Author Archives: Murphy

I got ReLoaded into the Matrix this weekend, too

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The philosophy of the Matrix is a half-step short of religion for some people.

I feel that I should be informed on pop-culture religions.

Plus, the cool outfits in the first movie made me want to see what came next.

So, I dragged my unwilling boyfriend down to the theater and we got into it. Since it’s a movie, and you can go see it anytime you want, I’m not gonna tell you the whole plot.

I will give my impressions, however.

The movie was long, but it moved fast. I didn’t feel bored or tired out by the length. So, that’s pretty good.

Some parts seemed like there weren’t enough explanation. It took conscious effort to suspend my disbelief. Not good.

But then, there were all kinds of hints at other unseen things happening. Lots of questions, the kinds of questions that give satisfying subject matter for endless after-viewing discussions.

Where did Zion really come from?
What are the motives of the Oracle?
Who is a program and who is not?
What change occurred in Agent Smith?

All good things, for those who give it importance, to talk over and ponder.

That is the sign of a good movie, for me. Interesting, discussable. I don’t think I’ll join the religion, but I’m waiting for the next one.

Sourdough Waffles

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It certainly does happen very often, so when the spirit moves me to bake, I go with it. It is hot here right now, and absolutely not the weather for such activities. More like smoothie weather.

But I wanted to bake bread.

And really, the only kind of bread worth baking is sourdough bread. Those of you who have not experienced REAL sourdough bread, I can only pity.

Sourdough is associated with gold rushes, and my home state of Alaska is associated with gold rushes too. During the Alaska gold rush, it was practically illegal to enter the state without sourdough. It kept you alive.

In fact, old-timers in Alaska are called “Sourdough.” Well, old timers that know what they’re doing. You can be an old-timer and still not have a clue. Those types would not be sourdoughs. Even though I was born in alaska, I would not be an old Sourdough.

Allman’s book, Alaskan Sourdough, explains a lot of this. She gives some lore, and more importantly, she gives the right recipes for how to make and cook sourdough.

Let me tell you, that frenchbready stuff they sell in the store is NOT sourdough bread. It’s more like sourdough flavored bread. And flavored wrong, actually. Real sourdough is not sour to the taste, it’s a very unique kind of sweet.

Now that I think about it, the subtlety of the flavor reminds me of good wine.

Unfortunately, most peopleare unaware of the many OTHER uses of sourdough. In my opinion, the pinnacle of sourdough excellence is the sourdough waffle.

Fortunately, it is also the easiest recipe to make. Once you have the starter, the waffle recipe is hardly any more difficult to make than bisquick.

It is the lightest, fluffiest, tastiest waffle you will ever have. I have never met anyone outside of alaska that has even heard of this delicacy, let alone tasted it.

If anyone reading this is an adventurous cook, you really MUST try this stuff. It’s the coolest thing in the world, and very worth the work.

The Great Tennessee Monkey Trial

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I remember the first time I heard about the Scopes trial. My dad was talking about Pat Robertson running for President. He said it was good that Christians were getting involved in politics. He was a Christian and loved Political Science.

I was astounded at the idea of Robertson running for President. I thought, “Don’t you have have some experience to do the job well?” I was worried he wouldn’t know how to do it right.

But Dad was telling me that he didn’t think Robertson would win, but that it was good for Christians to stop burying their heads in the sand and join the world of politics again.

“Why did they stop?”

“It was after the Scopes trial. Christians were so humliated that they just retreated from the public eye.”

After listening to the dramatic re-enactment of the Scopes trial, I can understand why they were humiliated.

In 1925, the schoolteacher John Scopes volunteered to stand trial for teaching evolution in a public school. It was coming sooner or later, so he stepped up and made it sooner.

Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan came into the courtroom and battled out the sticky issue of church and state separation, and at the same time showcased the problem of fundamentalist thinking when it encounters new ideas.

Let me be clear:
every human being is a fundamentalist in some respect. We all have some belief or other which is untouchable.

That is not to say we are excused from honest ree-examination. But it’s good to remember that we are all susceptible to being dogmatic at times.

Bryan, in this case, was the dogmatic. He was the one at the trial who was famous, and supposed to be the big gun.

But when he was cross-examined by Darrow, he ended up looking a fool. Well, in that particular case, he WAS a fool. He was ‘standing by the word of the Almighty’. Right or wrong.

And he was wrong. He was wrong because he was not being intellectually honest and examining the fact.

I firmly believe in Truth. I believe that the truth, or true thing, was there before me, and will be there after me. It is not my job to change the truth, it is my job to adapt myself into acceptance and understanding of the truth.

Bryan was not adapting. THAT is what made him look like a fool.

He didn’t learn his lesson, either. He was humiliated in the trial, but did not learn humble himself and try to be honest with the world in front of him.

Summer driving songs

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Some folks have been talking about music to drive to.

Here are a few that would make me happy:

You’re the inspiration-Chicago
Walk like an Egyptian-The Bangles
Closer to Fine-Indigo Girls
Blister in the Sun-Violent Femmes
How Bizarre-OMC
Groove is in the Heart-Dee-Lite
What’s on your mind-Information Society
Everything I do-Bryan Adams
Hand in my Pocket-Alanis Morrisette
Girls just wanna have fun-Cyndi Lauper

Well, look who’s back!

