Monthly Archives: May 2015

Growing Up or: Silent Sunday

31 Sunday May 2015

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Salutations™!!

The Less Desirables Tech Guru, the Right Click, turned 30 this past week. Yesterday, we had the party. It was fun and The BCPF got a bit tipsy! Always a fun night. Happy solar circumnavigational anniversary day, Right Click!

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Right Click (3rd Male from the Left)

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.” – Charles R. Swindoll

The Addams Family or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

30 Saturday May 2015

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Salutations™!!

The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, brought to you by a/perture Cinema, is The Addams Family starring the awesome Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd and Anjelica Huston. It came out in 1991 and was based on the television series of the same name from the 1960s.

The IMDb description is: “Con artists plan to fleece the eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long lost Uncle Fester.” So, this shyster known as the-addams-family-movie-poster-3659Abigail Craven, under the guise of Dr. Greta Pinder-Schloss claims to have found Fester (who was really her son Gordon) who’s been missing for 25 years, after he washed up on shore having gotten lost in the Bermuda Triangle. The attorney for Gomez set the whole thing up, basically betraying Gomez because he hated working for the Family.

They are bent on obtaining the treasure hidden in the Addams Family vault. So with Gomez enthralled with the fact that his brother has returned, the rest of the family starts growing suspicious because Fester doesn’t seem to remember major incidents that have taken place in the brothers’ lives as young boys. Dr. Pinder-Schloss convinces Gomez that this is because of the memory loss, trauma and displacement. Attempts to get to the vault continuously ends up with someone being put out of the house by one perilous avenue or another.  The end is what you’d expect, with some extra “Ha!” thrown in as an homage to the original show.

Was the film campy? Of course it was. Was the original show campy? Of course it was. Camp can be fun. In fact this was fun. It was cheesy and wonderfully so. There’s also the line that I use often when approached by Girl Scouts as to whether I want to buy their cookies or not: “Are they made from real girl scouts?” Ah, Christina Ricci, you grew into a fine woman. The recently departed Elizabeth Wilson (who died at age 94) played Dr. Pinder-Schloss/Abigail Craven and she was great in the role.

Overall, I thought the film was fun and worth a watch. Raul Julia was a fantastic actor and a tremendous loss to film watchers everywhere when he died in 1994 just 3 years after this film and a year after its sequel, Addams Family Values.

The film stands at 60% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a user score of 66%. The critics score had the critique of: “The movie is peppered with amusing sight gags and one-liners, but the disjointed script doesn’t cohere into a successful whole.” I see that but also I feel that the fun of the film overshadows its shortcomings.  Is it great? No. It’s fun. I watched it on Netflix and rated it 3.5 stars.

Have you seen the film? Do you agree with me? Disagree? Want to throw tomatoes at me? Well send me a message, here, on Twitter, on The Less Desirables Facebook or Twitter and let me know. Also, what do you think would be a good film for me to review? Hit me up and let me know.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Last night you were unhinged. You were like some desperate, howling demon. You frightened me. Do it again!”– Morticia (Anjelica Huston)

Talk From the Top of the Knoll or: Controversy Breeds Conversation

29 Friday May 2015

Posted by in Blogging, Life as We Know It, Rant

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Salutations™!!

It seems that my post from yesterday has drawn some attention. I like attention and I’m glad that I could be part of the discussion of what is going on here in Downtown WSNC. I do want, however, to clear a few things up; perhaps I wasn’t clearer than mud.

I’m not against this project, Artivity on the Green, being here. I stated yesterday and I will, again, state today that I support AFAS, Harry, Julie, what they stand for, what they do, how they do it and so on. I was merely stating that I didn’t like what went here. As a viewer of as much art as I can get my eyes on (The BCPF and I love museums and the like), this, to me, is an eyesore. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good piece of art. After all, isn’t art supposed to be about expression? To provoke thought; balance and counter-balance? Isn’t it supposed to elicit feelings such as love, fear, disdain, wonder, confusion? If so, then this is a wonderful thing. It has us all talking about it, whether we love it, hate it, couldn’t care less about it, right? We’re talking, regardless.

switchdesignshop

Photo©Switch Design Shop

Also, I didn’t want that to be the location of a parking lot. I do want more parking in the town and there has to be a give and take on some space. Someone once, on The Less Desirables, said that people will go to the mall when it’s busy, park in one of the outlying parking spaces and walk a good while to the mall doors, why are they scared to park at a location and go to things in the area downtown? It’s a psychological thing. That may be true, but they don’t have to park far away, worry about getting to said location by going through some parts of the city that, as of yet, hasn’t been “cleaned up,” yet and be accosted by the panhandlers. That’s a rant for another day, though. ANYWHAT! Downtown is different that parking at the mall. I don’t mind the walk, heck we did it for two hours yesterday. But, the mall has handicap parking. Some people aren’t able to make those treks but should still have the same availability to the same shops and restaurants, right? There’s parking at Traders Row (beside Mast General) but no one knows where it is, think it’s just for the residents or think that’s too far away.

