2014 Archive Photos: Air Life (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Air Life.

2014 Archive Photos: Meiko (Chintatown Summer Nights)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Meiko.

2014 Archive Photos: Nacosta (Silverlake Lounge)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Nacosta.

2014 Archive Photos: yOya (Brokechella)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

yOya.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Indianapolis Colts: 51-34

A wow game.

Pittsburgh's offense couldn't do any wrong in the first half.  QB Ben Roethlisberger was hitting his receivers.  The front line held strong.  I swear that this is one of the few times I've seen a game where the front line protected Big Ben to this degree.  Pittsburgh scoring 35 points in the first half was just amazing.

Of course, Indianapolis has a solid quarterback in Andrew Luck.  Though their offense was briefly stalled due to an interception, Indianapolis was able to put up their own points.  On one play that led to their first touchdown, they got the Steelers defense confused when three receives stacked one side and ran routes that sent the defense in all directions but the correct one.  The first half ended 35-20.

To start off the second half, Big Ben and Heath Miller connected a couple times to help set up an early touchdown and Pittsburgh was up 42-20.  But then the Steelers offense stalled due to a couple wide receiver errors along with a running back one, as well.  Martavis Bryant missed a ball thrown perfectly and then D. Heyward-Bey fumbled.  By the end of the third quarter the score was 42-34 as the Colts took advantage of these mistakes.  Then in the final quarter, Pittsburgh was once again on a roll though there were a couple penalties against the Colts that I thought were weak.  Well, it was time for the running back error with LeGarrette Blount fumbling at the 5 yard line.  The Steelers defense held strong in this no defense game.  QB Andrew Luck tripped and fell back into the end zone.  He threw the ball blindly away, but he was called for grounding and the Steelers got 2 points out of it.

The Pittsburgh offense took the field and finally the offense got back on track.  No errors.  With 4th and a foot to go, Pittsburgh decided to go for it.  Considering the score was 44-34, it seemed to make sense to take the risk.  Instead of just ramming it to get the added foot, Big Ben rolled out and tossed a touchdown pass.  51-34.  

With 3 scores needed, Indianapolis went to work with the fourth quarter ticking down.  The probability of scoring 3 times in 5 minutes are slim, but they weren't going to just go down without a fight.  They made their way down the field, but Luck threw an interception in the end zone.  With that, it was time for the Steelers to run down the clock.

Big Ben's amazing stats:  522 yards.  6 TDs.  40/49 completions.

2014 Archive Photos: Eastern Conference Champions (Chinatown Summer Nights)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Eastern Conference Champions.

2014 Archive Photos: Island Apollo (Silverlake Lounge)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Island Apollo

2014 Archive Photos: Young Beautiful in a Hurry (Silverlake Lounge)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Young Beautiful in a Hurry.

2014 Archive Photos: Young Beautiful in a Hurry (Silverlake Lounge)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Young Beautiful in a Hurry.

A Dream: Scary Nightmare with potential Spirits and/or Vampires

I was with another individual (male) inside a house.  The phone rang. There was silence on the other end.  He said, "That's my wife.  She'll call again."  I hung up.  The phone rang again.  Silence.  "We're in trouble," he said.

Suddenly, a number of young children rushed into the house.  The man said, "We've got to close and lock all the doors.  I go screaming at the top of my lungs, telling the kids to check the doors.  We look out the window.  There is a deep fog and we can't see very far off into the distance.  The man says, "Make sure all the doors are locked."  I scream out, but my voice is hoarse.  The kids do understand anyways and they check the doors.  One door was not locked.  It is locked.

With that, we look out the windows.  There is a shadowy figure out there, floating just above the ground, moving rapidly in parallel to the house.

I wake up.  And I have chills.

2014 Archive Photos: Afternoons (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Afternoons.

2014 Archive Photos: French Style Furs (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

French Style Furs.

2014 Archive Photos: French Style Furs (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

French Style Furs.

