There's a significant similarily between Carbucks and Starbucks: Neither has a restroom. The only problem with this is that the police get suspicious if you do the Carbucks thing at night, in the bank parking lot.

I don't drink coffee, but lunch in the car is an artform, too. In the densely developed area where I work, it took years to scope out the places where there is just the right combination of seclusion, food availability, newspaper vending machines and SHADE. I have 4 such locations and they are a closely guarded secret.

Just an observation: I've never seen a Starbucks without a restroom.

I kind of like letting the barista making my over-priced highly caffeinated milkshake. That's a lot of equipment and supplies to have to cart around for a Carbucks. My trunk is full enough already.

Following up from yesterday, I posted a review of the Maynard Ferguson show on my blog. I had no idea MF was pushing 80. The guy can still hit the high notes. I also ranted about what gets passed off as "Smooth Jazz". When did Hall and Oates become jazz to radio programmers? They weren't jazz when I was listening to them.

Spanning boodles some more, my wife and I saw Pride and Prejudice this weekend and that set her off on a major Jane Austen jag. We have scoured three local rental stores for anything remotely JA. We have watched over ten hours of uptight women in too many clothes pine over emotionally unavailable twits. I was trying to convince her that The Warriors would be an excellent companion movie to Emma.

My carbucks caters to the handicapped, including those with rare genetic disorders.

At my Carbucks, there is either a small coffee can or an extra-large coffee cup behind one of those front seats, for those moments, when, you know, you gotta "head for the can." Though sometimes, it's a challenge to find a privacy "privy." One step from the Carbuck's coffeepot to the chamberpot, I say...

I see you're putting the "we create our own reality" concept into practice. This is good. (A result of time spent with the Dalai Lama, perhaps?)

I'd love to do the Carbucks thing, except I don't have a car. (Hang on -- is that really an obstacle?) I could always try Metrobucks, I suppose, but I'm not sure that would work -- one is definitely *not* in the driver's seat on the Metro; one relinquishes all control. (Plus they don't let you take coffee on there.) [Oops -- lapsing into Achenfan mode here. Must stop drinking so much coffee.]

SCC: substitute "make" for "making" in the first sentence.

If you thought that the largest size container that Carbucks offers is a "Venti," then think again. New, uber-sized coffee in the ThunderMug!" (TM--trademark for ThunderMug. All rights apply.)
***

Likewise, our ancestors had their euphemistic terms for the "necessaries" as they called them, such as the "outhouse," the "chamberpot," the "thunderpot" or less often as the "thundermug." It is rare not to find shards of chamberpots when we dig in a privy, because no Victorian bedroom would have been complete without the "necessaries" either tucked under the bed or beside it in the commode, (a commode was a low cabinet sometimes fitted with top with a hole in it). That our ancestors joked about such things as is evident from the old song:

I came home on Saturday night,
As drunk as I could be.
And there was a hat upon the rack,
Where my hat ought to be.
So I said to my wife, the curse of my life,
"Explain this thing to me,
Whose is that hat upon the rack,
Where my hat ought to be?"

"Oh, you're drunk you fool,
You silly old fool,
You're as drunk as a (slang deleted) can be,
That's not a hat upon the rack,
But a chamberpot you see."

http://www.bottlebooks.com/privyto.htm

"Face it, it has been years since anyone contacted you for the purpose of making your life better; everyone just wants something out of you."

This is SOOOOO true. And yet, we are still optimistic, we keep answering the phone, opening the email, looking in the mailbox--maybe today I'll hear from the Publisher's Clearinghouse or maybe the federal government realized I overpaid on my income tax last year--or the kid got a scholarship to Yale...

The truth is funny.

The best thing about Carbucks is that there's always so much stuff in there! A few books that were supposed to be returned to the library weeks ago; an old newspaper; Thursday's mail; various receipts; salt & pepper packets from McDonalds; flip flops...

By jove, yellojkt, I think you've got it!

"uptight women in too many clothes pining over emotionally unavailable twits."

Ha ha! What an astute Observation (and I'm *not* being sarcastic here) -- it would appear to describe a significant proportion of the world's angst. And not just in Jane Austen's day ("Sex and the City," anyone?) [Or perhaps that would be "too *few* clothes," although I'm sure just as much effort went into creating the look.]

Again, I say this in all seriousness, as a woman (though perhaps not a particularly sisterly one -- I await intense flaming of my jackass persona).

My collectible of choice these days is "eTopps", the internet version of Topps sports cards. One of the best known members on their message board is is a guy known as netjr. This guy runs a business in Modesto, CA known as "Coffee Element". That's right, it's a big boxy Honda that dispenses your favorite beverage in a parking lot in the Central Valley; it's located "Next to the Cigarette Store."

http://www.coffee-element.com/

yellojkt, did you like Pride & Prejudice? I've been on an Austen kick for about 18 months, bought 2 biographies, the letters, the memoir, and a couple of histories about the Regency. Oh, and a biography of Nelson. Persuasion has always been my all-time favorite novel. I just identify with intelligent, strong-minded and strong-willed young women who overcome obstacles to win happiness. Austen's writing isn't bad, either.

There is a wonderful scene in "Best in Show" where the two anal retentive yuppies are telling their dog's shrink about how they met. He was in Starbuck's. She was in Starbuck's. Their eyes met and it was love at first sight. Of course they were in two different Starbuck's across the street from one another.
I quit drinking coffee when I gave up cigarettes 33 years ago. I had a 2 pack a day Marlboro habit and even the smell of a cup of coffee gave me a craving.

Doh!
"get to [sic] squirmy and jumpy"

And I wasn't too quick to spot it. Sorry.

In my cube at work I have a library copy of "Innocents-Abroad", due April 13, 1992. I already paid for it as "lost", many years ago, but I ran into it just after that, while I was moving. I paid something under $10 in fines, which isn't anything close to what it would cost the DC Library to buy a new copy of "Innocents-Abroad"; I have to assume they never did.

I never actually finished the book, because it annoyed me that I would never be able to figure out what was being satirized. Were these places ever as described, or exactly the opposite, or what? What are they like now? How many of the sites even existed, ever, at all?

I'd still like to return it - suggestions for the most clever way to do so? My original plan was to turn it in exactly 10 years late, but I am, uh, overdue on that date too.

I just hope no one tries start up a Carbucks inside a megabookstore...although, it might be a sight to behold.

k'guy, I just love the way you slipped in "their dog's shrink" as though it's the most normal thing in the world for a dog to have a shrink.

[My apologies to any 'boodlers whose dogs have shrinks. And to the dogs themselves, of course.]

No one reads Jane Austen for plots. It's all about the style and the characters. If you like Jane Austen but want something other than boymeetsgirlboyloosesgirlboygetsgirl, try the Aubrey-Maturin novels of Patrick O'Brian. He was a great Austen fan. These are the books that "Master and Commander" was taken from, and the books (there are 20 novels) are miles better than the flick.

k-guy, it's a law of nature that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. Even if the movie is good.

...and yet everyone derides movie novelizations!! Can we get some consistency, people?

I ordered "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" on Half.com once; instead of the graphic novel, I received the paperback version of the novelization of the movie! Shrinkwrapped.

kurosawaguy, you are so right about that scene. It is one of my favorites of all time. I especially love the line of Parker Posey's character which follows. It is something to the effect of "at the time, I was a vanilla soy chai latte girl..."

Another good line (all of which were improv!) was the yuppies rif on catalogs: "I grew up around catalogs. It was great to grow up in a house of catalogs."

achenfan,
Thanks for the compliment. That basic plot is also the setup for most romantic comedy movies. The test for plausibility is if a three sentence conversation would cut an hour out of the movie.

slyness,
I love Pride and Prejudice mostly because of the sly wit which was rather daring for the era. I actually like Thomas Hardy better because he wrote much later and could be a good deal smuttier.

Unfortunately Austen is responsible for an entire industry of genre books that use her plots and milieu but lack her humor or charm.

mizerock, did you send it back?

mizerock, be glad you didn't get the Cliffs notes of the Readers Digest condensed version of the novelization of the movie version of the book.

(I couldn't even fit graphic novel in there--is that really a literary form? My daughter is trying to convince me: "it's not a comic book, Mom!")

k-guy: I second that O'Brian recommendation. I thought those books would be like the Hornblower series, but they are much more modern in their sensibility and much more complex in their characterization. And they made me laugh, and gave me lots of great phrases: "I wish you joy of it," is one of my faves.

