enjoy his shows. Usually I like a few songs from the shows I don't like and not the "plot" or the other songs. I like Into the Woods, but I've only seen the filmed version. I went to Company on Broadway last year and was bored and not really into it. Granted, I had back of the balcony seats, but I don't think it would have mattered if I had better seats. The instrument playing was impressive from a musical standpoint and Raul Esperanza was strong especially when he sang Being Alive, but overall, it didn't excite me.

On the other hand, I saw the touring production of Sweeney Todd this past year in the Colonial and loved it. Without actually showing much blood or having much of a set, it managed to be far more creepy and deep than the movie version. The actors/musicians angle worked perfectly with the insane asylum premise. In a world of crazy and disilllusioned people who may or may not be imagining or remembering real events, playing an instrument only enhanced the dreamlike (or nightmare like) quality.

I do like the music in Assassins, especially the revival cast. I was disappointed that Company One was doing the original version because I want to see how the transformation of the Balladeer is handled in the revival. I also missed the "Something Just Broke" song because it is haunting and one of my favorite additions to the show. Still, it was an excellent production. The set was simple, but easy to see from all sides and the staging effectively had the actors playing to different parts of the audience for appropriate amounts of time. When someone sang to one side of the room, either someone else would be singing to your part or the actor would sing a later verse in your direction. The small theater worked well for the show. In Assassins, you should feel as if you were right there with the assassins and it should make you uncomfortable.

The singing and acting were also strong. The Balladeer was a tiny bit hoarse, but we caught them at the end of their run. Each of the main actors had a microphone, which I felt was unneccesary and distracting. The theater was small and they all had powerful voices already. Some of their voices were so powerful in fact that I felt the songs were too loud. I don't know if this was an intentional choice to add to the discomfort level. The few microphone cut outs took you out of the scene. In addition, the chorus members weren't miked and sounded really quiet and odd in comparison.

The show itself is interesting because it presents situations, but not neccessarily reasons, solutions, or messages. You can understand what led the assassins to do their deeds, but it isn't villified or rationalized. It is up to the audience to decide if they were justified in any way.

Overall, it was a solid production that entertained and inspired thought. I'll definitely look for more Company One shows in the future.

Sports post

2008-08-09T09:06:00.003-04:00

Can you believe I haven't been posting because I have too much to post about? I had planned to post about a whole bunch of topics, but I haven't had the time lately and now I am behind! I guess I'll have to stop doing interesting things for awhile. Unfortunately, for the blog's sake, I'm going to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Musuem today and I have a trip to New Jersey and New York City next weekend.

I watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics last night. It was excessive, but actually pretty artistic and cool this year. My favorite portion was the large square of individually square blocks that popped up in different configurations to make pictures. The performers moving them must have practiced for a long time. My least favorite part was Sarah Brightman standing on top of the world singing with a surprisingly average looking Chinese pop star. I already believe she's an alien; I don't want to see her standing in top of the world with those creepy, spaced-out eyes and that plastic smile ready to eat all of its citizens. I also enjoyed how whenever they cut to Bush he was either checking the time or talking to Putin or Laura and not watching the performance. Oh, except for when Iraq came out in the parade of nations. He must have realized they would zoom in on him then. Granted, I would also be bored out of my mind by the parade of nations, but he was the one who wanted to go to it and it's part of his job to look attentive at diplomatic appearances.

I also watched Patriots pre-season on Thursday, but I don't have much to say about that. I tried to be excited . . . I really did! Patriots just aren't the Patriots without their starting players. At least Welker had no facial hair. : ) On the plus side, some of the rookies and newcomers look like they have potential. Lamont Jordon from Oakland could be our new "power it in" guy easily even if he is a little older (he'll fit right in with the other older guys). Mayo and Crable looked good on a few plays too. I thought their quarterback draft pick Kevin O'Connell played the best out of the three backups too. He moved well and seemed the most accurate with his throws. That said, if Brady gets hurt this season we're totally screwed. I'm sure the three backups would do better surrounded by the starting players, but they're still not ready to take over for Brady anytime soon.

Review: The Guild (www.watchtheguild.com)

2008-07-31T21:01:00.004-04:00

After I read about Felicia Day's web series, The Guild, in a Dr. Horrible article, I decided to check it out. She writes and stars in The Guild, which features short web episodes of around 4-8 minutes shot on a low budget (Season One was partly financed by donations). It won the 2007 YouTube video award and the 2008 Yahoo video award. The series features a diverse group of massive multi-player online gamers (think World of Warcraft or Everquest) who reluctantly decide to meet in real life to address a problem with another group member.

Although I've never played an MMORPG, I still found the series to be cute and amusing. Some references went over my head and I'm sure it would have been funnier if I had more of a gaming background, but the awkward relationships between the characters were still entertaining. Felicia is quite endearing as Codex, the young, unemployed, and slightly unhinged protagonist with an addiction to online gaming. She comes across very naturally, as if she isn't acting at all. It goes well with the whole "this could be a real story" type of vibe the series projects with her video blog entries and low budget, realistic settings. The other actors also fill their roles well. Jeff Lewis, who plays Vork, reminds me (in a good way) of Paul Lieberstein, who plays Toby on The Office.

Unless you're an online gamer, the series probably won't make you laugh out loud. It's still worth a watch though if you've got some free time. It's good, low-budget, cute, and amusing internet watching. The "Boss Fight" episode is especially clever and funny.

