Changes

19 Nov

The more things change … I returned to my old second home, Star Market/Shaw’s on Comm Ave., last week and was shocked to learn that the whole place had been remodeled! It was only in April that I moved, and while I now do my weekly grocery shopping in other Star Market locations, I find it hard to believe that I haven’t been back to this one in a long enough time that it gave the store a chance to totally change and look completely different. And don’t get me wrong: It looks great! I really enjoyed walking up and down the aisles discovering where all the foods had moved to. Yes, I know it’s totally lame to be excited about a supermarket’s new look, but I spent a lot of time here during the first 11 years of my Boston residency, so I considered this a big deal.

The more they stay the same … Alright, I finally have to post something about this: My new next-door neighbor plays an instrument. A guitar. Or at least I think it’s a guitar. It sort of sounds more like a banjo. But it’s an instrument nevertheless. And he plays it a lot. Like, every night. However, things are different now. For one thing, a guitar (even one that sounds sort of like a banjo) is not nearly as bad as a violin. Or a flute, for that matter. Secondly, it’s not like it’s soooo loud that it interferes with my TV-watching like the playing did in my old place. And finally — also most importantly — I’ve met my neighbor and he’s a nice guy. So if I was ever that annoyed by his playing, I’m sure he’d stop, even though I know he doesn’t have somewhere else to go. So I’m going to keep a positive, tolerant, flexible attitude about this. Still, it’s totally amusing to me that I’ve moved next to another instrument player. What luck I have.

Ah well. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Out of Town Goes Out of Town

19 Nov

Well, this sucks. When you think of Harvard Square, chances are good you think of Out-of-Town News, that iconic newsstand located right in the heart of the square. For more than 50 years, it’s been right there at the top of the escalator after getting off the T. With the store closing later this month, the Square loses not just a landmark but also more of its character. It’s true, I’m not a big fan of Cambridge, and I like Harvard Square a lot less now than I did when I was in college, but I know a loss when I see it. I never took that newsstand for granted and can remember (though not in any specific terms) countless times when I stood there browsing the new issues, often buying them too. I’ll miss Out-of-Town News — much more than the nearby Crate & Barrel, which is also closing — and I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment.

Expressway

19 Nov

On the way home from work last night, I finally started reading Esquire‘s November issue, which — aside from being the Halle Berry as Sexiest Woman Alive issue — was the Endorsement issue. And it got me thinking about what I endorse. Here’s a very simple one: When the T goes express, particularly outbound. Sure, I like my commute, mostly because I get a lot of reading time in and I always get a seat in the morning (going home, not so much). But who doesn’t like a shorter T ride, right?

To be more specific, going express inbound — from Packards Corner to B.U. Central, for example — is good, especially when you’re on a crowded train. But consider the destination. I’m not really in that much of a rush to get to work. On the other hand, when you’re on an outbound train, and the driver comes on the PA to announce that you’ll be going express from Washington Street all the way out to Boston College — well, that’s just a great thing. It’s like the driver knows you’ve had a rough day and you’re eager for some peace and quiet, a good dinner, and some good TV. All the riff raff gets off the train (grumbling, usually) and it’s like the whole vehicle is all mine (or close to all mine). I can grab a seat, or stretch out on a couple seats. And then it’s like the driver has hit the warp speed button so he/she can get me home likkity-split, and we get to the end of the line in no time. So yeah, that’s what I endorse: an express ride home on the T.

Say It Ain’t So

18 Nov

My friends, as I survey my collection of unused holiday tunes, I’m very quickly coming to the realization that there may not be a Very Marty Christmas 2008. I spent some time this past weekend re-listening to last year’s mix and congratulating myself once again on what a great, fun compilation it was. (Really. At various times, I found myself saying out loud, to no one but myself, how great an album it was.) Heck, I even made two CDs — the second being my best-of collection. So how could I possibly top those this year?

