Between Random Planets

Lookin' Pretty Hot for an Octogenarian

"The town was torn apart by a bitter writers strike, but I'm happy to say the fight is over, so tonight, welcome to the make-up sex."
~Oscars host Jon Stewart at the 80th Academy Awards referring to the four-month-long Hollywood writer's strike

Oscar is 80 and doesn't look a day over 25. 

Where do you go in our neck of the woods when you want to see a little glamour? My Aunt Carolyn and I headed for an Oscar night on the town back to the Cinema Grill in search of local glam-bots, where the Academy Awards were being shown to a theatre full of equally nutty film fanatics, broadcast live on a 20 foot screen and served with as many snacks and cocktails as one human being could possibly consume in a four hour viewing period.

Some of our local film fanatics even put on their tuxes and rhinestone tiaras -- definitely a look we'll be sporting next year.  Due to the potential for copious cocktail consumption, we decided that escorted transportation via one of Denver's Yellow Cabs was prudent....even though our cabbie was also escorting a 5-foot long stair-step machine in the front seat which made for a totally unique backseat ride.  Next year I might even consider a limo rental with my fake tiara, and plenty of room just in case the driver wants to transport an entire elliptical machine.

Our waiter Patrick patiently sat through my customary "on the side" food order and even politely ducked when he walked in front of us during Jon Stewart's monologues on the silly and sensational state of affairs in filmic Hollywood.  We had wildly enthusiastic "fan club" sections of our audience (dressed in every style from tiaras to t-shirts) who attempted to out-cheer each other in every major category from Best Song to Best Supporting Actor -- with plenty of loud jokes made about Javier Bardem's pageboy haircut in No Country For Old Men.

Red Carpet Resolution for next year:  Upon arriving at the Cinema Grill's Oscar Viewing Night, I'd like for someone to approach me and ask "who are you wearing"?  I'm not sure how I'll answer that, but I have a year to figure it out.

Harry: "You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance."

Sally: "I don't see that."

Harry: "You don't see that?  'Waiter, I'll begin with a house salad, but I don't want the regular dressing.  I'll have the Balsamic vinegar and oil, but on the side.  And then the Salmon with the mustard sauce, but I want the mustard sauce, on the side.'  On the side is a very big thing for you."

~When Harry Met Sally

Endangered Silverware

Proudly displayed at Anthony's, our favorite New York-style pizza establishment.  It's so New York that you don't order a pizza, you order a pie.  But it's so Denver that you really should be environmentally conscious while consuming it.

Ahhhh....

It's bright, sunny and between snows.  But when it snows again, I always think of Mutts.  Maybe another snow wouldn't be so very bad...

Measuring Romance in Frames Per Second

"Whew, this movie business is tough. I might just have to go back to loan-sharking for a while to get some vacation."
~Chili Palmer Get Shorty

I love date night.

My spouse has been in training in Pensacola, far away from our current digs in Denver, for over three weeks.  Before he left, however, he took me to the most romantic date night a film buff like me could imagine.  Dinner and a movie.  At the same time.

I've been surprised that there aren't more places like this in my native film-fanatic hometown of Los Angeles, California.  Cinema Grill here in Colorado manages to show first-run flicks with a generous feast attached while you're watching the film.

Your film and feast includes one movie, amazingly unobtrusive and charming black-tie waiters, and a darned good menu including grilled mahi-mahi, nachos that equal most oversized platters in Sunny So Cal, pitchers of micro-brews, a decent wine list, margaritas, hot fudge brownie sundaes and -- of course -- popcorn.  As if there's any room left for popcorn.

Our movie?  We saw Charlie Wilson's War, a great recommendation from Mom and I'll pay it forward here as a flick definitely worth seeing.  Our black-tie guys were having a whole lot of fun with our goofball antics -- as the first people to arrive (yours truly needed the best seat in the house) they had a lot of time to give us a tour of the menu, the services and to keep the liquid libations coming while we behaved like it was our first time at Disneyland.

By the time the house filled to capacity (this took ten minutes) we had a chance to see what the other people were eating.  Some of the other foods drastically removed from the customary cineplex menu included piping hot Chicago-style pizzas (full pies not slices), steak and baked potatoes, and lime daquiries.

I'm returning this week.  I hardly know where to begin.  My days of soggy nachos, stale popcorn and watered-down Diet Coke may truly be over.

Into the Zone

Okay, even though my Tuesday in Denver was an outrageously sunny, springtime 65 degrees and a whole lot of this....

A couple of weeks ago when my in-laws came for their first family-related Denver visit our weekend was a whole lot of fuzzy this....

Few folks here seem to mind the somewhat capricious weather.  They just bundle up and head for the Zone.  Our Zone was the ESPN Zone -- and Denver is one of the lucky recipients of this All-Time Absolute Sports Mecca (approximately 8 lucky U.S. cities so far have the honor of this sweaty, giant-screen, sports spam).