Best of all, it led to a successful promotion on my part! I frequently try to entice people to watch dorky things I love, usually without much success. This is partly because I don't know all that many people and don't like to talk to strangers. It is also partly because most of my friends either already love the same things I do or are totally uninterested and will never convert.

I've had the occassional success. I'd like to think I had a hand in addicting one of my close friends to the Whedonverse in college and the first time I hung out with my boyfriend outside of the place where we worked at the time was to force him to watch Firefly with me. (He did. He enjoyed it. He later watched the both the entire series of Buffy and of Angel in a massive many month marathon with me.) My Guild success was more exciting, however, because it took place at work and I enticed two people I don't know well who had never heard of it to go watch it. They met playing D&D and enjoyed Dr. Horrible so I thought it was a safe bet. Plus it inspired them to exclaim "Wow, I didn't know you were a secret geek!" in front of a bunch of my coworkers. Oh, and the husband works for our IT Department and will probably tell his friends there about it. I rock.

Healthy Foods that Taste Good

2008-07-28T16:57:00.003-04:00

One of my New Year's resolutions was to eat healthier food on a regular basis. I'm not dieting or attempting to lose weight, I just want to eat more nutritious food. I have lost a few pounds, but that happened because I have been exercising more regularly too. Exercising and eating healthier food makes you lose weight? Crazy!

I can't stand those people who don't eat bread or suddenly only eat grapefruit. A little of most things is all right as long as you're eating them in moderation, choosing healthier options like whole grains instead of white, and exercising. Plus, you're more likely to stick with something that is remotely normal in the long run. I've found it easier to find healthier versions of things I crave then to try to ignore them completely. After half a year of trying to choose better foods, I actually have stopped craving some types of food. Fast food of the burger and fried variety and overly sugary stuff tends to disgust me now. I eat it every once in awhile when I feel like it and I still love my quesadillas, but it's nice to get hungry and crave fruit instead.

I thought I'd share a few tasty, healthier products I've been eating over the last few months.

1. Morningstar Farms, fake cheddar burger. No, it doesn't taste like a real burger. It does taste good though! These are great as a break from sandwiches for lunch or when I'm craving a cheeseburger, but don't want to give in.

2. Weight Watchers, creamsicles and chocolate mousse pops. I don't know anything about the point system and I was skeptical about an all diet brand, but both of these are really good for a light dessert. I like that the creamsicle flavors aren't generic. They have key lime, passion fruit, and strawberry and they actually are creamy. Best of all, they are very low in calories so it's good for when you aren't actually that hungry but are craving a dessert anyways.

3. Ben and Jerry's, frozen yogurt or Lighten Up brand. It's expensive, but worth it. I actually prefer the Lighten Up chocolate fudge brownie flavor to the original because it is still outrageously decadent and you don't feel bad eating it.

4. Simply Soy (I think, maybe Healthy Soy?) Mango Vanilla frozen dessert from Trader Joes. It tastes like a mango creamsicle. I was wary of the soy, but it tastes like a mix between ice cream and sherbert. Slightly creamier than sherbert, but lighter than ice cream. Either way, it's yummy.

5. Smoothies. I've become a huge fan of the smoothie. We have a standard healthy recipe made with orange juice, ice, fruit and, a little silken tofu for texture and some added soy (don't worry if you don't like tofu, you can't taste it), and we just switch the fruit to whatever we feel like at the time. You can buy frozen fruit and save it until needed. My favorites are Mango and Mango Strawberry. We also use pinapple and bannanas. I wouldn't recommend anything with seeds though. That gets messy.

Okay, those were mostly desserts. My weaknesses are cheese and chocolate though so it figures. Any one else have some healthier products I should try?

Review: Boston Harbor Islands

2008-07-28T15:41:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, after several years of procrastinating, my friends and I finally went to one of the Boston Harbor Islands. We chose Georges Island because the ferry from Long Wharf goes directly to it and it has some modern amenities like rest rooms and a snack bar. The tickets cost $14 for a round trip and include access to Georges Island and Spectacle Island. You can catch different boat to one of the other many islands from Georges or Spectacle for a few more dollars. You are required to select a return time when you buy the tickets, so it helps to plan ahead. Apparently, this is to prevent everyone from attempting to return on the last ferry of the day, which would not have enough seats. You can try to switch return times, but you will be on standby and will not be guaranteed a seat. The trip to Georges takes about 25 minutes.

Georges Island is 39 acres and most of that is taken up by Fort Warren, a National Historic Landmark. Fort Warren was built in 1847 and served as a prison for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. We decided to forgo a ranger-led tour, which was offered only a few times during the day, and explore on our own using a brochure. I can't say I learned a lot, but it was fun to wander aimlessly about a historical place. I enjoyed that nothing was really preserved or recreated and the only places that were off limits were spots with dangerous structural damage. Wandering into whatever rooms you wanted and descending blindly down stairs into blackness without rails or lights has its charms. It was fun to not know where you'd end up. It made me feel like a little kid exploring somewhere cool that was off limits.

The rest of the island is cute and has some pretty views of other islands and the distant Boston skyline. Although the island is not very big, it was easy to get away from other visitors. Most people congregated in the picnic area, by the snack bar, and in the main part of the fort. If you don't like crowds, try wandering between the shore line and the outside wall of the fort. We went right from the dock area and only encountered one or two other visitors walking that way.