Before anyone blames this on the economy or laziness or anything else, know this much: I’m trying. But of all the new holiday music I’m listening to — Sheryl Crow, Kristin Chenoweth, the Brushfire collection, Brian McKnight, Ledisi, and even Neil Sedaka — very little of it is any good. Of course, I love the new Harry Connick Jr. holiday album, but I can’t really make a CD of only Harry Connick tunes. That wouldn’t be very cool — or legal. And I really don’t want to make a subpar CD of leftovers that didn’t make it onto previous year’s mixes (like Dido’s “Christmas Day,” a perennial also-ran, or Darlene Love’s now-three-year-old “Christmastime for the Jews“).

Really, I’m just not as excited about making a mix this year like I was last year. So maybe the best thing for me to do is go out on top and leave folks wanting more. After all, last year’s mix was really good. Like, instant-classic good. Maybe by next year I’ll have enough material to compile a really good and worthy ninth (!!) Very Marty Christmas CD. And, maybe I’ll rally and find enough for a good CD this year. You never know what can happen around holiday time. Stay tuned.

Revenge Served Cold

17 Nov

What is there to say about the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace?

To get right to the point, it’s just not as good as Casino Royale, mostly because it’s not as character-driven or fun, and it spends too much time on forgettable action. There’s no scene in the new flick as exciting or cool as the construction site chase in Casino, for example.

But that said, Quantum is not a bad movie. It’s just disposable. Daniel Craig still projects icy cool, and he still makes a very good action hero when given the chance. Continue reading →

Yes, Sir

13 Nov

Are you like me? Do you love Keith Olbermann‘s Special Comments? Then you’ll love this. It’s a one-minute-long highlight reel that just about sums them all up. It’ll make you say “You have been screwed. And screwed you are.” Ha!

How Could They Vote for a Loser Who Doesn’t Shave??

11 Nov

Alright, American Idol fans, I know you’re out there. David Archuleta’s CD hit stores today and David Cook’s hits stores next week. I’ve already heard Archie’s CD (I downloaded it for free last week) and it’s as bland and unexciting as I’d expected it would be. That said, I’ll bet the girls in this video just love it. The video (which I found on PopWatch) shows a group of Archie fans watching as the winner was announced back in May. Suffice it to say, they’re not happy. Not in the least. But that doesn’t even come close to capturing their absolutely hysterical reaction. They cry! They scream! They pout! They throw paper! They hurl insults! These girls are absolutely devastated. It’s seriously one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Check it out for yourself. And for the record, if you recall, my reaction to David Cook’s win was a bit more subdued, though I’ll admit, I was happy.

An Expression of Love

11 Nov

“This isn’t about yelling and this isn’t about politics,” says Keith Olbermann in his really nice and level-headed special comment about California’s Proposition 8, which he delivered at the end of last night’s show. “This vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn’t about yelling, and this isn’t about politics. This is about the human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/27652443#27652443

Synecdo-what??

10 Nov

Chances are good you’ve never seen a movie quite like Synecdoche, New York.

First of all, about that hard-to-pronounce title. The film takes place (or at least part of it does) in Schenectady, New York, where Caden Cotard (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) is living a bleak existence and is convinced he’s dying. Eager to do something with his life before he goes (“That would be the time to do it,” Caden’s therapist tells him), he seeks to create a monumental theater piece that will document his existence and show that his life has meaning.

Now, according to Dictionary.com, the word synecdoche is “a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special.”

So to that end, the play becomes intertwined with Caden’s life, and soon there are multiple actors playing the same role (in Caden’s life and in his play), and the play becomes a play within a play within a play, with scenes and lines of dialogue repeating themselves. Chronology is blurred, and you never know if you’re watching Caden’s reality or his alternate reality. Continue reading →

Spending the Weekend

9 Nov

I went out this weekend to buy some stuff for my place — an air-cleaning filter, a box of tissues, that kind of stuff — but something weird happened: I found myself buying more than I planned. By Sunday evening I had also purchased three sweaters, a book, a reed diffuser, a CD, and some other stuff. I was seeing things and just buying them, on impulse. It was like I was my own personal economic stimulus package. Now, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I was buying everything in sight. Far from it. But a bunch of stores had their Christmas decorations and items out (including Harry Connick Jr.’s new holiday album, which was totally worth paying full retail at Target), and I just got in the buying spirit. Sometimes it feels good to treat yourself to some new stuff, and this was one of those weekends where that was the case for me.

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