Leftovers

I know a lot of families that go out to eat for Thanksgiving, and more often than not, it's not even for a turkey dinner. It may be more convenient, but you're also missing what makes Thanksgiving so special. Even if it was just me, I think I'd still do a turkey breast and some potatoes, stuffing, and a vegetable, and I'd bake a pumpkin pie. I love a house filled with the smells of Thanksgiving - turkey roasting and pumpkin pie spices. And I especially love having leftovers for the next couple of days.

Nothing beats a cold turkey sandwich, with some cranberry sauce spread on the turkey.

I'm one of the few people who actually likes turkey a la king served on a bed of white rice, or as a filling for turkey pot pie.

Finally, a lot of people here make jook, which is a thick turkey based rice soup. It's topped with fresh grated ginger and it's super healthy for you. Personally, I prefer traditional turkey soup.

Wouldn't be Thanksgiving without leftovers.

Thankful for Thanksgiving 2009

I'm thankful for:

• My mom, who will turn 80 this year. She's cooking the turkey and then heads off to Vegas next weekend.
• My brothers, their partners, and my nieces. I mean this is the best way: if they weren't my family, I don't think they would be my friends, but I'm still so grateful that they are in my life.
• My job. My friends say it's the perfect job for me, and I think they're right. It brings out the best in me and highlights my skills. I feel valued and respected. We should all be thankful to have a job, but to love going to work each day is incredible.
• My health.
• My friends. I know tons of people, and call hundreds as "friends", but my real and true friends I can count on two hands, maybe one hand.
• Great movies. Film is not just entertainment for me. Film is an important part of my life, and how I approach life. It is my teacher, my psychiatrist, my inspiration. To a lesser extent, I say the same for great music and books.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Micro Film Reviews

Bottle Shock

I have a terrible allergy to alcohol, which has been a big bummer throughout my life. Even so, I loved the film "Bottle Shock" which is the true story of the California wine industry's 1976 historic blind taste win in Paris. It marked the end of France's dominance in wine production and opened the eyes and minds of people worldwide. Great wine is produced in many places. Why, we even have a winery on the island of Maui that I'm told is not bad. They even make a pineapple wine.

Lots of great talent in this film, including Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman and Dennis Farina. The kids, however, are the heart of the film. I cheered for them, as will you. The real people who inspired the film still live and grow wine in Napa.

The Answer Man

The concept of this film is more appealing than the execution, but I'd still recommend it, especially considering it's the first film for the writer/director. Jeff Daniels plays a guy who wrote a book 20 years ago, claiming to talk to God. The book is about God's answers to all of his questions back then. He becomes an author phenom, with fans stalking him hoping to get some answers for their own pain and suffering.

Daniels, the Answer Man, becomes a recluse and won't talk to anyone or give interviews. He knows he's a fake, and he's also a rather unpleasant person. He has a bad back and crawls into the neighborhood chiropractor. Two characters help him to evolve - the chiropractor who is an attractive woman and love interest, and a struggling, young, used bookstore owner who is a recovering alcoholic. This film won't win any awards or be on anyone's top ten list, but it's a sweet way to spend a few hours, and you may even feel a lot better about life's questions when you come out.

Dear Lily

I put the key in the door this evening and felt sad that you weren't on the other side already making it known that dinner was long overdue. Traces of you are still around - the cat hair on the rug, the grains of cat litter on the hard wood floor, the unopened bags of Greenies in the pantry. Soon, even these will be gone.

After you passed, I fully expected you to be fooling me, it seemed so unreal. Even after I put you in the big cardboard box, I wouldn't have been surprised to hear you scratching and howling from the inside, royally pissed. I called the vet to let them know that I was bringing you down. We laughed when I told them you could hear me opening the closet to get out your travel case, and that may have pushed you over the edge. Instead of going to get checked out, I ended up bringing them your remains, with a half box of unused insulin syringes.

The vet assistants were crying and that set me off too. They said that even if you gave them a hard time, they knew you were really, really smart, and that you were a good kitty.

Together, we've been through 6 houses, 2 boyfriends, and countless evenings together watching movies and eating popcorn. More often than not, you were much better company than any boyfriend. You heard my deepest wishes and wildest dreams, my saddest stories and childish tantrums, and you never complained about listening to the same old, same old me.

When you got diabetes and needed someone to give you an insulin shot every day, I think the vet wondered if I would take it on or whether I would choose to put you to sleep. I think I surprised them when I decided I never wanted to take the easy way out with you. You made me an expert with a syringe, something I never thought I could do, and I was proud of myself for being able to give you a few more years of life. It was the least I could do for all the years of love and purring you gave to me.

I hope you are flying around in kitty heaven, eating to your hearts content and getting your stomach rubbed every now and again.

Evolution of Friends

Today I am going to the dentist to have a chip filled. I only mention this because a friend has asked to meet with me to ask my advice about a problem (don't know what it is yet) and we are going to meet at Starbucks after my appointment. And, to tell you the truth, I'm dreading seeing her more than the dentist.