I'd recommend bringing your own lunch or, if you are ambitious, having your own mini-barbecue in the picnic area. The snack bar has limited, overpriced options and is run inefficiently. We ordered burgers inside a small room, were given a small slip of paper with burger written on it, and gave the slip to the cashier to pay. Next we wandered outside to the grill area. After waiting for several minutes, we finally realized that we were supposed to give the grill guy the slip of paper. He told us it would take 15-20 minutes to cook our burger and we were towards the beginning of a large group of people. As we waited impatiently, we realized even when our burgers were ready, we had no way of identifying our order. No one had written our names or a number on the slip of paper. As a result, people ahead of us in line grabbed burgers that should have been ours. This could have easily been remedied by having the cashier write a number on the slip or having the customer write her name. The cashier should also have told people to give their slips to the grill man. The cheeseburger was decent, but not worth a half an hour wait and all the hassle.

Our attempt at walking on the rocky beach ended quickly when we realized we were in the middle of a bunch of dead (I think) jellyfish. They were about the size of a saucer and didn't move, but it was still unnerving. I'm not sure if you can be stung by coming into contact with a dead jellyfish, but I certainly didn't want to step in one! If you walk on the beaches, watch your step.

We left on the 10:30 ferry and returned on the 2:00 ferry. Unless you are planning on visiting other islands, this is a good amount of time to allot. Since Georges Island is fairly small, three hours is plenty of time to explore and eat without getting bored or feeling rushed. Make sure to bring sunscreen, sunglasses or a hat, and a bottle of water with you. The midday sun can be draining and if you are walking around, there is not much way to avoid it. Overall, it was a cheap and relaxing experience away from the city. I'd gladly visit some of the other islands for more day trips.

Review: The Dark Knight (and a comment on reviews)

2008-07-26T18:39:00.011-04:00

I've decided to label my review posts as reviews to differentiate them from my more meandering personal entries and comments. This way if readers want to only read reviews or only personal entries they will know the type of entry right away from the title of the post. I realize that only a few people actually read this and I usually talk to those people about the contents of the entries in person anyway, but part of the fun of having a blog is deluding yourself into thinking you are writing for a vast hidden audience of internet fans. So, I address this to the world!

The Dark Knight (Contains spoilers)

When I first heard about a sequel to Batman Begins, I was excited. I haven't read any Batman comics, but I've always found Batman to be one of the most interesting of the standard superheros because his vigilante status and the harsh world of Gotham City. I like darker themes and I like my lead characters less squeaky clean than Superman. Nolan's Batman is less exaggerated and less comic than the previous versions; thus, his Batman is better able to address and depict more serious issues like the effect of fear on public behavior. This Batman can entertain, but also provoke thought. The Dark Knight had great potential for commentary on human nature.

For the most part, it did not disappoint me. It certainly stayed "dark" and also rather creepy. The descent of Gotham City from on the brink of hope with the emergence of the charismatic Harry Dent to plunging into complete panic and chaos fascinated me. It was completely believable, which made it scarier.

In these movies, Batman/Bruce doesn't go through much character development. He never really changes as a person or has any great realizations; rather, as the dialogue in the final scene notes, he seems to reflect the needs of the general public. If they need a hero, he will be one. If they need a target to blame and hate--someone to focus their anger on instead of each other or a villain they can't comprehend or reach--then Batman will be that person instead.

With the exception of Bruce's affection for Rachel, Alfred, and Commisioner Gordon, the character rarely displays personal motivation or feeling. His voice is robotic. His suit and mask conceal any subtle emotions that Christian Bale might convey. In his own movie, Batman tends to fade into the night while the others like Joker and Dent are bright, attention-grabbing lights. This could be considered a fault. Bale certainly won't be nominated for any acting awards for this role and you tend to remember his suit and gadgets more than his face or line delivery. I, however, like this interpretation. Whether intentional or not, this portrayal shifts the focus from one man to a larger world. It becomes not Batman's story, but the story of Gotham City reflected by him.

Joker certainly delved into the darker side of human nature as well. Although it has been said many times already, I'll say again that Heath Ledger's portrayal was impressive and very creepy. Although I feel the film itself has been slightly overrated, I don't believe Heath Ledger's performance has been overrated because of his death. Ledger embodies the chaos and "unstoppable force" that Joker represents perfectly.

He plays the part using an odd combination of awkward self-consciousness and focused drive towards and relishing of madness. The licking of his lips and other awkward gestures make the viewer feel uneasy. I'm not a very outgoing person and if I am forced to interact with a socially awkward and nervous person, I become much more nervous myself because they are unpredictable and I feel responsible for directing the conversation. The Joker says himself that people feel comfortable when they expect things, even if those things are horrible. By playing with odd mannerisms in the character, I feel Ledger really hits the level of contained, evil, unpredictability that makes viewers and other characters uneasy and on edge.

Although enjoyable, this movie wasn't perfect by any means. The mob subplot was confusing when you thought about it and not interesting enough to make you think about it. It seemed to be there only to give Batman the opportunity to beat up common criminals with fancy gadgets. The Dark Knight is around 2 and a half hours long; cutting the mob subplot or substantially downsizing it could have made it a much tighter 2 hour movie.

It also might have allowed the transformation of Harvey Dent to Two Face to occur more gradually. My friends and I agreed that he went from family guy/paragon to crazy, melty- faced villain far too quickly. Although his makeup was convincing (and gross), I couldn't completely buy his internal transformation in such a short amount of time. Not only that, but Two Face lasted less than a half an hour! You can't really be a villain if you have one failed kidnapping attempt and then are killed. I would have rather seen more of Two Face earlier in the movie, a more gradual conversion, and then a continuation into a potential future movie.