Joel,
I am sooo disappointed.
You spelled Zeppelin wrong!

My world is crashing down...

Brief comment about mizerock's earlier posting on Jim Dale's "Coffee Element" in Modesto, Calif. (Thanks for the link, BTW.)

It's located on Modesto's biggest street and north-south artery, McHenry Avenue., the same main drag made famous by George Lucas' movie "American Graffiti" ... speaking of uses for the American automobile.

At Carbuck's though, when you spill hot coffee on yourself, you can't blame it on McDonald's--you have only yourself to sue.

Re: comic books/graphic novels.

Michelangelo created the form. The Sistine Chapel could be considered one fo the first "comics" or so I've read somewhere.

So it's a literary form (as much as any pulp novel was/is) and an art form as well.

Here's a snide comment:

Venn diagram, "Led Zeppelin fans" and "people who can spell Led Zeppelin"

what's the overlap?

Doh! I missed that one. (One of the downsides of being a geek is that I miss the rock-related typos.)

[I know -- that's a pathetic excuse; there are other "zeppelin"s besides the Led variety. I should have stayed out of the 'boodle today, as Observer intended.]

There should be no overlap

Reader - That's too true about our eternal optimism in answering the phone and checking the mail. As my wife says after looking in the mail, "I wish somebody would send me a check."

On the other hand, I'm one of the last people in the world to get a cell phone. For years, friends would tell me how wonderful their phones were. It was so handy. You carried it with you. You were so connected. Blah, blah, blah. Then it would ring and they'd scream, "Dammit, who is that calling me now!?"

Saw "11:14" on DVD last weekend, but also saw "Bride and Prejudice" on DVD--on a whim. Saw Austen's storyline there and some of the exact same lines, but it was awful, awful, awful. Ebert and Roeper gave it two thumbs up--what *were* they thinking?

Have seen Olivier's version, but still think the five-hour miniseries with Firth is the best---if you want the best cinematic portrayal of the book.

Can't argue one wit with slyness, though:
"k-guy, it's a law of nature that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. Even if the movie is good."

What with DVDs, are drive-in movies a relic of the past? Nani mentioned one in her award-winning haiku yesterday, and I sometimes see rusting hulks of them in my drive-abouts. Anyone know of a thriving drive-in movie operation/franchise?

One exception to the "Book is Always Better Than the Movie" rule: John Grisham novels. His endings are clumsy and are have been improved by the directors who have adopted them.

Now that I'm a self-appointed expert on these, the Colin Firth miniseries is the best P&P out there. Worth the time. The one advantage of the current theatrical release is that the production values better represent the economic condition of the Bennetts. There were at least one full rung below the Bingleys, which is never apparent in the TV versions.

And the supporting cast below the leads is better. Donald Southerland and Dame Judi Dench are fantastic.

I agree with CowTown. I stopped reading Grisham after too many of his books with the SAME ending: the characters sail off into the sunset, fly off into the sunset, etc. I loved the books until the end, and then I was disappointed.

My heart goes pitter-patter for P&P: the PBS version. It's something about the banter between Lizzie and Darcy that keeps me watching. But don't forget Darcy's smoldering looks... He smolders a lot. Unfortunately, I have the series on VHS but no longer have a VCR. I guess I'll have to ask for the DVD for Christmas!

Is that Donald Sutherland from M*A*S*H, or a different actor?

Hold the phone. Carbucks? Is there really a place called Carbucks? Or is that just a generic term for drive-through coffee houses? Or, here's another possibility, am I just completely out of the loop because I live in small town Minnesota?

I misinterpreted the snide comment.
What I should have said was that there should be total overlap.
Aerosmith I may be able to excuse. And certainly, by the rules of SCC, I would not have corrected another blogger. This was THE Achenbach we are talking about.

Also, as Tom fan pointed out "there are other "zeppelin"s besides the Led variety."

"k-guy, it's a law of nature that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. Even if the movie is good." Au contraire!
"The Tin Drum" 1979 directed by Volker Schlondorff, although it does not contain all of the novel by Gunter Grass (it stops at the graveside of Oskar's father) is as good as the book. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is pretty darn close to being as good as the book. "High and Low" by (natch) Akira Kurosawa and adapted from the novel "King's Ransom" by Ed McBain, is better than the book. Gillian Armstrong's "My Brilliant Career" with Judy Davis is as good as the book. And finally, "Gone With the Wind" is better than the book because it's over quicker!

Sara:
Hint: This is another one of those "Pack of Lies" Kits. (He's talking about hanging out and drinking coffee in his own car.)

[Or maybe the joke is on me, and you already knew that.]

Sara - Read the second paragraph of the Kit again!

Same Donald. He spends the whole movie looking like him and Keifer just rolled in from a night on the town.

are we still rolling [,] Jimmy?

Glad to see I'm not the only Carbucks fan. There is never a line for the restroom at Carbucks - just find the nearest tree. Perfect for lunchtime - kick off the shoes and put on the radio station of your choice.
The ultimate in privacy, yet the feeling of being outdoors.

Yello:
You decided to try on the full jacket?

Bayou Self writes, "As my wife says after looking in the mail, 'I wish somebody would send me a check.'"

True story:

Our "opt-out" from the direct mailing list expired this year (it lasts just five years). As a result, we were receiving an average of 4 or 5 catalogs a day for things we don't want (it's not-so-great to be around this many catalogs). Because of this deluge, we've been sadly forced to dispose of a lot of mail (can't recycle catalogs in my area). But the real tragedy is that we've also accidently thrown out a lot of mail we maybe should not have done.

So, I check the mail last month and I see that there is a "notice" from the bank that holds our mortgage. OH MY GOD, I thought. Fear, dread, "did I forget to pay last month?" I worried. I open the letter and scan through to the following bolded words, "I records indicate that you have not deposited your escrow refund check. The original check (#xxx) has expired and attached is your second and last escrow refund check."

Befuddled, I unfold the enclosure and find a check for literally thousands of dollars. Putting it all together, I realize that the original refund had been thrown away with our deluge of mail.

I then read through the cover letter and learn that an error in our refinancing calculations caused the bank to withold way more per month than necessary for escrow, which I argued in vain with a snotty employee ages ago. I resisted the urge to call up and chew her out (as I saved her name with some notes from the conversation). I'm still debating what to do with this info, but am leaning towards doing nothing in the interest of karmic point stocking. After all, I did get a huge check for my suffering (I know, it was my money anyway).

Just a little story about how it can be worth it to go to the mail box with a little optimism, as you might really get a check (or accidently throw one away)!

SCC: third paragraph. should have been "Our records..."

Actually, there's nothing wrong with throwing away catalogs, as long as they get buried, not burnt. It's a good way to remove carbon dioxide from the air. Eventually they'll decompose, but until then it helps slow down the global warming.

i got a check yesterday from my company - i was confused cuz i have direct deposit - so i'm thinking "did i get a bonus or something?" only to open it up and see that it was for $10.88 - oh yeah! the expense check for me driving to a user's house 3 months ago... *sigh*

lindaloo asks a good question - are there any drive-ins around here? i've never been to one - they were closed by the time i came into being... i'd love to go to one!

also lindaloo - i saw 11:14 as well - i thought it was really good! i love the way it turns in on itself... also broke down and saw "charlie and the chocolate factory" - i refused to see it in the cinema b/c i love the old willy wonka - but i actually kinda liked the new one - it was different... tho' i didn't think it was really a kid's movie - it seemed a little too cerebral for a child...

Oh, well, I feel dumb. "Any place can be a Carbucks." Ignore me. I am scum.

Bayou Self: I don't have a cell phone either. I've seen several commentaries that say inaccessibility is the new status indicator, and I'm clinging to that. I don't have an answering machine, either. The day is coming when the only way to get a message to me is to post it on Achenblog. Ha.

yellojkt: There's an e-mail making the rounds of trumpet players. It reminds us that we are to use very little backpressure for the perfect technique, and includes a picture of Maynard red as a beet, face all squoze up, looking like if he slips his mouthpiece off his teeth it'll end up out the back of his throat.