There are a few decks downtown but many of the charge. I know the one I park in does and I pay monthly. So, since I’ve already paid, I walk about downtown sometimes and other times I try to get close to where I am. Really, I try to think where or what I’ll end up doing and how will I feel about walking back to my car? If I’m going to have a few drinks, perhaps I don’t want to walk by the Bus Depot and the beggars if I’ve not my wits about me, fully. Again, for this exact location, a parking lot was there and this is a better concept, even if I feel this particular installation is not of my liking.

So, by all means, go to Artivity on the Green, have a good time, enjoy it, revel in it. Be glad that we have the people, specifically AFAS, to bring us things like this. I just hope something else comes eventually. And thank you to all that have conversed with me about this. I welcome everyone’s opinions about this and any subjects. Ask me a quesion or whatever, just communicate with each other. We don’t do enough of that.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.” – Margaret Hefferman

A Stroll About Town or: Disappointment on the Green

28 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Rant

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Salutations™!!

After picking up 3B from school, we decided (or I decided for him since he’s grounded) to do something different. We parked at the parking deck for the studio, grabbed a quick bite to eat and set off on a walking adventure about the city.

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Artivity on the Green

We walked down Fourth Street to Liberty Street down to the new Artivity Park. From there we walked Trade Street to Mast General Store. I wanted to see 3B’s face when he saw the candy aisle. He stood mouth agape. It was pleasing to see. Then we walked down to the new Innovation Quarter to the also new Bailey Park. That was beautiful and a wonderful use of space that otherwise may not have a lot of use.

We then walked by Reanimator Records around Krankie’s and then back to Fourth. We walked back up to the Chatham Bldg and to our car. All in all it was a great stroll and gave us about 2 hours of father/son time. Now I do have one thing that I feel was a bit annoying. I will explain:

in the past there was a patch of empty space, that while somewhat useless for the big picture, it served as a good parking space in the already depleted Arts District for events such as Friday Gallery Hop, Summer on Trade, the various Sunday fests that AFAS puts on around Trade. It held upwards of 35-50 cars, if the people parked smartly. A little while back it closed up behind a fence and I noticed some weird spiky things appeared. Then more and more stuff like that showed up there, behind the fence. Well, it turned out to be this new Artivity on the Green thing.

Now, as my friend JL said, art is subjective. This is true; it is subjective to my opinions. Some people like this installation. I, on the other hand, find it an eyesore. It’s unattractive. I also find it to be waste of space, money and resources. It makes no sense, other than a lot of red spikes (that my or may not do something with water), some protrusions from the ground, a white curvy thing that appears to be more for seating than anything and red lines that encircle or touch several of the buildings around the area. I know they’re encouraging buskers (which I agree with), and will redo the mural every so often. I can get behind that. Like I’ve said, i can get behind the art, I just feel there are better things to do with that space. I really dig and support AFAS – Harry, Julie and all those involved – but I view this as awful.

Don’t read this as disrespect, because I do respect it. And, the capitalist in me knows that AFAS owns the space and well, we’ll just have to live with what they put in, ugly, ridiculous or not. Just a disappointment to me.  I am, however, open to having my mind changed. I welcome it. I want to like it, I just don’t. Maybe I need to get Harry and Julie on The Less Desirables to talk about it and convince me otherwise.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.” Agnes Martin

Celis or: The Less Desirables Beer of the Week

27 Wednesday May 2015

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Salutations™!!

City Beverage presents this week’s The Less Desirables Beer of the Week, Celis Belgian Style Witbier. I’m a fan of Hoegaarden, and if you are as well, then this story may be of interest to you.