Rachel was still Rachel. I liked Maggie Gyllenhaal better than Katie Holmes, but the character is still your stereotypical plucky yet ultimately ineffective (and in need of saving by a guy) kind of girl. I did like that she chose Harvey over Bruce and I was surprised they killed her. I was not overly upset though. Even Batman didn't seem overly upset, and she was supposedly his great love! At least with her death we have the possibility of a better love interest in a sequel.

The editing and cuts towards the end got kind of Moulin Rouge spastic, but after thinking about it, I realized that it represented the chaotic things that were occurring at the end of the movie fairly well.

Overall, I rate this movie an 8 out of 10. Although it lost some control of its subplots and could have been shorter, it was a very enjoyable, dark superhero movie with some excellent acting and fun action scenes.

Ode to Neil Patrick Harris

2008-07-23T20:47:00.003-04:00

I forgot to add that I'm now obsessed with how LEGEN--wait for it--DARY Neil Patrick Harris is. He's way underrated as an actor and after seeing Dr. Horrible I wish he would go back to Broadway eventually. I'm even about to go watch the YouTube video of him as the Tooth Fairy on Sesame Street. Yes, I am that pathetic. : )

I love my boyfriend, but I've always had a weak spot in my heart for slightly dorky guys who sing beautifully and give me the shivers. I think I'm allowed. It's not like I actually want to date them or I ever could. I just love how they can make so many people feel so strongly. I want to be close to that much talent so maybe a little will soak into me or maybe a little of me could inspire even more. Assuming he is as nice a guy as he appears in the media, NPH's boyfriend is a lucky man! I'd heard NPH sing in the Assassins revival and in Sweeney Todd in Concert, but that was before I fell in love with How I Met Your Mother so I didn't pay as much attention to how good he actually was.

It's odd, but I don't find him as attractive as Barney on HIMYM. I find Barney hilarious, but Ted is more my type. Barney is just too polished looking. He never has a hair out of place and he's almost always impeccably suited up. Bascially the type of guy I could never ever be remotely cool around in real life. Plus, I'm not into snarky womanizers. Neil rocks the mussed and casual look as Billy in Dr. Horrible though. Very approachable and very adorable. I guess my actor crush type is cynical, potentially world-dominating, shy, secretly romantic, evil dorky men . Hmmm.

As a side note, I successfully converted one of my friends into a How I Met Your Mother fan! (Insert Dr. Horrible laugh here.) I formed my evil plan when the momentous events at the end of "Sandcastles in the Sand" happened and I had no one to jump up and down and squeal like a little girl with. : ) My boyfriend loves the show too, but I think only a girl can appreciate the squealworthiness of that moment. If you don't watch HIMYM, check it out. It's a smart and funny show and it has aspects that I think will appeal to a wide range of people. Just don't watch the Britney Spears episodes first!

Dr. Horrible Spawns Internet Show Craze?

2008-07-23T12:09:00.009-04:00

Since watching Dr. Horrible for a second time yesterday, I decided to read some media and fan reviews. I'll talk about the fan comments in a separate post. Most of the media articles (and there are quite a few and several in major newspapers and magazines) seem to be focused on the internet "event" and independently produced internet show as a new movement for writers, actors, and production staff and the question of whether this movement will be commercially viable. They use Dr. Horrible as a main example.

Can it make money? I personally believe that Dr. Horrible will make back its production costs (low six figures) and more after the release of the dvd. Joss Whedon has a large fan base and most people who bought the series on Itunes like I did will also buy the dvd and possibly some merchandise. Essentially, the fans will contribute money to the project several times. Based on the high download rankings on Itunes, the grassroots, word of mouth advertising buzz has also hooked many people who aren't hardcore Whedon fans. It's not going to be a huge money maker, but it will have a huge audience and the people associated with it will make a bit of extra cash.

Will this launch a new internet movement? TV-like shows on the internet made available for free or a low cost are not new. I never watched the internet show Quarterlife that they tried to transfer to network tv, but I know it was popular online. There are plenty of others and I'm not even counting YouTube. I think the following aspects of Dr. Horrible are causing it to get more attention as a possible new entertainment model.

1) It features very high quality, fairly well known actors having fun and doing the project because they believe in it. They were not guaranteed to earn any money and the amount of money that the actors will eventually receive will most likely be fairly inconsequential to them. It could easily have been a huge flop. Obviously, the main motivation for doing it was because it interested them as actors and they thought it would be fun and worth making. Add the writing staff and Joss (some of them prolific network-employed tv screenwriters and directors), and plenty of favors from industry professionals, and you have a group of people that indicate to the audience that this is "professional" level work. It automatically raises expectations and provides reassurance that it might be worth watching. After all, these high level people thought it was worth making.

2) Dr. Horrible was produced specifically for the internet audience and format. It is obvious that the costuming and set budget were kept much lower than a comparable hour of network tv. For example, Captain Hammer's costume is just cargo pants, a t-shirt with a hammer logo, and some gloves. This works fine online where people are used to watching YouTube videos with homemade costumes. It also fits perfectly in the world of a low-rent supervillian who doesn't own his own washer and dryer. The story is interspersed with internet video blog entries from Dr. Horrible. It was available for free for a week and later for only $4.99 on Itunes. It is only 40 minutes long. All of these aspects cater to a web audience that looks for cheap, quick, but still quality entertainment.

