Thursday, June 28, 2007

Flamenco Caravan

Last night Jeff and I went to Ottawa's Jazzfest. It had to be the hottest day of the summer so far. 33 degrees and 45 with the humidex. OH MY GAWD! It was disgustingly hot. I swear I lost two litres. Ok, complaining aside.

We went to Ottawa specifically to see Jeff's brother play trumpet with Flamenco Caravan. As the name suggests the band's main focus is Flamenco but it also incorporates Latin, jazz and rock.

The band's leader is Esteban Figueroa and he is a marvel with the guitar. The lead singer and pianist is Susanna DiGiuseppe. Not only does she bring inspiring vocals, she provides humorous commentary and a inviting smile for the audience. I heard numerous comments on how beautiful she is from audience members. Which she is, and I'm not just saying that because she's family (she's my sister-in-law's sister). Other members include Toni Agostino (rhythm guitar), Jim Differ (drums) and Greg McIntosh (bass).

Flamenco Caravan has quite the growing fan base, especially in their home town of Thunder Bay, Ontario but nationally as well. We weren't the only ones buying up their latest CD, Alchemy, in the CD shack after the concert.

My favorite songs on the latest CD? The fast tempo of Moliendo Cafe. The sullen balad of Mi Amor. The flamboyance of Lydia (written as tribute to the youngest Bennet sister in Pride and Prejudice). And the hand clapping rhythm Camino Mallarauco (tango).

If you're curious about their sound you can hear samples of their music as well as purchase previous and new cds from their website.

***
Topic Links
* Flamenco Caravan's official website
* Ottawa Jazzfest
* Purchase Alchemy from Amazon.ca

Friday, June 22, 2007

30 Wanna Movie Hottie: 11

Well, it has certainly been a while since I discussed a movie hottie hasn't it. I find it amusing how you can see a movie, enjoy it but kind of forget about all the supporting characters. Then you see it again a few years or decade later and there's someone in a bit part that is huge now. Which leads me to Flight of the Phoenix starring Dennis Quaid. I caught it on the tube the other night. This was the second time I've seen it.

Now I bet the majority of you know this hunk from The Gilmour Girls. Me I know him best from one of the best shows on television, Supernatural. Television! You say. This is supposed to be wanna movie hottie, not television hottie.

I know, I know but when I saw this film I had to sneak Jared Padalecki onto the Wanna Movie Hottie list. Now don't run out and get Flight of the Phoenix to see Jared although he looks dashing he meets an untimely demise very quickly when steps out in the middle of the night to take a leak. I was so excited to see him and then quickly dismayed to see him killed in a sandstorm. Sheesh. What were they thinking? (I mean look at that picture. Can you imagine killing him off?)

Jared isn't new to movies. Other movies include New York Minute (with the Olsen twins) and House of Wax neither of which I have seen or will seen. I'm not into the Olsen twins and House of Wax looks way too scary for me.

The basics: Jared is a youngin'. A real youngin'. Frankly, I'm quite embarrassed to have him on my list now that I know how young he is. Ok, he's not like twelve or anything but still. He was born in 1982 (what is wrong with me) in San Antonio, Texas. I'm beginning to see a Texas pattern with me too. He's a lavish 6' 4", totally perpetuating the whole tall, dark and handsome scenario. He started seriouslly thinking about acting when he was twelve. He's a dog lover and animal rights activist.

I couldn't find an official website for Jared but there are lots of fan sites. I particularly like this one. Lots of great pics!

***
Topic Links
* Supernatural - The Complete First Season
* Supernatural - The Complete Second Season
* House of Wax

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Heart of the Beholder

Marketed as a controversial true story. This independent film was written, produced and directed by Ken Tipton (whose life it is based on) delves into the lives of a small community in St. Louis where a once top notch computer specialist, Mike Howard, gives up a lucrative job to follow an entrepreneurial dream. Mike is one the first people to open a video rental store in 1980.

