Holy everything that is holy.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Producing 'The Sandman,' May Star and Direct

OMG.

I can totally get behind JGL starring, though both Trevor and I think my boyfriend would make an even more excellent Dream.

Now, how do we cast the rest of The Endless?

Tilda Swinton as Desire. TRUST.
Bearded Eric Northman as Destruction?
Carey Mulligan as Delirium?

??????????????

I guess I'm not the only one who is so over it.



















Word. Kathryn Janeway? Best. Captain. EVER.

I think it goes without saying, but I don't want anyone cursing my existence, so *spoilers*

I don't usually go for semi-blondes, or super bros for that matter, but dammit Tom Hardy has been gunning as a contender for my man harem.

He was teh sex in Inception, will be Bane in the next installation of Batman (squee!), and will redefine Mad Max so the franchise is no longer fronted in our minds by a creepy misogynist racist (and he will look positively swoon-worthy kicking ass in leather). But I have high standards -- you cannot take a place in my imaginary tent in the desert alongside men like Jon Stewart simply because you ooze teh sexy.

And so the harem was to stay static. Until...

This article, where he's interviewed by Vincent Cassel about SLAPPING Paul Bettany on set (as to not mar his face -- a gentleman and consummate professional, this one) for talking mad shit about him.

Pretty much clinches it, non?

Heads up holiday travelers...














...or anyone who is frustrated with what seems like ineffectual airport security screenings, or concerned with intrusions on their privacy.

Do I Have The Right To Refuse This Search?

I believe what we have here is the beginning of the end of complacency. It is now apparent to me that in the haste to ensure compliance with procedures that are inconsistent if not inarticulable, TSA has hastened the likelihood of failure. If we do not insist that TSA work to create articulable policies that make sense, procedures that are explicit and consistent and training that supports both, then we are complicit in what will inevitably be an ultimate compromise of TSA.

By virtue of even minimal experience with TSA screenings, that's something that I think most every traveler suspects, but this former Assistant Police Chief's personal experience with the clear lack of training -- as well as incompetence and lassitude around supervisory chain of responsibility -- when it comes to the actual screening of potential terrorist threats is absolutely, well, terrifying.

That compromise may come in the form of terrorist attack, or it may come in the form of a collapse of public support. Either or both are inevitable. Either or both are preventable.

Safe travels, keep your eyes open, and remember that the airport is not a Constitution-free zone!

I'm on a high of goodness:

Miami Banker Gives Out $60 Million in Bonuses

This actually brought tears to my eyes. This man worked hard and seemed to make good decisions his whole life. He treated his employees well, and they were loyal (57 years!) and in turn most likely were part of the reason for his success. Talk about giving back! It feels good to know that there are still people like this in the world, a true role model.

This is the type of person I wish to emulate, even on my own meager economic level. Meager means most of my giving back is along the lines of sweat equity, tipping well, sharing a bottle, or buying someone dinner. But even these little things can make a difference in someone's day.

I've posted links to Operation Nice before, but I think it's time to do so again. We can't all give someone we appreciate $50K, but there are plenty of easy ways to give back to those who deserve it -- and maybe every now and then to folks who might just need it. And you might just get some good juju yourself in the process.

This pic of the phenomenal Helen Mirren has been flying all over the internets, and I am going to be the 5 millionth woman to say that I hope I look half as good as she does when I'm 50, much less when I'm 63.

She's without makeup, vibrant, voluptuous -- she's gorgeous! And I love that it looks like she hasn't had any work done. But it's also important to note, for fairness' sake, that she's had no children. In fact, she's said she "[has] no maternal instinct whatsoever." You go girl! Women like this can start a revolution.

Helen Mirren is the embodiment of what I hope for in my golden years.

Can't wait for The Last Station, where she plays Leo Tolstoy's wife, Sofya, alongside Paul Giamatti, Christopher Plummer, Anne-Marie Duff, and James McAvoy.

