Tasteful New Year's Eve

We are simply “socialed” out; so much so that we don't intend to socialize at all this evening with anyone. The holidays from Thanksgiving through tonight's Eve celebration has been one huge entertaining/social event and now we wish to rest.

But the evening did include eating at one of our favorite sushi restaurants, The Blue Fish on Lower Greenville Avenue in Dallas. Not only did we get our favorite waitress, Claire (actually, I think she is a manager now), but we splurged and got three of our most favorite items on the menu - Quail Egg Shooters (raw quail eggs served in their shells with a splash of rice vinegar, asian chili sauce, and tiny sprigs of green onions atop a base of wasabi paste - similar to the picture shown in the post), White Tuna sashimi (probably the most refreshingly cold, rich, and fishy-flavor-free tuna), and for dessert, Teriyaki Unagi (fresh eel) sushi. Of course, we did partake in a few other things like Japanese Snapper sushi and their “Cherry Bomb” sushi roll.

Along with a few martinis and a complimentary Sapporo Sake Bomb, the dinner was a most perfect end to the year; and come to think of it, I think we began the year on January 1 at Blue Fish too.

Now we are at home loving on the pups and watching some silly Fred Astaire movie - which will be changed soon - Astaire irks me.

Oh ... and by the way, the raw quail eggs are pasteurized - so while that fact may still not prevent my sister's stomach from doing acrobats at the thought, it should quell her “food safety” issues. But, as good as they taste, I would probably eat them unpasteurized too.

Bloody Wonderful

Bloody slasher movies are not my thing, but with Tim Burton directing and Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in the leading roles, I had to see the latest silver screen version of Sweeney Todd - not to mention that the “Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is a classic tale from the mid 1800's.

Between the typical Burton visuals washed in shades of grey and Stephen Sondheim's cacophony of awkward notes, the movie was a wonderful re-creation of the 1979 Broadway musical.

Critics have commented much on the amount of blood and gurgling in the movie - and I have to agree that it seems excessive. I am not scared by, or easily bothered by bloody movies, but I did find myself closing my eyes during most of the slasher scenes.

Depp and Carter were fantastic in their roles. And it was surprising (and refreshing) to see Sacha Baron Cohen perform outside of his “Borat” character as rival barber Adolfo Pirelli.

Mega Misconception

Megapixels is probably the most misunderstood aspect of digital cameras. Due to marketing hype and convincing sales people at local electronics stores, many people are being talked into purchasing more expensive models that feature high megapixels.

Many believe that higher megapixels result in higher quality images. This is simply not the case. The fact is, a shot taken with a 5 megapixel camera will look “as good as” the same shot taken with a 12 megapixel camera.

Megapixels, rather, is directly related to how large the image will be, and therefore, how large the photograph can be printed. If you plan to print standard 4X6 inch or 8X10 inch photographs, then all you need is a 5 megapixel camera. A larger 13X19 inch photo will require about 6 megapixels. The overhyped (and overpurchased) 10 and 12 megapixel cameras will serve photographs printed at 24X36 inches or larger (poster size).

So when out shopping for a new camera, don't get suckered into the megapixel craze. Purchase the camera based on the actual size photos you wish to print and spend the money otherwise “thrown away” on high megapixels to get a camera that has all the features you need.

Hairspray

Yesterday afternoon we watched the 2007 version of the movie Hairspray with friends Gilbert and Geoffrey after margaritas at La Calle Doce.

Hairspray has been one of my favorite stage musicals for years. Interestingly, Hairspray started out as a 1988 film written and directed by wacky John Waters. It was from this movie that the stage musical version was created. The latest version is this 2007 movie adaptation that blends the original movie with the stage musical.

The story is based in 1962 Baltimore where changes in race segregation is in the air and a television station struggles to maintain the status quo. A chunky white girl with big hair and big heart - and an unstoppable passion to dance - ends up integrating races on the station's hottest program The Corny Collins Show, a teen dance program.

Overall, the movie was great. Lot's of energy, tunes, and humor. But the movie was not without disappointment for me. The entire “Big Doll House” scene where many of the leading female characters end up in jail for their march on the station was chopped from the movie, and a few numbers like “Cooties” were cut.

