cliopatra’s Friends

Entertainment QotW: Movie Prices

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:19:49 -0400

How much does a ticket cost at your usual movie theater? Does the price affect the number of movies you see at the theater?
Submitted by Kristie.

When our power went out Sunday evening, we went to the Allen 8, and tix for WALL-E cost $7.50 each. I think matinée showings are $5 or $6 each. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty cheap entertainment, so no, the ticket prices don't have nearly as much of an effect on our movie-going habits as other factors, such as the cost-benefit ratio of putting up with annoying audience members to getting to see cool f/x on the big screen. No, where cost factors in is at the concession stand, but do I really need a soda and a tub of popcorn? No, of course not, so I try not to go to the cinema hungry, and I limit concession purchases to those times when I feel like I need to splurge on the whole movie-going experience. And that limitation is pretty easy to bear since the popcorn at the Allen Theaters is just not that good.

Wall-E [Theatrical Release]

WALL-E, BTW, is worth going to see at the cinema. Pax & I both enjoyed it a lot. It's sweet, it's funny, and it's thought-provoking. Though the very fact that some of this thought needs to be provoked is a little sad.

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Vox Hunt: 70s Flashback

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:40:48 -0400

Show us something in your house from the 1970s.

Kevin & Me in a Paperweight

I think this paperweight was a Boy Scout project circa 1973. Mom was a den mother for Kevin's troop, and I vaguely remember her showing the boys how to pour clear plastic goo and assorted doodads (such as photographs) into molds to make paperweights. This one seems to have suffered an air bubble.

I also distinctly remember that photo session. I hated that dress. The smocking at the top itched something awful, so I kept trying to take the dress off, much to the photographer's consternation. It's a little hard to tell, due to the degradation of the photo, but I have the hem of the dress gathered into my chubby little hands, ready for another removal attempt.

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Entertainment QotW: Coming to an opera house near you...

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:16:34 -0400

First "Brokeback Mountain" was a short story written by Annie Proulx. Then, it was a movie directed by Ang Lee. Next, it will be an opera slated to premier during New York's City Opera's 2013 season.

What movie/book would you most like to see turned into an opera?

First off, I have neither seen nor read any version of Brokeback Mountain. It simply does not sound like a compelling story to me. Secondly, I'm not into opera. Why ruin perfectly good music with a bunch of caterwauling? I'm not even much of one for musicals, with a few notable exceptions (e.g., Chicago, "Once More with Feeling"). But now that you've forced me to think about it, well...My favorite book of all time is Rebecca. It might do well as an opera.

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Culture QotW: Summer Festivals

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:54:06 -0400

Which cultural festivals will you be attending this summer?

I'm not sure if these are considered "cultural festivals," really, but here's what I have (at least tentatively) planned:

This coming week, Pax & I are heading to Denver for the Rocky Mountain High-IQ Annual Gathering of Mensa. We haven't been to an AG since the one in St Louis back in, what, 1995? And this one is apparently going to be huge, with 2000+ attendees.

Later in July, Pax & I are going to Santa Fe. I'll be joining some friends at the Santa Fe Opera production of Radamisto, but Pax is giving the show a miss. I'm not normally much of one for opera, either, but the SFO is supposed to be phenomenally good, and I do like Handel.

In August, I imagine we will once again attend Bubonicon in Albuquerque. Yep, it's a convention named after a plague. We attended the last two years and had fun, so we might as well go back.

At the very end of August, we are thinking about going to the Hatch Valley Chile Festival.

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QotD: Words to Live By

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:22:41 -0400

What is your personal motto?

Always have an alibi.

Preferably airtight. I mean, you never know when somebody you detest will turn up dead. Which is generally a good thing, of course. But if the circumstances are suspicious, you might get hauled in for questioning. Best to be prepared.

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Life QotW: Personal Projects

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:15:33 -0400

What project are you working on right now that's not work related?

Funny you should ask. I was just getting ready to post about it in hopes of getting some people to help out. Some of you may already know me as stinalyn over on the BookCrossing.com site, and I am presenting an "Introduction to BookCrossing.com" workshop on July 3rd at Mensa's Annual Gathering in Denver, Colorado. Part of the presentation will be to allow each participant (while supplies last) to take a book that has already been registered on the site, add an online journal entry, and then release it to continue its trackable journey. I'm toting along several books myself to release in this fashion, and other BookCrossers have already pitched in, sending books to me and to the helpful Denverites listed on the MensaAG BookCrossing profile that I set up to facilitate this project.

