Cleveland Visit, Part 2 and 3

Went to the Opera Cleveland Sunday and saw Rossini's The Barber of Seville (not to be confused with Chuck Jones' Rabbit of Seville). Here is the Dallas Opera 2006 debut, Giorgio Caoduro as Figaro, featuring the famous aria.

Went to El Rodeo for dinner. Today we wandered amongst the stores in Cleveland, including Malley's Chocolates factory outlet and a late lunch at Melt.

Cleveland Visit

My parents are in town this weekend, so I get to play tour guide! Went to the Garfield Memorial at Lakeview Cemetery Saturday. Unfortunately, the interior was being cleaned so we couldn't get inside, but the view of Cleveland from the front stairs was still amazing.

Then went on to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Saw two temporary exhibitions of photographer Lee Friedlander and art of Central African Savannah. Also, part of the permanent exhibit has reopened, which was great to see. The renovation of the 1916 building was beautifully done. Here are two of my favorite pieces:

Twilight in the Wilderness by Frederick Church (1860). This piece is breathtaking. At first one is in awe of its beauty, but it also has a sense of melancholy. The damaged tree stump in the foreground foreshadows the inevitable destruction of forests due to deforestation, a concern even in the 1860s that eventually resulted in the establishment of the National Park System.

Cupid and Psyche by Jacque Louis David (1817). I'm sorry but this piece makes me chuckle every time. I love Cupid's shit-eating grin.

Then on to Hunan in Coventry for dinner and poked around in Big Fun and City Buddha before the trip home.

Zen of Cleaning

Rainia Kelly of Newsweek wrote a fun editorial after reading a book called Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life by Gail Blanke . The very act of purging items from your home, by decluttering your physical space, and living in the present, the book claims, you will find inner peace. Writes Kelly, "...this is a racket. Cleaning and organizing and simplifying always ends up costing us lots of money and time. ...I'm not saying you should let your house fall into disrepair or keep all your National Geographics forever, but couldn't that time and money be used to more directly help a person reach her true potential? Therapy, time with friends and family, a graduate degree—they all seem much more useful than cleaning your closets."

Coming from a family of packrats, a genetic predisposition I try very hard to fight (and lose every time), I have to admit she is right. No matter how hard you try, clutter is always there. Taking time to share a moment with friends or family has its own rewards. It's all about finding a balance.

Having said that, you don't want to end up like Big and Little Edie (see below).

You can read the article here on Newsweek.

My Wacky Movie Weekend

Saw several movies this weekend, while not new, were new to me...

Twilight

Twilight... well, if you haven't heard about this one, you've been living under a rock on Mars (or you haven't been around a teenage girl in the last year). Bella (Kristen Stewart) moves to a tiny town in Washington to live with her dad. New to school and already an outsider, Bella is immediately attracted to another outsider, the James Dean-like Edward (Robert Pattinson), who is oddly both attracted and repulsed by her. He is pale, cold to the touch and always calls off sick when it's sunny. When Edward saves her from an out of control car (using his bare hands), Bella puts two and two together. He is a vampire. Rather than be scared, she is intrigued. They fall in love. Unfortunately for her, another vampire is attracted to her as well, only as a menu item.

Twilight was great at capturing that sense of isolation in high school. To the director's credit, the film had a simple, straightforward story that did not rely too heavily on special effects but focused on character. The pacing was a bit awkward in places and the transitions between scenes were a bit jumpy (one minute they are in Washington, the next they are in Phoenix). I have not yet read the books so I felt I was missing out on some more subtle story points.

Grey Gardens

Grey Gardens... where to start! A documentary film about a mother and daughter, Big and Little Edie Beale, aunt and cousin to Jackie Onasis Kennedy. Victims of both circumstance and mental illness, they grew up in privilege and were reduced to living in squalor. The film records their lifestyle in a once beautiful 20+ room mansion that is now covered with overgrown shrubbery and filled with garbage, cats and raccoons. The film is appalling and exploitative and hillarious and heartwarming all at once. As crazy as their antics are, you  can't help but be charmed by them as they relive fonder moments in their past. Jessica Lang and Drew Barrymore will be starring in an HBO film based on the Beales' life, also titled Grey Gardens. You can view clips of both the original documentary film and a trailer for the new one on Liam's blog. Yes, that is a sweater on her head!

Walt's Ashes

As found on Cartoon Brew.