Pierre Celis (who died in 2011) was a milkman who lived outside of a town just outside of Brussels called, you guessed it, Hoegaarden. He wanted to bring back the near defunct style of Belgian witbier (or white beer) that was sadly missed in the area. He started Hoegaarden at his family farm. Unfortunately, the brewery burned down, but Celisnot before it gained some attention. He sold the brand to Interbrew. That’s now known as the beer empire InBev and they revived that brand and went international with it. Again, I won’t talk badly about InBev, just it’s AB division, that continues to cause me nausea.

Anywhat! Celis somehow found his way to Austin, Texas, of all places and started up Celis Brewery and it, again, did okay numbers, getting the attention of another World Power in beer, Miller. So Miller buys him out and then sells off the assets to Michigan Brewing Company and then the brewery basically nosedives and they close it, along with liquidating all the other MBC stuff.  This was in 2012.  At an auction a company by the name of Craftbev International purchased the assets and said they had been waiting for the purchase as they were already working with the Celis family, namely Pierre’s daughter, Christine. And they moved the production back to Austin and with the facilities that were still in place from the previous stint in that town. So this is the fruits of that labor of love. We’ll see how it turns out.

You, too, can see how this beer is by going to City Bev and grabbing some. Spencer told me about the Celis story whilst I was standing there getting mine. You can find City Bev at 915 Burke St in WSNC. Listen tonight (or tomorrow) to see how Eug, Tim Buckley (our Official Guest for the evening) and I liked it.  Let us know by sending a note via the TLD Twitter or Facebook pages.  Have a sip!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“World renowned Celis Beer can be found in the hands of discerning consumers, carrying on the proud witbier tradition of the Hoegaarden region. The Celis story continues to inspire new generations of brewers and beer enthusiasts.” – Carton of the Celis sixer.

Finger Lickin’ Good or: The Tuesday That Almost Got Awaypo

26 Tuesday May 2015

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Salutations™!!

Nikki has been out of town and by out of town I mean “out west” in New Mexico. I don’t really know what she’s doing but she’s out there eating good food! So that being said, tonight on Tart & Tangy Triad, The BCPF and I had to go it solo. Well, that can’t be right. We went duo? Yeah, that’s better.

One thing we talked about was the weirdness that is going on downtown. What is that weirdness? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out. Let’s say that it involves a new BBQ joint (complete with video games), the perpetual enigma known as Millennium Artisan restaurant and the Ever-Lasting-Gobstopper-Saga of “Souphab on Fourth.” But, that’s not all!!

In addition we talk about the new Colonel Sanders played by Darrell Hammond. Again, logoyou’ll have to listen to hear what it is we talk about but you really should go look at this hilarious website dedicated to The Colonel (Sanders, not Angus) and feel free to laugh out loud.  Okay, maybe hilarious is a stretch but ’tis cute and clever and I think it would be worth your ten minutes.

With Nikki gone, The BCPF and I finished the show in just shy of 50 minutes. Usually, we’d be over an hour or so, although sometimes we pull it in, sometimes. Sometimes. That’s not Nikki’s fault, so don’t hear that wrong. When The BCPF isn’t there, then Nikki and I pull it off that way as well. It’s when there are three of us, there are three points-of-view, three opinions and three minds talking about the subjects. It’s what makes us special. So go give this week’s webisode of Tart & Tangy Triad a listen and drop us a line about what you think of The Colonel (either one).  You can hear it on the website, iTunes, Stitcher, Blubrry, anywhere you listen to podcasts. Also, watch the “Appetizer” video on YouTube every Friday.

So until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I was born in 1890 in Henryville, Indiana and my life just got crazier from there.” – “Colonel Harlan Sanders” from the ColonelSanders.com website.

More Than Just a Day or: Thanks a Million

25 Monday May 2015

Posted by in Life as We Know It

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Salutations™!!

Memorial Day. A day to remember those who died serving and protecting our country. I love the time off but I’m bothered by the thought of Memorial Day. Not really bothered, but perplexed why we should have a day for it. Same goes for Veterans’ Day, Black History Month, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.

Sure, I celebrate all of them. But, why do we need a day for that? Black History Month. Why do we have that? Now, before you get on some “hey! you racist” kind

Photo© TruckVault.com

Photo© TruckVault.com

of things, hear me out. I think we should celebrate the history of all people, and not just in a month. And, if you’re going to give it a month, why February? Because it’s the shortest month?  That’s stupid. Black, white, brown, purple, I don’t care care. Important people and accomplishments should be celebrated every day of the year, not just on certain days or certain months.

