Blog changes--I beta wait

Last week I posted about the new features Blogger is adding, and that my blog might be changing appearance soon. The new version is available to me now, but after reading about all of the known issues with the current "beta" version, I think it's better to wait until they get these things fixed.

Cows 'moo' with an accent, farmers believe

That's what the Reuters article says. I'm not the least bit surprised.

For years and years we've had this mug:



















Yes, the mug is so old it says "West Germany." The cow from Poland says "Moöski."

Living with bears XX

Massachusetts: Black bear spotted again in Dunstable
Canada: Bear sightings on the rise, Cadomin bruins bear today and gone tomorrow, Hungry bear captured in Nampa
South Carolina: North Myrtle Beach Information Officer reports bear intrusion, Family dog feared dead after bear attacks home
California: Black bear killed in Chico
Florida: Bear with us: mom, cubs find way to city

Plat du jour

You can't fool me. That is not a Ventura. It's a Camry.

I passed (whoopee)

Last week I ventured down to the 169 Bar in Chinatown to hear Wendy Ip perform. She's back from her stay in England with a new song, and a new boyfriend. I have gotten to know Wendy from her weekly performances at the Stonewall Bistro, before it closed down.

There was a guy hanging around Wendy and her friends, and they introduced me. He said he was just from the neighborhood, and happened in on this night of music. He was showing a picture of his kids, and said his wife was out of town. He was obviously drunk, even before I had arrived.

Eventually it was Wendy's turn to sing. She was as good as ever. Afterwards she hung around a little while, talking to people. The drunk guy started coming on to me. (I guess I should point out that a) this is a straight bar; b) I was presenting as a woman.) He gently took ahold of my arm. I gently pulled away. It didn't discourage him though. He said something about us going back to his place (it was hard to hear over the music). I said, "Sorry, I've got a wife and I'm faithful to her," showing him my wedding and engagement rings.

He looked confused. "You're not a dude, are you?" he asked. I asked him to repeat it, just to make sure I heard him correctly over the band. I never assume I pass as a woman, especially after someone gets a good look at me, and hears me speak. But he repeated his question, "You're not a dude, are you?"

I replied, "I'm a little of both."

He looked at me for a few seconds, and said, "I'd bang you anyway."

I said, "I get enough of that at home," and headed for the exit.

But now I know that I pass as a woman in a well-lit straight bar--at least with a drunk guy.

Whoopee.

Plat du jour

Aurevoi

Blog changes coming

Blogger.com is adding to the features available to us bloggers, most notably the ability to separate our posts into various categories. It's still in beta testing, and I don't know when I'll be able to add it here, but it's coming.

So if you only want to see, say, my "Living with bears" posts, without the distractions of my other, much less important articles, you'll be able to do it.

The other big change apparently is the ability to easily modify the layout of the blog. I've fiddled with my template a little, but it's basically the same as the way the template author wrote it--which means it looks like any number of other blogs. This too will change. I'll try to remember to give an advance warning, but don't be surprised to come here some day and find a very different-looking blog.

Living with bears XIX

Colorado: Roaming bear captured, Curious, hungry bear captured at bowling alley in Englewood
Canada: Another home-invading bear destroyed
New York: A ‘startling' bear encounter on East Hill

Plat du jour

Now here's a car that's safe from attacking aircraft.

Or maybe just from dive-bombing birds.

Weird websearch of the day

humorous retiree monologues for church has this blog fourth!--right below that hateful Concerned Women for America.

The experiment: (slightly) amended results

A couple weeks ago I ran a little experiment to see if I could attract more vistors to my blog, by listing the ten most frequently searched-for terms. The results: zero. My blog was too low in the results lists.

But a couple days ago I did get a hit from someone doing a search using one of the terms: Kurara Chibana searches. Adding the word "searches" got my blog into the top 20.

Happy anniversary--to me!

This blog is one year old today. Starting with my toe-in-the-water test post through this one, I have 594 articles up--with exactly 8700 visitors as of this writing, an average of nearly 24 per day. That's not very large in the blogosphere realm, I know, but somebody must like what I'm writing.

Actually, I know who some of you are. As you can probably tell from all my "Weird Websearch" posts, I check my visitor log thoroughly. I don't get the names of my visitors directly, but I do get the IP addresses, and frequently the location of the ISP. With a little external info, like when you leave a comment, I can connect a visitor log entry with a name.

So I see no reason to stop writing "caprice's glob." Since I've been concentrating on my Office Clean-Up Project, I haven't been posting much of substance lately. But eventually that will end, and I'll get back to my entertainment reviews, etc. Hang in there. If you don't want to check in constantly, you can subscribe via FeedBlitz using the box in the right hand column. They'll send you an e-mail listing all my new headlines. It'll be a day late, but I think for most people that should suffice.

In the meantime, Happy Anniversary to me!

Plat du jour

A soccer referee?

Minor rant

I HATE those little stickers they put on fruit and vegetables!

Book meme

I've been tagged! By the lovely (and talented) Midwestern Transport.

So now I've got to go to work and answer this thing.

