Happy Shine Shine Fun Happy Christmas Story!

The news is loaded with'em this time of year.

This story, however, does not qualify in any way whatsoever.

Do Not Click unless you wish to be simultaneously frightened, disgusted and very, very sad.

Skippy of the Day: Bill Bennett

Bill Bennett described the Iraq Study Group thusly:

"In all my time in Washington I've never seen such smugness, arrogance, or such insufferable moral superiority. Self-congratulatory. Full of itself. Horrible."

I think we now have the textbook example of "pot and kettle" that will stand the test of time.

Shmuck.

What can you say? The man likes pain.

From Slate's review of Apocalypto:

For a good hour, I tried to pretend that I had never heard of Mel Gibson: the maker of fanatical blockbusters, the spewer of hateful rants. I tried—really tried—to experience Apocalypto as an ethnographic thriller about an ancient culture. But though it may have been researched to within an inch of its life, this film is not, by any reasonable standard, ethnography. It teaches us nothing about Mayan civilization, religion, or cultural innovations. (Calendars? Hieroglyphic writing? Some of the largest pyramids on Earth?) Rather, Gibson's fascination with the Mayans seems to spring entirely from the fact (or fantasy) that they were exotic badasses who knew how to whomp the hell out of one another, old-school. You don't leave Apocalypto thinking of the decline of civilizations or the power of myth or anything much except, wow, that is one sick son of a bitch.

Chicken Caesar Review: Saladworks

The reason my reviews have slowed a bit is that I'm running out of places to go to. Fortunately, I spotted a new place at the mall food court when I went Christmas shopping last week. Saladworks is pretty much just that: a guy at a counter ready to toss any number of salads the way you like them. Their Chicken Caesar, which costs $5.98, contains both Iceberg and Romaine lettuce, homemade baked croutons, chopped eggs and grilled chicken. You have your choice of a number of dressings, so I chose their Royal Caesar.

The dressing becomes the dominant flavor, here. And unlike most other Caesar's, there is no ranch element in this dressing. Instead, it's an incredibly light and tangy element that is refreshing compared to the heaviness of ranches. Also unlike most other Caesar's I have tried, this one takes an ingredient from the Classic Caesar that most restaurants leave out: Egg. The flavor is hardly noticeable combined with the dressing, but it's a worthy addition for it's source of protein and ability to fill you up more (a very desirous attribute when you're talking about an entree salad). The remaining three elements (lettuce, chicken, croutons) are also dominated by the dressing, but not so much as to make them dispensable. The blend of two different lettuces make a nice contrast of textures. The chicken, with no grilled flavor that I could detect, is also good. And the croutons manage to be buttery and crunchy without going overboard into Texas Toast territory.

Again, this salad is particularly recommended for it's filling ability and comparatively cheap price. So if you're looking to work off some of those Christmas sweets, this is a great place to start.

So far and yet sooo far

NaNoWriMo has come to a close, I've removed the link to the right, and I didn't come anywhere near to finishing. I feel like a putz offering any explanation, so I'll just say I simply didn't stick to it like I should have. I fell behind in my average word contribution about a week into it then further and further, until I abandoned it all together.

If there is a bright spot, then it's the fact that what I did write was, I think, pretty good. I plan on completing it after the holidays, perhaps as my New Years Resolution. Otherwise, it's blogging as usual and (surprise!) a new Chicken Caesar review sometime next week. Stay tuned.

Forest Whitaker Quote of the Month: December 2006

We end our year of Forest Whitaker Quotes by talking about a film that people resisted talking about when it was in theaters.

I speak, of course, of The Crying Game.

Whitaker plays Jody, a British soldier who is kidnapped by the IRA. As have many prisoners before and after him have done, he attempts to gain sympathy from the guy chosen to guard him, played by Stephen Rea. During their conversations about people and their ability to change, he tells of the old fable that concerns a scorpion and a frog:

Jody: "Scorpion wants to cross a river, but he can't swim. Goes to the frog, who can, and asks for a ride. Frog says, 'If I give you a ride on my back, you'll go and sting me.' Scorpion replies, 'It would not be in my interest to sting you since as I'll be on your back we both would drown.' Frog thinks about this logic for a while and accepts the deal. Takes the scorpion on his back. Braves the waters. Halfway over feels a burning spear in his side and realizes the scorpion has stung him after all. And as they both sink beneath the waves the frog cries out, 'Why did you sting me, Mr. Scorpion, for now we both will drown?' Scorpion replies, 'I can't help it, it's in my nature.'"