They Got Lucci'ed

The Susan Lucci of Women's Basketball

The Duke Blue Devils just went down to Rutgers in the round of sixteen. It was a tight low scoring game that came down to a foul and two missed baskets by senior Duke guard Lindsey Harding. And then Steph said it, Gail Goestenkors is like the Susan Lucci of women's basketball. We aren't die hard Duke fans but we feel a connection to them because we love good women's basketball and Duke is one of the best teams, was in fact the overall number one seed going into this tournament. And coach G. is one of those coaches you like to root for.

We love it when the unexpected happens in the tournament. We cheered for Marist upsetting Ohio State and Middle Tennessee. Arizona State is toughing out games in which they dig huge holes for themselves in their first visit to the tournament. Florida State knocks off two seed Stanford in their first tournament appearance, and now Rutgers toughing it out against Duke in an awe inspiring defensive effort. Women's basketball is exciting stuff. And then there's Connecticut and Tennessee...Geno Auriemma and Pat Summit. I've always liked Auriemma. Go to the Huskies homepage and you see his basketball players, it's about his players. You mention the Lady Volunteers and the first name that comes up is Coach Summit. The days of her style of bullying and berating are on the way out. With multiple back to back championships for both UConn and Tennessee, we like to root for someone new to step up to the plate, like our beloved Boilermakers in 1999, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and this year, based on the strength of the brackets, we thought for sure it would be Duke in 2007.

Over the years Duke has gotten close to the all coveted national championship win. Getting knocked out in the round of sixteen is undoubtedly a disappointment for the Blue Devils and coach G. But we want to say, Hey! We'll be looking for you next year. We like you. We really, really do.

(GO PURDUE!)

The Susan Lucci of Crossword Puzzle Superstardom

50 million people do it every week, so claims the movie Word Play. Don't scoff, this movie introduces us to the players in the world of crossword puzzles from the folks who make them to the folks who play them, from average Joes to whiz kids, comedians, musicians and even a president or two. At the heart of the movie, the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament developed by Puzzle Master Will Shortz. In addition to taking us behind the scenes of puzzle editor Shortz and the puzzle makers, the movie follows contestants before their trip to the tournament. We are introduced to the whiz kid, Tyler, from Rensselaer Polytechnic who likes his chances against his competition, to Trip, a professional puzzle maker with an impressive resume of wins, Al, a project manager for HP and a loving dad, as well as former champs Ellen, the professed Susan Lucci of the tournament, and piano player Jon. It's geeky, brainy, funny, and completely absorbing. By the end I was rooting for the young gun Tyler, and bridesmaid but never the bride, Al. The movie is a complete blast. I enjoy word games and puzzles, though I am more likely to do cryptoquips or play Scrabble, and this movie made me want to pick up the next New York Times for the crossword puzzle. After all I, like so many Americans, have a brain filled with random and often times useless information. Next in my Netflix queue: Word Wars.

Tonight it's raining and I'm thinking about Miss Potter, the movie and the woman. For those of you unfamiliar with Beatrix Potter and her brilliant children's books, be a kid again. Give yourself license to check out Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, and others. Or find one of the many complete collections of her works. The Public Library carries most of them. Peter Rabbit was one of my favorite characters as a kid, and Miss Potter's lively drawings and stories enchanted me. I was a geeky artsy kid anyway, one with an imagination and a longing for adventure that often got me into trouble, not unlike dear Peter. I remember falling into the tales like falling into another world, one I could easily imagine. I could look out my own window and watch rabbits playing near the gooseberry bushes. Our neighbor had a wonderfully utilitarian garden, well plotted out, well manicured, and regularly harvested. He and his wife spent hours tending to it, and while they never actually cursed us when a ball or frisbee managed to make it over their low fence, they glowered with disapproval. It wasn't a stretch to imagine them Mr. and Mrs. McGregor. What I remember most besides the beautiful drawings, which I had painstakingly copied in colored pencils and crayon, is the edge the stories often had. For example, the matter of fact disclosing of the death of Peter's father; he ended up in a pie made by Mrs. McGregor. Even as a kid I liked my stories edgy. That said, when I found out they'd made a movie about Beatrix Potter's life I was both excited and worried. It stars Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor and Emily Watson. I was excited that her story was coming to the big screen. She was an uncommon woman of her time. I worried that my expectation of the movie would end in a let down. Tonight, watching Miss Potter, I was thrilled. What a lovely depiction of this woman's life. I don't want to spoil the movie by saying too much, but Miss Potter was an extraordinary woman. The landscape is lush and rich, and the drawings are as lively as I remembered, her own spirit very much in line with the characters and the world she created. Her pursuit of a career as an artist and author lead her to love, friendship, and ultimately the conservation of the land that inspired the stories. Zelleweger's Beatrix Potter was charming as was Ewan McGregor's Norman Warne, and I absolutely loved Emily Watson as Norman's sister Millie. I want to mention Matyelock Gibbs as Miss Wiggin, Beatrix Potter's aged chaperone. She had not a single line and was completely funny and delightful. In a time of star stuffed, overwrought and overly long blockbusters, Miss Potter comes across as just right. It was a pleasure to watch and I will certainly own it once it's released on DVD.
The Beatrix Potter Society
Another great source for Beatrix Potter

Ahoy! As my dearest friend Y.T. says. Since we're taking a break from movies and since I do a lot of cooking, I thought I would include various recipes whenever a good one comes up...and yesterday we made a good one. My mom's banana bread recipe. Rather than a traditional loaf, we made ours into muffins. De-lish!

