DIShGo

3 hours ago, Al Dente said:

John Cleese refreshing your memory in preparation for Season 7!

Why did I binge watch 6 seasons when I could have just watched this?!?

Introducing Angus and Millie, ages 9 and 3, who have been inseparable since she was a puppy.

That is the cutest dog. And I love her name!

4 hours ago, schulju said:

Can I get a stuffed animal that looks like Zooey's puppy picture??

How about this? Pretty cute, but Zooey is cuter.

I remember learning about this in one of my college classes, and I found it fascinating. I don't even remember which class it was anymore, but it was an interesting study of the dark side of human behavior and group think. 

I am the lucky person who got to enjoy this wonderful meal with Don. The view from our table was so lovely. You could see the ancient walled city atop a nearby hill. The sun was setting and the twinkling lights of the village were complemented by the lovely candles in white containers on the tables. It looked like a scene from a 1950s Hollywood film starring Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly. I wanted to take a photo, but I didn't want to be a rude tourist, grabbing my cell phone, so I waited until the next afternoon to snap a quick picture of the view.

The meal was an incredible value, and the portions were generous. The service was top notch, as well. There was a charmimg white ceramic lizard on the table, and the wine cork was placed in the curl of its tail. I looked around, and each table had one white creature of some sort for this purpose.

To be honest, I was full after the first course and the delicious bread. The second course was my favorite. The pasta and the flavors of the drumfish and the pesto sauce were quite fresh. I knew I was too full to enjoy dessert when I wasn't even tempted to peek at the cheese cart. My chocolate dish was decadent. I was not a fan of Don's dessert, which tasted to me like a rum shot rather than dessert.

This is the view, but it just doesn't compare to the view at sunset, with the ramparts of St Paul de Vence (seen under the very top corner of the awning) lit up by spotlights.

I watched "Elegy for a Pig," and I was very moved by the episode. Sadly, the topic is still relevant today.

Ah, yes. I remember dancing to "Ain't Gonna Bump No More" back in the day!

I have been to Merriman's several times, and it is always good. I have friends who live in Hilo, and it is their favorite place to go when they visit the other side of the island, braving Saddle Road to get there! It is a drive from the Hapuna Prince, as well, but Waimea is a beautiful part of the island to visit, and the restaurant is well worth the drive.  

I just returned from my first trip to Nice and I loved the city. The Coulee Verte was a must see for me. I adored the sculpture, the dancing fountains and the beautiful playgrounds filled with families.

I also enjoyed my first taste of Socca. It was tasty and fun to watch them make and serve. A word of warning. If you go to Chez Rene Socca at noon, be prepared to hear a nearby cannon go off. Needless to say, we weren't ready for that, and nearly jumped out of our skin, but when the locals (one carrying a newborn baby in a pouch) were unfazed, we realized everything was okay!

This hotel is extremely charming. I truly felt like I was in the French countryside staying here, yet it is close to local attractions. I even heard a rooster crowing nearby! This hotel is so peaceful and lovely. I have paid much more to stay in places that offer much less.

Although we didn't take advantage of it on this trip, it also has a beautiful circular swimming pool (below). I would go back here without hesitation.

And I also highly recommend seeing both The Matisse chapel and the Fondation Maecht, the latter being one of the finest art galleries I have had the pleasure of seeing. 

Fondation Maecht (with magdalena in the yellow pants):

Hostellerie des Messugues (with pictures of the gorgeous, heated swimming pool):

I just watched the trailer and I am thinking Carl as well. At first I thought Michonne, but eliminating Rick's new love interest seems too trite. It also seems like Carl's role has been marginalized since he lost his eye. 

I had the pleasure of dining with Don on four of his 14 trips to Kinship. The first was during his inaugural visit in January, and the other three were during one week in April, while I was visiting from California. I wrote a review in this forum of our first visit, when we shared the Kinship Roast Chicken, and now, more than seven months later, I still fondly and vividly remember that meal.

