2011

Happy New Year to all...

I'm very thankful for many things but most of all for the continued recovery of my wife, Karen.

She spent half of November in the hospital before the doctors were able to treat her for an unknown virus.  The treatment worked and she's slowly recovering her strength and health.

As our friend Fr. Andrew Massawe from Tanzania has so often told us -- God is good all the time, all the time God is Good...

Happy New Year and thank you to all for your well-wishes, thoughts, cards, flowers, and prayers for my wife during the past six weeks.

Happy New Year!

Entourage - Season 4

We watched this entire season in the space of only a couple of nights.

It's pure entertainment and highly gratifying.  An honest look into the inner sanctum of Hollywood from the perspective of a star and his talent agency.

Jeremy Piven is excellent as uber-agent Ari Gold.

Several seasons to go and you can already see that they're starting to run out of original stories, but this always seems to put a Pavlovian smile on my face, especially when the opening music and credits run...

Drive

Debuted at Cannes in 2011 and Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn won Best Director at the festival for this entertaining piece of work.

Ryan Gosling is the anonymous driver who works as a Hollywood stunt driver by day and a for hire get away driver by night.

The opening sequence is fantastic as Gosling navigates the night streets of downtown L.A. as he escapes the police net drawn for him.

A few too many needless violent moments but all-in-all this is a refreshing film that helps to alleviate the onslaught of superhero comic, remake, and sequel pipeline that Hollywood continues to operate.

I'm not a fan of Albert Brooks but this is the best I've ever seen him as he plays it straight as a low-level crime boss who means business.

Carey Mulligan is literally the girl next door who Gosling falls for, and in an effort to do good, he is further drawn into a seedy underworld from which is tough to escape.

Highly recommended.

Our Idiot Brother

Paul Rudd as the title character disrupts the lives of his three sisters and then brings healing.

A light-hearted comedy that will put a smile on your face.

Nothing more, nothing less...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas...

Margin Call

A fictionalized portrayal of what went woefully wrong on a larger scale in the financial markets in 2207.

Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany, and Stanley Tucci star.

This film gives a fairly realistic look at what happens behind the closed doors of a Wall Street firm when damage is trying to be controlled.

Well acted and dramatically appealing...

Photo of the Day

- Christmas is a comin'...

Oranges and Sunshine

Emily Watson stars in this drama based upon a 1994 book highlighting some shameful crimes that occurred in the U.K. and Australia from the 1940's through the 1960's.

As many as 130,000 children were removed from orphanages in the U.K. and transplanted to other parts of the Commonwealth, mostly to Australia.  The children were told that their mothers had died and the mothers, many of whom were determined to be temporarily "unfit" to parent, when they searched for their children, were told that the kids were placed for adoption in better homes.

Many of the children, once transported to Australia, found themselves enslaved and forced into hard labor and even sexual abuse.

Directed by Ken Loach's son, Jim, this could have been a better film if it were perhaps made as a documentary instead...

Photo of the Day

The light coming into the kitchen this late afternoon illuminated the cabinet in a particularly beautiful way.

Water for Elephants

Based upon a best-selling book and adapted by Richard LaGravanese, the film stars Christoph Waltz, Reese Withersopoon, Robert Pattinson, and a 9,000-pound elephant.

Set in 1931 amongst the Benzini Bros. circus, this story of passion, adventure, and loss is good entertainment...

My Beautiful Laundrette

Directed by Stephen Frears, and originally released in the U.K. in 1985, this is the story of a young Pakistani man named Omar and his attempt to turn a run down laundrette into a money-making business in 1980's London.

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis (as Omar's gay companion) in one of his first film roles, I'm not sure this film holds up through the test of time.

It was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar in 1987 and was one of the U.K.'s Working Title Films production company's first successes...

Everything Must Go

Will Ferrell stars as a man who arrives home after losing his job to find that his wife has left him and changed the locks on their house.

With all the furniture and belongings on the front lawn, he decides to carry on with his life with as much normalcy as he can muster, living on his front lawn in plain view of his neighbors.

This dramatic role is a studied move away from Ferrell's reputation for comedy.  He doesn't have much to do with his character as the tone of the film is stuck between wanting to be a pure drama and making comedic light of his situation.