Success is slow to come but it does come. With it comes the sanctimonious escapades of a group of religious harlots with their own agenda. They begin to target Mike's "Video Library" with a vengeance when he refuses to remove movies from his store that they deem inappropriate for human consumption. Movies like Hail Mary, Splash and The Last Temptation of Christ. When legitimate campaigns don't work the leader resorts to black mailing a local prosecutor into destroying Mike's and his family's livelihood.

This movie is very disturbing on one hand but entertaining on the other. The recognizable actors (Matt Letscher, Sarah Brown, Michael Dorn, Jason Wiles, Priscilla Barnes) are great and so is the filming. Surprisingly, many scenes are delivered tongue-in-cheek, like when an adult movie from Mike's "Video Library", submitted into evidence, is shown to the jury members.

If you take all the religious goop out of the way, it's a simple story about man who hits rock bottom, how he chooses to react to it and how he fights his way back after loosing everything he thought was important to him. He comes out of a dark tunnel with a fresh lease on life.

I watched the film at the online Heart of the Beholder web theatre which took me pretty much all day (as they were cut into 72 1-2 minute scenes) but I couldn't tear myself away. I sure wouldn't pay the $200 'rare' cost that is being sold in the third party area at Amazon but you can buy an online version from the official website for $7.99 or a physical copy can also be bought or rented from the site as well.

Heart of the Beholder is an interesting movie delivered with taste and humor. Our personal freedoms are often taken for granted in the day-to-day and this film is a good reminder of what we should appreciate. I will admit it is a little one sided in perspective and this film certainly wouldn't appeal to everyone. Now I don't know if it's really a "true story" but I enjoyed it and recommend watching it.

***
Topic Links
* Watch Heart of the Beholder for free!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Colours MeMe

Where does the time go? I can't believe it's been five days since my last biggirlblue blog post. Me bad. It's been crazy trying to get organized for the trip and still do every day stuff. So here's a MeMe for your reading pleasure. I won't tag anyone but if you feel the urge, go for it and leave a link.

-RED IS ANGER-

1. Are you currently mad at someone?
Pretty much all the time.

2. Which of your family members has the worst temper?
Me mother.

3. Have you ever thrown something at anyone?
Yes, but not when I'm mad.

4. Is anyone mad at you?
Not of aware of it but anything is possible.

5. Are you usually mad?
Yep.

6. When you're mad do you prefer to stare angrily or yell?
Depends. I'm a brooder usually. I'm not big on yelling unless I'm alone.

-ORANGE IS EXCITEMENT-

1. Has anyone ever thrown a surprise party for you?
No.

2. What event is coming up that you're most excited about?
There's a sandcastle building contest in August.

3. If you won a million dollars, what would be your first thought?
Freedom!

4. If you could have anything right now what would it be?
A really good brownie (I burnt mine a couple days ago and Taste of Country was out. Life is not fair).

-YELLOW IS SELF DISCOVERY-

1. Name: Eva

2. Birthday: December

3. What's your main goal in life?
To have mattered.

4. Do you want to have children?
Some day's yes, some day's no.

5. When do you want to die?
Hopefully by then they will have developed something so I can live forever

-GREEN IS OPINIONS-

1. Are you against gay marriage?
NO.

2. Lower the drinking age?
No.

3. Capital Punishment?
Yes.

4. Abortion?
Choice.

-BLUE IS LOVE-

1. Do you love someone?
Yes.

2. Do you believe in love at first sight?
No. I believe in lust at first sight. Love comes after you get to know the person and accept their good and bad habits.

3. Do you believe in love?
Yes.

PURPLE IS Q&A

Q: How many beds did you lay in today?
A: One.

Q: What color shirt are you wearing?
A: Pink.

Q: Name one thing that you do everyday?
A: Check email.

Q: How much cash do you have on you right now?
A: Five bucks.

Q: Is Tom on your Top friends list (myspace reference)?
A: Noe

Q: Look to your left. What's there?
A: Fish tank.