Y'all who are reading the O'Brien books (e.g. "Jane Austen on the Quarterdeck"), when you finish them and the Hornblowers, find a copy of Dewey Lambin's Alan Lewrie series, starting with "The King's Coat". Lewrie is sort of an anti-Hornblower, forced into being a midshipman. Lewrie is lazy, profane, shiftless, full of raging hormones, in a situation he didn't ask for, and eventually he turns into quite the officer. And the books include some of the most colorful profanity I've seen in print.

There's a drive-in in Bal'mer. The name escapes me at the moment. Barney's or Charlie's or something like that. Google it up and go. They charge extra if you bring your own food.

There's a drive-in in Bal'mer. The name escapes me at the moment. Barney's or Charlie's or something like that. Google it up and go. They charge extra if you bring your own food.

Dorothy Parker frequently said "What fresh hell is this?" on her way to answer her phone.

Dorothy Parker was my kind of woman then.

There's a drive-in in Bal'mer. The name escapes me at the moment. Barney's or Charlie's or something like that. Google it up and go. They charge extra if you bring your own food. Benjie's!

irregardless -- So it would seem you're picking up the next Carbucks tab?

Sara:
Don't feel bad. You've had your mind on other things lately. Ya know, when Joel first mentioned he was planning to Kit on Carbucks, I figured he was talking about further adventures in auto repair. You take you car into this car-shop franchise, and they take your bucks.

[By the way, I hope you saw the explanations about Nani's prize in the previous 'boodle. That one was actually for real. I think.]

Reader:
I don't have a cell phone either. (Further evidence that we are one?)

LL -- There's a thriving drive-in theater in Warren, Ohio. I have no idea why, except that there really isn't all that much to do in Warren, Ohio except marvel at all the General Motors cars everywhere.

irregardless -- Of course something turns up in the mail from time to time, like your escrow check. That's how they hook you. It's like a bad round of golf where you do manage to hit a few good shots and are thus suckered into playing again the next week. It's like the lottery, where the jackpot winner is in the news and people play, even though the odds of winning are less than getting hit by lightning. It's like the rather plain guy hitting on the babe in the bar or the sports fan in Chicago cheering for the Cubs. Hope springs eternal, even when the odds suggest otherwise.

A general note: Please lock your doors while at Carbucks and retain some sense of your whereabouts and what is going on outside Carbucks. This will help you avoid the Carjack. You're welcome.

yellowjkt,
Good catch. I don't think the class differences in the PBS P&P between the Bennetts and the Bingleys are well-drawn. If the new P&P with Knightley and Sutherland are better in that respect, then I'll have to go see it. Hubby will have no desire to go, having been dragged to or through the previous three iterations that I mentioned.

However, seeing Sutherland as Mr. Bennett will be tough considering I've seen him too oft lately as Nathan Templeton on CiC. Prez Geena actually cracked a joke last night about shipping her daughter's loud-mouth-about-a-nonexistent-"conquest" beau to Syria.

Jennifer Ehle was quite good in the PBS P&P, and was also good in "Sonnenschein." The only problem with "Sonnenschein" was watching Ralph Fiennes play three generations of the same family--unconvincing--talk about a low-budget production. But Ehle's real-life mom is in "Sonnenschein" playing the woman's aged character.

yellojkt: Funny you shopuld mention "The Warriors." It was on this past weekend (Saturday night, I think), and I thought, hmmm, maybe I'll just watch a few minutes to see if it was like I remembered. Well, it WAS like I remembered--pretty awful, maybe even worse than before. Michael Beck has the acting range of, oh, maybe Chuck Norris on a bad day. And oh it is so mannered. Couldn't even do the 20 minutes.

K-guy, would you agree that the Godfather trilogy was one (three) of few movies that were actually better than the book? I also think perhaps Bladerunner was better than its book, too.

I'm a fan of the Aubrey-Matrurin novels, too, even more so in the Recorded Books/Borders audio books versions read by Patrick Tull--been through the entire sequence three times. The audio version IMHO are superior to the books in at least one way--O'Brian's humor comes through much more readily in the audio. I don't always catch the sarcasm in the print version. And Killick's grumbling, mumbling and general insubordination are hilarious in the Tull versions.

Overall I liked "Master and Commander" as a movie, though immediately agreeing it wasn't as good in most ways as the books, but I think that isn't quite the point. I liked Crowe as Jack Aubrey, but had some trouble at first with Paul Bettany as Maturin. As an actor, he did an OK job, but I wanted someone shorter, darker, more bland-looking, and of course I wanted the Diana Villers relationship, without which Maturin is nothing, as well as the British intelligence agent aspect, crucial to his character. We got the doctor and the naturalist, but nothing more. And of course at first I objected to Weir stitching together two movels to get one plot line, but eventually got over it.

What I really liked--and what I think finally made the movie successful--was its overall characterization of the ship itself--how crowded it was, what daily life was like, what combat was like. Sure, I wanted Diana Villers, and Sophie, and the drawing room stuff, and the spy plots, and the foreign locations (the sea itself isn't much of a "location," in my view)--but that would have been a 40-hour movie. Hell, the Maturin-Villers relationship alone is a 10- or 20-hour soap opera, and I'm hard-pressed to think who they could even cast for Diana.

My conclusion is that the Aubrey-Maturin series is not ultimately filmable, under any circumstances, and so what we got was an acceptable alternative.

BTW, I have breakfast every morning at Carbucks, in the commuter parking lot waiting for the bus. The food isn't very good (McD's, though their coffee is swill; I substitute WaWa's on the weekends) and the view is depressing, but as long as there's NPR, and 94.7, and 97.1, Patrick Tull reading O'Brian, and my third or fourth CD of "Bat Out of Hell," it'll make do.

Is Nani's prize a one year free membership to her local Carbucks?

Speaking of the Carjack, a handful of months ago, I received a cool (very coincidentally timed) e-mail from a friend just after I had taken my car in for servicing at the Honda dealership--and inquired about the cost of fixing ($188.00)that broken passenger-side mirror wrecked by a neighborhood vandal.

His video e-mail to me was about was about the latest car accessory: a trunk monkey. It showed various video clips demonstrating an actual trunk monkey and how the monkey can assist you in various road situations, for example, being ticketed by a cop. If you can find the trunk monkey clips on the Internet, the laughs are worth the price of the search.

In jest, I e-mailed my friend, asking about the refund policy for trunk monkeys, in case I was unhappy with the product. And of course, the cost for add-ons--the cost of diapers for the trunk monkey, not to mention a year's supply of bananas. Maybe the trunk monkey could be trained to be the backseat Carbuck's "barista?"

Slyness, I highly recommend the Austen biography by Carol Shields.

Actually Jane Austen did not start the girl meets boy genre, and to label her novels as just that is offensive to me. I might be classed as a rabid fan.

I have calmed down now. You can say that only if you say that all male writing is boy meets obstacle, boy fights obstacle, boy survives to fight again another day.

If you look at all really good literature, the things that have been read for hundreds of years, it all can be broken down into genres. You can do it with Shakespeare, you can do it with Chaucer. The important thing about really good literature is that it illuminates something about the human spirit, something deep below the words, something that strikes a chord in all of us. Austen's novels are at their most basic, not about girl meets boy, but about the struggle of the disenfranchised to make their own choices and to make their lives matter. The really sad thing about most classic literature is that not enough people read it outside the classroom.

k-guy, for my money To Kill a Mockingbird is the best novel ever written about the South. The movie is wonderful, but I think the book is a masterpiece that will survive as Austen's novels have.

Another true story: My first copy of TKAM was a cheap paperback, so I jumped at the hardback in good condition at the used bookstore. I'd had it several years before I noticed that it has an autograph - Harper Lee - on the first page inside. I've always wondered if it's authenic, given her penchant for privacy.

Curmudgeon, I have to strenuously disagree with you on the comparison between Blade Runner and "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" The novel is way better than the absolutely silly movie, in which all kinds of stuff happens and gets posed as it does simply so that it can be shot to look noir.

I've been racking my brains (or is it wracking? Can't recall.) to remember a case in which the movie unquestionably exceeded the novel. I recall that I attended such a movei, but I can't remember what it was. Darn, darn, darn.

mo,
you talk about about Willy Wonka being too cerebral for a kid...

This is off-topic, but I love a three-page passage in Joel's book--it's a compare/contrast device about Washington/Jefferson. Washington the guy with feet on the ground, had to get on the horse's back, rubbing the earth; Jefferson, the cerebral traveler who loved maps and western lore and adventurers' accounts, but who never went further west than the Shenandoah Valley, holed up in his office, most of the time was he.