It wasn't just beginner's luck. Each subsequent visit to Kinship produced memorable meals and enjoyable evenings. The food, the service and the ambiance were outstanding each time we went. I enjoy seeing those menus, Don, as they bring back fond memories of exceptional meals.

Kinship is a special place. There aren't many restaurants I would want to go to three times in one week. I appreciate Eric's creativity and his use of quality, seasonal ingredients. I love the vibe of the place, from the understated, elegant interior to the music that plays in the background. No detail is overlooked. I can't wait to go back.

The floor exercise routines of American gymnasts Simone Biles and Aly Raisman. Raisman's silver medal performance was superb, and her teary goodbye was touching. Biles' gold-medal routine was near perfection and beyond anything I have seen a gymnast do.

I also enjoyed watching Great Britain's Mo Farah recover from a fall early in the 10,000 meter race to win the gold. 

To DonRocks. Fifty-five years ago today, Eva and Hilleary Rockwell heard the happy words, "It's a boy!" I am glad they did. The world is a better place with Don in it.

3 hours ago, Tweaked said:

I do like me some Ellie's...had it for the first time several years ago while visiting relatives in Denver.

Per the Avery Brewing Company website, check these stores in SF:

Awesome! Thanks!

It was a hot day in DC, and being from California, I just about melted when the air condititoner went on the fritz at my friend's house. He thought a frosty beer would do me good, so we went in search of something cold and tasty to take my mind off of the blazing temperatures. I ran into the shop, quickly scanned my options, and grabbed Ellie's Brown Ale because I like brown ales and it had a dog on the label that looked just like my chocolate lab.

My totally random choice was a good one. This ale smelled wonderful--toasty and malty--and tasted even better. It was smooth, with malt, chocolate and caramel flavors. It was nutty, with just the right amout of bitterness. Alas, it doesn't appear to be available anywhere in the San Francisco Bay area. I suppose I will have to wait until I go to Colorado or head back to DC to taste it again!

I decided to watch "Notorious," after reading that it is French director Francois Truffaut's favorite Hitchcock film. Truffaut calls Notorious the quintessential Hitchcock film in his wonderful book, Hitchcock, which I highly recommend for any fan of the master of suspense.

Perhaps because of Truffaut's high praise I was expecting too much. I enjoyed the film, but I didn't love it. I am a huge Cary Grant fan, and Ingrid Bergman is a fine actress, so I thought I might agree with Truffaut's assessment that this film is the embodiment of the Hitchcock genre. Maybe my disappointment stemmed from watching a poor quality video on YouTube. There were many buffering issues that took away from my enjoyment of the film.

There are some wonderful moments in the film, however. It is well-known for the two-and-a-half minute kiss. At the time, American film studios forbade kisses longer than three seconds. Hitchcock got around this rule by having his stars break away from their liplock for a few seconds, talk and walk a bit, while still embracing and nuzzling, and then resume smooching. 

Having survived decades of verbal abuse, I am familiar with the term "gaslighting" as it is used to describe psychological manipulation designed to make a person doubt themself. It is impossible to read anything about Narcissistic personality disorder without seeing a section on gaslighting. While I was very familiar with the term, I never questioned why it was called that. I had NO idea this term came from a 1938 play, by the same name, on which this film is based.

MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW

"Gaslight" is a brilliantly acted, beautifully directed film that stands the test of time. Ingrid Bergman is outstanding as the wife who is driven to think she is going insane by her controlling husband. She is radiant and so convincing as the happy young women whose life begins to spiral out of control. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for this role, and I think it is well deserved. Her speech at the end of the film was the highlight for me. I didn't get up off of my couch and cheer, but I wanted to.

Bergman's character, Paula, thinks she is going insane. One thing that makes her believe this is the way the gas lights dim each evening, even though there is no one in the house who could be dimming them. Charles Boyer is perfect as her charmingly sinister husband, and an 18-year old Angela Lansbury makes her film debut as the housemaid.