Much of the cast was fantastic. Nikki Blonski was a perfect Tracy Turnblad. Other actors like Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, and Michelle Pfieffer wonderfully nailed their characters as well. John Travolta didn't fare so well for me.

Travolta played the character Edna Turnblad. It's been tradition that Tracy Turnblad's mom is played by a man in drag - and it's worked quite well in the original movie with old drag queen “Divine” and in the original Broadway musical cast Harvey Fierstein. Both of these actors played the part intentionally unconvincingly as a woman. Travolta, though, seemed to try hard to actually look and sound like a woman. I give him credit, he danced incredibly well for wearing such a large, heavy fat suit, but his singing left a huge amount to be desired. Somehow - even with the fat suit - Travolta's personality just wasn't as big as his predecessors. And to me, that is key in successfully playing Edna.

Christmas = Crime [Updated]

Tis the season, I say, for crime in Dallas. For quite a few years, I have said that crime always peaks during the Christmas season and this year isn't any different.

A few days ago, our garden shed was broken into - in broad daylight - and the criminals made off with my lawn mower, mitre saw, leaf blower, weed eater, circular saw, and other smaller hand tools. We were one of about ten similar shed burglaries in our neighborhood. The heavy logging chain that ran through each of these items didn't seem to deter them whatsoever.

In addition, over the past week we have had friends and family in various areas of the Dallas - Fort Worth area as victims of crime as well. Scott's Explorer was broken into in his own driveway overnight and lost his radio, Tim's car was broken into at his office and had windows shattered and lost his radio, Jim's parents had a large Santa Claus stolen from their front porch, and my friend Craig's x-sister-in-law had her house broken into and along with electronics stolen, all cristmas gifts from under the tree as well.

It was only a few years ago when I lived on McKinney Avenue in the Uptown area of Dallas that my vehicle was broken into the day after Christmas. It was then that I came to the realization that the Dallas-Fort Worth area has a significant increase of crime during the holiday season.

So for the readers here in the area, beware and be extra protective of your property. Christmas is indeed becoming the season for crime. It is sad that a holiday of “good will towards others” and giving drives many people to acts of crime.

[UPDATE] 12.24.2007: I just read at the Dallas Observer Newpaper's website that a rash of home burglaries occured on Friday afternoon in section of the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. Among the typical electronics, gifts from under the trees stolen. The Grinches are on the move.

Sleepiness & Turkeys: For the Birds

During the holidays it's common to hear the same old statement told as a warning (or excuse) that eating turkey will make you sleepy. For those that make the statement with some knowledge, they may even throw in the tryptophan angle.

I have always been skeptical of the claim, and after having heard it again today, I decided to dig into a little research and see what the nutritionists and scientists have to say.

Turkey does indeed contain tryptophan. Tryptophan can, indeed, cause some sleepiness at high levels. However, the amount of tryptophan in turkey doesn't make you sleepy. In fact, turkey has virtually the same amount of tryptophan that is contained in many other meats. Strange how you don't hear people making claims that beef and chicken make them sleepy - because they have the same amount as contained in turkey.

While the poor turkey is usually the blame for post-holiday meal sleepiness, the cause is usually a combination of over-eating and the incredible carbohydrate overload that most people have with holiday meals. Ingestion of carbohydrates triggers a much needed surge of insulin (to compensate for the amount of glucose that things like potatoes cause) which leads down a chain of chemical events resulting in much higher serotonin levels which causes you to be sleepy.

So next time you hear someone complaining about being sleepy from the turkey, you might wanna just tell them to lay off the scalloped potatoes and stove-top stuffing with a side of mashed potatoes, lapped up off the plate by a few rolls and a slice of bread. It really isn't from the turkey (unless they also somehow get "so sleepy" from a nice steak or grilled chicken too).

That poor turkey.

Alternative Christmas

Not having had a childhood with Christmas (which I consider not a bad thing) I wasn't thoroughly overwhelmed by Christmas music - at least not at home. Despite this fact, I grow weary of the same old songs, by the same old people.

