The Brave One - Movie 7

Jodie Foster. Enough said.

For those who need more: Jodie Foster's new movie, The Brave One, is an interesting meditation on the anger and fear that follow after a woman's fiancee is killed in the park by some violent strangers in the park. Apart from the rather implausible ending and the fact that Foster seems incapable of playing a love scene in a convincing manner, there is much to admire in the rest of this movie, which skillfully blends revenge and humor into a coherent whole. There is a lot of violence in this film, but so much so that it comes to seem comic book-like after a while.

Jodie Foster. Enough said.

Kayaking the Chicago River - Experience 19; Fun Fact 9

Last weekend we rented some kayaks and explored the North branch of the Chicago River. It was quite an urban experience! There are several signs posted along the River noting that raw sewage is occassionally dumped there when it rains a lot, and that the water is not suitable for human touch! Does that qualify as a FUN fact? Fortunately we did not have to have any contact with it. The North branch is largely undeveloped (perhaps for that reason), so if you can suspend knowledge of the toxicity, the ride is a fairly pleasant one with a variety of birds and plants of interest along the way. It also has some distinctly urban aspects to it -- the El passes over the River at one point and there is a doggy day care place that sounded more like a dog asylum when we paddled by. There was a strong wind the day we went so we only paddled for a few miles. Luckily the wind, and the current, were at our backs on the way home. Chatting with some fisherman on the banks where we returned, we were horrified to learn that some folks do eat catfish caught out of the river. Ugh! In any case, the rates weren't bad ($14 / hour) and the ride was interesting. We may go back in the fall and head south towards downtown come spring (see picture above -- note tiny kayaks to the left of the ship.)

It's Gonna Happen (It Really Is)

The Cubs had a huge win last night, coming back from a 6-4 deficit in the ninth against the Reds. Although they played somewhat sub-par in the rest of the game, they executed perfectly in the 9th, with a lead-off walk, followed by a single from Derrick Lee, and a triple to the gap in right-center by Aramis Ramirez to tie it up. Finally, Mark DeRosa hit a single up the middle for the win, completing a 5-5 day at the plate for him, his second this year against Cincy. It was very exciting to see and a huge confidence boost for the club. With 2 weeks left in the season, it's definitely looking like . . . it's gonna happen!

Harry Potter VI = Book # 10, Fun Fact 8

Finally catching up with the rest of the world (isn't that what sabbaticals are for?), I just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the sixth of seven volumes), and it was definitely one of my favorites in the series so far, despite the incredibly sad ending. As if it weren't enough to have to battle the evil Voldemort, how will Harry go on, finally left to himself, with no parental figures left to help him, just his peers for support? Are these really kids books anymore? In any case, J.K. Rowling has certainly sets everything up for a huge finale in Book 7, and I plan to jump right in.

Fun fact: J.K. Rowling has been spotted in Scotland cafes working on an adventure / mystery novel, presumably aimed at adults.

White Bicycles, Hotel California, and Laurel Canyon -- Books 7-9

These three interesting books all deal with the music of the 60's, each from a slightly different angle. White Bicycles is written by producer Joe Boyd. It covers a period from 1956-1973, sweeping back and forth from London to Boston to Burbank, and ranging from blues to Dylan to British folk to Pink Floyd to Nick Drake. It is probably the best read of the three, written in a way that captures the vibe of the 60's without trying to hard to be hip forty years hence. Hotel California bills itself as a 60's book, but it's really more about how 70's confessional and country / folk came to be at the fore of the industry in one of its biggest boom periods to date. This book covers the likes of Joni Mitchell, Linda Rondstadt, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, The Eagles, Gram Parsons, and so forth. It's not as good a read as White Bicycles, but it is still much more palatable than the standard rock book. Laurel Canyon covers much of the same ground, focussing on, well, Laurel Canyon and its inhabitants. Although this book seems to have received the most publicity, I found it to be the least readable of the three.

While reading them I also watched the 2005 Scorcese documentary on Dylan, No Direction Home. While it started out a bit too ponderously for my tastes, it definitely picked up steam as it went on and turned out to be quite an interesting treatment not only of Dylan, but of the 60's more generally.

Lesbian Bowling League - Experience 18; Timberlanes Bowling Alley - Place 24

Last Friday was the first night of the biweekly lesbian bowling league at Timberlanes Bowling Alley. This is a great little place has 8 lanes to bowl in and a great old bar tucked in behind the lanes. It's located just a few blocks away from where Susan grew up, near Irving, Lincoln, and Damen. What a great vibe this place has!

Susan got a maroon colored ball from a friend from the league who has since graduated to a bigger and better ball. She got it redrilled by the helpful but somewhat odd fellow at the family owned Simmons Bowling Shop just down the street, where the proprietor still rolls out 6 feet of foam rubber for you to try out your new ball on.

It was great to bowl with all the girls! (See photo above :^) The folks I bowled with were really supportive. There are some really great bowlers in the group, however, I do not seem fated to be among them! In any case, Timber Lanes and Simmons are both a very delightful blast from the past -- so delightful that the scores from bowling night are, luckily for me, largely irrelevant!

Chris Pureka at Martyrs - Performance 6, Place 22, Dead Rogue Ale - Beer 17

Last weekend we saw Chris Pureka at Martyrs, a smallish music club on Lincoln Avenue not far from our home. A girl with guitar and a lot of anguish to share, she reminded us a lot of Ferron, with songs ranging from grim to grimmest, and Mary Gautier's sober Americana songs. One of the folks we were with jokingly asked, where's the honeymoon stage in the relationships she's talking about? Her stage patter did however reveal a sense of humor about the unremitting grey sky in her songs. Her most recent album, perhaps not surprisingly, is called Dryland. We both agreed that a song about her grandmother looking back on her long life and concluding it was a good life was amongst her best.

Martyr's is an intimate little club that can probably seat a hundred or so folks in various tables surrounded by two bars. There is light food available there and a selection of beers, including Dead Rogue Ale, a good tasting beer out of Oregon which comes in at number 17 on our list.