SUCCESS with SAUCE - In my last blog, I mentioned the deep emotional distress caused by leaving behind the Café Rio salad dressing. So I busted out a CD of Flamingo Guitar music to inspire the creative juices and went to the kitchen. Here is the recipe:
1. Packet of Buttermilk Hidden Valley Ranch (make according to directions)
a. 1 cup mayo, 1 cup buttermilk, mix in with packet contents
2. Two Tomatillos
3. 1 bunch of Cilantro
4. 2 cloves of Garlic (smash em a bit to get the juices out)
5. Juice of 1.5 Limes
6. 1/2 Jalapeño - no seeds. This is about the same heat as the restaurant
Purée the items above in a food processor and generously pour on your salad.
Movie Review: Indiana Jones 4 - After watching a visually stunning film with great action sequences, I was left a bit dissatisfied. Perhaps this is a case of self-fulfilling prophecy, but I think I've figured out why this one does not resonate.
Let me first say I did not care for the Temple of Doom. I find it to be one of the most evil films out there without an "R" rating. Sacrificing children in a pit of fire and ripping their hearts out is not something I want to see. While Crystal Skull was not like that, it had one significant thing in common with the Temple of Doom.
Lack of Biblical Archeology. I think if you polled most people they'd say 1 and 3 are their favorites. And bingo! Both are about biblical artifacts.
This of course sounds very biased, and all cultures should have their legends dug up by a guy with a whip and an iconic hat. But the stories that resonated with me had to do with stuff that came from my religious background.
Plus the Nazis are way better antagonists that some Hindu Cult or a Communist with a bad haircut.
Constant Annoyance - Overuse of Cobwebs. How can there be so many, and yet so few spiders? ARRRH!
For the record, I don't buy into the plots about the Ark or the Grail either. Overall, I liked the plots better, and they feel more significant to me since they were within the realm of my beliefs, which made them more engrossing.
I'm wondering if Spielberg caught a case of nostalgia for his old movies. It seems we got E.T., Close Encounters and the Indy Trilogy all mixed into one movie. No complaints, just an observation. Maybe he's tired and wanted it all done at the same time? Much cheaper that way.
Overall - this was still a great popcorn movie. Probably much better in the theater than at home.
Book Review: John Adams - I just finished the book by David McCullough, which was recently made into an HBO miniseries. Flat out, this is one of the best books I've ever read. It was entertaining and enlightening. I feel like I have a much better grasp of the American Revolution and the early years of our country thanks to this book.
Perhaps what I liked best about this book is the portrayal of John Adams, often juxtaposed with Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and other founding fathers. It gave me a sense of how unique he was, coming from obscurity to make such an impact on history. And he did it with morals this country was built on: hard work, sacrifice, education, family and God. Can you imagine the President today retiring from office to go perform back breaking labor on his farm to make ends meet? Wonderful book. I highly reccomend it. Did I mention it won the Pulitzer? If you can't stomach reading history, maybe the mini-series is for you.
3 comments:
How long is the Adams book?
I loved that book too. Thanks for the review of the new Jones movie.
Adams is about 650 pages. But it only took me 3 months on airplanes to get through it.
FEAR NOT. YOU WON'T WANT IT TO END.
But alas, he died.
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