I did see the explanation, thanks. I was kind of confused, but I figured Nani was a good candidate for any boodle prize that could be given so I just went with it.

dr, got the Shields bio, also have the Claire Tomalin, which I like quite a bit. Have you read the letters? I also like the Austen-Leigh Memoir, which is the basis for all the biographies since.

One of the fun things about literature is comparing how different authors have used the same stories. Shakespeare recycled good stories wherever he found them, with fabulous results.

You are so right that Austen's novels are about the disenfranchised claiming their lives. She knew about being marginalized! I always have identified with Anne Elliott, having been in a similar situation in my wallflower youth.

Joining a little late, so you may be off the "Best in Show" topic, but I loved that part of the scene with the dog therapist where Parker Posey describes how they can't have sex anymore because it upsets the dog.

AJ,
I stopped reading John Grisham at The Rainmaker, I think. Every one of his books is the same. And all the women are described as having nice legs.

I liked it when they lost the dog's "Busy Bee" and she freaked out because they couldn't find a suitable replacement.

k-guy,
I strongly disagree with your assertion that the movie "Gone with the Wind" is better than the book. One of my all-time favorite books! And so many details left out of the movie, like the fact that Scarlett had a child each by Charles Hamilton and Frank Kennedy before Bonnie with Rhett Butler.
And her relationship with Melanie is completely glossed over in the movie, which is arguably more important than her relationship with Rhett or Ashley.

I have corrected the Zeppelin error, which was, as you surely surmised, a mistake by my dictationist.

What about "to [sic] squirmy and jumpy"?

[i.e., What am I? chopped liver? Hmmph. Umbrage.]

[Kidding.]

SCC entry:

"Chopped," not "chopped."

And fixed the "to jumpy."
Can't fix fundamental vapidity of the whole thing.

We 'boodlers LIVE for fundamental vapidity.

SCC: "yellojkt" not "jacket". Good catch Tom Fan. I now have to proofread my signatures as well as my posts. Not that I'm doing that good a job of either.

"yellojkt" is a fogey way of showing my street cred from the days of 8.3 filenames imposing lengths on usernames at bulletin board systems. I bought myself yellojkt.com as an impulse purchase a few weeks ago. I have yet to do anything with it except as a redirect to my blog.

There are only so many story ideas and plots out there. The difference between literature and crap is whether or not the author illuminates the human condition. Jane Austen: Literary Genius.
Barbara Cartland: Hack.

Thanks for clarifying, yellojkt. Didn't mean to castigate you (that was very un-SCC of me). Just thought you'd decided to expand, or something.

By the way, I did notice that you posted a comment on jw's blog some time ago, along with a picture in which you were indeed wearing a yellow jacket. (Or maybe it was just a T-shirt. But it's a much better story if it was a jacket. Or a jkt.)

Loomis, there's a drive-in in the parking lot of the Pontiac Silverdome (former home of the Detroit Lions). I have planned to go a couple of times but haven't made it yet. I've heard good things about it.

It's nice that something's being done with that otherwise wasted space. And I'm sure the parking lot is happy to have cars in it once again.

irregardless,
It's very lucky when an institution that wrongly has your money actually refunds it. I gave a cheer when my insurance company did it a few months ago, but had a bad experience with Sprint about a year ago. I had taken a home equity loan to pay off of many of my home remodeling debts, which I normally pay using my banks online billpay option. Well, I accidentally paid $5,000 to Sprint instead of my credit card and Sprint didn't want to refund the money! They were going to keep that $5,000 and debit my meager $40 a month payments against it, which would have taken about 10 years to spend! I had to fight them for my money, had to go to several people in the corporate office because the customer sales reps were "just following company policy", wouldn't refund the money, and wouldn't give out phone numbers for their superiors. So I had to leave a message for someone in the corporate office to call me back about it because I wasn't allowed to have anyone's phone number. Needless to say, I did a lot of yelling. It was a nightmare.

Stephens City, VA has a drive in, and is a hop, skip, and jump from the Triangle Diner (in Winchester, home of Patsy Cline).

Lexington, VA is the home of the fabulous Hull's Drive in - well worth the trip.

There is one in Bel Air, MD, too.

Also worth the (much longer) trip, there's a nice drive in in Mt Airy, NC, the town that played Mayberry.

Google can tell you about many others.

Tim: I may be cheating a bit, but "In the Heat of the Night" was waaaay better as a movie (very few have probably even read the book, by John Ball, which was an OK murder mystery, but nothing out of the ordinary).

I'm a big fan of Dashiell Hammett, but I'm inclined to think "Maltese Falcon" was even better as a movie. "Dr. Zhivago" was a better movie, only because, try as I might, I just couldn't get through the book. I know it is PC to admire Pasternak, but I just couldn't hack it. "Advise and Consent" was excellent in both versions--I'd rate that one a toss-up. Both "Klute" and "Eddie and the Cruisers" were better movies. "To Have and Have Not" was a better movie, in part because the novel is borderline incoherent (and I'm otherwise a Hemingway fan)(and also one Nobel Prize winner, Faulkner, worked on the screenplay of the novel written by another Nobel Prize winner, Big Ernie)(and also because two Nobel Prize winners between them still couldn't come up with a 19-year-old Lauren Bacall).

Tim,

I think Hitchcock's films of "Rebecca" and "The Birds" are generally considered better than the du Maurier originals. I've seen both excellent movies but haven't read the original novel or short story, so I can't give a more informed opinion.

Dr Zhivago is much better in the book than the movie. It is a good movie, however.

Heard it on the grapevine:

Aging actor and Academy Award winning director Robert Redford has just inked a contract to play aging veteran reporter and Washington Post assistant managing director Robert Woodward in the sequel, "All the President's Men (and Woman) II."

I might add, that was several times I had to leave messages for the corporate people at Sprint because I didn't receive my check for about two months, and had to go through the dumb sales people each time I called to inquire about it. I had a good impression of Sprint prior to that.

I heart Bob Woodward. (Don't know him any better than I know the Achenbro, or that other Achenbro, or THE Tom, or any of the other Toms I claim to heart. But I heart him nevertheless.)

My mom hearts Robert Redford. Since the beginning of time, I think.

Whoa, Jane fans. I like Jane Austen too. All I said was that no one reads her for the plots, and I think that's true. I also think that she's a mature taste, generally wasted on the young. It's not the destination, it's the journey. Hopefully I have clarified myself enough to recommend Wilkie Collins, a first rate writer and a fervent advocate of women's rights. Although best known for The Moonstone, he wrote many other good books. I especially like The Woman in White and No Name. TWIW deals with the status of women, has a female lead character, Marion, who is frankly described as unattractive and poor, but who is full of courage and smarts. NN is daring in its own way, as it deals with illegitimacy. Here the heroine makes a cold blooded decision to marry a man she despises to regain a fortune denied her because of her birth. Oh, and I stand by my opinion of GWTW- "frankly my dear I don't give a damn" for either book or film.

I wonder if Mr. Run Amok and Miss Run Amok are genetically related?

Just as long as the parallels don't go so far as to include a stint in the local slammer for our Bob.

Of course, there are always the movies/TV series made into books, of which the ST/SW franchises come to mind. How does the assembled Boodledom stand on this subject, one wonders...

I tend to think the mental tapestry woven via paper is the more pleasing -- see "Spock's World."

Well, do they have Dustin Hoffman on board for the sequel?

You get 95 comments for writing about drinking coffee in your car? Fascinating.

Balance is restored to my world.
Thanks, JA.

Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way.
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay.

I wonder if Mr. Run Amok and Miss Run Amok are genetically related?

Posted by: Loomis | Nov 16, 2005 1:48:13 PM

Just as long as the parallels don't go so far as to include a stint in the local slammer for our Bob.

Posted by: Tom fan | Nov 16, 2005 1:52:31 PM

Film better than book: Somerset Maugham's play/short story, The Letter directed by William Wyler. In the opening scene, Bette Davis, wife of a Malaysian rubber plantation owner kills a gentleman friend of she and her husband, claiming it was self-defense against his unwanted sexual advances. The famiily attorney assures her and her adoring husband that although she must be arrested for the "murder", she will undoubtedly be acquitted. Then an incriminating letter is discovered............. (The photography is splendid, atmospheric, setting the mood of the hot, humid nights on a rubber plantation and the ever present full moon, appearing and disappearing behind clouds. ANd of course those "Bette Davis Eyes"!)

