movie review (sort of) - the last jedi - no spoilers

So, maybe the wife and I are the last people in the free world to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But, we went to see it at a matinee with the boy today.

I quite enjoyed it. The wife thought it was "okay". The boy, who saw it for a second time today, also thought it was "okay".

First some background. I have only seen a handful of the Star Wars films at the theatre: The Force Awakens (Episode VII), Rogue One, and, now, The Last Jedi (Episode VIII). The rest, on VHS and/or DVD.

Of all the films, I of course liked all of them, but especially: A New Hope (Episode IV), The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V), Attack of the Clones (Episode II), The Force Awakens (Episode VII), Rogue One, and The Last Jedi (Episode VIII).

Basically, my favourites are the second films in each of the three trilogies, including Last Jedi. My absolute favourite is still "Empire". Sadly, much of that movie was spoiled (spoilt?) for me by spoiler ignorants. Nevertheless, I still immensely enjoyed it, and continue to still enjoy it; I think it is the best of every single Star Wars film, series, special (I did see the Star Wars Holiday Special) , what have you. Plus, Rogue One, probably because it is so anti-heroic (or more appropriately: non-heroic) in many ways, in a film and television kind of way. However, I will not state anything specific in order to prevent ruining it for anyone who may not yet have seen it. I am sure there are some out there.

Now, I am a huge Star Wars fan, as well as Star Trek for that matter. However, I am not a (total) fanatic. I can discuss it for hours, but I do not really get bent out of shape over too much and "Monday morning quarterback" it to death in how it could have been done differently or better. Sure, such things do get discussed, but not in a life shattering method.

Now, to The Last Jedi. As much as I liked the film, I found the write up during the opening crawl a bit cheesy, but not a big deal. Maybe they all are? Not sure now?? The opening scene is quite exciting and has some pretty funny bits; I laughed out loud. Actually, I laughed out loud quite a few times. There were several exciting scenes, but again, I do not want to spoil anything.

There were a few surprises and unexpected bits and a few little teases here and there, if you could notice them. As to the surprises and unexpected bits and turns, before Disney bought up this franchise, I read a lot about the "future evolution" of the Star Wars universe that were considered canon. Some of it was quite fascinating and I would have loved for it to have evolved that way, but, hey, what can you do?

Saying that though, there are plenty of "nods" to the evolution of the originally conceived (or is it perceived?) canon. Saying that though, in the past, George Lucas himself altered the canon periodically. So, again, what can you do?

Anyway, I thought the film was very well done, for the most part. There was one scene, not to harp about it, that could have been done a bit differently. It, like the opening crawl was cheesy. But I am not going to spoil anything. You will probably know what scene I mean anyway.

The film also carries on with the circular nature of the the trilogies in how history (even fictional history) has a tendency to be repetitive.

Say what you will about the direction that Disney is taking the Star Wars universe, it is still pretty darned good and not many out there can say definitively which direction or path it would have followed if Mr. Lucas was still at the helm or passed the mantle to some other entity or person.

If you do not like how the story is progressing, move out of you parents' basement and make your own sci-fi epic.

I liked and enjoyed it. It is a fictional story. Enjoy the story. This latest instalment is entertaining and well done for the most part. If I can get past the bits of cheese, anyone should be able to get past any niggly bits they perceive too.

I cannot wait to get it on DVD to watch again and try to see bits and pieces I missed the first time.

I also cannot wait for the next Star Wars instalment.

"May the force be with you!" (Sorry, had to do it.) blbbl

[N.B. Everything changes in one day.]

cooking - quick and dirty pork

Well, not dirty, that would be quite disgusting.

And not so quick as I am cooking it in a crock pot.

Actually, two crock pots.

So, why two crock pots?

Well, we bought a giant pork loin roast last Saturday and kind of forgot about it. Originally, we were going to cut it in half and freeze one part and cook the other this week, but like I said, we kind of forgot about it.

