Author Archives: Eddie Pensier

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About Eddie Pensier

Television junkie, opera buff, connoisseur of unhealthy foods, fashion watcher, art lover and admirer of beautiful people of all sexes.

“Jindabyne”

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: Ray Lawrence’s “Jindabyne” (2006) is a murder drama, not a murder mystery. The identity of the killer is clear from the first scene: creepy electrician Park accosts teenaged Susan O’Connor in her car, murders her, and dumps … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Eddie’s Tea Chronicles: Confessions Of A Flavored Tea Lover

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: I love flavored  tea. There, I said it. Bona fide tea snobs will shudder at this statement. These days it’s all about the pure, the single-origin, the unadulterated. It’s more sincere and authentic, and as we all … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and health, The Good Life | Tagged , | 18 Comments

Idioms I Don’t Understand

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: My usage of the cliché “paying through the nose” in my previous Linkage led me to ponder the origins of some idioms, similes and metaphors whose meanings are more obscure than perhaps they ought to be. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Language | 8 Comments

Sydney Symphony Orchestra: “Elektra”

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: Possibly the key thing to know about Richard Strauss’ Elektra is that this opera is LOUD. Delightfully, magnificently loud. How loud? Well, most Mozart operas are scored for 50-60 orchestra members, most Verdi calls for 70-80, and even … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Performers | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Linkage (Unhealthy Vices Edition)

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: Electronic cigarettes are making tobacco cigarettes obsolete. The “molecular archaeologist” who studies ancient beers and recreates them. I want his job. Plain packaging for cigarettes is a stupid idea. Canadians are drinking frozen beer. Philadelphians are eating … Continue reading →

Posted in Linkathons | 4 Comments

The Last Honest Meal

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: If you’re the type of diner who judges restaurants by hygiene and cleanliness, this sign in the window of Dinastia China might give you pause. That is, of course, the New York City Health Department Sanitation Inspection … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and health, Personal reflections, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Tango Du Jour

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: Rumor has it that Libertad Lamarque (1908-2000) left her native Argentina to work in Mexico, after an on-set dispute with fellow actress Eva Duarte grew into a feud. After Duarte married  autocrat-to-be Juan Perón, the feud became … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Movies, Music, Performers | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Ben Heppner–Recollections

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: Canadian tenor Ben Heppner has announced his retirement from the opera and recital stage, at the age of 58. Heppner found his calling as a heldentenor, specializing in German repertory, specifically Wagner. He won the Metropolitan Opera’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Art Du Jour (ANZAC Day Edition)

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: Garry Shead, Light Horse at Gallipoli Related A previous ANZAC-themed ADJ, by Sir Sidney Nolan.

Posted in Art | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Pizza, Five Ways

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: The best pizza in the world, as everybody knows, no longer exists. It is the pizza of your childhood*. That first magical bite sets the flavor, which you spend the rest of your life attempting to recapture. … Continue reading →

Posted in Food and health, The Good Life, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments