November 21, 2006
Some time ago, I decided to go back to my life in real estate as a buyer's agent. I re-upped my license and went back to my broker at the Home Buyer's Agent. I had a few clients, and then the market tanked.
So yesterday, I resigned and I'm back to wearing only one hat again instead of two. I'm kind of sad but kind of relieved too. I liked my broker and the other agents, and I'm sad that I won't be around them anymore, but I like the idea of focusing on one thing instead of trying to divide my time and attention between two.
So there you have it. Back to one hat.
November 20, 2006
The news that the new Bond would be blond placed me firmly in the skeptical camp about the future of the franchise. So it was with low expectations that Keith and I went out and saw Casino Royale. On opening day, even!
I'll keep the spoilers below, with warning, but I can safely say that overall, I really enjoyed it. Daniel Craig makes quite a good Bond, much to my surprise. The story is good, the action scenes are totally satisfying and there was just the right amount and kind of humor. I give it a thumbs up!
On the downside, there were some production and technical problems with it. The ...
November 19, 2006
Okay, watch this compilation, if you dare. Or if you can stomach it. And then tell me if I'm wrong about
Caruso being the new Shatner. (If you can't stand the whole thing, watch the last 20-25 seconds. You'll be a believer after that.)
[gv data="_sarYH0z948"][/gv]
November 18, 2006
Bo coached in my first go-around at U-M, so I think of him as 'the' coach during my college experience. I do like Lloyd Carr, mind you, but there's something about your first.
My only close encounter with Bo came fairly recently, just a year or two ago. Keith and I were at Angelo's Next Door for breakfast. I think I had Eggs Benedict, Keith had Corned Beef Hash. As we were sitting there, a group of four came in and took the table right next to us. Bo was in the group! As they were getting ready to order, he leaned over and asked Keith how his hash was. ...
November 17, 2006
The wine: Twin Fin, 2003 Merlot, California, purchased at Kroger for about $7.50 (on sale from about $10)
Back to red this week. Nice sturdy wine, this - a bit heartier than I'd expect from the price and the label. Still, definitely a 'fun wine' with a fairly fruit-forward taste. Cherries - followed by a pleasantly complex finish.
I drank this with a fried chicken dinner, complete with tater tots on the side. (Oh, it's posh here Chez Mitten.) It stood up to - and even complemented - the salty food. Very drinkable on its own as well.
The bottle: Some of you may have noticed it's cold ...
November 16, 2006
Sam is participating in a 'Battle of the Books' at school. They are on teams, read a number of books and then have a quiz trivia game about the books they've read. This week's book is The BFG by Roald Dahl, and Sam is finding it a bit slow going because it's filled with a lot of made up words. So last night, I read a few chapters to him out loud. (This is apparently allowable in the 'battle.' Has to do with 'modeling behavior' or something like that.)
It's a funny book, about a giant who puts dreams in people's heads. The best part was where the little girl asked the giant how he learned to write. It turns out ...
November 15, 2006
I am slammed with work for the next couple days. So I'll apologize in advance for the short posts.
For a long, long time, the Milk Depot building at the corner of Maple and Dexter has been empty and falling into disrepair. But a few weeks ago, reconstruction started! I asked the workmen what it's going to be, and they said it's some kind of deli and ice cream store. Sounds cool, but I just can't see how the parking works on that site. Fine for us to walk to, and maybe they're counting on walk-overs from Vets park, but there's maybe 3 spaces there total. I'm curious to see how it works out.
November 14, 2006
I finally got to see the first two episodes of InZer0 tonight. It's a serialized science fiction film being created by
Thought Collide in Detroit, and Keith has been working on the project with them, doing some lighting and directing.
It was pretty good - an ambitious project with some very cool ideas at the core of it. Some rough edges, but these were the first two episodes and it sounds like they've worked out some of the kinks in later episodes. Definitely worth a look!
If you'd like to see it for yourself, there's a
second show on Sunday at 3:30 at the Michigan Theater. B there or B square.
November 12, 2006
I saw some ads on the tv for
CiCi's Gourmet Pizza Buffet, and it so happens they have a location over near the WalMart on Ellsworth. Dinner for $4.49 a head? Well, family dinner out for under $20 seemed at least worth a try.
First off, that $4.49 doesn't include drinks, so it was more like $6 a head, but still. Pretty reasonable. The place was packed with families and college kids, as you would expect. There is the requisite game room with video and pinball games. It's not an overly attractive space and it was noisy, but the ceiling is high so there's no really cramped feeling. It seems to be one ...