This brings me back to Memorial Day. Those who died, and continue to die, to let me write and say what I want in this blog, on my podcasts, vidcasts, on the streets, from the rooftops, thank you every day, not just today. Thank you veterans for what do you do to keep us safe. Thank you mothers, fathers, black people, white people, Asian people, Latinos and Latinas, Christians, Muslims, Hindi, Buddhists, gay, straight, bi, transgendered, questioning, Conservatives, Libertarians, Liberals and any other people that I may have left out, thank you all for making life what it is, how it is, who we are and worth being here. You’re all awesome, no matter what. Live life. Be happy.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.” – Jeff Miller

Silent Sunday or: Crash Into Me

24 Sunday May 2015

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Salutations™!!

I just witnessed the most spectacular live, in-car, auto crash in a race I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen crashes but this was just amazing. The only time I ever care about racing is watching Monte Carlo. Part of it is the cars and rules are fantastic, part of it is the scenery. The BCPF and I both want to go to Monte Carlo and Monaco, really, really badly.

Also, there was a leader that had up to a 20 second lead make a mistake (or his team did) and end up in third. The young man who had the crash is only 17 years old! He’s the youngest person to ever start and score in a F1 race. This is great stuff. I got the action on video and decided to share it with you. Happy Sunday on this long, holiday weekend.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I’m okay.” – Max Verstappen

Jack & Diane or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

23 Saturday May 2015

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Salutations™!!

The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, brought to you by a/perture Cinema, was 2012’s Jack & Diane. This is not to be confused with the classic song by John Cougar Mellencamp. The song was great. The film… well it was made.

I can’t really even tell you why I watched this film and afterwards I can’t tell you that it was good. IMDb‘s synopsis is as follows: “Diane’s feelings for Jack — the girl she met over the summer — begin to manifest themselves in terrifying ways when she learns that her friend will soon be moving away.”  It’s also considered a romantic horror film. It stars Juno Temple as Diane and Karen and Riley Keough as Jack.  Juno Temple has been in a lot of bit parts including The Dark Knight. Never heard of Riley Keough? Perhaps you’ve heard of her grandfather. He sometimes is/was known as the King of Rock & Roll. Yes, this is Elvis’ granddaughter. I’d never had known that from this film but all pictures I see of her, she looks just like Lisa Marie.  She’s kind of butched out in this film, though.

So Diane is wandering about looking for her twin sister, Karen, and can’t get her onJack_&_Diane_(film_poster) the cellphone so she ducks into a store asking to use their phone. She seems a bit disheveled but that doesn’t stop Jack (short for Jacqueline, maybe?), who works at said store, from becoming taken by her. Diane, too, suffers from chronic nosebleeds and when she has one of those weird things happen. You see, she turns into some weird monster. That comes into play later.  Oh yeah, Jack gets hit by a car, not critically, just scuffed a bit.

Diane lives with her aunt Linda who tries to constantly mother Diane and Diane doesn’t stand for it. They argue a lot. Linda seems not-to-thrilled to be taking care of Diane.  Diane shows up at Jack’s house and the girls bond. Jack goes to Diane’s house and they argue. Linda comes home and upon Jack being a disrespectful little bitty to her, informs her that Diane will be leaving to go to school in France. This sets Jack off, thus the argument. Jack just leaves sending Diane off the deep end. Jack gets weird phone calls from Diane but it isn’t Diane (but is it Karen?).

Jack gets annoyed when Diane hangs out with Jack’s friend, Chris. Diane leaves when Jack gets upset. Later, Chris finds a video online of Diane’s twin sister, Karen, getting raped. This makes Jack feel bad and she reconciles with Diane. They spend several days together and then one night whilst sleeping Diane has a dream she turns into her nosebleed monster and eats Jack’s heart. As she wakes up, she realizes that Jack’s nose is bleeding.  The days wind down to when Diane leaves and really, I can’t find anything of consequence that happened after that.

I don’t know what the point of this film was. I kept watching hoping something would happen, as it was supposed to be a “horror” film. I know that I should have given it the Eugene treatment and pulled an “E20” or exit after 20 minutes of dissatisfaction. Rotten Tomatoes rates it at 13% fresh and 21% user rating. I think that’s generous. It made a whopping $1,142 at the box office.