If you are looking for this movie to stream online, don't get it confused with the 1940 British version with the same title.

If you have lived with someone who has attempted to control or manipulate you, this film will resonate. If you haven't, you will still get swept up in the mystery and intrigue of a very well-crafted film noir.

I made this for dessert tonight, and it was SO good. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Its a keeper. We had some fresh raspberries on hand, so my daughter tossed a few on top. Delicious!

Ha! Love it. 

After viewing the 1956 version of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much," I decided to watch the 1934 film by the same name, also directed by Hitchcock. Not satisfied with his earlier work, Hitchcock decided to remake the film. While the basic plot remains the same, I was surprised at just how different the two films are.

I liked parts of both films, but loved neither. Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day are endearing in the 1956 version in their roles as a Midwestern doctor and his wife on a Moroccan holiday. But the film felt too long as it went on-and-on beyond what I considered the climax of the movie.

*** MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW ***

The 1934 version felt too long as well, with an unsatisfying shootout scene near the end that felt oddly out of place in the film. There was more humor in this version (the dental office scene in this film being more entertaining than the taxidermist scene in the 1956 version), but there were a lot of flaws throughout the film which made me understand why Hitchcock would want a mulligan.

I have never before seen anything like "The Triplets of Belleville," and I doubt I will again. A delight for the senses, this animated film is funny, dark, satirical and sweet. 

This excellent review by Roger Ebert  says almost everything I want to say about the film, except a mention of Bruno, the dog and one of the stars of the story. Bruno's creator must be a dog lover, for Bruno's every twitch, scratch, bark and eyebrow raise reminded me of my sweet old yellow lab, Angus.

The movement she creates with the stroke of a marker is astounding. Lines on a wall are transformed into the wrinkles on a blanket or an elephant's face, the waves in the ocean or the feathers on a bird.

Texture, movement and dimension are created with simple lines. Staring into the vortex of one of the pieces, I felt like Jimmy Stewart in "Vertigo" gazing down the bell tower stairway. The movement is that palpable.

On 6/28/2016 at 10:46 AM, DonRocks said:

The entire exhibition consists of a mere twenty pieces of art; yet, it's one of the most educational, enlightening, profound things I've ever seen in a museum - I cannot emphasize enough how great this is, and I promise you'll thank me if you go. It was *so refreshing* not to be overwhelmed by piece-after-piece, crammed into small spaces, which is what the vast majority of exhibitions do: This Irwin exhibition should be used as an exemplar for "How to arrange an art exhibition." Each of these pieces gets the space it so richly deserves - curators, if you're out there, *please* remember this: It was an absolute joy and delight to view this exhibit, and when I left, I wasn't fatigued in the least; I was exhilarated.

Don't go on unless you've already seen the show; if you have seen it, I hope these pictures bring back memories, and supplement your experience.

This exhibit had an ethereal, otherworldly quality about it. The dot pieces (which I love), appear one way when you enter the room, and then transform into something completely different as you draw nearer. No wonder you and so many others set off the alarm!

The art has a simple elegance, an architectural quality; it feels retro and futuristic, all at the same time. I love seeing your photos, as they jog my memory about the exhibit, but these pieces must be seen in person to be appreciated. 

This debut film by director François Truffaut is a delight to watch. Well acted and beautifully shot, this filmed charmed and moved me.

Semi-autobiographical, Truffaut tells the story of a mischievous French teen. Obviously bright, but not given the proper guidance at home, his misbehavior escalates. Jean-Pierre Léaud, only 14 at the time, is wonderful in the role of Antoine Doinel. The other teen actors are very good as well, and Albert Remy and Claire Maurier are perfect as Antoine's inept parents.

Truffaut was only 27 when he directed this film. "The 400 Blows" is regarded as one of his finest, and is considered one of the earliest works of the French New Wave.

I love quiet, beautifully made films like "The 400 Blows," a character-driven look at a troubled boy looking for his place in the world.