Getting My Flanders On, Part 2: The Pantry

I have several friends gallivanting around France, Italy, Spain, the UK...  And what did I do this week?  Well, among other exciting things, I organised my pantry.  (In the breaks between drooling over their travel/food photos.  You know who you are).  This - the pantry - had been on my To Do list for a few weeks, after an Incident that left the herbs and spices in total disarray.  I knew where the breakfast spices were, but aside from that, mayhem.  And I have been aware for some time that the fruit and nut area was catastrophic.  Usable, in the kind of "I need almonds... I know they're there... Yep, found 'em" type of way, but far from organised, and hiding some items that had been put there and forgotten and then superseded in importance.  I am also aware that the pantry is one area I feel needs to be ordered, and I was quite logical before, but that is possibly a bit too obscure.  When I say, for example, that the sugar goes in the sugar area, I think it's quite obvious from the other sugars in that area.  But not everyone sees that, and admittedly, dried fruit has a high natural sugar content, and chocolate is ... sweet...  Anyway, I organised and cleared out and cleaned my pantry.  And then I stuck little labels on the shelves.  A la Ned Flanders (explained here, if you need it).

I am being brave and showing the mess that was.  You probably can't grasp the UnOrder of the herbs and spices.  Trust me on this.

Ahhhh.....

And in other kitchen news, I bought new bowls for breakfast.  And soup.  And risotto. 

The top one is my favourite.

Movie #34 - Star Wars Episode VI

Again, not anywhere 3 years after watching Episode V, I was able to watch Episode VI.  Lucky me!  In fact, straight after watching Episode V we started on Episode VI... But not the whole thing.  It turned out we watched maybe a third of it though.  For the proper showing of Episode VI I asked to go back to the start of the movie - my brain works better with completes.  Like the other two, I'm assuming everyone reading has either seen it, or has a really good idea of what happens.  So, some points:

The big 'reveal' stunned me.  Simpsons, you have failed me!  I had no idea about the familial relationship (no, I'm not going to give it away for any 'under-the-rock' people like myself).  My jaw dropped.  Of course it makes sense, but still!  Plus, getting to meet more well-known characters (while saying goodbye to some) helped the Star Wars experience feel more complete. 

The music was, again, fabulous.  This time as we watched we were pointing out sources, which included Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev and Stravinsky.  Excellent stuff.  (Yes, I like the Russians).

I do like the variety of settings.  So few movies these days involve such scope, tending to sit in one city, or a city and countryside.  None of this multiple planets thing.  From a reviewer's point of view, this makes it a little more awkward in remembering just how we got from one planet to the next.  Yes, I was trying to be more sociable in these viewings, not pausing the movie to write down any notes. 

The whole Jabba bit had me giggling.  And a bit horrified, but mostly giggling.  Jabba is such a cliche of a pimp!  Big and lazy and overtly wealthy and powerful.  Minions who are well-trained and willing to do his bidding.  Constantly shifting boundaries - what he wants, what is acceptable, how much he will allow.  And, of course, the stereotype of having a sex slave.  This is when I finally realised why all these boys are so in love with Princess Leia.  At first I thought it must be because of her apparent absence of any undergarments (in Episode IV).  But the harem/bikini thing certainly cleared up that little mystery.   And, I guess, as she's practically the only female and quite gorgeous and willing to do her bit, that would help too. 

Princess Leia's hair is stunning.  This has been quite a theme - and one that started long before I ever saw a Star Wars movie.  If the plot ever tires, I start working out just how those hairstyles are done.  It's not as complicated in this episode, but the first 2...  I admit - this is partly from a long-standing fascination with hairstyles on my part, and partly from my rocking the Princess Leia/German milkmaid look as a 5-yr-old.  I remember tantrums... (Sorry mum.  You did a great job!).

Again, it's fun spotting all the sources of future popular culture references.  This one was huge though!  Such a big portion of it was practically The Incredibles.  Love it.  A few others were apparent, too, but that was so, so obvious.  It's like The Incredibles have wondered, "What's a great adventure movie" and come up with this one.  They haven't even tried to be discreet - similar uniforms for the guards, the entrance to the place, the forest, the ride through the trees (so exciting!) - it's all there! 

I have a feeling the next I'll see is Episode II.  I've seen a review (very entertaining!) of Episode I, and it doesn't inspire me.  So I'll be doing 'machete order' - 4, 5, 6, 2, 3, 1. 

Movie #28 - Star Trek

Last night, I had my first ever Star Trek experience.  For real.  I'm pretty sure the friend who introduced me to this was a bit gob-smacked that I hadn't seen any Star Trek or Star Wars (yes - it's true).  We were just going to watch the very very beginning (actually so I could experience blu-ray for the first time) but then ... well, I don't like to leave things unfinished.  We watched the whole thing. 

Things I learned:
There are movies and tv series (I hadn't realised this before).
It's really great to watch something as iconic as this with someone who knows about it.  Short of watching every Star Trek movie and tv episode myself, then watching and going [lightbulb] aahhhh! - having someone knowledgeable (but not totally gung-ho) was a pretty good option.
Well, I could go on and on... But the other thing about watching an iconic movie like this, is that I now recognise some of the references from the Simpsons.  Yay!