1. One book that changed your life?
Miss Vera's Finishing School for Boys Who Want To Be Girls by Veronica Vera. It was the first book I ever read that tried to explain why I want to present as a woman.

2. One book you have read more than once?
I seldom read books more than once. (So why do I keep all of mine?--Hmmm) I think the record is three times: Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

3. One book you would want on a desert island?
I'll skip the obvious ones about rafts and survival. I think The Complete Works of William Shakespeare might do me well.

4. One book that made you laugh?
The Hot Rock, by Donald E. Westlake. This was the first of his Dortmunder series, the tales of a very good, but very unlucky, burglar. In this book Dortmunder steals a huge diamond--over and over, losing it after each successful heist.

5. One book that made you cry?
I can't think of any book that has ever done that. The closest is Guy de Maupassant's short story, "La Parure" (The Necklace, or The Diamond Necklace).

6. One book you wish had been written?
The Defeat of Bolshevism, by Alexander Karensky (or is it Kerensky?).

7. One book you wish had never been written?
Mein Kampf.

8. One book you are currently reading?
The Salmon of Doubt, by Douglas Adams.

9. One book you have been meaning to read?
Becoming a Visible Man, by Jamison Green, is next on my list. It's a very long list.

10. Now tag five people.
Helen Boyd, her husband Betty, Victoria Marinelli, The Lazy Cartoonist, my sister Deb.

Plat du jour

.

Living with bears XVIII

Canada: 'Unprecedented' number of bear sightings, Tranquilized Bear Succumbs
Nevada: For discriminating bear, night of dinner theater
Colorado: Suburban bear subdued
Alaska: Juneau bear killed by resident had checkered past
Virginia: 'Big' Black Bear Struck By Car On Rt. 9

Plat du jour

.

Republican "offense" is offensive

The Senate's second-ranking Republican, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said:

"The McGovern wing of the Democrat party seems to have forgotten that we've been on offense for the last five years and that's why we haven't been attacked here at home."

As a proud member of the McGovern wing (I worked with George McGovern's son-in-law on our college newspaper, before McGovern ran for president), I must disagree. We haven't forgotten anything.

What McConnell seems to have forgotten is that we have had almost as many Americans killed in Iraq as died from 9/11. We might equal it by election day. And let's not even think about the many thousands more horribly wounded, maimed for life.

We're not on offense, Sen. McConnell. Americans are still on defense. We're being attacked every day. The only thing George Bush the Stupid and his Republican cronies did was to move the playing field to Baghdad. That's where American troops, hunkered down there in the "Green Zone," venture out in an increasingly futile effort to keep the growing Iraqi civil war from spoiling the Republicans' chances in November.

But most of the US forces there are the sons and daughters of the working class, not the children of senators, or even of retired computer programmer/attorneys like me. So the Republicans don't care, because they are the party of the rich--and the narrow-minded social conservatives whom they distract with wedge issues like same-sex marriage. Our sons and daughters are safe in their college dorms. And we're safe (cross your fingers) in our office towers. But that's not being on offense.

Plat du jour

Recipe for divorce?

The end of the line--for me

This is a picture of my grave, or at least where it will be. Actually, it may be the one next to it--I forget the exact layout. My wife and I were visiting the cemetery last week, and I wandered over to where our plots are, and took a picture.

Weird, huh? I really don't care much what happens to my body after I die, but my wife does, so everything has been all bought and paid for. That's where we'll end up. We were mentioning it to a former colleague of hers, who told us she would be in the cemetery right across the road! I said we'd wave.

Plat du jour

Pinot?

Living with bears XVII

Florida: Bear that showed up at Bike Week killed on I-95
California: Bear sightings on the rise
Kentucky: Black bear hit, killed by SUV in Clark

Plat du jour

.

Your tax dollars at work--doing something useful

When I was on vacation in Barcelona, Spain last spring I lost my wallet to pickpockets. So when a fat envelope from the US Department of State Consular Section showed up in the mail today (well, yesterday) I didn't have to have to open it to know what was inside--the non-cash contents of my wallet. There was a form letter from the Barcelona consulate that said they had received my property from the local police, and would forward any more of my property if they acquired any.

Mostly it was cards that I have long-since replaced--ATM, credit, memberships, and my driver's license. But there was also a picture of my wife in her wedding dress, that I was very glad to get back.

I'm guessing the pickpockets just quickly took the cash (not that there was very much) and threw the wallet away, and someone turned it in to the Barcelona police. When nobody claimed it they sent it to the consulate, which sent the contents to Washington (ironically, the Consular Section is on Barcelona Street there), which forwarded it on to me.

Which is all a little amazing.

Living with bears XVI

California: Officials Chase Bear In Azusa Back Into Mountains
Kentucky: Family Spots Bear In Backyard
Nevada: Bear Finds Advertising Truth at Casino

Plat du jour

A new film rating?

Still about 10:1

Associated Press:

At least 524 people have been killed in Lebanon since the fighting began, according to the Health Ministry. Fifty-one Israelis have died, including 33 soldiers and 18 civilians who died in rocket attacks.