Best Ever Banana Bread

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 medium)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus one tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, conbine eggs, bananas, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Fold in nuts. Pour into greased 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake @ 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

We use canola oil and have in the past added a small amount of mini chocolate chips. Either way you make it, it's great on it's own or topped in butter or cream cheese (my preferred way.)

It's a beautiful day in Albuquerque today. Blue skies, sunny and warm, warm, warm. I hope this isn't a trick because I am going to start switching the closet over from winter to summer this weekend now that all the yard work is done.

I spent most of last weekend weeding and hauling out dog poo and rock and laying weed block and laying new rock down. I was in need of serious bengay from the neck down. The plus side is that it is all done. Now I need to plan a barbqueue, have some of my peeps over.

Speaking of peeps...it's that time of year again. I don't know what it is about those techno colored, sugar blitz treats, but I love them. I haven't been able to eat them since I was about twelve. I think that is the maximum age limit on actually consuming peeps, but I love to buy them and to blow them up in the microwave, etc. Some people have WAY too much fun with peeps.

The weird thing about The Bridge was the timing. I had just read a short story called Jumper Up (I can't recall the author off hand but it was in a collection of flash ficiton.) About an EMT about to retire on his last call of Jumper Up, a potential suicide on a bridge. And then I came across the book by Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down, coincidentally the title of my MFA thesis. (I am sorry to say that I hadn't heard of Hornby when I came up with the title and that his version is so much better!) also about people about to take their own lives, what leads them to the roof a building famous for jumpers on the same night, at the same time. So in a strange way, when I saw that the Bridge was being re-run at the Guild, I had to go.

I am now reading my way through Sarah Vowell. I just finished Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World and have started Assassination Vacation. The Partly Cloudy Patriot is on my wishlist.

Movies watched over the last two months:

The Bridge This was a haunting, beautiful, and sad documentary about people who jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, and the people they left behind. It came to Albuquerque about a month ago and we missed seeing it. So we went to the second run of this film at the Guild tonight.
I love the Guild (just a side note.) ****

Desert Hearts Also at the Guild, a showing of a lesbian classic. The upside, seeing it for the first time on the big screen surrounded by older dykes having a really good time, and spending money on a film when the proceeds benefit a cause close to the lesbian victims of a double homicide. ****

Wild Hogs About as far away as you can get from The Bridge or Desert Hearts, but so much fun. Set in my beloved Albuquerque and in Madrid, these guys in the middle of life striking out to get a little of their own back was just what I needed. What I hoped was that all the laughs weren't played out in the movie trailers and previews. I wasn't disappointed. There were a ton of laughs and yes, I could pick this movie apart, but really I just wanted to enjoy it for what it was, CANDY. ***

Babel--very long, disturbing, like an international Crash. I walked away not sure what I felt about it. I didn't like it, but I don't think it is there for us to like. The jury is still out for me.

Casino Royale--excellent James Bond movie, loved it. I thought Bond felt more 3-D than in typical Bond movies, there usually is a sense of artifice about it. I also love Judi Dench as M!
****

Notes on a Scandal--disturbing. I am not fond of the whole teacher sleeps with student thing, nor am I fond of movies that tout bad/aged lesbian stereotypes. That said, the women were compelling to watch...breath taking in their confrontations. Really powerful, completely mental.
***

Music and Lyrics--I like both Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, and I saw this movie on Valentine's day but find it kind of forgettable. **

Because I Said So--I think Mandy Moore is so cute and charming...but sadly, like the movie above, almost forgettable movie. I do like the food angle alot and that most of the people in the movie seem like that have actual/realistic jobs. ***

On NetFlix V for Vendetta--Steph and I both found this movie to be compelling. Powerful, and scary considering our current political climate. ****

Volver--Amazing, funny, beautiful, heartbreaking. We really enjoyed this film. The women are so tight knit and protective of one another, each with their own problems. I love the mother in this film. And Penelope Cruz. ****

Infamous--The other Truman Capote movie starring Sandra Bullock as Nell Harper Lee. It was as good as the other movie, showing yet another side. I had read excerpts of In Cold Blood before seeing both films and I read the book after seeing Infamous. Such an amazing book, ground breaking in everyway he had hoped, something so big that it took everything out of him. I like the way this movie unfolds and how it has a documentary feel about it with sections in which characters talk about Truman, or about the murders as though in an interview setting.
****

From NetFlix--An Inconvenient Truth was every bit as good as people promised. I love the personal narrative, the journey Gore takes as he realizes this is a major problem that we as a nation need to address now. I also love how he breaks down the science and the nay sayers. A definite must see. ****

Seen at the Guild--Shut Up and Sing, the Dixie Chicks documentary. What amazing footage. I am so glad they filmed what they were going through in the aftermath of Natalie's comment regarding the president. The funny thing about the D.C. is that the first time Steph and I had ever heard of them we were at the first Lilith Fair concert. They were announced and I was like let's go get something to drink. I wasn't interested in country music and certainly not by some Chicks. But the first song they played was Goodbye Earle. Before their set they announced, "This is for all you wife beaters out there." And we were like what? Hold on a minute. We have loved them ever since. They have been the soundtrack for every stage of our relationship, and have accompanied us on every road trip. We would now be considered part of their "new" fan base, not necessarily country music fans, but fans of honest musicianship, great storytelling, and guts. If you haven't heard their music, pick up their latest two cd's the most mature of their colleciton of cd's, I think. Be sure to see this film, it is heart breaking and honest and in your face and I love them for it. ****