How can you help? Well, I highly recommend joining BookCrossing, if you haven't already. It's free, the site won't spam you, and it's as anonymous as you want to make it. (For instance, nobody knows veteran BookCrosser watchcat's true identity. We suspect she is really Paris Hilton.) Once you've joined, you can use the site's private message system to "PM" one of the helpful Denverites about sending them a book or two that you've registered on BookCrossing and are ready to release into the world, and they can see that it makes it to me at the convention hotel.

And even if you don't feel ready to join the fabulous community of bibliophiles that is BookCrossing, you can send me a message through Vox if you'd still like to help out somehow.

And, like it says in the MensaAG profile page, we're planning on a public (neither Mensa nor BookCrossing membership required) get-together, probably the evening of Saturday, July 5th. So if you're in Denver that day, keep watching that profile for an announcement of the exact when and where. We'd love to introduce you to our community!

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Building a Bucket List

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:23:31 -0400

This was originally a "what-have-I-done" kind of meme that Christina <3 swiped from Kzinti. Well, I scored a 63 out of what, about 200 items here. But I'm not going to tell you which 63. Instead, I'm going to underline the items that I am now adding to my to-do list. Everything else? Well, you'll just have to wonder if it's one of the 63 things I've already done.

1. Bought everyone in the pub a drink

2. Swam with wild dolphins

3. Climbed a mountain

4. Taken a ferrari for a test drive

5. Been inside the Great Pyramid

6. Held a tarantula

7. Taken a candllit bath with someone

8. Said "I love you" and meant it

9. Hugged a tree

10. Done a striptease

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise

15. Seen the Northern Lights

16. Gone to a huge sports game

17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

19. Touched an iceberg

20. Slept under the stars

21. Changed a baby's diaper

22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

23. Watched a meteor shower

24. Gotten drunk on champagne

25. Given more than you can afford to charity

26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

28. Had a food fight

29. Bet on a winning horse

30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill

31. Asked out a stranger

32. Had a snowball fight

33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier

34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

35. Held a lamb

36. Enacted a favorite fantasy

37. Taken a midnight skinny dip

38. Taken an ice cold bath

39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar

40. Seen a total eclipse

41. Ridden a roller coaster

42. Hit a home run

43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days

44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

45. Adopted an accent for an entire day

46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

48. Had 2 hard drives for your computer

49. Visited all 50 states

50. Loved your job for all accounts

51. Taken care of someone who was shit-faced

52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

53. Had amazing friends

54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

55. Watched wild whales

56. Stolen a sign

57. Backpacked in Europe

58. Taken a road-trip

59. Rock climbing

60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice.

61. Midnight walk on the beach

62. Sky diving

63. Visited Ireland

64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them

66. Visited Japan

67. Benchpressed your own weight

68. Milked a cow

69. Alphabetized your records

70. Pretended to be a superhero

71. Sung karaoke

72. Lounged around in bed all day

73. Posed nude in front of strangers

74. Scuba diving

75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye

76. Kissed in the rain

77. Played in the mud

78. Played in the rain

79. Gone to a drive-in theater

80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it

81. Visited the Great Wall of China

82. Learned that someone who's not supposed to know about your blog has found it

83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better

84. Started a business

85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

86. Toured ancient sites

87. Taken a martial arts class

88. Sword fought for the honor of a woman for my own pleasure

89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

90. Gotten married

91. Been in a movie

92. Crashed a party

93. Loved someone you shouldn't have

94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy

95. Gotten divorced

96. Had sex at the office

97. Gone without food for 5 days

98. Made cookies from scratch

99. Ridden a gondola in Venice

100. Won First Prize in a costume contest

101. Gotten a tattoo

102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on

103. Rafted the Snake River

104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"

