True Blood True?

I've been reading the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris for years now. And I'm 95% happy with the work Alan Ball has done in translating some relatively simple plots to a much more complex medium. [I guess that it's only fair that I write SPOILER ALERT just in case]

The introduction of Hadley sets up some of book 3. Rachel Evan Wood was pretty good as Sophie Anne, but while we got her childish nature, we didn't see her vicious side. (The sheriff's have been much more intimidating that the royalty.) I think that Andre should have been introduced as well, lurking in the background. Again having read all the books, I'm officially on Team Eric (maybe I just hate Bill's wig, 'cause if that's his real hair... I'm just saying.) So with no set up regarding the HUGE betrayal regarding Bill's relationship with Sookie regarding Sophie Anne, I'm feeling a bit wanting. This is so big it motivates much of the rest of the books. Eric hinted at it in Season One, but with Mr. Ball's story telling skills, I thought, we'd get some sense of Bill's faults by now. Maybe the point is that Bill is so one-note, that he's boring.

I'm also kind of frustrated with the Maryanne stuff... It's getting a little to much to come back from. The only way that Bon Temps can move on is some sort of mass amnesia. When you have to use amnesia or alcohol/drugs to move or reconcile a plot, you missed something or got lazy somewhere. And way too many people know about shifters too soon. I was kind of hoping that the were's would get introduced and take care of Jason. (Oops, did I say that?) All that howling in the background and no were's? It's like I was taught in scene design class: if there's a gun on the mantle, it needs to go off by Act IV.

Rustic Sophistication

Andy and I just got back from a trip to Stowe, Vermont. I was constantly surprised by the passion in the foodie and artist movement up there. It was almost as if there are different priorities up there. People's only responsibility is to their own passion. It was truly motivational to have such amazing experiences with Chef Sean Buchanan at Solstice, Chef Michael Kloeti at Michael's on the Hill, Lauren Williams at Laughing Moon Chocolate Company, all of the artists involved with the EXPOSED exhibit around Stowe, the artisans working at the Simon Pearce showroom, and at Positive Pie in Montpelier. You've all shown me a higher calling.

Please make sure your seat belts are fully buckled at this time.

So here we go. And the curtain rises on a blank stage with some exquisite but simple lighting. Maybe there's some fog.

My goal in this is to write about those things that excite me: Interiors. Fashion. Architecture. The Performing Arts. Culinary. I probably should have named this after some muse, firmly grounded this in history, but n0 such luck.

I love to weed through all the minutia and find things that really get other people excited. I want to look at things from a fresh point of view and then hold that mirror back up and let others take a look.

Its fair to say that you should expect the high and low-brow, the camp, and the sublime. I get excited and have opinions about it all and often those opinions change.

Let's see what's out there