Talking back at the headlines

From the Associated Press "Top News:"

• Ailing Castro Gives Power to Brother
Keeping Cuba in the family.

• Israel Approves Wider Ground Offensive
Oy.

• Bush Looks to U.N. for Mideast Solution
Since he can't figure one out.

• Soldiers From 2 Koreas Exchange Fire
Did either side hit anything? Nah.

• Gitmo Guards Often Attacked by Detainees
Gee, I wonder why.

• Paper: Landis Had Synthetic Testosterone
Doesn't look good for Floyd.

• UK, Calif. to Strike Global Warming Deal
Is this constitutional?

• Deputy Hopes Gibson Thinks About DUI
The DUI is the least of his problems right now.

The project, redux

Late last February I started a new project: cleaning up my office. My main strategies were to minimize my weekday social and entertainment events, and to turn off this computer from 9:00am to 9:00pm. I did make some progress, but it came to a complete halt when I started packing for my trip to Spain in late April. I did not go back to the project when I returned. I had to unpack, and there was a lot of mail that came in while I was away, both snail and e-. Then came June, and a ton of Pride events. July was Wimbledon and Le Tour de France. And this last week I couldn't turn off the computer because it was getting backed-up. The result is, as you can see, that my office is almost as messy as it was before I started.

Now that I've run out of excuses, I will be resuming the project. Tomorrow morning the computer gets turned off at 9:00am. Obviously I will be blogging less. While I hope to post something every day, I'm not going to go crazy if I can't.

Living with bears XV

Massachusetts: Bear mingles with shoppers
Canada: Bear lumbers into B.C. day care

Backup to go forward

Like most computer users, I haven't been very good at backing-up my hard drive. Actually, I've been just plain lousy--I think the last time I did it was several months ago. And if my office burns up it wouldn't matter, because the backup disks are here in the same room anyway.

So when I read an AP article (later published here) about online, automatic, fairly cheap backup services it sounded just right for me. The Carbonite service seemed the best, and I decided to give it a try--especially since they give a free, 15-day trial, without even asking for a credit card number. If I decided to continue it would be $50 for a year (they haven't implemented their $5/month subscription yet, but I don't think I would have chosen that even if it were available).

I downloaded their software, and chose a "full" backup--not just documents and such. "Full" doesn't include the operating system, which isn't really necessary. The Carbonite program scanned my hard drive, and found nearly 5 gigabytes to back-up. This would require about three days to backup, according to their estimate formula--three 24-hour days. This is the biggest drawback of online, internet-based backup--even using a broadband connection, upload speeds are pretty slow, and the initial backup can take a very long time (other, more expensive services give you the option of mailing it to them on disks).

It actually took closer to four days. (UPDATE: I got an e-mail from Carbonite, apologizing for the slow upload times. They said the response from the article has been huge. They are adding bandwidth, and things should be back to normal by Thursday.) I tested it out restoring a file--it was easy. Meanwhile, Carbonite was running in the background, periodically scanning for new or modified files to backup, and then automatically uploading them. I decided to go for the one year subscription--and got an extra 2 months bonus.

There is no particular limit to the amount of data they will store for you, and you can even backup more than one computer--it's backing-up my wife's computer right now, at no additional fee. UPDATE: I was misled by their poorly worded FAQ. You can only backup one computer per fee. I'll have to pay another $50/year for my wife's computer--it's still a good deal.

It's all one less thing to worry about. And even if I never have to restore anything, sooner or I'll be replacing my computer. With Carbonite I can download all my files to the new one--I shouldn't have to use PC Replicator or anything like it.

Plat du jour

.

Bears--just watching them

I've been posting a bunch of links to news stories called "Living with bears," which show how widespread occurences of bears coming into residential, even commercial, areas are. I haven't posted links to the many articles about people encountering bears while camping, hiking or even once while competing in a triathlon--I figure it's not surprising to run into a bear when you're in their territory.

But if you are interested in viewing bears in the wild, without leaving the comforts of home (let alone risking life and limb) there is a way. On the National Geographic website you can see a bearcam (they call it a "wildcam"), a solar-powered hidden camera focused an a bear gathering-place at McNeil River Falls in Alaska. This is live--these bears are there right now, looking for salmon to eat. Sometimes there is an camera operator working the thing (remotely), zooming in on the action.

At the moment the fishing doesn't seem to be very good. None of the bears have caught anything in the ten minutes or so I've been watching. But it's still morning there.

The man who wouldn't die

Back in March I posted an article, Art Buchwald is dying. It told of his diabetes and leg amputation, kidney failure and his refusal of dialysis. He went into a hospice to die.

Except he didn't. Somehow his kidneys worked enough to keep him going. He held court in his hospice room, entertaining visitors, waiting for the end that didn't come. He resumed his column in the Washington Post.

Earlier this month Buchwald left the hospice for his beloved summer home on Martha's Vineyard. He's still holding court, still planning his funeral. But he stopped writing the column, so he can work on a book about his stay in the hospice, Too Soon to Say Goodbye. It's due in September, and it sounds like he might just be able to finish it. I really hope he does.