Based on a short story ("Why Don't You Dance") by Raymond Carver, I'm not sure that this is the best adaptation of that particular story.

The Hangover Part II

Another installment, this time set in Thailand rather than in Las Vegas.

Some funny parts but follows the story map of the original and feels tired and worn...

Horrible Bosses

Three friends stuck in various jobs, all with overbearing and almost sadistic bosses, decide upon a plan to kill each other's employer.

Crude, dumb, and funny...

Jason Bateman stars and Charlie Day soars in this nice bit of escapism.

My Wife - Part 2

... two weeks later my wife had another episode requiring another emergency visit to the hospital.  This time I took her directly to a newer medical facility in Dublin associated with the University of Pittsburgh.

She was hospitalized for half a month before she was just released this past week.

The doctors were never quite sure what was wrong but they finally narrowed it down to an unspecified virus.  So after a CT-scan and two MRI's of her brain, a visit to a neuro-opthamologist, a CT-scan of her neck arteries, an endoscopy, an X-ray of her lungs, a CT-scan of her heart, an ultrasound and CT-scan of her abdomen, numerous blood tests, an angiogram, and a lumbar puncture... our prayers have been answered and she has continued to gain strength and recovered enough to be allowed to now rest at home.

She's doing much better and I thank God and her friends and family that nourished her with prayers, thoughts, cards, flowers, and love during this difficult time.

The nurses and staff at The Beacon were wonderful and we are grateful to everyone for your kindness and support.

My Wife

- My wife

- Her neighbor

My wife collapsed in church on October 30th and had to go to the emergency room by ambulance.  This has been a wake-up call for both of us and a learning experience in terms of navigating the Irish health care system.

The public hospitals are vastly over-crowded and under-staffed... With no more rooms available, people are forced to wait on gurneys in crowded hallways.

After 12 hours of waiting for her to see a doctor I was frustrated enough to have a heated conversation with one of the powers that be (I admit to using a few choice words including "malpractice"...).  She needed a specific scan and they apparently aren't staffed to do these on the weekends.  Someone was finally called in to perform the scan and thankfully her health scare wasn't serious at this particular time.  They wanted her to stay overnight on the gurney in the hallway, but after so much time and frustration, we thought it best that she sleep in her own bed at home...

To be continued...

Happy Birthday...

... to my beautiful wife!

The Butler's Pantry Sandycove

My wife has been highly instrumental to the success of The Butler's Pantry Sandycove since she started there almost two years ago.

Enjoy this little tribute for their third anniversary, including the award-winning Halloween display that she created -- "Chefanie"...

Jack

Our Jack...

A rescue dog from L.A. that's been with us for almost a dozen years now...

The best soul dog in the world and only just now starting to show his age.

He still has a spring in his step... may he have much much more spring in his step for many years to come...

London

- London Underground

Had to go to London for the day recently.

I lived there for a couple of years in the mid-1990's and absolutely loved it.  It's nice to visit from time to time, especially for the cultural enrichment...

The Way Back

Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, and Ed Harris star in this Peter Weir film.

Based upon a supposedly true story of a handful of men who escape from a gulag in Siberia in 1940.  They brave the winter, the forests, mountains, and deserts during their 11-month 4,000 mile escape by journeying on foot across Mongolia, China, Tibet, to safety in India.

Not all of them make it.

Though a bit long and one-noted at times, Sturgess and Farrell are excellent, and there are many heart felt moments along the way...

It certainly makes you ponder the strength and stamina of the human spirit...

Bridesmaids

Kristen Wiig co-wrote and stars in this, what can only be referred to as a female version of The Hangover.

Funny, yes.  A bit long, yes.  And a bit raunchy too...

Good escapism though.

Brings a new meaning to the phrase -- "Look Away!"...

Veronica Guerin

I remember when this film was released eight or nine years ago and never really felt the desire to watch it.  However, having lived in Ireland for several years now, I am more aware of the Veronica Guerin story and especially with what she accomplished.

In the 1980's and early 1990's, before the Celtic Tiger was born, the illegal drug trade was growing more prevalent and violent in the day-to-day lives of the average Dubliner.