Q: What's the last piece of clothing you borrowed?
A: I don't borrow clothing.

Q: What website(s) do you visit the most?
A: BellaOnline.com

Q: Do you have plants in your room?
A: Lots!

Q: Does anything hurt on your body right now?
A: My throat and right heel.

Q: Do you own a picture phone?
A: No.

-PINK IS LAST-

1. Person you saw: My neighbour, Monica.

2. Person you sent a text message to: Nessa.

3. Movie watched in cinema: Shrek 3.

4. Song you listened to: Hot Kiss, Juliette Lewis and The Licks (it's on my myspace)

5. Person you talked on the phone with: Scotty, the RV guy.

6. What are you doing right now?
Typing.

7. What are you doing tonight?
DR WHO!!!

8. What are you going to eat?
Cranberry meatballs and rice. Cleaning out the freezer.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Hollywood Stars in 2057

A friend of mine sent me an email of images of today's 'hot' stars in someone's depiction of what they would look like in 2057. I thought some of them were pretty authentic looking.

Have a looksie:







I think Katie and Kirsten still look hot.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Final Ultrasound... until next year...

Last Monday, I had my last ultrasound for a while and freakishly got the results a few days later when I visited my family doctor about something else. She was all excited that things looked normal. Which is cool. I'm happy with that. I just find it funny since the Gynecologist was all set to send me for a D & C at my last visit. The last ultra sound said a polyp was suspect the one before that said I had a cyst. It pays to ask for confirmation. I've been surgery-free all my life and I'd like to stay that way unless absolutely necessary.

I still have my follow-up appointment with the Gynecologist at the end of the month. It was scheduled the same time the scan was and I'll have go through his interpretation. There is a 3 mm focal echo that I imagine they will have to keep an eye on but I'm feeling much better now that I've had this exam. Of course it could be as wrong as the other two. Gee, do you think I have a doom and gloom attitude?

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Girl Power / She Thing

I was looking for sheet music for my friend Lana who has taking up singing; specifically Peggy Lee's I'm a Woman and came across this updated version. It rocks.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Dog Day Weekend continues

We're going on a big RV trip with Jeff's parents this summer and one of the things we wanted to get for the trip was a camcorder. First, because Jeff's SLR camera bit the bullet last fall and we decided to go for moving pictures instead of still pictures. And second, I'm also hoping to add a video feature to my websites which seems to be all the craze these days. Which gave me a idea I have to write down.

Well, today was the big day. Jeff was in the mood for shopping and I had saved up enough money to cover most of the cost. After hours of research on the internet including Consumer's Digest, we picked up the Sony Handycam DCR-SR42. We decided to go with Staples as they price match (Future Shop had one on sale) and we could collect points. So far so good. We watched a cutesy video on how to use it. I read the manual. I chased the cat, dog and Jeff around the house etc.

One of the cool things about this cam is it has a digital camera built in so if you feel like taking a still pic, you can. The software is also simple to use and allows you to do easy screen captures of any images in any movies you film. So here's one of the very first tests I uploaded to YouTube. As you can see, I appear to have Parkinson's. Hopefully, practice over the next few weeks will improve that. Shelby was pretty cooperative. The video is only 49 seconds long. It was stinking hot out and I wanted to go back in side.

Dog Day Weekend

It was so hot and humid this weekend I set up Shelby's new pool on Friday. It was on sale at Toys R Us last week for $14.99 so I ran out and picked one up and stashed it in the truck. I'm sure anyone who saw me carrying the giant purple pool through the parking lot on such a windy day was laughing their ass off.

I was waiting for an especially hot day to fill it for her and this weekend we were not disappointed. Yuck. After some yard work and watering which drives the dog insane I finally gave in and filled the pool for her. Here are some shots. If you click on them you can see them bigger.









Just another perfect way to tire out a german shepherd. If only she stayed out of the dirt afterward.