Plat du jour

.

Beware of Starbucks

Man Drives Onto Starbucks Patio; 10 Hurt
As I've said before, Starbucks is a dangerous place, so avoid it--not that I always follow my own advice. At least the Starbucks (Starbuckses? what is the plural?) here don't have patios.

Talking back at the headlines

From the Associated Press "Top News:"

• Hezbollah Fires New Rockets Into Israel
Oy.

• Bush, Blair Urge Multinational Force
But not US or UK troops, I'm sure.

• GOP Makes Conditions on Wage Increase
Give a little to the poor, and a lot to the rich.

• AP: Priest May Have Misspent $1.4 Million
It's better than if he had molested kids.

• Floyd Landis Proclaims His Innocence
I hope it's true.

• Jury Convicts 4 White-Supremacists
Good!

• Scientists Identify 2 Ancient Reptiles
Dino and Dinny?

• Mel Gibson Arrested on Suspicion of DUI
Yawn.

Plat du jour

I guess spelling isn't on the curriculum in New Haven.

Experiment results

A few days ago I ran a little experiment, listing the top ten searched-for terms, to see if it would get any more people to my site. It took a day or so for Google to do its scan, and then I waited. The result: zero additional hits on my blog. Not a single person came here looking for any of the items.

Which does make sense. I'm sure my site was way, way down on Google's list for any of those terms (the only way I knew I was on the list was to add the additional terms "caprice glob" to my search).

What did noticably increase the traffic on my blog yesterday was my articles on Floyd Landis. Almost as soon as I posted the first one I started getting hits--Google indexes blogs very quickly. I got a good number of people searching for Landis with "testosterone" or "doping." I ended up with my second highest traffic day of the last month.

So I guess if I really want to increase my visitor count I should post stuff on the breaking news as quickly as I can.

Living with bears XIV

Canada: Police Confirm Bear Sightings
Florida: Black bear spotted again in North Naples

Landis update

The Associated Press has issued an updated story on Floyd Landis. It does seem unthinkable that he would take a chance on getting caught like this, but who knows how one thinks under the huge stress of competing in Le Tour de France--particularly after the disasterous performance Landis had in Stage 16.

UPDATE: Landis has denied cheating.

Floyd Landis a doper?

Floyd Landis has failed a drug test taken the day he made his remarkable recovery in Le Tour de France. Excessive testosterone was found. If this is confirmed by a test of his back-up sample he will lose his championship, and probably be banned from cycling for two years.

Testosterone is not easily administered. It can't be taken orally, and must be injected or gotten topically with a patch or a gel spread on the skin. So the chance that Landis got this drug accidentally (assuming the test was not in error) is small.

It will be sad if Landis is disqualified. And it could dampen the popular enthusiasm for cycling, already reeling from one drug scandal right before this year's Tour. I find the whole thing very disheartening. I have already lost a great deal of my interest in track and field because of past doping scandals. Now this. Phooey.

Plat du jour

This one is a bit of a puzzle. I'm guessing that the "4" was substituted for an "A," which would make this read "ALKY DOG"--as in "alcoholic dog."

Living with bears XIII

Connecticut: Bear making a habit of wandering where people live
Colorado: Bear nabbed after snack in Red Mountain home

A little experiment in attracting visitors

Yahoo has a "Buzz Log," a list of what the most popular Yahoo searches are each day. So I'm wondering what will happen to my visitor count if I mention the top 10:
1 Miss Universe
2 Ashlee Simpson
3 Miss USA
4 WWE
5 Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza
6 Kurara Chibana
7 Jessica Simpson
8 Wikipedia
9 Nicole Kidman
10 Paris Hilton

A very ambiguous headline

Artie Shaw's Ex-Wife Gets Half of Estate
He was married eight times.

Amnesty International may back right to abortion

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights organization Amnesty International is considering altering its "neutral" stand on abortion and birth control, to include them among the rights of women they will fight for. Naturally, anti-abortion people, including some who have some who have previously supported the group, are opposed. Some have already ceased their contributions, even though the change in policy is only in the early discussion stages--it would not be voted on until August of next year at the earliest.

While I think Amnesty International has occasionally gone overboard in declaring certain government actions violations of human rights (not that I can remember a specific instance at the moment), they do good work in general. They should support all human rights, including the right of women to choose to have an abortion. If they do actually change their policy, I'll think I will start to contribute to them.

The 10:1 ratio

Israel seems to have lessened its efforts in Lebanon, at least looking at the death toll--or perhaps it's that Hezbollah is resisting more effectively. The Associated Press has it at 391-43. Of course, as was pointed out in a comment to my previous post on the subject, these are only the reported deaths.

UPDATE: Now (5:26pm ET) the AP has it at 422-42 (Israel's went down one?).

(slightly) Weird websearch

Someone found my blog searching for "thai food." Someone from Thailand!

That's a relief

I took the test, and it said:

You Will Die at Age 79

You're pretty average when it comes to how you live... And how you'll die as well.