105. Got flowers for no reason

106. Masturbated (someone else) in a public place

107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything

108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug

109. Performed on stage

110. Been to Las Vegas

111. Recorded music

112. Eaten shark

113. Had a one-night stand

114. Gone to Thailand

115. Seen Siouxsie live

116. Bought a house

117. Been in a combat zone

118. Buried one/both of your parents

119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off

120. Been on a cruise ship

121. Spoken more than one language fluently

122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone

123. Bounced a check

124. Performed in Rocky Horror

125. Read - and understood - your credit report

126. Raised children

127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy

128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

129. Created and named your own constellation of stars

130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did

132. Called or written your Congressperson/MP

133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

134. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

135. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking

136. Had an abortion or your female partner did

137. Had plastic surgery

138. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived

139. Wrote articles for a large publication

140. Lost over 100 pounds

141. Held someone while they were having a flashback

142. Piloted an airplane

143. Petted a stingray

144. Broken someone's heart

145. Helped an animal give birth

146. Been fired or laid off from a job

147. Won money on a TV game show

148. Broken a bone

149. Killed a human being

150. Gone on an African photo safari

151. Ridden a motorcycle

152. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph

153. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced

154. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

155. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

156. Ridden a horse

157. Had major surgery

158. Had sex on a moving train

159. Had a snake as a pet

160. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

161. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing

162. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

163. Visited more foreign countries than US States

164. Visited all 7 continents

165. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

166. Eaten kangaroo meat

167. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground

168. Been a sperm or egg donor

169. Eaten sushi

170. Had your picture in the newspaper

171. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime

172. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about

173. Gotten someone fired for their actions

174. Gone back to school

175. Parasailed

176. Changed your name

177. Petted a cockroach

178. Eaten fried green tomatoes

178. Read The Iliad

179. Selected one "important" author whom you missed in school, and read

180. Dined in a restaurant and stolen something because your apartment needed it

181. ...and gotten 86ed because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you

182. Taught yourself an art from scratch

183. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

184. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt

185. Skipped all your school reunions

186. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

187. Been elected to public office

188. Written your own computer language

189. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream

190. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

191. Built your own PC from parts

192. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

193. Had a booth at a street fair

194. Dyed your hair

195. Been a DJ

196. Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal

197. Written your own role playing game

198. Been arrested

Now, I'm going to add some items, which I may or may not have done, that I think should be included in this list:

199. Bathed or waded in a hot spring

200. Attended a film première

201. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower

202. Climbed the stairs to Montmartre

203. Gambled in a casino

204. Been to your country's consulate or embassy in another country

205. Visited another country's embassy

206. Haggled over a purchase in a street market

207. Spent the night in a youth hostel in a foreign country

208. Watched (in person) a space shuttle launch

209. Ridden a double-decker bus

210. Had your artwork or photography displayed in a public place

211. Adopted a kitten

212. Made your own jewelry

213. Eaten a raw egg

214. Gone ice skating

215. Gone deep sea fishing

216. Ridden in an airboat

217. Photographed a dangerous animal in the wild

218. Been inside a gothic cathedral

219. Visited your country's capital city.

220. Competed in a national tournament.

221. Lied about your age to go somewhere you didn't belong

222. Sold a house

223. Eaten rattlesnake

224. Dined in a revolving rooftop restaurant

225. Been hospitalized in the intensive care unit

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Vox Hunt: Architectural Digest

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:58:51 -0400

Show us an example of architecture you find interesting or inspiring.

Loretto Chapel Rose Window

I'm not a very religious person at all, but there is something about gothic (and gothic revival) chapels and cathedrals that just sings to my heart. The intricate vaults, the glorious rose windows, the majestic flying buttresses...ah, those medieval souls were really onto something.

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QotD: Glazed Over

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 13:47:53 -0400

What's your favorite type of donut?
Submitted by tomatshonino.

Fortunately, donuts (like french fries and potato chips) are not a major junk-food pitfall for me. (Though I have plenty of other junk-food pitfalls, never fear!) I don't care much at all for cake donuts, so they don't tempt me in the least. The plain glazed kind are okay, and if there is a box of them available, I'm likely to give in and eat one, but I certainly won't make a pig of myself over them. If they have chocolate frosting and sprinkles, I'll probably eat two. I do confess a weakness for jelly-filled donuts, but I am usually saved from bad behavior by the fact that no box of donuts ever contains more than two of them, and somebody else has almost always snagged at least one of them.

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QotD: Summer Solstice

nobody@vox.com(Strixaluco) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:40:55 -0400

Yesterday was the summer solstice for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. How did you celebrate the arrival of summer and the longest day of the year?

Yesterday, nothing. But today I went over to the library for their event featuring a singing cowboy and his horse Dusty.

Horse in the Library

Singing Cowboy and Solstice Marker

Summer Solstice Marker at Noon

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