Originally, we were going to do a dinner out and a film tonight, but changed our minds. So, we were jabbering about what to do for dinner now. The wife asked if we had any chops. I went down to the freezer to search and then it was an oh-oh moment. I remembered about the pork roast.

The roast was "fresh" when we bought it, meaning that it was just shipped in from the meat packers, and it was vac-packed as well. This was fortunate.

I brought it upstairs and put it in the sink and cut the packaging open thinking it was going to stink to high-heaven and end up in the bin. But no. It was in fine shape. Yet huge. It was a lot of pig.

So, I cut it in half and then cut one half in to fist-sized chunks and put it in the slow cooker that the mother-in-law ditched on us. The other one, I left in one big roast sized chunk and one small roast sized chunk.

The fisty one got the remains of my home-made rhubarb relish as a marinade that has been kicking around the fridge for a while. I also lathered the chunks with dried granulated garlic and onion and white pepper and paprika. Then I topped it some freshish parsley left from Christmas.

The roasty one got some hot pepper jelly, that again, has been kicking around the fridge. Thankfully, we got gifted some hot jelly in the Hammer by a friend. The roasty chunks also got the same dry seasoning treatment. But this time I added leftover dill. That is correct, dill. It should offset the heat with a unique layer.

Now, for those slabs of pig, I just need to wait a few hours and voilà: main course for supper.

The wife asked for mashed potatoes. So, mashed it is, with a few put aside for the boy as he does not yet find the pleasure in the mashedness of 'taters. However, I am in a funny mood, so I will also be making gnocchi and maybe pasta.

Veggies? Checking the fridges right now. Be back in a sec.....

Grilled zucchini (needs to be used up), fried mushrooms (needs to be used up), broccoli (because I really like it), and Guest Room 184 salad (avocados need to be used up).I have some habaneros that need using as well, so they will get in there somewhere.

So, a "gotta be eaten" type of supper, but I guarantee you, it will be sup(p)er delicious. Ha! blbbl

[N.B. Everything changes in two days.]

trash

Yeah, so, I am going to write about garbage. And recycling.

It has been six weeks since we put out our trash.

Originally, six weeks ago, I misread the trash/recycling calendar and put out the paper recycling. For some reason they took it.

Then, we went down to the Hammer for Christmas and did not want to burden our neighbour, who was keeping an eye on our place, with having to deal with the trash and recycling containers. That, and seeing the mayhem of our garage where we keep receptacles for such items.

Hey, in the cold of winter, the trash can sit, right? Definitely not during a heat wave in the summer. Maggots are just plain gross.

Also, with the holidays, they do this thing with pushing back the trash and recycling pickup by a day.

So, really, it is now six weeks and a day. Forty-three days. That is a long period for not putting out the trash.

Let me tell you, it is not a record for us.

Where we live is under the mighty and powerful jurisdiction of the capital city of this nation of Canada: Ottawa. As an aside, I do not consider myself an Ottawan. A bit of a stupid moniker too.

So, Ottawa currently has a biweekly cycle for trash and recycling. Every two weeks they pick up trash and so-called blue bin items. Blue bin items are, basically: glass, metal, plastic. Plus they pick up green bin items, which are, basically again, biodegradable food waste and yard waste. On the other weeks, they pick up paper (black bin) and green bin items.

They used to pick up trash and all recyclables weekly, but decided it was economically wasteful. I do not wholly disagree. However, when trash was picked up weekly, we never put our trash out until the trash can was full. We could go for weeks and weeks before that happened.

However, the great and powerful city of Ottawa used to recycle a lot more plastics. That is, until a bonehead mayor decided that less plastic should be recycled and more should be classed as trash. Bonehead? No, assclown! Full disclosure, I never voted for him. Ever.

