No Explanation

Looks like I am consistent, again a 50% correct pick for the Oscars.

Please entertain yourself with this interesting Jason image while I am completing my final round of interviews.

Cheers, Jim

Oscar

Its coming up this Sunday night.
Last year I got 50% correct, lets see how I do this year.

Actor, Leading: Ryan Gosling
Forest Whitaker was my first choice until I saw Half Nelson. DiCaprio in Departed would have been my choice if he was nominated for that one.

Actor, Supporting: Alan Arkin
I doubt he will win but he did a great job in Little Miss Sunshine

Actress, Leading: Helen Mirin
This seems a no brainer, even though I loved Dench in Notes On A Scandal.

Actress, Supporting: Jennifer Hudson
I'd like to see Rinko Kikuchi win for Babel but we know Hudson has more buzz.

Art Direction: Pan's Labyrinth
Amazing!

Cinematography: The Illuionist
I couldnt decide so I picked the one I remembered the best.

Costume Design: Curse Of The Golden Flower
Just a tad better than Marie Antoinette

Directing: Departed
People will burn down the host site if this doesnt happen.

Film Editing: Departed
Babel a close second

Foreign Language Film: Water
Because its the only one I wrote about, it will win, lol.

Original Song: One from Dreamgirls; I liked Patience.

Best Picture: The Queen
Really tough choice but I think it had the best overall quality.

Screenplay, Adapted: Borat
Let the criticism fly, lol.

Screenplay, Original:: Little Miss Sunshine
I stand by my choice, lol.

Where Was I Again?

Electrical Guy, Window Guy, and Virtual Tour Guy came and went this week. The virtual tour process is fun and I think I have extreme camera-envy of Virtual Tour Guy's equipment (camera, Scott, camera, lol). Virtual Tour Guy hands off the images to Realtor Girl today so we should list tomorrow. My worst fear is that will sell in one day and then I will have no place to live, lol.

I have boxes crammed into every available space in every clost, under the bed and in all my cabinets. The place still looks lived in but I think I'm about 60% packed. I need to start chucking out clothes by the ton; there are some seriously offensive International Male shirts that I will take to the dumpster tonight. I'll wear a hat. And sunglasses. The shame, lol.

Still interviewing. I did a stupid thing and uploaded myself onto Monster and Careerbuilder this week so that has opened up a Pandora's box of options, some are actually in Dallas. I wanted to cast a wider net in case the two I really want do not pan out. I have my final ATL and HOU interviews next week, so I should know where I'm going by mid-March.

I'm almost done with Medical Terminology class (self-paced), I decided to get that one off my task list before I move. Hebrew class is getting deep into vocab and grammar now, probably by the time I go to Israel in October I will be speaking like a two year old ;)

Another going away dinner tonight at a new-for-me Lebanese, followed by a going away movie-date with The Extrovert, so that should be eventful.

Change

I completed one item on my 300-count task list yesterday. I saw the last of the movies nominated for an Academy award. I know you are as excited as I am.



Half Nelson

Half nelson is the wrestling term that refers to using an opponent's own strength as a weakness to bring them down. This is the central theme of the movie as the main character pulls a half nelson on himself, turning his unrealized idealism into disillusionment; a drug addiction, an inability to have a meaningful adult relationship and bottomless sprial of self-destruction.

Stripped bare of any student/teacher cliches, Gosling is the Brooklyn history teacher/basketball coach with a slight crack problem who develops an unexpected friendship with a 13-yo female student. She finds him whacked out on crack in the girl's bathroom one afternoon, but instead of turning away she brings him water and sits with him until he comes down. While the relationship seems inappropriate, considering how opposite they are in most respects, it provides both with something that is lacking.

A change occurs.

And that is the other recurring theme - change does not occur without a meeting of opposites. This phrase is spoken many times throughout, it's also cleverly conveyed through Gosling's students, one by one, as they deliver reports about change, like the US installing Pinochet in Chile, complete with archive footage.

I've seen Gosling in other films; The United States Of Leland and The Notebook, definitely good performances but his work in Half Nelson is academy award winning. As the good guy gone lost, there are gobs of conflicting emotions that have to be portrayed in a believable manner. Gosling nails them all, sometimes simultaneously, with seasoned, nuanced delivery much like DeNiro.