3) Dr. Horrible has built-in fan bases to build support on and help spread the word. Joss Whedon has a huge following, Neil Patrick Harris has plenty of fans, and even Nathan Fillion is somewhat of a cult favorite among science-fiction and Whedon fans. A project made with these people pretty much has a guaranteed base audience which will watch the series, or at least the first part. Of course, it is harder to keep their attention and encourage them to pay money for it. Nonetheless, it is much easier for a quality show with this base foundation of fans to succeed. An equally well-made show that is produced by and acted in by total unknown has a much harder path to commercial viability.

Soooooooo . . .

I conclude that if Dr. Horrible does make money, other independent, internet ventures by industry professional may indeed follow. If they have talented and recognizable people involved, are created specifically for the internet, and have a foundation of fans, I think they have the potential to do as well or better. I, for one, would love to see this. There are a few quality shows on tv currently, but overall there is a glut of bad reality shows and poorly written sitcoms and dramas. Too often the few great shows like Firefly are derailed by network politics or mismanagement. Internet shows would be an accessible and cheap way to see quality entertainment that isn't dictated by network producers or profit.

Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog!

2008-07-19T11:43:00.003-04:00

Everyone must watch this: www.drhorrible.com.

You should watch if

1. You love musicals
2. You love Joss Whedon
3. You love Neil Patrick Harris or Nathan Fillian
4. You love entertaining, non-corporate, unpretentious, fun, and well acted comedy
5. You are a human (at least try the first act . . . it's only 14 minutes and it's free this week!)

It is a 40 minute musical about a low rent super villain and his laundrymat crush written by Joss Whedon the creater of everything great about tv (also known as Buffy, Angel, Firefly, etc.). It was produced independently during the writer's strike. You can read more about the project's creation and aims in Whedon's letter on the website.

There are several tv shows I currently enjoy watching, but none I truly love as much as the Joss Whedon shows that aren't on the air anymore. Somehow his ideas, style, writing, and selection of talent and writers perfectly matches my tastes in everything. I can't wait until his new series, Dollhouse, premieres in January! It's been far too long.

Watch Dr. Horrible!

Lots of Random Things in One Post

2008-07-18T09:47:00.003-04:00

I just found out my office building has cockroaches and now I'm super paranoid. I keep looking everywhere I step. I actually prefer mice to cockroaches (we have mice problems on and off also) because at least they are scary and cute. Cockroaches are just gross.

Job hunting is so frustrating. I know I just have to be patient and if I keep applying to places eventually I'll probably get an interview somewhere, but it is still hard to keep applying when no one seems to even acknowledge it. At least the last person who expressed some interest was courteous enough to notify me that they had hired someone else. I hate it when companies don't even send you a form letter or email. Looks like I'll be at my current job for at least a few more months. It's not bad; it's just fairly boring and not challenging. Summer is especially slow.

Project Runway is back! I didn't like the last season very much, but there seem to be some interesting contestants on this one and no one is horrendously annoying yet. In honor of Project Runway, I will list some of my summer fashion pet peeves.

1. Crocs. I don't care how comfortable they are, they are UGLY! I make an exception for little kids and beach wear. They seem like durable kids shoes and good water/sand shoes.

2. Bug Eye Sunglasses. I hate those huge round sunglasses that take up a person's entire face. It seems like every college girl has them. They only look good on a few select people any way. Sunglasses have glasses in their name for a reason--they are supposed to cover your eyes, not your whole face!

3. Mini skirts. If you can't sit down without flashing everyone, don't wear it.

4. Thong sandals with business clothes. It's fine to wear them to work and then change, but I know of people who keep them on at the office. It just looks silly and unprofessional. Why bother to wear business clothes if you're going to wreck the look with your shoes?

Summer Adventures

2008-07-02T09:32:00.003-04:00

Every summer I say I will do a bunch of excursions that I never end up doing. I want to do at least a few of these things this year so I'm going to list them below. If you are interested in any of them, let me know and we can set dates.

1. Day trip to the Harbor Islands. My boss is actually camping there right now! I just want to go walk around in a relaxing mostly natural environment. It's not too far and fairly cheap.

2. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. One of the few museums in Boston I haven't visited. It's supposed to be very beautiful and have some great paintings.

3. White water rafting in Maine. Jason and I were planning to go with my brother and some of his friends in a few weeks if he did a medium-level rapids , but he suddenly had to go out to sea for a month. With some luck, I'll still be able to go in late August when he gets back. Anyone who wants to is welcome to come along.

4. Day or weekend trip to New York City. This is pretty much set, but I like to have it on the list because it is something to cross off already! I'm excited for this.

5. Day trip to Ipswich and Wolf Hollow. You can go from North Station and catch a shuttle bus that will drive you around Ipswich or Essex. Ipswich supposedly has a nice beach, cute little shops and restaurants, and orchards, but the coolest thing on the bus loop is the wolf hollow center. They do a short informational presentation and you get to see some rescued wolves up close.

6. Hiking around the Arboretum. I've been meaning to do this for several years.

7. Try some new restaurants. I always end up going to the same places. I'd like to try Zocalo, Soul Fire, Addis (the Ethiopian place), Golden Temple, or anywhere else I haven't been.

8. I'd also be up for visiting some other museums I haven't been to in the last year like the MFA or the Aquarium. I've never been to the ICA either.

I'm free pretty much any weekend except the weekends of July 11th and August 15th. My goal is to do at least 4 of these 8 excursions.