Each year I search for “alternative” Christmas music for our annual holiday party playlist. These may be unique arrangements of traditional tunes, surprising artists of various genres, or unknown songs.

Being an '80's kid, it should be no suprise that my favorite artist at Christmas is Cyndi Lauper. Her 1998 Christmas album Merry Christmas ... Have a Nice Life is just amazing and it reaps many accolades from my guests that hear it.

In addition to Lauper's album and some classics like Sinatra, Dean Martin and such, I added to the playlist the following interesting holiday tunes:

Let it Snow by Michael Bublé
Christmas Lights by Martha's Trouble
Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses
A Very Special Christmas by The Pretenders
various tunes by B.B. King
Codependent Christmas by The Therapy Sisters
various tunes by Elton John
various tunes by U2

Even if some of the selections are traditional, well-known tunes, some of these artists bring a fresh new sound as they bring these songs into totally different musical genres and sound.

Merry HD Christmas to Us

It has been reported that this year's hottest trend for Christmas is HD (High Definition) - and as of last week, we fell into the HD craze.

On his lunch hour, Jim went to Best Buy with a co-worker. And while we abhor Best Buy and do our best to not buy anything from the overpriced, less-than-knowledgeable store, he found a Philips 37” 1080i/p LCD flatscreen television for an amazing price (extremely rare at Best Buy). We decided to split the price as Christmas gifts to each other.

We were able to get the television without the loudspeaker bar and without the stand which reduced the price as well. We only watch television with the sound routed through our home theatre sound system, so we were emphatic to buy a flatscreen that did not have loudspeakers attached or built into the unit. Waste of money and space for us.

I immediately renovated our television niche in the wall to accommodate the wall-mounted flatscreen. By the time Jim got the television home after work, the wall and mount was ready for the television - which was easy and painless. The 37" fit wonderfully and we are now glad that we didn't get the larger 40".

Our satellite service (DirecTV) was standard, non-HD, and while the image on the television was good from a distance, it was horribly pixelated and fuzzy if viewed more closely. Jim decided to purchase another Christmas gift for us by upgrading our satellite service to HD service.

Yesterday DirectTV came and changed out our previous dish with the 5-LNB HD dish, and upgraded two of our receivers with HD models. I was relieved that the installer was quite open to my pickiness about installation and allowed me to do much of the install myself to make sure "it was done right" such as cable routing, etc.

The picture is now amazing. The image is crisp and bright, and after installing the fiber optic digital S/PDIF signal feed between the satellite receiver and my home theatre sound system, we are now getting true Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

It's been quite a few years that I have been watching the flat screen technology evolve. It used to be that the only good flat screen image was produced by a plasma technology screen. LCD technology started off very poorly - but over the past few years, it now rivals plasma. Debate still continues between the two technologies, but they are now both to the point that you need to consider the pro's and con's of each. Plasma is more expensive, is not affordably repairable when the gas-filled cells fail, has typically lower native resolution, has about half the life of LCD's, is prone to screen burn-in, but does have more vibrant colors, has better image contrast, and has a greater viewing angle (usually an angle, though, that is wider than a typical living room scenario).

All in all, we are happy with the upgrades and look forward to a movie-filled HD Christmas holiday.

Over-Achieved Failure

Knowing the show was “from the producers of Dancing with the Stars” I should have known to not tune in and watch it, but last evening, my curiosity beat out sensibility and I sat in front of the first Clash of the Choirs episodes.

We just don't watch any of the network faux-reality television shows. I can't stand American Idol (for so many reasons - but mainly being why does every singer/song have to sound like some ghetto Destiny's Child noise?), Extreme Makeover (tired of watching tears flow for an hour due to the exploitation of poor, crippled, or otherwise desperately needy people. Can't we help them without exploiting them for advertising dollars?), The Bachelor (despite the host being Jim's cousin, I still can't watch these adults living a high-school attitude dating show), etc, etc. If I want my mind to “go to mush” (to quote my Mom), I would watch my brainless shows like Family Guy and Robot Chicken - at least they are entertaining.