Things I liked:
It makes your brain work.  Not just a plot that does a 3 act drama, this one made my brain try to work out how this had happened, tying it in with what I was learning about the previous shows that were really coming after this in time... kinda... and I know that once I've watched more, there will be more things I'll notice. 
The violence isn't overdone.  There were some bits that made me cringe or get a sympathetic twinge, but not overly.  And you didn't have to see close-ups of fighting or blood-splatters or anything.
Simon Pegg.  And, not Simon Pegg as recognisable from any of the ice-cream movies, but in an actually different role.  He does make me laugh.
The music is really well done.
I recognised the writers from Hawaii Five-O (I'm not great at recognising non-actor names).
I know it's cheesy, but the costumes.  So sixties and reminiscent of Austin Powers.  Love it.

Without having watched any other bits of this, the whole destiny thing is something I'd like to see a bit more.  That idea of our history, our past, the bits of time that have gone before us that have contributed to the way we are, the way others see us, the way we see ourselves - whether or not we are getting into the whole space/time travel thing, this is something so close to us that we don't even realise it's a part of us sometimes.

Today's photo:

Today's photo is really yesterday's photo x 2.  The first is from the 3rd storm of the day - I was at church in the evening and the clouds looked pretty impressive around the city.  Massive storm - we had to delay the service because all you could hear was the downpour.  The streets in the city, and around my neighbourhood, are all covered in debris today.  A bit further out of the city though (where some of my brothers and their families live) was really badly hit.

The second - much calmer - is my first try of gnoccho - a combination of shell pasta with gnocchi.  Love the little scoops with sauce!

Getting My Flanders On

Ned Flanders, that is.  You know the scene when the Simpsons arrive at the Flanders' beach house for a Fourth of July holiday, and find post-it notes everywhere with explanations and instructions?  I haven't gone that far - yet.  But my parents often stay, and they have different ideas about logic from me.  I hope I don't have to go to stage 2.

Stage 1 arose from my mum's last visit.  I know she knows which remote works for each device, but when really tired...  I meant to get this done by their next visit, but time just slipped away (and they arrived early for emergency dental work).  And, admittedly, I usually flounder when I'm at other people's places and faced with technology. 

The other issue is with Standby Mode.  I hate it.  And why you would press a button on a remote then get up to turn it off on the set, then when you want to turn it on you have to turn it on at the set and then press a button on the remote - really, what?!  So my policy is to use the switch on the set only.  Now I hope it is clear. 

Today's photo:

These flowers have been brightening my view on an almost-daily basis.  They live near the railway bridge, outside a mega apartment block.

Movie #13 - Idiocracy

I'll admit it - today was nothing new.  I woke up intending to run but it was bucketing, so I dozed.  I taught students, I voted and had a quick gym session, I taught more students, I had a mini panic about wedding music, I played for a wedding, I got soaked on the way home.  I wore boots for the first time this year and had Indian for dinner (actually the 2nd time this year, both occasions the breaking of a fairly long Indian-drought).  However, last Friday night I watched Idiocracy, so tonight is the review.

I wasn't sure I wanted to admit to having watched this movie.  It is a very blokey movie.  I'm not averse to blokey movies... but this was rather - ah - juvenile.  So if you're into something slightly more upper class, or something you can show to a prospective partner or in front of your parents, don't choose this movie!  That said, I laughed a lot...  Plus, my brother and several of his friends keep referring to it and I felt rather out of it.

Idiocracy starts in the present time, where the Average Joe is frozen (with the Average Jane), and circumstances unfold to leave them frozen for many centuries.  They unfreeze in a time a few thousand years in the future.  I found the situation a lot like Wall-E, seeing a future highly likely based upon today's reality and trends.  Wall-E has the human race fat, not knowing how to use legs, finding all information from technology.  Idiocracy finds the human race stupid, as the smart people of today (according to the movie - not saying this is true, necessarily) - tend not to have kids, or reproduce much later, but less smart people... well, they keep having kids.  And so the outlook is a future of less smart people. 

Which means the Average Joe of today has become the smartest person, by a long shot, in the future.  He, with his fantastic IQ, is seen as the saviour of their world, sent to alleviate the starvation brought about by crop failures etc.  Ooh, does this sound familiar?  How about, when his solution (let's water the crops with water, not with something akin to Gatorade) doesn't have immediate effects, he even says "I just wanted to help you.  I didn't say I was the smartest person on earth, you did.  I was trying to help you live in a better world"...?  And then they try to kill him.  Of course, the crops finally show some signs of growth just in time for him to be not killed so we don't have the total gospel parallel, but still.

I was also reminded of one of the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde, in which most of humanity is becoming stupider, more easily entertained, because our attention is being drained by the time travelers (it totally makes sense if you've read the books, honest).  And the Simpsons episode where Lisa has the 'dumbening', loses interest in higher matters and contemplates the easy, brainless, happy option.  These all have that idea of our intelligence, our interest in higher matters, being zapped.  And I know these are all fictional scenarios - but think about it.  How often do we read a book instead of watching tv?  Paint a picture instead of watching youtube videos?  Make music, or at least listen to music (real music), instead of playing inane games on our smart phones?  Are we actually turning ourselves into the Idiocracy of the future?

*Edited: also see the next post (April 30) for a bit more on this.