Great Kitty Debate

2008-07-01T09:31:00.002-04:00

We are considering getting a kitten. Jason has always thought it was a good idea. He originally wanted to adopt two kittens from Kira's litter, but there weren't enough. I'm still having an internal debate about it. Here's what I've been thinking about the situation. Please offer your opinions.

Points
1. It would be a companion for Kira. She is alone for a lot of time during the week in a small apartment and another cat would help her be less bored and lonely.

BUT Maybe she isn't really bored or lonely and I'm just assuming that because I would be bored and lonely. It's hard to tell. She's not being destructive and she does like to sleep and watch birds during the day. On the other hand, she always wants to play more, especially right when we get home and another cat might play with her during the day. Also, there is no guarantee that they would like each other. I would hate to get a cat that made her annoyed and miserable all the time!

2. Kittens are adorable and lots of fun!
BUT the first few months, especially introducing the two cats is bound to be annoying at times and a lot of work. You have to keep them separated for awhile.

3. It is good to save an animal from living at a shelter and potentially being euthanized. I know kittens are usually not euthanized because people adopt them over older cats, but it's still good to give them a real home.

4. Having two cats is more expensive. There would be initial expenses like adoption fees, shots, spaying or neutering if it is needed, and buying new supplies like a litter box. After those expenses, on a normal month we would individually be paying about $25 more a month for a second cat.
BUT I can afford $25 a month.

5. We rent a one bedroom apartment. Cats need their own spaces in a home and I'm not sure there is enough room in our apartment. Also, we'd need to figure out where to put a second litter box and deal with having two cats in a small space. If we have to move to another rental place, it will be harder to find one that takes two cats and harder to move with two cats. Does anyone know of any situations with multiple indoor cats in a one bedroom apartment or small living space?

6. Two cats means more fur! I'm not sure if I'm allergic to kitty litter, fur (well, dander really), or something else like dust and pollen, but I'm always sneezing and getting a runny nose in our apartment. If I clean the litter box without wearing a cleaning mask, I sneeze the rest of the night. Two cats, especially a long haired cat, might make the problem worse.

I'm most concerned with points one and five. I want Kira to be happy and I don't know if getting a kitten would make her more or less happy. I'm sure it would make her less happy at the beginning, but if they became friends it would definitely make her more happy. I'd also be less hesitant if I lived in a bigger apartment or house.

Any thoughts or ideas?

TV Alert

2008-06-24T10:58:00.002-04:00

I saw the best commercial last night. Apparently, on July 7th (I think) there will be Celebrity Family Feud featuring . . .

The cast of the Office vs. the American Gladiators!

How awesome is that! I know no one else watches Gladiators, but the commercial showed Phyllis facing off against Wolf (see here, http://www.nbc.com/American_Gladiators/bios/wolf.shtml). It was priceless. Since both casts are funny, it should be a pretty amusing show. I just can't get over that image. I think I laughed for five minutes.

Let's Go To The Mall!

2008-06-21T11:45:00.003-04:00

The title must be sung Robin Sparkles style. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch How I Met Your Mother. That song makes me laugh every single time I hear it. I am going to Cambridgeside today. I probably shouldn't buy a bunch of clothes, but I probably will anyway because I don't go to a normal mall very often and I like to take advantage of decent prices when I can. Does anyone else find it weird that there are no mainstream/non-luxury malls in downtown Boston? It seems like a mall like Cambridgeside with stores like Old Navy, H&M, Borders, Sears, etc would do really well in the downtown area. I guess most of the stores have individual locations in Boston, but it would be nice to have them all in one location that wasn't an hour away on the T.

I've been feeling very materialistic lately, which makes me feel guilty and selfish. I really want to buy clothes, books, and shoes. The problem is that I somehow have a bunch of extra money this month to indulge my materialistic urges. I guess it happened because May was a five paycheck month and I got that government stimulus money. Still, I did go on a vacation and put a bunch of the government money into my savings account. I guess having more money than anticipated is not a bad thing, but it means I'll probably buy stuff I don't really need.

On a random note, does anyone know of a low brow used bookstore that will buy books from me? Most of what I want to sell is genre fiction or general fiction (not hugely literary) and the used stores I know of only take more scholarly material.

Dumb Reality Shows

2008-06-18T12:25:00.004-04:00

I'm excited for the Olympics, but until August I'm stuck watching dumb reality shows to kill time. I have been watching The Mole and Next Food Network Star. Does anyone else watch these? If you haven't seen the last episodes of each of them, don't read the rest of this post.

The Mole
In order of likelihood, I think the mole is Victoria, Craig, Clay, or Kristen. I think it is definitely not Paul, Nicole, or Mark. I also had ruled out Ali and Bobby, the two people who were eliminated this week, so go me! I don't like this new version as much as the older ones. The people on this cast seem more like generic reality show stereotypes and they don't get the concept that they need to work together to add more money to the pot. Plus, there are some horrendously annoying jerks on this one and no Anderson Cooper. I'll probably keep watching though.

Next Food Network Star
Sometimes I don't understand how these contestants could have been chosen from thousands of applicants. I can't really see any of them as a star and a great number of them have produced horrible meals in multiple challenges (like raw eggs). That said, I think the remaining African American man, the one who is bald and made fancy salad dressing in the Martha Stewart challenge, should win. He has the most "tv" personality, seems like a fun and down-to-earth guy, and has received good reviews for his cooking. I'd watch a show with him.

Review: The Tony Awards

2008-06-16T12:22:00.005-04:00

I mostly watch the Tonys for the performances and I was excited that they had so many shows perform this year. It made the broadcast go faster. Of course, there were a bunch of shows that, in retrospect, I could have done without. Here are some quick thoughts on the overall production.