So last evening I couldn't watch the full episode, and don't plan to try and watch it again. It's not about the choirs as I was hoping - and I use the term “choirs” quite loosely; rather, it is all about the five “stars” who are the conductors (again, using a term quite loosely) of each choir. As with American Idol, every song performed by the choir had Destiny's Child-like noise, and each song was really a solo song merely backed up (sometimes rarely) by the rest of the group who was really a dance team more than a singing choir. Let's just call each of them the star's “pips”.

I endured Kelly Rowland (whom I had never ever heard of from Houston TX) conduct her choir by merely dancing and mouthing the words, Michael Bolton conducting via “air guitar” a bad '80 hair-band rocker Bon Jovi tune “Living on a Prayer” and Blake Shelton (another “star” I had never ever heard of until last evening) conducting (without the ability to actually read music) while picking his guitar.

If the show's goal was to really showcase true choirs and choral music, they have failed miserably. But, if the show's goal was to simply merge American Idol-style vocal soloists with the body-moving stylings of Dancing with the Stars, then they have truly over-achieved.

Blonsky at Meyerson

Last evening we went with our friend Craig to see Nikki Blonsky as the guest star for the Turtle Creek Chorale at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

The Chorale was fantastic, their new Artistic Director/Conductor, Jonathan Palant, is a wonderful breath of fresh air, and Nikki was incredible.

Nikki is only 19 years old and already a Golden Globe nominated actress and singer most notably known for her role as Tracy Turnblad on the 2007 screen adaptation of the stage musical Hairspray. Her role as Tracy was made perfect by her cute girth and her incredible voice. She started off with some popular numbers from Hairspray and eventually made it to some fun arrangements of Christmas songs, ending with You Can't Stop the Beat. Her performance last evening was her very first stage concert. It will be interesting to watch where Nikki will go from here with her career.

Afterwards, we met Nikki at a private reception in Horchow Hall beneath the Meyerson's main concert stage and were able to get our program autographed. Fun evening, and as always, good to be back in the Meyerson again.

Holiday Party WrapUp

Our Holiday Party Saturday evening was the best yet. It was an intimate party with about 25 to 35 in attendance including family, friends, and colleagues/co-workers. The mix was great with “regulars” and new alike.

The food I prepare always makes me a bit nervous as I like to try new things for the first time. On the buffet this year were my Swedish Meatballs with Chipotle Raspberry Sauce, Smoke Salmon Croissant Sandwiches with Wilted Spinach and Capers, Candied Espresso Pecans, Parmesan Shortbread Rounds, King Crab Cakes, Cranberry Salsa, Cherry Tomatoes Marinated in Pepper Salt Vodka, Christmas Crack, and Rosemary Fig Pizza with Goat Cheese and Serrano Ham. The only dish I didn't make myself were the “backup” mini-quiches from Sam's Club.

Beau and Bentley, of course, sported their jingle bell collars and I was able to display some of my latest Christmas tree ornaments like the feathered masks you see in the picture above. The sparkling wine and vodka flowed (sometimes together, ahem) and most seemed to have a great time.

That Clever Striding Man

Johnnie Walker Black Label scotch is my favorite “everyday” scotch whiskey. Even better are the J.W. Green, Gold, and Blue labels. Yes, I have them all. Thanks to Jim for rounding out my collection of J.W.'s last Christmas by presenting me with a bottle of the top 'o their line Blue.

Since I am a member of Johnnie Walker's illustrious “Striding Man Society" I received a free “gift” in the mail today. It was a package containing three Striding Man gift tags - to go around bottles of Johnnie Walker.

This means, of course, that my “gift” was an incentive to give gifts - of Johnnie Walker to others. I must say, it was quite a clever holiday marketing ploy. I probably won't give the gift of J.W. this year, but I can say that I will be enjoying the taste of J.W. over the holidays! Cheers.

Not a Doberman. Wanna Taco?

A bit of dog snobbery (and ranting) here, I know, but the dog you see in the picture is not a Doberman, and not a Miniature Doberman. I grow very weary of hearing “Oh! You have Dobermans? I have a miniature Doberman!” Instead of just ignoring the errant statement, I have been finding myself responding with “No, really, you don't. There is no such thing.”