Anyway, we could go for over two months before putting out the trash, depending on the weather. Do not forget the maggots. We recycled everything that we could. We were very diligent. I grew up that way, so did the wife, and it is how we raised the boy. Then, bam, the wise and omniscient city of Ottawa, and its mayor, decided a "better" path for all.

So, after that, our trash started filling up with non-recyclable plastics. Mostly food packaging. It is somewhat hard to get away from this too. Everything is over-wrapped and over-packaged.

Then it was another mayor who decided on the biweekly trash deal. Again, not in total disagreement.

The thing is, the recycling of plastics should have been expanded, but it was not. The corruption allegation dodging city of Ottawa has, as far as I am concerned, a pretty crappy recycling program. I will not get in to it right now. It would take weeks of locating documents to spell out the shortsightedness of Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, in how they operate with regards to trash and recycling. Then, of course, I would diverge in to innumerable tangents of their other foolish actions, policies, and behaviours. And, oh, did I mention corruption dodging allegations?

Anyway, where was I?

Oh yeah.

So, after six weeks and a day, we still managed to put all our trash in to one garbage can (we only have one garbage can). Now, we have four regular recycling bins and a a super-sized one full of metal, glass, and the plastics that are allowed. We were in a cycle of emptying various large containers so we kind of bloomed. Plus, we no longer save all our metal recycling for a local cat rescue that would take it to raise money. We would crush all our cans and when two bins were full, I would drop them off. We have gotten kind of lazy on the can crushing. I think we will restart the crushing. So much space is saved.

I am digressing again. Six weeks, one garbage can. Here is my question. I knew I would get to it sooner or later.

Why do I see people putting out several cans and bags of garbage every garbage day. It does not matter what neighbourhood or city I am in. Many people people toss a lot. Many people do not recycle at all. But still. That is a whole hell of a lot of garbage. I know people who who toss out as much as nine bags/cans of trash weekly (in other cities of course). I know people in the Ottawa area who toss out as much as six trash containers every two weeks! The maximum allowed in Ottawa.

What the filth?

Even when the boy was in diapers, we managed to keep it to no more than a bag a week.

Sure, we go over the one trash can sometimes. It is usually when we are purging the various flotsam and jetsam I have collected. Still though, a lot of it is recycled, except for the evil and excluded specific plastics despised by the unfathomable city of Ottawa.

Why do people generate so much waste? Why are materials used that cannot be recycled or repurposed? Why do so few people seem to care?

What was my point? You know what? I no longer know. My train of thought has derailed and broken in to many tiny pieces.

Anyway, everybody (including me and the rooster) needs to start thinking about their waste and recycling and not dismissing it as if there is nothing can be done. We, I, need to make better choices of what we are purchasing and the like. Over packaged? Packaging cannot be recycled? Look at another comparable product from a company that gives a damn about waste. blbbl

[N.B. Everything changes in three days.]

isolation breeds vapidity

Yeah.

So.

I am kind of stuck.

I have been semi-isolated for a couple of weeks.

Sure, I travelled, with the wife and the boy, down to the Hammer and back.

Had Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Went out with the boy for some appointments and errands.

I was even out all day today and went to some meetings this week as well.

However, I have been fairly inactive socially and globally.

What to post about then?

Most anything that has happened in the last couple of weeks that could be written about, pretty much has been written about.

No idea, really.

I do actually have some ideas for the rooster, but they are just embryonic and they require more time than I have today.

I, somewhat, foolishly pledged, more to myself than anyone else really, that I would post everyday for at least a year.

Well, that year is still a few days off, and I would hate to blow it now.

It can be quite difficult at times to be inspired when a person is, themself (themselves? thyself?.....), stagnating.

I really do need to get out more and speak to more people.

I really, really do.

It also explains some of my less than stellar posts.

But, you know what, they all cannot be gems.

It would be nice though if I had a few less lumps of coal.

So, here I am.

Posting about not having anything to post.

Damned insipidness.

