Recently, it was actor Alan Rickman's birthday. And the other night, I happened to catch part of the film 'Die Hard' playing on TV. Rickman portrayed the uber-villain Hans Gruber. As far as bad guys go, Hans Gruber is like an icon.
Many years after 'Die Hard,' the Harry Potter series of movies started coming out. And in the role of Severus Snape? Alan Rickman! For me, I can't help but think that it's Hans Gruber in the role of Severus Snape; I suppose for others who see him in Harry Potter first and then in Die Hard, it's more like seeing Severus Snape playing Hans Gruber. Of course, as an actor, I'm sure that Mr. Rickman would just as soon people not recognize him from any other role he's played, yet for the viewer it's a natural thing to do. And in this case, neither role is exactly the protagonist...
It's amusing to think that for an entire generation, Sir Alec Guinness was the guy who played Obi-Wan Kenobi - for me anyway. Yet, he had made a name for himself as an actor long before Star Wars. I wonder what all the people who knew him for such films as 'The Bridge On the River Kwai' thought when he became more popularly known as a Jedi Master!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
short and negative
Have you seen the TV commercial for 'FreeScore.com?' It features two tall guys with full heads of hair that represent excellent credit scores standing next to a balding short(er) guy representing a low credit score. I guess this sort of thing has been going on since forever, including for example, the lovely Cinderella as our heroine being mistreated by her frumpy evil stepsisters. So the bottom line is: physically attractive = good, whereas short, frumpy (and for guys, bald) = bad.
FreeScore.com takes it a step further and has the short guy wearing a hockey mask. Either that's piling on the effect, or it is trying to amend the idea - it's actually the mask that symbolizes bad credit, and not necessarily that the guy is short, balding, and out of shape.
And at the end of the commercial, the short guy gets replaced by a third tall guy with a full head of hair, as if to say "Yay!, his credit's been repaired!"
FreeScore.com takes it a step further and has the short guy wearing a hockey mask. Either that's piling on the effect, or it is trying to amend the idea - it's actually the mask that symbolizes bad credit, and not necessarily that the guy is short, balding, and out of shape.
And at the end of the commercial, the short guy gets replaced by a third tall guy with a full head of hair, as if to say "Yay!, his credit's been repaired!"
Thursday, February 17, 2011
excellent ice cream floats
I've rarely used this blog to promote products (I've mentioned before that the hummingbirds around my house prefer C & H granulated sugar in their nectar mix), and the weather is a bit too cold to be talking ice cream floats, but why not... while it's on my mind?
Trader Joe's has a couple of bottled drinks that go perfectly with vanilla ice cream: Clementine Sparkler and Sparkling Blueberry Juice. Yes, even better than root beer... seriously! They're not quite as carbonated and are simply delicious. They're good without ice cream too of course, but I for one love them as floats. They have other flavors (apple and pomegranate) that I'll have to try with ice cream too.
Also, while I'm thinking about it, ice cream that is, an excellent flavor for the hot summer months is lemon chiffon. It's the perfect flavor and smoothness for when it's hot. I'm anticipating trying the combination of lemon chiffon ice cream mixed with Sparkling Blueberry Juice. Sounds good, doesn't it?
Trader Joe's has a couple of bottled drinks that go perfectly with vanilla ice cream: Clementine Sparkler and Sparkling Blueberry Juice. Yes, even better than root beer... seriously! They're not quite as carbonated and are simply delicious. They're good without ice cream too of course, but I for one love them as floats. They have other flavors (apple and pomegranate) that I'll have to try with ice cream too.
Also, while I'm thinking about it, ice cream that is, an excellent flavor for the hot summer months is lemon chiffon. It's the perfect flavor and smoothness for when it's hot. I'm anticipating trying the combination of lemon chiffon ice cream mixed with Sparkling Blueberry Juice. Sounds good, doesn't it?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
I do like spiders and snakes
Maybe you remember an old song by Jim Stafford called 'Spiders and Snakes'... or maybe not.
In any case, growing up I thought of spiders as mere pests, particularly when they were in the house. And regrettably (looking back now), I used to kill them with a facial tissue and throw them in the trash. Well, I don't do that anymore. If I bother to do anything now, I've found that I can usually trap them in a plastic cup, slowly slide a stiff piece of paper/card under the cup, and safely transport them outside where I let them go. The thought of spiders and especially the way they look still gives me the heebie-jeebies, but I realize that they are a very important part of the balance of nature.
I don't even like to kill flies anymore. And I use the same plastic cup method to catch and release them. That is, only if they are parked on a flat surface that I can press against with the cup. But it's actually often easier to do than swatting them with a swatter. And once they're outside, I figure that they're again part of the cycle of life, even if they get gobbled up by a bird (or caught in a spider's web).