It's not just the beer that made us so happy.  It wasn't just the awesome Denver Light Rail ride that magically transported us to the 16th Street Mall.  It wasn't just our own private TV screen at our table and our super-attentive waitresses who couldn't stop urging us into one more Bloody Mary or one more round of chicken wings.  It wasn't just the 17 screens showing every possible sport known to man or beast (including bowling, ice-skating, and bocce ball as a silent "sideline" to the much-anticipated San Diego Chargers vs. the New England Patriots football game).  It wasn't the sight of the hardcore football fans who reserved the Lazy-Boy Recliners in the front row -- the guys who ended up chugging pitchers of beer at the same rate that I'd polish off my single 16 ounce. 

It was the smell.  It smelled like beer, peanuts, locker-room sweat -- and (yes, I'll say it) -- it smelled like victory.  Which is what a good sports bar should smell like.  No matter who wins.

Okay, so my former home-town Chargers lost.  But my father-in-law Phil and I won (well we won every arcade game we played in ESPN Zone's massive arcade extravaganza).  And he beat the holy hell out of the boxing video game -- a good tip if you ever want to blow off some steam in between games or rounds of cocktails.  The heaving, screaming rivalry between ESPN Zone's drunken patrons (half San Diego, half New England fans) made the trip even more worthwhile.  We were "high-fiving" total strangers at the next table and I had more than one initimate discussion in the ladies room with some very field-goal-savvy females.

Heck, we had this much fun during football season.  I can't imagine how much fun we'll have after spring training.

Sensibility Young Entirely The Schedule Yesterday

This post makes absolutely no sense.  But then again....email spam doesn't really make sense.  It's spam.

I'm grateful for yahoo's "spam filter"....I just received an email with the heading "sensibility young entirely the schedule yesterday".  Although this doesn't fall into the BRP category of cultural oddities, it would make a good Japanese t-shirt.

I'll Settle for a Delayed Day

Deceiving.  That was the conclusion of my morning lecture delivered via Channel 4's weather team -- and it was the first word I woke up to.  Yesterday we enjoyed 65 degree temperatures and I had to zigzag madly around dozens of Cherry Creek Trail cyclists. Today we're looking forward to 8 inches of snow in the Denver Metro area.  Yes, the tired old axiom is true -- Denver does have more sunny days than coastal San Diego.  But please don't tell anybody, I'm kind of liking the overall lack of congestion.

So -- to drive or not to drive?  I still have my local news team's lecture rattling about in my head, "know before you go, if you go -- go slow, and nothing is what it appears to be today."  Fortunately for the moment mother nature has made my decision; we live on a cul-de-sac and getting out at the moment is extraordinarily difficult.  When it clears I'll navigate the roadside accidents and power outages in the Jeep and will attempt to get into work late just like everybody else.

A delayed day is great, though.  While waiting for our road to clear I did a load of laundry, worked out, played with the dog and substituted my customary granola breakfast for something that actually required cooking.

This weather thing is an amazing blessing for a Type A like myself.  Having the patience to allow the weather to make your decisions can be pretty darned relaxing. 

I Could Use a Snow Day.

Not coming from the land of "snow days" (days where work, school and every normal routine abjectly stops dead in it's tracks due to inclement weather) I find it really charming to consider the prospect of one.  Roughly six inches of snow might be dropping tonight and I couldn't be happier.

Aaaah.  A day to catch up on bills, hot toddies, blogging and all the movies I've downloaded over the last two weeks.  I really don't understand how people could not love a day like this.  They're simply made for enforced relaxation, roaring fires and reflection.  Well, we'll see.  If six new posts detailing the awesome Front Range world of downtown Denver don't show up tomorrow then it means I just have to wait for the weekend to finally catch up.

The simple prospect of a snow day makes me feel like a fifth grader.  Cheers to that, mates.

Rats.

"You dirty, double-crossing rat."
~James Cagney

Rumor has it that when Buddha summoned 12 different animals on earth in order to name a year after each, the rat was the first to show up. 

Any Type-A symbol of the Chinese New Year that also accompanies overwhelming economic prosperity (The Year of the Rat starts tomorrow for us statesiders) is a very good year, indeed.  Considering that this last Chinese calendar Year of the Pig contained a whole lot of last-minute-moving bureaucracies, multiple automobile miles, and our very last long military-induced separation -- I'm inclined to consider 2007 as being full of dirty, double-crossing swine.

Besides, I like rats.  I have a feeling that this is going to be a very, very good year.  One of the rules of etiquette for the Chinese New Year is that you shouldn't clean or sweep on New Year's Day (and for five days after) or you might sweep away your good luck.  How can you not love this?  I'm grabbing the TV remote, a glass of wine and am taking the rest of the house-work-week off.  I hope you do, too.

Happy Chinese Near Year, my friends.

Gung Hey Fat Choy! 
(Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth)