Filed under: Books | Tags: 9/11, book, cricket, Netherland, New York, O'Neill
“Netherland” is a book about the time in a man’s life during which he resided in New York, was separated from his wife and son by an ocean, and reclaimed his love of cricket. During this period he met a handful of interesting characters that help distract him from his distant wife, namely a Trinidad-born man who turns out to be something of a gangster. “Netherland” is a dark tale that takes place in an immediate post-9/11 New York City where people are living in a trance of fear and loss.
Hans van den Broek is our narrator. Hans is living in the Chelsea Hotel as a temporary residence after 9/11. It is from this home that his wife takes his son Jake and moves back to London. Hans flies frequently back to London to visit his son, but while in New York City, he finds himself spending much of his time with Chuck Ramkissoon. Chuck and Hans share a love for cricket; Chuck’s dream is to develop a national cricket club, starting with an official stadium. The two talk of Chuck’s dream during Hans’ “driving lessons”–which consist of Hans driving Chuck around to all of his “business” dealings.
As with any post-9/11 story, during much of “Netherland,” the reader feels the daze in which many New Yorkers wandered at that time. It is a sad, yet beautifully written, story of bewilderment during a time of confusion. Hans has ups and downs with his wife, with his friends and with himself.
And, this is one of the books that Obama mentioned reading early on in his presidency. That endorsement, in itself, makes “Netherland” worth checking out.
Filed under: Events, Music | Tags: Blake Shelton, boots, country, Cowboys, Dallas, George Strait, heat, hot, Lee Ann Womack, make-up, Music, Reba McEntire, sports, stadium, summer, Texas
I am not a sports fan. Nor am I a country music fan. Yet this past weekend, I went to the opening event at the new Cowboys Stadium: a George Strait concert. And I had fun, enjoyed the music and was impressed by the stadium. The stadium still has some work to do to improve the experience, but for the opening event, they did well.
Getting There
Getting to the stadium is a nightmare. Roads are still under construction all around the stadium. Our hotel (Holiday Inn) was very close to the stadium, but across the interstate, so not really walkable. We had to wind and weave our way around just to get to the stadium even though it was “right across the street” from the hotel. Good thing I wasn’t driving.
The Parking
We paid $40 to park in Lot 13 and the walk really wasn’t too bad to get to the stadium. We were prepared to tailgate (parking lots opened at 2 PM, stadium opened at 4 PM, concert started at 5:30 PM). However, we were not nearly as prepared as others. I had no idea that people tailgated for concerts, but these people had tents, umbrellas/stands, grills, etc. This was a serious tailgating event. I felt embarrassed by our little coolers and foldable chairs. Next time, I will know.
Attire
Not being a county music fan (or a concert-goer, for that matter), I had no idea what the proper attire should be. I wore a light-weight cotton dress and sandals, with a little cardigan in case I got chilly in the stadium. This is what I feel comfortable wearing most days of the summer. Well, apparently, cowboy boots and short skirts/shorts are mandatory, as is three inches of make-up. I own cowboy boots, and I love them. But it is freakin’ hot in Texas in June. I was sweat-drenched by the time we got to our seats. My make-up was all but completely gone and I was wishing for something even lighter than my light-weight cotton dress and sandals. There is no way these girls were comfortable. But they looked cute, and I know as a girl, we sacrifice comfort for style almost any day of the week. But, it was really hot.
Finding Our Seats
The stadium event planners have some work to do when it comes to organizing the entrance. There appeared to be only one gate for entrance of all 60,188 attendees! It was a free-for-all mass movement to this one little gate.
Once inside the stadium, we were easily able to follow the signs and find our designated seats. Our seats, however, were six rows from the ceiling. Oh, my calves are hurting today from climbing those stairs all evening to get my $8 beers.
The Concert Experience
The opening act was Lee Ann Womack. The sound was awful. We could not understand a word the woman said or sang. This did not bode well for the remainder of the very long evening. But, again, it was the opening event, so we tried to cut them some slack. I am not sure if the sound got better during the evening, or if we just got used to the poor quality, or if our $8 beers started setting in and numbed our quality meters. By the time George Stait came on stage (9:30 PM), we didn’t think it sounded that bad.
I can’t really comment on the quality of the music beyond the sound quality because I was unfamiliar with 95% of the sounds that were performed. Although I was quite taken by Blake Shelton. He was precious and is now my new crush. I have no idea if I like his music yet, but I sure do like watching him sing it on the world’s largest HD monitor.