At What Age Will You Die?

UPDATE: If I floss my teeth every day I can add three years!

Plat du jour

A well-balanced Californian.

The last stage of Le Tour de France

Right now they're about 50 miles from the end of the Tour. In case you haven't heard about it, Floyd Landis did take the yellow jersey (the overall race leadership) in the time trial yesterday.

This last stage, ending with several laps up and down the Champs Elysée in Paris, is ceremonial--sort of. It does count, but the unwritten rules prohibit attacks against the jersey holders. The racers are taking it easy, talking with each other, having a nice ride. Landis, surrounded by his teammates for protection, stays up front, to avoid any entanglements with others in the peloton. At the end some of the lesser lights will probably fight for the stage win, but Landis will play it safe, ensuring his victory.

The 10:1 ratio holds

Now the Lebanon-Israel death count is 375 to 36. My prediction still looks good.

A weird websearch returns

Back in June I noted how a websearch for "stagehand stagehands madison square garden 2006" brought someone to my blog--someone from Arizona. This week, on Wednesday to be precise, I received another visit from an Arizonan--presumably the same person--searching for madonna july 18 madison square garden stagehands. (The entry for my blog has disappeared from the search list as of now.) I really wonder what s/he is looking for. Maybe it's a friend or relative of a stagehand. I dunno.

Plat du jour

.

Living with bears XII

Colorado: 3 bears get probation after raiding kitchen

Still 10:1

The latest AP report has the Lebanon-Israel death count at 335 to 34. As I said before, this 10:1 ratio will continue.

Living with bears XI

North Carolina: Bear rummages through Lake Norman neighborhood
Colorado: Bear Activity In Vail Prompts Emergency Law, Glenwood also battling bear problem
South Carolina: Experts say bear just passing through Cornelius

Floyd Landis--incroyable!

Yesterday Floyd Landis "blew up," coming in 10 minutes behind the stage winner and losing the yellow jersey (overall race leader) by over 8 minutes--falling down to 11th place. Everyone wrote him off for this year's Tour. Today he shocked everyone by demolishing the stage (the last in the mountains)--almost as if yesterday never happened. He's clawed himself back up to third place, only 30 seconds behind.

It was an amazing race. Landis pushed hard from the first climb--shocking the overall race leaders. At one point he broke a spoke and had to change bikes. He ended up winning by 5 minutes and 42 seconds, in what commentators are saying is the greatest single day effort by anyone in the modern era.

The race will probably be decided Saturday, when there's an indivdual time trial--a discipline at which Landis excels. I'm going to get up early to see all of that one.

Comic book stamps

The U.S. Postal Service is issuing stamps and postcards commemorating DC Comics super heroes.

But I'm sure these are all self-stick stamps. So you still can't lick Superman. Or Wonder Woman, if that's your preference.

10:1--a pretty steady number

According to the AP round-up, there have been about 300 people killed in Lebanon, and 29 in Israel. This 10 to 1 ratio has been pretty steady--and I suspect the Israelis will keep it steady.

Plat du jour

.

Back by popular demand!

My friend Johanna is bringing her show of Kurt Weill and Jacques Brel songs back to The Duplex for four more performances in August--before she takes it out to Colorado where she's been asked to perform at the Telluride Film Festival. I went to her show last spring and had a great time. And she says she's made improvements!

So get your tickets now before they're all gone--only $10, plus a two drink minimum at the show.

Living with bears X

Alaska: Bear goes Dumpster diving
California: Wounded bear found dead near Tahoe lake

Nevermind what's good for the people

Lawmaker Clubs Have Little Accountability

Sen. Conrad Burns, a member of 18 caucuses, said he joined the Sweetener Caucus at the behest of sugar beet growers in his state.

"I don't think I've ever attended," Burns, R-Mont., said of caucus meetings. "I do what my growers tell me. I know we grow a lot of sugar beets in Montana."

They also seem to grow Republican senators who don't bother to do their own thinking. They just do what a special interest tells them.

Plat du jour

I wonder what s/he thinks of C.S.I.?

How much is that doggie in the window?

At Victoria's Secret. Sooooooo cute!

Potty mouth Bush

Now here's some really big news: President Bush used the word "shit" when referring to Hezbollah's actions. He was caught on an open microphone while conversing with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at the G-8 conference in Russia.

So now we know that he not only talks shit, he says shit.

Weird websearch of the day

the beatles: glob ticket company lists my blog as third. Even if it were "globe" it doesn't make any sense to me.

Grendel

Last night we went to see Grendel, a new opera that is part of this year's Lincoln Center Festival. The big attraction was the work's director, co-librettist, co-puppet designer, and, according to the program "co-conceiver," Julie Taymor. I had marveled at her wonderfully inventive The Lion King puppets on Broadway, as well as her staging of Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) at the Metropolitan Opera. (I also loved her film Frida.) So I wanted to see her new effort.

