tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33165862024-03-07T01:02:24.900-05:00Mellow KittyBelly up to the litter box and share a snort with me!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.comBlogger378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-29066954062831916922006-09-12T16:21:00.000-04:002006-09-12T16:29:03.051-04:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">I've Moved!
I'm slowly transitioning over to <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">TypePad</span>, where my blog will be part of my new domain <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">rebelwithoutabrain</span>.com. I have also registered <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">rebelwithabrain</span>.com to reflect my more serious rebellious side. Click <a href="http://rebelwithoutabrain.typepad.com/">here</a> for some brainless fury, fur, fun, and <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">alliteration</span>.
</span>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-66936158021736055412006-09-12T10:58:00.000-04:002006-09-12T11:04:22.774-04:00Magnum Photos has published a compelling collection of photos from 911 and its aftermath. The photographers comment on the day, where they were, and their thoughts on the American government response. Even if you're weary of the coverage, this is 10 minutes well-spent, <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">particularly</span> to hear photographer Gilles <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Peress</span> lament that his son began building defensive weapons with his Lego bricks after the event. Via <a href="http://www.opendemocracy.net/themes/article.jsp?id=1&articleId=3892"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">openDemocracy</span>.net</a>.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1155334771784628182006-08-11T18:14:00.000-04:002006-08-11T18:19:31.846-04:00Garden, Mid-August<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/212773694/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/64/212773694_4c33c0546c_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/212773694/">Garden, Mid-August</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mellowkitty/">mellowkitty</a>. </span><br clear="all" /><p style=""></p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1154824430656900722006-08-05T20:29:00.000-04:002006-08-05T20:33:50.660-04:00Abandoned in the Alley Detail<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/207570365/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/66/207570365_d0cce8d405_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/207570365/">Abandoned in the Alley Detail</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mellowkitty/">mellowkitty</a>. </span><br clear="all" /><p style="">Click on the image to see other pics from an alley in Point St-Charles.</p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1147964135778886642006-05-18T10:52:00.000-04:002006-05-18T10:55:35.883-04:00Havre-aux-Maisons at Dusk<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/148434980/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/46/148434980_cf0aa0e014_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/148434980/">Havre-aux-Maisons at Dusk</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mellowkitty/">mellowkitty</a>. </span><br clear="all" /><p style=""></p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1147832918155748572006-05-16T22:26:00.000-04:002006-05-16T22:28:38.220-04:00What the Beetle Sees: Iles de la Madeleine<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/147926451/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/48/147926451_6f1cb61129_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/147926451/">What the Beetle Sees: Iles de la Madeleine</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mellowkitty/">mellowkitty</a>. </span><br clear="all" /><p style="">The house behind the one I'm renting, as seen through the Bug's windshield.</p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1147392494358466902006-05-11T20:05:00.000-04:002006-05-11T20:08:14.366-04:00<p class="MsoNormal">One of the other reasons why Madelinots might not go in for bistros and cafes (see previous post) is because of the price of fresh produce. Forget about getting mesclun greens with your panini. Every salad I’ve had since New Brunswick has consisted uniquely of the following: iceberg lettuce, green pepper, vaquely red tomatoes, and radish. Nothing destroys radish. Nothing. Insects and radishes will be the only things to survive a nuclear blast. Salad ingredients are not a question of a lack of <i>gourmandises</i>…it’s a question of availability and cost.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Grapes were 6.99 a pound on Les Iles. Oranges were .60 a piece. I managed to find pineapple on special at the local Co-op for 2.25. It may not ripen before I leave, so I may transport it back to Montreal with me next week. Oh! the irony! I did find lettuce grown locally. It looked like real lettuce and had what looked like buttery, fragile leaves. When I opened the plastic package, two small worms, a baby snail and a not-so-baby slug tumbled out. I forced myself to quickly get over the gross factor. That’s the price you pay for real food. I put the worms and the baby slug in the compost and tossed the slug out the back door (don’t ask me why the slug received a slightly different fate). I washed the lettuce very carefully. Then I checked each leaf. Then I ate the lettuce in a salad. The salad accompanied the freshest crab legs I have ever had. Living close to your food source has its merits.