Duke Football vs. Virginia: 20-13

In the first quarter, it really looked like Duke would win this game 40-13.  Their offense was humming.  QB Anthony Boone looked like he could do no wrong.  Then came the second and third quarters where it didn't seem like the offense had any spark.  Was that driven by Virginia's defense or Duke's offense?  I'd say Duke's offense.  I suspect that if Brandon Connette was still with the team that Coach Cutcliffe would have put him in for Boone.  Boone's passes were all over the place.  In fact, I really think that Virginia's QB Matt Johns had the far better game.  Anthony Boone had the better completion percentage; however, it just looked to me that Matt Johns' passes were far more accurate.  What won this game for Duke was the defense that kept Johns in check.

Best play of the game:  Boone and RB Shaquille Powell not connecting properly on the hand-off.  The ball bounces, Powell just picks it up and takes off for a decent gain.

Update:  As with last year, I'm starting to watch the college ranking polls and trying to figure out if it is possible that Duke will make it onto the list come Sunday.  This week, two teams ranked between 20-25 lost:  Stanford and Texas A&M.  I figure both are out of the poll.  In the AP 25, Duke is #28.  In the USA Today, Duke is #29.  UCLA and LSU are ahead of Duke in both the AP and USA Today polls.  In the USA Today poll, Minnesota is ahead.  LSU won fairly easily while UCLA and Minnesota didn't win by much.  On the other hand, West Virginia was ranked behind Duke in both polls and beat Baylor, which was #4 in both polls.  So my thinking is that West Virginia will definitely leap frog us while we might just leap frog UCLA though not LSU.  I figure at a minimum, we'll be at #27 in the AP and #28 in the USA today, meaning we'll need to wait for a future poll to get us into the Top 25.  So here's hoping a couple teams ranked 20-25 lose next week while Duke takes the week off.

2014 Archive Photos: Cloud Cover (The Smell)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Cloud Cover

2014 Archive Photos: Mosco Rosco (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Mosco Rosco.

2014 Archive Photos: Mosco Rosco (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Mosco Rosco.

2014 Archive Photos: Babes (Chinatown Summer Nights)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Babes.

A Movie Review: Gone Girl

Gone Girl. Nick Dunne (Ben Afflect) leaves his house and heads to a bar that he co-manages with his sister, Margo Dunne (Carrie Coon). The bar is owned by his wife, Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike).  It is the day of his 5th wedding anniversary.  It doesn't take long to figure out that his marriage is on the rocks.  Nick and Margo quickly start blasting Amy.

Nick heads back home.  When he enters his home, he looks to the right.  A coffee table is smashed in the living room.  This doesn't look right.  He calls out for his wife.  There is no answer.  He quickly calls for the police.  Detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) and Officer Jim Gilpin (Patrick Fugit) show up.  Based on the evidence in the house, they declare Amy a missing person.

Via flashbacks we learn that Amy and Nick had a great three year run.  Then the aftermath of the Great Recession caught up with them and their marriage started a downhill trend.  Nick lost his job.  Amy's parents were very wealthy (part of the one percent), but they were in heavy debt and Amy's million dollar trust fund needed to get drained to cover that debt.  The last straw to there wonderful marriage was when Nick's mother came down with cancer.  They moved back to his small hometown, a situation that Amy just couldn't handle.    

The answer to what happened to Amy is answered by the middle of the movie, but that doesn't take away from the thrill of this movie.  Nick's character is complex.  He comes across as always being under control, but we start getting a different feel for him as the movie progresses.  He's prone to bursts of anger.  He has a thing for a hot young twenty one year old.  Amy, meanwhile, has subtle psychological issues, driven by her mother.  Her mother wrote a series of books called Amazing Amy that tracked Amy's life.  The problem was that Amazing Amy was way more successful than the real Amy was.

This movie has all the makings for a best picture nomination.  Great acting.  A story line that keeps you engaged.  And a nice toss to how society manipulates these situations.

My one problem:  There is a scene in the movie where Nick is in his house, getting ready for an interview.  Then there is another scene where he is at his sister's house.  Then we go back to where he is back in his house, moments before his interview.  I'm assuming that the scene at his sister's house is a flashfoward.  My problem is that this is the only time this technique is used and I think it causes a touch of confusion.  We're used to the flashbacks, but this one flashfoward seems out of place.  