There was a lot of press about Grendel's recent world premiere at the Los Angeles Opera. The computer controlling the scenery failed, and it did not open on schedule. They got things sorted out eventually, and it drew mixed reviews. But I still wanted to see it. So it was off to Lincoln Center, past the Midsummer Night Swing dance area, under the boat sculpture, to the New York State Theatre.

As usual, I got a seat which could use some new springs, but it wasn't too bad.

There is a lot about Grendel that is innovative. It is the retelling of the ninth century tale of Beowulf, the mythical Swedish hero who slays a monster. Many people read it in their English classes, though I never had it. What's different in this retelling is that it is from the point of view of the monster--Grendel. It is based on the 1971 novel by John Gardner. Basically Grendel doesn't like being a monster, but comes to realize that that's his lot, he can't change it, and humans need monsters to fight in order to define themselves.

Another innovation: there are five singers portraying Grendel. Eric Owens (pictured above) is the main one, but there are three "Shadow Grendels" also, which basically allow Grendel to easily talk to himself, as well as to give the voice of the main Grendel a chance to rest now and then--it is a huge part. The fifth one is the Child Grendel, used in a flashback. This was sung by the diminutive soprano Michèle Eaton, whom I've seen perform a number of times at the P.D.Q. Bach concerts.

Also unusual, if not quite innovative, is the use of two languages in the libretto. Grendel sings in modern (sometimes quite vulgar) English, while the humans sing in Old English. (Both are shown in modern English on the supertitles, but they use a different font for the translations of the Old.)

It was clear from the start that the music is not Grendel's strong point. Composed by Elliot Goldenthal (Taymor's significant other), it is tuneless, modern "movie music," as I like to call it--great for setting the mood, for conveying emotion, but not pretty in the least. And in this case, not memorable in the least.

The most impressive part of the production (outside of Owens' performance, which I'll get to), isn't the staging (the scenery computer worked just fine, BTW) or even the puppetry. It is the dancing. A series of ensemble pieces continues throughout the show, and a long solo by Desmond Richardson as Beowulf caps the opera. If they could somehow extract the dance portion of the opera, it would make an excellent stand-alone ballet.

The much-anticipated scenery is nothing extraordinary. It's a rotating wall, which is not uncommon in operas. The only innovative part of it is a trapezoidal section in the center that swings down at various angles to become anything from a throne room to a children's snow-covered sliding hill. The use of projections now and then is actually a more useful device.

The puppets are every bit as good as Taymor's Lion King efforts. Sometimes Grendel is portrayed by a huge puppet, fighting normal-sized humans. Other times miniature puppets battle Owens as Grendel. There are a number of others.

As I've said, Owens' portrayal of Grendel was excellent. It is a huge role, said to be one of the longest for a bass-baritone. Also wonderful was Denyce Graves' cynical Dragon (to whom Grendel goes for advice on being a monster). It's a much smaller role, but still difficult.

As I've also said, this is not a music-driven opera. It's too bad there isn't another category to put it in. It's an interesting, off-beat story of an unhappy creature, with great dancing, excellent puppetry, and more than adequate scenery--appropriately set to off-beat, unhappy music. If you need your opera to have beautiful music, Grendel isn't for you. Otherwise, it's an excellent evening of sung theatre.

Living with bears IX

Connecticut: Black Bear Spotted in Weston
California: Squaw bear faces grim fate
New York: Hungry bear has tongues wagging

Plat du jour

Johnny One Note.

It's July 15!

Happy St. Swithin's day!
St. Swithin (or Swithun) was the Bishop of Winchester back about 1,200 years ago. He was immortalized in the rhyme

St Swithun's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain na mair

Well, there's no rain in Winchester today, so they can put away the umbrellas over there. At least until St. Bartholomew's Day.

It's July 14!

It's Bastille Day, which marks the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789--their 4th of July.

And happy anniversary to Helen and Betty, and happy birthday to J.!

Me? I'm going to a Bastille Day Ball.

Bad film reviews

I get the little weekly e-mail newsletter from Elliott Kanbar, the president of the Quad Cinema here in NYC. This time he listed some excerpts from reviews for films the critics, let's just say, disliked. My favorites:

HUDSON HAWK (1991). "A solid contender for the longest 95 minute movie in history." Chris Hicks, Desert News (Salt Lake City).

ROLLERBALL (2003). "Say this for the soundtrack, it drowns out the lousy dialogue." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

CATWOMAN (2004). "CATWOMAN doesn't belong on the big screen. It belongs in the litter box." Connie Ogle, Miami Herald.

THE BAD NEWS BEARS GO TO JAPAN (1978). "And they can stay there." Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Ashville, North Carolina).

Kanbar said he got them from "The Bathroom Reader." This is a site I think I want to explore.

Living with bears VIII

North Dakota: Black bear spotted in Grand Forks
California: Bear problems persist
Connecticut: Bear in Bloomfield Center draws lunchtime crowd

Plat du jour

.

Living with bears VII

Virginia: Black bear sighting in Tysons

Two headlines, one mess

On the 1010WINS site there's a story, Government Emergency Alerts to Ping Cells, Internet, about how the Homeland Security Department is working on a system to send emergency alerts to a wide variety of communications devices. Two headlines below is Connecticut Civil Emergency Message Sent in Error. Great. We'll be able to get erroneous alerts on our cellphones.