Sara, this is one of the movies I wanted to recommend .

Carbucks is not for me.

I spend a lot of time in my car, and having it smell like stale coffee and fossilizing fast food under the seats would make me crazy.

I totally understand a guy wantin' to get out of an estrogen-based household and into his Steel Chariot for a little while to enjoy some peace and quiet, though.

When it's time to read something and drink some coffee, my Fortress of Solitude is my office over the garage. A view of the foothills of the Blue Ridge, and a door that locks from the inside.

I'm tempted to put a fireman's pole (or a Batpole!) down to the garage, but I'm not sure that I want to give up the floor space.

bc

testing where is everyone?

I am glad we are happy today.

Re Woodward, the Repubs are already frantically searching for a way to blowback Scooter's problems on him and the WaPo.

Look for this to be a chapter in Ms. Run Amok's book. I hope another reason arises to imprison her for helping the White House to foist the War on us.

I haven't been able to get this page loaded completely for almost an hour. Typepad must be in McLean. Our power keeps going out. (It's very frustrating when you're on deadline and articles are still being written.)

I think that the government needs to step in and stop this in its tire tracks.

Everyone knows if you mix espresso, music like, say, "Radar Love" and an automobile, you'll soon have vehicles driving 90 MPH down sidewalks.

Bad combo. Somebody call the National Transportation Safety Board. This could get NASCAR ugly.

New on EWM: "Pentagon Caught Torturing Prisoners with Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Applications...practice called 'barbaric'"

http://www.eyewitnessmuse.com/musings.php?p=185

Someone killed the boodle. Everyone left to read Jane Austen while sitting in their car drinking coffee.

Since I can't kill it any further I will rant curiously. The whole Plame affair is the fault of the Post because they said, and I paraphrase, two government officials talked to at least six journalists spreading the inexplicable Joe Wilson wife allegation. On This Week that same week, George Will emphasized the level of detail of the reporting. We know who the two officials were and it was obvious to tea leaf readers all along that it was Rove and Libby.

The journalists include Cooper, Miller, Novak and now Woodward. Obviously someone else at the Post is number 5. I forget who broke the story originally and not sure if he/she was just reporting the incident or a party to it. Who are the yet to be named journalists?

The fresh twist is that Woodward's name has never come up before and now he tags yet a third gummint official. I don't mean to be all tin foil hat reading Catcher in the Rye, but we still have digging to go on this and Woodward knows way more than he's telling. Any theories?

No one should have posted here. I, myself, remember eating lunch in my little Mazda 626 in the Walter Reed AMC parking lot while listening to Derrick McGinty. Then I worked in Bethesda and found a little park for lunch off the Jones Falls Pky. Ahh, those were the days....

Eyewitness,

Is drinking coffee while listening to Sammy Hager a valid defense in traffic court? What if you're too jittery from caffeine to "pass" a field sobriety test and get charged with DUI?

The Woman in White is a great novel. I especially like in the jacket description how they describe Marion as a "new woman" because she stands up for herself and her sister. Really makes you think what it must have been like to be a woman back then.

Is The Women In White the basis for the new Andrew Loyd Weber musical? Because I have tickets to it for next week.

Speaking of text-to-silver-screen, wither the Achenscreenplay?

Scottynuke

I choose Harrison Ford to play me. Dibs.

The Bowie BaySox have drive-in movies in their parking lot, on a portable, blow-up screen. It's actually gigantic, all-digital, and spectacular. Look for it again in the late Spring.

http://www.baysox.com/events/movies/

Yes, TA, there's a lot going on in TWIW. Collins splits the female role into two characters, the rich pretty blonde who can't stand up for herself, and the poor plain brunette with all the brains and moxie. Then there's Count Fosco, the archvillain, fat oily and clever, who seems to be the only one who values Marion at her true worth.

The WaPo server threw out an earlier post of mine that I composed, so won't reinvent that wheel...

In response to yellowjkt:
The old Watergate questions still apply:
What *exactly* did Bob know and when did he know it? Why was he so terrified of being subpoenaed? Was it really a casual, "off-the-record" comment that he heard? In the context of what type of conversation and with whom? How did the subject of Valerie come up?

How important was the source Woodward felt obligated to protect? What did he fear--jail time? Would Woodward, like Miller, have gone to jail to protect his source--if Fitzgerald had served Woodward with a subpoena? Why does Pincus not remember Woodward mentioning the Plame information to him?

Far more importantly, how widely known was the Plame information known within the administration? How did Woodward's source come by the Plame information? Was it insider gossip or a concerted attempt to discredit Wilson? How important is the profit motive to Woodward? (Perhaps Cowtown is right, perhaps I should be careful, before I am escorted past the velvet ropes of the Achenblog.)

Jokingly, it gives a whole new meaning to the word "embedded."

(Don't think that there aren't historical Loomis connections to Amherst.)

Cowtown,
I sincerely believe that Charlize Theron most resembles me--when I was young. Does that count?

Dibs on Theron.

As blasphemous as this sounds, I think that BWoodie is working himself pretty close to the edge of that fine line we've known as obstruction of justice. I only play a lawyer at the occasional dinner murder mystery, but you gotta admit that his actions have not "aided" justice exactly now have they?

"Dibs on Theron," writes Loomis.

I watched Monster for the first time a few nights ago, and all I can think of is this:

Please don't kill me.

I haven't read The Woman In White, but I adore Gaudy Night, Dorothy Sayers' masterpiece. She refers to Wilkie and Sheridan La Fanu as two wonderful mystery writers...

isn't the correct term "carista?"

I can't CarBuck because my neither of my cars HAS cup holders. The good news is they also don't have coffee stains.

On the other hand, I do have my own drive-in. Just shoot a projector on a drop-cloth tacked to the back wall of the house. Total cost: about $850, including popcorn. Screen-size: 9' x 12'

Highly recommended for the summer.

Dibs on Walter Matthau.

dibs on me.

omnigoof, you kill me.

In high school, I worked at a donut shop called, not kidding, Yum Yum Donuts. They had a drive thru window so I guess all of our regulars (and it was a broad +smirk+ demographic) experienced the joy of Carbucks and Dunkin'Don-autos.

So, Cowtown, how can you have dibs on both Harrison Ford and Walter Matthau? Hmmm...

Just think, omnigood/goof/gasm gets to play himself in three roles, much like Ralph Fiennes' three-generation feat in "Sonnenschein."

Loomis:
CowTown ain't Curmudgeon, and omnigoof/good ain't omnigasm.

Dibs on Sean Connery

Throw in Omnibad and you still have a three-fer

Thanks for the clarification, Tom Fan. For Linda, et al, I only use the handle CowTown, or derivations of "cow" in my amateurish attempts to be clever.

You're welcome, MadCow.

[My personal favorites so far are AMerryCowUnited and OutstandingInTheField.]

Just think, omnigood/goof/gasm gets to play himself in three roles, much like Ralph Fiennes' three-generation feat in "Sonnenschein."

Posted by: Loomis | Nov 16, 2005 5:13:55 PM

Or Peter Sellars in "Dr. Strangelove?"

Also, I'm pretty sure onigood/omnigoof has abandoned the omnibad handle. (Turns out he just wasn't bad enough.)

SCC entry:
omnigood, not onigood.

(Sorry omnidude.)

From the student section of The CowTown School of Creative Writing ...

The Washington Post columnist pulled into the dimly lit parking garage, found the spot he was looking for, pulled his six-cylinder Honda Accord into the space and shut off the engine.

"Ah," he said, feaching into the console for a cup of coffee he brewed at home, followed by "achoo!" and a sneeze that sent a goodly portion of the coffee onto his lap. This was followed by much colorful language.

"Shush," said the man who had just appeared at the driver's side window, a man whose face could barely be descerned in the darkness. He held a lit cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. "We're trying to be hush-hush about this," he said, sounding a great deal like Hal Holbrooke.

"Sorry," said the columnist. "Listen, not to be pushy or anything, but I know better spots to park with your coffee -- places where you can turn off your phone and Blackberry and turn up the radio. It really beats a damned parking deck." The whole time, the columnist was dabbing coffee off of his pants.

"Well, tell me what you've got," said the man who sounded like Hal Holbrooke.

"You're the source. Shouldn't you tell me?" the columnist asked.

