Dreams within Dreams within Dreams

I don't know about you, but not long ago I saw the film Inception. Beforehand I had heard a lot of claims that it was utterly befuddling, difficult to follow, and brilliant.

I personally found it fairly easy to follow. I understood most of it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the be-suited Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I can't say much else without ruining it for those of you who haven't seen the film, but I recommend it.

But for those of you who didn't get it, I'm told that the shooting script is a fascinating and illuminating read. And for those of you who enjoy reading shooting scripts, well, it fits in your genre.

Oh, if only I had a book budget. But I buy them faster than I read them when I let myself.

Vroom!

I have to be honest with you guys about something.

See, lately I've been watching a lot of HGTV. And while I do like looking at and coveting houses, I know I couldn't stand a big, luxurious one. Imagine cleaning all the details!

But I do know that there are two things I want in a house: a soaking tub and room for a lot of bookshelves. These are my dream. One day, I want to have a house, and in it, I want these two things. Outside I would like to have some acreage and this Belgian horse named Clancy I know, but that's really it. I would be so happy like this.

So unlike Cate, I don't care about cars so much (I'll use the horse to get around). I'm not a big car person. I judge them almost entirely on looks and how much it will cost me to drive them. But there is one that I covet. The DeLorean DMC-12.

Back to the Future was a big part of my childhood.

I also wouldn't say no to an El Camino. In fact, I coveted the El Camino long before I learned I could get a DeLorean of my very own. But now I want a DeLorean and a flux capacitor. When I am filthy rich one day, I will be able to have a horse, and a DeLorean, and an El Camino.

Buy your very own DeLorean (new or used) through DeLorean Motor Company (not the original) for varying amounts.

"This Fake Marriage Stuff Is Kind of Fun"

I have a pretty long list of celebrity crushes, some of which I will own up to and some of which I keep to myself. There is, of course, Alexander Skarsgard, Denzel (Washington, of course, but I truly feel that the man needs no last name), and Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots, among many others. One that I don't talk about so much but really do like, though, is Thomas Haden Church.

Church first came to my attention one summer when there wasn't much on TV but reruns of his short-lived show Ned and Stacey, a mid-1990s sitcom that also featured Debra Messing just before she hit it big on Will and Grace. The show didn't last for a reason--it's not the best thing out there, but it was more or less reliable, mindless entertainment, and Church's portrayal of Ned Dorsey, a self-involved advertising executive, was pretty spot-on, whether he was scheming to undermine a fellow ad man or bribing a salesperson to sell Stacey the bed of her dreams. Messing, for her part, was a little uneven as Stacey Dorsey, but you can certainly see glimpses of the skilled comedienne she proved herself to be on Will and Grace.

The premise of the show is simple: Ned and Stacey get married so he can get a promotion at work and she can move out of her parents' house in New Jersey. Unfortunately, it is also unsustainable; there is a time limit (two years) put on it from the very first episode, and the audience only ever expects one of two things: either Ned and Stacey will duke it out until they become boring, or they will fall in love and live happily ever after. This is not the stuff of long-running programs. However, like I said before, it is mindless, a good thing to watch when you want a distraction or an easy laugh. 

Right now, the first season (of two) is available on DVD, but as far as I can tell, there is no scheduled release date for season two, which is unfortunate, because I would really like to have the complete set available for those late nights when I can't sleep but don't feel like doing anything useful and would rather spend my time with one of my crushes instead.

Buy season one through Best Buy for $14.99.

-Cate-

PS  Maureen will be taking over the blog for the next few days while I recover from a trip home. Can't wait to see what she has in store!

Hobo Chic

Awhile back, I wrote about the Rebecca Minkoff Easy Rider Devote Hobo and how much I loved it (and regret not buying it). This week, I want to share another Rebecca Minkoff bag: the Nikki Hobo. 

This bag has a great shape; it is spacious and just slouchy enough while maintaining clean lines. And Luna Boston offers it in a color called almond, which on my computer screen looks like a melon-cum-pumpkin shade, the perfect pop next to a fall palette of olive, khaki, and chocolate. I may well be on my way to becoming a Minkette (as fans of Rebecca Minkoff's bags are called)!

Buy through Luna Boston for $495.00.

-Cate-

Eating Out: Big Boy (Elias Brothers)

I'm about to tell you something very important about the world, so read the next two sentences very carefully. There are two kinds of people in the Midwest: Frisch's Big Boy people and Elias Brothers Big Boy people. I am an Elias Brothers Big Boy girl. 

Never forget this. Okay?

Now. Let me back up a little bit. I used to date a guy who thinks he's a food snob, and I remember very distinctly a conversation (actually, a fight) we had one night about where we were going to eat dinner. I wanted something simple, familiar, and easy, and he lost it, accusing me of liking only restaurants with--this is a direct quote--"crazy shit on the walls." He meant places like Applebees, TGI Friday's, and our local deli/grill (which, for privacy reasons, will have to remain nameless). My basic response to all of this is, "So what?" So what if I like chain restaurants? They have reliably consistent food that doesn't suck. Of course, it's not the greatest food in the world, but as I've mentioned before, my palate is pretty underdeveloped. Also, when I find something I like, I stick with it, hence my repetitive patronage of certain establishments, ESPECIALLY Big Boy.

There are two in my home town, plus many more within striking distance, including two (literally) just over the county line and one in my former home town where my grandmother still lives and which we frequent. No, I cannot explain the appeal of Big Boy except to say that if you grow up with it, it's just part of who you are, from the time you're young until the day you die. In elementary school, it's where you get the best spaghetti. In high school, it's where you hang with your friends. In college, it's the place you go because you miss everything about home. And as an adult, it's the site of everything that came before and everything that will be.