Why, you ask? This friend can be very caring, extraordinarily witty and funny, razor sharp mind (and tongue), and we have been close over a 20+ year span. Our friendship waxes and wanes rather than steadily exists because, in my opinion, she is unstable. When I was going through health issues, she was wonderful - supportive, helpful, attentive, constant. When my father died, she was the one who picked me up and drove me to the funeral. You don't forget kindness like that.

However, she is also extremely irritating. When we make plans to go out, even if plans are set, she will try to change them because she knows of a "better" place. She is always late. She is argumentative and dogmatic. And, the last time we got together, she publicly yelled at me for supporting Obama because she was a Hillary fan. She, of course, apologized profusely, but for me, a line had been crossed.

Since then, I still consider her my friend and I would always be there to help when needed (like today), but I don't really want to spend my time with a potentially explosive friend. I hope she doesn't suggest that we get together for a movie or for dinner, because I don't want to lie or make excuses. Is it better to just say how I feel?

Crisis - Soft ice cream

Such is the way of the universe. When one thing goes wrong, in my situation, plumbing, other breakdowns seem to follow. I could deal with the rusty fixtures, the leaking toilets, and the very unattractive drywall repair staring me in the face. This past month, I got all of that fixed and behind me, only to be faced with the worst one of all - refrigerator woes.

I noticed a layer of ice building up on the back wall of the freezer awhile ago - weeks, perhaps months ago. Didn't think much of it. Then, I started to notice that the ice cream wasn't as hard as it usually is. Finally, last weekend, the ice cream was the consistency of soft-serve. That's a crisis, as far as I'm concerned.

Of course, these things always happen on the eve of a holiday. Yesterday I placed a call to a refrigerator repair service that was located only a block away from me. A woman with a strong Korean accent answered the phone. We had a very cryptic conversation, each probably getting about 50% of what the other said. I hung up crossing my fingers that someone was going to show up at my door at 8:30 a.m. today, Veteran's Day, and that the charge for a consult was $40.

Good thing I woke and showered early, for my doorbell rang at 8:10 a.m. A middle aged Korean gentleman with a small pouch of tools and an equally daunting accent arrived. He saw the ice build up and told me this was a problem. No kidding. He also told me that my refrigerator was the original one that came with the unit when the building was first built in the 1970's. I thought he was suggesting that we close up the patient and send it to the ice box graveyard. But then he said he would come back with his bigger tools and told me the repair price.

He proceeded to empty my freezer and some of the fridge. For some reason, that was a little embarrassing. I guess what one keeps in their fridge is telling about that person and their lifestyle. I also had to live through the indignity of his opening up the bottom vent to discover enough cat hair to knit a ski cap.

Less than an hour later, everything was put back together. I'm to check on the patient at 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours later. The charge was very reasonable, and no extra charge for the holiday. If there's a problem, I'm to call back. However, if there's a problem, I think I'm headed to Sears.

Great Eyebrows

Juliana Margulies

My favorite new show of the season is The Good Wife with Juliana Margulies. (Flash Forward is a very close second.) What makes The Good Wife great is the writing, the storylines, the casting, and all those usual factors. What fascinates me, though, and always has, are Juliana's perfect, dark eyebrows.

The power of eyebrows is underestimated. When you ask most women what they would do to their face if they only had a few minutes to put on makeup, the answer is "brows and lipstick". That's what I would say. Surprisingly, not the eyes, not the cheeks, nor the foundation. It is the brows that provide a framework to the eyes and sets up the entire face.

So, who else besides Juliana has great brows?

Sela Ward

Liz Taylor

Lending books

I used to offer to loan books to friends, but no more, not unless I fully expect never to see that book again. Today I broke down and bought a copy of a beloved book that I had loaned to a friend almost 20 years ago. It is "How to Read a Film" by James Monaco, considered the classic text for film criticism. It's an awesome read for anyone who loves film, loves to dissect and analyze them, loves to spend hours talking about the evening's film over coffee and dessert.

I first read this book for a class taught by Robert McKee when he was on the faculty at San Diego State. McKee went on to bigger and better things. He now teaches seminars on screenplay writing and has written his own best selling book called "Story". His students have gone on to write academy award winning movies, and his seminars are sold out around the world.

But I digress. "How to Read a Film" was originally published in 1977, and that was the copy I kept lovingly until 1991. I was in a relationship with someone who expressed interest in the subject, and I loaned him my copy. We had a turbulent relationship, off and on for many years. When it finally ended for good, I realized I never got my book back, and I strongly suspect that the book is in shreds anyway; he is careless with things (and people.)

I've noticed over the years that it has become more and more common for people to borrow a book and not return it. That's hard to stomach. When you love books, you want to share them with people you like, but you also expect them to have the courtesy to treat your book well and return it to its owner in good shape. At least I do.

Last night I discovered that "How to Read a Film" has been updated and re-released in May 2009. First thing this morning, I ordered my copy. And you can bet that this one is not leaving my possession.

5 year diary

I've started many, many diaries over the years, but I've never been able to sustain the writing for any length of time. I think I have a "shot" with this one.