 

TV Series Review: The Strain

I got hooked on The Strain.  For a few weeks, I held off watching it, instead recording it on my DVR.  I figured I'd binge watch it.  Then about the middle of the season, I decided to watch the first episode.  I was hooked.  The idea of binge watching it all at once was over.

The Strain starts with a mystery.  An airplane lands in New York City.  Before reaching the terminal, it stops and no signs of life appear.  The CDC is called in, led by Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll).  Though all the passengers appear dead, this is misleading.  First, a small handful are physically alive and were just knocked out temporarily.  Second, the remaining are in a vampire transforming hibernation.  Yep, The Strain isn't a disease, but an attempt by The Master (the top Vampire) to conquer the world.

What I really like about this show is the lead character, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather.  Let's be honest, you initially feel for him.  He has a deadly job and his wife is in the process of divorcing him.  Towards the end of the season, you get the idea that this guy really is a jerk.  And yet, he is our hero.  I love it.

I also love the interaction/sexual tension between two other characters:  Vasiliy Fet (Kevin Durand) and Dutch Velders (Ruta Gedmintas).

What took awhile to get used to:  initially, when I saw the massive tongue that the vampires have, I felt it was very cheesy.  I'm still not sold on it, but it doesn't bother me anymore (that is, it doesn't appear cheesy to me).

My one major complaint:  so Dutch shuts down the Internet and cell phone service though it appears television signals are working just fine.  Wouldn't at some point, considering how important New  York City is, wouldn't the Federal government go in to take a look at what in the world is going on in New York City -- especially when (hearing what is coming over the news) murders are increasing dramatically in the city.  And I'm not talking the FBI agents that arrested Dr. Goodweather, but perhaps folks that would actually report back to DC?

My one minor complaint:  was it ever definitively explained to us what happened to Fet's parents?

Duke Football vs. Georgia Tech: 31-25

This was the first Duke game of the season that I was able to catch.

Great Duke game though Georgia Tech QB Tim Byerly made it interesting towards the end.  Can anyone actually tackle that guy?  In Georgia Tech's last touchdown, Duke couldn't bring the guy down even though they had him wrapped up at the 1 yard line.  

It looked like Duke was more interested in running the ball versus throwing it.  I'd say 250 yards versus 123 yards proves that point out.  I love the Snead, Ajeigbe and Boone trio.

Restaurant Review: Bantam (Santa Cruz, CA)

Bantam. This is a highly ranked pizza restaurant in Santa Cruz.  Like any normal American, I am a big fan of pizza so I was eager to try this place out.

It is located in an area of Santa Cruz that reminded me of the Art District in Los Angeles -- though much cleaner looking.

When I walked in, I felt like the waiters were a bit snobbish.  Then came the pizza.  I got the Golden Tomatoes, scallions and cacciocavallo pizza.  If you don't know what a cacciocavallo is (and I surely didn't know what it was), it is a type of cheese.  They make their pizza over an open flame.  I have to admit I felt like I was eating charcoal.  The pizza did not live up to my expectations.  On the other hand, the waiters I thought were a bit snobbish turned out to be very attentive once I mentioned my dissatisfaction with the pizza.  Two of them came up to me and said that they were sorry I was disappointed with my meal and that I should have mentioned it and they would have gotten another pizza made.

Updated -- FAVORABLE review:  I decided to take a chance and head over again.  I ordered a Tender Broccoli, trugole, green olives and ricotta salata.  This time, the pizza came out as perfect as one can expect when a pizza is baked over an open flame.  The brocooli, perfectly tender.  The green olives added that perfect off-set.  The cheese, yeah, I was making sure I got every bite of the trugole.  Not a piece of the crust tasted like charcoal -- though there were one or two bites where I felt like a little over-baking was done, but we are talking about an open flame.  Essentially, my lesson learned is that if you do end up with a pizza that tastes like charcoal, let the staff know.  Based on the response from my first visit, they're willing to re-do your pizza. 

