Monthly Archives: February 2014

Porches of Carpinteria

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: Kicking around the town of Carpinteria, CA for a few days recently left me marveling at an architectural wonder too often taken for granted: the American porch. Carpinteria (or, as everyone calls it, “Carp”) is an idyllic … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged architecture, California, Carpinteria, Michael Dolan, porches, small towns | 19 Comments

Movie Still Du Jour

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in Howard Hawks’s HIS GIRL FRIDAY Click on the image to enlarge.

Posted in Movies | Tagged Cary Grant, Columbia Pictures, Howard Hawks, Rosalind Russell | 1 Comment

Architecture Du Jour: Los Angeles’s Pantages Theatre

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: As I implied earlier, this past weekend I was at the Pantages Theatre to see the touring company production of Book of Mormon. As wonderful and hilarious as the show was, it was almost upstaged by the venue itself, an … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged art deco, B. Marcus Priteca, Book of Mormon, Hollywood, Hollywood & Vine, Los Angeles, Pantages Theatre, traditionalism | 6 Comments

“All Is Lost”

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: “All Is Lost” is like “The Old Man and the Sea” without the fish. Robert Redford, who in the credits is referred to as “Our Man,” floats around in a damaged boat looking grave and portentous as one … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged A River of Bullshit Runs Through It, All is Lost, Film, J.C. Chandor, movies, Robert Redford | 11 Comments

Cocktails Du Jour

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: A French Martini (vodka, Chambord, and pineapple juice) and a Hemingway (rum, grapefruit juice, and lime) at Miller’s Bar, Wabash Street, Chicago

Posted in Food and health, The Good Life, Travel | Tagged Chicago, cocktails, girly drinks, martini, mixed drinks, pink booze | Leave a comment

Fear Factor

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Glynn Marshes

Glynn Marshes writes: I find this heartening. In an op-ed on France for the LA Times, Pascal Bruckner cites fear as one of the most significant factor’s in that country’s unsettling decline. For the French have become afraid of everything: … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal reflections, Politics and Economics | 1 Comment

Because They Could

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Sax von Stroheim

Sax von Stroheim writes: The sedentary lifestyle of farming allowed a vast elaboration of material culture. Food, shelter, and artifacts no longer had to be portable. Births could be spaced closer together, since mothers didn’t have to continuously carry small … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics | 4 Comments