I'd like to say that Gosling anchors the film but he has to share that spotlight with Shareeka Epps, who plays his 13-yo student/friend. She morphed from hard-core, hard-luck ghetto girl to warm, compassionate friend without so much as a blink. And every bit of her delivery was just as believable as Gosling's.

It's a sometimes difficult film to watch but you should still make an effort to see it, its a powerful piece that will linger long after you press eject.

9.5/10
Half Nelson

Sexuality

Sister has been going to progressive Unitarian church. The church has an interesting mix of people with large gay and lesbian following, some of whom have children. She's enjoyed the church so much that she decided to volunteer to teach classes for the kids. It started out mainly being classes centered around yoga, since she does that for a living. I thought that was interesting, teaching the physical and spiritual nature of yoga to 8-10 year olds. Not that they can grasp it fully, but at least the concepts will not be foreign to them later in life.

The minister at her church recently approached her to teach other courses. These courses are about sexuality. Sister has no hangups, so she decided she would. The first class was more of an introduction to body - the kids were taught the correct names of everything and what they are for. The theory here is that talking about it at this age will hopefully promote more honest discussion at home during those crazy teen years.

The follow-on class was about relationships and origin of babies - mommy-daddy, mommy-mommy and daddy-daddy combinations all had equal exposure. There was a recent development in the church of a mommy-daddy situation in which daddy came screaming out of the closet with a boa and new boyfriend, soooo, now its a mommy-daddy-and-well-built-well-dressed-uncle 3-way living situation. Sister isn't sure how to explain this kind of trinity to the 8-10 year old crowd, so it probably won't be included this go 'round.

The class she will be teaching next will be about masturbation. I'm not sure I'd want to explain that to a 10 year old. Still, I think its a good idea to get it out as a topic so its easier to talk about during those crazy teen years.

Since Sister creates her lectures at home its natural that her two girls have been indirect audience. And this has resulted in some interesting episodes.

Scene: Dining room, everyone is seated and eating. My 5 year old niece walks in naked stands before my sister.

Niece: Mommy, this is my vulva, only I can touch it.

Sister: Yes sweetie, that's exactly right, but that's a private thing, not a thing we share at the dinner table.

(We're hoping she stops this before high school)

This next one was my favorite, she had the right direction but there were some important details missing.

Niece's friend: I know where babies come from.

Niece: Where?

Niece's friend: The mommy goes into the bathroom and if her water breaks she'll have a baby, if it doesn't she'll have to adopt.

Fried Green Tomatoes

The going away lunches, dinners, etc, have already begun. I tried a new place last week. Its been getting alot of buzz lately and I had to confirm whether or not it was truly worthy.

It is.

Salum
4152 Cole Ave
Dallas, TX 75204
214-252-9604

From my understanding the owner is of Lebanese ancestry but grew up in Mexico. Thats an interesting combination so I anticipated interesting offerings. I was not dissapointed and I can only categorize the fare as ecclectic, since they repel any other label.

As I scanned the menu two items popped to the front: Fried Green Tomatoes and Shrimp, Corn and Tomato Risotto.

Since I spent quite a bit of time in the South I consider myself a Fried Green Tomato expert, I know I've had my share of the classically southern dish. FGTs are famously easy to ruin; your tomatoes could be bitter or too hard, your coating too thick or thin, they are easy to overcook and bless your heart if you can't get the sauce right. Salum rockets right past expectations, not only preparing them to technical perfection but enhancing them with chopped candied pecans and a sauce that was perectly balanced between creamy, savory and spicy.

The risotto was as good as any I've had, the shrimp were sparse but the three that appeared were large, moist and very spicy against the conservative base of the risotto. Risotto is also one of those tricky dishes, balancing the time you cook the rice with the desired consistency still eludes me. But that could likely be because I drink alot during the 45 minutes of continuous stirring it requires to make the dish.

Salum is located conveniently at the corner of Fitzhugh and Cole in a low-profile strip. Parking is easy. Prices are reasonable for lunch but they jump up a bit at dinner. To me Salum is a good choice for business lunch and date night since the atmosphere is conservative, sophisticated and pleasantly devoid of the many Dallas theme-based cliches.