What people attempt to call “Miniature Dobermans” are really Miniature Pinschers (or Min Pin's). And, in fact, the two breeds are not even related. The vague resemblance between the two (other than markings, I find natural resemblance between the two non-existent) falls not on the Min Pin, but rather the fact that the Doberman was bred from the German Pinscher (which is not in the Min Pin genes). To me, Min Pins look more like the irritating (and thankfully retired) “taco commercial” dog than they do Dobermans.

The Min Pin is primarily a terrier and was bred to hunt vermin - primarily rats. It was introduced to the U.S. much later than the Doberman and when the first Min Pin was shown at the AKC ring, they simply threw it into the “toy” category rather than the “terrier” category. Being unfamiliar with the breed, the AKC said that it must “appear as a Doberman in miniature” which is where the huge misconception began. Today, the AKC fully recognizes that Min Pins are not Dobermans.

The Min Pin and Doberman share no common ancestry. Strange as it is, the Min Pin was bred by crossing a Dachshund with an Italian Greyhound. Whereas the Doberman, bred by tax collector Karl Frederich Louis Dobermann in 1880, was noble bred from a few breeds including the Greyhound (not Italian), Great Dane, Weimaraner, and Shepherd.

[UPDATE] 12.14.2007: Not sure how I could have forgotten, but as Sam in her comment to this post so correctly pointed out, the Doberman also has the original German Rottweiler in their breed as well, that did indeed descend from the Italian Mastiff used in the Roman armies. Thanks for the gentle reminder, Sam!

Christmas Crack, Version 2007

For a few years now, I have been begged (basically demanded) to make my seemingly popular chocolate candy for Christmas. Most may know this candy as Peppermint Bark. But due to the “addictiveness” friends and family have renamed the candy “Christmas Crack” - which is great play on words. Not only is it addictive, but you have to crack it into bite size pieces before serving.

This year I diverged from my regular peppermint/ground espresso crack and am now making one that still has the basic dark and white chocolate infused with peppermint oil; but now its topped with chopped dried fruit like cranberries, golden raisins, and cherries; and nuts like pistachios, cashews, and almonds. And no, not the same dried fruit as found in those beloved fruit cakes, but rather the dried fruits sold in the snack aisles.

The saltiness of the nuts with the sweetness of the chocolate and fruit makes it a viscious circle of addictiveness. I am definitely adding experimental recipe to my offical collection. Thank god I don't have a sweet tooth, or I am afraid I would be huddled in a corner going into a diabetic coma with these around.

Silicone Baking

With our annual Christmas Party coming quickly this weekend, I find myself already baking in preparation. I tend to make the vast majority of the food that is served for the evening.

This evening I made Savory Parmesean Shortbread Rounds. They are savory, non-sweet, “cocktail” cookies that go well with wine, martinis, and even some beer. To bake these rounds, I used my silicone baking mats that I got a few years ago after using some at Jon's house one evening.

The mats are comprised of woven fiberglass cloth coated in silicone making them non-stick (no unhealthy teflon). They bake even the most delicate of pastries and such very evenly. Basically, they replace anything that would normally be baked on parchment paper or other greased surface. This makes sense since the “old-fashioned” parchment paper used for baking is coated with silicone as well. They are also re-useable and are quite handy even for pre-baking prep like rolling out doughs and pastries.

Their popularity has grown sufficiently enough that now you don't need to fork out over $50 for a Silpat brand mat. Many stores carry these mats for less than $20. I purchased two mats made by Silicone Zone. You can find them at Amazon (here).

CompUSA Opts Out - of Business

Many of us knew it was just a matter of time. Last year our neighbor was laid off from CompUSA corporate headquarters in Addison (a town north of Dallas) and at the same time a slew of stores closed.

Admittedly, I quit going to CompUSA years ago when I learned that online retailers like my favorites TigerDirect and Computers4Sure always - always - had better pricing. Not to mention, no sales tax and no shipping costs on many products.