Well, I will leave you with something inspired by the boy. He is wearing modified 3D glasses right now and looks like Kissinger. It made me think of this.

blbbl

[N.B. Everything changes in four days.]

cooking - stew - on the fly

This is going to be a rambling recipe and process.

I have about five pounds of various meats: beef, pork, chicken that are going to make the base of a simple stew. Any meat will do, normally I would also throw in kidneys, veal, turkey, and anything else I could find, but simple today.

Cut it all in to chunks and dust in a mixture of mostly flour with the following dried spices/herbs: ground bay, granulated garlic, granulated onion, ground white pepper, and paprika. Normally, I would add cayenne, but the wife picked up a bunch of habanero for me to use. I do wish I had some ground marjoram and thyme. Oh, well.

Dust the chunks in the flour mixture and fry briefly in some oil or fat in batches. Today I am using canola. You do not need to cook through, just enough for a crust to form is okay. Or skip this step altogether. Your choice.

As the chunks crisp-up, put them in your stew pot which will have some liquid in it: stock, wine, water, whatever. Today, I am using the left over broth from the fondue earlier in the week. Monitor the thickness. You will probably need to thin it a few times as it cooks.

Add a couple of onions coarsely chopped to stew. You can fry/sauté a bit. Or not. O had some flour soaked oil left in the pan, so I fried a bit. Then, in the pot.

The vegetables. Coarsely chopped. Anything you want, root vegetables are the best for this. This time I used: parsnip, turnip, carrot (purple carrots), some celery (I like celery in a stew), sweet potato, and some actual potatoes too. You can throw whatever else is kicking around in the fridge or larder, especially if it is not enough to do much with on its own.

While cooking, keep the heat low enough to not scorch the bottom of the pot, but high enough to actually cook. You want it just bubbling. On most stove tops that will be a setting of around "3" or medium low.

Less than two hours, taking my time, everything in the pot and just simmering. I could have done it quicker, but I was having fun. It will be ready whenever I want it to be now. It does not need much seasoning, but everyone has to follow their own preferences. I may not use those habaneros for the stew. The pot is almost completely full, plus it tastes great. I will be making a soup this week some time, so maybe they will go in there. Maybe in a stir-fry. We will see.

It can be served on its own. Or with additional sides of potato or rice or pasta, sides of vegetables. A salad? Bread? Personally, I like  a salad and bread. I think I may fry some mushrooms crispy though to toss on top.

Well, that is it. Quick and dirty stew. Good for a few meals or to take for lunch too. blbbl

[N.B. Everything changes in five days.]

i am stuffed

I have been snack binging for two days.

Why do people do that?

Why am I doing it?

It is not like I really need these snacks.

At least these snacks are mostly not super crap.

Funny though, I did not really binge eat over the holidays.

Sure I snacked, sure I ate some elaborate dinners.

However, I never really felt super stuffed.

I do now.

One problem with snack binging is that that you eat more than you realise.

Also, it does not necessarily end when you get stuffed.

I find with snack binging you "come down" from it pretty quick, so you can stuff yourself more than once.

Well, I am gong to have some tea.

Oooohhh, nuts! And little chocolates! blbbl

[N.B. Everything changes in six days.]

new year's day 2018

Sorry folks, gonna keep it short.

Last night was fantastic. Strengthened bonds with existing friends and made some great new friends.

Got home safely and was not a nuisance on the road, but I think I saw a couple.

Today, a bit of a lie-in this morning.

Visited neighbours and gave thanks for keeping an eye on our house and clearing snow while we were in the Hammer.

Fondue, broth and cheese, for supper tonight. I make fantastic fondue. Just finished up.

Going to do some reading, maybe I will not fall asleep three pages in???!??!!

I may just be free tomorrow, so the boy and I will do some "stuff".

Anyway, good night on this first night of the year.

I wish everyone the best for this upcoming year.

blbbl

[N.B. Everything changes in seven days.]