Salum
Dallas

Swimmer

I spent a bit of my youth in Alabama, Mobile to be exact. What I remember most from that era were my neighbors: Suzy, her sister Karen, her mom (my DC Mom) and her dad, Ralph. Ralph was a career Coast Guard guy, a helicopter pilot. When the CG took him from Alabama to Alaska our family went to visit. What I remember vividly to this day was Ralph taking us up for rides in his helicopter to see the hundreds of little islands where they lived; the weaving in and out of lines of trees at almost a sideways angle, quick ascent over the mountains, then quick descent to touch the water. Thing is, Ralph loved flying us around more than we loved the ride, which is something considering it is one of my favorite memories. I can still see Ralph's wide-eyed grin and hear his booming laugh as he showed us one of the most beautiful states in the country.

It was tragic that years later a helicopter accident took his life. It was a small but necessary comfort to me that at least he went doing something he truly loved.

All this came back to me as a result of watching this film. I wondered afterward if Ralph would have approved of the portrayal of the inner workings of the Coast Guard's Rescue Team - The Swimmers.



Its a formula film - mostly predictable, sparsely cheesy but still very entertaining. Kevin Costner was in his element as the Coast Guard rescue swimmer turned trainer and Ashton Kutcher was not bad as the young, antagonistic student. Most of the film centers around opposing forces: an innate student-teacher rivalry which keeps them separated and similar psychological scars which bring them together.

Decent action, decent dialogue and decent "violent storm at sea" generated images kept me interested throughout. I can't recall even one scene that didn't involve water. Students are either in a pool for "training", which seemed to me more intense than Army boot camp, or they were dropping out of helicopters into the Bering Sea. At the end I felt cold, wet and I think my fingertips shriveled up.

The ending, well, I didn't do a full eye-roll and yell "Oh c'mon!", I think I just smirked and thought "Disney ending".

8.0/10
The Guardian

A Use For Crystallized Ginger

Another day, another sampling.

No marriage proposals were generated but it was a 4-0 approval vote, therefore plopped onto the blog.


Chai Cheesecake

Crust

• 1 1/2 C Graham crackers, crushed
  
• 1 t Ground ginger
  
• 1/4 C Crystallized Ginger, chopped
  
• 3/4 C Butter, melted
  

Filling

• 4 8-ounce Cream cheese packages, room temp.
  
• 1 1/4 C Sugar
  
• 1 8-ounce Mascarpone package
  
• 5 Eggs
  
• 2 Egg yolks
  
• 2 1/2 t Ground ginger
  
• 2 1/2 t Ground cardamom
  
• 1/2 t Vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 t Allspice
  
• 1/4 t Salt
  
• 1/8 t Ground black pepper
  

1) Preheat oven to 350. Spray springform pan with pam. Mix grahams, butter, ground and cystallized gingers in a small bowl until blended then press the mixture to the bottom and 3" up the sides of the springform. Bake crust until set, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

2) Using a hand mixer, mix together cheeses and sugar in medium bowl until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in eggs one a time until smooth, then mix in yolks one at a time until smooth. Add remaining spices (ginger thru pepper) until blended. Transfer filling to crust then bake for 1 hour.

3) Reduce oven to 200 and continue baking until edges are set but center jiggles to the touch, about 20-30 minues. Cracks will likely form, its normal.

4) Cool completely then refrigerate overnight.

Last minute we whipped up some whipped cream with cardamom and clove, pretty good topping for this.

(Eat at your own risk, Lipitor not included)

Exit The Planet

Its an interesting premise for a film but its also usually one that falls flat on its face, too predictable. I'm talking about the end of the world.

But I liked this one.


Last Night

The audience isn't directly told that the end of the world is coming. It just leaks out from under the initial scene in a slow drip. And when you do finally realize what is going on, you are forced into catching up emotionally with a dark comedy because the characters have somehow processed this fact and have gotten on with the business of living their last day. Some are trying new things like robbery and setting fire to buildings. Some are reliving their most happy moments, like Christmas. While others are picking off items from their sexual to-do list, which they have scribbled from floor to ceiling on their kitchen walls.

There is drama, of course. Like poor Sandra Oh, who is trying to get home to her husband so they can have their last meal, but the cards seemed stacked against her. But what does that matter, its not like she will need to apologize the next day, there is no next day.

In the end, the film does a nice job of boiling down the irrelevant minutae of life and getting to the one thing that seems to matter most - connecting to people. And it does that with a snappy soundtrack and an anchoring performance from Sandra Oh.

8.5/10
Last Night

Dear Ahmadinejad

Hey Mahmoud,

Just a quick email before Hebrew class.

