Brown Motion

Am reading this book in no particular order.  Written by a 90 year old food critic, or more appropriately food lover, Mimi Sheraton is one lucky lady. She has had this enviable job for the past 60 years and so in her travels she has managed to eat her way through a lot. She professes to eating out half the time during the week which is at least seven meals even at this age.  She eats whatever she wants and honestly if she can say that on public TV to a serious journalist then I want to believe it. Apparently eating in moderation has kept her healthy and lovely.  She can still climb three stories of her multi level home in NY without any aid or implements other than her own wheels. This book was first published in 2015 and covers a vast geography in terms of food origins and their national appeal.  The best places to forage are also listed along side the recipe.  Food name origins and other etymological tidbits make for an interesting read. Personally ...

I did not know who Noah Baumbach was till I saw this film that he directed.  Starring Ben Stiller (honestly I give him cred because of his dad Jerry Stiller in Seinfeld whom I loved) and Naomi Watts (whom I quite like as an actor) play the role of 40 something NY couple that is longing for a change in their childless existence.  The movie is similar to some others I have seen in the serious comedy /satire genre with what Hollywood or movie watching public might consider B or C grade acting talent (take Albert Brooks or Paul Rudd in 'This is 40'). The plot revolves around the 40ish couple crossing paths with a 20ish hippy pair who live a very energetic and ad hoc life.  From the stereotype of making their own food (and ice cream) even in NY, to their whole Bohemian chic lifestyle, the older couple gets enamored to the point that they emulate them in their own life.  From taking hip hop lessons to taking wild hikes in the middle of the night wearing...

Nobody I have ever seen (or can remember) in the movies before was the cast of this film.  In that sense it was a clean slate to go watch.  Film was Oscar nominated.  Means as much to me as a Rotten Tomatoes rating does. Nothing.  I rate a movie based on what I think of it.  Anyway aside from the group think vs. me think debate I thought this film is entertaining and has one line that takes the prize. That line is  - 'There are no two worse words more harmful in the English language than 'Good Job'.  That is what the band director (I thought was the protagonist but the film review team thinks was a side role) tells his drummer student in a bar (as they talk about bars and brass and drums and other lingo related to music). Movie revolves around a high school kid that grew up with one parent.  Wanting to play the drums he enrolls in a NY school to be the best he can be.  While he is focused on achieving this skill...