</p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1147290747767533122006-05-10T15:48:00.000-04:002006-05-10T15:55:39.100-04:00<p class="MsoNormal">The tourist season hasn’t really started here on Les Iles. Went to visit Havre-Aubert hoping that a café recommended to me was open. Alas, it wasn’t. I did come across 5 women baking up a storm in one of the shops nearby. Come back on Sunday, they said, we’ll be open then. I regretfully closed the door on the heavenly smell of cinnamon raisin bread. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Les Madelinots don’t have a culure of going out to quaint bistros and cafes. They certainly exist, but only for the tourist trade. The establishments that are open right now are all situated on Cap-aux-Meules (where the ferry deposits you). Visited Le Central yesterday, a bar in Cap-aux-Meules. It’s pleasant enough, but doesn’t have the cachet demanded by visitors to the Islands. Instead, it has all the familiarity of a local watering hole, rendering it a safe and comfortable place for locals to gather. Last evening, two middle-aged women sat at one end of the bar talking over a couple of beers. At the other end, a group of men did the same. In the middle was a younger woman – who looked a little like Marjo (the quintessential Quebecois rocker chick)—who was speaking with a guy who seemed to be part of the artist/artisant community.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I sat at a table, where I asked to be served the beer that’s brewed here. Alas, Molson has a stranglehold on this establishment and they don’t actually serve the local beer in the local watering hole. I’ll bring a case back with me. Among the other table patrons was a group of three very grano twenty-somethings, a young guy on a computer, and a couple who seem to have been having a semi-fight. Every time the woman got up, her metal chair hit mine with gusto. Normally, a Madelinot (heck, even a Montrealaise) would acknowledge this and apologize. She just kept pulling her chair forcefully into mine. I took it as punishment for being a stranger in a strange land.</p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1147286837372062892006-05-10T14:44:00.000-04:002006-05-10T14:47:17.466-04:00Minou de la Madeleine<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/144124397/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/47/144124397_85691a634b_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/144124397/">Minou de la Madeleine</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mellowkitty/">mellowkitty</a>. </span><br clear="all" /><p style="">It doesn't matter where I go, they always find me. Here's a charming young Madelinot feline peeking in through the window.</p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1147129899661938062006-05-08T19:09:00.000-04:002006-05-08T19:17:21.186-04:00View of Entry Island: Iles de la Madeleine<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/143065844/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/47/143065844_b6e974add3_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a>
<span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/143065844/">View of Entry Island</a>
Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mellowkitty/">mellowkitty</a>. </span> <p style=""></p>Second day on les Iles de la Madeleine. I’ve been watching the lobster boats come back from their first day of emptying the traps—the traps first went into the water on Saturday. Tomorrow, I’ll eat my first boiled lobster.
Les Iles are actually linked by sandbars. I’m on Havre-aux-Maisons, considered the most picturesque—probably because it has no commerce to speak of. All the major shops--including a Tim Hortons--is on Cap-aux-Meules. I did a bit of reconnaissance today, driving to Cap-aux-Meules to get a sense of where services were. There’s the Jean Coutu. Here’s the SAQ. There’s the local bar.
I picked up a few brochures at the Tourist Centre. I plan to visit Entry Island, which I can see from the house I’m renting. Entry Island is home to about 100 English-speaking Anglicans, who all seem to be named Welsh – Arlie, Borden, Dazil, and Waldrin are a few of the more charming given names. Since the accent of the francophone population is so pronounced (it sounds a bit like Old English, which sounds a bit like Old French), I’m pretty sure that the accent used by the folks on Entry Island is just as pronounced. Recently, the Entry Islanders have voiced their concerns over Hydro-Quebec’s proposal to install wind generators on the island. The local paper reported a resident worrying that the monster windmills would overwhelm the silence the Island is noted for. “We would have to leave the Island,” he said. Of course, if they left the island, the need for electricity would be moot. But, that’s what fascinating about the community on Entry Island: it’s so small, it could disappear in a single season, yet it has endured for centuries.