Another thing to opt out of.

The idiot is still at it

The stupid anti-choice blogger (see my previous post) is still at it. He still doesn't understand the point of satire. He just digs himself in deeper and deeper.

This is the worst! Bravo!

The winner of the annual Bulwer-Lytton literary parody prize has been announced. It is awarded for the worst opening sentence of an imaginary novel. This year's first place entry:

Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you've had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean.

Oh, yeah, I'd really go to her for advice

Donna Hanover Offers Love Advice Online
Let's see. Here's someone who's on her third husband. Her second one (former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani) cheated on her, then told her he wanted a divorce via a public press conference. So we know how good she is at picking husbands. Yeah, she's a great one for love advice.

I knew AOL was pretty weak. But is this the best they can do? My advice: stick to Dear Abby.

Anti-abortion stupidity

Forgive me if you've seen this a zillion other places, but this is just too good to pass up. An anti-abortionist stumbled on a 7-year-old pro-abortion satire from the Onion, thought it was real, and wrote a blog entry (WARNING: graphic photo added) ripping it to shreds. The stupidity of his post is funny, but the comments to it (which he seems perfectly happy to leave up) are hilarious. There are hundreds. I didn't get through half of them, but my favorite is

I laughed so hard I aborted my foetus. Thanks for nothing, babykiller.

So after making a complete fool of himself, and instead of quitting while he was behind, he posted another article defending his original one, even after admitting that the Onion article was fake. His theory: he's heard real women say the same sort of thing--never stopping to think that maybe they were pulling his leg, also. Then he goes on to demonstrate that, even after looking it up in the dictionary, he still doesn't understand what "satire" means. I'd tell him to look up "gullible" also, but I doubt he'd understand that, either.

It's good to know that the anti-abortionists have such idiots among their numbers. It's scary to know that he has as many votes as I do. On the other hand, there's a decent chance that anyone this stupid will accidentally do himself in before the next election.

(P.S. Thanks to Betty for pointing this out.)

UPDATE: He has disabled the comments, and added a picture of what he alleges is an aborted fetus.

Plat du jour

Yes, driving an SUV in the city is obnoxious.

P.S. You can't spell, either.

Living with bears VI

Maryland: Black bear sighted in Montgomery County
Norway: Polar bear chased from airport
Oklahoma: Un"bear"able neighbors

Le Tour de France: Let the race begin!

Now that we've gotten a couple of other international sporting events out of the way, my focus is now on Le Tour de France, the world's greatest bicycle race. 23 days long, it goes all around France (with a few little excursions into neighboring countries) for 2,261 miles this year--the ultimate test for cyclists. Each day (minus a couple for rest and travel) is a separate race, or stage, but the overall winner is based on the lowest total time--it is theoretically possible (though highly unlikely) to win the race without winning any of the daily stages. There's a big article in the Wikipedia explaining everything, with a separate one on this year's race.

It's actually been going on for over a week now, though I haven't watched it very much, as the broadcasts conflicted with Wimbledon's. And I haven't missed that much really, because the race doesn't truly start until tomorrow. That's when the first mountain stage occurs. Some of the stages (five this year) go up mountains, and that (along with the time-trials) is usually where the race winner is largely determined.

It is a strange race--the tactics (and the rules) are not intuitive. Though it is primarily an individual competition, the riders are on teams--20 this year. The teams, nine riders each, are there to support their team leaders. This can be as simple as riding in front of the leader, breaking the wind for him. But it gets much more complicated. There are riders who are only sprinters, who are not good at climbing mountains. But they are trying to win the flat stages (there is a competition just for sprints, on a points basis). Their team members will also be helping them, as well as for the main leader.

The real non-intuitive part, though, is the breakaway or "attack". One or more of the lesser riders will speed away from the main body (the "peloton"). A few others may decide to join. They then work together to try to stay ahead, but usually the peloton does catch up. The race overall race leaders will usually not go with the breakaway, saving energy, because the attackers are seldom those with a real chance to win the whole race. The leaders will just stay in the peloton, as it chases down the attackers.

Which is what happened today. I tuned in for the end of the race. The breakaway group was caught within the last couple miles, and the sprinters eventually raced for the stage win. After 105 miles, 3 hours, 35 minutes and 24 seconds, Oscar Freire grabbed it by inches.
As I said, though, the race really begins tomorrow. American Floyd Landis is in second place overall, a minute behind--not that much in the mountains. We shall see.

Living with bears V

Tennessee: Man Shoots Bear That Walked Onto His Deck

A Prairie Home Companion--the movie

The movie got a good review in the New York Times, so my wife wanted to see it. I had heard, a few times years ago, the radio show of the same name upon which it was based. I liked the comic monologues, the music was OK (though country is not my favorite genre), so I agreed to see it.

