Blame it on Fidel - Movie 8; Fun Fact 16

We thought we'd warm up for the upcoming International Film Fest with this interesting movie directed by Anna Costa-Gavras. This film is great story told through the eyes of a 9 year old trying to figure out the world as constructed for her through the eyes of her lefty parents who are busy with their friends battling facism in Spain and Argentina in the 70s on the one hand and through the eyes of the nuns who are her elementary school teachers on the other. What in the world is a kid to make of all this? This film offers quite a compelling portrayal of family life and this young girl's maturation in a complicated world and home. Although it had some pacing problems, particularly in the first hour, we both really liked it and thought that it was worth staying with throughout.

Fun Fact: Several reviewers have speculated that the movie is loosely based on Anna Costa-Gavras' life with her very famous and very politically left father, Constantino Costa-Gavras, who is perhaps most well known for his gripping movie portraying the plight of the disappeared in 70's Argentina, entitled "Missing" starring Carrie Fisher.

iHole - Performance 8; Las Mananitas - Restaurant 24; Fun Fact 15

Last week we joined a bunch of the girls at a Gayco production of iHole at a theatre in the (LGBT) Center on Halsted. We started out with a fantastic margarita and pretty good fajitas at Las Mananitas. I've heard margaritas called truth serum and having tasted this powerful version I can certainly understand why! After dinner we staggered over to the Center for a great comedy show by a local gay themed troupe whose skits (the titles of which were presented on a giant iPod screen) addressed everything from Jane Addams' sexuality to the trails and tribulations of dealing with aging parents. Great company, tasty drink, fun performance. All in all, a pretty good night!

Fun Fact: according to the Urban Dictionary, an iHole is someone who ignores you pretending not to hear you because they have ear buds in, or somewho who thinks they're a bad ass on line. Hmm. Wonder which one they were thinking of when they named the show?

Bob Dylan - Modern Times; Elvis Costello - My Flame Turns Blue - CDs 4&5

At the end of the month we're going to the Dylan / Costello concert at the beautiful Chicago Theatre to celebrate Susan's birthday. In preparation we've been listening to a bunch of their discs, including these two, both of which we like very much. The Dylan disc is kind of swing / country with lots of steel guitar, snare drums and reflections on topics relevant to the later part of life taking the forefront. "Spirit on the Water" is a favorite.

Elvis' disc is a live performance with the Metropole Orkest which is a hybrid of jazz, big band, and classical orchestra. It includes a variety of songs, including some reworked classics from his new wave days wuch as "Watching the Detectives" as well as some of his new work such as his collaboration with Burt Bachrach, "God Give Me Strength" (which was originally written for Grace of My Heart, a great movie about the girl group era, loosely based on the life of Carole King.) This is an interesting, but mellow disc, full of very satisfying surprises if you're in the right mood.

Both Dylan and Costello seem to be interested in revisiting older genres and they do it well. Perhaps this common interest is what led them to tour together this year. In any case, it should be a great show!

Playoff game at Wrigley - Experience 22

The Cubs lost their third game to the D-backs on Saturday, marking the end of their fantastic run from last to first this year. Being in the crowd at Wrigley on Saturday really helped me to understand why it's so difficult for the Cubs to win. The level of expectation and desperation was palpable. 99 years of losing tradition is unbelievably weighty. The Cubs were never really in it. The starting pitcher Rich Hill gave up a home run on the first pitch of the game and things went downhill from there. The Cubs had many chances, but everytime they got close they hit into a double play (four times!) Sadly, many in the crowd booed the team at the close of the game. But there were other people holding up signs thanking the Cubs for a great season. Two inebriated young men were standing by the exits urging people to root for the Bulls. So there was some gratitude and humor in the crowd. But mostly huge disappointment. It would have been great if the crowd could have spontaneously have broken into a chorus of "Go Cubs Go" but it just wasn't to be. (One of the papers had a cruel headline: "No, Cubs, No." This year, like so many other years, Cubs fans can only say "Wait till next year."

Birds in Fall - Book #12

Brad Kessler's Birds in Fall (which I keep wanting to call Birds in Flight) was done a poor service by its publisher. The idea of including rows of bird-related postage stamps on the cover makes sense, but the result ends up looking like one of those Reader's Digest condensed books (you know how they have the original book covers across the front?) and subconsciously prevented me from starting this book for some time. However, the book was given to me some time ago by my Aunt Dorothy who will be visiting me shortly, so I felt some pressure to give it a try. My aunt works at an independent bookstore in San Francisco and tends to send me books that I love or hate. This one I loved. It's about a plane crash and the people who gather to learn their loved ones' fates. I realize this doesn't sound very chipper (and it isn't), but it isn't as grim as it sounds either. The voice and mood are both unusual and, although it struggles sometimes to manage the task set out for itself, is well worth the read.

Cubs lose first game! Zambrano pulled early

The Cubs lost their first playoff game last night, 3-1 against the D-backs. The big controversy is whether the manager, Lou Piniella should have pulled the starting pitcher, their ace Carlos Zambrano out at the end of the 6th inning. He was pitching well, the game was at a 1-1 tie and he had thrown about 85 pitches which is not excessive. Still, Piniella took him out in favor of Carlos Marmol, who has been outstanding in relief this year. Sadly, he promptly gave up a home run, and then another run after that and the game got away from the Cubs. It does seem odd to have pulled Big Z when he was pitching so well, but Piniella said that he was saving his arm so he could start again in the 4th game. Hmm. Perhaps all this foresight lost us the game. Or then again, perhaps the game would have been lost anyway, as the Cubs managed only 4 hits against D-backs pitching with the big 3 (Soriano, Lee, and Ramirez) looking befuddled at the plate throughout the game. We'll see what tonight brings. A win tonight would lead to a fourth game, potentially making Piniella look like a genius!

Rose Angelis - Restaurant 23

Right before the Cubs clinched the division last Friday, we were out eating dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant with our friend Ellen. It was a beautiful night, so we walked the mile and half or so that it is from our apartment. Located in Lincoln Park, Rose Angelis looks deceptively small from the outside. But once you enter, it feels like the eating space is about a block long! We arrived at about 6 on a Friday and were amongst the first there, but by 7 the place was packed! (They don't take reservations.) The atmosphere was very comfortable, the food was fresh and excellent tasting and the portions were enormous.

We started out by sharing a really creative and tasty special salad of the day which had all kinds of unusual vegtables in it, along with a beautiful presentation. Even though three of us shared it, we still couldn't finish it all. Susan had spinach and mushroom ravioli half moons which were drenched in a really great tasting brown butter. Kate had a spinach fettucine with chicken and vegtables which was fine, but the real star of the show was the half moons. We all shared something that was billed as tiramisu for dessert (and again were unable to finish it - it was huge). Why is it that anything that has a foamy top and a suggestion of rum is automatically called tiramisu? This was good, but it was more like cheesecake than tiramisu. Nevertheless, the dining experience at Rose Angelis was excellent. We'd go back for the moons alone!