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December 31, 1997
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December 31, 1997 — New Year's Eve
So here we are at the end of 1997, a difficult year for me physically but a satisfying year for me spiritually and creatively. Don't think that these events were unrelated. I've always believed that even in the darkest of times God shines a light somewhere.I think I found that light this year in what was, admittedly, a dark time. Spending a month and a half confined to bed gave me a lot of opportunity to think and to re-dedicated myself to what I want to be doing in life. My modus operandi is not to quickly change direction—it's to slowly and carefully move toward long-term goals. Even with my physical difficulties, this year saw a lot of progress in music, finances and hobbies.
Now one never can tell what the future holds, but I'm inclined to think that 1998 looks even brighter. My dear family and friends, all the best to you in the new year.
December 27, 1997
Played in an all-day indoor soccer tournament in Clackamas. The team finished third, and I played average at best. The second game (where we got whupped) was easily the worst I've played in years. I played better in game 3 (a 2-2 tie), but it was clear I hadn't played indoor in a long time. My having a cold for the last week didn't help matters either.December 26, 1997
Now if you've never flown with a headcold before let me just say that you're truly missing out on one of life's more interesting experiences. I don't think there's anything like the feeling one gets as the pressure in your clogged sinuses builds to the point of excruciating pain. Highly recommended to all you pain-loving, nipple-ring-wearing Generation X-ers out there.December 25, 1997—Christmas
Great morning of holiday cheer at the in-laws, marred only by the worst headcold I've had in years. The few hours that I rallied my spirits and energy were wonderful, however, even if it meant spending the rest of the day in bed.I'm not sure if sickness is a reminder of mortality which catalyzes and crystallizes my thoughts toward family and friends or if the sentiments of the season have overwhelmed me. If I suppose if it were the latter, I'd be encouraging everyone to buy something. Anyway, all I really want to say is that I appreciate the family and friends who have encouraged me (and continue to encourage me!) in my endeavors, musical and otherwise. This has been far from an easy year, and your support has been gratifying and much needed. Thank you!
December 24, 1997—Christmas Eve / First day of Hanukkah
The latest in my now long-line of "I-feel-sicker-than-a-dog-so-I-guess-I'll watch-a-movie" list, Broken Arrow is a John Woo-directed action flick starring John Travolta and Christian Slater.Not exactly the most Christmas-y of movies, it nevertheless managed to keep me from thinking for almost two hours about how awful I feel. Travolta is superb as an Air Force Major with a moral short-circuit and Slater makes a passable action hero, albeit one who always sounds like Jack Nicholson. The dialogue is snappy ("Would you mind not shooting at the thermo-nuclear weapons?") and Woo keeps the film moving from start to finish. It's mindless entertainment, but well-done mindless entertainment, and that counts for something.
December 23, 1997
I'd already seen Pierce Brosnan's initial James Bond effort, Goldeneye, in the theatre, but being under the weather, I was hoping an action flick would lift my spirits. Still not sure if it worked or not, but it was fun to see anyway. Brosnan is a superb Bond, and it's unfortunate that he couldn't get out of his Remington Steele contract earlier so that we'd have more of his Bond films available. (Though I should say that I don't believe that Timothy Dalton was the big washout as Bond that most people seem to think.)Like all Bond flicks, the action here is larger than life and fraught with danger. Unlike other Bond flicks, Goldeneye tries (and fails) to "set the record straight" in his dealings with women, with various female characters accusing Bond of everything from sexual harassment to misogyny. While Bond is guilty as charged (at least so far as the sexual harassment goes), that's part of the character and part of the fantasy. This trey-90s PC language violates the heart of the characterization and is a huge mistake, one I hope they've not repeated in the latest Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies.
Goldeneye is a fine film. Not the best but a solid addition to the Bond pantheon. The picture is dragged down by forgettable though typically pretty female leads. The opening song, written by U2 and performed by Tina Turner, is awful. Sean Bean is excellent as Alec Trevelyan, which helps immensely. The plot is adequate if uninspired; we've had better. I probably don't really need to give much of a recommendation here: If you like Bond, you'll probably like Goldeneye.
I also had the occasion to finally see Shining Through. Here, Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith star in an utterly contrived World War II spy thriller which stretches believability on several occasions in its pursuit of a good romantic adventure. Douglas is solid, if under utilized, while Griffith is uneven, particularly as it relates to the English/German vocal acrobatics required here. Griffith is gorgeous to look at, but one can't help feeling that she may not be capable of bringing any more depth to the screen than she did to Working Girl, still her finest hour. Unfortunately, Shining Through should not be "Working Girl Goes to Germany," though that's about how it comes across. A more accomplished actress—Meryl Streep comes to mind—might have been better able to transcend the obvious deficiencies of the script. Shining Through is probably still worth seeing, but be prepared to roll your eyes several times during the course of the movie.
December 22, 1997
Unlike Erin (who has read it twice), I've never had the occasion to read William Shakespeare's Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, which made Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation a little difficult to follow at times. And at just over four hours running time, you really don't want to get lost early in the proceedings. So my first recommendation is that people become acquainted with the story before sitting down for this.(It also helps if you've heard Shakespearean English before and can more or less translate on the fly, something that's not as difficult as it might first seem.)
But Hamlet is definitely worth seeing. There's more depth here than in a dozen Hollywood pictures, and I've not even begun to sort it all out. This is beautifully filmed and Branagh has really come into his own as a director. There is none of the directorial awkwardness of Henry V or Much Ado About Nothing (both fine films in their own right).