Whoopi
She was okay. I didn't find any of her segments funny, but she didn't annoy me overly much either. I much prefer Hugh Jackman though. I think the frequent costume change bit has been overused at award shows.

Performances
My Favorites
Of the shows I was unfamiliar with, Cry Baby intrigued me the most. It seemed old school, but catchy and high energy. Plus, I think huge dance numbers are fun. I wasn't into In the Heights at the start of the song because I had a bad impression of the lead guy and I didn't like the spoken word/rapping style much. I did enjoy it more towards the end, however, especially when the Asian woman began singing over the rapping. She had a really gorgeous voice.

Pretty Good Performances
I don't know Gypsy very well, but I've never really liked the song Everything is Coming Up Roses. Patti Lupone was good obviously, but I think I would have appreciated her performance more if I had seen it in the context of the show (all I know about the plot is that she plays a crazy stage mom). It did annoy me a bit when people gave her a standing ovation. I can't say exactly why it bothered me. If it had been during a performance of Gypsy, it would have been cool. It just seemed rude to all the other performers from other shows to do it in the middle of the Tonys when no one else received a standing ovation.

The Rent tribute was decent, but nothing special. I loved the cute Idina and Taye look at the beginning. Overall, not the best rendition of not the best song from that show. Everyone really seemed to care though. Darn, that Mimi was scary looking!

Although I didn't care much for the song they sang, I enjoyed watching Sunday in the Park with George and being able to see a bit of the much talked about "modern technology" set. It was very cool. I also loved the male performer (Daniel Evans?). He exuded boyish charm and hope and had a pleasant voice. The actor just seemed like a fun and nice guy whenever they cut to him in the audience. He even sang along with Seasons of Love!

Xanadu also seemed harmlessly fun and good natured. I bet the actual show is very funny.

Performances I only half-watched
Yes, the costumes in Lion King are amazing, but, sadly, they get less amazing when you've seen Circle of Life a zillion times. I could do without Lion King for awhile.

South Pacific was well performed, but I hate most of the music. I'm don't usually like Rodgers and Hammerstein or older "classic" musicals in general. I respect that they laid the foundation for current shows, but I just don't enjoy them. South Pacific seems so dated. I know the big deal with this production was that it made it feel relevant to current events, but I didn't get that at all from this medley. Also, I felt vaguely embarrassed for the girl when she was running around giggling to herself.

Painful performances I wish I hadn't watched
Passing Strange's performance completely crushed any desire I had to learn anything more about that show. Stew (Note to Stew: if you're going to use only one name you better be really famous or extremely talented and you're not) basically just shouted one phrase over and over again for at least three minutes. How is that a musical theater song? It wasn't even a good rock song.

The rejected shows medley should have stayed rejected. All of them just looked bad. I swear that Faith Prince missed a bunch of notes.

Nothing can redeem Grease. Granted, the show is not great to begin with, but the stars need a presence to pull it off. The two leads faded into the background. I wasn't even sure who Sandy was at first. Ouch.

Speeches
Award show speeches usually annoy me by being boring, narcissistic, babbling, gimmicky, or way too long. There were plenty of all of these things. The In the Heights guy's rap speech really made me dislike him. It liked it a little better when I realized that that was the style of some of the show lyrics. Granted, the rap was clever, it just was so gimmicky and pretentious to me. He seemed so full of himself every time they showed him. His show seemed entertaining and deserving of the win, but he acted like it was this huge groundbreaking event of theater. Sondheim, yes. Rent, yes. In the Heights, not so much.

The worst was the best actor in play winner from 39 steps. I was already disappointed because I wanted Patrick Stewart to win and then this guy tells this totally nonsensical "story" that isn't funny, comprehensible, or remotely related to theater.

I like people who seem genuinely thankful. The younger women from Gypsy seemed nice for example and honestly thankful and excited and the August: Osage County winner who told the audience how she always watched the Tonys on tv and only did regional theater was sweet too.

Top Model

2008-02-22T09:15:00.002-05:00

Top Model Cycle 10 premiered this week. It's a bad show, but I watch it anyway. It's fun to discuss the next day, and watching Tyra is like watching a train wreck. I'd like to think that not all models are dumb, but, sadly, this last crop doesn't seem to disprove the stereotype. They couldn't find any beautiful AND smart contestants? I noted four or five that were articulate (Cornell girl, plus-size girl, dark-haired Sarah Silverman look-a-like girl, Fatima, and I drink my own breast milk girl), but the rest were either completely dumb, very inarticulate, or super ghetto (and I mean this in the bad ghetto way, as clarified in the episode). The Boston girl who wanted to "trick out her Impala" was embarrassing and Anya (?) from HI seemed high the whole time. Is that really a Hawaiian accent? It sounded like she was European originally.

Perhaps, Fatima will be the one reality contestant from Boston that I like. I've disliked Neil and Jay & Mark from Biggest Loser and crazy, giggly, blond chick from last cycle (Milena?). I already hate the smushed-face, Barbie girl from Worchester. To her credit, however, when Tyra asked "Do you ever take money?" and she answered "All the time," I also assumed Tyra was asking if she handled money as part of her job as a teller. After all, why would she ask if she stole it? It's not like the girl would say so on tv even if she did steal money! Note to self: Never go to a bank in Worchester.