As for amenities, I was impressed with the line movement in the ladies’ bathrooms. The lines looked long, but moved quickly. There was an attendant in the bathrooms that helped move traffic through by pointing out open stalls. Bathrooms are a big deal for women at events like these.
The air conditioning worked really well. However, I don’t know if that was because I was so close to the ceilings and therefore the vents or if the whole stadium was as chilled as I was. I was actually freezing (which is much more preferable to sweltering).
The beer was too expensive ($8 each), but that didn’t keep us from buying it. They weren’t quite ready for the crowds: we couldn’t find straws to go with our souvenier cups. And, I didn’t eat any of the food, but everything that people were eating around me looked and smelled great.
The Technology
This stadium has been touted as the most technologically advanced stadium in the world. A couple of facts I noted from the slide show that appeared between performers:
- 3 million square feet.
- Stadium can seat up to 100,000 fans.
- More than 300 suites.
- The roof takes 12 minutes to open or close.
- Home of the world’s largest HD monitor (whoa is HD scary if you are a woman over 30 years old: it shows everything!).
- The endzone doors take 6 minutes to open or close.
The stadium was definitely cool. And they opened the roof for the first time, which was pretty darn cool, too. The HD screen was impressive. That is what I watched the entire concert (because the performers looked like ants from where I was sitting). Again, the event planners have some work to do: there were cords strung all over in front of the HD screen. They were obvious, ugly and detracted from the image displayed.
My absolute biggest complaint about this really cool, modern stadium was the cell phone coverage. I was all set to tweet my thoughts about this event, but I could barely, and rarely at that, get a signal out (which of course drained my iPhone battery because it tried so hard to find one for me). This stadium should be equipped with wireless and have a cell tower sitting on the top of it. With a capacity of 100,000, you have to know that there will be some extreme cell phone use in this concentrated area: be prepared for it! Damn, this was an oversight. At one point, my phone did pick up a Cowboys Stadium wireless signal, but it was password protected. We had a stadium of 60,188 people excited about this event and ready to be ambassadors for this new “product.” Yet, they could not share real time information with all those that could not be there. If I worked for the stadium, I would have had someone monitoring social media for real time feedback on things they liked/disliked, things that could be improved immediately, problems that could be solved with a return/reply message immediately, etc. As the event planner, you don’t want to hear about these issues for the first time when they are reported on the local news shows. I hope this is something that is improved before the next event with a young, technologically-savvy fan-base: the Jonas Brothers.
Conclusion
I had fun. Of course, I was with a group of seven people and we were all excited about the experience for different reasons. The stadium was impressive and I think once they work out the kinks, the experience will be awesome. I don’t know that I will ever have an occasion to go back to Cowboys Stadium, but I definitely wouldn’t turn down an offer.
Up is the new animated Pixar flick. As usual, the animation is mind-blowing and the story provides us with a life lesson. And while I enjoyed this movie, it was more intense than what I was looking for from an animated, feel-good movie.
Up is a love story. Carl Fredricksen and his wife, Ellie, meet when they are kids and share a love of adventure. In a montage at the beginning of the movie, we see Carl and Ellie’s life together as they marry, work, grow old and eventually Ellie dies. It is a beautifully emotional part of the movie, and I wasn’t prepared for my eyes to tear up as they did. After Ellie’s death, the movie picks up with Carl’s current life as a man in his late seventies desparately trying to hold on to the memories of his wife. Through a series of bad circumstances, it is determined by a judge that Carl must go live in a retirement home. Determined to have the adventure he and Ellie always dreamed of, Carl rigs his house with balloons and floats away.
And Carl’s adventure begins. He has an unexpected travel partner with Russell, a wilderness scout determined to get his missing badge for assisting the elderly. The relationship between the old man and the young boy develops throughout the movie and ultimately becomes a great friendship, but getting there is quite funny. The villian turns out to have once been Carl’s hero and the villian is very evil. Again, the movie stirred emotions in me I wasn’t expecting with the intensity of this villian.
The most entertaining element of Up is the talking dogs. As any dog lover knows, we assign personality to our dogs and often attempt to verbalize their thoughts for them. To listen to dogs as we imagine them to be was great fun.
Up will be another Pixar hit and definitely a must-see, be prepared, however, for an intense 96 minutes.
I can’t wait for this movie. It looks fantastic. And, I love Robert Downey, Jr.
Filed under: Movies | Tags: Chris Pine, J.J. Abrams, Kirk, Movies, Spock, Star Trek, Starship Enterprise, Zachary Quinto
I have never watched an episode of “Star Trek.” Never. I had no intention of seeing the new Star Trek movie, even if J.J. Abrams was integral to its development. Then I started reading the reviews. And hearing people talk about it. I went to see it today. It turns out that you don’t have to be a “Trekkie” to enjoy this Star Trek movie.
