Veganized blueberry chocolate chip muffins found on Pinterest via Will Cook for Smiles. These things were amazing. Substitutions made: 1/2 mashed banana swapped for egg, Earth Balance and almond milk. Used vanilla extract instead of paste (though I just added paste to my wishlist). Added in 1/4 cup vegan Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips. I have been trying to freeze portions so I have things for eating later, but these did not last long after giving a couple to our landlord and his husband and to our neighbor Jenna. Simple and yummy!
Also this week: Last Minute Valentine @ Papermoon Pastry. Emissions test. Bite with the boo. Dimo’s with Z, Stephanie, Jason Anderson, & Steven Gilpin pre-show @ Den Theatre. Cocktail @ Takito with Stephanie. Jason/Steven’s Show @ Den Theatre. Upton’s Breakroom with Stephanie & Jason. Sushi with Z, Shanleys, and Amy @ Bob San. Most importantly, I finished Veronica Mars – Season 1 this week! Less than a month before the film comes out. Queue moment of SQUEE!
I have talked about the magic that is my friend and fave singer/songwriter dude Jason Anderson many times. Seeing him play makes whatever worries you had earlier that day, that week, that month, go away at the very least for the duration of his set. Singalongs, hum alongs, making Kermit hands in the hair and fist pumps. Really, I wish I could force any friend who’s never seen him before, especially those who’ve been having a hard time lately, to see him. He is the definition of one who wears his heart on his sleeve and I am proud to call him a friend. Check him out. Subject of this post is from a Jason song.
Films watched 7th week of the year:
Trading Places
Friends with Benefits
Tonight You’re Mine
Short Term 12
Fruitvale Station
Gone
There was something redeeming about all of these films. Z had never seen Trading Places – can you believe that!? Although, I did not remember all the nudity, so I’m pretty sure I only saw it on tv growing up. It is rare that there are films of any cinematic merit that I have seen and Z has not.
I saw a preview ages ago for Short Term 12 and promptly forgot entirely about it, but was glad Z put it on the Netflix queue. I’ve been wistful for pre-weed David Gordon Green a lot these days and Short Term 12 captured that quiet and special feeling that GW & ATRG gave me. I am really looking forward to Destin Cretton’s future films and to finding and watching his earlier works.
Fruitvale Station is a true story and I remembered the stories circulating on Facebook. In this day and age when we are so bombarded with social media, seeing texts pop up as Oscar’s story was unfolding wove the story together and worked seamlessly. Stories like Oscar’s happen every day and, with all the truly shitty remakes coming out, it’s shocking that more true stories like Oscar’s are not made into films. Michael Jordan has made some great choices as an actor. Loved him in The Wire and Friday Night Lights. This was great film, but truly bleak ending, which anyone knowing his story would already know going into it.
Tonight You’re Mine was pretty and fun. It made me wish I’d gone and camped out at a British festival in my youth, but maybe I’ll still do that yet, even when I am about to enter my 35th year. Also making me feel like an oldie was the fact that I had no idea who any of the bands they showed in the film were. I used to inhale everything in the pages of NME/Melody Maker/Mojo back in the day, but music is different for me now that I’m a little older. When I djed on WGMU, worked at Now! Music and Fashion, and djed at clubs, I felt pressured to have heard of every band. I don’t feel the need to know everything now and I definitely don’t know most of what the kids are into and it’s OK.
Friends with Benefits was OK, but the flash mob scene at the end made it worth the watch. Hearing ‘Closing Time’ over and over made me remember how good a book Jacob Slichter wrote about being the drummer for Semisonic. It’s called So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star: How I Machine-Gunned a Roomful Of Record Executives and Other True Tales from a Drummer’s Life and it’s truly a fantastic read full of hilarity and sadness from being screwed over by a major label. I have always had a soft spot for Semisonic.
