Entire Obama Acceptance Speech

This is the entire speech Barack Obama made at the Democratic National Convention on August 28, 2008. The speech is stirring and interesting. It explains exactly why I'm voting for Sen. Obama.

I hope after watching it, you too will become persuaded to vote for Barack Obama.

A Patty Loveless Kind of Day

Don't let the title fool you, dear readers. I'm actually in a good mood. But, outside, it's kinda rainy and drab, cloudy and gray (or grey if you spell it that way). A perfect day for one of my truly fave artists, Patty Loveless. Here's a couple videos. Enjoy!

Movie Review- "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

This movie put me in a weird mood when I saw it. Here again, it was another film that I would have liked to have seen with someone. However, trying to get people in my age bracket to come with you when you say, "Let's go see the new Woody Allen movie" is pretty difficult. But what can you do?

The movie is about 2 friends who go to Barcelona for a summer. To make a long story short, they meet an artist, and both of them fall in love with him. However, they deal with their love for him in very different ways. Throw in a neurotic ex-wife to the mix along with a beautiful backdrop in Spain.

Let me put another bias on the table: I'm a big Woody Allen fan. Ever since college, I've liked his work. Oddly, I came to know his work through his prose rather than his films. But I digress.

In the film, Woody goes back to exploring relationships, boundaries in relationships, morals and ethics, and the like. Additionally, he addresses the issue of passion, and the consequences of acting according to said passion. This, however, has another side. Just as there are after-effects of acting on passion, so there are consequences for not doing so. Allen addresses this quite matter-of-factly. It seems as of he is not making value judgements here, but I believe he is.

The artist is played by Javier Bardem. He won an Oscar for his performance in last year's "No Country For Old Men." And he deserved it. (That film was also last year's Best Picture.) Another good job by this actor. That's pretty much all I can say about his performance.

The bigger story, for me, is Scarlett Johansson. She makes a great muse for Allen. they seem to work very well together. I've enjoyed their other collaborations ("Match Point" and "Scoop"). She plays a free spirit, and plays it well. I've known people like her character, and she pretty much portrays them nearly flawlessly.

Like I said before, this movie put me in a really weird mood. I wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. Actually, I had the same reaction when I saw Allen's "Melinda and Melinda". I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting, and I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the outcome. This movie raises some quite profound questions (listed above). I have definite ideas about relationship boundaries, and I consider myself to be a fairly passionate person. Allen is a master at making me think. I don't find myself agreeing with him and his worldview often. But he does make a great point at the beginning of the film when he introduces the character of Cristina (Scarlett Johansson). Her character believes that suffering is simply a part of living passionately (a paraphrase).

This film, like the others I've seen recently is worth seeing, if only for the dialogue factor. That is the great conversations that will emerge as a result of seeing the film. The that guy factor does not disappoint either (Kevin Dunn, who played John Candy's brother in "Only the Lonely").

Acting: A-
Directing A
That Guy Factor: C+
Overall: B

More Chef-To-Farm Pics

Chef-To-Farm (With Pics!)

Yesterday was my day off. I spent it with a group of people made up of chefs and foodies. I made a couple of new friends. We toured four local farms that practice organic and/or sustainable agriculture. It was all quite fascinating. I really learned a lot about where some of the local food comes from. Some highlights from the excursion include, trying some really delicious strawberry cream, petting a baby horse and cow, seeing some piglets, and picking blueberries right off the bush. I was pretty tired when I got home, but what an amazing day!

A big THANK YOU goes to the group Feed Your Soul for putting this on!

Enjoy the pics! I should explain about the pics. They are in random order, just to give you a sampling of all the places.

An Odd Sensation

So, I've been sick for the last couple days. I got a cold. I don't get sick that often, but when I do, I pretty much hit the deck. And this was no exception.

Last night, though, I became aware of a really weird feeling. I was watching the Buffalo Bills preseason matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Toronto. Actually, the game was in Toronto, I was sick at home. Just to clarify. Anyway the odd sensation was this: I was doing one of my favorite things (watching football) and doing one of my least favorite things (suffering from a cold) at the exact same time. Just a little odd.

Thanks for reading.

A Day At Niagara Falls- Canadian Side

Here's the photos from the Canadian side. What an enjoyable couple of hours! We ate at this place called Boston Pizza. I made the group try poutine. I happen to love it, but the group was kind of skeptical. However, they were won over with one taste.

I love Canada. I know it's Niagara Falls, and it's kind of geared toward tourists, but I love it. (I have also been to Toronto and loved that). There's just such a different vibe up there. It's kind of hard to explain. Maybe it's just me.

I know the US doesn't necessarily have the greatest reputation in the world right now. But the people in Canada that I've encountered are really great. Kudos to you, Canada! From this humble American, you have a great country.