Road House (1989)

take the train

by dailies

“I don’t know why people don’t realize that I like Road House unironically.

“It’s a perfect film. It’s paced well. It doesn’t have any extra fluff. It doesn’t get bigger than the story. It doesn’t try to be something it’s not.”

“…”

“I mean yeah, it’s ridiculous. OK. But it’s also got a noir element.”

He’s still listening, so I go on.

“You know, you have this kind of bleak wasteland. You have an anti-hero. A loner. He’s used to just taking care of himself. He’s good at it.”

“He’s a philosopher,” Ralph interjects.

“Right! But then he finds himself in a circumstance where he has to protect some innocents. And he can’t help himself. He has to get involved, even if it’s hopeless.”

I pause, and then say, “Well… I guess it’s not really that noir, I mean besides that. I mean, usually a noir has -“

“- a femme fatale,” my husband nods knowingly.

Instantly, I’m peevish. “Road House has a femme fatale!” I’m pissed. He’s sat through this movie with me many times. Come on!

“…She just doesn’t have a big part,” I allow, begrudgingly. 

Road House (1989)

i like the first wiseman’s moves the most

by dailies


(Apologies that this is, in fact, a commercial. Thanks MF!)

Christmas was good this year. I even had a cat-nap – can’t remember the last time I did that. Great food, good company, and nice, thoughtful presents. In fact, there are only – out of all the gifts that came across my stoop this year – two teeny tiny items that will be moving on from my house. It’s not what my brother gave my family if you were wondering, because, you know, he didn’t. Get us anything. It’s the fact I’m so goddamned controlling no one buys my kids Barbie or plastic hoo-ha or anything they aren’t sure I’m OK with. On one level I feel like some kind of present-Nazi about this but, yet, light as a feather and guilt free when looking at the high quality comic books, handmade clothes, coloring pencils, free-trade dry goods, cotton kitchen towels, dye-cast cars from antique stores, and locally-bought t-shirts that now grace our home. Also, more Strangers with Candy. Yesss!

I want to stress that I really am grateful for the loving friends and family but of course I play favofites: I’ve got a soft spot for the a homemade “Double Deuce” shirt from my husband. It truly was the craziest – the Swayziest – Christmas I’ve had so far!

romance is not dead (it’s swayze!)

by dailies

Today besides the normal drill of fixing breakfast and lunch and getting the kids read for school I cooked a mini-Thanksgiving “feast” of roast turkey, mashed potatoes w/butter, and carrot sticks for Sophie’s kindergarten class – fresh out of the shower at 12:40 throwing potatoes in boiling water for a lunch date at 1 PM (yes, I made it and on time too), deep-cleaned the bathroom, entertained my father during a surprise coffee visit (our conversation actually took many turns for the personal depths, much to my surprise), took the kids to the Sweet Shoppe and picked up some catered bread pudding while there (the only item on the T-day menu I’m not making), took the kids to the Y and worked out, and cut out two dresses and two skirts to sew for Sophie. At my parents’ tonight I realized I couldn’t sew at home; my children / the kitten – someone – had got ahold of my bobbin helmet, a part I truly do need in order to sew. On hearing this my husband offered to haul my Singer 201 down the narrow stairs, put it in the van and drive it to our house to set up; the machine itself weighs 25 lbs. and is in a giant cabinet that isn’t easy to carry even over level ground. I opted instead to come home and tear the house apart for the missing piece to my 15-91. *

Here’s another reason I like being married to Ralph; tonight at 9 PM when I said, “Oh, you should go rent Roadhouse since the video stores won’t be open tomorrow,” and he said “Fuckin’ A’!”, grabbed our son, and left to go do it. So. There are so many, many people who would not have had that response.

Through a misplaced Tweet I found Devil’s Night Radio and I’m loving it. Tonight I heard Nick Cave’s “Stagger Lee” which I haven’t listened to in nine years on account of how much it offended Ralph when I played it in my car.

Oh, and I found out that after working out and not drinking alchool for a little over a week I have dropped six pounds. People, just so you know, this is officially the first time in my life I’ve ever done anything approximating “dieting”. I’m glad to have lost weight but I’m even more amazed at how good I feel.

So yeah. Things are going great around these parts.

* ETA – that was fast. I published my post, walked into the living room, moved one couch and immediately found the little metal part. Good times.

one of those ways people think I’m a Good Mommy, but I’m actually a Bad One

by dailies

Today after a breakfast out (I begged Ralph and he only begrudgingly agreed) we took the family to Slobberdale so I could buy fabric. Because I am a huge frakin’ sewing dork. This year for Halloween my daughter is going to be a Corpse Bride so I have to get crackin’ (Nels’ “Ice Bat” is all done). I just got home with my fabrics and pattern, threw the kids in bed, washed the fabric while cutting out the pattern:


(Butterick 4887) for her gown. I’m doing a lace overlay and a tulle peplum and currently cutting out tulle and it’s really, really weird stuff. Oh, should this be going on my sewing blog? Too fucken bad!

In other news, ever since Girls’ Movie Night (v. October ’06) I can’t stop thinking about Patrick Swayze. And not in a pervy way, either. More an intrigued way. Why doesn’t he work much these days? Why has he aged less like a person and more like a sleek rock formation? How did he get away with his hair for so long? Why doesn’t he have a better ass? I just told Ralph to go rent me another Swayze film – I gave him a trifecta of choices in order of my preference. “And,” I said, “If those three are all out, then someone in this town loves Swayze more than us – and we should just back off.”

"I carried a watermelon"

by dailies

My movie night went well.

Nothing like a little 80’s beefcake and very, very cheesy (yet fun) film. Everyone brought lots of great Mexican food, beer, wine, etc.

In honor the Mexican potluck thing, I also made these (only very marginally are they “Mexican”):

Pumpkin Enchiladas

1 ~4 lb. sugar pumpkin
2 cups sour cream
3 cups shredded gouda (divided, 2 cups and 1 cup)
2 jalapenos, ribbed, seeded, and minced
4 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon masa harina flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cans red enchilada sauce
20 corn tortillas
oil for frying

Preheat oven to 425. Wash pumpkin. Cut into large wedges, scrape out sides. Roast skin-sides down for about 40 minutes. Take out, allow to cool.

Meanwhile, saute garlic in butter. Add masa harina and stir until thickened. Add sour cream and 2 cups of gouda. Stir until all is melted. Set aside.

Take pumpkin and peel off skins, put flesh in food processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Mix with salt and jalapenos, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Wet bottom of large baking pan with some sauce. Soften tortillas in oil (one at a time). Put about 2 tablespoons pumpkin mix and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese roux in each. Roll and place seam-side down. Pour sauce over and top with.

Bake 40 minutes, covered. Allow to set for 5 minutes; serve.