According to a Yahoo Tech article, the company will be closing all of its retail stores after the holidays. The store, now owned by a closing-time restructuring firm, is even selling its web site. Hmm ... nudge, nude, Brian. Maybe stick that domain in your pocket too! ;-)

Metal & Rubber, the Shocking Truth

The subject of objects attracting lightning came up the other day and the person espousing the "expert opinion" on lightning had it wrong - as many do - and as did I during my youth.

Many have been told (and therefore believe) that holding metal objects like golf clubs, umbrellas, etc., will attract lightning. This isn't true. Small metal objects like these don't attract lightning; in fact, nothing really "attracts" lightning, but some things increase the probability of being struck.

The reality is that the average lightning bolt is about 6 to 8 miles long and is generated by a cloud that is even higher, and can travel 25 to 40 miles. A golf club of a mere few feet is not going to affect an incredibly powerful, and miles-long bolt of lightning. As powerful as lightning bolts are, nearly everything can be a conductor.

So what increases the probability of being struck? Height and Isolation. According to one of the few true experts on lightning, Dr. Mary Anne Cooper has determined that the probability of a strike increases by the square of the object's height - regardless of whether it's metal or some other material. Add a one meter antenna to your 20-meter mast, and your increase your probability of being struck by 10.75%.

What metal does do is provide a good path for conductivity once struck - hence lightning rods on buildings. The lightning rods do not attract the lightning (else most modern buildings across the nation would be struck multiple times in every lightning storm) but they do provide a very good way of diverting the lightning strike to the ground rather than through the building.

And just to let you know, I believed for years the myth that the rubber tires on your car will protect you from a lightning strike as well. The fact is, a couple inches of rubber is nothing to a bolt of lightning as it passes right through the rubber like it wasn't even there.

Tender Moments of War

A short while ago I received an email from my cousin Gail containing some of the entries of The Best of Photo Journalism; the photo here was one of them. Upon seeing this photo, admittedly, tears flowed from my eyes as I ached inside for this soldier and his wife.

Taken by Todd Heisler with the Rocky Mountain News, the photo has the following description:

The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of “Cat,” and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. “I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. “I think that's what he would have wanted.”

Todd Heisler was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his “haunting, behind-the-scenes look at funerals for Colorado Marines who return from Iraq in caskets.” You can find an article about Todd and his work at the Rock Mountain News (here). You find a larger version of the photo in this post and the other photo entries (here).

Sermon Full of Bully, Full of Himself

Dave Pack, self-proclaimed Apostle of God (and otherwise freak) leads a small Armstrongism splinter church, the Restored Church of God. In many ways, he has indeed “restored” HWA's church - especially when you consider his latest quest of pure greed (cloaked, of course, as a directive from God to finish “the work”).

Pack gave a sermon yesterday to his church pleading (well, really bullying) for more money. This isn't unusual for any church. As I have said before, “church” is big business, and the primary need is money. But, this was in classic HWA fashion with an extra dose of bullying that only Pack can properly spew out.

Bullying is by far one of Pack's strongest attributes, and tends to overshadow any others that he may have. Back when we “were all” in the Worldwide Church of God, I recall as a teen going to an invitation basketball game between our congregation and his congregation in New York (I believe Buffalo). My Dad, not a member of the Church, played for our congregation's men's basketball team. Pack, of course, was on the opposing team. I find it ironic that he boasts his athleticism, but has never been able to boast a christian attitude or sense of morals while playing. At any rate, Pack fouled my Dad (and many others) one too many times. My Dad got in his face and said “The next time you foul me, I am going to knock you through that concrete wall and you won't walk away from it alive.” Honestly, Pack being the pompous prick that he is, would have deserved it.

So with that in mind, you should not find the following quotes from yesterday's sermon very surprising, but you will probably find them appalling:

“Go get a big chunk out of your home. And put your money where your mouth is and send it here. And I'm not talking about one, two, three thousand either. How about ten, twenty, thirty, fifty, or one hundred thousand dollars? Go do it.”

“Wives, you can be independent in this. You have 1/2 the worth of whatever you have in your house. I'm officially telling you this...Wives, legally you have the 1/2 the funds. What are you going to do about it?...Husbands...'well, my wife is not in the church'...tell her...'you don't have a voice woman'.”

