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Alice in Wonderland
David and I went to see Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland at Bella Bottega last Friday. I enjoyed it. David said he felt lost because he never read the book and didn’t get some of the references.
I explained that the movie was not intended to be a faithful adaptation of the story, and that was perhaps what made it interesting. In this version, Wonderland – or Underland – is dark and scary place with bright and colorful characters. The scorched forests and scary castles are more the stuff of nightmares than bizarre dreams. And that, I could enjoy, since we didn’t take the kids along to see Alice. The Red Queen, with her giant heart-shaped head, and the Cheshire Cat were also delightful.
But I didn’t like everything about the film. For starters, Alice bugged me. Movie execs probably cast the actress because they thought she looked like the original illustrations of Alice and that her ethereal look would translate into box office sales. I thought she came across as creepy and disturbing and didn’t care for the confused look she kept sporting, as if she resented taking part in somebody else’s dream. The Alice I invented has a sense of humor; is much more assertive and is way more adventurous.
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder
Absinthe, the elixir once banned because it was thought to rot people’s brains and cause hallucinations to the point of chopping off ears, is legal again and people seem to be buying.
I wasn’t even aware that it was being sold again, in both the US and in Europe, until two nights ago when some friends opened up a bottle of Pernod absinthe to serve as a digestif.
But why bring it back? Surely anise-flavored drinks like Pastis filled the void when absinthe was no longer available. And I could list a dozen other elixirs that must have made good substitutes. And if it were so dangerous that it had to be banned in the first place, what makes it safe to drink today? If they somehow changed the distilling process to make it safer, what makes the new and improved absinthe any different from, say, Pastis?
Absinthe, I learned, is flavored with anise, fennel and wormwood. Compounds in the wormwood were once thought to cause seizures and hallucinations but it is now understood that the health problems were more likely attributed to the high alcohol content of absinthe, which some people used to drink like wine. The Pernaud bottle our friends purchased contained 68 percent alcohol. If I drank too many glasses of absinthe, or any other drink that strong, I’d start seeing green fairies too.
2010 edition of getting to know you
My answers in bold, Ayuko’s responses in plain text
Welcome to the 2010 edition of getting to know your friends. Press FORWARD then change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to your friends including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!
1. What time did you get up this morning 6:30 AM / 6:30 a.m. Actually 6:40; I hit snooze.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls / Either
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Avatar / Shutter Island. But Avatar was the next-to-last film we saw.
4. What is your favorite TV show? The Office / It used to be The Office but I am not sure I am a fan of the new Jim and Pam. Too contrived. Too Ross/Rachel (Friends). Now, probably Dexter, or any of those shows that you have to follow and for which virtually every episode ends with a cliffhanger.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Yogurt and Oatmeal / Coffee or tea and bread
6. What is your middle name (s)? None / Governor Sanchez
7. What food do you dislike? Anything with unnatural colorings / American cheese, bad Mexican takeout
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Jason Mraz / 50 Cent
9. What kind of car do you drive? Honda Fit / Chevy Cobalt
10. Favorite sandwich? Roast beef and blue cheese / Eggs or goat cheese
11. What characteristic do you despise? Dishonesty and greed / Callousness, entitlement, rudeness
12. Favorite item of clothing? Turtle neck sweaters / spring jackets, comfy sweater
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would go? All of Europe / Europe, Hawaii, Fiji, Indonesia, Morocco, Mali
14. Favorite brand of clothing? Levis / Gap, Eddie Bauer, LLBean, Athleta, JCrew
15. Where would you retire to? West coast / A quaint village in France with a good boulangerie, church, café, good weather, homes with wooden shutters on the window
16. What was your most memorable birthday? 28th / They all are!
17. Favorite sport to watch? Ice skating / I’m a fair-weather fan of just about every sport
18. Furthest place you are sending this? Spain
19. Person you expect to send it back first? ?
20. When is your birthday? November 4th / September
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night / Morning
22. What is your shoe size? 8.5 / 8ish
23. Pets? 2 Shiba Inus (Kuma and Hana) / None
24. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? I just started my seedlings for my veggies! /
25. As a child, what you thought you wanted to be when you were grown up? A painter /
26. How are you today? Sore from running! / Well rested
27. What is your favorite candy? 80% Dark Chocolate / Dark chocolate – 70% – with a hint of either orange or pistachio
28. What is your favorite flower? Sunflower / Lavender?
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Memorial Day (Summer!) / Next Saturday!
31. What are you listening to right now? Silence / Thomas sabotaging my efforts to complete this quiz
32. What was the last thing you ate? Salted almonds / Bread
33. Do you wish on stars? No / No.
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green / Hard to decide. Green? Purple? Red? I’d probably go with blue or black because I like to write, and these colors show up best on white backgrounds.
35. How is the weather right now? Sunny and blue skies / Chilly
36. Favorite way to exercise? Running / Running, Stairmaster
37. Favorite soft drink? Ginger ale / Sierra Nevada
38. Favorite restaurant? Jules Bistro / Terminus Nord
39. Favorite color of nail polish? Clear / Clear
40. What was your favorite toy as a child? Stuffed dog / I liked playing with dolls but don’t think I had a favorite doll.
41. Summer or winter? Summer / Summer in Washington State. Winter in California or Florida.
42. Hugs or kisses? Both /
43. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate / Life’s too short to choose… but I’d say, chocolate squares and vanilla everything else.
44. Coffee or tea? Both / Both
45. Do you want your friends to email you back? Sure
46. When was the last time you cried? Last week (some cheesy romantic drama) / Last night: I was crying “Thomas, keep it down so I can get some sleep!”
47. What is under your bed? Hairballs / Wooden frame
48. What did you do last night? Watched Blades of Glory (It was hilarious!) / Watched a DVD with David (too bad a movie for me to admit the title)
49. What are you afraid of? Getting eaten alive by a bear / Loss of independence; my kids getting hurt
50. Salty or sweet? Sweet
51. How many keys on your key ring? Gagillions / Three on one and one on the other
52. How many years at your current job? 7 months (I love it!) / Six months
53. Favorite day of the week? Saturday / Friday
54. How many cities have you lived in? six… Chiba (Japan), Bogota (Colombia), Bedford and Farnham (UK), NYC (NY), Middletown (NY) / Oh my…. Lots
55. Do you make friends easily? Yes / Yes
56. How many people will you send this to? To all my friends that I would like to get to know better!
57. How many will respond? We shall see!
V, A, A, T and D family blog 