Star Trek seems to be about the relationship between Kirk and Spock (this may also be the key to the TV series, but I wouldn’t know). Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are delightful to watch as Kirk and Spock. The movie takes place during the start of their careers, so Kirk is a cadet in training and Spock is an instructor. They instantly dislike each other: Kirk as the rebel and Spock and the “live by the rules” kind of guy. This makes for laughs at several points during the movie, adding to the entertainment. Of course they eventually learn to respect and even like each other. This is only after Spock has Kirk expelled from the Starship Enterprise; Kirk wakes up on an ice-covered planet with no obvious route home but manages to meet someone (Scotty!) who beams him back to the Starship Enterprise, while it is traveling at warp speed. Spock was not happy by his unexplained return.
The Starfleet is under attack by Romulans from the future. Yes, this movie includes time travel. But is this really so far fetched in a movie about space exploration? No. The Romulans are seeking revenge on Spock, specifically. It turns out that in the futue, Spock is responsible for the demise of their planet. The Romulans have decided to destroy all planets that are part of the Starfleet. Working together, Kirk and Spock defeat the Romulans and their wicked-looking ship from the future.
I think it is fair to say that we will see a sequel in the future.
Filed under: Movies
I can’t resist. I see every Matthew McConaughey movie. I love to watch him. And listen to him. And, quite possibly, drool a little bit. Regardless of the movie quality. So, of course, I went to see Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. In the theater. On opening weekend. I simply couldn’t help myself. And, admittedly, I have always wanted to be Jennifer Garner ever since I watch her kick serious ass in the “Alias” series. Therefore, I giddily drove to the theater in the pouring rain on a Saturday afternoon for what I hoped would be a couple of hours spent in guilty pleasure.
The story idea is cute. A famous photographer–famous for both his photography skills and his skills with women–shows up at the family estate for the wedding of his brother. McConaughey plays the photographer, Connor, and promptly proceeds to ruin the weekend with his rantings on the falseness of love and monogamy. Jennifer Garner plays the maid-of-honor (Jenny) trying to hold the wedding bliss together through McConaughey’s tirade. Oh, and she is ex-girlfriend, too. On the eve of the wedding, Connor is visited by the ghost of his uncle, Wayne, played by Michael Douglas. Wayne taught Connor all of his womanizing ways. Wayne’s license plate says STBN WGN (aka, “Stabbin’ Wagon”) and this might have been the one thing that made me laugh out loud. Wayne explains to the Connor that love is important and that he will be visited by three ghosts that night to show him love’s importance. Needless to say, Connor realizes he has loved Jenny all along and he works to rectify the relationship the next day. Sweet, right?
I love a good romantic comedy. I am a sucker for them every time. But this was not a good one. It is not funny. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is, well, terrible. I can’t seem to get past the awkward transitions between scenes where you are supposed to infer feelings that haven’t really been displayed. I didn’t feel the chemistry between these two actors. Chemisty is so necessary in the romantic comedy genre. I couldn’t even be brought around to like McConaughey’s character in the end. And, I always like his characters (at least, by the end of the movie). He wasn’t at all as charming as he usually is. And I wanted more from Jennifer Garner.
I left the theater disappointed and not pleasured at all.
Larry McMurty’s memoir on the buying, selling, and collecting of books is an interesting read, for the most part. The book, titled “Books,” can come across as self-indulgent for Mr. McMurty: he seems to gloat on his place in the book business. However, for someone not at all familiar with that world, it was interesting to learn about that business and gave me a new appreciation for the value of books.
I felt the book was missing something, though. McMurty is of course an accomplished author, and maybe I was wanting to understand better how he wove his writing life into his book collecting life a little more. On the basis of this memoir, one could assume that he spent the majority of his life in the book collecting business. However, looking at McMurty’s body of writing work, we know that not to be true. We also have to assume that the book collecting business might not be lucrative enough for anyone to have a sustainable income from it, knowing McMurty’s writing successes.
Throughout the book, McMurty whines a bit about the decline in appreciation of books and reading, and wonders what might happen to it in this new world of iPods, Blackberries and the like. The problem with this complaint is that he also talks of his non-familiarity with technology: he still uses a typewriter and has never quite mastered changing the ribbon. Books are not going away. We may consume them in different ways, but they are not going away. People who don’t understand and use technology should not complain that its mere presence will be the pitfall of books.
“Books” is a quick read with one page chapters that broke the content into small bites. For someone looking to for a quick understanding book brokering, it is worth the time to read.
