Month: May 2006

  • And at its Center, A Confused Man

    The Third Man, 1949. Directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene (with uncredited help from Alexander Korda and Orson Welles). Starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Bernard Lee, Paul Horbiger, Ernst Deutsch, Siegfried Breuer, Erich Ponto, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Hedwig Bleibtreu, and Orson Welles. With the person of Holly Martins, Graham Greene created a…

  • Pine Eyes

    I’ve reserved a special place in my heart for the St. Paul-based Zeitgeist new music ensemble, probably because cultivating new classical and chamber music seems like such a long row to hoe. Have I mentioned how I hate the term ‘classical music,’ by the way? Probably. The folks at Zeitgeist prefer “new music” or alternately,…

  • No, Truly, It Breaks Your Heart

    Never quite the bottom, and still rising. That old mystery: buoyancy. The body’s ability to float, the mind similarly gifted. Emerging in a green world, seemingly intent on growing ever greener. The clear, bright splendor of other blooming and glistening things. The furtive kingdom, underworld, underfoot, moving in the shadows at midnight, creeping in the…

  • A Miscellany After a Busy Weekend

    A long weekend and I’m still tired. Guests on the horizon–four adults, two children, and a pair of eight-month old twins–and I haven’t yet mowed the lawn, cleaned the house, or etc. Had the movies I sat through this weekend warranted discussion, you’d have a pair of reviews. However, they stank, so I’ll spare you…

  • Is Biking, Is Not Canoeing

    Maybe it’s because I spent the better part of my holiday weekend cooking on the Namekagen River–where I slept under the stars but also encountered various flotillas of holidaying drunks who hollered “Whooooo!,” seemingly out of nowhere. (At the sight of me?) Well, whatever this feeling is, what’s clear to me is that I don’t…

  • Picnic Love

    It’s all about the Potato Salad. This is sort of an anti-pasto potato salad. This one is herby and light. This one, made with french fries, won a Food Network contest. Martha’s All American version. Ach du lieber, wir essen Kartoffelsalat. Sehr gut, ja?