I think the monster is supposed to be the anxiety and slight neurosis that Diane has about moving. Why do we hear from her sister but not see her? Or do we? I don’t know. I couldn’t follow the film without answering emails or otherwise. I think it was more of “it’s gotta get better” or “where is this going?” I watched this on Netflix and I am actually abstaining from rating it. It’s worse than The Birds and if I’m going below 1.5 then I don’t need to even try to entice you to watch it. There are plenty of quality films on Netflix to watch, pick one, almost anything and stay clear of this one. It was written and directed by Bradley Rust Gray.

Have you seen it? Do you agree with me? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts and send me suggestions for future MotW!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I more than like you. I just wanna like unzip my body and put you in there.” – Jack (Riley Keough), Jack & Diane

Will the Real Lorelai Please Stand Up or: Back to the Clearly Original

22 Friday May 2015

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Salutations™!!

Oh, Dear Reader, today has seen a plethora of good news coming across my news feeds, timelines, etc. I am one happy fat boy today! Have I mentioned it’s a good day?

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Photo©Glamour.com

For starters, Scott Patterson, who played Luke Danes on the iconic program, Gilmore Girls stated that there is most likely a GG reunion of some sort going to happen. The BCPF and I spent many a weekend binging on Lorelai, Rory, Sookie, Emily, Richard, Lane, Zack, Dean, Jess, Logan, Paris, Michel, Jason, Kirk, Jackson, Babette, Morey, Ms. Patty, Taylor, Liz, TJ, Marty, Gil, Brian, Doyle, Christopher (unfortunately), Anna and April (I know I’m leaving some off).  I was weary that I was wading into the sludge of estrogen at first but oh no! I love me some GG and I don’t care who knows! I do find it hard to fathom anything without Richard (played by the recently departed Ed Herrmann) and Jared Padalecki (who played Dean) is having a bout with depression, let’s hope something picks up for that kid, don’t want to see him do anything bad (á la Robin Williams). But, if there is going to be a reunion, I’m all in on that one! Again, I LOVE that show.

Next, came the news that two of my absolute favorite concoctions from the late ’80s/early ’90s are making comebacks! “What is this,” you ask? Well, that would be Clearly Canadian and Original New York Seltzer. I worked at Food Lion, first as a bagger then as a cashier/bagger when I was 17 and 18. They sold the ONYS and I would buy a sixer every week and take them home and drink them. They came in little stubby glass Original_New_York_Seltzer=_6_flavorsbottles with a Styrofoam label. Pop the cap and drink up. Was it really seltzer water? Eh… Who cares? It’s not like drinking Sprite or 7Up, but it’s not entirely unlike drinking them.  Whilst Sprite and 7Up are lemon-lime soft drinks, they really don’t taste like fruit as much as they taste like “Sprite” and “7Up” flavor. I know that’s silly but they taste as we’ve come to know them. To me they are Sprite Flavored. No infringement is intended, there. ONYS came in Black Cherry, Raspberry, Peach, Root Beer, Vanilla Cream, Strawberry, Lemon & Lime, Orange, Blueberry, and Cola & Berry flavors. The renewed flavors will be Black Cherry, Peach, Vanilla Cream, Raspberry, Lemon-Lime and Root Beer. They just disappeared and I didn’t know what happened to them.

Clearly Canadian was a soft drink that used Canadian spring water and natural flavors and then was introduced with raw cane sugar or HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup). I hope the new ones use real sugar and not HFCS. They came in teardrop shaped bottles and featured flavors such as: Wild Cherry, Mountain Blackberry, Country Raspberry, Orchard Peach and Western Loganberry. There were others but these are the ones I remember. They absorbed a bunch of other companies, mostly beverages, and then also, just faded away. I took them with me when I was driving a dump truck for my family’s company and kept them in a cooler; drank them all day long.

So, fast forward to now. Cult status for the both of them, along with aggressive crowdfunding campaigns, they are resurfacing. They’re not related in any way but I find it funny that they’re both making comebacks at the same time. I was more into the ONYS than CC but I liked both. I am excited to have many of them again. I don’t know when they’re coming to our area but I know that ONYS can be purchased online, now. I may see if I can get The BCPF’s permission to order some. Yes, I said that and I’m not ashamed.  I can dream of watching Gilmore Girls whilst clinking glass bottles of Clearly Canadian and Original New York Seltzer together, and that’s what I’m doing!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Who could not like being kissed by a Gilmore girl?” – Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe)