Last night's viewing on the Dembiczak-Garlington big screen was Deathproof, the Quentin Tarantino portion of Grindhouse. I now wish I had seen the whole thing in the movie theaters earlier this year, or at least have the opportunity to view the whole thing on one DVD. The Robert Rodriguez portion is #3 in my netflix queue.
It's a pretty simple plot about a guy (Kurt Russell) who likes to kill young, sexy women with his "stuntman" car. While it didn't come close to the brilliance of Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill, it was a really enjoyable ride. I enjoyed the second half better, with more believable and engaging characters, though the payoff at the end really was tied to the structure of the first half and it being so true to the horror genre.
That Tarantino sure creates some kick-ass female roles! Whatever people say about him in terms of violence/exploitation, I think it's more than evident that he loves women if you look at his body of work. With this movie, I also came to realize that Rosario Dawson is kind of interesting.
Eat
Looking for a low-carb, light and healthy dinner? Take one package of Caesar-Lite (salad-in-a-bag) and add shrimp, smoked salmon, tomatoes and avocado. Go light on the dressing and only use one tomato (two makes it a bit mushy). You can even throw out the croutons if you're feeling uber-Atkins. Serves two.
Drink
It being the season of all things cranberry, I've been in search of new ways to enjoy cranberry juice in beverages. I recently bought some cranberry-pomegranate juice and added it to unflavored Talking Rain sparkling water. Very refreshing - and - wow, non-alcoholic. Great for an Autumn brunch or if you're the designated driver or for your friend who's come out of rehab to visit for the holidays!
Read
I recently read these two memoirs from survivors of Hansen's disease. Both were exiled to Kaluapapa on the island of Molokai.
While both are worth reading, I found Henry's story more compelling and inspiring. It also seemed to have the benefit of a stronger editor/collaborator. Olivia's story was touching, but the timeline was jumpy and the tone was very angry. Henry was able to move past his diagnosis quickly, to make the disease only one part of his life while ultimately reaching out to educate so many different people (almost, it seems, by accident of his very giving nature).
But what is really striking is how both lived (and continue to live) such long lives, far surpassing so many of their loved ones after being given a death sentence at such a young age. Both were lucky (and unlucky) in love, were able to travel, learn, and grow old with such a remarkable perspective. And after all the confinement and mistreatment, both came to find that Kaluapapa would always be home.
I recommend reading both.
Remember
Last month when we were in Kona I attended my very first real Luau (the only other one I attended was in Vegas at a casino).
Here you will see two men unearthing the pig from the imu, or underground oven.
It is wrapped in banana leaves and has a smoky flavor to it. Along with the kalua pig, other traditional luau foods include lomi lomi salmon, teriyaki chicken and beef, ahi poke (or other seafood), poi (a paste made from taro root), and haupia (a stiff coconut pudding).
There is also an open bar with mai tai punch along with other beverages. After the food is served, performers take you all over Polynesia with different forms of dancing, chanting and costumery. It's a gay old time.
As you can see, we enjoyed ourselves.
Worry
Hate crimes rose by 8% in 2006. Read about it here.
Sometimes I worry about random acts of violence, especially around the holidays or surrounding some other joyous occasion. It's like that part in the movie where everyone is laughing and dancing around and then there's a knock on the door. "Oh, that must be Blank, late again, ha ha."
But it's not Blank. It's a man in a policeman uniform. There's been a shooting.
Stuff like that.
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