I think I liked Marvita more last season. She seems less outwardly crazy, but more inwardly psychotic now. In any case, at least the contestants seem more interesting than last season. My favorites, based on the one episode, are Sarah Silverman girl, plus-size girl, and Fatima. Let the insanity begin!

New Concept and Comics

2008-02-14T16:32:00.003-05:00

Since I don't have as much time to write reviews as I originally thought, I changing this to a more general blog. I'll include random musings along with recommendations and reviews. I'm hoping this will motivate me to post more!

I've become fascinated by web comics lately. I started reading one, Order of the Stick, when I was bored at work and I've branched out to include others. At first, I was skeptical. I'm not much of a comic reader. I've read a few graphic novels, which I enjoyed, but I still tend to prefer novels. Now, I've realized that comics don't have to be like the dailies in newspapers. They can have long-running storylines, complex characters, and they don't necessarily have to be focused on humor. Here some good webcomics to check out.

Order of the Stick by Art Burlew (www.giantitp.com/comics)
This is a funny, long-form comic parodying role-playing games, specifically Dungeons and Dragons. The characters are modified stick figures and go on fantasy adventures. I didn't understand most of the jokes until I played Dungeons and Dragons, but you'll get most of them if you know the basic rules and format of D&D. Although it has some poignant and dramatic moments, OOTS is primarily a funny comic with puns, sight-gags, and character-based humor. OOTS is updated three times a week on no particular days.

Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell (www.gunnerkrigg.com)
Another long-form comic about Antimony, a 6th grade (or technically 7th form) girl at a mysterious boarding school in London. There are mythical creatures, gods, robots, and classic teenage drama and comedy. It is more serious than Order of the Stick, but has plenty of funny moments. Anyone who loves Harry Potter should check it out. Although Antimony and her friends aren't wizards, the story has a similar feel with an added science vs. mysticism aspect. Gunnerkrigg Court is updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It is my current favorite comic.

The Phoenix Requim by Sarah Ellerton (http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/)
Phoenix is more cheesy and anime in style, but still entertaining. It is about Anya, a young woman in a small frontierish town attempting to become a doctor in the male-dominated field. A mysterious stranger comes to town and a strange sickness takes hold. This is a new comic, so she hasn't written many strips yet.

Although the comics I suggested are all long-form and related to fantasy, there are webcomics of every genre and style. Other than OOTS, which was recommended, I found the others by googling the Webcomic Awards. Enjoy!

Review: Bamboo Restaurant

2007-09-16T18:56:00.001-04:00

Last Friday night, my boyfriend and I went to Bamboo, a Thai restaurant located at 1616 Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton. Although I'm trying to expand my horizons, I am hardly a foodie or a culinary adventurer. In fact if you don't count the tiny chicken skewers with peanut sauce they serve at my company's catered events, this was my first time eating Thai food. Still, I was excited to try something new.

A large fish with a square lumpy head reminiscent of the Elephant Man greeted me as I entered. Luckily, it was contained in one of the giant fish tanks in the center of the small room. Was this a Thai fish? I have no way of knowing. I'm pretty sure the bright primary colors of the salt shakers and overhead lighting fixtures weren't traditionally Thai, but they enhanced the casual vibe anyway. The waitresses/hostesses and most of the patrons wore jeans. Bamboo caters to students and young professionals, although I also saw a middle-aged couple. Soothing mint green walls and incongruous soft rock music added to the laid-back atmosphere.

Although it was a Friday night at dinner time, the restaurant was only about a third full and we were seated at a booth as soon as we entered. Normally, I love sitting in booths. In this case, I'd advise calling shotgun for a normal chair. The booth bench seemed to harden as the night progressed. We ordered vegetarian spring rolls and Thai ice tea for starters. If you like shrimp, the shrimp spring rolls may be a more flavorful option. The sweet and sour sauce accompanying the rolls didn't quite mitigate the blandness of what was basically a portable lettuce salad. Thai ice tea resembles creamy tea with an unidentifiable aftertaste. I am glad I tried it, but my stomach began rebelling at its foreignness about halfway through the glass. If I go to Bamboo again, I want to order Sam's Platter, an assortment of appetizers. It seems like a great way to try many of the appetizers at once and pick favorites. Unfortunately, we weren't hungry enough to take on Sam.

I chickened out (excuse the pun) and ordered "Chicken in the Garden" instead of a more signature Thai dish. A heaping plate of steamed veggies and chicken in peanut sauce arrived quickly. My boyfriend took advantage of Bamboo's option to create your own stir fry and ordered a beef stir fry with crispy egg noodles. He loved it and he actually cooks and has eaten Thai food before. The entrees ranged from around $10-$20, but my bountiful dish lasted me three meals and remained delicious. Overall, a great bargain for some tasty food. Bamboo added some color to the plates with carrot flowers and adorable radish mushroom straight from Mario Brothers.

As a dessert freak, I can not go out to eat without trying a restaurant's dessert menu. You can't go wrong with Bamboo's fried ice cream. Basically a huge ice cream meatball of fried batter and vanilla or coconut filling, the fried ice cream creates the sensation of eating a donut and a bowl of ice cream at the same time. I did not exercise enough that day to eat it and after eating it, I did not care.

In general, Bamboo is a good casual option with quick service and large portions. Although I'm not quite a Thai-food convert yet, I'd go again just for the fried ice cream.

Postscript: A student employee at work recently told me she has seen Bamboo staff members take the carrot flowers off one person's plate and put them on another person's plate. If you care about hygiene, you may want to avoid Bamboo or at least don't eat the petals like I did.