It's the 5-year diary in which you write a brief note, a sentence or two at the most, every day. You can start at any time. And when you get to year two, you automatically see what you wrote on the same date the previous year. My first entry was October 5, so it's been about a month. For the first time, I was able to write something every day. The secret, I think, is having only a few lines to fill for each date. I don't feel pressure to write because it takes about a minute each day.

Hopefully, I will get to year two. It should be fun to see where you were, what you did, what you were thinking a year, or two, or five years from that date.

Certified

I spent last Friday evening celebrating my friend's birthday. As is our tradition, we had dinner at the shopping center and then we went shopping. I usually don't like shopping, but I had an unusually successful evening - 2 pairs of Cole Haan shoes on sale, met a makeup saleswoman who seemed to be able to match my color perfectly, and a blouse on sale that was undeniably "me". I came home, arms loaded, picked up the mail, and saw the dreaded notice.

I had a certified letter that I needed to pick up from the post office. Getting mail these days is quite "predictable". Bills, advertisements, and the occasional invitation or thank you note. Once in a blue moon a personal letter. Holidays cards at the end of December. Packages from Amazon. That's about it. Therefore, when I get a certified letter, my imagination runs wild.

What could it be? I had the whole weekend to worry about it, imagine the best, imagine the worst.

The worst would be something like a lawsuit or a death notification. I started to wonder if I'd made any slanderous comments recently. The best is that someone, unbeknownst to me, has left me a fortune. I then started to daydream about what I could and would do with the money.

This morning, I made my way to the post office before work. Finally, the mystery of the certified letter would be solved. I walked in, only to see a "closed" sign. Due to financial cutbacks, the post office had shortened their hours. However, a kindly employee informed me that if I was just picking up something, I could ring the buzzer and they would retrieve my letter.

I rang the buzzer at the pick up window and soon someone came to help me. I could see the vast inner workings of the post office from the opened window and it was fascinating. Then, I got my letter.

I went back to the car and tore it open. It was merely from my apartment association informing me of a new rule that requires condo insurance, which I have so it was no big deal. I was, at once, relieved and disappointed. The letter, which had once held such high status and tight rein, was tossed onto the front seat and stayed there the entire day, its power over my imagination deflated.

WTF?

The Wisconsin Tourism Federation launched a new branding campaign that was most unfortunate. Story here. Seems no one on their advertising team was aware that using the acronym WTF might not be such a great idea.

Plumbing

I've always thought plumbing was an apt metaphor for life. The flow of life, money down the drain, clogged arteries, a good purge, and all that.

Friday evening, with no warning, my sink clogged up. It drained, but very, very slowly. It took hours for it to drain totally. I hadn't put anything unusual down the drain, except, I did get a new coffee pot. I had always poured my old coffee grinds from the french press down the disposal with no ill effects, but I got a new drip brewer, and I just had a sneaking suspicion that the coffee was the culprit.

Saturday morning, filled with hope, I rushed out to buy a new plunger and a bottle of drain cleaner. I plunged and plunged, got great suction I must say, but the sink was still just as clogged as ever. So, per instructions, I poured half the cleaner down the drain and waiting for an hour. Nothing.

Saturday night, I poured the remainder of the cleaner, and let it sit overnight, as suggested. Nothing.

Monday morning, I called my plumber. After having two leaking toilets this year, my plumber considers me a great customer. He was scheduled to be in my building that day anyway. He was able to unclog the drain in a matter of minutes, and replaced a section of the pipe that was getting old. He pretty much confirmed that any of those cleaners don't ever seem to work, be it Drano, Liquid Plumber, etc. That's been my experience - a waste of $5, in my opinion. Still, people feel obligated to give them a try before spending lots of money on a plumber.

One tip that I thought was worth repeating: try not to pour grease down the drain, but if you can't avoid it, run it with "cold" water, not "hot" water. You'd think that the hot water makes the grease go through the drain easier, but it's better that it goes down as a solid for some reason.

I'm having my sink faucets repaired next week, and that should take care of my plumbing for the foreseeable future.

Piano Stairs

If we had these stairs at work, I would walk up every day.

No more circling

I picked up my brother and his family at the Honolulu International Airport today. They are visiting from northern California for about 10 days. Two good things resulted:

1. It gave me the push I needed to get my car washed. I'm really bad about that. The inside of the car is spotless, but the outside doesn't get washed for months on end. I keep thinking a good rain will take care of it, but rain usually just makes it worse.

2. After circling 3 times, my brother called my cell phone and alerted me that they were on the ground but still inside the plane, so it might be awhile before getting to the baggage claim and securing the luggage. I said, "no problem, I'll just keep circling." I really don't mind. I like cruising the airport because the people are so interesting. But then on my 4th go around, I saw a faint sign that said "cell phone wait lot" with an arrow. I had heard of this lot, but never used it, so I was curious to know where it was and whether anyone actually did use it.

I found it easily and there were about 6 cars waiting. One of the vehicles was a huge yellow Hummer, and I'm sure he really didn't want to circle with the cost of gas at $3.20 a gallon. Luckily, I brought my Kindle and read for about 15 minutes. They called when they were outside the baggage claim, and it took me about 2 minutes to reach them. This is a great service, although not many people seemed to be taking advantage of it. I loved it.