“I'll say it again, we are talking about liquidating existing assets...it all belongs to God and the brethren.”

“Get it now when it requires faith... when you are dead you don't need it... if you named us in your wills, it can take us months or years to get it.”

“Now you just have a second mortgage... and frankly we flee before most of it ever becomes due.”

“Be careful that you don't tell us how to spend your assets... It belongs to God.. You don't tell God or His servants how to spend it.”

A few years ago, I read nearly every member and co-worker letter that Armstrong wrote. Easily 90% of all of them pleaded, borderline demanded, more financial support followed by arm-twisting with threats of the “work” (church) shutting down, buildings like the Ambassador Auditorium standing incomplete, ending of the “preaching of the gospel” ... all because we aren't giving more. He even suggested the same second and third mortgages, personal loans, etc. It was flat out immoral in my opinion. Especially when years later as an employee I watched where hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent just within the Ambassador Foundation.

Pack, even more than HWA, is brazenly, unabashedly bullying money from his congregation - much like the bully beating the lunch money out of classmates. Sadly, many in his mini-cult won't see this as a huge red flag flying in the wind telling them to jump ship.

Phantom, a Texas High School First

Right here in one of the far-flung 'burbs of Dallas, the world's first high school production of The Phantom of the Opera is to be performed by Southlake Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas. The school, while not an arts magnet school, has been honored as one of the state's few academically exemplary schools in the State.

Only four high schools and two colleges in the nation have been given the rights to perform this musical, but as the Dallas Morning News article said, Southlake Carroll's opening night curtain would be the first to rise of the other high schools.

I am ecstatic to see a high school take on such a monumental challenge. Not only is the musical difficult, but much of the nation has seen the touring broadway show and expectations are high.

I am always disgusted by the amount of attention, support, and money that is heaped upon school sports while other activities, like the Arts, struggle to survive. Finally, at least at Soutlake Carroll that is changing. In fact, check out these statistics for Southlake Carroll's production of Phantom:

Number of Cast and Crew in the Production: 152
Number of rehearsal hours for cast and crew: over 155
Estimated budget to stage the musical: over $75,000
Ticket Sales Revenue: nearly $90,000

What an incredible opportunity this is for these students. I know that some lessons can be learned (and much needed exercise can be gained) through sports, but I congratulate the staff at Southlake Carroll, for these students will achieve much more than simply tossing a ball in a net or being able to carry an inflated ball across a line of paint.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

Last evening we joined some of Jim's coworkers for a viewing of “A Christmas Story” - a movie that is rapidly becoming a cult-classic. In this 1983 movie, Ralphie, a young boy growing up in the '40's in a rather dysfunctional family, dreams of owning a Red Rider BB gun. He sets out to convince the world this is the perfect gift. But along the way, he runs into opposition from his parents, his teacher, and even good 'ol Santa Claus himself.

The classic line in this movie is “You'll shoot your eye out!” as the primary opposing argument for the gun.

My Red Rider BB gun came to me around 6th or 7th grade. I remember going out into the nearby woods with my childhood friend Denny shooting at random yet formidable targets. After growing weary of shooting inanimate objects, we decided to step it up a notch and shoot at each other, but, our target could only be each other's rear end - mainly to see if it stung. It did. It certainly did.

While Ralphie in the movie did almost shoot out his eye with the Red Rider, thankfully, Denny and I didn't. Statements from parents like “You'll shoot your eye out” and others ususally were met with eyerolls and protesting “oh Mom!'s” but, you know, she was usually right. The chance was pretty good that someone was going to lose an eye.

The movie is so much fun. I will probably be watching it again in the next few days. It's one of those that just doesn't grow old.

Most Busiest Time of the Year

It's the most wonderful time of the year? It may be, but for me, it is always the busiest time of the year, both personally and moreso professionally. As you can see from the dates on my posts, I have been A.W.O.L. many days over the past few weeks.