Garrison Keillor, the creator and host of the radio show, is the screenwriter of and actor in the movie, where he plays "G.K.," the host of a radio show called "A Prairie Home Companion"--which bears some (but only some) resemblance to the real radio show. If you can figure that out, then you'll be able to understand what the movie isn't. What it is, however, is another question.

I hadn't realized Robert Altman was the director. If I had, I would have been a little more prepared for the film's weirdness, its mild surrealism. The movie seems to start out as a tongue-in-cheek spoof, but then you realize there's no real plot. It just sort of wanders through a depiction of the chaotic last broadcast of a radio show before the theatre it uses is torn down and replaced with a parking ramp. Nobody seems to be in charge, people in their own little worlds just do their little thing. A pregnant woman tries to coordinate things, but few pay her much attention. A representative from the corporate headquarters, "the Axeman," arrives to make sure the show is over, but actually does nothing. Oh yes, there's an angel that some people can sometimes see who wanders around, occasionally killing people.

As I said, the radio show in the movie only bears some resemblance to the real thing. Keillor does not do a comic monologue--my favorite part of the actual radio show. The actors do all their own singing--it's fair, but significantly below the actual level.

Altman fans will probably like this movie. Maybe Keillor fans will like this movie. But if you're neither of the above, you should probably give this one a miss.

Plat du jour

They really do love their dogs up there.

Add one to the Lay murder suspect list

There seems to be someone else who might benefit from Kenneth Lay's death, besides his heirs, high Bush administration officials, and Lay himself (assuming he faked it). Now it seems there is a question whether his co-defendant Jeff Skilling might get off because of it (as blogged by my friend, The Lazy Cartoonist). So add Skilling to the suspect list.

Weird websearch of the day

Someone in Venezuela found this blog looking for penis "mail subscriber".

Living with bears IV

Nevada: Bear's last meal: Fresh goat
Florida: 'Repeat offender' bear, cubs trapped in Apopka-area yard
Tennessee: Bear's fate sealed long before attack

I'm a googling mouse potato...

but not a himbo drama queen. The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary added 100 words to its listing this year. I have ringtones, but no spyware (I hope). Nor do I have avaian influenza, a gastric bypass, a soul patch or a unibrow. But I have, I'm afraid, supersized.

Farewell, Martina

Martina Navratilova, my favorite tennis player of all time, has played her last match at Wimbledon. Amid the the hubbub of the same-sex marriage decision Thursday, I missed this. This is ironic, of course--Navratilova is lesbian.

Actually, she played and lost two matches Thursday, her quarter-final one in women's doubles, and her third round match in mixed doubles. The mixed was her final one, unfortunately out on Court 2, not on Centre Court, where a player with her history at Wimbledon should have bowed out. Her partner, Mark Knowles, was understandably tired after his record-breaking men's doubles match. Navratilova will remain tied with Billie Jean King for having won the most Wimbledon championships, 20--another irony, as she helped, practically carried, King to her last title in the 1979 doubles.

Yeah, I said 1979. Navratilova will be 50 in October. She retired once before, but returned after three years. She picked up one more Wimbledon title in 2003, the mixed with Leander Paes, to tie King.

She has said she will retire this year. So, good luck, Martina. Thanks for all the great tennis, and thanks for giving us older folk a reason to smile. I hope you find something as rewarding as tennis has been to occupy your life.

A bouquet of boats

is what I later found out the New York Times called it, which is a pretty good name. But I had no idea it existed until I approached the Lincoln Center Plaza to go to a New York Philharmonic concert last evening (review coming). I saw this huge, colorful, thing a block away, and I didn't know what it was. As I got closer, I saw it was a bunch of boats, just hanging in the air. It looked like a monumental boat crash. I didn't have any time to investigate, but I did manage to snap a quick picture with my camera phone.

It turns out this is "Big Pleasure Point," a sculpture by California artist Nancy Rubins. I found somewhat better pictures on flickr. It's just been put up in the last few days.

I'm looking forward to my next trip to Lincoln Center, so I can really get a good look at this thing. From what I did see, it looks wonderful.

Sad websearch of the day

It's still early, but I think this will hold up as the saddest of the day: transgender mary carillo. Mary Carillo transgender????

What this comes from, I think, is some of the people (probably all men) who dislike her commentating style saying she used to be a man, or at least questioning her birth sex. She states her opinions strongly, she doesn't defer to the men she works with, she doesn't act girly in any way, her voice is a bit low-pitched, so these yahoos think she can't be a woman.

Well, she is. She's given birth (twice I think). She's not transgender, or transsexual. She's just a woman. End of story.

Are things getting a bit uncomfortable in the White House?

So now it's been found that Secret Service logs show that Jack Abramoff, who has pled guilty to influence-peddling charges, made six visits to the White House in 2001, not just the two previously known ones. One was to Dick Cheney's domestic policy aide--just six days before one of Abramoff's associates was appointed assistant secretary of labor. I wonder what they talked about.

Abramoff is cooperating with the prosecutors. One White House official has already been convicted. I doubt he'll be the last.

Plat du jour

.

Living with bears III

Florida: Bear Family Wanders In Driveway