Snakes are cooler - I've always liked them. For reasons unknown, when I was little I decided that the anaconda was my favorite kind of snake. I even did a school report on them back in elementary school. Even now, I'd love to find a gopher snake in the garden. Of course, I'd give it plenty of room and not grab it or otherwise annoy it too much. Although several years ago, there was a small one making its way across the porch and I went ahead and grabbed my camera and took pictures as I laid on the ground. So neat!
Not long ago, the local wildbird store featured a talk being given by a naturalist, this time to give a presentation about reptiles and amphibians. And he brought maybe three snakes, one of which was gentle to handle. So he let us members of the audience hold it! It was a king snake, one that was used to being handled by people. So I was able to hold it myself too at some point. Awesome! On the other hand, if the guy had been talking about tarantulas, I'd have to stay away... like I said, heebie-jeebies.
Think about it though, where would we be without spiders and snakes? Without them, the world would be overrun with flies and rodents and other pesky things. Nature out of balance.
In any case, growing up I thought of spiders as mere pests, particularly when they were in the house. And regrettably (looking back now), I used to kill them with a facial tissue and throw them in the trash. Well, I don't do that anymore. If I bother to do anything now, I've found that I can usually trap them in a plastic cup, slowly slide a stiff piece of paper/card under the cup, and safely transport them outside where I let them go. The thought of spiders and especially the way they look still gives me the heebie-jeebies, but I realize that they are a very important part of the balance of nature.
I don't even like to kill flies anymore. And I use the same plastic cup method to catch and release them. That is, only if they are parked on a flat surface that I can press against with the cup. But it's actually often easier to do than swatting them with a swatter. And once they're outside, I figure that they're again part of the cycle of life, even if they get gobbled up by a bird (or caught in a spider's web).
Snakes are cooler - I've always liked them. For reasons unknown, when I was little I decided that the anaconda was my favorite kind of snake. I even did a school report on them back in elementary school. Even now, I'd love to find a gopher snake in the garden. Of course, I'd give it plenty of room and not grab it or otherwise annoy it too much. Although several years ago, there was a small one making its way across the porch and I went ahead and grabbed my camera and took pictures as I laid on the ground. So neat!
Not long ago, the local wildbird store featured a talk being given by a naturalist, this time to give a presentation about reptiles and amphibians. And he brought maybe three snakes, one of which was gentle to handle. So he let us members of the audience hold it! It was a king snake, one that was used to being handled by people. So I was able to hold it myself too at some point. Awesome! On the other hand, if the guy had been talking about tarantulas, I'd have to stay away... like I said, heebie-jeebies.
Think about it though, where would we be without spiders and snakes? Without them, the world would be overrun with flies and rodents and other pesky things. Nature out of balance.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
the category is 'group'
The Super Bowl being today brought back a memory for me - involving a game show. It was a proud moment for me, my greatest triumph ever while watching 'Wheel of Fortune': I guessed correctly on a puzzle with ZERO letters! How is that possible you ask? Well, I'll tell you...
It goes way back to my days at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. A bunch of us were watching 'Wheel of Fortune' in our apartment (we were not regular watchers, by the way) and a puzzle came up and the category was 'group.' There were two words. And a thought suddenly occurred to me: Washington Redskins. So I quickly counted out the number of letters (the blank, unlit puzzle blocks) in each word: 10 in the first word, and 8 in the second. Yup, it worked out like the answer to the puzzle could very well be 'Washington Redskins.' And as the game played out, I was right!
Now, you may be wondering, how did I do that? It turns out that watching Wheel of Fortune several times before (not every night, mind you) helped me out. I recalled that less than a year earlier, the category was also 'group' and the solution to the puzzle was whichever team was the current World Series champion in baseball at the time. So when I watched this particular show, the Redskins happened to be the current Super Bowl champs. Pretty snazzy, huh? I solved the puzzle with zero letters showing.
I gotta take my triumphs whenever I can get them.
It goes way back to my days at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. A bunch of us were watching 'Wheel of Fortune' in our apartment (we were not regular watchers, by the way) and a puzzle came up and the category was 'group.' There were two words. And a thought suddenly occurred to me: Washington Redskins. So I quickly counted out the number of letters (the blank, unlit puzzle blocks) in each word: 10 in the first word, and 8 in the second. Yup, it worked out like the answer to the puzzle could very well be 'Washington Redskins.' And as the game played out, I was right!
Now, you may be wondering, how did I do that? It turns out that watching Wheel of Fortune several times before (not every night, mind you) helped me out. I recalled that less than a year earlier, the category was also 'group' and the solution to the puzzle was whichever team was the current World Series champion in baseball at the time. So when I watched this particular show, the Redskins happened to be the current Super Bowl champs. Pretty snazzy, huh? I solved the puzzle with zero letters showing.
I gotta take my triumphs whenever I can get them.
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