May Round-Up - 2011

My last round-up was delayed because of a trip to New Orleans. And now this one is delayed because I am about to leave for another trip, this time to Palm Springs. I wonder what will delay the next one?

Movies Seen: Seven, with four in a theater. Of those four, I covered two for the SF Appeal: "Bridesmaids" and "Hangover 2." I saw "Another Earth" at the tail end of the Film Festival, and will probably have a review of that when it opens nationally. The fourth was Terence Malick's "Tree of Life." I saw it at a screening (the same day it played at Cannes, coincidentally) but left for New Orleans before I could review it. Not that I really think I could review it, as I'm still not entirely sure what I though of it. It certainly didn't capture me immediately like "The Thin Red Line" did when I saw it in a theater; I didn't leave looking forward to seeing it again. In some ways, it should have been shorter, (the Sean Penn scenes are the weakest in the movie), but in other ways, I could see an eight-hour version being even better. (And rumor has it, a longer version does exist, and may make it to DVD). Also: dinosaurs. There are dinosaurs in it. For real.

Books Read: Eight. Reading the terrific "The Wilder Life" by Wendy McClure, which is about her obsession with the "Little House" books, and her visits to the historical sites associated with the books, of course got me hankering to re-read the series again, which I indeed began to do, getting though "Little House In the Big Woods," "Little House On the Prairie," "On the Banks of Plum Creek," and "On the Shores of Silver Lake" by Laura Ingalls Wilder in a matter of weeks. (I'm up to "The Long Winter" now, in July...)

All that reading about prairie living compelled me to re-watch the PBS series "Frontier House," which in turn made me realize I had actually bought the companion book when the series was first on, but had never actually read it. So I read that too.

And in between I also got through volumes two and three of "The Walking Dead."

Fancy Dinners Out: One at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. And let me tell you, if you are ever in New Orleans, you have to do this. It's a very famous, old, and popular restaurant, that, unlike some other New Orleans mainstays, actually has fabulous food. Dinner there can be pricey, but the lunch is worth every cent, especially since you can get martinis for 25 of those cents. Yup, 25 cent martinis, of various flavors. I partook, oh yes. A melon martini, as well as a cosmopolitan, to go along with my trio of soups, and entree of cochon du lait with crawfish boudin and corn chow chow. Dessert was bread pudding souffle. I am currently drooling just thinking about it.

Live Shows Seen: One, the San Francisco Ballet's production of "The Little Mermaid." It was intense. They advertise it as not being for younger viewers, but that's not because of anything overtly adult about it. It's just a very intense and kind of depressing version of the fairy tale, and a very well done one at that. PBS will be airing a taped version of it sometime in the fall, I think as part of "Great Performances." Be sure to check it out when it does.

Shoes Bought: Two pair, both at DSW for super cheap. I could not possibly resist these bow-tied flats by Coach. Striped bows!! The other pair are the Meg flat by LifeStride, in navy blue. They were very comfy when I wore them in S.F., but gave me blisters in New Orleans. Synthetic material shoes and humidity just don't mix.