Month: March 2012

Three sentence movie reviews: Hunger Games


If my own pictures of Panem had to be sacrificed to the Hollywood beast, at least it was for a darn good movie. It is very rare that a movie adds a new and exciting direction to a book I already love, but this movie managed to do it. I think the only thing that did not come through clearly was just how hungry they all were, but other than that, the people, the costumes and the settings were all fabulous.

Essay: Mrs. Brown

It would be incorrect to say that Mrs. Brown taught me how to cook. This is because I was a regular in the kitchen most nights when my mother made dinner. Observation, as well as increasingly complex sous chef duties, probably did more for my cooking skills than Mrs. Brown ever did. But cooking was an everyday thing in our house, whereas Mrs. Brown’s cooking lessons were a unique experience. I think it was the short period of time and the fact that I was “officially” learning how to cook that keeps me remembering so many moments from those lessons.
I came to Mrs. Brown—like so many things when I was young—through my friend Stephanie, who lived across the street. Stephanie was two years older, incredibly curious and had an iron will, so when she got the idea to do something, we usually did it. At some point, she decided she wanted to do 4-H and so her grandmother, Mrs. Brown, was recruited as teacher. Our club was quite small as I recall, perhaps only consisting of Stephanie and myself, though there may have been one other student.

Mrs. Brown was a small woman, with a head of tight curls and an expression on her face that implied her life hadn’t quite worked out the way she envisioned, but that she was carrying on, regardless. She was no nonsense, but kind and though she was not looking to entertain us, I think enjoyed teaching us to cook.
We worked through a colorful 4-H workbook and learned the basics of cooking: reading a recipe, proper measuring, techniques for chopping and mixing. The workbook showed a picture of a boy squatting down to see the proper level of the liquid in the liquid measuring cup. This was a revelation to me as we always just held the cup at eye level in my house. I still hold the liquid measuring cup aloft today, though generally the picture flashes through my head and a twinge of guilt shoots through my body because I know I’m not using the proper technique.

I can recall Mrs. Brown instructing us to never chop directly on the counter, “I’ve had friends with new countertops who just started chopping away on them, and in no time at all they were ruined.” I locked that bit of advice away. She also cautioned us never to put a hot pan on the counter as it could scorch the counter. “I made the mistake of doing that once and had to live with the scorch mark for years.” To this day I cannot bring myself to set even a warm pot on the counter.

There was also a lesson in the proper way to wrap a sandwich. This was confusing to me as I’d been carefully folding my sandwiches into Saran Wrap for years, but according to our curriculum, we needed to use waxed paper, draw the ends together and roll them over and over until they reached the sandwich, tucking the ends underneath. I found this complex, and entirely unnecessary due to the Saran Wrap’s clingy powers. It was also fun in an old fashioned way, like shaking cream in a jar to make butter. Interestingly, today wrapping sandwiches is when I most often think of Mrs. Brown. I’ve switched back to waxed paper (wax and paper equal better for the environment than plastic) and always feel a bit of mirth thinking of Mrs. Brown explaining about her daughter, Stephanie’s mom: “Janet used to always wish I would buy the saran wrap—but the waxed paper was much cheaper.” Janet confirmed this to be true when she picked us up that day.

The food we cooked was generally normal American starter cooking food like muffins, but the 4-H curriculum introduced my family to stir-fry. We made stir-fry from that recipe weekly for the rest of my childhood and adolescence.

When our cooking lessons ended, Stephanie’s interest had moved on to other things, a different friend and I carried on with 4-H and Mrs. Brown, learning how to sew a nightgown. Though my interest in sewing waxes and wanes, cooking is something I still enjoy on a regular basis and I’m thankful for the lessons Mrs. Brown taught me.

Three sentence movie reviews: Iron Man


This was the first movie in our “Avenger Assembly” film series where we will watch all the movies featuring Avengers characters which will culminate in the release of the Avengers on May 4. As always, Robert Downey Jr. is a perfect Iron Man, the plot is entertaining and the effects are superb. Now if only they had not cast Terrance Howard, all would have been good.

Essay: Why I hate the song “Lean on Me”

I know a lot of you out there are fans, what with Rolling Stone naming it one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and with apologies to Bill Withers who wrote the song, but here is why I can’t stand it.

Its universality, combined with its simple lyrics, means that everyone knows the song and that it applies to nearly every situation. For example, each year the high school students at the church I attend produce a Sunday service for the congregation. The theme each year is tied to a few of the Unitarian Universalist principles. I was an advisor for the youth group for seven years and I can tell you that when brainstorming music for the service, no matter what the principle, someone always suggested “Lean on Me,” usually to excited approval. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning? (Principle 3) “Lean on Me!” Justice, equity and compassion in human relations? (Principle 2) “Lean on Me!” The right of consciousness and the use of the democratic process within our congregation and society at large? (Principle five) “Lean on Me!” I no longer am a youth advisor, but in youth service last week, there was my old friend, “Lean on Me” to accompany the first and seventh principles (If you are wondering, they are: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; and, respect for the interdependent web of all existence for which we are a part.) It got so that I wondered if a song that can fit so many different ideas is really saying much at all.

Secondly, the lyrics are pretty sub-par. Withers starts out okay, with the reminder that we all have pain and sorrow. But then, if we are wise, we supposedly know that there’s always tomorrow? What does that mean? Tomorrow with more pain and sorrow? Or just that, there is a tomorrow, that should be good enough news for us all? No matter, because he quickly leads in to his most excellent chorus, which is probably the main reason Rolling Stone and everyone else likes the song. It is a very good chorus. But then the second verse is quite awful, the worst one: It begins with the okay message that one should swallow one’s pride if there are things that one needs to borrow, but then a very bad rhyme scheme of “for, no one can fill/those of your needs/that you don’t let show.” Withers wisely quickly returns to the chorus. I do have to give it props for the next verse. It always conjures up a wheelbarrow in my mind. It is rare that yard tools make an appearance in the music I listen to.

Like many songs with few lyrics, it spends a lot of time repeating them over and over. Not only is this an example of lazy songwriting, it also drives up the “ear worm” factor. Ear worms, as anyone who has been through the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland knows, are bits of songs that play repeatedly in your head. And the ear worm factor for “Lean on Me” is very high. In fact, I’m taking a chance writing this essay, that it won’t lodge itself in there for the next week or so. There comes a point when the catchiness of the song becomes a problem, not a good thing and this song crossed that point some time ago for me.

So continue to enjoy “Lean on Me” if you must, but please keep it far, far away from me.

If you are thinking of moving to Portland…

It’s time for the annual winter warning picture. If you can’t stand constant grey and rain for months on end. If you can’t stand rain so heavy it destroys the grass over the winter. If you can’t stand walking around in wet socks all day because your shoes have sprung a leak, then don’t, by all means, move to Portland.

However, if you delight in the green the constant rain produces, come and join us. Ferns in trees are magical.

Three sentence movie reviews: The Grey


I have some pretty firm views about how wolves are in their own environment and I had to leave those views at the door to the theater as the wolves in this film don’t fit with my view. That aside, this movie’s intensity made it great fun, even if the subject was rather grim. Liam Neeson is on a run of fabulous roles, fabulously acted.

ps. Gray? Grey? Why do I always seem to choose the wrong word?