Sorry I haven't written in a while but I've been so busy living in an uninterrupted stream of democracy that I completely forgot you existed. Sorry babe. So, how's life? I heard about that icky terrorist attack that killed a dozen of your Elite guards. Dude, that sucks ass. But its kinda like karma - live by the bomb, die by the bomb. Blah, blah, blah - I know, you already know all that.

Anyway, on to more important topics. I'm confused about some things you're doing and wanted to ask some questions to help me understand.

First, why are you dragging the great Persian culture through the mud? I'm sure you realize everytime you open your mouth you reek of Hilter and Nazi regime. My Persian friends here in the US depise you. They think you're making it harder for them to be proud of their culture. I think they need to be proud because they have a lot to be proud of. Even your own clerics have to told you to shut it, but you just keep regurgitaing the same dull-witted vitriol. It will probably net you some paragraph in a history book but I can't imagine that's a good end to your means. Plus its boring, so try some variation, that way I can be entertained while I shop on the internet. Thanks.

Secondly, whats going on with the whole nuke power thing? We all know your country has over 40% unemployment yet you keep funneling huge amounts of cash into this program for "energy production". Riiight, good one. C'mon man, you are already producing enough energy for your country, plus you have enough oil reserves to fuel the country indefintely. I'm sure you know this information is publically available. So why again the mad push for nuclear energy? I must be slow, I just don't get it. Even if it was for "cleaner" energy, to me it makes more sense to use those funds to make sure that your own people have basic necessities and basic infrastructure, but thats just me. I know - thats why I'm not president and you are, LOL. Maybe you're hoping you will be dealt with like North Korea? LOL, I'm thinking no.

The other thing that puzzles me, besides that whole Holocaust denial thing and the whole blow Israel, US and UK to bits thing, is why with so many problems in your own country, you continue stir shit up in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq? Maybe you're still trying that tired "split the world into Believers and non-Believers" crap? I guess, but surely as an educated man familiar with history, you know exactly how that will bite your ass in the end. You aren't special enough to escape historical precedent, I'm afraid, you're just a guy with a big mouth and no back up.

Kiss, kiss. Bang, bang.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jim

Single Bashing

Me: I'm very happy for you, your new wife is beautiful.

D: Thanks, now we have to find you someone, I have the perfect person in mind, he's an attorney and ...

Me: Let me stop you right there, not interested.

D: But you really need someone to make you happy

Me:But I'm alreday happy

D: But you cant truly be happy alone.

Me: Correction, you can't truly be happy alone, I'm not you.

D: I was happy alone but now I'm at a new level of happiness, I want you to experience it too!

Me: Are you kidding me? Please, you were on match.com, singles.com, yahoo.com, you paid for that service called 'It's just lunch', you went on power dating weekends, and I might add as the recipient of your long, heartfelt speeches, my ears are painfully aware, to the point of bleeding, how miserable you have been for the 5 years you've been single. So please sell that to someone who doesnt know you. Oh and please stop trying to elevate yourself beyond a level of happiness you understand.


D: Ok thats true but I want you to feel complete.

Me: I am complete

D: No, I mean the bliss of being able to share your life with someone.

Me: I have that, I call them friends.

D: No, I mean someone special

Me:They are all special.

D: I mean really special.

Me: LOL, look, I'm happy for us both, we both have what we need.

Sheesh, some people just don't get it.

Update

Two offers in, waiting on one, the one I want, of course. Today's forecast about 90% chance of Atlanta with about 10% chance of Houston.

Today I replaced all of those funky Susan Goldstick cabinet pulls with some nice but way less expensive pulls from Home Depot. Wherever I go those pulls with go with me, I designed them and picked out every detail. I want them buried with me along with my warm Merrell slipper-shoes and my Morningstar Farms Tomato Basil Burgers, lol.

Tomorrow Handyman is coming to replace all the doorknobs (yep, those deco reproductions are coming with me too!), give the windows and storm doors a nice cleaning and fix a seal in my fridge that had a seizure over the weekend.

Virtual Tour Guy comes this week, then Realtor Girl will list probably at the end of the following week.

Mover Man Version 1 and 2 are coming to give estimates for both suspect cities on Friday.

Hebrew class is rolling along, we are learning vocabulary and sentence structure. What I found interesting this week is that my Russian is coming in very handy for Hebrew. It has a similar cadence and some of the consonant sound combinations are exactly the same. Who knew!

