Red Wave
Labels: art, shopping, store, zazzle
Stuffing Cooking Tips
Whole Foods Market carries some wonderful organic stuffing, made by Conifer Inc.
Its Canterbury Organics Rosemary Sage Dressing Mix is delicious. It also comes in a Cornbread version.
I made mine with organic dried apricots, and organic dried cherries, along with celery and onions.
One trick to making a stove-top or baked stuffing recipe, that you don't plan to put inside a turkey - is to saute the onions and celery in either olive oil, or butter, before adding them to the stuffing mix. Also, beat an egg or two into the vegetable broth or stock, before you mix it into the bread crumbs.
There, thats my little holiday cooking tip for you ...
Beowulf 
Years and years ago, I listened to the epic poem, "Beowulf" as a book-on-tape in the car, as I was driving to work.
As I was watching the movie, Beowulf , I could tell right away that this is Not an exact recreation of the classic poem.
Personally, I wished they had stuck closer to the original story-line.
In addition, I really didn't like the cartoony effects that they added. It made the movie look to Cutesy - kind of like watching Shrek.
And its a movie with scary monsters - and a hero who rescues everyone from the horrible monsters.
I just had a hard time getting passed some of the cutesy characters.
Even though the film shows how, over the years, the people started to follow Christianity - there are still a few comments that don't fit the original religious ideas in the poem.
For example, a man asks the king, since they are in a time of crisis with Grendel the monster terrorizing them, "Do you want to order the people to pray to the God the Romans worship, the Jesus God - as well as our gods?"
And the King replies "No. At a time like this the god's won't help us. We need a hero."
And then Beowulf shows up right in the nick of time.
Read the Wikipedia Discription of Beowulf.
I quote Wikipedia "That the scribes of Cotton Vitellius A.XV were Christian is beyond doubt; and it is equally certain that Beowulf was composed in a Christianized England, since conversion took place in the sixth and seventh centuries...Scholars disagree as to whether Beowulf's main thematic thrust is pagan or Christian in nature...Beowulf’s own beliefs are not expressed explicitly. He offers eloquent prayers to a higher power, addressing himself to the “Father Almighty” or the “Wielder of All.”
In the film, after Beowulf is older, you see people carrying crosses and Crucifixes, and some people have a cross on their clothing.
So the film does depict that there was a change in religious belief during Beowulf's life.
I just wish they had done the entire movie according to the original poem. Its one of the oldest writings that we have in existence. Dating back to around the 8th century.
The original story has survived the test of time. I would have liked to see that as a movie.
Labels: cinema, film, movie, movies
The Mist
Just saw an advanced screening of "The Mist" .
I do like scary monster movies. And I do like Stephen King novels.
"The Mist" was scary. And gruesome in spots.
A government experiment goes wrong - and we get invaded by horrible creatures from another dimension. These creatures hide in The Mist.
The story has a very timely message about messing with our environment and how it could cause us horrible problems.
Marcia Gay Harden plays a psycho religious woman. And it was very unfortunate that a good monster movie like this, had to go in that direction with religion.
I think that might be how Stephen King wrote it - I don't know, I haven't read the Novella .
In the beginning its obvious that Marcia Gary Harden's character is alittle wacky, but she has a scene where she is praying for her fellow survivors - so I thought "okay, she's wacky but sincere, this won't be that bad".
Then she starts to go really wacky - and I was getting alittle offended.
And in the end, people in the group of survivors start to blindly follow her, because they think she is a Mystic and talks directly to God.
It ended up being a demonstration of what people will do in a Crisis, and the "Mob Mentality" that sets in. And how people will follow anyone who offers them hope, even if that person is obviously preaching a belief that is wrong.
There is a scene in the movie, when some of the survivors are heading out into the Mist to try to get help. And one of the men turns to Marcia Gay Harden, and says something like "You know I believe in God too, but my God is alot nicer than yours."
Back to the Scary monsters. Yes, lots and lots of scary monsters.
Great special effects with the scary monsters.
I jumped a few times in terror. I was worried was going to have trouble getting to sleep that night. So great scary movie.
But this is not a happy movie. It was really sad and depressing. The ending is very tragic.
So just be warned - even if you like scary gruesome movies, this one is a real downer.
----
Looking around for a picture to post, I found these:
Dolemite T's flickr page.
Looks like he was an extra.
and
Jasbuc's flickr page
has a few interesting pictures from the set too
Labels: cinema, film, movie, movies
Black and White Galaxy
A vivid black and white circular design...
Labels: art, shopping, store, zazzle
La Brea Tar Pits
The weather's getting colder, and it gets dark at 5 pm now...
but I found time for a nice walk around The La Brea Tar Pits.
Wearing a jacket, of course.
And it only smelled like tar, when I got to close to the actual tar pits.
Lunch was at Callenders Grill.
Service was slow. But the food was delicious.
It was the combo on the menu: half foccacia turkey sandwich, soup, and gorgonzola-pear salad.
If you want something faster, there is a Koo-Koo-Roo next door.
And an also an Organic To Go .
I so wanted to stop in LACMA to see the Dali Exhibit... but well, next time. 
Labels: losangeles, museums, photos
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