I Love You, Man is the story of a man looking for a best friend. The man is Peter Klaven (played by Paul Rudd) and the best friend he finds is Sydney Fife (played by Jason Segel). As with the recent array of movies starring Rudd and Segel, this movie is complete with projectile vomit, awkward sexual moments (an unwanted man-on-man kiss), and dog poop on concrete. It is funny stuff, but let’s be honest: men find this kind of humor much funnier than women do.
Peter has never been a “man’s man.” His friends have always been women. He has a sensitive side, a more femine side, that is dominant in his behaviors: he is not aggressive in his business (real estate), he recognizes that the little things matter (serving his fiance’s ladies night group surprise root beer floats, including Pepperidge Farm Pirouettes as straws), and his mom is his best friend (he calls her after his first date with Zooey). When it comes time to plan his wedding, Zooey expresses concern with his lack of man-friends. Peter decides to go on man-dates to find a best friend.
After a series of comedic situations with the wrong guys, Peter eventually finds Sydney. Sydney is completing comfortable with his manhood: he even has a masturbation station in his man cave. Not surprisingly, Sydney is single. And all of Sydney’s oldest friends have started settling down with their families. Sydney and Peter find each other at the right time in both their lives.
The friendship that ensues between Peter and Sydney causes a riff in the relationship between Peter and his fiance. Not surprisingly, his fiance starts to realize that if Peter has friends, she is no longer his center of attention.
This movie is funny and has an Apatow flavor to it (although he is not credited for any part of this film). However, I think it is probably funnier to guys than it is for girls. It is like the reverse of a romantic comedy.
Wendy and Lucy is the story of a girl and her dog. Wendy, played by Michelle Williams, is on her way from Indiana to Alaska to find work. When we encounter her, Wendy is in Oregon with $525 to her name, a late-80s Honda Accord and her dog, Lucy. The entire movie takes place in an Oregon town where Wendy has become stranded when her car breaks down, she gets arrested for shoplifting and Lucy goes missing. And, life does not get much better for Wendy as the movie goes on and then somewhat abruptly ends.
Clearly, Wendy loves her Lucy more than anything else in life and really relies on the relationship with her dog to get her through the tough days of her life. While Wendy is resourceful and appears resilient, she is clearly scared on her journey; yet it is difficult to feel sorry for her. Her situation comes across as a bit self-imposed, but truthfully, we don’t know enough about her to make that judgment. We can understand her connection to Lucy, however, and we desperately want her to find Lucy.
On Wendy’s quest to find Lucy, she encounters only one person with a kind heart: the security guard at the local Walgreens. He appears to have seen hard times himself, and offers the use of his cell phone as a contact number for the pound. In one particularly touching scene, he offers Lucy money and refuses to take “no” for an answer. The sum of money he gives her: $6.
The movie is short, but difficult to watch. As I noted earlier, movies about homelessness are always difficult to watch: no one wants to imagine this kind of life for themselves. Additionally, there are suspenseful moments where we don’t know if Wendy or Lucy will be okay.
A word of advice to moviegoers: do not go see two movies about homelessness in one weekend. It makes for a depressing couple of days.
“The Savage Detectives” is a novel by Robert Bolano. Originally written in Spanish, the book is lengthy–672 pages–and a bit cumbersome, though entertaining and dynamic in parts. The main part of the story is told through the perspectives of many different characters and jumps around in time from 1975 to sometime in the mid-1990s.
This is the story of two poets, Belano and Lima, who found a group of poets called the Visceral Realists. The first part of the book is told from the pages of a 17-year-old’s journal, in 1975, as he drops out of law school to join this poetry movement and live as a vagabond among their group. With his new friends, he loses his virginity, gets shot at, and ultimately runs away with Belano, Lima and hooker who is being hunted by her pimp.
The second part of the book then shifts to “interviews” with various people who have encountered either Belano, Lima, or both during their travels across the world. These people have been lovers, enemies, friends, and general acquaintences of the two men. The stories move around between the years of 1975 and the mid-1990s. We learn of the adventurous lives these men led and how they are manipulative in ways that can make you both love and hate them. This long second part of the book is difficult and can be excrutiating to get through. While there are gems to be found in this 400-page stretch, it is far too easy to get lost.
The last part of the book circles back to our 17-year-old journalist and picks up where we left off at the beginning: his escape with Belano, Lima and Lupe, the hooker. To be quite honest, I merely skimmed the last 150 pages; by this point I was a bored with the men.
While I appreciate the writing of Bolano in this book, I am not certain that I truly understood the story other than as an adventure book.