"We'll do it my way," said the source. "You tell me what you've found and I'll help keep you on track. That's how I do it. You tell me what you've got and I'll tell you where you might look next."

"Okay, I know that Woodward and the rest have been doing a lot of their work by phone ..."

"No face-to-face meet?"

"No," the columnist said.

"No parking garage?"

"No."

"No fancy signals? No flags in flowers pots?"

"I don't think so."

"No ... coffee?"

"No, no coffee."

The source had a sour look on his face.

"You mad?" asked the columnist.

"Yeah," said the source. "And this coffee I picked up at the Quick-E-Mart really sucks. Gawd, it's awful. I should have picked up something from Starbucks."

A tire squealed off in the distance, perhaps on another level of the deck. Source and columnist froze, saying nothing, listening for more. There was silence.

"Awright, get out your notebook." the source said.

The columnist pulled out his notebook, flipping open to a space several pages inside. He produced a pen and was assuming the position of one who was about to write things in a notebook. Then he stopped. He reached down for his cup of coffee and pulled it to his mouth for a long, slow sip. Steam escaped into the air. Then he put the cup back into the console and reassumed the position of one who was about to write things in a notebook.

The source took a drag on his cigarette. Then he too took a long sip of coffee. More steam escaped into the air.

"Here it is," said the source.

The columnist stayed in his position of one who is about to write things in a notebook, but with a bit more resoluteness than before. He wondered if his longing for information -- the kind of stuff that could cause newspaper front pages to spin in circles before coming to a stop, revealing an important headline (like in old time movies that he had seen at the drive-in theaters of his youth), a headline so big it would blow the minds of his editors and readers -- would be requited or unrequited. He pictured the book deal that would arise from this information. 'No,' he thought to himself, 'a movie deal.' And then, in a moment of clarity, he realized it would be a book and movie deal, one where the book and the movie would both be seen as masterpieces and not compared to each other but with each other seen filling a needed role.

Then the source spoke the words that would send the columnist on his way.

"Follow the coffee, dammit!"

Yes. The coffee. Follow the coffee. Why weren't those reporters meeting their sources face-to-face and drinking coffee? The question, revealed, would lead to all answers -- if it could itself be answered.

The columnist took another sip of his coffee and looked up. The source was gone. So he started the engine of his car, backed out of the spot and drove off. He knew where he had to go. There was a better place to park and drink coffee just down the street, for example.

Sorry, my eyes are glazed over at this point in the afternoon, far too extreme an eyes-on-text day...did not catch that Curmudgeon had dibs on Matthau.

And all the omni-handles, sheesh!

Sorry, Cowtown. Sorry, Curmudgeon. Sorry, omni-dude. Thanks, Tomfan (et al).

Bayou Self

You get an "A," dude. Excellent.

S'OK, Linda. You still got the Charlize Theron dibs. Good pick.

"Excellent . . . Excellent."

-- Mr. Burns

Dibs on Bill Nye.

Ha ha, Science Guy!

I wish I could keep up with the 'boodling this week.

Alas, real life (and work) interferes.

I'm still not sure what to make of The Esteemed Mr. Woodward's revelations. Or his apology, for that matter.

I'm highly amused at the denials and "I don't remember"'s of the oil industry execs in the face of Mr. Cheney's office asserting that they did indeed meet while energy policy was being formulated.

The Fantasy Draft for actors to play ourselves is amusing. I'll put a twist on it:
'boodlers - who do you think would play me? I've been told that a couple of actors remind them of me. I'll tell you who later.

I'd add that while I have no doubt omni- would want to play himself and could probably do so, mo's the only one I'm aware of in here who actually has acting chops.

bc

"He doesn't have to disclose every
goddamn thing he knows," says former
Washington Post Executive EditorBen Bradlee.

But rawstory.com speculates that Woodward's Shallowthroat source is none other than...
National Security adviser Stephen Hadley.

I pass on what I know--helpfully, gladly.

Someone should do a website where you create a composite portrait of yourself and then it matches you with the actor you most resemble. People would pay for that. Even better if you could email a photo and match that.

I love a line I heard on the Academy Awards show a couple of years ago. I think it was Cate Blanchette who was giving an award for makeup. She said, "If it weren't for the makeup artists, we would look like the people in documentaries."

That's what I look like, a person in a documentary.

scc: Blanchett.

Hmm.

Reader, I wonder if the "R U Hot?" - or is is it "Am I Hot?" - website is still up?

bc

bc - My guess is Gary Sinise

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000641/

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mortiifera/detail?.dir=/7c77&.dnm=2539.jpg&.src=ph

No problemo, Loomis. Actually, I first thought about calling dibs on C. P. Snow, but figured half the boodle never heard of him, and of those who had, you were about the only one who might possibly know what he looked like. (A bit like me, but that's no help, either. Though I still have all my hair. So I picked Matthau for the 'tude.)

Stay warm down there on the Rio Grande. As this is written, the first major cold front of the season has just moved in here on the shores of the Potomac, putting an end to what has been a pretty glorious Indian Summer. Starting tomorrow, we're facing about 4 1/2 months of yucky, gray, dismal winter.

G'night, all.

Hmm. Gary Sinise. Interesting.

Just finished watching "South Park" taking a swing at the Church of Scientology.

I particularly liked the bit where they animated the whole Xenu story (aliens, DC_8 spaceships, Hawaiian volcaones, souls, etc.) , with a big disclaimer box: "THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE".

The whole bit about Tom Cruise locking himself in Stan's closet and not coming out ("What's the matter?" "It's Tom Cruise. He won't come out of the closet.") was overdone. It didn't help when John Travolta and R. Kelly went in there with him.

I also liked the bit at the end, where Stan yells at the Scientologists: "Go ahead and sue me! I'm not afraid of you!".
Then they roll credits, all of which are "John Smith".

bc

I lost a very excellent blonde to Scientology. I toured their headquarters in Clearwater. Very weird.

I love a parade

You pop culture mavens must be too busy being dillettantes and aficianados to acknowledge the passing of Ralphh Edwards, the host of "This is Your Life," a good T.V. show and among the first of its kind.

He died of heart disease at the ripe age of 92. Most of y'all's offspring that die of heart disease won't live that long. "Give the man props" - he doth say to the collection of home slices.

Sprinkle up a flag-pole, Nick @, consider THYself wallopped with a glowstick!

One Ralph down. One to go. Ralph Reed and the objectification of women, Moi I'll take David Koresh over David Duke 13 times out of a hundred. 87 percent being the supposed effectiveness of the failed condom that yielded Moi.

bc:

hotornot.com is just a site where you can post your photo and other people rate it. Looking through the photos is a good way to test yourself to see if your taste is unusual. Theoretically (excuse me while I slip into nerd mode) it would be useful to find out if there is a physical type you are attracted to that others rate substantially lower. That would be your best bet when you were looking to score.

None of this is useful when trying to ascertain which actor comes closest to looking like you.

Guess there are only so many clever comments to go around...

In response to yellowjkt:
The old Watergate questions still apply:
What *exactly* did Bob know and when did he know it?

Why was he so terrified of being subpoenaed? Was it really a casual, "off-the-record" comment that he heard?

Posted by: Loomis | Nov 16, 2005 4:23:28 PM

Now from Slate...

Bob Woodward's Timetable
It's not a cover-up, but what the hell is it?
By Jack Shafer
Posted Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005, at 5:35 PM ET

What did Bob Woodward know, and when did he know it?

That's the first question that came to my mind as today's (Nov. 16) Page One story in the Washington Post, "Woodward Was Told of Plame More Than Two Years Ago," knocked me off my seat, spilling steaming hot coffee all down my Slate insignia bib. [Notice how this can be tied into the Boodle theme of spitting or spilling coffee...]

And a repeat of sorts of my question from the Atrios blog...

Booby's [sic] story just doesn't make any sense. Why would you grant confidentiality to something which is 'almost gossip' and told to you in an 'offhand manner.'

But enough headscratches among us old journalist types to go around...

Reader, thanks for looking into hotornot.com. The Achenactor Fantasy Draft put me in mind of it, that's all.

At the risk of being pedantic (sigh), I'd add that I don't remember saying that the actors people told me I reminded them of didn't necessarily look exactly like me.

SCC: the above sentence is a train wreck.

