response 31 of 112:

Jul 16 11:43 UTC 2003

Re #29:  There's a fast-food Chinese restaurant at Briarwood that used to
         be part of a chain called Manchu Wok.  When the guy broke off from
         it, he renamed the place Ming Wok.  Victorious at last!

response 33 of 112:

Jul 17 05:05 UTC 2003

Hua mu-lan doesn't particularly mean anything I think.  Often as not
chinese will name a child with something that does have lucky ot good
meaning.  I know a guy named "good fortune" and a girl named "fertile
field".  I know one guy - son of a 1949 ex-pat who's name is "supple
willow victorious".

It may seem strange to westerners at first who don't realize how many of
their own names have similar derivations although long since forgotten.
Emanuel for example.  Or Elizabeth.

response 35 of 112:

Jul 17 17:17 UTC 2003

Same goes for Indian names, a lot of them are derived from words that 
meant something like "peace" or "humility", and others are still used 
in everyday language, like mine

response 37 of 112:

Jul 17 19:51 UTC 2003

I'm guessing a derivative of the word that means "sky". I could be way 
off on this one.

response 39 of 112:

Jul 18 00:14 UTC 2003

this weeks Saturday midnight movie at the State is Edward Scissorhands.  Come
celebrate surviving another round of Art Fairs!

response 41 of 112:

Jul 18 05:29 UTC 2003

It is of some cultural interest that names "mean" something, but of what
significance is it? Surely you are not a bearer of spears (most of the time?).

response 43 of 112:

Jul 19 03:20 UTC 2003

I am not sure that "bearer of the spear" itself holds deep meaning in 
modern times-- I am sure, however, that it comes from the British 
Isles.  More importantly, it is the name of my father.  "Jonathan," 
however, is very important for many personal reasons.

response 45 of 112:

Jul 21 15:43 UTC 2003

Re. #38:  Nope.  Someone at my workplace.

response 47 of 112:

Jul 21 18:58 UTC 2003

The music in that movie was mostly Bollywood. But bhangra is fun 
music. A must have.

response 49 of 112:

Jul 21 23:38 UTC 2003

"ALL THAT JAZZ"-- watched this on video yesterday, it had been a few 
years since I'd seen it previously.  This is the semi-autobiographical 
film from famed broadway director/choreographer Bob Fosse (creator 
of "Chicago" and numerous other musicals).  The movie is Fosse's 
fantasy of his own death.

The Fosse character, called Joe Gideon in the movie and played by Roy 
Scheider, is a workaholic broadway choreographer and film director who 
is a hard drinking, chain smoking, womanizer.  He is completely cynical 
and self absorbed and has never taken the time to really understand the 
women in his life, his ex-wife, his young daughter, his girlfriend.  
The movie shows him stressing out over his broadway play about to open, 
and a movie he's editing about a stand up comic (patterned on Lenny 
Bruce) who does a routine about the five stages of death (anger, 
denial, bargaining, depression and acceptance)

The movie intercuts Scheider's character going through these very 
stages, without knowing it, with the three women in his life, and 
alternate dream sequences where he's seen talking to the other woman in 
his life, the one that he's always known he'll end up with.  She being 
the beautiful Angel of Death, Jessica Lange.  As the movie goes along, 
we see Death (Lange) getting ready for him, taking off her veil, 
waiting for his arrival. 

This movie has some awesome musical sequences (Fosse's speciality after 
all)  Scheider's character has a heart attack shortly before the 
opening of his play and is subsequently seen in his hospital bed, 
hooked up to IV bottles and having open heart surgery.  And then you 
see him in his hospital bed, on a stage, watching a musical number done 
by the wife, girlfriend, and daughter.  

Finally, you see where Scheider's character gets to the last stage of 
death, acceptance, and stars in his own musical number, with all the 
people important in his life in the audience.  He and emcee Ben Vereen 
sing "Bye Bye Life, Bye Bye Happiness, I think I'm gonna die"  And you 
see the audience of his loved ones applauding, and he goes into the 
audience and hugs each of them goodbye, and you see him finally leaving 
the stage and going towards the Angel of Death, who has by now taken 
off her veil and is smiling and awaiting his embrace.

This is an amazing film.  Roy Scheider, who looks just like Bob Fosse, 
is great in this.  Fosse actually did die, eerily, sevearl years later, 
right before the opening of a big broadway play (his revial of "Sweet 
Charity") of a heart attack, just like the character in the movie.  He 
imagined his own death just right it seems.  All That Jazz is a GREAT 
movie IMO, I recommend it to anyone who has recently dealt with death.

response 51 of 112:

Jul 22 01:59 UTC 2003

I should see that movie again, Richard.  Thanks for the reminder.

We saw "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" this afternoon.  Fun,
fast-moving, intriguing movie.  They took some liberties with characters and
stories, but still did a good job.  I'll have to re-read some of the books.
Pure fantasy, of course.  

response 53 of 112:

Jul 23 07:00 UTC 2003

Went to one of the apparently pre-grand opening openings at the new
Border's Bookstore in chicagoland.  Down in the 'hood.  Built on a
parking lot and supposed to provide parking as part of the building
-they didn't but hey...overheard one discussion from a manager and
patron where bike parking was going to be provided, out back, taking
space in the parking lot...wonder how that works.  They are open 'till
11pm - wonder how long that will last.  Two of four stalls in the men's
room were already broke ("Out of order").  Right across the street from
the rail station, the news shack, the video store, and down the block
from the open late liquor store.  Like a delicate orchid transplanted
into a peat bog it was a nice "Ann Arbor moment" but I wonder what it
will become after it closes (pretty cheap construction I also noted as
it went up).  Anyways, bought a re-release of _Yojimbo_ on DVD for about
a third of the cost when I bought the VHS casette years ago as a x-mas
gift for my father.and almost bought a CD of _ELP's Greatest Hits_ from
the bargain bin except it rung up over twice the bargain price of the
impulse buy when it got to the register.  I said "thanks, good try" when
they offered to correct it.  Why I would pay 10 bucks for a CD of stuff
that I already own and could burn my own CD of my specific favorite cuts
if I would get off my ass and hook the damn phonograph up to the
computer...

Anyways, enjoyed _Yojimbo_ on DVD.  Apparently a new re-mastering from
original archive film it was well worth the price.  For those of you not
familiar it is the seminal work that directly resulted in two subsequent
hollywood fliks and was the inspiration of many more.  It features the
direction of one of the truely great dead directors and was the real
debute of another really great actor.  Toshiro, meet Bruce.