As my friends and I are celebrating the confirmation of Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, here is a very good essay on How Hillary Clinton Lost Me -- and a Generation of Young Voters.

Funny and sad how it was Obama in his own nomination speech who praised Clinton with the very things she should have been campaigning on.

Also, speaking of politics, check out Ballotpedia. I was super impressed with not only the coverage of what's happening in U S of A state-to-state politics, but the sections on particular states -- with articles on the history of propositions and the like, as well as up to the minute news on what has been approved for the upcoming ballots.

California Hub at Ballotpedia.

Yay for strawberry season!


















Strawberry shortcake from one of the best things about our neighborhood, Bakesale Betty's.

Oh man, I have to watch myself around that place or I'll become 500 pounds. Today I treated myself to HALF a fried chicken sandwich -- the sex of food.













^^ Betty (Alison) and her legendary sandwich

Bakesale Betty's Fried Chicken Sandwich
Serves 4

You'll have some breading left over, even after dipping twice. This makes a hefty sandwich in all regards - you'll need two hands to eat it.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
Kosher salt to taste
1 quart buttermilk

The vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

The coleslaw

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 jalapenos, seeded, cut in half and sliced crosswise
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 green cabbage, core and outer leaves removed, and very thinly sliced
Kosher salt

The breading

1 pound all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt + more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
4 Acme Bakery torpedo rolls, sliced lengthwise

Instructions: Season chicken breasts with kosher salt. Let sit at least 5 minutes. Fill a wide, shallow nonreactive bowl or casserole dish with buttermilk. Add the chicken and soak in the refrigerator for 1 hour up to overnight.

For the vinaigrette: Combine mustard, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well blended.

For the coleslaw: Macerate onions in red wine vinegar, and let sit at least 20 minutes. Remove onions and discard vinegar. Toss onions with jalapeno, parsley, cabbage and salt. Toss with vinaigrette until evenly coated.

To fry chicken: Pour vegetable oil into a large stockpot. Do not fill up more than halfway, or the oil could splatter. Bring oil up to 365°, using a digital thermometer/candy thermometer to monitor the heat. Prepare the the breading while waiting for oil to heat up.

In a wide shallow bowl, mix flour, cayenne, salt and pepper. Pull a chicken breast out of the buttermilk one by one, letting excess drip off, and dredge completely in flour. To create a thick crust, place in buttermilk and dredge in flour a second time. Do not drain or shake off excess buttermilk or flour during the breading process.

When the oil is at 365°, carefully place chicken pieces into oil one by one. Let it cook for a minute before disturbing chicken, then help it "swim" in the oil with tongs, until it is evenly cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from oil and drain on paper towels. Season immediately with salt.

For the sandwich: Place fried chicken breast on bottom of torpedo roll and top generously with coleslaw.

I've deliberately omitted the calories and fat content, but if interested, you can find them here. Trust me though: you'll be much happier NOT clicking that link. Just enjoy the truth in the chicken sandwich of the gods.

I'm sure many have noticed (ha, how I flatter myself) how I have been ducking the issue of who to endorse for US President in this blog. That's because I had thought I was having a hard time with this upcoming election.

A little background: I turned 18, registered as a Democrat, and began voting around the Persian Gulf War. I re-registered under the Green Party years ago for many reasons -- mainly because I support their platform around social and environmental justice, but almost equally because I think the Democrats have lost their progressive way.

Don't get me wrong, though. If we begin with the establishment bleh of Al Gore and John Kerry, I can say I am regularly in awe of how far the United States has come Democratic candidate-wise during the cold and dark grip of 8 years of Bush/Cheney. I've been reading voraciously about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- a black man and a woman! Both of whom have credible chances of effectively leading the most powerful country in the world (for now). But funny that therein was part of my so-called difficulty.

As much as I would like a woman or black president for the US, it seems unconscionable to me to vote for a candidate based solely on gender or race. But then, here's this article from the Economist last month about how the rest of the world would see the election of a black man or a woman to the American presidency as an act of atonement.