Restaurant Review: Cafe Gratitude (Santa Cruz, CA)

Cafe Gratitude.  I went here twice.  I tried two dishes:  I Am Transformed (corn tortilla tacos with black beans, brown rice, etc) and I Am Warm-Hearted (pan-seared potenta topped with spinach and mushroom ragu, etc).

As you can tell from those two dishes, they use some unique dish names.

I really like this place.  I enjoyed I Am Transformed the best.  Though what ranks even higher is their soup.  They had a greens soup.  Oh mercy, was it just amazing.

2014 Archive Photos: The Lower 48 (Harvard & Stone)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

The Lower 48.

2014 Archive Photos: The Lower 48 (Harvard & Stone)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

The Lower 48.

2014 Archive Photos: Lawrence Rothman (Bootleg HiFi)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

A Movie Review: The Skeleton Twins

The Skeleton Twins. Maggie (Kristen Wiig) and Milo (Bill Hader) are twins. They’re known as the Skeleton Twins, driven by the fact that their father gave them toy skeletons when they were young. As the movie starts, they haven’t talked to each other in ten years. What brings them together is a hospital call. Milo has just attempted suicide in California. Maggie flies in from New York to be with her brother. She, in fact, was considering suicide when the call arrived. We also later learn that their father jumped off a bridge. There are some serious mental health issues within this family.

The complexities of this family just grow throughout the movie. We learn that Maggie and her husband, Lance (Luke Wilson), are attempted to have a baby. Well, only one of them is attempting to have a baby. The other, Maggie, is lying about this desire and is taking birth control pills. Meanwhile, Milo attempts to hook up with a former lover, Rich (Ty Burrell), who was his high school teacher at the time.

This movie feels like the comedic take on “August: Osage County.” Perhaps the big fail is that we don’t get to see Academy Award winning actresses going one on one. Add in a wacky mother, Judy (Joanna Gleason), and maybe this movie goes beyond “August: Osage County.” Luckily, we don’t have any incest going on in this movie.

Okay, sorry if it isn’t obvious, I’m not a fan of “The Skeleton Twins.” Yes, the acting is great. Yes, you do get drawn into the movie. My one minor problem with the movie throughout: you have Maggie trying to heal a mentally ill Milo while we all know that she’s just as mentally ill. My one major problem with the movie: the ending. You get this American feel good ending. Hey, I love the American feel good ending, but there is no way these two have even come close to solving their problems as the movie comes to an end and there is no way they deserve the American feel good ending.

Restaurant Review: Dharma in Capitola, CA

Dharma.  When I hear the word Dharma, I think Lost.

Anyways, as can be seen via my blog, I am not around Los Angeles all that much at the moment.  I am off in Santa Cruz.

Dharma Restaurant is actually in Capitola, which is just south of Santa Cruz.  I've gone to Dharma twice.

I have to say I am not overly impressed.  Once, I got the Mexican Saute.  The next time I went with the Bo Thai.  Neither time did I leave impressed.  I'm not saying it is awful.  I don't believe that if you go to Dharma that you'll find yourself upset that you spent your money there.  I just don't think you'll be giving this place a 4 or 5 star ranking though you will walk away with the sense that you've consumed your daily protein and vitamin needs.

Note:  There are no waiters.  You order at the counter and your name is called when the meal is ready.  You are also expected to put up your own dishes, silverware, cups and such after you've finished.  So in a sense it is like your college cafeteria.

I am still in Santa Cruz for another month or so.  Will I be going back?  Maybe once more to give it another try and see if my opinion has changed.

2014 Archive Photos: Misun (Bootleg HiFi)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

Misun.

2014 Archive Photos: The Cold and Lovely (The Satellite)

Well, as luck will have it, I'm heading out of Los Angeles for awhile due to work so I'll be going through some archival photos for awhile.

The Cold and Lovely.

Flashlights at The Crepe Place (Santa Cruz)

Flashlights.  I only caught the last couple songs.  As usually happens when I show up in the middle of a set, I ended up thinking:  I wish I had caught the whole set.  What can I say about the band:  high energy and fun.