dem bones

There is a scene in the British TV drama, “The Singing Detective,” when a group of doctors and nurses visiting a hospitalized man suddenly burst into song. “Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones…” It’s one of best moments. Reminds me of when the same song came up in the berserk final episode of [...]

short men, blue men

Movies, again.
The Station Agent. This one is still in theaters. A man (who’s a dwarf, and not the fantasy kind) moves into an old train station in a small New Jersey town. He is gradually befriended by a couple of odd and interesting townspeople. The rocky growth of these relationships is funny, poignant, and very [...]

christmas in ballard

The first photo–a mysterious holiday visitor sings a romantic song. Can you identify what this creature is and where it comes from? The other picture is new art–a scary cat inside a circle of gold glitter. Acrylic on wood. The artist is Iggi Green (no relation).

a cornucupia of entertainment

From the last few weeks:

A Streetcar Named Desire, at Theater Babylon. What a surprisingly terrific job this small theater did with the play. Great cast. The toughest roles were played with aplomb. There was an amazing, finely-detailed set that made creative use of every inch of the small space. All told, this was better [...]

your personalized holiday message

This merry non-believer wishes ____________ (fill in your name here) a happy holiday. It’s a great time of year to celebrate non-belief! And to remind one’s self that there are plenty of great things left about the world once you strip away all the magic and woo-woo.
First, the “I Don’t Believe list.”
reincarnation
feng shui
life-force energy
a [...]

bad beyond the pale

In case you haven’t seen or read it, I have a holiday present for you–the worst story ever written. The Eye of Argon is a sword-and-sorcery tale so terrible that the story of the story has it’s own lore and legends. Read the Wikipedia entry for details. The story of Grignr, the musclebound barbarian who [...]

a good place for big movies

I’ll be viewing “Return of the King” next week at the Cinerama theater in downtown Seattle. Must…see it…there. The screen is 68 feet wide. If you have an apocalyptic battle of good vs. evil to watch, this is the place to do it. Powerful speakers, sound baffles, air diffusers, and a special acoustic ceiling are [...]