Like Much Ado..., this is a star-studded affair and again we get mixed results. Jack Lemmon is fine after a very iffy opening line. Charlton Heston is magnificient, and it's great to see. Billy Crystal is adequate, though nowadays he seems imbue every character he touches with Jewish vocalizations and mannerisms. Fine, when it's called for (Mr. Saturday Night, etc.), but it's not useful here. Robin Williams, one of my all-time favorite stand-up comics, is terrible, and what he's doing in Hamlet is anybody's guess. Perhaps it's a return of favor for his uncredited cameo in Branagh's earlier Dead Again. (Well worth seeing, by the way.)
To oversimplify, Hamlet is a complex and subtle work about truth, revenge and the nature of humanity, and as a result is one of Shakespeare's finest works. This film adaptation is excellent.
December 19, 1997
The Blockbuster trend continues with Only You. Marisa Tomei and Robert Downy Jr. star in this 1994 romantic comedy set in Italy. Tomei is good, but her character is a bit of an irrational nitwit who displays enough misunderstandings about the nature of love during the course of the film that you just know her family's gonna end up in counseling eventually. Downy makes for a fine leading man, and we can readily see how much talent he's ultimately flushed down the toilet with his current-day, real-life drug problems. Keeping that out of mind, this is a nice pleasant film which easily makes "chick flick" status, so guys looking to score points with their significant other can put this on the "to see" list. There are enough plot twists that one should be able to remain awake, and the lack of emotional pull is such that no tears need be shed.December 18, 1997
After about a week of usage, I can now confirm that the "brighter whites" claims made by sonicare (see the December 3 entry) are absolutely true. It's the most expensive toothbrush you'll ever own (though we received ours as a Christmas gift), but it's probably worth it.Finally did the Blockbuster thing and checked out a couple of the summer's bigger hits: Men in Black (starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith) and the entertaining Julia Roberts vehicle My Best Friend's Wedding.
Although MiB is good film, it also represents a very big, very wasted opportunity to create one of the innovative science fiction movies of the decade. Unfortunately, the ambitions here are much lower, and the result is sort of a slapstick sci-fi comedy that feels light-weight. Both Jones and Smith are actors capable of much greater range and depth, but they're not called on to do anything other than strut, preen and deliver witty one-liners. MiB is light, escapist faire with nice comedic touches, but it's a shame that more wasn't made out of the potential.
I've got similarly mixed emotions about My Best Friend's Wedding. The acting is fine, with the very physically attractive supporting cast (casting by GQ?) of Dermont Mulroony, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Evert all acquitting themselves nicely. The script, with a few notable exceptions, is another matter entirely. Too many scenes (particularly anything involving singing) are banal and far too "Hollywood." Additionally, the characterizations are weak (I have no idea what Roberts' character sees in Mulroony's character; he strikes me as a bit of dip). This isn't a terrible film, but it is a prime example of why audiences interested in more intriguing characters are turning to indie-films like Chasing Amy.
December 6, 1997
Easy highlight of the weekend: A visit from my long-time friend Dave who drove down to the Bay Area with his brother. Though his was a stay of less than 24 hours, we still managed to get in a soccer game, a football game and a 3 to 4 mile hike. Dave also got a brief look at my Roland XP-80 synth and because he's the owner of a Korg i3, we'll be trying to swap MIDI files to see if we can use that as a method for sending music to each other via e-mail. A collaborative music project would be a blast!December 5, 1997
Frankly I don't know what it is about Bay Area meteorologists, but I've never seen so many wrong forecasts in my life. Granted, you always have to take the 5-day extended forecast with a grain of salt. Weather patterns change, and I think we can all recognize and deal with this. But I have never experienced so many repeated screw-ups in same-day forecasts in my life. Maybe there's some kind of geographical quirk to this area that makes weather prediction extraordinarily difficult. My own theory is that budget cuts at the U.S. Weather Bureau have eliminated satellite photography and doppler radar, forcing metrologists to use lower tech methods like rolling dice and examining chicken entrails.A perennial favorite in the least-liked politician category, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown has yet again wandered into the realm of the lunatic fringe, this time giving the listening public his take the Golden State Warriors' ex-guard Latrell Sprewell attacking coach P.J. Carlesimo. Sayeth Mayor Willie: "Some bosses need to be choked." I'm thinking some city employees couldn't agree more.
December 3, 1997
Thanks to info given to me by Mel, I'm now exploring the very interesting world of Internet chess servers. These computers host chess games from people around the world. With the proper graphical user interface (I'm using PowerICS), I can play chess against people all over the world. Apparently, even Grandmasters like Karpov occasionally make appearances. Mel tells me that this is a great way to play a lot of games and try out different strategies.From the Not-That-You'd-Care Dept.: Latest dental checkup was a success, and while I had the attention of these medical professionals, I took the opportunity to ask about electric toothbrushes. Short answer: They are highly recommended. Specifically, I was referred to a brush called sonicare, an electric toothbrush which uses high frequency vibrations. This is a rather expensive brush, costing around $120, but the results—if advertising literature can be believed—are amazing.
December 2, 1997
Met with Mel, a USCF Master, and bought from him Modern Chess Openings-13, a book widely considered to be "the chessplayer's bible." My hope is that I'll be able to find and learn a couple of openings in the next year that will help me dramatically improve my chess. At this point, that's a fairly optimistic goal; I'm still not where I need to be tactically and strategically for strong opening knowledge to make that big a difference.