Other concerns on Les Iles revolve around housing. Les Iles is subject to gentrification, just like our cities are. There’s a huge problem with locals being booted out their rentals come June to make them available to vacationers. Indeed, the house I’m in is exclusively rented to “mainlanders”. A fisherman, who I’m told is leaving in June, currently leases the house behind me, owned by the same dudes who own my rental. I’m half suspicious, but haven’t confirmed, that he’s leaving to make way for someone willing to pay $1000.00 or more week for what he pays considerably less. Just like folks in the city, local residents are loath to make use of the Regie de Logements in order to protect their rights. Indeed, the community is so small here that no one locks their door. As a potential criminal, you are a captive audience, the only place to run is the sea. I’m fairly confident that if Eudore’s son stole my laptop, his neighbour Procule would find out about it, tell his wife Alma, who would mention something to the cashier at the local Co-op. The Surete Quebec would return my laptop the next day. I’d refuse to testify and Eudore’s son would decide to pursue Lettres at CEGEP du Limoilou, would return to Les Iles and open a restaurant specializing in seal sausages.
You can really purchase seal sausages. No kidding.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1144889281355770672006-04-12T20:48:00.000-04:002006-04-12T20:50:54.700-04:00<img src="http://myspace-815.vo.llnwd.net/00514/51/88/514978815_m.jpg">Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1144728999427739792006-04-11T00:16:00.000-04:002006-04-11T00:16:39.513-04:00<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Hello-Kitty-USB-2-0-Flash-Drive-512-MB-ON-SALE_W0QQitemZ6049964560QQcategoryZ39568QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"> Hello Kitty USB 2.0 Flash Drive</a>
Horribly overpriced for a USB key, but priceless as a geekette accessory. Please buy me one.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1144246263948652222006-04-05T10:01:00.000-04:002006-04-05T10:11:03.966-04:00<b>Hey, Fool! Everybody Gotta Wear Clothes!</b>
Mr. T "takes the A Train to fashion" and waxes eloquently on the best of 80s independent stylists.
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tw9s7mwf2FQ"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tw9s7mwf2FQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1143585361785819202006-03-28T17:36:00.000-05:002006-03-28T17:36:01.860-05:00Rosie Casts A Shadow<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/119511367/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/47/119511367_e9a2f0ad84_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/119511367/">Rosie Casts A Shadow</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mellowkitty/">mellowkitty</a>. </span><br clear="all" /><p style=""></p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1143322076220794022006-03-25T16:27:00.000-05:002006-03-25T16:27:56.296-05:00Butterflies on Snow<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/117771112/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/42/117771112_d458d66223_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/117771112/">Butterflies on Snow</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mellowkitty/">mellowkitty</a>. </span><br clear="all" /><p style="">Went to the botanical gardens to catch the Buterflies Go Free show. The butterflies were particularly active on the sun-filled greenhouse. More photos posted under my Flickr account.</p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1143224517980566022006-03-24T12:54:00.000-05:002006-03-24T13:21:58.076-05:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't Hate Me Cuz I'm Too Smart</span>
Yesterday, Salon's Broadsheet published an <a href="http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/index.html?blog=/mwt/broadsheet/2006/03/23/college_admissions/index.html">item commenting on an op-ed piece</a> in the New York Times in which the dean of admissions at a college in Ohio--the mother of a college age woman, no less-- admitted to rejecting qualified women. Why? Because there's a glut of smart women and not enough smart men applicants. To keep numbers equal, admissions officers are evening the playing field.
I found this "admission" incredibly disturbing, maybe because I credit my university education with having provided me with so much. It gave me choices and offered an environment where I created life-long friends. To think that someone -- anyone -- would be denied an opportunity because they are simply too good is maddening beyond words. This is a practice sanctioned by women and mothers against their daughters. Power corrupts. Absolutely.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1143222469332312012006-03-24T12:45:00.000-05:002006-03-24T12:47:49.343-05:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Tator Tot's Origins</span>
My friend A alerted me to <a href="http://www.caplakesting.com/2006_catalog/de/index.htm">this</a>. Disturbing. Funny. Disturbing and funny.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1143135143579515242006-03-23T12:31:00.000-05:002006-03-23T12:34:06.500-05:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Favourite Dollar Store Finds: Pepper Mill
</span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/105333601/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/35/105333601_bbdd0f2cf8_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a>
I have a beautiful <a href="http://fantes.com/peugeot_pepper_salt.htm">Peugeot pepper mill</a> that my parents gave me for Christmas many, many years ago. If I remember correctly, it was the only thing on my list because they can be quite expensive. I had had enough with cheaper pepper mills that never really worked. Peugeot mills provide finely ground pepper consistently. However, sometimes dishes scream for coarsely ground black pepper. What's a gal or guy to do?
I found this little item and was kind of dubious about its ability to grind and the freshness of the pepper corns. The pepper corns were surprisingly pungent and the grinder provides nice chunky bits of pepper. Moreover, it's refillable. <span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/105333601/"></a>
</span> <p style=""></p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1142281572839692162006-03-13T15:12:00.000-05:002006-03-13T15:34:16.783-05:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Why I Despise the Cirque du Soleil</span>
I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds Cirque shows kinda cheesy. Now that they have a permanent home in Las Vegas -- along with Celine Dion (who everyone knows is cheesy) -- the cheesy argument is pretty easy to make.
Cheesy isn't necessarily a bad thing--although, it gives cheese (a food I adore) a bad name. Cheesy doesn't hurt anyone. Being blatently socially irresponsible does. The Cirque pulled out of the Casino project late last week, after the release of the wishy-washy Coulombe report. The Coulombe report said that building the Casino in the Peel basin, in the poorest neigbourhood in Montreal (Point St-Charles), was probably a bad thing but they weren't against it <span style="font-style: italic;">or for it</span>. Doh!
The community of Point St-Charles really rallyed against this project (although The Gazette insisted on tainting everyone with the "activist" moniker, as if there wasn't grass roots opposition to this stupid, wacky project). As reported in The Gazette, the Cirque pulled out because "the project's many positive elements were overshadowed by the heated debate over whether the casino would help or harm Point St-Charles...." They then quoted the Cirque's CEO Daniel Lamarre.
"I thought we had this debate in Quebec many years ago and decided as a society that gambling was acceptable. I'm not a politician, so I don't have to decide. I can build my project or not."
Omigod. It's like he's saying <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm a big fat capitalist and I'll be damned if I'm going to be concerned about the social impact of my plans</span>; <span style="font-style: italic;">if I have to be socially responsible, I don't want to play</span>.
Shame on you, Cirque du Soleil. And shame on the Loto Quebec and the City of Montreal. Now, if we could just get an outdoor pool for the kids of the Point, that would be a step in the right direction. Even better, how about a circus day camp for the kids in the 'hood, sponsored by the Cirque du Soleil?
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>
</span>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1142270172697455022006-03-13T12:16:00.000-05:002006-03-13T12:19:14.420-05:00Favourite Dollar Store Finds: Bag Clip<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/105333677/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/40/105333677_203b244310_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a>
When I first purchased these, all my design-conscious friends demanded to know where I got them? Zone? Caban?
They're a far cry from the plastic clips normally used for keeping half-eaten cheesies fresh. They're also useful for keeping a towel around your shoulders when you're dying your hair. Two for a buck--you can't go wrong.
<span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > </span> <p style=""></p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1141880693250591442006-03-09T00:04:00.000-05:002006-03-09T00:04:53.323-05:00Good Kitty<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kazzielah/50733910/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/30/50733910_c391a78db7_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kazzielah/50733910/">good kitty</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/kazzielah/">kazzie*</a>. </span><br clear="all" /><p style="">My friend A sent me this link last night as I was trying to get some work done. Alas, the distraction got the better of me and I spent hours trawling the 'net for more cute.</p>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1141875278192888422006-03-08T22:31:00.000-05:002006-03-08T22:42:44.463-05:00<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen <i>Run Lola Run</i>, you may not want to read this post.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span lang="EN-US">I was reminded of one of my favourite films the other day when someone sent this <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3596003463635507758&q=breakdance">link</a> to a 3D discussion board. He wrote that if he actually animated a character doing this, no one would believe it was possible in reality.