Veronica Guerin, an aggressive journalist wanting to make a name for herself, unearthed many of the dealers at the top and began naming names.  This didn't go over too well and this mother and wife was repeatedly warned to back off with beatings and even getting shot in the leg...

She didn't back off and she was murdered for it.

Her death helped spur the passage of several laws related to drug trafficking and related crimes.

Interesting for me from a historical perspective but definitely not a quality film.  More in the category of a made-for-television film, it lacks an emotional connection for the audience to truly understand Guerin and her motivations for putting herself and her family in danger...

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

Richard Burton stars as Alec Leamas, who was indeed, the spy who came in from the cold...

Shot in beautiful black and white, this is a thinking man's version of the James Bond films.

Spare, harsh, and honest.  Full of crosses, double crosses, and triple crosses, it shines a light on the shadowy intelligence world of the Cold War.  Based on the John Le Carre novel, I sought this out particularly since having seen the film version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy recently in Venice.

Highly recommended if you like this genre...

Biggest comeback in Cornhusker history...

My first game since Nebraska joined the Big 10 (this year)...

Fantastic battle that resulted in the biggest comeback in Husker history...

21 points down in the 3rd quarter when everything changed after Lavonte David ripped the ball from Braxton Miller's hands and no looking back...

Nebraska Sand Hills

Back to the home state of Nebraska...

Even though I grew up there I never had the opportunity to visit the Sand Hills in the western part of the state.  Until now.  20,000 acres of sand dunes, cows, and grasslands... and not many people.

A welcome break...

My brother and I had a wonderful stay at the Prairie Club near Valentine and played a very windy round of golf (seems to be our curse whenever we play...).  I also had my first try at fly fishing.  I didn't catch anything but that's not really the point, is it?

Thanks Mark...

More Nebraska Sand Hills

- Trains, Rain, and Rainbows...

- Desolation and Solitude

Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol is one of the largest unoccupied jails in Europe.

No longer in use, it has been converted into a museum in memory of Ireland's quest for independence from Britain.

Many of the the leaders of the Irish rebellion in 1916 (the Easter Rising) were imprisoned and executed here by the British.

The jail was built in the 1780's and officially decommissioned in 1924.

During the 1800's, and especially during the years of the potato famine, the jail housed as many as 5,000 "criminals" in a facility built to house no more than 200. This included children as young as five years old, who were imprisoned for petty theft of food items such as bread.

It is considered to be the Irish Bastille.

A cross marks the spot where the leaders listed below were executed after the 1916 Easter Rising.

The British executed, by firing squad, such notable Irish figures as James Connolly, William Pearse, Sean Heuston, Michael Mallin (his 97-year old grandson, a priest, recently visited the jail), Edward Daly, Joseph Plunkett, Thomas Clarke, P.H. Pearse, Michael O'Hanrahan, John MacBride, Eamonn Ceannt, Sean MacDiarmada, and Con Colbert.

Connolly, Pearse, and Heusten all have prominent Dublin transportation hubs named after them.to this day.

A view through a door's peep hole in the older wing of the prison.

- Food was served to the prisoners through a hole like this. They were kept in their cells for 23 hours a day.

The cell of Joseph Plunkett's wife, Grace Gifford.

Joseph married his sweetheart, Grace Gifford, in the prison chapel only hours before his execution by firing squad. He was 28 years old.

Grace was herself incarcerated in Kilmainham for three months in 1923. An artist, she painted this mural of the Madonna and Child on the wall of her jail cell.

The newer wing of the jail, which was added during the Victorian era.

Visitors may only enter a select few of the cells on the first floor.

Eamon de Valera's (free Ireland's first political leader) cell was on the second floor.

A corridor leading to the courtyard where the leaders of the 1916 Rising were gathered prior to their execution.

Australia vs. U.S.A.

The American amateur team is participating in this year's Rugby World Cup.

Not only is the Australia team one of professionals but they just got humiliated by Ireland only six days ago.

Australia beat the U.S. 67-5.

Rugby World Cup

Ireland won what can be considered its greatest victory ever in rugby today at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

They beat the heavily favored Australia team 15-6.

It wasn't fancy but it was a beautiful thing to watch. These men are warriors and Ireland should be proud...