So long Robert Altman

Robert Altman passed away. So sad. He is one of my favorite directors even though I've only seen I think two of his movies.

My favorite film of his is the amaazing "Brewster McCloud" although I have at least a half-dozen others in my Netflix queue.

I don't think many people know that there were actually lyrics to the famous MASH theme ... its a stretch but they could be construed as related to his death -- well, to death at least.

Suicide is Painless

Its been performed by many. My favorite version is by surf rock group The Ventures. I didn't know this but apparently the lyrics were written by his son! ... and here is a horribly cheesy MIDI file of the song ... appropriate to his death in the darkly comic way that could be appropriate only to him:



Altman Dies at 81 [nytimes]

yay my first approved Sartorialist comment
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-streetsoho-london_17.html

and my second:
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-street23rd-st-chelsea.html

On Relating, Redux ...

Everybody knows it was Larry David who once famously said that "a relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies."[1]

I was reminded of this today when I came across this painting by one of my new favorite artists, Joe Heaps:
   Shark [joeheaps.com]

In my personal opinion though I think this piece of his more accurately evokes my current thoughts about relationships:
   Interstate Trucking [joeheaps.com]
A masculine and feminine vessel, traveling down the road of life, riding together at the same speed for a while. Its like a "body meets a body comin' thro' the rye" kind of a thing. Hopefully everyone is lucky enough to find someone they can ride with for a while ... and not get split up by ferraris speeding by in the passing lane. or bumps in the road. or detours. or one truck getting a flat tire. ok, analogy now taken to nauseating extreme.

(and I'm kidding of course, that is a Woody Allen quote from my favorite of his movies.)

Some New Yorkers NOT Cultish Gourmands!

[Quick aside: Is it the most wonderful time of the year again already?? I walked in to Cosi (excuse me, "Così") this morning and they have already loaded up their "Holiday" music mix unfortunately. ugh.]

Anyway, I read about this Ghetto Gourmet business a couple weeks ago and bought tickets and, despite it being featured on Daily Candy yesterday, I'm still really excited to attend this Friday.

But who is New York magazine kidding with that headline? Are there any New Yorkers left that still need to be converted to "Secretive Cultish Gourmands"???

Secretive, Cultish Gourmands Aim to Convert New Yorkers [nymag]

On Relating ...

I've been thinking about relationships quite a bit lately for various reasons ... and so here are two little internet tidbits I've come across that are quite fascinating and relevant.

Scott Turow does a You Must Read This piece for NPR about his favorite short story:
Tillie Olsen's Tender Portrait of a Marriage [npr.org]

And here is a 10 minute video by Lo-Fi Saint Louis about the sweetest artist couple ever. I hope I can have as creative and mutually supportive a life with someone as these two have made.
Arthur Osver and Ernestine Betsberg [lofistl.com]

bamboozled

On my trip to DC last weekend, in addition to Société Anonyme at the Phillips Collection, I saw The Green House, an exhibit about sustainable architecture and design at the National Building Museum.

One of the coolest things was all the uses they were demonstrating of bamboo as a cheap, sustainable, stylish, environmentally-friendly building material. So it was particularly relevant when I came across a recent post on Rob Walker's blog, in which he links to his own article in the latest NY Times Magazine about the trend of bamboo as a the new "It" raw material.

High On Grass [murketing]

Borat Reporat

So apparently Pamela was in on the joke. I knew it.
Pam was in on 'Borat' joke [nypost]

And here's a little report card about what Sacha's Borat got right and wrong about Kazakhstan:
The Real Kazakhstan [slate]
My favorite part:

But they also like horsemanship, wrestling, and, occasionally, buzkashi (literally "grabbing the dead goat"). In this popular game (a precursor to polo), players on horseback try to control the "ball"—the headless carcass of a goat or sheep. Then they have a party.