The exhiliration of the dancer in this clip is like that of the main character in <i>Run Lola Run</i>. Ninety-eight per cent of the reviews you read of the film will use the word "kinetic". Certainly, my breathing gets deeper and my heart beat goes up when I watch the sequences in the film where Lola races (three times over) to save the man she loves. I <span style="font-style: italic;"></span>want to run with her because her motion is so unbelievably and recklessly passionate. That's actually what the director, Tom Tykwer, says is the <a href="http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/runlolarun/statement/statement_text.html">theme of the movie</a>.</span><span style="font-size:12;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-US">"What happens is absolutely universal as far as both theme and content are concerned. It is this woman's passion alone that brings down the rigid rules and regulations of the world surrounding her. Love can move mountains, and does. Over and above all the action, the central driving force of this film is romance."
</span></i><span lang="EN-US">What no review I've found mentions (nor does Tykwer) -- though it's there plainly in the movie -- is whether in the end it's <span style="font-style: italic;">actually worth moving mountains</span>. In the context of this movie, Lola runs to save the life of her cute-but-whiny petty criminal boyfriend, Manni. In the bedroom scene that divides the first and second "runs", Lola and her boyfriend have a classic post-coital conversation where she asks Manni why he loves her.
"Because you're the best," Manni fumbles.
"The best what?" Lola probes.
"The best girl," Manni fumbles again.
"Of all the girl's in the world, I'm the best?" Lola challenges dubiously.
"Ja."
Lola's not convinced, but wills herself back to life and begins her second run to save Manni. The song lyrics that accompany her go "I don't know if your love is true." The theme of unrequited love is echoed in the scenes between Lola's still-married father and his mistress, who tells him she's pregnant. "What am I going to do, wait around until I'm too old for the man I love to decide whether he wants me?"
The film is ambivalent about Manni's love for Lola--and about men's love for women in general--but is certain of Lola's passion for Manni, or, more likely for passion itself. She acquires powers to heal and control the fates (perhaps even stop time) whilst Manni at best attracts blind luck.
When I first saw <i>Run Lola Run</i>, what struck me most was how wasted her actions were. All this energy, all this power, expended for whom, exactly? For cute-but-whiny Manni? Tykwer ends the film on another ambivalent note; the final shot focuses on Manni, implying that his future beyond the film with his "best girl" may not be a long one. I'd like to think that Lola's passion for Manni actually pushes her to another (higher) plane. Of course, I realize that this plays into the oldest German literary trope, Goethe’s <i>Ewig-Weibliche</i> (the eternal woman who elevates and civilizes man). But, in my fantasy, Lola rises for herself and not for mankind—or for womankind for that matter—and runs for the sheer pleasure of sensing her body in space.</span></p> I can’t wait for Spring.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1141851693588272322006-03-08T15:18:00.000-05:002006-03-08T16:01:33.633-05:00Butressing my post on Laura Kipnis' book, <span style="font-style: italic;">Against Love</span>, yesterday Salon published an article on the <a href="http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/03/07/singles_education/">growing business of bringing singletons together</a>. You can now take classes in finding the right person for you. Once you've graduated, you can go out into the world with a shopping list. Don't forget to pick up some butter.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1141849041457981502006-03-08T14:59:00.000-05:002006-03-08T15:17:21.523-05:00It's almost as if I have a finger on the pulse of something....
Yesterday, the <a href="http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18308520-2,00.html">Australian reported</a> that Maureen Dowd (see previous post) was in Australia to promote her book, <span style="font-style: italic;">Are Men Necessary</span>. Maureen--bless her!--told the newspaper of her desire to connect with a worthy Aussie dude. Some of the replies are <a href="http://www.thesundaymail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18311625%5E421,00.html">here</a>. The funniest one:
<span style="font-style: italic;">From SSS : If she can answer this question I`ll let her have me. How many blokes does it take to open a beer can? None. Maureen should of had it opened when she brought it to me. She better be able to cook and clean also.
