January 1, 2001
Bye Bye Y2K...and best wishes for all of your odysseys to come in 2001.
Thanks to all who suggested names for my house in response to last year's e-greeting. In typical procrastinating form, I have not yet chosen a winner, but have at least ruled out "The Blob," since that nickname rightfully belongs to a different Seattle landmark. Other things I haven't gotten around to this year include putting my WTO photos into a scrapbook; painting designs on the car to make it easier to locate in parking lots; organizing the spice racks so I don't have to knock over the marjoram to get to the caraway seeds; and training the cats how to sit still to get their claws trimmed. Well, there's always the next century not to do these things in.
My year-end list of notable cultural products encountered in the past year follows--send me yours!
Aaron Caplan
Other than Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred Leuchter, Jr. (which I mentioned awaiting last year), I saw no movies in 2000 that excited me sufficiently to tell you about. So instead, here is a recipe you are sure to enjoy.
White Gazpacho
¾ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup slivered almonds
2 cloves garlic
1 green bell pepper (approx. 2/3 cup)
1 peeled & seeded cucumber (approx. 1½ cup)
¼ cup lightly packed basil leaves
3 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
salt & pepper to tasteIn blender or food processor, puree together all ingredients except the olive oil. Slowly pour in the oil while blending. Add water if desired. Serve over ice cubes and garnish with sliced grapes.
Rival factions of elevator inspectors wrestle for
political power, unaware of the secret history of their
profession.
***HIGHLY RECOMMENDED***
Musical theater based on the real-life story of the quasi-con artists who placed "send Us Your Song Lyrics" ads in the back pages of comic books. Makes you proud to be an American. Here are some reviews from the San Francisco Weekly and San Francisco Bay Guardian. And don't miss the home page of the American Song-Poem Music Archives.
Chic Japanese techno-pop meets Burt Bacharach. Start with The Sound of Music by Pizzicato Five.
Fair use made easy.
Turn your computer into a recording studio.
Turn your computer into a lava lamp.
Hear Woody Allen or the kids from South Park dubbed into French, or see lost footage from the Wizard of Oz. (No wonder I didn't see many new movies this year...)