It is striking that many Europeans skate over the political views of Mrs Clinton and Mr Obama and instead treat their fight as a simple Rorschach test of the health of the American dream.

So, yes, unconscionable or not, it's the truth of our human struggle and the reality of global relations. I suppose it's a good thing it's these two running and not catch-all Condi!

But who are they beyond color, gender, liberal soundbites? Obama is young, and -- relative to Clinton -- politically green, but also educated and motivated, and a long-time progressive activist. He's also a born-again who seems to take Thomas Jefferson's separation of church and state to heart. Clinton is more establishment, but she's also a social liberal, and has got the political know-how and experience in Washington as well as internationally.

As someone with a distrust of the old boy network, and with a perpetual optimism that grassroots can always kiss it and make it better, I definitely leaned toward Obama from the beginning. But nagging me was the stark reality that no matter how much political idealism one has, one must remember that cronyism is the way the political game works. Detested as she is by the far right, Hillary has connections in spades, and she's a hell of a lot better than the Republican alternatives. But something still just wasn't right for me with Hillary.

Yesterday, I read a simple and short article by Christopher Hayes in the current issue of The Nation about the fundamental difference between Obama and Clinton. My answer was there all along, but I needed a look at it laid out plain for me to realize it: it really comes down to Clinton's foolish, rash, and cowardly initial 2002 vote authorizing the use of preemptive force against Iraq vs. the unpopular vocalization against it by Obama (joining the brave and consistent anti-war stance of my own US Representative, the admirable Barbara Lee). Another truth: After the catastrophe of the last 8 years, America -- and the rest of the world, for that matter -- needs an American president who will lead us with a voting history of consistent integrity around the health and well-being of our global community. Therein lies the promise of real progressive change that can conceivably translate into reality. So the answer is Barack Obama. And it seems I'm not the only one who thinks so.

It is true that I will support Hillary if she is the candidate who is chosen to lead the Democratic charge -- it is imperative to oust the greater of the two evils if we're to salvage any shred of dignity we have as a nation and contribute to global affairs in any constructive way. But a Democratic ticket with Barack Obama as president, now that would make me proud to vote Democrat again.

I can't believe it, but I think I may be even more awesome than I assert in the previous post, only on a different awesomeness meter. More Domestic Duties than Diamond Dave. Today the man and I:

*slept in
*made French toast and Denver scramble
*took a long walk in the sunshine
*found a beautiful but functional new-with-tags professional jacket at a yard sale for Yesterday's Ester, who just finished grad school (yay!)
*bought groceries at the lovely new Trader Joe's in Rockridge, as well as the fifth and sixth circles of hell (and we didn't wish death upon anyone!)
*finished Christmas shopping (pat us on the back, almost all local) and making some sweet homemade gifties
*did laundry
*called our mothers
*cooked dinner (okay, the soup was canned...)
*went to TWO parties on different sides of the Bay, mingled, and drank champagne, AND...
*got home by 11:30 pm

Oh my god, we RULE!

Molded by RAWK!










































(click on pic to embiggen, and find out where you fall on the DLR Awesomeness Meter, yo!)

For the record, my first concert was on August 16, 1988 at the Cal Expo Amphitheatre (thank you, internets!).









I was newly 14, and I held my own amongst a bunch of mulleted dudes a mere 100 or so feet from the stage. Joe Elliott wore the same outfit he wears here. It was a week before my freshman year in high school, and I wore the concert tee the first day of school.

So yeah, I think I can safely say I fall solidly in the 101-200 range.

BTW, check out the Hysteria World Tour at Wikipedia. Def Leppard were on tour for a solid 16 months! And even though I was at a tail-end show, they rocked. After discovering this I must say I never want to hear any bands play uninspired shows at their last stops nor whine about touring exhaustion after 30 shows over 2-3 months ever again. The bar has been set!

Whoa. A bar in my world has been set by Def Leppard. Just making a note of where I'm at.