</span>Why do I think it's the funniest? Because it's a play on an obvious stereotype. Because it's politically incorrect. Because it reminds me that lurking underneath seeming sensitivity is often something that will really, really hurt you (which is true of men <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> women). I like it for the same reason I adore Charles Bukowski's writing (and probably for the same reason women adored Bukowski when he was alive). He was a man's man and, as such, you knew he was going to be a shit. When you know the truth, there are no nasty surprises.
What's that burning on the barby?<span style="font-style: italic;">
</span>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316586.post-1141418581589786332006-03-03T15:43:00.000-05:002006-03-06T14:30:43.903-05:00Juxta Position<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mellowkitty/107230664/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/19/107230664_96bff04d02_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a>
At this month's Yulblog get-together, I had two books with me: Laura Kipnis' <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375719326/qid=1141672060/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/702-5953004-0449600"><span style="font-style: italic;">Against Love</span></a> and Maureen Dowd's <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399153322/qid=1141672097/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/702-5953004-0449600"><span style="font-style: italic;">Are Men Necessary</span></a>. For the record, I want to say that I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>against love (nor is Kipnis, really) and I don't think men are unnecessary (which I realize isn't quite the same as saying unequivocally that they <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> necessary).
Dowd's book came out last November and I was eager to read it if only for the title--a very saucy provocative one, don't you think? I haven't finished digesting it yet, but Rebecca Trister's review in <a href="http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2005/11/08/dowd/index_np.html">Salon</a> comes closest to my own feelings about the book. I had the Kipnis book with me because the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky sex scandal play an important role in both books. It's almost as if among all the things America has experienced recently--the Gulf War, 911, Brad and Jen breaking up--the seminal event sparking American feminist thinking was one that could have easily remained from the public gaze had it not been for Ken Starr. Interesting, non?
One of Kipnis' principle arguments, and one that resonates with me, is why are relationships considered something we need to <span style="font-style: italic;">work </span>at? Aren't relationships about love? Pleasure? Yet, common parlance says that a good marriage takes work (watching Dr. Phil should put anyone off marriage and children). Kipnis places this observation in the context of adultery. With more marriages failing than not, and with a President caught and then forgiven for being <span style="font-style: italic;" class="hw">in flagrante delicto, </span><span class="hw">surely it's time to throw off the yoke of the tyranny of love and re-think our attachment to conjugal bliss. Down with love, indeed. (I'm eager to re-read Shulamith Firestone's book <span style="font-style: italic;">The Dialectic of Sex</span> within the context of Kipnis' Marx-inspired view of love as surplus value).
Dowd sees the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal a bit differently. Drawing from her memory of the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas controversy, she calls attention to the fact that whilst feminists opposed Thomas precisely because of bad-boy behavior, feminists rolled over an forgave Bill his dalliance--Hillary included. "Even if I felt like raising a ruckus about Boys Nation, who would care? Feminism lasted for a nanosecond, but the backlash has lasted for forty years." The thing that resonates most for me in Dowd's book is her observation that we seem to have moved forward without having moved forward ar all. How *is* baring our breasts in <span style="font-style: italic;">Girls Gone Wild</span> videos liberating? Why is our earning potential perenially stuck at 77% of what men earn? Why do we continue to covet scented candles (okay, the latter observation is mine).
The questions these books raise are interesting--also interesting is that neither offer any prescriptives. A fellow Yulblogger had the book <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1591840880/qid=1141671689/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3_3/702-5953004-0449600">Search</a> with him, and something in the small of my brain wanted to bring these three books together in some kind of gender politics face-off. In fact, the title of his book proves to be a presecriptive. Moreover, and not without irony, this entire post was enabled by the Google search engine. Thinking the dialectic just isn't what it used to be.
(Thanks to <a href="http://blork.typepad.com/">Blork</a> for the photograph.)
</span>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03176337655953649309noreply@blogger.com0