Medical Terminology is taking a little diversion into the Medical Record. Yes, that thing that health care people fill out everytime you step into a facility. Not just the structure but ALL the regulations surrounding such. Sheesh, no wonder hospitals are light years behind in their computer systems, they are drowning in a pool of their own paperwork. Insane.

Research Project - done!

Diploma - received! Its a lovely piece of $40,000 paper, really it is.

Parents - They are fine. Well, except when I talked to them tonight they were having Manwiches and Margaritas. If they move the washer and dryer on to the porch, my sister and I will be forced to exercise an intervention.

A Use For Stout Beer

Bad vegetarian, bad!

About once a year I have a huge meat-fest and get it out of the way, this would be it. Laurel (Freebird), Andrew (I make lamb) and Galina (Single is good) participated in this evening's tasting of Stout Chili and Chai Cheesecake (details to follow).

It was approved in a 3-0 vote, therefore passed on to you. (Laurel could not participate in the Chili tasting due to her unfortunate allergy to onions and peppers. She refers to chili as 'death in a bowl')

Stout Chili

• 2 T Cumin
  
• 1 T Coriander
  
• 1 lb Ground Beef
  
• 1 lb Ground Turkey
  
• 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage, cooked and sliced
  
• 2 Purple Onions, diced
  
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
  
• 2 Green Bell Peppers, diced
  
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
  
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper, diced
  
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, diced
  
• 3 Jalapenos, diced
  
• 3 T Regular Chili Powder
  
• 3 T Ancho Chili Powder
  
• 1 T Chipotle (optional)
  
• 2 t Chipotle in Adobo (minced)
  
• 2 28-ounce Cans of chopped tomatoes
  
• 2 15-ounce Cans of kidney beans, drained
  
• 1 12-ounce Bottle of Stout Beer
  
• 3 T Canola oil
  

1) Add half the oil to a heavy pot then sautee beef in a over medium high heat until no longer pink, add turkey, cook through, about 7 minutes for both. Remove. In same pot heat the remaining oil then add onion, bell peppers and jalapenos. Sautee to soften, about 10 minutes. Add meat to veggies then add all spices, tomatoes, cooked sausage, beans, chipotle in adobo and stout beer. Bring to a boil, stirring occassionally. Reduce to simmer and cook uncovered for 2 hours, stirring occassionally.

2) Taste, adjust with salt and black pepper if necessary. If too acidic add 1 T of sugar to cut.

3) Serve with Frito Scoops, sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar and chopped green onions.

Everything Ends

Queue creepy music. Go. Zoom in on wobbly gurney wheel. Stop. Pan back to silhouette of man disappearing in hallway. Go. Insert clip of foot with toe tag. Stop. Tight focus on eye being wiped with a cotton ball. Roll credits. Overlay red on small tree. Steady to crow flying horizontal.

Fade to white.

In case you don't recognize that familiar sequence, its the opening to what has become IMHO, the best show on television.



It was Home Depot Guy who originally recommended this show to me. We were supposed to watch the five season series together but then he up and moved to NYC. It was ironic but nonetheless enjoyable that he was back in town to watch the final episode with me last night.

I love The Fishers, this family in the business of grief management, leisurely strolling through the worst time in other people's lives, while they can barely keep their basic day-to-day from unraveling.

Its hard to describe what one thing made me love this series. The writing was phenomenal, the directing even better, and the acting was uniformly brilliant although Claire (Lauren Ambrose) started out and ended up being my favorite.

The juxtaposition of the living and the dead was interesting angle. Seems like every show you would see some character who died coming back to guide, play devil's advocate for or sometimes just console someone still living. Each time the reaction of the living was that of business-as-usual, at once de-mystifying death and bringing its inevitability to a palatable level.

The frequent use of minimal dialogue was also another creative twist. Sometimes a situtation would be just begging for a conventionally long monologue or detailed explanation but more often than not the sequence would just end with characters looking at each other in dead silence. Perfect, let the audience fill in the gaps!

The season finale was fantastic, particularly the last 15 minute sequence surrounding Claire's I-10 exit to a new life. I'd tell you how the show ends, but you already know - its the way every living thing ends.

Fade to white.

Six Feet Under
10/10

A Use For Scallops

About that sampling I conducted last week with Highly Elusive Urban Tara and Big Mike. (with cameo appearance by Hotel Godess, who subsequently fell asleep on my sofa after a 16 hour workday).