Ms. Loomis, I confess to looking forward to your starring in the live action AeonFlux. I always liked the AF animated shorts, back when MTV actually ran interesting stuff.

bc

Charlize and Frances McDormand in "AeonFlux."
Charlize and Frances McDormand in "North Country."

George Clooney and Tim Blake Nelson in "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?"
George Clooney and Tim Blake Neslon in "Syriana."

bc,
I much more preferred my starring role in "North Country." Like Theron's character's role, I was only trying to improve my skill set.

At the Modesto Chamber of Commerce, my (award-winning) newsletter was still pasted up on boards. At Tracy Hospital, we had an early desktop publishing software package for PCs. At SSI, we worked on Sun workstations--and I leapt there to learn the most sophisticated tech-doc layout software on the market at the time. (In my first few years in Texas, I saw only ONE ad for a position with that particular software knowledge--and the position was up in Austin.)
***

I saw "North Country" and was uncomfortable, not because of what it depicted, but because it was so eerily similar, in some respects, to what happened when I was working for one of the nation's top supercomputer firms, an IBM venture partner. The time frame was the same. I remember listening to Anita Hill testify on the radio during work hours, the only time I brought my radio to work.

There were three women and more than 20 young men. The atmosphere, when work was not being done, was one of a constant frat party. There were naked women and women's parts as screensavers. There were a number of girlie posters on the walls, women in various states of undress or exposed--and when the mandate came down to remove them, an assistant manager simply moved his behind his opened office door. I was handed a thermos telling me that it contained an unusual flavored coffee, only to have a plastic phallus pop out. The corporate gift for a year's employment was a tie tac [still have it]. The message: You, as a woman, are really not welcome here.

This was no deep pit mine in Minnesota; this was a satellite office in California's Silicon Valley for one of the country's top computing firms.

LLoomis, I have to admit that is really dissappointing. The only thing I can say is that under the new OH&S guidleines here in Alberta, they would call it harrassment and it is now illegal, not just inappropriate.

If anyone is interesting in Scientology, look to its founder's personal history, but don't rely on what you may find in the Christian Science Monitor. Its a very odd story.

Thank you, Prof. CowTown. But I probably needed to give it another take. There was at least one misspelling in there, along with an awk or two.

As for Woodward, Plame, et al, anyone who hasn't yet conceded to it must now admit that it's time to find a good parking spot for the calliope.

Who has the $$$ behind these new, socailly conscious films?

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/12902854.htm

EBay founder looks to direct reel change
MAGNATE: FILMS MUST `EDUCATE AND INSPIRE'
By Bruce Newman
[San Jose, Calif.] Mercury News

HOLLYWOOD - Jeff Skoll -- the shy multibillionaire co-founder of eBay -- left Silicon Valley last year, and set out to test his theory ``that people are basically good'' on the movie industry.

At first, people quite naturally assumed he must be demented. But employing many of the same business principles he used at eBay, Skoll assembled a slate of movies, the first of which begins rolling out today.

``Good Night, and Good Luck'' -- about broadcaster Edward R. Murrow's battle with Sen. Joseph McCarthy -- is the first of Skoll's feature films to open in San Jose. It will be followed next Friday by ``North Country,'' starring Charlize Theron as a Minnesota miner confronting sexual harassment in the workplace. The highly anticipated thriller ``Syriana,'' in which George Clooney and Matt Damon play operatives in the global oil trade, arrives Nov. 23.

What each of those films has in common is an underlying assumption that they can ``educate and inspire'' people to ``actually get involved in the issues,'' Skoll said. When he founded Participant Productions last year -- to make pictures that not only do well at the box office, but also do good in the world -- Skoll relied on a concept called ``the virtuous cycle'' that had been part of his original business plan for eBay.

Skoll knew that if eBay's sellers developed reputations for honesty, buyers would flood into the new online marketplace he was creating, and the company would flourish. Now he is conducting an experiment in social engineering with message movies that have been carefully designed to attract audiences craving entertainment and hungry for change.

In other words: ``The Virtuous Cycle II.''

[more...]

dr

Actually we do have Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harrassment or discrimination, but it wasn't really enforced until the late 80's and into the nineties. Most of the "landmark" cases come from the nineties.

Bayou Self: It just takes practice, and I don't pay attention to spelling. The calliope - and the big tent - should be placed on the Mall. Everyone loves the circus.

WaPo National Political Editor John F. Harris is getting clobbered with Woodie questions in his online chat with WaPo readers this morning, currently under way.

His responses are classic "short and sweet." Well, I don't know really how sweet. As terse as terse gets.

I, too, laughed pretty hard at "calliope."

Calliope is one of those words that makes people smile. And it's fun to say. It should get more play in daily language. In fact (run for your lives, another one of Bayou Self's idiotic rambles is rambling along), I'd wager that the world would be a better place, that harmony would outshine hatred (Can you hear the chorus of children in the background, whistling My County 'tis of Thee?), that people would consistently use their turn signals and be more courteous while driving, that pizza would always come with plenty of cheese as a fact of the matter without one needing to order extra cheese to bring it up to snuff, that no books or movies would ever again employ the old "it was all a dream" ending and that everyone -- and I do mean everyone -- would find a cup of coffee to their liking, if only the word "calliope" was used by a majority of the population each and every day.

Except for the people who don't like coffee. To heck with them.

CowTown,

Um, there already is a carousel on the Mall. We try to be prepared around here.

http://dc.about.com/od/touristattractions/ss/PhotosNatlMall_5.htm

I have a carousel-on-the-Mall story of which I am not particularly proud:

When my brother and my sister-in-law were visiting town several years ago, I took them to the Mall, and we gals decided to take a ride on the carousel. (My brother was too manly to go on it. He also refuses to eat quiche.) I had my eye on the dragon [tatzelwurm!]; none of those boring old horses for me. We found ourselves at the beginning of the line for the next go-round, so we bolted towards [sic] the dragon, even though we were fully aware that a little boy in the vicinity also had his eye on the dragon. [Bah. He was kinda bratty, if you ask me. And he wasn't really little; maybe 10 or so? The whole experience would have toughened him up, I'm sure.]

Anyway, I succeeded in acquiring my prized beast, and my brother took the photo to prove it. Later when we were recounting the story for my parents, my mother said, "Oh, [insert my real name here], that's terrible!" (As I said, I'm not particularly proud of myself. I don't do that sort of thing anymore.)

[But I will always have that photo of me on my dragon.]

Bah.

"Except for the people who don't like coffee. To heck with them."

I don't like coffee. Fortunately I also don't believe in an afterlife. Socrates said that anything that follows death is either a good thing or oblivion. As many of you have no doubt guessed, I am old enough to remember Socrates, though I was on a nectar break when he said that particular line.

As far as turn signaling goes, I give my props to the Steel City, Pittsburgh, Pa. as having absolutely the most courteous drivers I have ever encountered. Worst is a tie between Boston and Providence, where a turn signal is considered a sign of weakness.

Three styles of carousels were produced for American merry-go-rounds. Two are named for the areas where they were made and the third for where the carousel would operate.

Philadelphia Style [Bob Woodward--closest I could come to his Geneva, Illinois roots and Yale education]:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the home of one of the earliest and most famous of the carousel builders, Gustav Dentzel. His horses were realistic looking with legs positioned as though galloping, and muscles and veins on heads and necks. Other carvers emulated his realistic style to create the Philadelphia school of carousels, including the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and the Muller Brothers.

The Coney Island Style [Judith Miller]:
Typified by wood carvers Charles Looff, William F. Mangels, Marcus C. Illions, Stein and Goldstein, and Charles Carmel. The carving and decoration were fanciful, and often included many jewels. Despite the great ornamentation, there was still skilled carving. Elaborate objects were carved under the cantle (back of the saddle) and alongside the horse's profile. Bodies often appeared out of proportion.

County Fair Style [George W. Bush]:
Produced by Charles W. Dare, Charles W. Parker, and the offshoots of Allen Herschell's company Armitage Herschell, Herschell Spillman, Spillman Engineering, and Allan Herschell. These artifacts are known for their compact size and simplified look. Function determined form with this style. Lightly-carved horses had unnaturally outstretched legs allowing easier transport on portable (not permanent) machines that traveled between various carnivals and fairs. The ornamentation and expressions of these horses were simple. The lack of protrusion such as forward moving ears, facilitated ease of transportation as well.