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First Newborn Bald Eagles in Years Seen in Southland

I grew up around Bald Eagles. THey ate the salmon in the river near my home in Alaska. The little Susitna River was fed by hot springs, and so it never froze all the way in the winter. The Eagles could have their eagle convention down there in the winter, with the river serving up the snacks.

I was surprised and horrified when I learned as a child that Bald Eagles were an endangered species. It seemed like a terrible thing, to have our national symbol die out.

They didn’t seem endangered where I was. It made me proud of my home state.

Well, the eagles are apparently recovering from the DDT poisoning that California inflicted on them the last century. Some babies have been born near my near home in L.A.:

If the 9-week-old eaglets survive, federal and state wildlife officials say, they will have begun repopulating the southern end of their historical nesting range before bald eagles were all but wiped out in California by coastal development and the manufacture and use of the pesticide DDT.

Good luck to them!

_A Lesson Before Dying_

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Jefferson was a young Luisiana black man in the 40s. He stood trial and was convicted of murder. He’s in jail, about to get the death penalty, but his godmother takes the local schoolteacher to come talk with him. That’s where the story begins.

It turns out that Emma, the godmother, wants the teacher to teach Jefferson how to die.

The Victorians were obsessesed with dying. They would think about how to do it right, author manuals about it. Some of them would create huge mausoleums. I guess we still do that today. Some of us do, anyway.

But in this case, this young man had to find a way to face the terrible injustice of prejudice with dignity. The whole community looked to him to be their representative.

Emma wanted the schoolteacher to teach Jefferson how to face death with courage. But Grant, the schoolteacher wanted nothing to do with it. Who would teach him how to face life with courage?

This is a very serious drama, about how a community interacts and relies on one another.

The power the women held in the story, the power of the preacher, and the lack of power of the sherriff were a very interesting juxtaposition.

Please god, let me never have to face such a terrible dilemma! But I would hope that i can remember to face my lesser trials with honor.

Train _My Private Nation_

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Once again, I am blown away by Train. These guys consistently put out albums that are good to the last drop.

I like Pat Monahan’s vocals. They are textured enough to keep my interest, and very singalong-able.

The music is catchy, and there is a lot of range. Energetic songs, slow depressing songs, and things in between.

The lyrics have good hooks, but they are abstract and intelligent. Wow! I love that about them. Every song on this album is a collaboration, usually involving almost everybody in the writing process.

That’s a sign of a tight band, they work together to create. I think that’s a sign that they will probably not split off into separate acts. I sure hope not, because I love their sound.

Well, I could say things about this specific album. But I think I can suffice to say that it is consistently good, like their other albums. It was not a disappointed at all, and I liked their other albums a lot.

Daddy Dale

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There was a free concert at Griffith Park yesterday. Surf Music! And they had the surf music God:
Dick Dale.

I have wanted to hear this guy for a long time. I guess he is not quite as well known outside of california. I certainly hadn’t heard of him til I moved here.

But he rips a guitar to shreds. He can play more notes in a shorter span of time than anyone I have ever heard. The energy! Wow!

So the concert was Free, all the more amazing. There were other acts, but I wanted to hear Dick Dale. Surprisingly, it was not too loud. I hate it when concerts are so loud that the sounds gets really distorted.

This was just the right amount of sound. He was great great great.

And he was getting old.

Many great rockers are.

Dale had the old rocker gray ponytail.

At first, he ripped through a lot of his classics. His backup band was also hugely energetic, and they bounced all over the stage.

He even was playing the guitar with drumsticks, with all the speed he had before. I couldn’t tell you how, you would have had to see it.

Then, some things changed. Dick Dale brought a musical guest on stage:

Jimmy Dale.

That’s right, Dick Dale’s 11 year old son got on stage and played with his dad. They play exactly alike! And Daddy was so proud! I’m not sure if this was Jimmy’s first concert or not, but he did better than most professional musicians I’ve seen.

An 11 year old kid! He ripped out his dad’s songs just like his dad.

It was so great. Really! I felt like we were sitting in their living room, hearing the two jam.

I would watch for Jimmy Dale. He’s already composing, even. I sure hope he gets a chance to make his mark. He deserves it.

Mary J. Blige

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Lady can do music!

I picked up a copy of Dance for Me by Mary J. Blige, and every song is making me happy.

Technically, they are all dance mixes of her songs. I am a sucker for dance mixes, so this is just about right for me.

The mixers took a lot of different samples, so the music, even though it stays true to the throbbing beat of dance floor favorites, doesn’t get boring.

It’s bootylicious, alright.

_The Children’s Hour_

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This play by Lillian Hellman traces the consequences of one schoolgirl’s spreading rumors about her teachers. The two women who run a school for children have to bear the insinuations of this unpleasant child that they are in a lesbian relationship.

This story fits in very well with Lillian Hellman’s experiences with the House Unamerican activities. Unproved rumors can be very unpleasant.

This story is surprising and very dramatic. Hellman gives a diverse portrait of different kinds of people’s character. She also handles the subject of homosexuality with a frankness very uncommon in that time.

There was also a movie made with the script, starring Audrey Hepburn as one of the teachers. It was made in the 60s, so dealing with homosexuality was just a hair less scandalous. But the story was still pretty good.

There’s a lot to think about in The Children’s Hour