It was approved in a 3 to 0 vote, therefore passed on to you. (we could not count Hotel Godess' snore as an actual vote :)

Scallops On Asiago Garlic Toast

1/2 Lb Scallops
4 Tblsp Butter
2 t Northwood Seasoning
4-6 Slices Crusty Bread
3 T Olive Oil
3 Clove Garlic, crushed
2 Ounce Asiago cheese, finely grated
salt



1. Place garlic in olive oil and let fuse for at least 2 hours.

2. Preheat broiler. Brush both sides of bread slices with garlic-spiked olive oil. Sprinkle bread with a small amount of salt.

3. If scallops are large cut them into bite-sized pieces. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, add scallops and sprinkle with half of the Northwood Seasoning.

4. Put the bread under the broiler, keeping an eye out since they will brown quickly, about 1 minute until golden. Remove from broiler, sprinkle with Asiago then pass under the broiler again for 30 seconds to melt.

5. After the scallops brown (about 2 minutes) flip them over, sprinkle with the rest of the Northwood Seasoning and brown the other side (about 1 minutes) Remove from heat then press the scallops lightly into the bread. Serve.

Keepin' It Weird

Apparently I am not going to be able to post stuff without a week's lag. That may have been too lofty a goal, like last year's ill-fated resolution of being nicer to stupid people.

So, Austin. Their creedo is "Keep Austin Weird". Weird, as in non-conformist. Despite their recent expansion, new tollroads, 40 or so new downtown residential towers, I am happy to report they are keeping true to their trend-bucking roots.

Most of my friends in Austin are heavily involved in theatre. I went with Andrea' to see a play called Trickster at the Vortex Theatre. It was an amazing play, mainly a interesting, tolerance-building spin on how perceptions of reality differ. Two things stood out 1) The production was done as a mini Cirque, complete with one of the leads spinning himself up and down on two pieces of cloth hanging from the ceiling. Quite an accomplishment considering the stage was about the size of my kitchen (small). The other thing that stood out was that the play was very sexually-charged. Very. In Dallas this would have caused people to get up and walk out, in Austin it received a standing ovation. It was tastefully done and everyone seemed to "get" the interpretation, even the senior citizens.


Next Andrea' and I walked the downtown entertainment district until 1am. What I like about the area is the variety of venues all on the same street: Jazz, Rock, Country, Gay, Straight, etc., all seem to blend without issue or age-delineation. We spent some time in Rainbow Cattle Company, Austin's gay C&W bar. What I found odd was that noone arrived until 1130, then it was like a stampede. Fun place, good music and an unsettlingly friendly crowd of men and women in equal amounts.


Austin Museum Of Art

Next day I checked out the Austin Museum of Art. They were having an exhibit called "Radical NY", art from the Soho modernist movement of the 70's and 80's. Considering the size of the city, the exhibit was huge and very-well presented. I almost felt like I was back in late-70's NYC.


Auntee: 'What the hell is going on here?'

My big cheese table design

The other reason I went to Austin was for my aunt's surprise birthday party. My cousin and I had been conspiring for months and I'm happy to report it was a success. We had a mutual friend keep her out of the house all day so we could decorate (my big contribution was lighting and arranging the cheese table).She was completely surprised, as well as a little freaked out. And here she thought she would just pick up a few things for dinner at Whole Foods then watch a movie. Only if you share with your 50 guests, Auntee :)

(I highly recommend Whole Foods downtown Austin for party catering, wow!)




My restaurant recommendation from this Austin trip is Thai Tara. Good location, incredible Panang, helpful service and very decent prices ($6-12).

Translation

I discovered Ivri Lider, Israel's gay pop icon, last year after falling in love with the Rita cover song that he sings in the movie Yossi & Jagger. Since then Ive ordered all of his CD's from a store in Jerusalem. I even ordered a copy for Girlfriend X, since she is really into foreign language music these days. She asked me to translate the following song, "Bo" (Let's), which is the song from Yossi & Jagger. Just because I know the Hebrew alphabet doesn't mean I know the what the words mean, lol, but I managed to find some Youtuber that did the work for me. My work is done!




The video has all sorts of clips from Yossi & Jagger. If you haven't seen it yet, do, its sorta Brokeback Mountain but Army soldiers instead of cowboys and Lebanese/Israeli border instead of Wyoming.

Ivri Lider
Yossi & Jagger