Red Riding Hood

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

Found on Cartoon Brew

The Graveyard Book

Ghost enthusiasts, have I got a book for you! The author of Coraline, Neil Gaiman, appeared on The Colbert Report last night to promote his newest story, The Graveyard Book. Nobody Owens, or Bod, is a normal boy. Normal, except for the fact that he is being raised by ghosts in a graveyard! "There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy – an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer." He is unable to leave the graveyard because the man who killed his family is waiting for him... Okay, so this book is written for kids (technically), but Gaiman is a darker, more gothic writer. In the spirit of Tim Burton and the Brothers Grimm, this story is sure to delight kids and adults of all ages. Illustrations by Dave McKean.

Consumerism Gone Amuck!

In Sunday's Cleveland Plain Dealer, there was a detailed story about the apparent imminent collapse of the City View Shopping Center in Garfield Heights. The original concept was a great idea, in theory – take an area that is largely residential and build a large commercial zone, enabling the community to increase revenue for civic and school improvements. The complex was built on top of a landfill that many believed to be responsible for causing cancer and other diseases in residents. In cooperation with government environmental regulatory agencies, the landfill was covered by gravel and then asphalt. But apparently something went wrong. After some environmental scares, including methane leaks, Wal-mart and several other major big box stores moved out. In addition, other developments in neighboring communities have opened with success, taking business away from the fledgeling development. Meanwhile, Garfield Heights has already spent revenue it expected to earn, building a new state-of-the-art high school and other projects, putting the city into major debt. The development is now in receivership. Unless something changes, it is likely to be closed down by the end of the year.

This whole event is a reflection of the flaw in American economic thinking/planning. Ohio has over 37 square feet of retail space per person, vs. the national average of 30-40 feet (source: Cuyahoga County Planning Commission). Where is the regional planning? How many big box stores do we need? How can Ohio support that much retail with almost 10 percent unemployment? Meanwhile, most of the products in these stores are made overseas, so we have become the agents of our own demise.

You can read more here at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. 

CNBC gets what's been comin' to 'em

In perhaps the strangest twist in entertainment journalism, The Daily Show exposes another "news" network's faults. Jim Cramer went on The Daily Show last night for a full half-hour debate with John Stewart about the failures of the financial news network's coverage of (and apparent collusion with) Wall Street heavyweights. Humor has always been a great medium for exposing truths (look at the history of political cartoons). It is a sad commentary, though, that John Stewart is the only voice in the media that seems to be able to expose these truths.

I would encourage you to view this interview at The Daily Show's site. Here is the segment that started the whole Cramer vs. Stewart debate.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Gen-Xers get Double-Whammied

We Gen-Xers are are a resilient lot, or so says this article on MSNBC... We've survived the Dotcom Bubble and are now dealing with the worst recession since the Great Depression. We've already accepted the fact that Social Security will be, well, perhaps not non-existent, but a pittance compared to what it used to be. Unlike our parents' and grandparents' generation, there's no "job for life."

Reading about the economy doesn't help my stress levels any, so here is a list of eight Stress Busters from MedicinNet.com

Movie news

The Watchmen seems to have broken the floodgates on movie news... Tons of new movie trailers... So many I will not bother to post them here. View them by clicking the links below...

Johnny Depp as John Dillinger (and Christian Bale) in Public Enemies

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Star Trek

Pixar's Up

And the first production still from Jerry Bruckheimer produced, Prince of Persia starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Mike Newell.

Who Watches the Watchmen? I did!

Our story takes place in an alternate 1985 – Nixon has been President for three terms and the U.S. won the Vietnam War. Superheroes have been banned; the U.S. is on the verge of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, "masks" are being killed, jailed, or discredited one by one. Are their removals related to the seemingly unstoppable escalation toward war?

It has been a long time since I have had to close my eyes to get through a scene in a movie. Zack Snyder's The Watchmen, like his previous film, 300, is extremely violent and contains disturbing imagery. Despite this, it is a compelling film; great visuals and interesting characters. This is not the typical comic book film. Definitely not for kids. Not for a lot of people. Don't go in expecting Superman to save the day. Indeed, the entire theme of both the book and film is to challenge the comic book convention. If someone had superpowers, dressed up in a costume, what would make that person any less susceptible to the same moral flaws (and in some cases, mental illness) the rest of us have?

Update: Here is a review by Roger Ebert and a follow-up character analysis of Dr. Manhattan.

Billy's Balloon

Here is a repost of one of my favorite cartoons. Showed it to some friends last night... it's always a big hit!

March came in like a Lion...

...and the lion rode in on a horse?