Loomis, since you are not local, you may not be familiar with this local icon-
http://www.nps.gov/glec/caro/carmusic.htm

About the only person who can say 'calliope' without making me laugh is Bruce Springsteen. But he's really singing it in a Rex Harrisonish manner.

I maintain that Rex Harrison invented Rap.

bc

I got blistas on my fingas from all the typing of this dang story that's on deadline, but will try to post a new kit at some point in the near future.

Oops, I forgot to mention that the Glen Echo Carousel is a 1921 Dentzel, and the Rose horse is undoubtedly the most sought after steed.

k'guy, I think a good proportion of Starbucks customers don't actually like coffee. I once ordered a latte at Starbucks, out of curiosity (I usually go for a plain old drip coffee), and it just tasted like hot milk to me. I would have needed to add several extra shots of espresso to make it strong enough for my taste. [Let's just say I'm definitely *not* a vanilla soy chai latte kinda gal.]

And while I'm in umbrage mode (still!), why is it that just about every time I walk into Starbucks there's a big mob of teenagers right ahead of me in the line, holding up the proceedings, each one ordering a different kind of milkshake? Sometimes they're accompanied by a teacher, who seems to have an exasperated "What was I thinking!?!?" look on his or her face. But I usually feel less sorry for the teacher than for the Starbucks employees on these fieldtrip-to-Starbucks days. And for the kids' parents, of course -- cuz where do those kids get the money for these fancy schmancy milkshakes?]

I'm sure it won't be long before Starbucks starts offering Happy Meals. Or maybe Happy Frappies. [Ugh. Somebody stop me.]

[Just as well I don't have kids, eh?]

SCC entry:
Stray square bracket at the end of the second paragraph above.

The carousel at Glen Echo Park is a Dentzel. I don't know of any historic significance to the carousel on the Mall, though I suppose there is something about it that is swell.

I invented a story for my kids once, in which a young girl who is visiting her grandmother is taken to Glen Echo in the middle of the night by a talking grasshopper. She rides the carousel and is transported on horseback to a magic alternate reality in which all the men and boys in the kingdom (it's always a kingdom! What kind of democrat am I?) have been put under the spell of the Wicked Witch Louise (modeled after a particularly appealing friend). Only a brave girl who has no loved ones who are under Louise's power can rescue them -- she has to be a disinterested third party. Success ensues; and they all live reasonably happily until the next crisis, even Louise, who is misunderstood and not really Wicked -- it's not her fault that all men fall under her spell.

And so, Achenfan, should any of those adolescent beverages prove to be unacceptable, then the recipients would require Crappy Happy Frappie Lappie Nappies.

The more I see the title of the Kit, the more I have trouble shaking the word "carbuncle" from my mind. Ugh.

Although wouldn't Carbuncle from my Mind be a good name for a rock band? Maybe not.

k-guy,
You're right, don't know the D.C. carousel (thanks for link) but a year ago May, I took a close look at the one in Bushnell Park in Hartford, Conn. Colt's old armory (now undergoing restoration) is not far away. (horse=Colt=haha)

http://www.bushnellpark.org/poi/carousel.html

k'guy, that comment made me snort. (But at least milk didn't come spurting out of my nose.)

Ah Achenfan, coffee houses are the new cool. When my oldest was in highschool, the kids all went to the mall to hang out. Somewhere between him and my youngest, that changed. I think the mall food court vendors started to get annoyed by the massive pack of kids. They started going to small non- chain coffee houses which accepted them, so long as they bought a coffee. There are several around town, and its now where all the kids go to hang out. 4 bucks gets you a couple of coffees. This leaves Starbucks(2 stores and out of their price range)and Tim Hortons(5 stores, all deemed as uncool) for the rest of us. Works out really well because Tim's has the BEST coffee.

Joel, channeling John Lennon.

kurosawaguy's channeling Dr. Seuss.

Tim, Dave Barry.

All is well.

bc

PS, I'm perfectly happy riding carousels with or without the kids.

Thanks, pj, for the info. I missed the carousel when I was in D.C. a million years ago. However, there is no calliope on the Mall, is there?

Take your time, Joel; we'll continue to talk quietly among ourselves till you post again. (As we always do.) Anyway, it may be somewhat academic; your colleague Brian Krebs is reporting a major Internet outage (http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/) especially among Comcast customers, so perhaps a major section of the country is incommunicado. (Discuss: Is that good or bad?)

Out on the Left Coast, NPR has a good story about how Californians passed a measure supporting $3 billion for stem cell research--but some rightwing groups have blocked dispersal with lawsuits. The audio file download is about 5 minutes long, at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5015204

K-guy: Your "Crappy Happy Frappie Lappie Nappies" was sappy (OK, I admit it, I'm jealous you got there first).

Yep, CowTown, the carousel has a calliope. (I realize I'm being way too literal here; I did laugh when I read your original comment.)

They'll have to find a space for one, CowTown.

Gosh, Curmudgeon, you thought it was sappy? I thought it was...(wait fot it)... rather snappy!

Mudgy,
Reminds me of an old riff between Johnny Carson and Jack Webb that my funny e-mail friend sent me a day or so ago--a caper about the case of the missing copper clappers--and so on with lots of the C alliterative element.

I was going to try to relisten to it, but can't get to my e-mail. Thanks for the heads up about a two major Internet backbones being severed/down, Wondered why it was so quiet around here today...

Curmudgeon and k-guy, settle down now. We don't want things around here to get scrappy.

Settle down yourself, pj. Who are you to tell me what to do? Don't you know I'm old enough to be your pappy?

Is anyone else having flashbacks of Mandy Patinkin and Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride?

That was pretty zappy!

[Boodled out of order again. I don't know anything about Mandy Patinkin and Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride. I do know that my husband says Mandy Patinkin is a girl: He has a girl's name, and he sings like a girl -- end of discussion.]

That's right, pj, settle down yourself, or else you know what comes after! (Or as the French say, apres.)

Achenfan, your cinematic education has been sorely neglected if you are unfamiliar with TPB! The poison scene with Wallace Shawn is worth the price of admission alone, but there's so much more- Billy Christal as Miracle Max, Peter Falk as the grandfather, Peter Cook as the bishop (Wuv, twue wuv), Christopher Guest as the Man With Six Fingers, not to mention the ROUS's, the Rodents of Unusual Size! Get a little silly and watch it with someone you love.

I know, k'guy -- it's on my list, but for some reason I've never gotten a Round Tuit. Maybe over the Thanksgiving break.

Achenfan, I'm shocked. Mandy Patinkin played the Che charactor in the original Broadway production of Evita. He's been known as a tenor in the theater for ages. Patinkin played the hilarious Spanish swordsman seeking revenge for the death of his father. The Princess Bride is a modern classic that included a fabulous appearance by Billy Crystal as an old wizard. And that's all I'm going to say as I have to go get some work done.

Please forgive me, SternCow. (I know ignorance is no excuse, but remember, I'm a foreigner, so I'm a little Patinkin-impaired. We are weird. My first exposure to Mandy Patinkin was via "Chicago Hope," and my second was through a TV commercial for a CD on which he did indeed sing like a girl. Maybe if I'd spent less time watching Seinfeld and Beavis and Butthead when I first landed on these shores, I'd have received a broader cultural education.)

Please don't brandish your branding iron!

Is it me or is it getting a little...torrid...in here?

Achenfan

You are forgiven. This time. [places branding iron back in scabbord]

I have to pile on: *-fan, go to your Netflix queue and move The Princess Bride to the top of the list, right now, this very moment. It's that important. It's that funny.

" 'ello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You keeled my father. Prepare to die."
"Sleep well, and dream of large women."
"Never wager with a Sicilian when death is on the line!"
"How does that make you feel?"

And go read the book, by William Golding (not the guy who wrote Lord of the Flies). He wrote both the book and the screenplay. It's a rare case in which the movie and the book are equally good, but very different. Golding is a professional screenwriter foremost, so the movie doesn't suffer from the work of an incompetent, and the screenwriter had complete liberty to choose which aspects of the book he felt would work on the screen. The framing story in the movie is completely absent from the book, which uses an entirely different framing story to set it up. The book has long and amusing digressions that didn't make it into the movie, for good reason. The Harry Potter books/movies are a good example of the opposite situation -- Rowling has larded the books down with cute 'magical' bits and with clues that get played out years later, so there are a zillion things that the screenwriters have to leave in the movies that do little t