After returning from Thanksgiving, I have had a series of dizzying deadlines and meetings and have even taken on lighting a series of live concert performances at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas. Taken together, it has really put Jim and me greatly behind on our "notorious" christmas decorating this year. We usually get all of our trees (yes, trees) up and decorated after Thanksgiving dinner. This year the living room tree (shown in the picture) and the dining room trees didn't go up until last weekend, the final tree went up last night while I was working over at the theatre. We may forgo the fifth christmas tree, as well as the lighted wreaths on the dormers this year.

With my new flickr photo site this year, we plan to actually photograph the house during the holidays and post pics. But, if my schedule continues as it has, it may be a couple weeks or so before they are posted!

Whole Foods Market Lakewood

Whole Foods Market is one of two of my favorite markets. You won't find crap pasta with powdered cheese-like powder in a box there, nor Twinkies and such. Just good, and mostly healthy food. Many people shop the store blindly due to some lovey dovey alliance with the store's philosophy of how they select their meat sources or how they treat their granola-ish, patchouli scented, hippy-ish employees. While I can appreciate their meat sources, and completely dig their employees, I simply like quality food that isn't overly laiden with chemicals or food-like substances like Velveeta and cancer-in-a-pretty-pink-bag sweetener.

We have been waiting, and waiting, ... and waiting for the new Whole Foods Market to open in the former Minyards location in Lakewood. For us, it will be more convenient than the one on Greenville Avenue - and as a bonus, I will not have to deal with the Greenville scene/traffic just to get some groceries!

Despite being told they were to open in 2008, the store has sat empty with no construction work to be seen. Turns out, the former Minyards building isn't large enough, so WF wishes to tear it down and build a new facility that is very similar in size, shape, and appearance to the flagship Whole Foods in Austin, Texas. It will be somewhat smaller than the mega store at Preston/Forest. A zoning request has been filed this week by WF and may take about five months for approval. All of this pushes the estimated open date to sometime in 2009 now.

So now I wait for 2009. Until then, I continue to split my shopping between the tiny Whole Foods on Greenville and Central Market in Old Towne. Central Market simply has a wider selection and considerably lower prices on many of the very same products WF carries. Sorry, WF ... money talks.

AIDS Day C'mpashun'

Remember his platform back in 2000? Compassionate Conservative. I do believe compassionate conservatives exist and can think of a few, but can't say that I have ever felt George W. Bush has ever lived up to his self-described label (and certainly don't think that hundreds of thousands of people in the middle east would ever use that term to describe our Commander in Chief).

Yesterday, though, someone in his administration must have thought it was time to show a bit of his compassionate side by talking him into hanging a large AIDS ribbon on the north portico of the White House in observance of World AIDS Day (which is today, December 1). He may have been completely on board with the idea, but its hard for me to believe that it was actually his idea. First, it takes at least an ounce of creative/decorative ability; and second, it doesn't involve threatening other countries with war and pissing off other world leaders.

So kudos, whoever in the administration was actually responsible for this visually large gesture of compassion. And kudos to Bush for approving additional AIDS research funding. Now if we can just get him to realize that the real "key" to "fixing" AIDS is things like condoms, responsible sex practices, and scientific research, and not merely churches and Jesus.

Dizzy on Mulholland Drive

This week has been insanity so last night I decided to lose myself in a movie. I came across a movie already in progress that grabbed me in just the first few minutes. I had no clue for the first 30 minutes or so what I was even watching until Jim looked it up on satellite. Mulholland Drive.

The movie was mesmerizing and visually addictive to me. But I have to say that when the credits began to roll after two hours of watching, I really had no clue what I had just seen - and can't really even tell you what the movie was about other than some seemingly wonderfully disjointed plots that contained ever-changing, evolving characters.

This morning I was so intrigued that I had to see what wikipedia had to say about the movie. No surprise that it was a David Lynch film that has won an avalanche of nominations and awards. According to wiki, its a genre-defying film about an aspiring actress befriending an amnesiac.

Must have been the dozens of dizzying vignettes, surrealistic scenes, and cryptic narrative, that kept me glued to the screen. Not to mention, I have always loved those twisted life-in-Hollywood type movies like one of my all time classic favorites, Sunset Boulevard.