If that sounds overly nostalgic, I'm okay with that. I can't tell you why you should go there on a culinary basis, because I am so incredibly biased. What I can say is this (which will explain the first part of this post): if you grew up on one kind of Big Boy food, going into the other restaurant is literally like entering some strange parallel universe; it looks very much the same, but it tastes different, and it is so unsettling that you should only do it in times of sheer desperation, like when you've been driving all day and night and have to have some food if for no other reason than because you don't want to pass out while you make that last push to get home. (Yes, I am speaking from experience).

So if you're ever in Michigan, stop in at a Big Boy. And then come back here and let me know if their food makes you even a little bit happy. I know it thrills me.

Image via here.

-Cate-

What's Up, Doc?

We're going to play a little word association game today. I'll give you a phrase, and you tell me what comes to mind. Here it is: Doc Martens. I suspect that most of you will conjure up images of the early- to mid-1990s grunge scene. Me, personally? I get a warm, fuzzy feeling not from memories of the flannel that was so ubiquitous back then but from memories of a long string of guys I've fallen for whose chosen footwear was the eternally cool 1914s, the 14-hole boots beloved by punks. 

I'm trying very hard to create a style for myself. Eventually, I'd like to look like I stepped out of a Michael Kors ad. (Seriously.) But from time to time, I come across some piece that I really, really wish I could incorporate without looking stupid or like a poser. This is one of those times. Besides, a girl should be able to mix it up every once in awhile, right?

Buy through Dr. Martens for $125.00.

Photo via Dr. Martens.

-Cate-

Musical Reflection

Sometimes you don't want your music to come with lyrics, because no matter what the singer says, the words can never really match up with what you're feeling, but the notes themselves do--the sound so accurately reflects the internal state that you feel relieved. Tomaso Albinoni's "Adagio in G Minor" has been, on occasion, one of those songs for me.

Adagios are, by definition, down-tempo (generally around 70 beats per minute), and so they're often somber or sad, but almost always beautiful. While this one might sound a little scary the first two or three times you hear it--like a black-and-white vampire movie waiting to happen--upon further inspection, you begin to hear the minor notes as artful and lovely. And although the authorship is disputed (the piece is generally attributed to Albinoni but believed to have been composed by a man called Remo Giazotto), the music stands up.

For an updated, and quite stunning, rearrangement of this work, you might check out Bond's "Big Love Adagio," which turns it into a soaring love song, which is no small feat in itself--and if you listen to them back to back, you can hear the potential in the "G Minor" for something other than a funereal tone. I highly recommend both versions and hope that you enjoy them.

Buy "Adagio in G Minor" through Amazon for $0.99.

-Cate-

The Dream

Last Saturday was the anniversary of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,'s public reading of his "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and while this speech has been widely covered, I feel that it is important to continue to cover it. 

After all, King's work was very important, and his legacy is even more important: if we ever forget what he did, we will slip. If we ever neglect to remember his words, we might make a serious misstep. In this age where different civil rights are being denied, it is helpful (to me, at least), to revisit "I Have a Dream" and to learn from it.

There are two passages that I find particularly beautiful and meaningful. The first speaks to unity and strength: "We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make a pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back." The second speaks to hope: "[...S]o even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream."

Let us never cease to fight to make that dream a reality for all.

Read a transcript of the speech.

-Cate-

Kiwi Love

When I was younger, I loved eating kiwis, and while I haven't eating much kiwifruit lately, I still love it. The white center was always my favorite--not too sweet like the rest of the fruit, but with a wonderful texture that made me happy. Nowadays, even though kiwis are not very common where I live, I have managed to find a never-ending supply of fantastic dried kiwi.

Photo by Luc Viatour via Wikipedia.

Although eating dried kiwi is not at all the same thing as eating a fresh kiwi, it is an acceptable substitute in times of desperation or kiwifruit scarcity--after all, every fruit goes out of season, and in a rural area, certain produce is harder to come by than, say, common things like corn or tomatoes. And the dried stuff is, quite frankly, kind of addictive. But it's better to eat fruit than plain old candy, right?

Buy through the Fresh Market for $5.99 per pound.

-Cate-

PS Head on over to What We Covet to read today's post about Farberware Classic cookware, an essential for anyone who likes to cook!

Sauc(y)pot

I recently started a food blog, which is kind of a stretch for me, since I'm not the most gifted person in the kitchen, but so far it has been fun and mostly disaster-free. And, luckily, my kitchen is reasonably well-equipped, considering the space issue. This is due largely to my mother, who was kind enough to let me blatantly steal borrow a significant portion of her set of Farberware Classic cookware when I moved into my apartment.

The basic look of Farberware Classic is the same now as it was when my mom got her set in 1977. The great thing about such a stylistic carryover is that replacing pieces, or adding on to the set, is easy, since everything more or less still matches. And let me tell you, it stands up to some pretty tough situations. For example, Mom's set survived (by my count) a couple of apartments, five houses, and two children who turned into teenagers and then turned into college students. They have made a great deal of Kraft mac and cheese, Maruchan Ramen, and Stove Top stuffing. You couldn't convince me to switch brands for all the free cookware in the world. After all, I grew up perfecting some of my cooking skills with Farberware Classic. And now I'm terribly attached to it.

Sure, there are cookware sets out there with more bells and whistles and cute colors. But if it's simplicity, reliability, and afforability that you want, I really recommend that you give Farberware Classic a try.

Visit the Farberware online store.

Photo via here.

-Cate-